P o t t e r y B a r n P l a n s b o o k

CHARLOTTE WILLIAMS PROFESSOR BLAIR

CM 355.02 SPRING 2015

T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s T h e I n d u s t r y .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Overview 3 Current Conditions 3 Industry Leaders 4 T h e C o m p a n y...............................................................................................................................................................................5 History 5 Overview 5 Mission Statement 6 T h e P r o d u c t.................................................................................................................................................................................6 Positioning 6 Distribution 7 Pricing 7 T H E C o m p e t i t i o n..............................................................................................................................................................9 T h e T a r g e t M a r k e t...................................................................................................................................................11 Consumer Demographic 11 S W O T A n a l y s i s..................................................................................................................................................................12 M a r k e t i n g S t r a t e g y...........................................................................................................................................14 Unique Selling Proposals 14 Marketing Objectives 14 Current vs. Potential Target Market 14

C r e a t i v e B r i e f...................................................................................................................................................................15 Who, What When, Where, Why, & How 15

A d v e r t i s i n g S t r a t e g y....................................................................................................................................17 Media Mix 18 Media Vehicles 18 Runtime Strategy 19 M e t h o d s F o r E v a l u a t i o n..........................................................................................................................20

W o r k s C i t e d............................................................................................................................................................................22

T h e I n d u s t r y:

M i s c e l l a n e o u s H o m e F u r n i s h i n g S t o r e s O v e r v i e w Pottery Barn falls under the NAICS code: 442299: All Other Home Furnishings Stores. This industry includes approximately 20,000 stores and generates $26 billion in combined annual revenue.1These stores are generally engaged in selling miscellaneous home accessories and equipment including kitchenware, bedding and linens, rugs, lamps and shades, mirrors and picture frames, and window shades and Venetian blinds. Businesses involved in the home furnishings market are varied, from small specialty stores and boutiques to mass retailers and large chains. This industry does not include wholesale retailers or department stores that sell consumer goods other than home furnishings. Of the several types of retailers, one was known as the “specialty retailer”. These types of stores could either be independently owned or under a larger company, but sold unusual and offbeat items,2 which customers drew towards in the late twentieth century. Growth in the home furnishings industry was steady in the 1990s and continued to increase in businesses and sales. A major contributor to the demand in housewares was home improvement television shows. These television shows incited some retailers to expand into interior and landscape design services,3 and influenced consumers to become more do-it-yourself friendly and design oriented. In 1997, there were roughly 18,661miscellaneous home furnishings stores that recorded sales of $14.3 billion.4 Demand increased for the home furnishings market in the beginning of the twenty-first century due to the thriving economy and flourishing housing market, and sales jumped up to $78 billion worldwide in 2002. However, by the end of the decade, the industry, like many other retailers in the U.S., suffered because of the 2007 economic recession. Since then the home furnishings industry has been working its way back to where it was. C u r r e n t C o n d i t i o n s As the housing market improved in the second decade of the twenty-first century, so did the home goods market. Due to the slow recovery of the economy, revenues had 1 "Home Furnishings Stores: Industry Description." Hoover's Company Records [ProQuest]. Hoover's, n.d. Web. 2 “Miscellaneous Home Furnishings Stores.” Encyclopedia of American Industries. 3 “Miscellaneous Home Furnishings Stores.” Business Insights: Global. Gale, n.d. Web. 4 “Miscellaneous Home Furnishings Stores.” Encyclopedia of American Industries.

risen steadily over the previous four years but were still below the high of $28 billion in 2007. The U.S. Census Bureau Annual Retail Trade Survey reported this industry classification had revenues of $26.5 billion in 2012, as compared to $25 billion in 2011. There were an estimated 14,731 establishments with 160,605 employees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's "County Business Patterns." It had been noted that after the recession had subsided, consumers began to redecorate their homes or start buying for new ones. In July of 2013, the National Retail Federation released a list of the top 100 retailers in the home goods industry, with Wal-Mart remaining on top with $328.7 billion and Target trailing closely behind at $71.96 billion. Also, companies such as IKEA and Williams-Sonoma, parent of Pottery Barn, moved up the list.

I n d u s t r y L e a d e r s Currently, according to Home Textiles Today, Wal-Mart is the largest retailer of home goods for the United States, recording over $3.7 billion in home textile sales, followed closely by Bed Bath & Beyond, J.C. Penney, and Target. However, while Wal-Mart and Target lead in net profit, the companies are not an exclusive home furnishings retailer, also selling clothes, food, and additional consumer goods. The largest exclusive home furnishings retailer is Bed Bath & Beyond, with HomeGoods and Williams-Sonoma being two other major home furnishings retailers. Williams-Sonoma had expanded to 250 stores by the end of 2014, and HomeGoods ended 2013 with 450 locations. Additionally, IKEA, the global home furnishings retailer, has recently become an industry leader, due to its appealing ready-to-assemble furniture, competitively low price, and sleek European design. The global retailer has continued to expand and is now located in 40 countries.

Revenue by Industry

All Other Home Furnishings Stores

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 20141998$0

$100,000,000,000

$200,000,000,000

$300,000,000,000

$400,000,000,000

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Sources: Gale Business Insights: Global, 2015 * Gale Company Intelligence Database, 2015

T h e C o m p a n y H i s t o r y Pottery Barn was founded in 1949 by Paul Secon and his brother Morris. The company exchanged owners a few times, with Secon’s business partners selling it to the Gap around 1968, who later sold it to Williams-Sonoma in1986, making it the popular brand it is today. At the time, Pottery Barn had a concentration of only 21 stores, mainly spread throughout Manhattan, and their product line consisted of dinnerware, ceramics and a small selection of furniture. Once Williams-Sonoma bought Pottery Barn, they immediately expanded their merchandise and launched a catalogue the next year. The brand continued to develop, and Williams-Sonoma began adding product lines, and expanding the Pottery Barn brand by branching out into kids and teens. The company launched Pottery Barn Kids in 1999, and PBteen in 2003. Although every brand was connected under the Williams-Sonoma umbrella, each brand had its own mission statement specially crafted for their target audience. For PBteen, it’s about inspiring individuality and encouraging one’s personal style. For Pottery Barn Kids, the mission statement is focused on having a perfect backdrop for life’s special moments. Each brand’s mission is tailored to reflect its best features. O v e r v i e w Pottery Barn, along with its branches Pottery Barn kids and PBteen, is a subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., a high-quality cookware and entertaining retailer based in Sonoma, CA. Pottery Barn currently specializes in home furnishings products, including but not limited to furniture, bedding, storage, lighting, and outdoor accessories. Unlike other home furnishings retailers, Pottery Barn has a larger furniture product line, featuring bedroom collections, dining room sets, sofas and sectionals, media consoles, bathroom vanities, and a vast array of outdoor furniture. Currently, Pottery Barn’s annual sales round up to around $664.7 million. The Pottery Barn brand generates 70% of the company’s revenue, with Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen making up the rest of its sales.5 While Pottery Barn has not had extensive advertising in the past, their catalogue and website have become prominent enough to establish brand awareness and a strong customer base. Also brand awareness is further cultivated through complimentary in-store design classes and events.

5 "Pottery Barn: Company Description." Hoover's Company Records [ProQuest]. Hoover's, n.d. Web.

C o m p a n y M i s s i o n Pottery Barn stands on the principle that their products are crafted to be exceptional in comfort, quality, style and value. They believe that your home should be your haven. It’s where you play, dine, work, sleep, and dream. It’s where your life takes place.6 Like its parent company, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn was based on the idea that you should be able to decorate your home with comfortable and quality furnishings without having to compromise your own personal style. For millions of people, designing one’s home is fun and exciting. Your home is a reflection of you, and it is where you feel most comfortable. Planning rooms, color schemes, and the overall “feel” of the space should be a rewarding time for you. Pottery Barn wishes to make that experience even greater by offering lush fabrics and leathers for sofas, fluffy down comforters, and sturdy wooden media consoles. Your style could be eclectic or refined, modern or traditional, but you should celebrate it, and Pottery Barn wants to help you achieve that.

T h e P r o d u c t P o s i t i o n i n g Pottery Barn is viewed nationally as a high-end retailer of stylish and comfortable home furnishings. The company holds itself at the highest standards of quality, using only the best fabrics, woods, and leathers, etc. The company’s popularity has made it a prominent household name, and known for its luxury and value, and gaining media acclaim from being mentioned in the popular NBC hit Friends. Furthermore, as the company’s mission statement explains, Pottery Barn prides itself on catering to its consumers, offering complimentary design services as well as over fifty in-store decorating classes and events per year.

6 "About Us." Pottery Barn. Williams-Sonoma, Inc., n.d. Web.

Source: Home Textiles Today

D i s t r i b u t i o n

Currently, Pottery Barn has many locations spread throughout the United States, with one-fifth of all its flagship Pottery Barn stores located in California and Texas7 and its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. Pottery Barn has also expanded globally, with locations in Canada, Australia, Dubai, and Kuwait. Pottery Barn has an even greater reach through its website, with online merchandise shipping to over ninety countries worldwide.

Source: Google maps

P r i c i n g Because of its emphasis on using top-notch materials, Pottery Barn sets expensive prices for its products, especially for its sectional sofas, bedroom furniture, and dining sets. This positions Pottery Barn as a high-end, luxury retailer of home goods. Most of Pottery Barn’s competitors market their products at a lower price, but use lesser-quality materials, thus exempting them from the “elite” standard. Pottery Barn knows that there are consumers who can afford to pay more for their furniture and home furnishings, and wish to spend a certain amount of money in order to get well-made products that will last a lifetime. Certain products vary in price due to size, fabric, and other personalization details.

7 "Pottery Barn: Company Description." Hoover's Company Records [ProQuest]. Hoover's, n.d. Web.

Pottery Barn product samples and corresponding prices: Product Name & Product

Line Price

Benchwright Single Sink Console – Rustic Mahogany Finish Product line: Benchwright Sink Console (Bath)

$2,199

Carlisle Upholstered Sofa – Oatmeal Linen Blend: Product line: Carlisle Sofa (furniture – Living & Family Room)

Ranges from $1,200-2,500

Bosworth Printed Rug - Blue

Ranges from $466-$1,189

Outdoor Natalie Print Pillow – Red Product line: Patterned & Embroidered Pillows – Outdoor Pillows (Outdoor)

$39.50

T h e C o m p e t i t i o n

B e d B a t h & B e y o n d: Founded in 1971, Bed, Bath and Beyond is currently the lead home furnishings retailer, with $11.5 billion in 2014 sales . The company started out as simply “Bed n’ Bath”, and founders Leonard Feinstein and Warren Eisenbergs expanded the company from a specialty home furnishings store to the superstore chain it is today. With over 945 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada, the company also owns and operates several smaller retail chains, giving them a leading advantage over Pottery Barn in terms of revenue. Furthermore, Bed Bath and Beyond offers product lines that are far more extensive, diverse, and budget-friendly than what Pottery Barn offers. In addition to home furnishings and décor, Bed Bath and Beyond sells everything possibly needed for the home, including kitchen appliances, lawn tools, cleaning supplies, and pet care items. This brings in the mass appeal from all ages that Pottery Barn lacks.

C r a t e & B a r r e l

Known under its corporate name as Euromarket Designs, Inc., Crate & Barrel is a chain of retail stores that sells home accessories, living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, home office, outdoor, kid’s

Source: Hoover’s

furniture, and furniture care products. Similar to Pottery Barn in style and quality, the company was founded in 1962. Aiming for “casual yet elegant”8, Crate & Barrel’s design esthetic is cleaner and simpler than Pottery Barn’s, giving the products a more modern look and feel, therefore attracting a younger audience. While Pottery Barn insists on quality and luxury, often designs can be seen as classic and more traditional, limiting their consumer base.

P i e r 1 I m p o r t s & W o r l d M a r k e t

Pier 1 Imports and World Market are very similar in both product lines and

company atmosphere. Their style can be classified as eclectic, offbeat, and bohemian, with World Market adding food and beverage to their inventory and Pier 1 incorporating fragrances,

candles, and greenery into theirs. Both stores emphasize the diversity of their products, expressing the unique feel and style, which draws a specific type of crowd. This type of audience is not as attracted to the traditional, classic style of Pottery Barn’s products. They opt for a funkier style of furniture, with global, ethnic influences, especially World Market. Additionally, these stores direct their focus towards the home décor area of home furnishings, such as throw pillows, cookware, dinnerware, lighting, and rugs, instead of bedroom and dining room furniture. These retailers have become most popular for their small home items such as mirrors, picture frames, vases, and other knickknacks.

O n l i n e c o m p e t i t i o n

Emerging brands such as One Kings Lane, Wayfair, and Joss and Main serve as heavy competition for Pottery Barn. These brands were born online, without any brick-and-mortar stores, but they have the online know-how and tact that comes from being a web-based company. Wayfair emerged in 2011 with over seven million products on its website,

8 Crate & Barrel.

and gained instant popularity, generating $600 million in 2012 and $915 million in 2013. The company later went public, and sold 12.65 million shares in 2014.9 Websites like One Kings Lane and Joss and Main have gained popularity by holding flash sales—online events that end on a certain date—and use themes to attract buyers’ attention. Each brand has a distinctively different feel. Joss and Main focus on offering fun and inspiring pieces up to 70% off their original retail prices.10 Some of their themes have included “Cultured Cosmopolitan: Fashionable & Sophisticated Décor”, “A Summer at the Lake: Americana-inspired Accents”, and “Personality Pieces: Printed & Embellished Furniture”.11 One Kings Lane is more chic and sophisticated, and offered sales events such as “Belgian Grace”, “A Fresh Start”, and always feature new brands, with most events lasting three days.12

T h e T a r g e t M a r k e t

C o n s u m e r D e m o g r a p h i c

Currently, Pottery Barn’s consumer demographic consists of wealthy, upper-class women in their late forties to early sixties. Geographically, they live in the suburbs in estates and exclusive, tight-knit communities and belong to country clubs or homeowner’s associations. These consumers are used to a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle. They might have second homes in vacation destinations, and drive cars such as Acuras, Range Rovers, and BMWs. In regards to consumer goods and subscribe to design magazines such as Traditional Home, Veranda, Architectural Digest. Typically, they already have an established personal style, and know what styles of furniture, dinnerware, and linens they prefer. They are interested in redecorating their home and furnishing to their taste.

9 Miscellaneous Home Furnishings. Business Insights: Global. Gale, n.d. Web. 10 "How It Works." Joss and Main. Wayfair, n.d. Web. 11 Joss and Main. Wayfair, 2015. Web. 12 "About Us." One Kings Lane. One Kings Lane, n.d. Web.

S W O T A n a l y s i s

S t r e n g t h s W e a k n e s s e s

• Pottery Barn has an established brand name with strong customer loyalty

• Has a dedication to excellent product quality

• Dedicated to preserving the environment

• Offers complimentary design services, in-store classes and design seminars

• Highly priced products • Narrow customer base; limited to

cities and suburbs. • Limited traditional advertising; lack

of television ads, out-of-home advertising, etc.

O p p o r t u n i t i e s T h r e a t s

• Bigger social media presence • Expand target market • PR promotion • Expand globally: currently only in

Canada, Australia, and parts of the Middle East. Potential expansion into Europe, Mexico, and Central and South America

• Competitors’ low prices • Low housing market = low home

furnishings retail • Emerging home furnishings websites

offering similar products for lower prices.

S t r e n g t h s:

• Pottery Barn has an establ ished brand name with strong customer loyalty : Pottery Barn is a well-known company. Within their target market, their customers are very loyal, and use word-of-mouth to share their favorite pieces with their friends, expanding their customer base. Also, the company generates awareness through its parent, Williams-Sonoma.

• Has a dedicat ion to excel lent product qual i ty: the company’s craftsmen and designers are highly trained and seek inspiration from all around the world. Their products, especially their furniture, are designed and built to last a lifetime. That is why they only use materials like top grain leather, high-performance velvet, and solid mahogany.

• Dedicated to preserving the environment: not only does Pottery Barn pride itself on using top-notch quality wood, but they also use FSC-certified wood, meaning that their furniture is made from wood that meets strict environmental, social, and economic criteria, in efforts to protect the world’s natural resources. Pottery Barn also uses organic cotton, which reduces the usage of chemicals,

therefore protecting wildlife and water supplies, as well as improving the soil healthier by producing less greenhouse gas.13

• Offers complimentary design services, in-store classes, and design seminars : by offering design assistance and free in-store classes, Pottery Barn goes above and beyond to take care of their customers and show them that they want them to have their very best personal space.

W e a k n e s s e s:

• Highly priced products : due to their use of high-quality materials and flawless design, Pottery Barn’s products are priced accordingly. However, the steep prices tend to turn customers away from the brand.

• Narrow customer base; l imited to city and suburbs: citizens in rural areas are not familiar with the brand, and therefore Pottery Barn is missing out on a potentially huge market.

• Limited use of tradit ional advert is ing; Pottery Barn has some print advertising in home décor magazines, but it’s not extensive. Also, the company doesn’t expand its reach into television, radio, or out-of-home advertising.

O p p o r t u n i t i e s

• Bigger social media presence: as of right now, Pottery Barn has a substantial Facebook presence, and a smaller presence in other social media outfits. With digital media being the new norm, they could gain a bigger audience and increase brand awareness, which would increase revenue.

• Expand target market: their target market is quite narrow. If they aim their advertising at slightly younger audiences, it would also increase revenue.

• PR promotion: sponsoring events will expand audience reach, especially if Pottery Barn partners up with another popular brand associated with home décor. Incentives include giving attendees 10% off their next online or in-store purchase.

• Expand global ly : internationally, Pottery Barn currently has locations in Canada, Australia, and parts of the Middle East. The company could potentially expand into Europe, Mexico, and Central and South America.

T h r e a t s:

• Competitors ’ low prices : one of the reasons Bed Bath & Beyond is so successful is that they price their products competitively. Companies like One Kings Lane and Joss and Main offer flash sales, where products are marked down from their original price for a limited time.

• Tied to the housing market : decline in housing market = decline in home furnishings market. For example, when the recession hit the United States in 2007, the real estate market took a significant downturn, causing home furnishings sales to plummet.

13 "Corporate Responsibility." Pottery Barn. Williams-Sonoma, Inc., n.d. Web.

• Web-based competit ion: emerging home furnishings websites offering similar products for lower prices. Now that everything can be reached via the Internet, home goods websites are popping up everywhere, using their sophisticated technical background to edge out the traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

M a r k e t i n g S t r a t e g y

U n i q u e S e l l i n g P r o p o s a l s

I. To add a competitive edge, Pottery Barn will start to offer a layaway program for customers who desire to purchase the company’s products but aren’t in the financial state to spend a certain amount of money for furniture and home décor.

II. Pottery Barn will also offer a credit-financing program as another way to encourage younger consumers to buy their products. Consumers can buy on credit with no interest for 12 months.

M a r k e t i n g O b j e c t i v e s

I. Release and promote Pottery Barn’s new cost-efficient product payment plan

II. Gear the announcement towards a younger market, especially young

professionals III. Boost sales with new target market IV. Increase brand awareness through social media and events

C u r r e n t T a r g e t M a r k e t

Pottery Barn aims to market their products towards upper-class women and men between ages of thirty-five and fifty. These consumers have families and enjoy entertaining. They are in a home with a steady income. These consumers know the value of quality furniture, and are willing to pay a larger amount of money to purchase pieces that will last

for a while.

P o t e n t i a l T a r g e t M a r k e t

Pottery Barn wishes to expand its target market to include young professionals. This demographic includes recent college grads and those who have just begun their career. They have moved out of their parents’ house and are in their first apartment, hence the

need for new furniture and home furnishings. Pottery Barn may have some brand awareness established in this age group; however, most young professionals don’t consider Pottery Barn a viable option due to its high pricing. That is why many turn to competitors such as Pier 1 Imports, World Market,

and IKEA due to their lower pricing, or Wayfair, Joss and Main, and One Kings Lane because of their budget-savvy, online deals. Consequently, starting in the spring of 2016, Pottery Barn will launch a special payment plan to attract younger consumers. The payment promotion is two-fold: customers can either purchase the products on layaway, and pay off the product in

monthly installments, or buy products with the credit-financing program.

C r e a t i v e B r i e f

T h e m e s s a g e:

• We want our audience to be excited about the new payment promotion. That is mainly what the social media renovation and PR events are all about: to promote the launch of the program. As a result, we hope that the consumer thinks of

Pottery Barn as an affordable option for luxury home furnishings.

W h o:

• Our target audience is 25-36 year olds who frequent social media and have established incomes with which they can purchase home furnishings and décor.

W h a t:

• Pottery Barn wants to reach out to young professionals so that they come away

with the belief that Pottery Barn affordable for them. We want consumers to think of Pottery Barn as affordable luxury home furnishings.

H o w:

• We show that consumers can afford Pottery Barn by commencing the payment

promotion through social media and web advertising.

W h e r e: S o c i a l M e d i a A d v e r t i s i n g

• Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

W h e r e: W e b A d v e r t i s i n g

• Web advertising such as BuzzFeed sponsored articles and blog advertising

• Banner ads in online publications such as GQ, Glamour, Elle,

• Banner ads on blogs such as Mashable, All Women Stalk, The Blonde Salad

W h e r e: P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s S t r a t e g y

• Contests and Giveaways: announced through Instagram and Twitter, Pottery Barn

will host a #SaveMySpace contest, where people can post a photo on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #savemyspace, and the top 10 people win a room makeover from Pottery Barn. Other giveaways include the first 200 to subscribe to email newsletters about the special financing program get $100 with their first purchase through the program.

• Collaboration: Pottery Barn and HGTV: through YouTube, HGTV hosts will show how to decorate tricky spaces, tips on general colors, accents, and easy home décor pieces.

W h e n:

• This new layaway/financial payment plan will start in the spring of 2016, when students are just getting out of college and summer is starting, indicating a fresh new start after coming out of the hibernation of winter. This financial layaway plan, if

successful after one year, will become a permanent fixture in Pottery Barn’s marketing strategy.

W h y: Why are we doing it and why should consumers care? • We want consumers to care about this new promotion that allows us to expand

our target age range and allows more consumers the ability to purchase our products.

A d v e r t i s i n g S t r a t e g y

Pottery Barn has advertised their product line through a variety of different mediums. In the past, they’ve mainly used print and Internet advertising, but their portfolio

ranges from magazine spreads, banner ads, social media advertising such as Twitter and Facebook, newspaper, and direct mail advertising. However, in order to promote their new marketing strategy, Pottery Barn will conduct a complete renovation of their social media sites. The objective of social media in general is for people to communicate ideas to and with each other. Social media for a

company should be a two-way street, where consumers feel comfortable connecting with the company. Therefore, the company’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts are going to be refurbished and updated to attract a younger audience. Pottery Barn will debut their new social media presence in the beginning of Spring

2016, just as young college grads are emerging into the job market and looking for places to live. And to increase international brand awareness, Pottery Barn will also be advertising its renovated accounts to Canada and overseas to the Middle East and Australia.

M e d i a M i x

I. Internet a) The Internet will be the most important medium that Pottery Barn uses to

promote its new social media sites. Web advertising is so important because it is currently the most frequented medium for young professionals.

Consumers just getting out into the workforce will be using the Internet all the time, whether it is browsing Buzzfeed for humorous articles or updated their profile on LinkedIn. Therefore, Pottery Barn will take advantage of all the websites that their new target market visits and promote their

“layaway” payment plan and special credit finance program. II. Social Media

b) This will be the main focus of the advertising media. Currently the social media presence for Pottery Barn is more promotional, and not as much a two-way street, where the consumers can interact with the company. Once

the special pricing promotion begins, Pottery Barn will use social media to share it.

M e d i a V e h i c l e s

I. Facebook: The Pottery Barn Facebook page currently has over 1.5 million likes, and its younger brands, PB Teen, PB Dorm, and PB Kids have roughly 1.2 million likes combined. In comparison with Pottery Barn’s other social

media outlets, Facebook gains the most attention. We can capitalize on the large

Facebook following by boosting posting frequency and incentivizing users to visit the page more often. One tactic that Pottery Barn can use on Facebook is “the first 20 get 20”. The first twenty people to like a post on Facebook about the new layaway or special-interest plan will get 20% their first online order. This is just one way to use social media to spreading the new promotional campaign.

II. Twitter: Twitter will be used for most of the quick, interactive communication between the consumers and company. There we can track re-tweets and favorites of tweets to follow our consumers and see how they feel about

our promotion plan. We will also use Twitter to announce PR events and contests.

III. Instagram: the goal of Instagram for companies is to sell the brand and create larger brand awareness. In combination with a PR strategy, Pottery Barn will use Instagram to introduce contests, events, and giveaways in order to

promote the special financing program. IV. YouTube: YouTube will shoot a combination

of how-to, décor, and behind-the-scenes videos to gain viewers from a

different audience source. These videos will help the potential target market take peek into Pottery Barn, its staff, and gain tips on how to redecorate their apartment without exhausting themselves or breaking their budget. In collaboration with HGTV, Pottery Barn will also launch 2-3 min videos on YouTube featuring popular HGTV hosts giving home décor design tips

and ideas.

R u n t i m e S t r a t e g y

There are specific times of the day and specific days during the week when young professionals are on social media the most. New technology and software can track patterns on social media to determine when specific platforms get the most traffic. Pottery Barn’s goal is to figure out when those key hours and/or days are, and to tweet, post on

Facebook, and Instagram during them. Tweriod a tool that measures when a user’s followers are most active, and finds out the best time for a user to post a tweet, is just one example of how Pottery Barn can determine optimum tweet exposure. Research has shown that it is most effective to tweet from Monday to Thursday between the hours of 1pm and 3pm, least effective after 8pm, and least effective after 3pm

on Friday. Also, it is most effective to post between one and four tweets per hour. Therefore, to ensure maximum visibility, Pottery Barn should aim to post 2-3 tweets per hour between the hours of 12pm and 4pm during the week.

M e t h o d s O f E v a l u a t i o n

H o w C a n W e T r a c k O u r S u c c e s s ?

We can track our success through pre- and post-testing

• # of people who participate in online events

• # of new social media followers

• Measuring social media traffic: by using Bit.ly, we can track link clicks, so if we post

links on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, we can track how many clicks that post gets, and where it comes from.

• # of people who sign up for layaway or special interest plan

• # of new customers (both online, through new customer registration, and in-store purchases)

• Web advertising pay-per-click

W o r k s C i t e d

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