Managerial Communication II

Trimester II
Group Assignment on Proposal Writing for FTMBA batch
Marks 15
Date: 13.10.2021
Time: 1.5 hr + 15 minutes (to upload the completed assignment on portal)

Case:

REALPOSTIT! COMMUNICATING THE VALUE OF A NEW BUSINESS

Ajit Balakrishnan, was the director of New Business Development and Strategy at Ideal Digital. Over
the past two months, he had carefully crafted the high-level strategy for Ideal Digital’s experimental
marketing subsidiary, RealPostIt!, a venture that offered people the ability to send free, customized
postcards in the mail to their friends and families. Businesses paid all costs, in return for the
unobtrusive placement of their brand name and logo on the postcard. Balakrishnan was now focusing
on targeting corporates who would be persuaded to become advertisers with RealPostIt! Although his
network of advertisers was large, as a result of his previous business ventures and business
relationships with small businesses, it was not large enough to sustain RealPostIt! He would need to
reach out to large corporations and their marketing divisions. Balakrishnan planned to send a proposal
to these corporations with an attractive cover letter. He needed to ensure that advertisers believed
RealPostIt! had a value proposition worth pursuing.
Individuals could log onto www.RealPostIt.com and send two postcards through the mail per day, for
free. The website was compatible with smartphones and tablets. After logging into the site, the
consumers would first choose a picture, a JPEG file, to create the postcard. They could also choose a
picture from a Facebook album or from a device’s hard drive. They would then be prompted to type a
personal message on the back of the card and enter the receiver’s address. After the first two steps
were complete, they would be given a number of “sponsors” (or advertisers) to choose from. The
sponsor chosen would border the picture of the postcard. The border itself was unobtrusive and did
not interfere with the picture itself.
Both the sender and receiver of the postcard would also receive a discount or a free-offer coupon from
the sponsor. The sender received this coupon via email: the receiver, via an advertisement on the back
of the postcard below the text. The RealPostIt! website was equipped with an advertiser’s page
(www.RealPostIt.com/Advertisers) that allowed interested parties to learn more about the company’s
value proposition.
Balakrishnan’s postcard competitors were American-owned companies: Photogram and Postcard,
who allowed a customer to customize and send postcards from a computer or smartphone; however,
they charged $0.99 per postcard, while RealPostIt! was free. At the same time, Balakrishnan knew
that these companies were large, had already acquired many customers, and had substantial financial
banking; his was a small, fledgling Indian company. If he did not acquire advertisers fast enough, the
large American players would mimic his business model, which was very different from the regular
methods listed below:
Direct mails have very low open rates (1.38 percent), was an impersonal method, no emotional
connection, costly and targeting was difficult while online impressions are difficult in terms of
visibility, short term in focus, with click rate of just 0.95. If an organization runs an email campaign,
it can receive similar open rates to the preceding two, but depended on the quality of the list acquired
to whom such mails would be sent. Emails definitely have the chance to show results, but were short
term in focus and highly unpredictable. Compared to these, traditional prints were very difficult to
measure, no digital engagement, and costly.
Balakrishnan believed that RealPostIt created value - a unique and tantalizing value proposition from
what is offered by others since advertisers would not be imposing themselves upon customers, would
be offered “permission” to enter their homes and offer something of value. The product offered
advertiser high visibility as postcards would be kept for years in their homes in full view,
(mantelpiece, fridge, office desks and so on). After choosing a sponsor, the sender would be sent an
exclusive coupon offer (a code on the back of the postcard), and the advertiser’s brand would be seen
in the border around the postcard, thus giving a great opportunity to be noticed. Moreover it offered
the geo-analytics of both senders and receivers and advertisers would be given control over campaign
management. They could upload new creative designs for the borders and coupon and if RealPostIt!
was being used in concert with another campaign, borders and coupons could be designed to
complement that campaign. One of the important feature was online analytics that could measure
return on investment, and the service offered budget control as well. This meant that advertisers could
determine the way in which they could buy postcards (maximum number over a span, or a staggered
plan, even a one-time plan).
Perhaps the greatest advantage was that RealPostIt! offered advertisers a chance to be seen while
friends and family connected in an emotional way. The advertisers could ask themselves, ‘When was
the last time our brand ended up on a consumer’s fridge?’ Balakrishnan knew that emotional
marketing was becoming popular in the corporate world.

Assignment Question
 Assume the role of Ajit Balakrishnan and draft a proposal for a corporate advertiser
(targeting marketing head of HUL Ltd).

Remember that you are soliciting their interest through a deft analysis of the current
scenario and a scope/need analysis. A feasible basket of financing options (maximum
number over a span, or a staggered plan, even a one-time, assuming details of fee from the
competition), and a clear deliverable chart (explaining how the advertisement will reach the
consumer in different stages) would go a long way to attract them.

Write the proposal in 600 words (strictly follow the word limit) following the format
discussed in class.

Protocols to be followed when submitting (15 minutes additional to 1.5 hours):

 Naming convention: Proposal Assignment - Div XX - Gr number XX. Please mention the
names of all participating group members in the cover page without fail.
 You must follow the template shared and discussed in the class to write the proposal.
 Please note that only word documents will be accepted.
 Strictly follow the word limit.