Executive Summary

In this report, we will provide an advertising strategy for a leading

footwear and sports apparel company. The company seeks to improve its

market share among college students, and as students, we feel we can

most successfully reach this target audience. Based on the results of our

research, we have developed a marketing campaign which consists of a

creative brief, a detailed message strategy, and a media strategy for

advertising our company.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction II. Research III. Creative Brief IV. Appeals & Message Strategy V. Media Selection & Strategy VI. Campaign Evaluation VII. Appendix

Introduction

The footwear industry is one of the worst polluting in the world, with

mass production factories emitting airborne and toxic chemicals daily,

producing soles that take 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill.

Eko Sole is a company developed by Erin Morris and Kelsey Duke of

Southern Illinois University. The company strives to decrease the carbon

footprint of its consumers by making environmentally-friendly shoes from

organic or recycled materials. Their linings can be made from bamboo or

recycled yarn and the outer layer of the shoe may be made from hemp,

organic bamboo, or any other sustainable material. Their soles are often

recycled from old tires, while their laces can be made from recycled

plastic. Our company also uses the minimum amount of packaging

necessary to reduce waste. Our products will be made with athletes in

mind, combining lightness, disassembly and durability for the ultimate in

ergonomic design.

Research

Method: To find out the most effective media strategy for our company, we created

questionnaires for conducting interviews with other students in our target

market. To get a better feel for our respondents media habits, we asked

questions in a discussion format, which resulted in more detailed responses

about their behaviors.

Findings and Key Indicators: The results of our interviews indicated that magazines and radio were the media

least likely to reach our target audience. Though they are effective for

advertising, not enough people read or listen on a regular basis. Not

surprisingly, internet and television were rated the most effective media for

reaching our audience. Our test group indicated that, on average, between 20-

50% of the purchases they make are influenced by advertising, with the females

indicating that they are more easily influenced than men. The most common

place that our participants noticed advertising seemed to be on television or

coming from their email inbox. Most of the group also admitted that they

typically avoid advertising while using media, and are more influenced by what

their friends say on social networks.

In addition, we found that “Birkenstocks” was the most frequently recalled

company associated with environmentally friendly gear. Based on our research,

we have concluded that outdoor guerilla campaigns are effective with our target

audience, and that relating to our audience using the slice-of-life method would

be the best way to market our company.

Creative Brief

Background: Eko Sole offers an eco-friendly alternative to consumers in the market for shoes,

sports apparel and sports equipment. Eko Sole uses recycled materials to make

their products and hopes that all of their customers will return to recycle their

old products and buy new ones.

The success of the program will be measured by how many customers not only

buy the products but return to recycle them.

Audience: Primary Audience: College Students, because they don’t generally have a lot of

extra spending money, affordable shoes appeal to them. Shoes are obviously a

necessity for everyone, but comfortable, durable shoes are needed for students

to walk across campus.

The fact that Eko Sole is not yet a well known shoe company should not be

mentioned to the audience. Our hope is to appeal to so many students, athletes

and other people that it does become well known and “popular.” Over all college

students care less about their appearance than they did in high school but they

still want to be fashionable.

Out of any other audience we believe that college students are more willing to

make a difference. College differs from high school because you have to want to

be there, you have more freedom, and no one can make you go to class.

Knowing that, we believe that people that have the motivation to make a better

life for themselves and graduate from college must care about their future.

Therefore, they should care enough to protect our environment and make it a

safer place to live resulting in their purchase of Eko Sole products.

Secondary Audience: Athletes, because they are in the market for shoes and

sports equipment often.

Objectives: 1. The most important objective for Eko Sole is to offer an eco-friendly

alternative for necessities such as shoes. The company also offers athletic

apparel and sports equipment made from recyclable materials. The goal is cut

down on wasted materials from a very large market, after all shoes, and sports

equipment wear out relatively quickly.

2. The next objective is to offer shoes, apparel and sports equipment at an

affordable price. College students are one of biggest target markets due to the

fact that they need comfortable tennis shoes to walk around campus and they

don’t generally have very much money to spend. This company would be able to

make a very affordable shoe for college students because of the materials used

to make them. Also athletic teams go through a lot of equipment and shoes, it

would be ideal for team members to buy and recycle their materials through Eko

Sole.

3. Another goal for Eko Sole is to make sure that all of the customers not only

support an eco-friendly lifestyle by purchasing the products but by recycling

them. As a company we hope to ensure this happens by rewarding people

with a discount off of their next purchase if they bring in old shoes,

clothing and sports equipments to be recycled.

Message: Slip your feet into Eko Soles and reduce your carbon footprint. We would prove

the products are eco-friendly and would reduce a person’s carbon footprint by

listing the materials used to make them. Also Eko Soles would have a website

that informs consumers where and how products are manufactured.

The support for Eko Sole would list all of the benefits of buying the products.

Benefits include: affordable, light weight, durable, fashionable and

environmentally friendly.

Our company needs to be very careful that they know exactly how their products

are being manufactured and what materials are being used. It would look very

bad on the company if they were ever caught contradicting themselves in any

way. Other constraints would need to be listed such as proper use for sports

equipment and cleaning instructions to keep from ruining products.

Appeals & Message Strategy

Appeals: The appeal for this particular company falls under the rational appeal which

includes awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and purchase.

Our hope is to make people aware of the benefits of Eko Sole, give them facts to

let them know what the product is about, which will lead to them liking and

purchasing the product.

Message Strategy:

A cognitive message strategy would be used to present information about

the benefits of Eko Sole. In today’s society “going green” is a popular fad.

Our unique selling point is not only can people recycle their plastic

bottles, aluminum cans, and papers they can recycle other products they

use or wear. The preemptive message is based on the fact that there are

major benefits from using recyclable materials.

The executional framework used to present the ad appeal for eko sole is

slice-of-life and demonstrative.

Slice-of-life would be demonstrated by showing the encounter, problem,

interaction and solution. The encounter could be a tire rolling down the

street, which eventually ends up in a landfill. The problem would be the

massive landfill and the pollution it causes our planet.

The interaction could be the tires being recycled and made into shoes or

basketballs. The solution would be to buy and recycle our products and

eventually cut down on pollution.

Another type of framework that could be used to present the ad appeals

for Eko Sole would be demonstrative. For this type of framework an

inexpensive commercial could be made to show what the shoes are made

of along with facts of what is used such as “water based adhesives and

environmentally safe materials.” An idea that we came up with that would

somewhat symbolize a demonstration would be advertising on an

escalator. Escalator steps are made from a rubber material and they run

in a circular motion. We came up with the idea to try to put our logo on the

actual steps of the escalator so it catches people’s attention and supports

the idea of a cycle.

Media Selection & Strategy

Traditional Media: Our primary source of traditional media would be television. We would

broadcast our advertisements on channels that we know our target audience

watches most frequently. Those channels include ESPN, for the broadcast of

college athletics and other sports, MTV for the age group that tunes in, and the

Discovery Channel for those in our audience that are interested in our

environment.

Social Media:

The results of our research indicated that the internet and cellphone were two

medias that our target group finds most effective. Upon having a website for e-

commerce, we plan to also update our consumers with sales and environmental

news, through the permission of their cell-phone or email. We will also use

search advertising to direct consumers that share our values to our site.

Alternative Media:

Other ways that we intend to advertise our company include selling reusable

bags at our store with our screen-printed logo and information. We also plan to

sell clothing made with hemp and recycled cotton to promote our brand. Eko

Sole will also advertise at sporting events on campuses nationwide.

Campaign Evaluation

In order to test the effectiveness of our marketing strategy, we plan

monitor the sales of Eko Sole in comparison to other athletic gear

companies, as well as to other eco-friendly athletic providers. We also

plan to set up Eko Sole Recycling Stations where consumers of our shoes

can return them when they are worn out, which happens frequently to

athletes. The shoes from the Eko Sole Recycling Stations will be broken

down and used to make more products for our company. Monitoring the

return rate at these stations will help us to evaluate the success of our

strategy. As an incentive for our consumers, we plan to provide a discount

on their next Eko Sole purchase for being environmentally conscious and

completing the cycle. We also plan to regularly re-evaluate what we can

do to minimize waste and toxin use and maximize product use.

In summary, Eko Sole aims to provide an environmentally friendly

alternative for college students and athletes. Slip your feet into Eko Sole

and reduce your carbon footprint.

Appendix

Attached are surveys, filled out by us, upon interviewing

the following students:

Sarah Heck, Georgia State University

Kevin Lavin, John A. Logan College

Allison Davis, Sewanee University

Savina Nikalova, Emory University

Elizabeth Koch, Southern Illinois University

Michelle Jacobs, Illinois State University

Natalie Frenkel, St. Louis University

Andrew Banks, John A. Logan College

Colin Schmidt, Southern Illinois University

Joey Clemmons, University of Missouri