01 Acemedia Final Imc Plan Spring22 Compressed 1

IM C PLAN
CAMPAIGN Prepared by:

"Full Circle"
January 1st, 2023- December 31st 2023
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

MKTG 384 - Integrated Marketing
Communications Erica Wirth
Professor Canessa Collins Alyssa Spinner
April 21st, 2022 Matt Blair
Carisa Burgman
Proposed to: The Mercy House Homeless
Miguel Hernandez
Shelter and Thrift Store
Table of Contents
Agency Philosophy ................................................................................................................4

Meet the Team ......................................................................................................................5
Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................6
Industry Review ....................................................................................................................8
Company Description ...........................................................................................................10
Product/Service Review .......................................................................................................12
Competitive Review ..............................................................................................................14

Buyer Analysis ......................................................................................................................17
Primary Research .................................................................................................................21

Promotional Program Situation Analysis ............................................................................23
Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning ..........................................................................24
Marketing Goals ...................................................................................................................25
Campaign Theme .................................................................................................................25
Communication Goals and Strategies ................................................................................26

Creative Brief .......................................................................................................................28
Media Plan ............................................................................................................................37
1. Traditional Advertising .................................................................................................38
2. Digital Marketing ...........................................................................................................45
3. Social Media Marketing .................................................................................................52
4. Support Media ...............................................................................................................59
5. Direct Marketing ............................................................................................................64

6. Sales Promotion ............................................................................................................69
7. Personal Selling ............................................................................................................74
8. Public Relations ............................................................................................................79
02
Table of Contents CONT.
9.Sponsorship.................................................................................................................85
Media Flowchart ........................................................................................................................90

Budget Breakdown and Summary ............................................................................................92
IMC Evaluation ..........................................................................................................................94

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................98
Appendix A: Buyer Personas .....................................................................................................99
Appendix B: Traditional Advertising.........................................................................................100
Appendix C: Digital Marketing .................................................................................................104

Appendix D: Social Media Marketing.........................................................................................105
Appendix E: Support Media.......................................................................................................106

Appendix F: Direct Marketing....................................................................................................107
Appendix G: Sales Promotions .................................................................................................108
Appendix H: Personal Selling....................................................................................................109
Appendix I: Public Relations.....................................................................................................110
Appendix J: Sponsorship..........................................................................................................111
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................112
03
AGENCY PHILOSOPHY
Meet the Dealer
"Let’s play your cards right"
Mission Statement: To intertwine company goals with a cohesive marketing strategy that shares a
positive brand image to the world.
Standards & Beliefs That Guide Our Work:
• Transparency
• Communication
• Real relationships with clients
• Extension of our client
• Honesty
• Integrity Company Colors
• Passion
• Creativity
Competitive Advantage:
• Transparency throughout the entire partnership with each client
• Extension of their company – we take the time to do research and understand each client before
creating content
• Constant involvement and check-ins with the client – don't have to wait until the last minute to make
sure that everyone is on the same page with the campaigns. We want everyone to be on the same page
• Wide variety of skills and backgrounds from our team members. Different interests can make sure that
each client gets a holistic approach to their content.
04
Meet the CE's
Erica Wirth
Erica is a junior Marketing major at JMU, pursuing a concentration in Digital
Marketing and a minor in Business Analytics. Outside of the classroom, Erica
loves to represent the JMU College of Business as a member of the Student
Advisory Council, where she leads prospective tours around the COB
Learning Complex.
Alyssa Spinner
Alyssa is a Junior Marketing major at JMU with a concentration in
Professional Sales. At JMU she is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta, JMU
SafeRides, the American Marketing Association and the University Program
Board. She also work as an Event Operation Specialist at the University
Recreation Center and was recently promoted to manager!
Matt Blair
Matt is a Senior Marketing Major at JMU. He is involved in the Professional
Sales Club and enjoys the outdoors and watching sports in his free time.
Carisa Burgman
Carisa is a junior Marketing major at JMU with a concentration in Digital
Marketing and a minor in Computer Information Systems. She is involved in
the sorority Alpha Delta Pi, where she serves as the Digital Marketing
Specialist.
Miguel Hernandez
Miguel Hernandez is a Senior Marketing major with a concentration in
professional sales. He is also a part of the fraternity Sigma Nu, the Club
Soccer team, as well as a member of the Professional Sales Club. In his
free time, Miguel enjoys playing sports and being outside on a sunny day.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Executive Summary
Introduction
This Integrated Marketing Communications plan was created for the Mercy House to increase
awareness of the organization's mission that will lead directly to an increase in higher quality
donations. Ace Media is excited to work with the Mercy House to help them meet and exceed
their 2023 goals, while growing the business and reaching new heights to help reduce the
housing problem throughout the community. As much as Mercy House creates value within the
community, Ace Media hopes to create value in the Mercy House business as a whole.
Target Audiences
Family Households: Parents between the ages of 28-45 years old located in the
Harrisonburg and Rockingham counties that are driven to help in their community.
College Seniors: Graduating Senior between the ages of 20-22 year old located in or around
the Harrisonburg area looking to donate unwanted items post graduation.
Campaign Time Period

January 1st, 2023-December 31st, 2023
Marketing Goal
Increase donations to the thrift store or building supply store that will result in an increase of
sales by 25% by December 31st, 2023.
Campaign Communications Objectives

The communications objectives for the IMC plan were created to follow an AIDA format
(Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action). The primary awareness goal will be to increase the
number of people who know the Mercy House mission by 40% at the end of the campaign
(December 2023). The Interest and Desire objectives will be divided into each of our target
markets - families living in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County area and off-campus JMU
students. This will allow for better segmentation and formation of unique strategies and tactics
that are geared directly towards each audience. The Action objectives will bring both of our
markets together and create a universal understanding of the quality of items that are needed
as donations, thus reducing the external waste costs acquired by the Mercy House.
Campaign Theme
Full Circle
Overall Budget
$20,000
Traditional Advertising
The primary takeaway from this section is to create awareness, interest, and improve the quality
of donations through the use of TV, radio , newspaper, magazine, mail, and online video
advertisements.
6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Executive Summary CONT.
Digital Marketing
The primary takeaway from this section is to increase awareness, interest, and desire by
implementing SEO, blog creations, email marketing and the usage of monthly newsletters.
Social Media Marketing

The primary takeaway from this section is to increase awareness, and desire through the use of
posting on all social media platforms.
Support Media
The primary takeaway from this section is to increase the reach the Mercy House has in regard to
awareness of their mission, what they do for the local community, and the donations they desire
through the handing out of cups, t-shirts, pens, magnets, stickers, flyers and transit bus ads.
Direct Marketing
The primary takeaway from this section is to increase interest in donating and increase the total
number of high quality donations received by the Mercy House through sending direct mail, emails
and texts to designated target market.
Sales Promotion
The primary takeaway from this section is to increase the frequency of donations, especially those
of high quality, through loyalty programs, raffles, sweepstakes, and coupons.
Personal Selling
The primary takeaway from this section is to increase awareness of the Mercy House through
attending networking events and tabling on James Madison University's campus.
Public Relations and Publicity

The primary takeaway from this section is to have the Mercy House increase interest in donating
unused goods as well as develop a strong relationship with the surrounding communities through
press releases, bulletin boards, flyers, and networking.
Sponsorship
The primary takeaway from this section increase the frequency of donations awareness of the Mercy
House in highly populated areas through raffles, flyers, sports arena strip-ads, video boards and
banners
Measurement Techniques
The primary takeaway from this section is to measure the effectiveness of our promotional
strategies through various types of marketing tests such as pre-testing, post-testing, A/B testing,
recall, and field testing.
7
INDUSTRY REVIEW
Industry Review: Thrift Stores

According to an IBIS World report, this industry has undergone, and will continue to
undergo, a growth stage. Between 2015 and 2020, there was a 1.4% growth rate, and
there is an expected growth rate of 2.7% in the next five years (Daly, Used Good Stores
in the US 2021). It is a $10.3B revenue industry, with profit in the 600 million range
(6.1% profit margin). This industry is making a positive impact, with low concentration
of business and low regulations. Revenue volatility is medium, with a mature life cycle,
making it a stable and steady industry to be a part of. However, competition is
continuing to increase because of these statistics, which is starting to have more of an
effect on Mercy House. Competition in Harrisonburg alone may continue to increase, as
a new Habitat for Humanity Restore came onto the market a few weeks ago. Regardless,
growth of this industry will continue to occur as Generation Z consumers are now
making thrift shopping their most popular form of shopping. With Mercy House being
around James Madison University, this is great news. As inflation increases and the
country is still in the midst of a recession, many consumers of all ages are seeking a
more cost-effective and sustainable approach to shopping as well.
Size:
23,449 total businesses with an expected annual growth rate of 1.8%
Growth:
Profit is expected to grow at a 12.7% growth rate, Annual growth rate in the next five
years is expected to be 2.7% (in comparison to 1.4% in 2015-2020), 6.1% profit
margin growth(Daly, Used Good Stores in the US 2021).
Current trends/ developments affecting the promotion program:

The recession is making a positive impact on thrift store popularity, as many people
are stuck looking for a cheaper shopping alternative
Many people are trying to be more sustainable in their shopping habits, which
increases the popularity of thrift stores all around
Generation Z members currently rate thrift store shopping as the most popular form
of shopping. With Mercy House being around the JMU area, this is great for them
and should increase profitability in the next couple of years.
Per capita disposable income is expected to increase in the coming years, which is
one of the main financial drivers of thrift store success across the nation
The percentage of women that are open to second-hand shopping has increased by
35% from 2016 to 2019. I believe that this number is even higher than 75% now as
well, as that is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years
For-profit and larger stores remain to be high external competition
8
INDUSTRY REVIEW

Online resellers are the fastest-growing competition currently out there (includes
Facebook Marketplace). Many people sell their items on these platforms instead of
taking them into the stores for them to sell. This is more convenient for many
people, especially those who may have smaller cars and a busier schedule to where
they cannot make the drop-off times. This online aspect also helps to connect those
who are looking to shop for resold goods, as they now have access to inventory at
the tip of their fingertips no matter where they go. This can help the turnover of
items sold at thrift stores.
Throughout historical reports, lower disposable incomes accounted for most of the
consumers, however higher income individuals are starting to shop more at thrift
stores (for many of the reasons explained above)
Macro-environment factors and issues:

Demographic: Higher disposable income buyers, Increase in Generation Z
consumers, Women’s perception
Economic: Per capita GDP is a driving factor of how well thrift stores are doing
Technological: This industry has a low technology dependence, and it isn’t expected
to increase too much in the coming years
Political: Recessions have an impact on performance (higher performance when the
political landscape isn’t doing as well)
Legal: Industry regulations are low but are slowly increasing. This might have more
of an impact in coming years, but isn’t bad right now
Social: It’s becoming more and more popular (especially with Generation Z users) to
share what they are getting at thrift stores online, which is increasing the social
popularity of these types of stores
Cultural: Culturally, it is becoming more popular to use second-hand shopping,
People are becoming aware of the benefits of thrift stores, and it is more widely
acceptable for all income levels
Environmental: There is a recent trend of people being more environmentally
conscious when it comes to spending, People are now wanting to increase
sustainability
Other Key Factors:

It’s very important to factor in the effects of Facebook Marketplace and other online
reselling resources where people can make money off of their old items instead of
donating. One way around this would be to increase awareness of the good cause that
Mercy House and thrift stores aim to solve/reduce.
09
INDUSTRY REVIEW & COMPANY DESCRIPTION
(Butler, Thrift stores 2020)
Company Description
History and Description:
The Mercy House started in 1988 when local judges and business owners bought a
house with a mission to help stop the amount of homeless people in the
Harrisonburg/Rockingham County area (Porter, Mercy House). They have evolved over
the years and have expanded tremendously. Thanks to federal and state funding,
private donations, and income from their thrift stores (2 locations) and building supply
stores, they were able to completely renovate their house. They have 11 open spaces in
their current house, with around 20 families on the waitlist. They also help every family
by providing benefits outside of a stable place to live. They offer counseling/therapy,
search for jobs and available housing that fits their need, supply jobs for them at the
thrift stores, medical care, food, clothing, etc. They are really a one-stop shop for local
families in need. One major way that they are able to continue supporting their cause is
through the proceeds they receive from their thrift stores/building supply store. They
take donations of clothes, furniture, books and household supplies, and then resell
them for a low price to members of the community. All money goes directly to support
the local families in need, which differentiates Mercy House from other thrift stores (like
Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity), as you don’t know who your donations will help.
Organization's present status:
Private, non-profit organization that is currently operating in Harrisonburg, Rockingham
County region. They own a home in Harrisonburg that they have converted into multiple
apartments for local families in need and have acquired two thrift stores and a building
supply store that help support the financial needs of their organization.
10
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Company Description
Product lines:
They sell many used goods: Clothing items, Household items (plates, kitchenware,
mugs, glasses, etc.), Books, Furniture, Building supplies
Homeless shelter services: Apartment-type living situations for multiple families at
one, Medical care, Food, Clothing (they can get free items at any of the thrift
stores), Employment opportunities at any of the stores, Employment counseling,
Regular counseling and therapy options, Help finding places to live after their time
at the homeless shelter (a whole staff member is dedicated to this role)
Other services: Donation pick-up services (for larger and multiple items), Help run
fundraisers and other events supporting their mission around the area (CiderFest)
Sales history:
Takes $80/day to run one shelter unit (they have 11 total)
Target markets:
Homeless shelters within the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County area
Local general contractors who are able to provide larger items for their building
supply store
Local homeowners who are getting rid of furniture and other household items
JMU students who are graduating/moving out of their dorm and have things that
they will no longer use and choose to donate to the shelter
Current marketing mix:
Product: Used goods, Household supplies, Furniture, Clothing, Books
Place: Their three stores (2 are in Harrisonburg and one is in Timberville)
Promotion: They aren’t too active on social media, but have used Facebook at times
to promote high priced items that are going to sell fast, they do some promotional
events around town, including their annual CiderFest, in which they pair with a local
cidery (they even have a special cider made for the Mercy House)
Price: They keep all their items very low priced, Clothing items (excluding designer
items) are all priced at $1.00
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
Low imports Low and steady barriers High recent revenue Low revenue growth,
High profit vs. Sector to entry growth Low outlier growth,
Average High competition High performance National unemployment
Low customer class High product/service drivers rate
concentration concentration Per capita disposable
Low capital requirements income is increasing
11
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Company Description
Positioning:
They are positioned on the higher value side of things since they are able to keep the
costs of the thrift store items low, while having a very large impact on the community
around them. These are two factors that are able to differentiate the Mercy House.
Brand Review:
The brand in general is innovative and has a good mentality. The Mercy House is
currently expanding the amount of stores that they have around town and are on track
for high growth in the coming years.
Other:
High growth, Increase number of needs because of the pandemic
This shows the distance between the two

This is a percentage and breakdown of the types
thrift stores and the one building supply
of products most sold within the thrift stores
store near the first thrift store at the
bottom.
Mercy House Thrift Store

Review
Thrift Store Description
The point of these stores is to collect donations from the local community (quality items
that you would give to a friend), and then resell them at a low cost to help fund the
services that Mercy House is able to provide. Upon receiving donations, the Mercy
House will sort through all items, select the highest quality items from larger donations,
and then place these around their physical store locations in Harrisonburg and
Timberville, VA. The building supply store works in a similar fashion, except that most
donations come from general contractors as opposed to the public for the regular thrift
stores.
12
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Mercy House Thrift Store

Review
Sales History
Exact sales history is unknown, but it is known that they are able to resell clothing items
for the low price of $1.00 (and still make a profit).
Product/service market share
Given that there are around 3-4 total thrift stores around the area, it is assumed that
they receive about 25% of the donations in the surrounding areas.
Thrift Store SWOT
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
They support local Drop-off times are Work with and partner There are new thrift
businesses in limited to during the with local businesses to stores popping up in the
Harrisonburg, VA workday (9am-5pm) do fun events to get the area, and they are larger
Helping those around the There is no requirement community together brands that are more
people who will be as to quality of Engage with past/future recognizable (e.g. Plato's
donating to the cause; donations, so people customers more through Closet)
they can see the effects may bring in things that direct marketing contact. Growing popularity of
in their community are not of high enough online reselling
They offer pick-up quality at all, which turns organizations that allow
services for larger items out to be more expensive sellers to receive money
Tax benefits for those for Mercy House for their old items.
who donate
Key Benefits
Help the local community and make a positive impact on those living right around
you
Pick-up services are offered for the larger donation items
Those that donate can get non-profit tax deductions for donating their items
Brand Image
Positive within the community
Not strongly linked to social media
It might seem a bit old-fashioned when it comes to technology and what the inside
of their store looks like
Simple company with positive motives
Positioning
Affordable second-hand store that also supports local community
Other factors
The types of products that they accept
Average inventory turnover that they have for items in their store
The types of people (demographic-wise) that they see currently donating to their
stores and buying items
13
PRODUCT/SERVICE REVIEW
LOCALITY OF
MISSION
Local Perceptual Map

The variables of locality (the immediate affect on the
surrounding community) and level of assistance (how much the
organization does to help their customer) were chosen because
LEVEL OF
ASSISTANCE they are two of Mercy House’s strongest competitive
Low High
advantages. Many nonprofits near Harrisonburg do not give back
to the local community, and many of them do not do other
services beyond their store. The Mercy House on the other side,
is using the stores only as a financial support system to their
homeless shelter.
Wide Geographical Range
Direct Competitors
Gift and Thrift is a local non-profit that markets themselves as a higher-end
thrift store with the goal of reimagining the stereotypical thrift store. They are
committed to giving used items a new life. With constant donations coming in,
Gift and Thrift’s future is looking bright and sustainable. They offer a variety of
benefits such as weekly discounts starting at 50% off Monday-Thursday,
70% off Friday and Saturday, and a base 10% off for college students every single day.
Consumers are also aiding their cause to contribute towards Mennonite’s Central
Committee’s relief, development, and peace endeavors in 60 countries around the world as
well as their support for other local non-profits in the area. They use a website to keep
people updated on specials, new items, and for information about the store itself as well as
have a Facebook page for announcements about events. Based off the fact that their main
source of advertising is from word-of-mouth communications, Gift and Thrift uses most of
their budget for other business needs rather than advertising and promotion. Gift and Thrift
has many opportunities to shop such as through their online eBay shop, book savers
amazon page, and silent auctions. They are positioned as affordable and high quality. They
are also known to be environmentally friendly, local, and offer opportunities to volunteer
and help the community. However, they do not offer pick up services nor do they help the
same local cause as the Mercy House.
Habitat ReStores are independently owned reuse stores operated by local

Habitat for Humanity organizations. They accept donations and sell
a constantly changing inventory of diverse, high-quality merchandise to locals at a
significantly less price than retail stores would sell it at. With their mission of helping
local families to build and repair affordable homes as well as an already pristine number
of Habitat ReStores around the country, this store has no foreseen problem with
continuing to grow and keep opening more stores. They position themselves much like
gift and thrift as high quality and highly affordable goods. They advertise their store
through their website as well as the use of blogs to get information on how to donate,
shop, and volunteer. Habitat homeowners get the opportunity to build their own homes
as well as pay an affordable mortgage. 14
COMPETITIVE REVIEW
Goodwill is a nonprofit organization that provides job training, employment

placement services, and other community-based programs for people who
have barriers to their employment. It’s funded through the operation of retail
thrift stores. The Goodwill thrift store in Harrisonburg sells a variety of
retail goods such as used clothes, used furniture, and other household goods. Qualified
individuals can apply for work programs and reentry services as well. There are 156
local Goodwill stores in the United States and Canada. It slowly expanded from its
founding in 1902 and now averages around 6 billion in yearly revenue, most of which is
spent on operating charitable services. Most of the programs weren’t offered in
Harrisonburg, however. Goodwill’s promotional mix is broken down through advertising,
public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion. Goodwill advertises through its
website, social media, and an e-newsletter. Its public relations component
communicates the mission of the organization through its website. The personal selling
component is utilized through workers helping at the thrift store. Lastly, the sales
promotion component is utilized through weekly discount offerings. Goodwill company’s
mission is, “Empowering individuals. Strengthening families. Inspiring communities.”
They communicate their message through various social media platforms and an e-
newsletter. However, there’s not a lot of media strategies implemented to specific
stores - more so to the company as a whole. Goodwill’s strengths lie in its affordable
goods, weekly discounts that attract different demographics, and being a well-known
company. Its main weakness is there not being a lot of interaction with the local
community at the Harrisonburg location. 
Indirect Competitors
Facebook marketplace is a destination on Facebook where people can
discover, buy and sell items. People can browse listings, search for items for
sale in their area or find products available for shipping. The key benefit
of marketplace is the ability to sell products directly online (Facebook), by quickly
taking a picture and adding a brief description of the item. Potential customers of the
product can also easily comment on the post itself or message the buyer privately. This
platform has grown exponentially in the last couple years due to a lot of people being
home and cleaning out unused items. Facebook does not directly advertise for this
platform but allows users to advertise their companies or services. Facebook is
positioned highly among competitors with the ease of use being a huge factor.
Marketplace strengths are the ease of use, ability to see listings from anywhere, and it
is a quick way to buy/sell a product. Some weaknesses are having to have data/Wi-Fi to
use this service, technical difficulties with it being an app, and unverified sellers.
15
COMPETITIVE REVIEW
OfferUp is an online resale platform where users can buy and sell items
locally. Their platform provides a place for users to sell a variety of items
ranging anywhere from furniture to shoes to cars to phones. Users are able
to communicate directly with their buyers from their phone and/or laptop.
OfferUp’s estimated annual revenue is $69.5 million, this revenue is generated through
seller fees, promoted listings, subscriptions, and mergers and acquisitions. OfferUp
acquired LetGo in 2020, aiding in the increase in their revenue and employee growth. A
key benefit of OfferUp is that users get paid for the items that they are trying to get rid
of. Being able to see who is buying your items and being able to talk to them directly is
also a benefit of OfferUp. OfferUp runs some TV commercials as their advertising. A
promotional offer OfferUp has includes allowing sellers to promote their items at a small
fee so that they sell more quickly and easily. OfferUp’s strength is their ease of use by
allowing users to sell their stuff from home by simply using their phone or laptop. A
weakness of OfferUp is that users have to have some kind of technology device to list
their items and there’s a learning curve to using their platform.
Plato’s Closet is a chain retailer that buys & sells trendy secondhand
clothing. Appealing to teenagers and young adults, they will take clothes
that someone is looking to turn in, evaluate a reasonable price while the
person is able to browse through the store and shop, and will then provide cash on the
spot if a deal is agreed upon before reselling the clothes in store. Plato’s Closet is a part
of the Winmark franchise, which has made a total of $1 Billion in sales across 1,250+
retail locations. The franchise has seen growth in recent years and predict that market
growth will increase in years to come. Key benefits of Plato’s Closet include being a part
of a franchise with many resources and brand name recognition, in addition to being able
to accept/reject items on the spot. That helps to keep their inventory up to date with
trendy items only. Winmark provides useful resources when it comes to establishing a
promotional budget and promotional mix. Winmark prides themself in “creating a close
partnership with all of [their] franchisees and giving them the business model, brand
name, resources, and support they need to thrive in their community” (Retail franchise
opportunity). Advertisements for the Harrisonburg Plato’s Closet run on local radio
stations, in which they attempt to raise awareness by explaining what Plato’s Closet is
and where you can find the closest location. They also run a sales promotion using a
rewards/loyalty program that encourages shoppers to come back and check out recent
style additions. In addition, all photos on their website and social media platforms
include younger girls and teenagers, which helps appeal to that specific market.
16
BUYER ANALYSIS
Market Segmentation
Family Status
Doesn't have children
Has young children
Age Has children in college or
who are in and out of the
Less than age 22 (College
house
Students)
Has grown children and/or
Ages 23-29 (Young Post-
grandchildren
Gender
Grads)
Male
Ages 30-39 (Young Families)
Female
Ages 40-49 (Middle aged
Non-binary
families)
Ages 50-64 (Empty Nesting
Planners)
Ages 65+ (Seniors) Market Segments
A breakdown of six
core segments that will
be important in
determining the target Income Level
donor market. Less than $50,000
Between $50,000 and
College $75,000
Between $75,000 and
Education $100,000
Over $100,000
Has a degree Area Codes Near
Doesn't have a degree
the Mercy House
22807
22801
22802
22812
22815
22853
24471
User Profile
Profile 1 College Students
Demographic: Aged 20-22. Little to no income.
Geographic: Harrisonburg, VA right around JMU area
Psychographic
Personalities: growth mindset, outgoing
Values: responsibility, giving back to the community
Lifestyles: money-conscious, don’t have too much to spend or donate.
Behavioristic: Mainly focused on donating only when they are switching living
situations. 17
BUYER ANALYSIS
Profile 1 Local Families
Demographic: ages 28-45, middle to higher class income

Geographic: Harrisonburg area
Psychographic
Personalities: family-oriented, close-knit
Values: They are aware of the struggles for some in the community and
want to help give back anyway they can.
Lifestyles: Outdoorsy people, country folks
Behavioristic: Driven by helping their community grow to the highest potential.
Want to see everyone succeed and will help when possible
Profile 1 Retirees
Demographic: Aged 65 and up

Geographic: The larger Rockingham County region
Psychographic:
Personalities: Will do everything they can to stay involved in the community
Values: Leaving a strong legacy for their community for years to come
Lifestyles: Have time on their hands, loves cooking and baking for others
Behavioristic: Don’t go on their phones a lot. Read the newspaper to stay
involved in the community. Want to do all they can to make an impact in their
community and leave their legacy
Profile 1 Contractors
Demographic: 30-40 years old
User Profile
Geographic: 20-mile radius around Harrisonburg, VA
Psychographic:
Personalities: easy-going
Values: simplicity, tax benefits for their companies
Lifestyles: fast-paced lifestyle, since they constantly run around to different
jobs
Behavioristic: Influenced by personal needs, satisfactions, and other people.
Driven through financials – may be more willing to help when driven by the tax
benefits
18
BUYER ANALYSIS
Donating Decision Process

Who Donates? Decision Process Steps
College students, young and middle-aged
families, retirees, and general contractors Problem Recognition:
Having excess stuff
Who Makes Decision? 1.
Tax benefits
Personal satisfaction/wanting to help the community
The people who donate. They make

their own choice.

Those who are tasked with cleaning
Information Search:
out old spaces in the house.
Word of Mouth through friends and coworkers
Parents of recent graduates who are Website
helping them move out Facebook and other social media platforms
Evaluation of alternatives:
Donor Influencers 2. Location of competitors
The advertising agency influences the Competitor drop-off times.
purchase decisions through creating Compensation of donations (either in the form
awareness of cash or tax benefits)
Friends or family that create a word-of-mouth The impact on the local community
appeal to donate to a specific place
The local community needs that might spark an

emotional response. Purchase:
Brand loyalty (if they have donated
Factors that Influence Decision 3. elsewhere before)

How far the Mercy House is from where people reside.

The basic personality, values, and lifestyle a person who
donates has. The level of income and age of the person Post-Purchase Behavior
Feel good feeling after
Problem Solving Type
4. donating. This can help
Limited Problem solving because buyers only need to do research you be more inclined to
on where to take their old supplies. There are a lot of competitors donate again.
around that offer different benefits that people may need to sift
through, however, the buying decision does not require
considerable effort to make because most people are somewhat familiar with the donating process.
Involvement Level
The process is a low-involvement purchase. The decision to donate to the Mercy House is not an
ongoing decision and not a naturally risky one. Many people are familiar with the general donating
process, the only question they would have to consider is where to donate. Naturally, people will go to
the place that they donated to in the past and not spend too much thought in switching.
Key Factors
Personal factors such as the feel-good feeling when you donate.
Income: shoppers tend to go to thrift stores while higher income shoppers can
19
be the ones doing both the shopping and donating.
BUYER ANALYSIS
Buyer
Personas
*More Personas in Appendix A
These three buyer personas are

most applicable to the ideal target
audience for the Mercy House.
Katie represents a typical member

of the Secondary Audience,
graduating college students. As
she approaches graduation, Katie
will start to pack up her
apartment items and figure out
what is moving with her to her
new home, and what is staying.
This is the perfect place for Mercy
House to step in and help
facilitate Katie donating her
unwanted items to the thrift store.
The other two personas, Kelly and

Denise, represent the family
target audience. Both of them
have children, although they are
different ages. While Kelly's
younger kids are always growing
out of their gently used clothes,
Denise is looking to get rid of old
bedroom furniture from when her
kids were at home. Both mothers
are capable of encouraging their
households to donate items to the
Mercy House, so both should be
targeted appropriately.
20
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Primary Research - Facebook

and Instagram
Mercy House has a strong presence on Facebook. It has a 4.3 star rating based off 12
reviews with 2,269 people following their page and 2,073 total likes. Although there are
some people who are critical of the Mercy House on Facebook, the majority of people
are supportive of this organization.
Facebook Comments
Instagram Comments
Mercy House has a smaller presence on Instagram with 16 posts and 313 followers.
They average around 10-20 likes a post with very few comments.
21
Primary Research - Yelp
“Quite a good selection on

“I am used to going to Unique in
knickknacks and furniture.
Falls Church, VA when it comes
Gone several times and saved a
to thrift shopping, so this was a
ton. Associates are very
new experience for me when i
friendly”
went to Mercy for the first time
on Saturday. I actually got lucky
because it was a $5 bag day-- so
whatever adult clothes u could
fit in a shopping bag were only
$5! That's a GREAT deal if you
ask me. This wasn't a deal they
have every day, but most of the “GIANT. Best if you're
clothes anyways were still only looking for nicknacks and
around $1. The highest price i clothes- from old vintage
saw for anything was $5, and parrot shaped perfume
that was for a freakin suit. The bottles to furniture to books.
prices were awesome!! I don't Nearly all clothes $1.”
know if i could go back to Unique
where everything is $5-12. Even
if this place's clothes selection
wasn't huge, they still had an
ample amount of clothing. I
would definitely recommend this
place. They also had a bunch of
non-clothing items which i didn't “We found a few things to
look closely at but it still looked buy. Prices are very
like they had a fair selection of reasonable. However, a lot of
furniture and little nicknacks!” the items are very worn or in
poor condition.” 22
REVIEW OF CURRENT/PAST PROGRAMS
Promotional Program
Situation Analysis
Current Promotions
1. Have a furniture set posting on Facebook, but not too much activity on Instagram.
2. Share information about the culture of the Mercy House and have a friendly
Recent posts
1. In memory of those at the Bridgewater incident
2. MLK day
3. Their partnership with WRMA radio station
Past Promotions
1. They do a Cider Fest every year where they pair with a local cidery to host an event
to help fund the Mercy House initiatives.
2. They have posted some exceptionally high-quality items on Facebook to initiate the
selling process
3. They have used Facebook to market some holiday events and other things that they
have going on
23
SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING
Market Segments
Primary Market: Families with an Interest in Donating
Age: 30-49 with children
Income: $60,000 - $200,000 / year (middle to upper class)
Examples of Jobs: Professors and Administrative Staff at local colleges (JMU, Bridgewater,
EMS, BRCC), Physicians, Dentists, Engineering Managers. (USAWage, Top 100 highest-paying
jobs in Harrisonburg, VA)
Social Media Usage: 81% of this age group (30-49) in the US have said they at least us one
social media site (Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact sheet 2022)
Families within Harrisonburg and the surrounding areas are a primary target market for Mercy
House. This segment lives in the area for the duration of the year, and families will be able to
donate old clothing from growing kids, furniture from children’s room makeovers, etc. This
segment could be targeted via direct marketing (mail) and digital marketing (Facebook). Both
mail and Facebook attracted this demographic of individuals the most, so utilizing these
platforms will allow the Mercy House to reach the most amount of people in this segment as
possible.
Secondary Market: College Campus Students

Age: 18-22
Income: $0 - $10,000 / year
Examples of Jobs: Many jobs are part-time, as most of this age group consists of full-time
students who only work during the summer. Many are servers at local restaurants, while
others do internships and continue them into the school year on a part-time basis.
Social Media Usage: According to Statista , 73% of teens and young adults between the ages
of 15-25 used YouTube the most out of many social media platforms in 2020, followed by
Instagram at 63%. Surprisingly, Facebook ranked third and was placed above Snapchat
(Statista Research Department , 2022).
Where to Reach Them: Between 2011 and 2017, the number of minutes that young adults
and teenagers spent on the television has nearly cut in half. (Johnson, 2022). In another
Statista study from 2014, it was agreed upon that 48% of college students prefer hearing
about products via word of mouth (U.S. student preferred product info sources 2014 |
statista 2014). This was followed by online advertising and TV commercials. Surprisingly, free
samples given while on campus was at the bottom of the list with only 16% preferring this
route.
While most individuals within this group may not have a steady income or large donations to
make, a large portion of the Harrisonburg community is rooted in the whereabouts of the
college-aged population. They take up a large portion of the area, especially during the
academic school year. Another important thing to note is that many of these students
eventually live in off-campus apartments. Upon graduation, many of them have a lot of slightly
used apartment goods that may not be worth keeping post college. This provides an open
door for a long relationship, where a tradition can be made to donate to Mercy House as 24
belongings are consolidated.
MARKETING GOALS & CAMPAIGN THEME
Marketing Goal
Increase donations to the thrift store or building supply store that will result in an
increase of sales by 25% by December 31st, 2023.
Campaign Theme
Full Circle
Rationale
The campaign theme decided on is “Full Circle”. This was inspired by Mercy
House’s continuous recycling of their products and their focus to evolve what
started as a small community mission, into one that is large and impactful. Circle is
strong and a constant reminder to stay connected, even in times of struggle. The
Mercy House preaches the concept that those who become a part of the Mercy
House, stay a part of the Mercy House forever. The Circle is a great way to show
that strong bond of humanity.
Another reason why Full Circle would be a great campaign theme is because of the
idea that the belongings being both donated and bought at the Mercy House store
locations are on their way of coming full circle. An item that someone may donate
could be one that they have relied on and used in the past. When the time has come
to depart from that product, the donator is providing a second (or maybe third) life
by donating it for someone else to use. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,
and Mercy House believes that every donation can help create a positive impact on
someone in need.
Products that those in need may buy at the Mercy House stay with that person as
they, too, try to come Full Circle in their personal lives. Those participating in the
Mercy House’s resources are those who are on the path to bring their life around.
That one item that they bought at the store may ride along for the journey for years
to come. The concept of Full Circle embodies this image – that one small item can
make a difference and lead to many more opportunities. Throwing your used items
out ends the linear trend of a product’s useful life, but those that are given a
second chance can truly become Full Circle. 25
COMMUNICATION GOALS AND STRATEGIES
Communication Goals,
Strategies and Tactics
Ace Media has taken an AIDA approach when it comes to the Communications
Objectives (Approach, Interest, Desire and Action). Each objective and the target
audience it correlates to is placed below, in addition to the objectives, strategies, tactics
that are placed within the Media Plan.
AWARENESS
(Both) Increase awareness of the Mercy House mission and how they give back to the
local community by 40% at the close of the campaign in December 2023, which
primarily is to house homeless families with dependent children in Harrisonburg and
the surrounding Rockingham County.
Sponsorships- Sponsorships with JMU Athletics, and two local Harrisonburg
businesses
Social Media- Utilize Facebook and Instagram more often and post the same or
similar content on both platforms
Traditional Advertising- Air radio and television commercials highlighting different
stories of the Mercy House
PR and publicity- Create press releases highlighting residents, employees and
donors from the Mercy House to be issued in the Daily News Record
Support Media- Create signage and advertisements to be used within and on
Harrisonburg Transit Buses/ Bus Shelters
(Both) Increase awareness of the types and quality of donations needed to support
Mercy House’s organization and their homeless families in need by 60% at the end
of the campaign in December 2023.
Sponsorships- Sponsorships with JMU Athletics, and two local Harrisonburg
businesses
Social Media- Create and post social media advertisements
PR and Publicity- Create press releases highlighting residents from the Mercy
House to be issued in the Daily News Record
INTEREST
(Primary Market – Families) Increase the interest of families in the
Harrisonburg/Rockingham Country area in donating their old goods to the Mercy
House by a total of 30% at the end of December 2023.
Direct Marketing- Utilizing direct mail
Traditional Advertising- Creating print advertisements
26
COMMUNICATION GOALS AND STRATEGIES
Communication Goals,
Strategies and Tactics CONT.
INTEREST cont.
(Secondary Market – Off-Campus Students) Increase the interest of JMU's off-
campus student population, including those who will be graduating/moving out of
their current off-campus living situation, in donating slightly used apartment items
to Mercy House by a total of 30% at the end of July 2023*.
*The reason why this goal is more aggressive in terms of the timeline is because most
off-campus leases are up in July and late summer. Since we are specifically targeting
those who will be moving out, the influx of donation interest will occur before July of
2023.
Direct Marketing- Sending mail to JMU students on and off campus
Personal Selling- Tabling on JMU campus and explaining the story of the Mercy
House
Sponsorships- Sponsorships specially with JMU Athletics and two local
businesses
DESIRE
(Primary Market – Families) Increase the desire in donating to the Mercy House by
40% by the end of December 2023 within the Harrisonburg and Rockingham
County areas.
Digital Marketing- Utilizing SEO and Google Ads
Social Media- Posting stories of previous of the Mercy House
Personal Selling- Participating in local networking events, talking to people
directly about the Mercy House
(Secondary Market – Off-Campus Students) Increase the desire in donating to the
Mercy House by 40% by the end of December 2023 within the Harrisonburg and
JMU student communities.
Internet- Sending emails to JMU students and local families
Social Media- Sharing frequent donors on social media and sharing how one can
donate
ACTION
(Both) Increase the total number of good/high quality donations by 40% at the end
of the campaign in December 2023, with the ultimate goal of eliminating extra costs
associated with having to transport low quality items to the landfill.
Sales Promotions- Creating a loyalty and raffle program for those that donate
Personal Selling- Creating campaigns centered spring cleaning and winter
holidays
27
CREATIVE
BRIEF
Prepared by:
CREATIVE BRIEF
Problem and Mission

The overarching problem faced by the Mercy House involves increasing the number and
quality of donations to their thrift stores. To do this, communication of Mercy House's
mission and the type of donations will need to be shared with their two main audiences,
local families and college students.
Communication Objectives
Ace Media has taken an AIDA approach when it comes to the Communications
Objectives (Approach, Interest, Desire and Action). Each objective and the target
audience it correlates too is placed below.
AWARENESS
(Both) Increase awareness of the Mercy House mission and how they give back to
the local community by 40% at the close of the campaign in December 2023, which
29
CREATIVE BRIEF
Communication Objectives CONT.
INTEREST
*The reason why this goal is more aggressive in terms of the timeline is because most
off-campus leases are up in July and late summer. Since we are specifically targeting
those who will be moving out, the influx of donation interest will occur before July of
2023.
DESIRE
County areas.
ACTION
Target Audience
The primary market consists of Families, while our secondary market consists of
college students who are graduating in the near future.
30
CREATIVE BRIEF
Target Audience CONT.
ily Househol duating Colle

m ds a ge
Fa Gr
Demographic Demographic
Ages 28-45, middle to higher class Ages 20-22. Little to no income
income
Geographic
Geographic Harrisonburg, VA, areas around JMU
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area
Psychographic Psychographic
Personalities: family-oriented, Personalities: growth mindset,
close-knit outgoing
Values: They are aware of the Values: responsibility, giving back to
struggles for some in the the community
community and want to help give Lifestyles: money-conscious, don’t
back anyway they can. have too much to spend or donate.
Lifestyles: Outdoorsy people,
country folks Behavioral
Mainly focused on donating only when
Behavioral they are switching living situations
Driven by helping their community grow to
the highest potential. Want to see everyone
succeed and will help when possible. A
main driving factor to second-hand shop is
finding quality items at a valuable price
(Mintel, 2022) 31
CREATIVE BRIEF
Target Audience CONT.
What the Audience Thinks What they Should Think

College students think they can get
money for their clothes, so they may go
We want them to start thinking about
to ‘trendier’ places to sell their clothes.
helping their community first and the
Most younger people prefer to donate to
benefits that they can get from giving
nonprofits online (70%) as opposed to
back to their local community.
in person (30%)
We want them to think about the long-
Family members in the community might
term benefits of giving back. While
be resorting to larger organizations that
giving clothes to friends or trying to sell
they've already donated to in the past
them will provide a short-term
(ex. Goodwill).
satisfaction, there are many more long
43% of people who don’t shop
term benefits of donating to the Mercy
secondhand say they worry about the
House
cleanliness of the clothes (Mintel, 2021).
Buying second-hand is not limited to
This may also be a barrier to donating
just retail stores and for-profit
clothes, as people may think it’s better to
organizations. You can still find quality
simply throw away their items.
materials at non-profit stores and find a
30% of internet users over the age of 18
way to incorporate giving back into
report that COVID-19 has increased their
circular shopping habits.
caution of second-hand shopping
(Mintel, 2021). The pandemic might have
also stalled some donations and
purchases.
Positioning Strategy
Primary Focus: Benefits/Attributes
Our positioning strategy will be primarily focused on the benefits/attributes that donating to the Mercy
House would bring. While donating to any organization can induce a range of positive feelings (both
internally and externally), donating to an organization geared around building up your own community
can provide even more joy. By using this tactic, we can show how the donations will be put to use and
go through a wide range of situations, specifically following the success stories of local community
members who have had a fresh start thanks to the Mercy House.
We are not the only ones that believe Mercy House’s benefits can be touching and inspiring to everyone
around - it has been proven that showing the benefits of product use is likely to create brand love and
loyalty (Shahid, 2019). Creating brand love and loyalty can lead to increased number of repeat donors,
who would be more likely to donate better quality pieces more frequently, as they see what their
donations are going to in the long term. 32
CREATIVE BRIEF
THEME:
Full Circle
Campaign Theme
and Story
To encompass the campaign theme of Full Circle, the story will highlight the idea of “Giving
back comes back to you”. It is important to note that we are not trying to encourage personal
benefits as the sole reason for donating, but instead focus on how the entire community will
benefit from donations. We want to make sure that the stories of past Mercy House residents
are told in such a way that shows how the donations they received from the Mercy House have
helped them along in their journey of bettering their own life – hence coming Full Circle.
The story will also focus on the concept of staying connected as a community, which can be
represented through the shape of a circle. Everyone in the community prospers when helping
those in need. Past Mercy House residents are given a chance to also come Full Circle and help
those that may be following a similar path of life. The cycle can repeat itself over and over, with
the community becoming stronger with each repetition. Another more physical representation
that can be lived out through this story is that the donation items can come Full Circle as they
circulate through many different life cycles. Even one small donation can lead to many more
opportunities and start a cycle of never-ending growth.
This story can be told in many ways, both visually and grammatically. The use of video will be a
powerful tool in displaying the emotions of hope, comfort, and helpfulness that helping
someone in their journey to come Full Circle may take on. This story can also be told through
different social media campaigns and print ads to help get the reader’s attention. While the
approach for each target market may change, the underlying message stays the same. Below
are ways that the presentation of the story should change for each target market to help better
appeal to the individual markets themselves.
Primary Market - Families Secondary Market - College Students

For this audience specifically, we want to This market we will take more of a positive
appeal to their emotions and sadness. We approach and show the benefits of
will feature a family that was previously donating, and advertise through the eyes
residents of the Mercy House in hopes that of a donor to show that even their small
families with younger children in the donations could make a large impact.
audience resonate with it.
33
CREATIVE BRIEF
Advertising Appeal
We are going to appeal to emotion in our IMC Plan. We selected this because charitable
organizations have been proven to succeed in marketing through poignancy. There may
be alternate mediums where people could sell their possessions for profit, but Mercy
House provides an emotionally touching incentive to donate their items because Mercy
House is more than just a thrift store. Sharing the emotional story behind Mercy
House’s core mission will incentivize the local community to donate, since they are
aware that their donations mean more than what they originally thought. A study done
by the University of Pennsylvania touches upon this idea, as people are more likely to
donate when the ad is focused on an “identifiable victim” (an individual who is impacted
by your donations) rather than “statistical victims” (University of Pennsylvania, 2007).
This shows that future donors may be more likely to act when told the story and impact
behind their donation.
Creative Execution
Current Mercy House Colors
r
Colors pulled from website
Proposed Full Circle

Campaign Colors
The color choices above tie directly into Mercy House's current colors by sticking with a
similar earthy-toned calming color scheme. There is more green added into the mix to
represent the natural feeling of giving back. This helps represent the concept of the
Circle of Life that our campaign theme helps to portray, as donated items that the
Mercy House receives will be revived and given a new life. Since green is the color of
most new life in nature (ex. trees and leaves), it is the perfect representation for the Full
Circle story.
TONE - While we want to focus on emotional appeal, a balance between being too sappy
and positive will be needed. The main goal will be to start with sad emotions and work
our way towards a positive tone at the end.
34
CREATIVE BRIEF
Creative Execution CONT.
GRAPHIC TYPES - Showing real images will be important to make sure an emotional
appeal and connection is made with those viewing the advertisements and those in the
advertisements. Examples of photos that could be used include photos of the Mercy
House thrift store locations, photos of people within the Mercy House organization,
event photos, photos of where past residents ended up, etc.
EXECUTION FRAMEWORK - The main framework used are testimonials. This is a method
that can connect the viewer directly to the cause and create a strong need to donate to
the Mercy House. When considering our secondary audience of college-aged students,
many of them were not raised in the Harrisonburg area, so they might not be
completely aware of the situations that locals might be dealing with. Testimonials are a
way to increase this awareness while creating a desire to donate. This framework will
also work for our primary audience. Even though they might be aware of the struggles
faced by those living around them, hearing it directly from those who have gone
through the process will help increase the desire to donate.
ADDITIONAL CREATIVE CONSIDERATIONS -

Factor in location whenever possible. A main component to the IMC plan will be
honing in on the fact that Mercy House's benefits are only seen locally (ex. if
showing a place around the community in the add, make sure to add a general
location tag so people know where it is).
Creative Tactics

Print Advertisements Sales Promotion

Providing thrift store coupons
Newspaper ads that have
that are given with the
pictures/testimonies of Mercy
stipulation of donating furniture
House residents, grabs their
to the Mercy House
attention, separate their ads
Having contests/sweepstakes
from the bevy of ads already
for the Mercy House in which
included in newspapers
the lucky winner of say a lottery
Magazines in grocery stores that
or “best story” gets a coupon
people often glance at while they
or free article of clothing from
are waiting in line to be checked
one of the thrift stores
out

35

CREATIVE BRIEF
Creative Tactics CONT.
Traditional Advertisements Sponsorships

Developing tangible mail ads to Make shirts that encompass the
be distributed amongst Mercy house as well as other
Harrisonburg residents. non-profits that they support on
Radio advertisements on various the back of the shirt
stations depicting what the Events sponsored by the Mercy
mercy house does and how House or vice versa in which
people can go about helping clubs around campus do a
them, possibly have a quick philanthropy event for them
story or personal experience wear and that club gets the free
excerpt from someone who has shirts while educating
lived there in the past JMU affiliated club/Greek-life
A billboard on route 81 with organizations that collaborate
song children as well as quick with Mercy House for events,
catchy slogan that would make half-court shots at basketball
them be remembered games sponsored by Mercy
15 second tv commercials year House to raise awareness / show
round rather than a couple 30 testimonial videos over
second ones a year to have a jumbotron
greater chance of building that
awareness to learn more about
them outside of the quick
commercial
Social Media Advertisements

Displaying digital pictures
through various social media
mediums which are curated
to Harrisonburg off-campus
college students and families,
directed algorithms towards
target market demographics
to avoid unnecessary/costly
exposure
36
MEDIA
PLAN
Prepared by:
TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING
Introduction
Welcome to Traditional Advertising! In this section, we will prioritize the following
communications objectives:
Communication Objectives Related to Traditional Advertising

This will be accomplished by focusing on the benefits/attributes that donating to the

Mercy House would bring. While donating to any organization can induce a range of
positive feelings (both internally and externally), donating to an organization geared
around building up your own community can provide even more joy. This tactic shows
how the donations will be put to use and go through a wide range of situations,
specifically following the success stories of local community members who have had a
fresh start thanks to the Mercy House. The idea of fresh starts ties into the campaign
theme of coming full circle. Throughout this section, both lives and items are being
transformed and repurposed, creating a new meaning that will forever be a part of a
new circle of life. This will appeal to the emotions and personal feelings of gratitude
expressed by the target audience, creating a drive to donate that is unmatched.
Prepared by:
01
01
Objectives
Objective 1: Increase awareness of the Mercy House mission and strategy by 20%
throughout the duration of the advertising campaign (December 2023). This will be
done through the use of creative videos that will be shared online and on local TV
stations, in addition to flyers and other print advertisements around town.
Strategy 1: videos to go online and local TV stations
Tactic 1: Run it on local TV stations around dinner time or in the evenings when
parents are going to be watching the news. Could also do early
Saturday/Sunday mornings
Tactic 2: Post the video on YouTube to help us gain traction and increase
awareness
Tactic 3: Story of the commercial: The main story of the commercial
advertisements will follow the campaign theme of “Full Circle”. It will follow the
story of a former Mercy House resident as they go about building their life back
together after their time at the Mercy House, which shows how they have come
Full Circle themselves. They are going to specifically talk about one item they
received from Mercy House that still holds an important value in their life. This
will help create an emotional connection with donating goods, as viewers will
see directly how their donated items will come Full Circle and help those in need
living around them. Playing with emotions will create a strong connection and
desire to donate good quality items that too can have an impact on an
individual’s journey to build a better life for themselves and their family.
Strategy 2: Place flyers around town in places that most locals/students will notice
Tactic 1: Can place flyers inside of the local Harrisonburg City buses for free.
Placing advertising on the outside of the buses can also help gain extra traction
Tactic 2: Placing flyers within student buildings/dorms
Tactic 3: Placing flyers on the doors of off-campus residences
Objective 2: Increasing the frequency and desire to donate used goods to the Mercy
House by 10% by the end of the advertising campaign (December 2023) using different
radio and print advertisements, as well as direct mail to local families and off-campus
students.
Strategy 1: radio
Tactic 1: Mercy House representative appearance on WXJM (JMU student-run
radio organization) explaining Mercy House benefits to reach college crowd
Tactic 2: Place on local Pop (93.7 Now) and Country (104.3 KCY Country)
stations either in the mornings or evening drive times, when most people will be
listening as they commute to and from work
39
Objectives CONT.
Tactic 3: Make sure our message is conversational and uses a friendly tone. We
can place 3 different messages that are slightly different but all tie together to
help increase frequency and the number of times people will see our message
Strategy 2: print ads (flyers in mailboxes of students, other direct mail, or
partnerships
Tactic 1: Posters inside of the bus are free, so we can place it in there. We
contacted Harrisonburg Transit to find this information. Finding more
information about what it will cost outside of it
Tactic 2: Placing flyers around off-campus housing locations to reach college
students with potential furniture to donate
Tactic 3: Sending direct mail to local families and off-campus student
apartments. For families, we can send these out around winter time, when more
people are willing to give to charity, as well as around spring-cleaning time as
people are going through their house and clearing it out. When it comes to
student apartments, we can prioritize mail around the time that they are starting
to pack and move out (April-July).
Objective 3: Increase frequency of the message that increases the need for high quality
donations by 10% throughout the duration of the advertising campaign (December
2023) by using print ads in newspapers and radio advertising.
Strategy 1: print ads (flyers in newspapers, pre-printed inserts)
Tactic 1: Print ads can be placed in the local JMU Breeze Newspaper and define
what high quality means to the Mercy House. This can occur by contacting The
Breeze and finding out pricing and timeline. Then can submit the ad to be place
in the paper on a weekly basic. Can also place a monthly ad on the JMU Potty
Mouth by contacting Student Affairs Communications and Marketing Team.
These steps will encourage JMU students to potential donate in the future.
Tactic 2: Placing print ads about the quality of donations in the Daily News
Record. To place ads here reach out to the local paper and ask for pricing and
timeline. This will reach local families and people in the community that could
potentially donate.
Tactic 3: Direct mail sent to local families and off-campus residence houses as a
call for quality donations. These can mainly be sent around the time that
students are moving out (May-July) and throughout the holiday and spring-
cleaning season for family homes.
40
Objectives CONT.
Strategy 2: 30-second radio advertising on local stations

Tactic 1: Can place on local Pop and Country stations during morning and
evening commute times, as well as weekends during the day. They can also be
placed on local JMU-run radio stations to gain the traction of students.
Tactic 2: We can structure the message as a call for good quality donations. Can
increase desire by making it feel like a strong need while staying in a friendly,
conversational tone. The advertisement can also be coming from the point of
view of a family that needs help from the Mercy House.
Tactic 3: Can tell three different stories from past/current Mercy House families
to switch up the message and increase message frequency.
Budget
Total Budget Expenditure Trad. Adv. Breakdown

41
Rationale/Explanation
Total spent on Traditional Advertising: $3,596.50
Rear Bus Ad on Harrisonburg Transit
Cost includes production and placing of the ad $240 (Media Transit)
Full Page Ad in the Breeze
Cost $1,175 (Madison Student Media)
1/8 of a page Ad ran 12 times in the Daily News Record
Cost $241.50 (2021 Daily News Record Advertising Rates)
Placing flyers around Harrisonburg
Cost $60 (FedEx)
Shenandoah Valley Monthly Magazine 3 ads over the course of a year
1/8, 1/4, full page ads
Cost $260 (Shenandoah Valley Monthly)
Sending around 1,000 post cards through the USPS to local
Harrisonburg local addresses
Cost $640 (USPS)
WHSV TV commercial 2 times a year
Cost $800 (WHSV)
Running a 30 second radio ad once a month for a year in 93.7 Now
Harrisonburg radio station
Cost $180 (93.7 RadioLemire, iHeartMedia)
Deliverables Print Advertisements
42
Deliverables CONT.
Television Storyboards
43
Deliverables CONT. *More Deliverables in Appendix B
Item
Gender
Description
2 Females and 1 Male Narrator
Radio Scripts
(SFX loading things into truck) “Hey
Gender 2 Females and 1 Male Narrator
Neighbor! What are you up to?” (in
Length :30
first female voice). (SFX car door
Length
Target Empty Nesters:30or families with shut) “Oh, just loading up some old
older children who are getting furniture and clothes to take to
Demographic Emptyready
Nesters or families
out with Mercy House” (in second female
Target to move
older children who are getting voice). “Oh that’s the place on South
Demographic
Character Friend, neighbor, early to late
ready to move out High street with the thrift store
50’s
Friend, neighbor, early to late right?” (in first female voice). “Yep!
Character Natural, conversation-like, Their store helps fund their homeless
Vocal Direction 50’s
energetic, happy and easy-going shelter and supports families directly
Natural, conversation-like, living in the Rockingham county” (in
Vocal Direction
Suggested Music Brett happy
energetic, Young’s “Mercy”
and easy-going second female voice). Stop by our
Sound of loading thrift store and donation collection
Suggested
Suggested Music
SFX Brett Young’sthings
“Mercy”onto a
truck, car door shutting, walking zone Monday through Friday 9-5 and
Sound of loading things onto a help support local families in need
Suggested SFX
truck, car door shutting, walking today! (In male narrator voice)
Item Description
(SFX packing) “Hey I’m almost
Gender 2 Females
finished packing, what about you?”
Length :30
(first female voice) “Same, just have
Length
Target Empty Nesters:30or families with to figure out what to do with this
older children who are getting desk. I don’t have room for it in my
Demographic car, and I won’t need it in my new
Target ready to move out
College Students apartment” (second female voice)
Demographic
“Oh I saw an ad today for this place
50’s
JMU seniors getting ready to downtown called The Mercy House.
Character Natural, conversation-like, They take quality donations, and
Vocal Direction move out after graduation
energetic, happy and easy-going they’re more than just a thrift shop.
Vocal Direction Conversational They use the profits from selling the
Suggested Music Brett Young’s “Mercy” donations to help house homeless
Subtle
Sound of upbeat
loading music
thingsinonto
the a families here in Harrisonburg” (first
Suggested
Suggested Music
SFX background female voice) “Oh that’s awesome,
truck, car door shutting, walking
Shuffling sounds of people I’ll definitely take my desk there
Suggested SFX then!” (Second female voice)
packing up stuff
44
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Introduction

Welcome to Digital Marketing! In this section, we will prioritize the following
communications objectives:
County areas.
This section is increasingly significant in value, as everyone is becoming attached to the

hip with digital technology that can go with them wherever they go. The main focus
throughout this section will be on the sharing of information. As a local business, it is
apparent that Mercy House facilitate conversation and post sharing that will reach a
wide audience within the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County geographic locations. When
it comes to who will be targeted, geographic and age factors will be a large
distinguishing factor. The idea of fresh starts and the Full Circle campaign theme will
be utilized throughout this section. Both lives and items are being transformed and
repurposed, creating a new meaning that will forever be a part of a new circle of life.
This will appeal to the emotions and personal feelings of gratitude expressed by the
target audience, creating a drive to donate that is unmatched.
Prepared by:
01
01
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Objectives

Objective 1: Increase the reach by number of impressions of Marcy House digital
content by 10% at the end of the campaign (December 2023) for residential areas
within Rockingham County. To do so, tactics using a consistent pulse scheduling
pattern will be used to create content and focus on optimization once or twice every
two weeks.
Strategy 1: SEO optimization and keyword usage
Tactic 1: Include backlinks throughout their website page to connect Mercy
House with corresponding community partners. This will increase their
credibility through the eyes of Google and make them more trusted by their
visitors and internet search users.
Tactic 2: With a focus on primary keywords that Mercy House wants to be known
for (more information in the following tactic), a blog section on their website will
be featured and placed front and center. This will allow Mercy House to share
news with potential donors, as well as highlight events and build credibility
within Google search engines.
Tactic 3: To increase traffic to their website, which houses important
information about the Mercy House (no pun intended), Mercy House is to
conduct paid search options to make sure they appear on the number one spot
for searches featuring keywords. To find the keywords that are important to
Mercy House, in-house interviews will be held with top employees, as well as
keyword optimization services found online.
Strategy 2: Blog/original Mercy House content creation
Tactic 1: When it comes to blog content, it needs to be something new and
unique for Mercy House, while making sure that they are informative and what
their users want to read about. Going off the emotional appeal being used
throughout the campaign, monthly spotlights on residents both within and out
of the Mercy House will touch potential donor’s hearts. This can consist of
success stories, average day in the life stories, how they give back to the
community, etc.
Tactic 2: Another concept worth highlighting in more detail would be tracking
Where Are They Now stories. Seeing the impact that a simple donation can have
on the trajectory of a resident’s life will encourage potential donors to make an
impact, while connecting back to the campaign theme of Full Circle. This theme
can appear throughout these types of blogs and can be incorporated into the
titles or content.
46
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Objectives CONT.
Tactic 3: While they should be entertaining, the blogs also need to have an
informative purpose beyond an emotional appeal to make sure potential donors
know how to have an impact. Some blogs should focus on content such as how
to donate, what items to donate, quality of item checklist, etc. This can also tie
back into the campaign theme of Full Circle so community members know that
they are giving back to the community in a productive manner. Blog posts will
be created 3 times a week in order to drive the most traffic to the website
(Brenner, 2022).
Objective 2: Increase the frequency of content creation by 30%, while increasing
interaction with the new content by 5% throughout the duration of the campaign
ending in December of 2023 to all potential donors within a 15-mile radius of Mercy
House using a consistent, pulsing method every week and every month (depends on the
strategy of choice).
Strategy 1: Consistent email marketing to potential donors in surrounding areas
(send a message every week or so)
Tactic 1: One idea for email marketing would be to do weekly emails asking for a
specific type of donation item. The person that donates the most of that item
would then win a small prize or could be entered into a monthly raffle drawing of
some sort. This could be called something along the lines of “Item of the Week”.
Last week’s winner could be called out in the next email as well. This would tie
well into social media marketing and could be used strategically both ways.
Tactic 2: The most important step of sending emails is making sure that you
send it to the right people. Therefore, it is pertinent that Mercy House utilizes
the latest contact list technology.
Tactic 3: With the abundance of emails getting sent to both desktop inboxes and
directly to mobile devices, it is important that Mercy House use interesting/fun
subject lines. Questions could be asked, timely offers, and other ways to connect
with each unique audience are some ways that creativity can be brought into the
subject line and message of each email.
Strategy 2: Monthly newsletters to send to all contact lists.
Tactic 1: The name is in the word itself- NEWSletter. It is important that each
newsletter talks about upcoming events and other activities going on at the
Mercy House. It may also be interesting for viewers to get updates on the
turnover of residents in the house.
Tactic 2: To help provide an incentive for generous donations, a member
spotlight of the month can be tied into each month’s newsletter. A prize or
giveaway could also tie into this tactic.
47
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Objectives CONT.
Tactic 3: This newsletter can tie into direct mail marketing and can be turned
into posters to hand out in local places/the thrift stores. This will increase the
number of people that see the newsletter and rely on it for information every
month. Placing them in the same place every month will help drive loyalty to the
newsletter itself.
Objective 3: Increase the reach by number of interactions (clicks) of Mercy House
digital ad content by 3% at the end of the campaign (December 2023) for areas within
a mile or two of JMU’s campus in hopes of targeting off-campus upperclassmen. To do
so, tactics using a consistent pulse scheduling pattern will be used to create content
and focus on optimization once or twice every two weeks.
Strategy 1: Mobile marketing and website optimization, making them more
interactive for users on their mobile devices.
Tactic 1: The use of interactive advertisements will draw people’s attention to
the Mercy House and allow them to keep that image of the advertisement in
their head. It could be something along the lines of “which item could you
donate?” - where it flips through different commonly donated items to spark
interest.
Tactic 2: Have an interactive website and make sure it is mobile functioning.
Upgrading their website would be a great start. Many people will search for
Mercy House online and then head to the website to gain more information, so it
is important that the website experience is positive. The website also needs to
function extremely well on mobile devices, as most of our target market
audience spends a lot of time on their phone everyday.
Tactic 3: Send text reminders to those that sign-up through our website
regarding events, deals, and needed items. This makes a more personal
connection with each receiver and they get reminded about Mercy House every
few weeks.
Strategy 2: Pay for display ads to be placed on popular websites that college
students are navigating to or that correspond to Mercy House.
Tactic 1: have it be on popular sites such as Plato’s closet or what they are
going to be looking at when they go shopping at surrounding stores in
Rockingham County.
Tactic 2: Ads could also be placed on moving websites. This will attract to both
our primary and secondary target audiences, as those who are moving out of
their apartments and those who may be moving out of the area will most likely
have extra pieces of furniture or items to donate.
Tactic 3: Advertisements can also be placed on sites related to school, such as
RateMyProfessor, Chegg, and Quizlet to attract students more frequently.
48
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Budget

Total Budget Expenditure Digital Marketing Breakdown

Explanation
SEO: $750 (How much does seo cost? 2022)
Website Ad: $2,000 (How much does it cost to advertise on the internet? 2022)
Google Display Ads: $2,000

Google search ads: $ 2,000 (How much does google ads cost in 2022?,2022)
Email Newsletters - $200, costs ~.01 per email newsletter, directly reaches
20,000 people in Harrisonburg area (Lehman, 2017)
49
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Rationale

Utilizing search engine optimization (SEO), Mercy House can include backlinks and
keywords to connect people to the Mercy House webpage and other local partners as
well. Using backlinks will allow people to be able people to be directed to those in the
community by the click of a button. This is important because it will show how the
Mercy House is credible and how the donations help those in the community. Also,
using keywords will help Mercy House build credibility on search engines such as
Google. Creating emotional blog posts will drive people to be compelled to understand
the mission of this organization and want to donate. Creating blogs and monthly
spotlights on residents and donors will both increase awareness and reach to the Mercy
House pages. Creating intentional posts will show the mission of the Mercy House as
well as encourage people to donate in the process. Emailing newsletters is also an
important tactic to be able to spread the word of the Mercy House at a faster rate. In
this case, making sure to be sending relevant information to local families in the
Harrisonburg community. Also will place ads on websites where local families and
college students view often, In order to all of the above the Mercy House will have to
use SEO, Google Search Ads, and Google Display Ads. This will positively affect the
Mercy House by increasing the awareness of their mission.
50
DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing Deliverables

*More Deliverables in Appendix C
Email Newsletter Example
Banner Advertisement
51
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Introduction

Welcome to the Social Media Marketing section! The following communications
objectives apply:
Social media The main focus throughout this section will be on the sharing of
information. As a local business, it is apparent that Mercy House facilitate conversation
and post sharing that will reach a wide audience within the Harrisonburg/Rockingham
County geographic locations. When it comes to who will be targeted, geographic and
age factors will be a large distinguishing factor. The idea of fresh starts and the Full
Circle campaign theme will be utilized throughout this section. Both lives and items are
being transformed and repurposed, creating a new meaning that will forever be a part
of a new circle of life. This will appeal to the emotions and personal feelings of gratitude
expressed by the target audience, creating a drive to donate that is unmatched.
Prepared by:
01
01
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Objectives

Objective 1: Increase the reach by number of impressions of Marcy House social media
content by 10% at the end of the campaign (December 2023) for residential areas
around Rockingham County zip codes. To do so, tactics using a consistent pulse
scheduling pattern will be used to create content and focus on optimization once or
twice every month.
Strategy 1: Utilize both Facebook advertisements and free postings/interactions to
target our primary market of middle-aged females around Rockingham County.
Tactic 1: Strategically join, post in, and create Facebook Groups to help spread
the message on the Mercy House mission and need for donations. Joining
community-owned groups would be a good way to connect with users on a
personal level.
Tactic 2: Facebook ads are extremely useful in targeting a specific area, whether
it is based on geography or demographics. Utilizing these features on their ad
creation site would benefit Mercy House and their social media platform
generously.
Tactic 3: Hosting contests for resharing Facebook posts would be a good way to
quickly spread the word. Most Facebook posts from people are reposted (when
they are not personal), so many users are used to this type of content and will
be more accepting of Mercy Houses interactions.
Strategy 2: Utilize Pinterest advertisements and board creation to create and share
content useful for families looking to renovate or relocate their home.
Tactic 1: One place where Mercy House advertisements should be placed is
when users search for terms related to home improvement, Home Depot, or
home projects. Many people use Mercy House for inspiration for these types of
projects, and those who will be doing that may be getting rid of their old
cabinets, furniture, and other supplies.
Tactic 2: The main trick of Pinterest ads is that they blend into the other pins
that viewers see, so it is important that Mercy House uses compelling images
and inviting text for their advertisements. It may need to take on the form of
posting furniture flips that people can do with Mercy House items or showing
how donors take their items to the Mercy House during the demolition stage of
the project.
Tactic 3: One free way to utilize Pinterest is by creating posts with photos of
Mercy House items. There could be different boards for items that were recently
posted, those that were recently sold, etc. This would help to increase the use of
Pinterest platform, and regular customers can readily see what is available to
them in-store, while potential donors are not only introduced to Mercy House as
a whole, but also to the types of donations they accept.
53
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Objectives CONT.
Objective 2: Increase the frequency of content creation by 30%, while increasing

interaction with the new social media content by 5% throughout the duration of the
campaign ending in December of 2023 to all potential donors within a 15-mile radius of
Mercy House using a consistent, pulsing method that increases in content around two
peak times of donation interest – the holiday season in the Winter months and the
spring as families are undergoing Spring Cleaning.
Strategy 1: Utilize both Facebook advertisements and free postings/interactions to
target our primary market of middle-aged females around Rockingham County.
Tactic 1: Share their events on there and make it so people can RSVP. Can then
follow up with those individuals who may have RSVP'd yes but didn’t go to get a
reason why they didn’t go. Surveys may be able to be utilized in addition to this
after the event to provide feedback on it.
Tactic 2: Have a giveaway on Facebook to increase following to the Mercy
House’s page. Can post a photo of what the person would win and then the rules
to enter (like, comment and share to your page to be entered).
Tactic 3: Boost certain Facebook posts so more people within the Harrisonburg
community can see the information. (examples: what is a quality donation, what
the Mercy House is)
Strategy 2: Utilize all aspects of Instagram to appeal to all ages (Stories, Posts,
Reels, paid advertisements, etc.)
Tactic 1: To help provide an incentive for generous donations, a donor spotlight
of the month can be tied into each month’s newsletter. A prize or giveaway
could also tie into this tactic.
Tactic 2: To provide people a slice-of-life within the Mercy House, different
member spotlights of the month could occur. One way to do this is to do a short
Reel video including a day in the life of a Mercy House resident, which would
make sure to include specific Mercy House opportunities that they offer to their
residents.
Tactic 3: Stories can be a great way to ask for specific items, since they expire in
a day. Those that flip through will see an immediate call to help, which would
then increase a desire to donate as quickly as possible.
Objective 3: Increase the reach by number of impressions of Marcy House digital social
media ad content by 3% at the end of the campaign (December 2023) for areas within a
mile or two of JMU’s campus in hopes of targeting off-campus upperclassmen. To do so,
tactics using a consistent pulse scheduling pattern will be used to create
advertisements and focus on optimization once or twice every couple of weeks.
Strategy 1: Snapchat location filters can be used as a way to generate interest.
Many younger Snapchat users look to snapchat to let them know of certain events
and holidays, so creating filters for Mercy House would be compelling
54
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Objectives CONT.
Tactic 1: One idea is to have these at certain locations downtown. Many

upperclassmen will go to local bars/restaurants, so having location-specific
filters for each restaurant could be a good way to generate interest and spread
the name of Mercy House
Tactic 2: These filters could be at all Mercy House events, such as the annual
Ciderfest and other events that have been recommended to Mercy House. Signs
can be included around the event telling people to reshare and find them on
Snapchat.
Tactic 3: Location-specific filters placed at different off-campus living facilities
close to the time that they are going to be moving out would be interesting for
people to see, as many people spend a lot of time at home. Creating these and
sharing them during move-out times will generate interest in donating old items
to the Mercy House.
Strategy 2: Utilize all aspects of Instagram to appeal to all ages (Stories, Posts,
Reels, paid advertisements, etc.)
Tactic 1: As some of their posts will become increasingly popular, boosting
specific Mercy House posts will increase the number of impressions received,
therefore increasing the interest in donating used apartment items.
Tactic 2: A great place to start would be to simply utilize Instagram more
efficiently – posting more often, resharing content, tagging/participating in
events with other local businesses, etc. Many students within the target market
utilize Instagram daily.
Tactic 3: Utilizing Instagram Stories is a great way to increase general reach
and share a quick message that people can reshare to their stories. Many people
reshare viral items, but inspirational or heartfelt items are often reshared as
well, so utilizing this will spread the word on Mercy House and the need to
quality donations.
55
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Budget

Total Budget Expenditure Social Media Breakdown

Explanation
Facebook ads (Karlson et al., 2021)
$1.35 CPC daily budget
reach about 14,000-42,500 people locally
ran daily for all of 2023 totals to $492.75
Instagram ads (WordStream, 2022)
$3 CPC daily budget
reach 330,000-850,000 people automatically selected by Instagram
algorithm based on followers
ran daily for all of 2023 totals to $1,095
Snapchat filters
$5 for 8 hour events
placing filter within 22,000 square feet of The Mercy House and each thrift
shop location
Pinterest ads (MuteSix, 2022)
$1.50 CPC
ran daily for all of 2023 totals to $547.50
56
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Rationale

Utilizing social media platforms more, the Mercy House will be able to get their name
out to more people and be more recognizable in and around the Harrisonburg
community. In order to do this, it is important to be active on all social media platforms
(Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). Posting on Facebook and Instagram around 3 times
a week as this platform is more about photos over content. Plan to post on Twitter
around 5 times a week as this platform is more of interacting with followers and posting
more text over photos. Also, posting in relevant groups on Facebook will allow more
people to learn about the Mercy House and be potential donors.
Pinterest is also a great resource as the Mercy House can create their own boards with
photos they have gathered and also able to target people with ads that are relevant to
home improvement searches. Pinterest will be a great resource for the Mercy House to
use as this form of social media is very unique and customizable to their individual
needs. Being able to share photos and events on social media will be very vital to the
increased awareness of the Mercy House as others in the community will come across
their page and read on to learn more. Sharing information, giveaways and posts with
the local community will increase views to their page and likely increase donations as
well. Being able to spotlight those who have donated in the past and sharing their
stories will serve as a benefit on social media. These post will show how much the Mercy
House values those that have donated to their cause. Also showing what a day in the life
as a resident of the Mercy House will allow followers to see how this organization
impacts the community and why they do what they do.
Snapchat filters will cause people to look into the Mercy House a little more and just
generate name recognition. These filters can also be useful for events downtown or for
this organization to host their own events. Snapchat filters are relevantly inexpensive
and are able to have them in a large geographic area. Another plus to social media is
most platforms attract people of all ages. Examples of this is that many ages are on
Instagram, so it is important to post as often as possible to be able to get the
information out to the target audience. Posting on Instagram is completely free and
easy to do. Posting often will allow multiple people to see what the Mercy House is,
increase reach, and allow for more quality donations.
57
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Deliverables

*More Deliverables in Appendix D
Instagram Story
Snapchat Filter
(to be shown on bottom of photos taken in off-campus
apartments)
Have a little
Bring used items to the
Harrison clubhouse!
58
SUPPORT MEDIA
Support Media Introduction

Welcome to the Support Media section! The following communications objectives apply:
(Both markets) Increase awareness of the Mercy House mission and how they give
back to the local community by 40% at the close of the campaign in December
2023, which primarily is to house homeless families with dependent children in
Harrisonburg and the surrounding Rockingham County.
(Both markets) Increase awareness of the types and quality of donations needed to
support Mercy House’s organization and their homeless families in need by 60% at
the end of the campaign in December 2023.
While these are the overarching objectives that are applicable to this section, the
following pages dive into more detail about how support media will be used to support
this mission. The two main support media areas we will focus on is the use of
promotional products and out-of-home transit advertisements. The promotional
products will be used both on prospective donors, as well as given as a reward to those
who have already donated to the Mercy House. In general, this is used to spread
awareness on the Mercy House by creating name and logo recognition. With a little bit
of text, we can place a connection to the campaign theme on these products and make
sure people know that the Mercy House brings the community together into a Full
Circle. The transit ads will also help share the story on bringing the community
together. It's hard to miss coming in contact with the HDPT bus route, no matter where
you are commuting, so placing ads on the outside of the bus is a great way to build
brand awareness of Mercy House to members of the 22801 zip-code. Interactive flyers
and advertisements placed within the bus shelters is one way to specifically capture the
attention of off-campus students, especially when placed at the main off-campus living
facilities (i.e., The Harrison, Sunchase, Southview, etc.). While we may not have their
attention for long, placing flyers in these locations will make the student target
audience in these specific locations remember the Mercy House name.
Prepared by:
01
01
SUPPORT MEDIA
Support Media Objectives

Objective 1: Increase the spread of awareness and engagement with the Mercy House
by 10% through the use of promotional products and premiums offered to certain
donors.
Strategy 1: Use promotional products to hand out to prospective buyers to help
engage interest in the Mercy House and create a favorable image of the company.
Tactic 1: Handing out t-shirts and cups while tabling at JMU or other events. In
order to receive each item, users will need to sign-up and give Mercy House
their contact information.
Tactic 2: Provide local restaurants and bars with free pens that they can use
when sending their customers the check.
Tactic 3: Both of the previous tactics will include promotional items that have a
short message and easily highlight the Full Circle campaign theme, as well as
have an address for the Mercy House and their logo.
Strategy 2: Provide premium items to people who have already donated a certain
amount of goods, or visited the thrift stores.
Tactic 1: Free stickers will be handed out to everyone who donates. These will
resemble the "I Voted" stickers, and will tie into the campaign them of having
items come Full Circle.
Tactic 2: Hand out t-shirts to those who have donated a large amount of items
to the Mercy House. They will then wear the shirt in pride, and it will spread the
word on the Mercy House mission. This will specifically highlight that they have
donated a certain amount of goods to produce a feeling of exclusivity.
Tactic 3: Send a magnet that has a simple design to potential donors in the mail.
This will include some more information on the Mercy House that they can then
put on the fridge so they will never forget.
Objective 2: Increase the reach of those that see the Mercy House content by 10% by
using a variety of transit support advertising tactics along HDPT bus routes and within
the JMU off-campus living facilities.
Strategy 1: Gain attention of both bus riders and those driving around the bus by
placing advertisements directly on the bus.
Tactic 1: Utilize the option of free flyers that can be placed within the bus itself.
Since some people will be sitting on the bus for longer, this can be a bit more
detailed and explain more about the Mercy House mission
Tactic 2: Primary ad will be placed on the outside of the bus in the Queen spot (a
space on one side of the bus) for the whole year that the campaign is going. on.
60
SUPPORT MEDIA
Support Media Objectives CONT.
Tactic 3: The primary message we want to display on the bus itself is to focus on
how the Mercy House facilitates an effort of giving back to the community. The
campaign theme will be prominent in a short and sweet message highlighting
the act of giving items a new life.
Strategy 2: Place advertisements in transit bus shelters, specifically those in off-
campus student housing, to increase the frequency of how often bus riders will see
the Mercy House advertisement on their daily commute.
Tactic 1: We want the message to be short and sweet, while grabbing their
attention. Using a short slogan would help with this and draw people in to read
more.
Tactic 2: We can combine the transit shelter advertisement with an interactive
element or a QR code to engage people with the ad and encourage them to learn
more about the Mercy House.
Tactic 3: If there are certain events happening within the Mercy House, we can
use flyers in the shelters to help spread the word on it.
Support Media Budget

Total Budget Expenditure Support Media Breakdown

61
SUPPORT MEDIA
$1,737 total amount (4Imprint) Budget Explanation

T-shirts: $354.90
65 shirts @ $5.46 each
Cups: $247.50
250 cups @ $.99 each
Pens: $98
280 pens @ $.35 each
Magnets: $187.50
250 magnets @ $.75 each
Stickers: $290 (4imprintUSA, 2022)
125 stickers @ $2.32 each
Flyers in Harrisonburg Transit Buses and posted on bus shelters: $300
Placement cost: $0
Cost to Print: $300
Ad outside of Harrisonburg Transit: $260 (Transit ads 2022)
Queen Display cost: $190
Production Cost: $70
Support Media Rationale

Through various support media tactics, Mercy House could gain valuable awareness
towards their brand. By disseminating items such as t-shirts, magnets, pens, and cups,
Mercy House propels its brand awareness and creates a favorable buzz among the
Harrisonburg community. The support media budget was balanced with "premium"
products such as t-shirts that express gratitude towards those who have already
donated and cheaper products such as pens and magnets that add extensive awareness
to the surrounding community.
Another support media tactic that would help garner awareness towards Mercy House
is bus/bus shelter advertising. It costs $260 to display a large advertisement on the
side of a HDPT bus. With that in mind, it would be logical to utilize a campus bus to
display a Mercy House advertisement in hopes to reach a large student audience that
frequents HDPT buses. To reinforce Mercy House's awareness, it would be
advantageous to place flyers, banner ads, and QR codes on the bus and bus shelters
directing users to the Mercy House website. Flyers and QR codes are generally cheap to
produce and reach a broad audience, so this would be a sensible and cost-effective
method to reach a JMU-affiliated target audience. This would also provide extensive
awareness, especially to people who live off campus and have a higher propensity to
donate furniture from their apartments, townhomes, etc. than someone who lives on-
campus. Through these support media tactics, prices would be kept at a reasonable
level while still providing a wide reach of influence to the Harrisonburg audience. 62
SUPPORT MEDIA
Support Media Deliverables

*More Deliverables in Appendix E
Sticker
I Donated to
Pen
Today
T-Shirt Front & Back
Helping my community
come Full Circle
one donation at a time
ro
ud Dono
r
P
63
DIRECT MARKETING
Direct Marketing Introduction

Welcome to the Direct Marketing section! The following communications objectives
apply:
to Mercy House by a total of 30% at the end of July 2023
While Direct Marketing has been used in conjunction with other media outlets that have
appeared before this in the report, this section is specifically geared towards building a
strong database of potential/future donors and how we would curate specific messages
for each type of donor and the rest of their target market. After all, Direct Marketing all
comes back to how strong your contact list is, so it needs to take priority. Ways to build
a database and learn more about each individual are listed in the following pages. A
strong database will allow for the differentiation of individuals as either a past donor, a
future donor who is living locally, or students who are still able to give back to the
community around them. Once it is known where each individual falls, Direct Marketing
will be much easier and certain messages can be sent to them via text, email, and
regular mail. It is important to keep a personalized touch, and organizing the database
accordingly will make that feasible. The campaign theme will be predominant in the
messages potential donors will receive, and the messages will follow a pulsing strategy
to make sure that our contact list is constantly being reminded of the Mercy House
benefits.
Prepared by:
01
01
DIRECT MARKETING
Direct Marketing Objectives

Objective 1: Increase the frequency of direct donations to the Mercy House by 10% at
the end of the 2023 campaign through continuous and repetitive direct contact with
both of our markets throughout local Harrisonburg businesses/JMU campus.
Strategy 1: Place opportunities to directly donate to the Mercy House around the
local JMU and Harrisonburg areas in places where our target markets would notice,
thus also increasing awareness of the Mercy House mission and name recognition.
Tactic 1: Connect with the three local CVS’ (Port Republic Rd, Martin Luther King
Jr. Way., and South High St.) to ask about being a part of their Round Up
Campaign, where customers can donate directly to non-profits by either
rounding up or donating a few bucks at the end of their order transaction.
Tactic 2: Placing item donation bins in the offices of off-campus student living
apartment facilities to encourage the direct donations of college students,
where they can directly donate and learn more about the Mercy House.
Tactic 3: Place change/money donation bins at all JMU sports concessions
stands (where many people pay in cash) to help grab our target market’s
attention and encourage them to help support the Mercy House mission.
Strategy 2: Work on building a strong database of potential donors' contact
information through direct marketing tactics that can be used in conjunction with
other marketing media strategies.
Tactic 1: Provide a QR code on advertisements or flyers that will take potential
donors to a landing page where they can see commonly donated goods and the
benefits associated with donating, in addition to placing an email and phone
number in the system to learn more.
Tactic 2: Create a QR code and corresponding form to be placed at tabling
opportunities to track people coming up to the booth, their email and phone
number, and other relevant information depending on the event.
Tactic 3: Have a pop-up on the Mercy House’s website when users visit the site
for a place where users can place their email address to learn more and join the
Mercy House mission.
Objective 2: Increase the number of individuals who receive direct contact from the
Mercy House by 10% in Rockingham County by curating unique messages to the
individuals on Mercy House’s contact list at least once a month until the end of the
campaign (December 2023).
Strategy 1: Send direct mail to three main groups of donors (students in apartment
complexes, families who have not donated to the Mercy House, and those that have
already donated) at least once before the campaign ends.
65
DIRECT MARKETING
Direct Marketing Objectives CONT.
Tactic 1: Mailers that go to student apartment complexes will emphasize

donating items they no longer need as they graduate and move out. Using short,
eye-catching slogans such as “Why move unwanted items out of your
apartment?” to gain their attention and create a personal connection will be
used.
Tactic 2: A general message for people who have not donated yet would include
heartfelt messages about those in need and a compelling question such as “why
throw these away?”. Benefits of donating can also be listed out.
Tactic 3: Follow up with those who have donated a few weeks prior by sending
them a thank you message that’s signed by a worker at Mercy House. This may
also include a sticker or other promotional product to generate a positive and
long-lasting effect on the individual.
Strategy 2: Send emails and/or text messages to individuals on the mailing list at
least once every other month to keep in constant contact and facilitate a friendly
relationship.
Tactic 1: Send emails that directly ask for specific donation items as certain
items are needed.
Tactic 2: Personalize emails and text messages with the name of the individual
to form a personal connection.
Tactic 3: Remind individuals of certain Mercy House events that are happening
soon and personally invite them to it.
66
DIRECT MARKETING
Direct Marketing Budget

Total Budget Expenditure Direct Marketing Breakdown

Explanation
Total: $1,000
Mail catalogs, flyers: $400
Emails: $400
Website up-keep: $150 (Website maintenance cost in 2022: A full pricing
breakdown, 2022)
-platform for people to create accounts
Bucket purchases and designs: $50
- 3 buckets, 15$ per bucket and designs
By media Vehicle:
Postal Service USPS : $400
Internet (Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook): $400
Mercy House Website updates: $150
Bucket in Apartments and Concession Stands: $50
67
DIRECT MARKETING
Direct Marketing Rationale

With the use of direct marketing, potential donors will receive direct advertisements, be
given direct donation opportunities, as well as have the opportunity to learn more about
the Mercy House and its mission through direct mail and email catalogs, newsletters,
etc. Mailing lists will be created to target specific audiences, increase reach and
frequency, and improve target market accuracy. The website will also be updated so
donors can set up accounts where they can start developing that direct relationship
with the Mercy House and start receiving emails with opportunities, news, and
messages of gratitude for making the connection with the Mercy House. Sending mail
and emails in bulk is surprisingly not too expensive, especially when the mailing lists are
narrowed down already. As for direct donations, people often walk around with extra
change or receive coins back from purchases that they never end using in the future so
having buckets in places like apartments and concession stands, where people only pay
in cash, gives them the opportunity to donate that change to a good cause rather than
losing them under their couch or leaving them in the cup holder of their car. This would
be a bright solution to increasing donor frequency of donations and direct contact with
the Mercy House. These direct donation opportunities would use quality buckets with a
design that is very appealing to catch donor's attention and increase the chances of
receiving the donation. This is why the budget allocated $50 to buckets. The Round Up
campaign would be a remarkable success because customers often do not mind adding
a couple of cents to their purchase in order to round their total up to an even number
and give back to a noble cause.
Direct Marketing Deliverables *More Deliverables in Appendix F

Post Card for Community Post Card for JMU students
09
68
SALES PROMOTIONS
Sales Promotion Introduction

Welcome to the Sales Promotion section! The following communications objectives
apply:
(Primary Market – Families) Increase the desire in donating to the Mercy House
by40% by the end of December 2023 within the Harrisonburg and
RockinghamCounty areas.
(Secondary Market – Off-Campus Students) Increase the desire in donating to
theMercy House by 40% by the end of December 2023 within the Harrisonburg
andJMU student communities.
The primary goal of the following sales promotions will be to increase the quality of the
donations the Mercy House receives. Some of the sales promotion techniques will help
to drive traffic into the store which will in turn entice shoppers to also donate to the
Mercy House. There will also be sales promotions that directly incentivize people to
donate, and these incentives will have a varying scale so that higher quality donations
receive more compensation. The campaign theme, "Full Circle", is going to be tied in in
the form of informational flyers and pamphlets that explain how making a quality
donation will go further than just being sold at a thrift store. It will tell the stories of the
families staying in the Mercy House and how the donors are making an impact on them
through donating quality goods.
Prepared by:
01
01
SALES PROMOTIONS
Sales Promotions Objectives

Objective 1: Increase the number of repeat donors that donate to the Mercy House by
10% throughout the campaign theme (December 2023) by offering exclusive
opportunities for those that have donated more than others through monthly donor
programs to increase the frequency of same-donor donations.
Strategy 1: Create a Loyalty Donor Program and establish rankings for the different
levels of repeat donors– gold, silver, and bronze ranking based on the number of
times each individual has donated, and the quality of their items.
Tactic 1: Display of gold, silver, and bronze donors in or around the Mercy
House thrift stores. Ways to do this include a flyer or poster with individual's
names and/or pictures that can be hung on the wall, or they could have a brick
on the side of the building with their name engraved on it.
Tactic 2: Posting on social media platforms to inform those in the community
about the program, making sure to tag those individuals who receive the award
so that they can easily share that with their friends/social media connections.
Tactic 3: Placing signs around the Mercy House to grow the awareness of this
program. They could be near the register or in the area where people donate
their goods so that they are aware of the program and are more incentivized to
donate more in the future.
Strategy 2: Create a raffle for repeat donors – each time you donate you can put a
ticket into the raffle and at the end of the month, the Mercy House will draw one
winner, and that person will win an item of choice.
Tactic 1: Flyers in the store about donating at the register, or the official point of
purchase. This will aim to incentivize people to make an effort and donate
sometime within the next month, as long as the raffle prize is of interest to them.
Tactic 2: Highlight the raffle item in the monthly newsletter to raise awareness
of the raffle item ahead of time. This will help generate interest for the month.
Possible ideas for raffle items include season/holiday themed baskets, gift cards
to local restaurants, or a free pass to UREC for the day.
Tactic 3: The number of raffle tickets given to each donor will be determined by
the quality of the donation. Higher the quality, higher the number of raffle
entries. In addition, regular customers will be able to donate to the raffle, where
each raffle entry is $1.00. These sales can be directly made through the check-
out register.
Objective 2: Increase the frequency of thrift store visits by 10% at the end of the
December 2023 campaign through monthly promotional strategies that will increase
thrift store traffic and indirectly lead to and increased desire to donate to the Mercy
House.
70
SALES PROMOTIONS
Sales Promotions Objectives CONT.
Strategy 1: Entertain month long challenges within the Mercy House thrift stores
that will assist in bringing customers back to the Mercy House for repeat shopping
experiences, which will increase their desire to donate to the Mercy House.
Tactic 1: Posting on social media to inform the community about this promotion.
This can include Instagram posts, reels and stories, and then also using
different Facebook groups and Facebook posts to reach all of our target
audiences.
Tactic 2: Place a piece of paper/flyer in bags when someone purchases an item,
educating customers on the monthly challenges (as well as the benefits) that
they would receive when they donate. This would reinforce the idea that the
Mercy House is more than simply a thrift store.
Tactic 3: One example of how this would work could be a rainbow monthly
challenge (this could also potentially be during LGBTQ+ pride month) where
customers need to buy at least one item that is every color of the rainbow.
Strategy 2: Providing thrift store coupons given with the stipulation of donating
items to the Mercy House.
Tactic 1: Send exclusive coupons via mail to specific donors to offer sales
promotions and incentives for them to come to the store and buy items.
Tactic 2: Offer content on Mercy House's website to support this initiative. While
the coupons may be small, we want to incentivize people to donate to the thrift
store while also coming to shop and bring their friends.
Tactic 3: Mercy House promoting this opportunity on various social media
platforms, including Instagram posts, stories and reels and Facebook.
71
SALES PROMOTIONS
Sales Promotions Budget

Total Budget Expenditure Personal Selling Breakdown

Explanation
Total: $795
Loyalty Program: $70 (Flyers, VistaPrint)
500 5.5" x 8.5" custom flyers from Vistaprint
Raffle: $65 (Custom ticket printing for events, Raffles & More: Avery
2022)
500 custom tickets from Avery
Sweepstakes: $70 (Flyers, VistaPrint)
500 5.5" x 8.5" custom flyers from Vistaprint
Coupons: $590
Coupons are mailed to top 20 donors every other month
On average, 82% of millenials use coupons they receive in the mail
(Statista, 2020)
Assume the average thrift shopper spends $30 in one trip
Coupons are 20% off their entire purchase
72
SALES PROMOTIONS
Sales Promotions Rationale

Sales promotions are typically used to drive up the sales of a company, hence the name,
however the overall goal of the Mercy House is to receive more, not sell more. However,
the objectives stated will still work to the Mercy House's advantage as they will help
drive traffic into the store as well as entice donors to ensure their donations are of good
quality.
The strategies and tactics of the first objective will help to achieve the goal of receiving
frequent, good quality donations by incentivizing donors. These incentives are relatively
inexpensive solutions for the Mercy House to implement that will ultimately drive the
desire to donate higher quality goods. As the quality of donations improve, so do the
incentives the donors could receive. This is a win-win scenario for the Mercy House as
they are not spending much on these promotions, but ultimately will receive higher
quality goods that will increase their profits.
As for the second objective, the strategies and tactics will help drive foot traffic into the
store to shop, where shoppers will be reminded of the Full Circle campaign theme and
that they too can play a role in donating and giving back to their community. The
monthly challenges, while they encourage shopping moreso than donating, will be
hosted in conjunction with flyers to remind shoppers of the benefits of donating to the
Mercy House. The coupons, although they discount the revenue of the stores, come
with the stipulation that the people who receive the coupons must also be frequent
donors. So, even though coupons lower their revenue, they will also drive the increase
in frequent and good quality donations.
Sales Promotions Deliverables

*More Deliverables in Appendix G
Donor Program Flyer In stores Mail Coupon
73
PERSONAL SELLING
Personal Selling Introduction

Welcome to the Personal Selling section! The following communications
objectives apply:
(Both) Increase awareness of the Mercy House mission and how they give
back to the local community by 40% at the close of the campaign in
December 2023, which primarily is to house homeless families with
dependent children in Harrisonburg and the surrounding Rockingham
County.
(Both) Increase awareness of the types and quality of donations needed
to support Mercy House’s organization and their homeless families in need
by 60% at the end of the campaign in December 2023.
Personal Selling is a crucial component of a marketing mix and provides a

tailored experience to each customer. Through tactics that engage a buyer,
whether that be sending direct emails or setting up tables that explain a
product/service, personal selling can attract/retain lots of buyers. For this
campaign, we invested more money into the digital aspect than personal
selling, but it still plays a role. The following pages provide ways personal
selling could be effectively introduced for the Mercy House to increase
awareness and ultimately turn a higher donation yield.
Prepared by:
01
01
PERSONAL SELLING
Personal Selling Objectives

Objective 1: Increase awareness of the Mercy House by increasing the reach of those
who understand the Mercy House mission by 15% at the end of the December 2023
campaign, by personally connecting and selling the Mercy House to our target markets
throughout the Harrisonburg zip code region.
Strategy 1: Tabling throughout the JMU campus – including places such as the
commons (Main Campus), the COB learning complex, Festival (East Campus), etc. It
is important to collect information from those who come to the table, by getting
their email, name and expected graduation date so the Mercy House can deliver
follow-up marketing material.
Tactic 1: Engage those attending the event by talking about the Mercy House
and giving heartfelt stories with the success stories of some of the past
residents
Tactic 2: Highlight specific benefits that the student will receive from their
donations, including mentioning the raffles and other promotions we have for
repeat donors, potential tax deductions and the feel-good feeling of donating.
Tactic 3: Explain how a student can donate and what the steps are, including the
pick-up options offered by the Mercy House for convenient pick-up of larger
items. It is important to note how they can register for this service in advance.
Strategy 2: Attend different downtown Harrisonburg and Rockingham County
events, including the county fair and the Block Party in the Burg.
Tactic 1: Go to local events in the Harrisonburg Community and educate those
in attendance on what the Mercy House does. This can be something as simple
as walking around with business cards and striking a conversation with event
attenders, or the Mercy House could host a table as some of the events.
Tactic 2: Explain how the Mercy House takes donations and the three different
types of thrift stores that are available to customers along with their locations.
Tactic 3: Highlight benefits of donating to the Mercy House and talk about the
full circle campaign to members of the community, while encouraging them to
get involved - since it will eventually come back to them.
Objective 2: Increase the frequency of seasonal (twice a year) personal communications
with past donors on the Mercy House donor mailing list by 10% at the end of the
December 2023 campaign to entice them to donate again and stay engaged with the
Mercy House initiatives.
Strategy 1: The first communication will be around the holiday season, when many
people are in the spirit of giving back and making sure that everyone has a happy
holiday full of joy.
75
PERSONAL SELLING
Personal Selling Objectives CONT.
Tactic 1: Begin a Family Tree Sponsorship, where local families are called upon
to sponsor a family either in the Mercy House, or awaiting help from the Mercy
House. Those local families will then receive a list of gift items that the Mercy
House family have on their wish list, and they will be able to go out and hand
deliver the gifts to the family themselves.
Tactic 2: Discuss certain donations that are in drastic need around the holiday
season, and encourage local families to bring in those items for the families in
need. These can either be wrapped or not, and can also be hand-delivered.
Tactic 3: Host personalized, group events where Mercy House employees and
local families will be invited to engage in gift wrapping services of some of the
recent donation items that will be given to the families. They can also help
decorate the Mercy House for the holidays and make sure that there are
Christmas trees and other holiday items in each of the apartments.
Strategy 2: The second communication will be around the Spring Cleaning time
(April or May), when the majority of families are starting to clean out their homes
after Winter and re-organize their house.
Tactic 1: Highlight the pick-up service for larger items that Mercy House has,
which will make it easy for those families to get rid of a larger amount of items.
This also includes showing families how this works, and how they can sign up for
a truck pick-up date and time.
Tactic 2: Discuss specific donations that are in drastic need as the weather
starts to get warmer, and encourage these families to donate these items
specifically.
Tactic 3: Highlight the value of donating to the Mercy House and how it benefits
those in the community, as well as the individuals who are donating. This
includes the positive tax deductions (which can be used to go towards summer
vacations, for example), and the feel good feeling of giving back to the
community. The campaign theme can make its way into this discussion, as the
Full Circle aspect of donating can be a positive experience for many families and
individuals looking to give back.
76
PERSONAL SELLING
Personal Selling Budget


Total: $400
Explanation
Updates: $150
Tables: $100
Time: $150
By media Vehicle:
Mercy House Website/email updates: $150
Tables on JMU Campus: $100
Representatives Time: $150
Personal Selling Rationale

Despite personal selling not playing a crucial component in this campaign, it is
still an important method for spreading awareness about the Mercy House
around Harrisonburg. Due to digital media playing a more pronounced role
among younger demographics, it made more sense to allocate more money into
digital advertising than personal selling. However, personal selling still provides
valuable benefit in creating face-to-face memorable connections between buyer
and seller.
77
.
PERSONAL SELLING
Personal Selling Rationale CONT.
In reference to previous sections of this document, it costs $150 to maintain

the Mercy Hose website and provide email updates. $100 was allocated to
provide two tables to be set up around the JMU campus and surrounding areas,
which includes flyers and posters to be disseminated to passersby (n.d.).
Finally, $150 is allocated to account for Mercy House workers' time spent
operating the tables. At a rate of $11.00 an hour, around 13 hours of work is
allotted to operate these tables throughout the 2023 year (Virginia Minimum
Wage 2022 - Minimum-Wage.org, n.d.).
The tabling opportunities relate more to the secondary market of JMU students
because there will be more tabling opportunities around the JMU campus. The
website updates/email updates provide more of a mixed bag of awareness to
the primary and secondary markets of Harrisonburg families and JMU off-
campus students.
Personal Selling Deliverables

*More Deliverables in Appendix H
Spring Cleaning - specific donation

requests
Tabling Example for Mercy House
Scan QR
code for
a t-shirt! ro
ud Dono
r
P
munity com
om
e
C
Fu
Help your
ll Circle
78
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations Introduction

Welcome to the Public Relations section! The following communications objectives
apply:
This will all be accomplished by internal and external Public Relations efforts. Within
this section Ace Media has multiple different ideas for Mercy House to achieve these
goals, some include word of mouth marketing, utilizing social media, creating a bulletin
board within the stores to share information, creating press releases to submit to the
Daily News Record. The full circle campaign theme ties into this section perfectly
because this will allow the Mercy House to show how their organization is really a full
circle in being able to have press releases and stories that show where their residents
are now. This will allow the Mercy House to show what their organization does for the
community and why what they do matters in the community. Seeing testimonials of
those that have stayed at the Mercy House will allow people in the Harrisonburg
(specifically JMU students and local families) to understand why the Mercy House does
what it does.
Prepared by:
01
01
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations Objectives

Objective 1: Increase the frequency of internal PR efforts by 20% every month
throughout the duration of the campaign (by December 2023) to help assist in
awareness and reach of the Mercy House mission by internally focusing on
valuing/highlighting employee successes, as well as local events that are of interest to
Mercy House customers.
Strategy 1: Recognize the organization’s successes/milestones and individual
employees for major accomplishments. This will be more of the Staff Spotlight, per
say, which will focus on their successes over the past month.
Tactic 1: Promote Mercy House’s accomplishments on their website/social
media, making sure to tag the employee who achieved the largest award of the
month so that they can easily share/repost their mention.
Tactic 2: Highlight certain employees on their website/social media to boost
morale and encourage other employees to work hard so that they too, can
receive a spotlight.
Tactic 3: Placing a flyer in all of the Mercy House stores to draw awareness to
those employees that have gone above and beyond in the past month. This way,
not only other employees can see who received the award, but also other
customers.
Strategy 2: Focus on making Mercy House and other Harrisonburg/Timberville
events available to Mercy House customers that come into the thrift store locations.
Tactic 1: Spread the word on community events that are both sponsored by the
Mercy House, and other ones in the community by using a bulletin board within
the Mercy House.
Tactic 2: Encourage customers to sign up for our newsletter at the register and
as they are donating - encourage talking to people one-on-one to get them to
do this.
Tactic 3: Making the bulletin board and newsletters aesthetically pleasing and
eye-catching by using a catchy slogan. An idea could be "What's Up
Harrisonburg?" or "Let's Stay In Touch". It should be apparent in their stores so
that people cannot forget about it and the information that is going to be
displayed on the board itself.
Objective 2: Increase the frequency of external PR efforts by 20% throughout the
duration of the campaign (by December 2023) to help assist in awareness and reach of
the Mercy House mission by externally focusing on bringing large Mercy House news to
the general public within a 20 mile radius of the main Mercy House thrift store in
Harrisonburg, VA.
Strategy 1: Submit press release to the Daily News Record on a regular basis (aim
for one every month) to help spread the word on Mercy House activities and
whereabouts for the general public.
80
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations Objectives CONT.
Tactic 1: Submit press releases for future events happening at Mercy House or
Mercy House partners, including Cider Fest and other activities that will be
happening. This will encourage a larger turnout at these events.
Tactic 2: When there is a very large donation piece being made to the Mercy
House, another press release could be made. Hopefully, there will be more of
these throughout the duration of the campaign, but something of this
importance would be perfect in a press release that will be pushed to the
surrounding area's news stations.
Tactic 3: Testimonials from previous residents will also be a great press release
topic. Have them share their success story with the community to generate an
emotional appeal and a larger desire to donate to the Mercy House and make a
difference on families like the ones in the testimonials. The campaign theme can
be brought into this section as well.
Strategy 2: Target the larger spread Harrisonburg County and Timberville areas,
specifically those that are not already getting correspondence from the Mercy
House. This will be an interesting way to share the mission of the Mercy House with
these groups.
Tactic 1: Posting in Harrisonburg/ Timberville Facebook Groups at least once a
month, while actively searching for new groups or create some of their own. This
will spread a conversational feeling of publicity with a wider audience who may
not already know about the Mercy House initiatives.
Tactic 2: Undergo networking at large community wide events, where there is at
least one Mercy House employee or sales representative attending. This is a
great opportunity to have a one-on-one engaged experience with members of
the surrounding community, while being able to share the mission of the Mercy
House.
Tactic 3: Utilize press releases that highlight what Mercy House is doing to give
back to the community, e.g., when a family 'graduates' from the House or when
they have raised a certain amount of money, or what renovations are occurring
at the house and the thrift stores. This is an important way to reach larger
audiences in a more generalized fashion.
81
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations Budget


Total: $313 Explanation

Flyer: $70
Bulletin board: $62
Letters for Bulletin Board: $12
Border for Bulletin Board: $12
Thumb Tacks for Bulletin Board: $7 (Amazon, 2022)
Additional Print Materials: $50
Networking Cost: $100
Public Relations Rationale

Within this section, Ace Media thought it was important to separate internal and
external PR from each other. In order to accomplish this the first objection created
was internal public relations and the second objection was more geared towards
external public relations.
Within the first strategy under internal public relations, the main goal was promote
the Mercy House accomplishments within the organization and employees within
the store and on social media.
82
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations Rationale CONT.
The second strategy in this section focuses more on community events within the
area. In order to this, the plan is to utilize a bulletin board that will be in the Mercy
House to be able to post Mercy House wide events and other local community
events on; moreover, plan on making the bulletin board able to read effectively and
aesthetically pleasing so people notice it in the store and want to read more. Also,
want to allow people to be able to sign up for the Mercy House newsletter while in
the store while talking to employees. All of these tactics will allow more people to
be aware of what is going on inside the Mercy House for those that already come
into the store regularly. This section of public relations requires little to no money
allocated from the budget. The money used here is primarily for the creation of the
bulletin board in the Mercy House and printing flyers which are a pretty small
percentage of the overall budget.
The second objective again focuses on external public relations, and this can be
accomplished through submitting press releases to the Daily News Record and
sharing information with the Harrisonburg and Timberville communities. Ace Media
plans to send press releases at least once a month and these press releases can
vary from events happening at the Mercy House or with partners, when someone
makes a large donation to this organization, and/or send in testimonials of
previous residents. All of these tactics will allow again for others in the community
to learn a little more about the Mercy House has to offer and what they do for the
community. Although way to implement external public relations is to post in
Facebook groups that center around both Harrisonburg and Timberville. This will
be beneficial to the Mercy House because those in these groups will be able to
learn how to donate/ what they do from a simple post within a group people
already belong to. Networking is another huge opportunity for those in the
community to learn about the mission of the Mercy House and be able to build a
relationship more with someone else. Another important aspect is what the Mercy
House is doing to give back to the community and this can be done through press
releases highlighting what they are doing to help those in need. This section is
important and is primarily useful to allow others to learn a little bit more about the
Mercy House. Pertaining to the budget press releases cost no money, and the
reminder of the money here is used for networking costs (i.e. cost to attend or food
cost) and additional print materials to market the Mercy House within each store
and at networking events.
83
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Example Press Release

*More Deliverables in Appendix I
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorship Introduction
Welcome to the Sponsorship section! The following communications objectives
apply:
(Primary Market- College students) Increase the frequency of donations
towards Mercy House by 10% at the end of the campaign (December 2023) by
offering promotional strategies through JMU athletic events throughout the
academic year.
(Secondary Market – Harrisonburg community) Increase community
awareness of the Mercy House by 8% within the Harrisonburg city limits by
partnering with small local businesses to help sponsor items in their store
while increasing the desire to donate to Mercy House by the end of the
December 2023 campaign.
Sponsorship will play a significant role in the success the Mercy House intends to
achieve through this campaign. Through Sponsorship, the Mercy House will be
able to continue making that deeper connection by being a part of the sporting
events that bring the JMU students closer together throughout the year. Along
with JMU, the Mercy House will also be able to increase its reach among the entire
Harrisonburg community by partnering with local businesses that support their
cause. Sponsorship will increase how many people know of the Mercy House and
how many times people donate through actively creating a relationship with them
through the places and things they love doing. Our campaign theme of “Full Circle”
will be demonstrated through the generations of college students and
Harrisonburg residents that come and go but the Mercy House will always be there
for the new ones that take their places. We want our target audiences to know we
are always there for them and the community. The next couple pages will address
exactly how we plan to accomplish that.
Prepared by:
01
01
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorship Objectives
Objective 1: Increase the frequency of donations towards Mercy House by 10% at the
end of the campaign (December 2023) by offering promotional strategies at on-campus
JMU athletic events throughout the academic year.
Strategy 1: Place promotional elements at JMU home basketball games, which are a
large hit with local families who want to bring their children to JMU sports and get
them out of the house in the Winter.
Tactic 1: Displaying Mercy House logo on JMU sports arena electronic ad-strips
throughout the Atlantic Union Bank Center to provide more brand recognition
for those at the basketball games.
Tactic 2: Place an information table in Atlantic Union Bank Center with student
giveaway or raffles. Raffles are a way to generate more monetary donations to
the Mercy House, while giveaways may be more commonly sought after by
college students. Either way, it is important to make sure the table visitor
provides their information to the Mercy House prior to entering in the raffle.
Tactic 3: Sponsor a half-time event or inquire about being called out as an
outstanding nonprofit during the many game breaks.
Strategy 2: Place promotional elements at JMU home football games and tailgates,
which are a large hit among past JMU alumni and their friends/family who may be
living in the area.
Tactic 1: Set-up a table in the many tailgating sections, where the Mercy House
would hand out shirts, pens, magnets that will stay with the table visitor for a
long time. This will help reinforce the campaign theme of Full Circle, in addition
to create more buzz around the Mercy House initiative.
Tactic 2: Place a short, 30 second video on the video board/jumbotron at the
appropriate game breaks. This will highlight the Mercy House mission, while
playing with the heartstrings of those who are in the stands.
Tactic 3: Place paid banners on the side of Godwin Hall, which is behind where
most of the non-student attendees are sitting. Many of them will catch these
advertisements in their photos and their memory - as they look at them
throughout the entire day.
Objective 2: Increase community awareness of the Mercy House by 8% within the
Harrisonburg city limits by partnering with small local businesses to help sponsor items
in their store, while increasing the reach and desire to donate to Mercy House by the
end of the December 2023 campaign.
Strategy 1: Pairing with Mr. J’s Bagels (just the one on South High which is closest
to the Mercy House to start with, but possibly all three locations in the near future).
Tactic 1: Creating a “Full Circle” bagel for Mr. J’s to sell in which the Mercy
House would receive some of the proceeds for purchases of that specific bagel.
86
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorship Objectives CONT.
Tactic 2: Help support Mr. J’s by placing signs in the thrift store, as well as
coupons if Mr. J's has them - to encourage customers/donors to go to Mr. J’s
Tactic 3: Place a flyer or informational poster at Mr. J’s that will explain the
Mercy House and where their donations go to when they purchase the breakfast
sandwich.
Strategy 2: Partner with Black Sheep Coffee - a very popular coffee and study spot
that is located downtown. This coffee shop has received the largest amount of
reviews (positive ones as well) within the Harrisonburg city limits.
Tactic 1: Creating a “Mercy House” coffee for Black Sheep in which the Mercy
House would receive some of the proceeds from the purchase of said coffee.
Tactic 2: Help support Black Sheep by placing signs in the store to encourage
customer and donors to go to Black Sheep
Tactic 3: Place a flyer or informational poster at Black Sheep Coffee that will
explain the Mercy House and where their donations go to when they purchase
the mocha latte.
Sponsorship Budget
Total Budget Expenditure Sponsorship Breakdown

87
SPONSORSHIP
Budget Explanation
Percent of Total Budget: 4.8% (960$)
Flyers: 140$ (Flyers, VistaPrint)

Raffle: 65$ (Custom ticket printing for events, Raffles & More: Avery 2022)
Sports Arena Electronic ad-strips:430$
Video Board: 250$ (James Madison University, Special requests 2022)
Large Banner: 75$ (Amazon, 2022)
By Media Vehicle:
Flyers Placed inside Mr. J's and Black Sheep:140$
Raffles at JMU sports games: 65$
Atlantic Union Bank sports arena strip-ads: 430$
Video Board in Bridgeforth Stadium: 250$
Large Banners outside of Godwin Hall : 75$
Sponsorship Rationale
Considering a good chunk of our target market is college students in the Harrisonburg
area, a sponsorship with JMU athletic events would significantly increase the frequency of
donations from a good portion of our target audiences, especially college students as well
as the locals, parents, and other people that attend JMU sports events. Partnering with
local businesses such as Mr. Js and Black Sheep will also greatly increase the reach the
Mercy House is trying to achieve when it comes to creating awareness of the Mercy
House, its mission, and increasing the desire to donate. Through promotion within the
stores such as a special bagel or coffee in which the Mercy House would receive some of
the proceeds and placing flyers addressing the Mercy House’s cause. At the same time
Mercy house will place signs in their stores to encourage customer traffic at both Black
Sheep and Mr. J’s so the Mercy House and the local businesses can both significantly
benefit from this relationship by bringing customers/donors to both of their
establishments. Sitting at 4.8% of our total budget, the Mercy House does not need to
allocate a large amount of our assets for sponsorship for them to have an enormous
impact on our campaign. Placing most of the money towards the JMU sports events
because the students are a primary market this campaign is trying to have an impact on
but also through that constant exposure to the Mercy House at Harrisonburg’s local
businesses will make that money worth the cost.
88
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorship Deliverables
*More Deliverables in Appendix I
Mr. J's "Full Circle" bagel flyer Sports Arena Electronic Ad Strip
Help your community come

Full Circle. Donate today!
Banner Side the side of Godwin
IMC Measurement Techniques

As the conclusion of the IMC document is approaching, it is very important to look
back and reflect on each of the previous sections and mention how to measure the
success of each of the tactics used. This section will be broken into the following
subcategories, which are based upon both the IMC plan as a whole and each individual
breakdown of the marketing medias used throughout the plan. Each subheading will
include a definition of the measurements tactics used, how and when they will be used,
and how to measure the effectiveness based on the evaluation method of choice.
Evaluation of Marketing Goal

As a refresher, the one marketing goal was to increase donations to the thrift store
that will result in an increase of sales by 25% by December 31st, 2023. This is the
overall goal of the IMC plan and has driven the development of campaign ideas
used throughout other sections, so it is extremely important to make sure to
measure this correctly and frequently. One way to do this will be through simply
keeping a detailed tracking of all sales and donations that come through the Mercy
House. An online database that automatically stores information will be beneficial
in taking the administrative tasks of entering information away. This will allow
Mercy House employees to spend their time doing other important tasks that will
help accomplish this marketing goal.
89
MEDIA FLOW CHART
Media Flow Chart
90
MEDIA FLOW CHART
Media Flow Chart CONT.
91
BUDGET BREAKDOWN AND SUMMARY
Budget Breakdown
92
BUDGET BREAKDOWN AND SUMMARY
Budget Summary
A budget of $20,000 was allocated to marketing efforts to be used over the span of
January 2023 to December 2023. Ace Media has further portioned this budget based upon
different media categories and will use the money to deploy specific strategies and tactics
to attract the target markets and achieve the marketing and communication goals.
The majority of the budget, 34.8%, has been allocated to digital marketing. Digital
Marketing is a rapidly growing realm of marketing efforts these days, and the Mercy
House has much room for improvement in this department. Right now, they maintain a
website and Facebook. However, there are many opportunities that the Mercy House can
and should expand into. This is why a large portion of the budget was allocated to Google
ads and website maintenance. A decent portion of the budget was also dedicated to
increasing social media efforts, however there are also many ways in which the Mercy
House can boost their social media for free, so the budget for social media marketing
wasn't as high as digital marketing.
Traditional marketing efforts also received a large portion of the budget, 18%, as there
are many opportunities in this field to reach the target audiences. The strategies and
tactics for traditional marketing efforts are able to reach both target audiences through
one tactic, so these efforts will contribute to a large portion of audience reach. Traditional
marketing strategies and tactics also overlap with many other media categories, so any
overlaps were included in only the traditional marketing portion of the budget and not the
other media categories.
Support media has about 9% of the budget, however the items purchased with this
portion of the budget is also used in other media categories, such as sales promotion and
sponsorship. Direct marketing accounts for around 5% of the budget. This includes
advertising mediums such as direct mail and change-bucket locations. Lastly, personal
selling and PR account for the final 3.5% of our budget which includes tabling services
and press releases. Less financial resources were invested into these aspects of the
budget due to social media and digital marketing playing a more pronounced role in
consumers' collective conscience, therefore providing a more extensive reach of
awareness.
93
MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION
IMC Measurement Techniques CONT.
Accuracy/inventory checks should be done at least once every other week, although
weekly checks would be a great way to keep track of donations. With those reports,
the campaign can be adjusted and there will be a better generalized view of what is
working and what is not. If there are certain spikes in sales/donations around a
certain time in the campaign those measures can be increased to help drive
efficiency.
Evaluation of Communication Objectives
While there are a lot of communications objectives that have been used throughout
the IMC plan, measuring the effectiveness of these will also help guide the
measurement of the plan as a whole, as these objectives are constantly referenced
throughout the plan's entirety. There are two important areas that are
recommended to be of extreme focus - the message and the media being used.
The Message: Each message that gets sent out to customers, no matter where
that message is being sent out, needs to be effective. Is the message strong
enough to get people to come to the store? Is it strong enough to get people to
donate items? One way of checking the ultimate goal of all of the messages will
be to follow a similar format to evaluating the Marketing Goals - by directly
seeing an increase in sales and donation numbers. The numbers don't lie, and
they can be an important tool. The best time to see this is to specifically check
after a certain campaign is pushed out (more detail can be found within each
section, but a general rule can be a month or so after the message spreads.
The Media: Each media form should also be deeply evaluated for success. Each
media will have different measurement tactics that will be listed out in the
following sections, but the key to understanding the evaluation of the entire
campaign as a whole will be by looking at the success of all the different
mediums together. Creating a spreadsheet to see them all in one place will be
beneficial in the long term.
Pre and post testing will be beneficial for traditional advertising tactics, as these
take up a higher unit price and it is important to make a lasting impact on potential
donors. Print advertisements will benefit from having readability tests done prior to
sending for final review. This will ensure that the message being portrayed is short
and to the point so that viewers can form a connection to the piece. This will be
done at least 3 months before the media needs to be submitted to ensure there is
enough time to make edits as needed. Day-after recall testing will also be beneficial
to all traditional advertising types, including radio advertisements and print media
forms. Focus groups can be used for both the pretesting and recall testing. These
focus groups will also beneficial in providing more qualitative feedback on the ads
themselves, and emotional reactions can be documented and saved for reference.
94
Digital Marketing
When it comes to the website, it will be relatively easy to track the number of
backlinks and overall site health, which is an important part of increasing the SEO
ranking of the Mercy House site. A tool such as WordPress insights can be used for
this, and should be checked regularly (at least once a month). The numbers of
organic traffic, site click through rate, and the amount of time that each user
typically spends on the Mercy House website will also be beneficial to look at. This
will inform the pages that are most liked and viewed. When it comes to direct
emails, open rate and click through rate are two very important numbers. These
should be checked around four days after sending a mass email to ensure the most
accurate and complete responses, although data can be tracked and stored through
the emailing website (such as HubSpot) at any time within the week following
sending.
Social Media
The most important tactic to note for social media marketing would be the total
number of impressions that the Mercy House receives. All social media platforms,
including Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook, will have built-in functions that can be
checked at least once a week for any updates. Other content interactions, such as
likes, comments, and reshares/pins will be important to note as well, although not
as important as total impressions - especially when factoring in the overall
awareness. While people may see the ad and click on it, they may not like, comment,
or share.
Support Media
An easy way to recognize the effectiveness of material support media would be to
track the remaining quantity on hand after a certain event. The number of items
missing would be the number of people that received the items, such as t-shirts,
pens, etc. Pre-testing and post testing could be one way to determine if the item is
something valuable to potential donors. This would also help to determine what
items to create with the Mercy House brand on it. To ensure time to change any
items after the focus-group study, this should be done at least 3 months before the
event in which the Mercy House will be handing these out. When it comes to transit
advertisements, field tests could be used to perform recall tests for those people
that stand at the off-campus living facility's bus shelters. These could be done a
week after the campaign stopped, and a month afterwards. To determine which
transit advertisement worked better, split-run testing would be used and the results
of the recall test for both versions would be compared.
95
Direct Marketing
One quick way to measure the effectiveness of direct marketing, would be to track
sales and the number of donations, specifically after a spike in Direct Marketing
advertisements. Sales may increase faster than the number of donations, so that
would be easier to relate back to a specific direct marketing collateral that was sent
out, but there should also be a small increase in donations over time if the direct
marketing efforts are working. A quick way to determine which bin placement
collected the most donations would be to compare what's in the bin and to do recall
tests (similar to mall-interception tests) around the area of the bin a few days after
the bin is removed, asking passerby whether they remember seeing the bin there
and if they know what the Mercy House is. This will help compare different bin
locations to determine the best spot. In addition, A/B pretesting would be beneficial
to do for different email and mail items, as it is an expensive cost. Things to test
would be different graphics, email subject line varieties and headings. This should
be done at least a month before the anticipated send date of these items.
Sales Promotions
Keep track of the number of people in the Loyalty Donor program, as well as the
number of people that are entering in the raffle each month. This number should be
increasing, and should be checked monthly to help stay up-to-date. On the few
coupons and other promotional events that will be sent to loyal customers, it is
important to track how many were used out of how many that were sent out. This
should be checked immediately after the sales promotion ended.
Personal Selling
Keep detailed records of how many people come to the tabling options Mercy House
hosts by using a Google or Microsoft Form. These people should then be added to
the Mercy House's database and should be contacted as a follow-up with a survey of
how the event went no later than the following day. This will give an exact
perspective on how things went. A lot of this information will also come from the
people on the field talking with potential donors and customers. After each event, it
is important to note the type of people interacted with, what their views on the
Mercy House were, and general information on everything went. A spreadsheet or
online document could be used to track this and should be updated within a day of
the event as well. General surveys to the entire Mercy House database that will be
sent out at least every year will be beneficial in measuring community perspectives.
96
MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION & CONCLUSION
Publicity and PR
Keep track of the number of times press releases turned into articles within the local
news stations. It is important to also follow-up by posting this on The Press section
of the Mercy House website for all users to see, regardless of their access to a news
medium. Looking at site traffic for this specific page would be an interesting way to
know how many people are gaining access to their publicity. Track what type of
items people are looking at on the bulletin board within the Mercy House. This could
have interactive elements that they could rip off to take with them. Those with the
most pulled off, are clearly generating a more positive outlook on the customers.
Sponsorships
When it comes to sponsorships, one way to directly see how many generally saw the
mention of Mercy House at JMU sporting events would be to get a general count of
how many people attended the game by talking to JMU faculty. Another general way
would be to perform a field test, in which Mercy House employees attend the event
and take note on the general viewing response. Were people engaged or looking
around at the Mercy House advertisement? This should happen at every sporting
event. Another way to measure the success of the partnerships with local
businesses would be to consistently check on the remaining number of flyers or
business cards are at the location (at least every 2 or 3 weeks), as well as
corresponding with the local business itself to see what the sales were of their
specific drink or food item.
Conclusion
Per Mercy House's request, Ace Media set out to increase awareness of Mercy House's
mission by 40%, increase awareness of the type and quality of donations by 60%,
increase general interest in donating, increase desire to donate, and increase overall
donations. Through Ace Media's "Full Circle" campaign theme, an attempt at creating a
community fellowship was devised that spotlighted the importance of meliorating
impoverished Harrisonburg families.
By analyzing market data through IBISWorld, a primary market of JMU families and a
secondary market of JMU students were generated to construct the most effective
advertising campaign. This campaign sought out reviews from Mercy House's various
social media platforms to determine the efficacy of their company and areas for
improvement. After compiling this information, Ace Media developed an integrated
marketing plan that utilized numerous forms of advertising media - namely traditional,
digital, social media, support, direct, sales promotions, personal selling, PR, and
sponsorship. 97
CONCLUSION
Conclusion CONT.
Through extensive research on market data and key industry drivers, Ace Media
determined that a budget weighted towards digital/social media advertising would be
more conducive in amassing awareness towards the targeted audiences, reflecting a shift
to the digital age. By implementing social media ads, website optimization, SEO,
newsletters, and surveys, Mercy House broadens their advertising reach and stands the
best chance in yielding the most donations possible.
In order to attract as many donors as possible, this campaign also set up different
traditional advertising tactics that would reach an audience that does not rely as heavily
on social media. This campaign aimed to achieve this by disseminating print ads, local
television ads, and radio ads. Different attempts at JMU sporting event sponsorships,
promotional tactics to incentivize repeat donations, and personal selling opportunities to
build a face-to-face connection were also considered to cover the widest advertising
scope possible for the intended markets. By providing a breadth of advertising tactics,
Mercy House stands the best chance in achieving their communication goals.
Recommendations for the future would include implementing the aforementioned

advertising procedures throughout the 2023 campaign. It would be prudent to monitor
the success of these advertising programs to see which would be the most rewarding to
invest in on a long-term basis. To start, Mercy House could try to maintain a more active
social media presence. Utilizing apps like Instagram and Snapchat would provide a
stronger connection to the secondary market of JMU students and be free of charge.
Waiting until the JMU academic year starts would be wise for setting up tabling
opportunities and using other student-tied appeals. Since the primary market deals with
Harrisonburg families, Mercy House could also get started immediately distributing print
ads and flyers. Instilling a "Full Circle" mindset among Harrisonburg residents creates a
charitable fertility to the soil of this community.
98
APPENDIX
Appendix A - Buyer Personas
99
APPENDIX
Appendix B - Traditional
Advertising
100
APPENDIX
Advertising CONT.
Item
Gender
Description
Radio Scripts
(Man 1) “Hey man, we really need to
Gender 2 Males
get things moving on this project but
Length :30
I have no idea where to get the
Length
Target Empty Nesters:30or families with materials we need at a cost we can
older children who are getting afford” (Man 2) “I actually just saw
Demographic General
ready toContractors an advertisement for this place, the
Target move out
Mercy House who own a building
Demographic
supplies store out in Timberville for
50’s
Partners looking for supplies to affordable and quality material, we
Character Natural, conversation-like, should check it out!” (SFX queue in)
Vocal Direction complete a large project
energetic, happy and easy-going (Man 1) “Wow! I don’t know if we
Vocal Direction Urgent would have finished this project in
Suggested Music Brett Young’s “Mercy” time without the Mercy Houses’
Sound of loadingnature
thingslike
onto a help!” (Man 2) “Right! Now we
Suggested
Suggested Music
SFX Outdoorsy,
finished our project in time, saved
Suggested SFX Machine/building tools money, and helped the community all
at one place!” (Man 1 and 2) 101
APPENDIX
Advertising CONT.
Item
Gender
Description
Radio Scripts CONT.
(Person 1):Hey man, we’ve got some
Gender 2 Males
leftover furniture that none of us can
Length :30
bring home after we move out. You
Length
Target Empty Nesters :30or families with guys want one of our couches?
older children who are getting (Person 2): You mean that dingy
Demographic fraternity couch in your yard that’s
Off-Campus Students started vegetating from the rain?
Demographic
(Person 1): Nah, we’ve got a solid
50’s
Conversation between JMU off- loveseat in our living room that none
Character Natural, conversation-like, of us know what to do with. (Person
Vocal Direction campus neighbors
energetic, happy and easy-going 2): Appreciate it, but we don’t have
Vocal Direction Humorous, conversation-like space. You could honestly get the
Suggested Music Brett Young’s “Mercy” Mercy House to come pick that up for
Sound of loading you and they’ll give it to the
Suggested
Suggested Music
SFX Nonethings onto a
truck, car door shutting, walking disadvantaged. (Person 1 laughs)
(Person 1): Nah, that’s just the
Suggested SFX Outdoors
outside couch. (Both laugh)
Item Description
Gender Female and Male (SFX TV sounds) “Hey, I think we

Length :30
really need to clean out the kids’ old
Length Empty Nesters:30or families with clothes and things around the house
Target we don’t use anymore. (Male voice)
older children who are getting
Demographic “Yeah, I think that would be a great
Local Harrisonburg Families idea and someone from work was
Demographic
telling me about the Mercy House
50’s
Downtown that takes clothing and
Character Husband/Wife,
Natural, Narrator
conversation-like, basically any donations!” (Female
Vocal Direction energetic, happy and easy-going voice) “That is a great idea! I will let
the kids know we are going to clean
Vocal Direction Conversational
Suggested Music Brett Young’s “Mercy” tomorrow and go to down to the
Mercy House after.” (Narrator) Come
Suggested
Suggested Music
SFX Sound of loading things onto a
Soft, Quiet down to the Mercy House a local
Background noise such as the TV nonprofit battling homelessness.
Suggested SFX or children playing 102
APPENDIX
Advertising CONT.
Print Advertisements
103
APPENDIX
Appendix C - Digital
Marketing Deliverables
Email Newsletters
104
APPENDIX
Appendix D - Social Media

Deliverables
Twitter Ad
Social Media Ad
Instagram Post
105
APPENDIX
Appendix E - Support Media

Deliverables
Banner Ad
Mercy House Cup
106
APPENDIX
Appendix F - Direct Marketing

Deliverables
Donation Screen on Local Business
Text Message from

Mercy House
The Mercy House
Hey there!
Long time, no see! Lucky

for you, we are having a
mass donation event this
Saturday at the Mercy
House Thrift store. Stop by
from 11-3pm and get
locally catered food and
play yard games!
See you there!
Sticker for Mercy House Change

Buckets
107
APPENDIX
Appendix G - Sales
Promotions Deliverables
Raffle Ticket
Raffle Box Example for In-Store
John Doe
jdoe@gmail.com
te an
123-456-7890 Did you dona
item?
ffle
Enter our ra
today!
Sweepstakes Flyer
108
APPENDIX
Appendix H - Personal Selling

Deliverables
Holiday Donation Event Downtown
Drive
Mailing List Email
109
APPENDIX
Appendix I - Public Relations

Deliverables
Sample Facebook Group Post
Donation Screen on Local Business
Mercy House Inc Harrisonburg & Rockingham Area Community Group
Have extra items around your home? You can help us by donating
to the Mercy House today! For more information check out our
social media pages or website!
Employee social media spotlight
Outstanding donor shotuout
110
APPENDIX
Appendix J - Sponsorship
Deliverables
Mercy House Coffee Advertisement VIdeo Board at Football game
10
111
BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES
References
112
References CONT.
113
References CONT.
114
References CONT.
115

01 Acemedia Final Imc Plan Spring22 Compressed 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

01 Acemedia Final Imc Plan Spring22 Compressed 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

IM C PLAN

CAMPAIGN Prepared by:

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

Agency Philosophy ................................................................................................................4

Company Description ...........................................................................................................10

Product/Service Review .......................................................................................................12

Competitive Review ..............................................................................................................14

Primary Research .................................................................................................................21

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning ..........................................................................24

Marketing Goals ...................................................................................................................25

Campaign Theme .................................................................................................................25

Communication Goals and Strategies ................................................................................26

Media Plan ............................................................................................................................37

1. Traditional Advertising .................................................................................................38

2. Digital Marketing ...........................................................................................................45

3. Social Media Marketing .................................................................................................52

4. Support Media ...............................................................................................................59

5. Direct Marketing ............................................................................................................64

7. Personal Selling ............................................................................................................74

8. Public Relations ............................................................................................................79

Media Flowchart ........................................................................................................................90

IMC Evaluation ..........................................................................................................................94

Appendix C: Digital Marketing .................................................................................................104

Appendix E: Support Media.......................................................................................................106

Meet the Dealer

"Let’s play your cards right"

Campaign Time Period

Campaign Communications Objectives

Executive Summary CONT.

Social Media Marketing

Public Relations and Publicity

Industry Review: Thrift Stores

Current trends/ developments affecting the promotion program:

Industry Review: Thrift Stores

Macro-environment factors and issues:

Other Key Factors:

Industry Review: Thrift Stores

(Butler, Thrift stores 2020)

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

This shows the distance between the two

Mercy House Thrift Store

Mercy House Thrift Store

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Local Perceptual Map

Habitat ReStores are independently owned reuse stores operated by local

Goodwill is a nonprofit organization that provides job training, employment

Profile 1 Local Families

Demographic: ages 28-45, middle to higher class income

Demographic: Aged 65 and up

Demographic: 30-40 years old

Donating Decision Process

their own choice.

The local community needs that might spark an

How far the Mercy House is from where people reside.

These three buyer personas are

Katie represents a typical member

The other two personas, Kelly and

Primary Research - Facebook

“Quite a good selection on

Secondary Market: College Campus Students

Problem and Mission

Communication Objectives CONT.

Target Audience CONT.