GYRO MARKETING PLAN

MAJOR ISSUES

• Gyro has an aging and declining membership base

• Friendship as a concept is difficult to sell

• Gyro hasn’t embraced social media

• Gyro’s branding lacks consistency

How can Gyro adapt to appeal to the next generation of retirees – baby boomers?

Opportunities• Baby boomers are retiring

• Recession means men need to network for business

• Diversity

• Green movement (Gyro Parks)

Threats• Competition for leisure time

• High degree of rivalry

• Rising cost of living

• Membership numbers for civic organizations of most varieties are down

EXTERNAL ANALYSIS

TARGET MARKET: BABY BOOMERS

• Born between 1946 and 1965

• The next generation of retirees

• Represent 29.6% of District IV’s membership

Strengths• History

• Established membership base

• Fun

• Friendship

Weaknesses• Declining membership base

• Online presence

• Friendship as a selling proposition

• Branding consistency

INTERNAL ANALYSIS

GYRO BRANDING

• A Fraternity of Friendship.

• Gyro has 17+ slogans, two mission statements, and two logos.

GYRO ONLINE PRESENCE

• Gyro.ws has room for improvement in terms of aesthetics and breadth of features.

• Many individual clubs have their own websites, but few are kept up-to-date.

• Gyro International recently formed a Social Media Committee.

• Currently on Facebook, Gyro International has a modest 32 ‘likes’ and District IV’s group has 66 ‘members’.

DISTRICT IV AGE DISTRIBUTION

• The average District IV member is 69 years old:

MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

• When asked about their level of satisfaction with club events, District IV members returned a rating of 4.51:

To what extent are you satisfied with the following?

Answer Options Dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Neutral Somewhat

satisfied Satisfied N/A Rating Average

Gyro club events 3 13 14 51 182 3 4.51 The Gyroscope 16 25 87 37 86 15 3.61 Gyro International website 13 24 115 33 54 27 3.38 District IV website 4 17 94 42 89 20 3.79 Value from international dues 66 58 66 30 30 16 2.60

Value from district dues 22 46 67 57 68 6 3.40

MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

• 77.1% of members have invited two-or-fewer people to Gyro in the past two years:

How many people have you invited to Gyro in the past two years?

Answer Options Response Percent

0 29.8% 1 16.7% 2 30.6% 3 10.1% 4 7.0% 5+ 5.8%

MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

• 28.0% of respondents currently use social media:

RED HAT SOCIETY (RHS)

• The Red Hat Society is a Women’s social organization with a similar purpose to Gyro.

• RHS strives for fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment, and fitness for members.

• RHS had two chapters in 1997; over 47,000 chapters today.– Compared to Gyro’s 99 clubs.

• RHS has grown by word-of-mouth, facilitated by their easily identifiable red hats.

• They have a visually appealing website, rich with information and features.

• 11,000+ ‘likes’ on Facebook

• 2,400+ ‘followers’ on Twitter

MARKETING STRATEGY

• Align all Gyro’s activities towards fun

• Target baby boomers by increasing Gyro’s online presence and offering fun club events

If you put a group of men together under the pretence of friendship, they might not necessarily have fun.

But if you provide fun for a group of men,

they will likely become friends by sharing mutually positive experiences.

NANAIMO CLUB

• Founded in 1922.• Currently has 85 members:

VANCOUVER, WA CLUB

• Founded in 1930.• Currently has 66 members:

VERNON CLUB

• Founded in 1953.• Currently has 25 members:

FUN!Branding

Member Benefits

Social MediaSocial GatheringsWebsite

Culture

Community and Charity

Gyroscope

Friendship

BRANDING

• Promote fun.

• Adopt a new slogan: “Committed to Fun.”

• Select a single mission statement.

MEMBER BENEFITS

• Gyro has the opportunity to leverage its large membership base to offer discounts:– Travel– Insurance– Tourist attractions– More

• Turn-key solutions are available through organizations like CARP/AARP.

• Alternatively, Gyro could also develop its own affiliate card program to offer benefits.

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Promote Gyro’s Facebook page at the International Convention.

• Educate members on social media in the Gyroscope.

• Plan to launch Twitter and LinkedIn accounts at the next International Interim.

SOCIAL GATHERINGS

• Conventions:– Offer the opportunity to attend conventions to

those who might not be able to afford to-do-so by running contests or having fundraisers.

• Club Events:– Offer events which appeal to baby boomers and

older generations alike: sports, drinking, mixed dances, gambling, travel, etc.

WEBSITE

• Launch new version of Gyro International’s website at Gyro.org.

• Optimize Gyro’s website for search engine results.

• Include more interactive features:– Blog from Executive– Members only forum– Buttons linking to Gyro’s social media accounts

CULTURE

• Improve club diversity under the mandate of fun.

• Adopt the term Gyro Ladies in lieu of Gyrettes.

• Adopt an easily identifiable wearable symbol:

COMMUNITY AND CHARITY

• Gyro should partner with an international charity promoting fun and friendship.

• Promote friendly fundraising competition amongst clubs.

• Encourage clubs wishing to help in their community to take on tasks to create fun.

GYROSCOPE

• Infuse the Gyroscope with fun, including puzzles, contests, and NHL/NFL pools.

• Run contests for best costume, joke, or poem.

• Highlight community and charitable efforts.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

'12/'13 June July August September October November December January February March April May

Present Marketing Plan

Facebook Open House

Form Marketing Plan Committee

Consult about mission and slogan

Organize membership benefits

Consult with Red Hat Society

Develop social media privacy policy

Educate members on social media and marketing plan implementation

Hire web developer for Gyro.org

Gyro Football (NFL) Pool

Gyro Hockey Pool

Progress report

Unveil logo, slogan, mission, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Gyro.orgImpl

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“MONDAY MORNING”

• Introduce the “Committed to fun” message to your clubs.

• Begin getting member feedback to take to the International Convention.

• Form action plan committees to oversee the implementation of the plan.

How can Gyro adapt to appeal to the next generation of retirees – baby boomers?

MAJOR ISSUES

• Gyro has an aging and declining membership base

• Friendship as a concept is difficult to sell

• Gyro hasn’t embraced social media

• Gyro’s branding lacks consistency

RESOLUTION

THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?

To ease navigating the marketing plan, please see:Table of Contents, Page 2Table of Figures, Page 6

Summary of Recommendations, Page 44