American Red Cross Proposal W Creative

“Join the Bold Movement and make a change. Give blood.”

“Proposal to attract 18-24 year olds to donate blood and remain lifetime donors.”

11650 Belvedere Vista Lane, Apt. 204
Richmond, VA 23235

Page 1  American Red Cross Campaign Propsoal  Copyright 2011  WCreative Confidential

Dear Ms. Peggy Dyer,

On behalf of WCreative, I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for allowing our
agency to submit the accompanying campaign proposal for your review.

At WCreative, we understand that our current economy and the current market conditions for non-
profit organizations can negatively affect the ability to properly focus their individual missions in an
effective manner. As non-profit organizations are cutting back on their marketing expenditures, we see
an opportunity to effectively build and broadcast your message to the 18-24 year old market now more
than ever to ensure that these individuals become ambassadors for the American Red Cross and lifelong
donors.

As you read through our proposal, you will discover that we have conducted both primary and secondary
research to discover how the 18-24 year old market works in order to build an efficient campaign that is
both realistic and sustainable. We want to enlighten the Millennial audience and leverage their passion to
change the world through your organization. I can assure you through the proposal, you will discover that
Millennials are yearning for an organization and cause that they can call their own.

I can assure you that everyone at WCreative is committed to building a strong relationship with the
American Red Cross to build upon membership, success, and continual growth. Our goal is to build upon
your existing partnerships by becoming your strategic partner that will nurture not only your brand
image, but also convey our ideas in a clear and concise manner for all chapters to take advantage of within
the market.

I sincerely appreciate your consideration of this proposal in advance. Due to the amount of information
provided to you within the proposal, feel free to contact me at anytime if you have any questions or
concerns. You can reach me directly at 304-549-9417. I will follow up with you on April 18, 2011 for your
feedback on our proposal.
Thank you again for your time

Sincerely,

Wesley M. Fierbaugh
CEO
WCreative, Inc.
304-549-9417
wfierbaugh@wcreative.com

“Integrated ideas, intuitive solutions”


Table of Contents

Cover Page..................................................................................................................1
Letter to Peggy Dyer................................................................................................ 2
Table of contents....................................................................................................... 3
Executive Summary..................................................................................................... 4
WCreative “What we do”........................................................................................... 5
ARC Background and Challenges.............................................................................. 6
Economic Downturn
Regulation
Volunteerism. ................................................................................................. 7
Target Market-The Millennials
Demographics.................................................................................................. 8
Millennial Influence’s.................................................................................... 8
Psychographics................................................................................................ 9
Technology. .................................................................................................. 10
Volunteerism. ................................................................................................ 11
Reaching the Millennials.............................................................................. 11
Non-Traditional And Guerilla Advertising Tactics. ................................................ 11
Encourage Individuality and Social Change. ........................................................... 12
Communicate Your Brand and Value to the Customer............................................. 12
SWOT Analysis. .................................................................................................. 12-14
Strengths...................................................................................................... 13
Weakness
Opportunities
Threats. ........................................................................................................ 14
Online Survey. ..........................................................................................................15
Additional Insight.................................................................................................... 16
Brand Positioning and Brand Personality. ...............................................................17
ACR Creative Pieces. .......................................................................................... 18-19
Engaging
Unique...........................................................................................................20
Inspiring
Reliable......................................................................................................... 21
Brand Perception............................................................................................... 22-23
Integrated Communication Strategy Statement..................................................24-25
Creative Brief.......................................................................................................... 26
Media Plan............................................................................................................... 27
Broadcast TV Placement...............................................................................28
Facebook. ................................................................................................ 29-30
Mobile Advertising.................................................................................. 31-33
Web Advertising............................................................................................ 34
Print Media..............................................................................................35-36
Public Relations....................................................................................................... 37
Bold Music. Bold Moves..........................................................................37-38
Television PSA.............................................................................................. 38
Brand Tie-In. .......................................................................................... 38-39
Internal Communications Plan.................................................................................40
Evaluation........................................................................................................... 41-42
Budget Summary....................................................................................................... 43
Flow Chart. ............................................................................................................. 44
Conclusion. .............................................................................................................. 45
References. .........................................................................................................46-47
Appendix............................................................................................................. 48-52


Executive Summary

Join the bold movement and make a difference. Give blood. A clear and concise statement that evokes
the need to be part of something bigger.

One year from now, Millennials will have changed blood donation in the United States. How will they
make this happen? WCreative’s proposed campaign will engage Millennials on all levels within their
active lives by reducing their social fears and persuading them to become a part of a “movement” that
will be both acceptable and rewarding as a way to give back to their community. If you can challenge
Millennials to be part of something big, you back it with a trusted organization like the American Red
Cross to ensure that each touch point will evoke the need to give back. We want to provide them with
clear and consistent message that will bring the value of blood donation to the forefront of their minds
in a way that will make them want to stop and listen. By engaging Millennials, we are opening the
door to provide them with two-way communication, which is valuable in obtaining their approval and
acceptance of blood donation in to their everyday lives.

Millennials associate the American Red Cross with disaster relief, although we do not want to take
away from the importance of disaster relief throughout the world, our goal is to bring blood donation
to the same level as disaster relief in their minds. Today, Millennials have established themselves as a
new breed of activists and doers and it is important that the ARC focus on providing them with ease of
access to information, consistent two-way communication and a way to recognize them for their efforts.
Through our campaign, we will open the opportunity for these characteristics and ensure that engaging
them online will allow them a unique way to be recognized and encourage others to become a part of
the “bold movement.” Each creative execution within our campaign will take the form of engaging,
unique, inspiring, and reliable to ensure that Millennials understand the importance of blood donation
and are willing to influence others within their social group to become part of an activity that means so
much within our society.

WCreative can make this happen. By combing both traditional and non-traditional platforms, like
television, social media, print, mobile marketing, special events, and brand tie-ins, the American
Red Cross can achieve multiple touch points to ensure that they can build brand awareness of blood
donation through strategies that are unexpected, yet well received by young adults.

Today’s Millennials are positive, confident, and have a firm grasp of their value system. Giving back
to their community is a priority. Whether it’s driven by a desire to get into a good college or by pure
altruism, Millennials volunteer. Our goal is to touch on these characteristics through each creative
execution to ensure each message has a consistent and positive flow that will intrigue them to learn
more about becoming a lifelong donor. Our current level of technology within our society offers unique
advantages to gaining the attention of Millennials. Technology is a way of life for Millennials and
our campaign takes advantage of this characteristic. We want to hit them with consistent up-to-date
information, praise for their efforts, ways to encourage friends, and messages that touch on the ideas
behind altruism.

The need to increase blood donation within Millennials is important to creating lifelong donors. In
order to succeed, there is a need for a “bold movement.” With WCreative, you will get a campaign that
will ensure these goals are achieved in a unique way that provides a call-to-action to encourage all
Millennials to become a part of the American Red Cross Bold Movement.


WCreative is an integrated marketing agency that focuses on a unified key concept-Integrated Marketing
Communication (IMC). Our management concept focuses on combining all aspects of marketing
communication, such as advertising, sales promotion, social media, word-of-mouth, direct marketing and
public relations. This concept allows us to create a unified force rather than permitting each to work in
isolation.

At WCreative, our marketing approach identifies the best mix of integrated marketing solutions for the
unique needs of your organization. Our philosophy is to never recommend a “one fit for all” plan. Instead,
we focus on crafting a strategy that ties directly to the people you need to impact. We find ways to create
authentic relationships between brands and consumers-blurring the line between product and service,
functional and emotional, physical and digital.

It is our goal as an agency to uncover unique characteristics to create lasting bonds. We must learn
where your audience is headed and how we can meet them there through an effective marketing plan.
Insights become opportunities, opportunities become ideas, and ideas are developed into reality and
integrated across multiple brand touchpoints. Through this idea, we can focus on allowing each positive to
compliment the other.

WCreative believes in being a partner rather than a service provider. We will work closely with you to
develop an effective plan that will differentiate you in your marketplace. Our experts consist of creative
and interactive professionals, all with extensive brand and marketing experience. As partners, your future
is our future. We understand the need for a cohesive brand message across all media channels and firmly
believe that integrated marketing is essential to future growth.

What We Do

At WCreative, we partner with our clients to come up with strategic ways to communicate through
many channels with many mediums. Our strategy may require utilizing a variety of mediums to get your
message and brand to the right people in the most effective way. We’ve termed our integrated approach
the INTUITIVE approach. Below is a list of specific capabilities that we may include:

Branding Interactive Development Online Experential
Design Marketing Marketing

Brand Strategy Website Design Mobile Applications Search Marketing Event Marketing
Identity Design Information Design Kiosk Development Banner Ad Campaigns Digital
Logo Design Widgets Content Management Social Media Trade Advertising
Messaging Mobile Design CD/DVD Roms Online Newsletters Direct Mail


ARC Background and Challenges

From the early beginnings of the American Red Cross in 1881 to present day, the organization has focused
on six key areas: domestic disaster relief; community service; support and comfort for military families;
collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs
that focuses on health and safety; and international relief and development programs. The 2007 annual
report states that there are currently 756 chapters across the United States. (ARC, 2007) The national
blood inventory system distributes over 22,000 units of blood every day to over 3,000 hospitals across
the country. These figures indicate the importance of accurately providing donors with clear and concise
information in order to continually focus on keeping these levels and extending on them for the future.

Blood Donation

Today, blood services all over the world are struggling with a permanent shortage of blood. On the one
hand, the demand for blood rises in many countries and on the other hand, there is a steady decrease in
the number of blood donations. There are several factors today that are directly affecting blood donation.
One of the major impacts faced today is the decreasing number of first-time donors. Second, stricter rules
and enhanced screening is affecting the number of eligible donors. Third, a decline in altruism is creating
uneasiness in individuals who may be potential donors. Fourth, with an aging population, it will create
problems of attracting donors in to the program. Looking within the third and fourth factors, it is evident
that focusing on understanding the youth population and their needs and wants is a high priority for
increasing the numbers of blood donation within the United States.

In a recent study conducted in 2007 on blood donation experience, there were several motives and
reasons uncovered that provide key insight in to the marketability of the blood donation services at ARC.
The most commonly reported reasons for giving blood the first time were influence from a friend and
the media (media report/appeal about need or advertisement). (Sojka, N. & Sojka, P., 2007) Looking
within these motives and reasons, it is evident that altruism and social responsibility play a factor when
introducing influence from a friend or through media. In order to focus on both obtaining and retaining
first time donors is a key focus on implementing strategies that reinforce and strengthen internalized
mechanisms (self-perceptions of being a donor, and self-efficacy). Since laziness is one of the most
common obstacles facing blood donation today, it is important that strategies focus on the above
internalized mechanisms in order to build a strong campaign that can increase awareness and build upon
the key motive of word-of-mouth, which can be implemented through a sound marketing strategy.

Despite the American Red Cross valiant mission, brand image, and widespread reach, blood supplies
are consistently remaining below adequate levels throughout the country. A large majority of this sharp
decline in donations can be directly related to our struggling economy, increased regulation on blood
donor eligibility, and the direct competition from other volunteer-type activities prevalent in our society.


Economic Downturn

With a national unemployment rate holding around 9 percent, it will inevitably directly affect the amount

of donations occurring throughout the United States. Today, corporate blood drives play an integral

role in blood donations due to their convenience and access to a larger pool in a company setting. These

two characteristics show the importance of attracting individuals outside of this range to sustain blood

donation in an economy that is fighting to turn around. Focusing on the current target market of the ages

18-24 years old can play an important role in building relationships to ensure future blood donation in the

corporate setting.
Regulation

Today, FDA regulations are putting a hindrance on donating blood and increasing costs. According to

America’s Blood Centers, there are a myriad of reasons that could cause deferral including; anemia, blood

pressure, body piercing, cold or flu, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, infection, international travel, organ/tissue

transplants, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. FDA policies have a direct effect on blood

donation due to new deferrals that are constantly being imposed on the market. Although thousands

of donors have been lost due to deferrals, it creates an opportunity to empower these individuals as

ambassadors and focus on target markets with future potential. With stricter policy from the government

and ARC, it is important to implement strategies that focus on the growth of blood donation. According

to the American Blood Bank Association, only 38 percent of the U.S. population is considered eligible

to donate blood. The AABB estimates that 30 people need blood every minute, which solidifies the

importance of attracting younger donors with a higher potential to donate by building a relationship early

that can last a lifetime.
Volunteerism

Today, roughly 5 percent of the U.S. population donates blood. Although blood donation in the U.S. is at a

low-rate, volunteerism within the U.S. is remaining at a consistent rate. According to the Bureau of Labor

Statistics, 62.8 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September

2009 and September 2010. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010) Current volunteer levels are higher with

individuals between 35-44 years old, with a 32.2 percent, compared to 21.9 percent for individuals within

the 16-24 year old range. Education is playing a vital role in the level of volunteerism within the United

States with an average of 20 percent higher than high school graduates with no college. These figures

indicate that the 18-24 year old market is vital to increasing blood donation to ensure these individuals

begin donating early on in life with an understanding of the importance of blood donation through an

effective campaign that can build a strong altruism for future donations and becoming ambassadors for

the American Red Cross brand image.


Target Market-The Millennials
Demographics

Generations, like people, have personalities, and Millennials-the American teens and twenty-something’s

who are making their passage into adulthood have strong characteristics in their: confidence, self-

w expression, liberalism, and openness to change. These individuals are more ethnically and racially
1

diverse than older adults and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history.
rview Millennials born between 1982 and 2003 are the largest generation of American ever, comprising
e, have personalities, and Millennials – the American teens and twenty-somethings who face of American with ideas and
nearly 100 million people strong. This particular age group is the new
nto adulthood at the start of a new millennium – have begun to forge theirs: confident,
characteristics that allow marketers a unique opportunity to focus on this particular market.
upbeat and open to change.

y and
The New Face of America Their specific characteristic of
er
gious, Millennials (ages 18-29) Adults ages 30 and older becoming the most educated
d in the
generation is driven by the
k to Black Black
ted demands of our modern
14% 11%
Hispanic Hispanic knowledge-based economy
13%
19% and our current economy
5% Asian
and 61% is accelerating millions of
5% Other
set Asian 70%

sion, White Other White 20-somethings to enroll in
at than graduate schools, colleges or
own
Source: December 2009 Current Population Survey (CPS) community colleges largely
l as
f the in part because of the high

unemployment rate in the U.S.

always connected” generation. Millennials, is allowing them to create a unique and distinctive identity. Technology is
Education, for the Steeped in digital technology and social media, they treat
-held gadgets almost likesource of distinctiveness and it is their most prominent identity badge. Education is playing
their biggest a body
rse. More than eight-in-ten say Do You Have a Profile on a Social
a vital role in poised to upon their abilitySite?
one glowing by the bed, building Networking to incorporate technology into their everyday lives, which is why
% saying “yes”
lls, emails, songs, news, videos,
we must focus on strategies that go beyond traditional media forms in order to attract them into the blood
les. But sometimes convenience All 41
donation market.
early two-thirds admit to texting
4).
Millennial Influencer’s Millennial (18-29) 75
modes of self-expression. Three-
Gen X (30-45) 50
profile on Throughout the growth of the Millennial generation, there have been many life events that have effected
a social networking site.
a video of themselves online. Boomer (46-64) 30
and molded the values of this generation. The attacks on 9/11 created Millennial core values of patriotism,
a tattoo (and for most who do, Silent (65+) 6
a sense of nation, a desire to help others in need, and a fear for their own physical safety on U.S. soil.
t half of those with tattoos have
ve six or more). Nearly one-in-four were later increased by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. These core values
These same core values
place other than anintegral –
play an earlobe part in how Millennials view marketing within our current society, which applies to both
e of older adults who’ve done this. But their look-at-me tendencies are not without
for-profit and non-profit organizations.
have placed privacy boundaries on their social media profiles. And 70% say their tattoos
hing. (Chapters 4 and 7).

The shift in influence from family to peers that typifies the Millennial generation remains a key feature

within the Millennial generation. Today, media and advertising effects for this generation are stronger,

which magnifies the need for Millennials to be accepted by their peers. Millennials are the ‘first genuine

consumer generation, a group who started spending and dictating the spending habits of others at

an early age’. (Bahr & Pendergast, 2007) Today, age relevant entertainers are playing a vital role in

influencing Millennials due to the similarities within this generation. Millennials want to be accepted

within their group and look for characteristics within the media that will directly relate to the core values

of their peer groups. Their need for instant gratification accentuates the need for initiatives that can

engage them in a timely fashion and adapt to their ever-changing needs within society.

Psychographics

Millennials today are known as a new generation of speedy and willing multitaskers. Far from being

disorganized, Millennials are accomplished at focusing selectively and making rapid decisions. Today’s

Millennials have adapted to a culture that is so fast-paced that it requires them to pull the most important

information out of any given medium and keep moving on with their daily schedules. This fast-paced

lifestyle has required them to use the Internet as an extension of themselves and they understand that

this medium is the quickest and fastest way to receive and deliver information throughout their group.

Millennials have a variety of characteristics that define who they are in society. They hate busywork,

learn by doing, and are use to constant feedback. Their close friends are from a variety of different ethnic

backgrounds. They have strong family values and grew up in households that had a variety of family

layouts, but they share a very close, positive relationship with their parents and tend to either see their

parents on a regular basis or speak with them on the phone daily. In order to stay current and fit in with

their peer groups, they demand flexibility in every aspect of their lives. Some of their biggest fears are

loneliness and not succeeding at school or work.

In order to properly understand the mindsets of the Millennial generation, it is important to break down

their characteristics to understand their interaction within society.

Values Characteristics Sign of Communicating Fiscal Leadership Mantra
Independence philosophy in business

Loyalty Confident Cell phone Facebook me Money is Collaborate Two heads
Honor Social with Internet or text me made to be are better
Family Appreciate access and spent than one
Diversity texting
Goal-oriented capabilities
Multitaskers


Technology

When looking within society, technological and generational change goes hand in hand. Today, the

Internet and mobile phones have been broadly adopted across all generations, but Millennials have

been the leading technology enthusiasts. They see electronic devices as more than just information;

they are a badge of generational identity. Millennials are known for creating social network profiles,

connecting to the Internet wirelessly (either by phone or laptop), and posting videos and pictures online.

This generation is really about expressing themselves-‘me media’- where they get to connect and do it

themselves. This unique attachment to technology goes beyond understanding how the devices work,

because Millennials feel a unique attachment to the communication power of these every-changing

technological tools. Today, Millennials are outpacing older Americans in their use of technology.

Millennials today are very passionate about their electronic devices (both mobile phones and laptops).

They are surfing the web, downloading, gaming, e-mailing, blogging, messaging, and producing their own

content online. Their generation is beginning to shift away from traditional media to consumer national

and international news online. Millennials also engage news much different than other generations.

They are more likely to have watched video online and posted a message to someone’s profile concerning

current events. According to the Pew Research center, “(20%) of Millennials mention Yahoo, 18% cite

CNN, 10% Google and 7% MSN”. The constant flow of information throughout this group goes beyond

just sending and receiving information online or through text about everyday life; current events (local,

national, & international news) are playing an integral role in communication within the Millennial

generation.


Volunteerism

In the past 10 years, Millennials participated in some form of civic engagement activities, such as

volunteering and consumer activism, which was comparative to other adults within American society.

According to a 2010 Millennial Survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, nearly six-in-ten (57%)

Millennials say that they had volunteered in the past 12 months. These figures follow closely in line with

the level of volunteerism among Gen Xers and the Baby Boomer generations. Millennials are focusing

their attention to several key areas in order to take part in civic engagement; fundraising, general labor,

mentoring youth, and tutoring/teaching.

Reaching the Millennials

Marketing to Millennials can be a challenge, but creating marketing around their characteristics can

provide an opportunity to build trust and mold them in to future ambassadors of your brand. There are

a few key characteristics of Millennials that are important when creating marketing initiatives that target

their generation.

Non-traditional and guerilla advertising tactics
Millennials tend to resist conventional marketing in today’s society. Creating promotions that utilize

the latest technology are essential to effectively reaching this segment. They are constantly checking

Facebook updates and Twitter feeds, via their smart-phones and laptops. Millennials are looking for ease

and convenience, so advertisements that they have to work for will eventually fall to the wayside. It is

important to bring the brand to them, where they live, work and play, will be the best approach for them

to accept your message. We must point out that these mediums must accompany key traditional forms in

order to increase the frequency of our proposal.


Encourage individuality and social change
Due to their high level of optimism and confidence, scare tactics will not work with this audience.

They have been empowered by their parents to take control of their lives and believe in themselves.

Promotions that focus on encouraging social action resonate highly with Millennials, because they

want to make a difference.

Communicate your brand and value to the customer

Millennials value quality and service. Effectively promoting the brand and service to the Millennials will

guarantee that they remain loyal. Their diverse group makeup requires a strong focus on their high level

of education in order to create a message that will reach them on their terms. Building a strong brand

image with Millennials requires organization to step out of the typical marketing “comfort zone” and

create a plan that not only focuses on using new technology to market, but also incorporate traditional

forms with an edge that speak to them in their language. Their optimism and desire to make a difference

requires messages that will bring altruism to the forefront and allow them to understand the importance

of donating blood in our society.

SWOT Analysis
In order to create a strategic viewpoint for the American Red Cross, we propose the following SWOT

analysis. The analysis will provide an opportunity to uncover and evaluate internal strengths and

weaknesses and external opportunities and threats that can determine both the negative and positive

effects of the brand.

After analyzing the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, it is our goal to focus our

proposal around the key insights that need the most attention to detail in order to properly create effective

objectives and strategies.


Strengths
The strong familiarity among Millennials with the ARC brand places disaster relief at the top with blood

donation following close behind. In order to effectively reach our target market, it is imperative that

we utilize the nationwide reach and multiple chapters to create marketing initiatives that can be easily

understood and conveyed on all levels throughout all chapters. We want to focus strategies around the

ARC’s core values and philosophy by integrating the characteristics and ideas of Millennials to uncover

similarities that will allow the marketing initiatives to have a clear and concise meaning from the top-

down. Building trust within the target market is an important aspect of generating acceptance. In order to

move forward, we feel that accentuating the current high level of trust with Millennials will influence and

build altruism within the Millennial generation.


Weaknesses
The top weaknesses within the analysis are; lack of information on blood donation and blood donation
eligibility. Our goal is to bring these to the forefront of our marketing initiatives to ensure Millennials
understand the importance of donation and eligibility without having to call or search for information on
the Internet. The target market needs information at their fingertips, which means providing them this
information through electronic devices (via Facebook, Twitter, or website geared toward Millennials),
it will increase their understanding that ARC is focusing on their generation. It is important to focus on
increasing and creating an engaging philosophy that will pinpoint the key social norms that Millennials
adhere to in order to understand blood donation and the importance that comes with volunteering. We
want to encourage and increase altruism that will focus on building knowledge that can turn in to great
word-of-mouth marketing

Opportunities
Looking within the current opportunities listed above, it is evident that social media and the lack of
Millennial blood donation open up the door for opportunity. Regular donors have a different perspective
on donating than their counterparts who have never donated blood. Donors act altruistically without
expectation of reward. First time donors are typically influenced through external factors, so the key
for our marketing initiative is to build strategies that can combine both altruistic and external factors
together in order to capitalize on the potential of this generation. Social media within the healthcare
industry is gaining ground and the importance of social media to Millennials poses a unique opportunity
to get the message out to the community. The opportunity with social media is creating engaging
information that will get the message out about blood drives, educate the public about ARC initiatives and
healthcare issues, and make blood donation simple as possible for donors. Clear objectives that can allow
communicators at each chapter to utilize the power of social media will increase the opportunity to build
relationships that will encourage engagement. Holding online events through social media will provide an
opportunity to turn Millennials into evangelists for ARC blood donation.

Threats
There are three key areas that must be addressed to uncover initiatives that will deter current and future
threats to the ARC’s growth among the Millennial generation. Volunteer opportunities for Millennials,
inconvenience of blood donation, and competition among blood centers must be analyzed in order to
focus on strategies that will place ARC in the forefront for volunteerism, showcase the easy accessibility of
blood donation, and build an image through the eyes of Millennials that will diminish direct competition.
Since Millennials have focused a majority of their volunteerism toward community outreach and
fundraising, we want to influence Millennials to place blood donation on the same level of these activities.
Showing the ease of donation and the importance within social norms and their view of altruism will
increase the probability of increasing blood donation. Since ARC has a strong nationwide reach and
strong brand image, it creates a unique opportunity to utilize new technology in order to reduce the

pressure from independent blood centers.


Online Survey
WCreative recently conducted an online survey to determine the current perceptions of the American

Red Cross and blood donation in general. A total of 38 respondents participated in the online survey with

(60.5%) within the 18-24 year old range. The intention of this primary research method was conducted

in order to focus on the key areas within the ARC and blood donation that must be addressed in order for

proper implementation of marketing initiatives.

Below is a list of our top-level findings:

1. Most Millennials have never donated blood. According to our findings, 40 percent have

never donated blood and 36.7 percent have only donated blood once. Respondent’s main reasons

for donating blood came from a mobile blood donation unit (37%) and recruitment by a blood bank

(14.8%). These findings show a need for marketing initiatives that can attract Millennials through new

technology (i.e. mobile campaign, social media, and email marketing). Due to altruism lagging behind

with 7.4%, it is imperative that we create advertisements that can bring altruism back to the forefront

of Millennials.

2. Lack of reaching consumers. According to our survey, which asked individuals to express any

comments on blood donation, we uncovered information that clear messages are not being presented

and marketed at the chapter level. Similar comments uncovered that local chapters are not publicizing

events in any form (TV, Facebook, mobile apps.) and that blood centers are not taking in to account

the hectic lifestyles of Millennials with operating hours that are not conducive to their schedules.

According to our findings, only 3.7% of respondents have seen any media reports/advertisements.

Marketing must address these issues by emphasizing the amount of time it takes to donate blood and

implement marketing initiatives that can be communicated and distributed at the local level.

3. Millennials lifestyle. The 18-24 year old market was asked to choose from a list of leisure
activities in order to discover the key areas where marketing initiatives will have the most impact

for Millennials. Our findings uncovered the top four activities for Millennials: outdoor activities

(70.3%), spending time online (56.8%), reading (54.1%), and concerts and entertainment (51.4%).

These findings uncover the importance of attracting the market where they are at, because Millennials

will not search for advertisements, they wait for it to come to them in their own setting. In order to

reach them, advertisements must be placed around sporting events, near local parks, top magazines

affiliated with the Millennial market, and concerts and entertainment events that the ARC can create

strong partnerships with to ensure influence within the target market.


Additional Insight
Due to the current figures in our primary research on individuals that have donated blood and individuals

who have not donated blood, we discovered each group has a different perception on donating blood.

Individuals who have donated in the past have undergone a change in self-perception, while non-donors

have not experienced this change and are still motivated by external and social norms. This discovery

uncovered that messages must adapt depending on the individual’s current status as a donor. Messages

must be able to incorporate the use of altruistic, external, and social norms. The overall goal is to retain

donors for life, so we must adapts messages that will influence them depending on their level of self-

perception. It is viable to uncover the level of donation within each community to focus on the proper

message that will influence donor participation. Individuals who have donated in the past must be

subjected to advertisements that focus on altruism, while non-donors must be marketed through social

and moral norms. These messages must be tested to determine if separate ads will be used depending on

donor participation or a focus on combining the two-forms will be beneficial for future growth.


Brand positioning and Brand personality

In the blood donation market today, a brand is more than just a logo and a name; it is how you present

your organization to consumers and consistently delivering a clear message every time your audience

comes in contact with your brand. In order to understand the brand, it is important that individuals know

their mission. The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its

congressional charter and the fundamental principles. The core purpose of the ACR is to “empower people

in America to perform extraordinary acts in the face of emergency situations”. Each area of the ACR is

founded on this purpose in order to align all elements with a clear and concise message. The following

positioning is the current focus of the ACR to allow the brand to stand out amongst other organization

vying for the same market:

• Be a part of a life-changing experience.

• When emergencies strike, lives can suddenly take a different path.

• When you rise to meet the challenge, everyone’s life begins changing for the better-

including your own.

The main goal of the ACR is to remain consistent with the current positioning to ensure that all marketing

materials are consistent with the brand and positioning through designs that focus around the key

positioning statements listed above.


ACR Creative Pieces
In order to adapt marketing materials to the current Millennial target market, it is important to analyze

past creative pieces to determine how we can redesign and implement information that will appeal to the

target market. The following creative pieces are from past ACR campaigns.

Although the past creative piece speaks to younger adults and focuses on social activities that

they engage in outside of their home, there is a need for a stronger connection. Messages for the

Millennial market must connect with them on an emotional level. In order to influence Millennials,

advertisement must invoke a call to action and implement the use of social interaction. The emotional

level in the ad is distant, which means that the visual creates a sense of loneliness that must be

reconfigured to focus on building connections.


The idea of this campaign is very simplistic, yet it focuses on social interaction and standing out among

the crowd by becoming a “Hero”. Consumers will be able to read between the lines and understand that

donating allows you to stand out. The creative piece draws attention, but adding subtle characteristics to

the piece would allow it to influence the Millennial market. Due to the hectic lifestyles of the 18-24 year

old market, it is imperative to use creative pieces that focus on grabbing their attention, and this piece

does this, but does not convey a message to the audience. In order to attract Millennials, interaction

within the ad would invoke connection and a brief piece of information would provide knowledge that

would relate to altruism or social norms.

Although both pieces portrayed some elements that were not relevant to the Millennial market, each piece

had the potential to implement creative words that would influence the Millennial market. Looking within

the current brand positioning of the ACR, these creative pieces fall in line with their mission, purpose, and

core values. When analyzing the target market, subtle changes with creative pieces that speak to a wider

audience can have simple reconfigurations that can successfully attract the Millennial market.


According to Aaker’s, brand personality is defined formally as “the set of human characteristics associated

with a brand.” The overall goal of constructing personality traits for the ARC that will directly relate to

the Millennial target market is to create attributes that will personify the key characteristics associated

with their generation. Currently, the ARC describes their brand personality using four words: passionate,

genuine, human, and trustworthy. Our goal at WCreative is to build upon these characteristics by

enhancing these traits into a form that will directly relate to the younger consumers in society. Below is a

list of personality traits that we have discovered will resonate well with the 18-24 year old market.

Engaging
Millennials focus on messages and contact they want to hear throughout society. We want the target

market to understand that the ARC is an organization that promotes the message of openness in

order to engage Millennials on their playing field. In order to engage Millennials, it is important to

focus on initiatives that offer the opportunity to enable discovery, energize experience, and encourage

advocacy. Millennials need excitement, and establishing the trait of engaging offers a unique

experience where Millennials have an opportunity to meet the brand, have personalization and value,

ease of access, and open communication. Millennials have a strong desire to relate to a worthy cause,

but if you are unable to “engage” them, it limits the capabilities of influencing their decisions on the

importance of blood donation in our society.

Unique
In order to evolve into an identity that will relate to Millennials, the former personality trait of “genuine”

will evolve into the identity of “unique.” According to Pew Research Center, 61% of Millennials say

their generation has a unique and distinctive identity. Unique can take on the shape of many different

forms, but in the eyes of Millennials, their uniqueness revolves around their use and understanding of

technology. We want Millennials to feel that the ARC is adapting and moving forward with the younger

generations. Marketing objectives will not only focus on traditional mediums, but accentuate key

mediums that require the use of electronic devices. Speaking to them on their own field through social

media, local events, and through role models in their age bracket will create a sense of understanding that

the ARC is adapting to the Millennials view of society.


Inspiring
In order to increase awareness of blood donation in society, it is important to combine personality traits

that will stimulate emotion. By focusing on the “inspiring” trait, we want to project an overall image that

will allow Millennials to understand not only the importance of blood donation, but also what the ARC

contributes to society through their blood donation efforts. Our goal is to create compelling advertisement

that will show the compassion of the ARC and allow Millennials to have a deeper connection with

the organization. It is important to incorporate traits that will connect with the Millennial generation

and go beyond the “average” traits related with non-profit organizations. Through “inspiring”, we are

differentiating the brand by reflecting the needs and aspirations of the target market. The goal is to create

“inspiration” from within the organization that can reinforce the brand and transfer to current and future

donors to create a strong emotional connection.

Reliable
From the Theory of Personality, we discover that “reliable” is associated with the category of “sincere” and

invokes the idea of trustworthy, careful, hard-working, and dependable. Pulling the idea of “dependable”

from the category, we want to focus on allowing Millennials to understand that the ARC will be there no

matter what. Reliability can be directly tied to the Millennial consumer’s interest in civic engagement. If

Millennials are willing to give their time to worthy-causes, the ARC must protect themselves in the same

manner, which is through the strong personality trait of reliability.

Our goal through creating new traits is to ensure differentiation within the non-profit sector. Although

some traits will overlap between organizations, there must be unique traits that reflect the overall mission,

values, and principles of the ARC in order to set the organization apart within the market. Perception is

the key factor in establishing a strong brand image and individuals within society are motivated to offer

higher levels of support and exhibit higher levels of loyalty to brands that are seen as differentiated. The

overall objective is to create an image for the blood donation segment that will resonate with younger

audiences and ensure that younger generations become life-long donors for the ARC.


Brand Perception
In order to properly understand the Millennial market, WCreative conducted a 60-minute focus group, which was
comprised of 6 individuals between the ages of 18-24. The gender dispersion was even with 50 percent of the group
reporting “senior” status as their current year of study. Our main goal was to uncover and measure the current
attitudes and perceptions of the American Red Cross and of blood donation in general. Our primary research
uncovered several key findings in relation to the ARC and blood donation.
1. Limited advertising. We discovered that only 2 out of participants had been exposed to ARC
advertisement. Most advertisements were seen within the student union areas, but stated that they
did not notice them spread across their campus. All participants stated that they could not remember
seeing any TV advertisements in the past 6 months. In order to reach them on their own ground, it
is important to distribute marketing materials throughout the campus and surrounding local hot
spots. The acknowledgement of no TV advertisements suggests that creative pieces must focus on
influencing them through programs that are of interest to their generation. Participants stated that a
majority of them tend to watch reality shows and sports channels. This finding indicates that TV ads
must incorporate the use of these channels and shows to increase interest.
2. Never donated blood. Only 1 out of 6 participants indicated that they had given blood in the past
six months. The donor participant stated, “I gave blood because one of my friends asked me to go
with them.” Motivation is going to be a key factor and connecting friendship and altruism together
will increase the potential of successful implementation. Non-donor participants were in mutual
agreement that they had never considered donating blood, because they did not know anything about
the process or where they could go to donate. Our main objective will be to focus on providing this
information through different marketing materials in order to not only educate and influence, but also
to stress the convenience of becoming a donor.
3. Conflicting schedules. Participants stated that their work/school schedules conflicted with their
ability to become donors. In order to increase membership, we feel increasing availability by creating
events through the week by varying times of availability. If the ARC is willing to meet Millennial on
their terms, it will increase trust and ensure that Millennials feel the ARC is dependable and caring of
their needs.
4. Best approach, social media. We asked participants, “How would you liked to be reached when
being asked to donate blood?” All six participants stated they would like information provided to
them through Facebook. Participants also stated that they would like to be able to see the organization
provide them with an immediate response when opening the line of communication through social
media. Due to Millennials relationship with their electronic devices, this creates an opportunity to
capture their attention at any point and time through their hectic daily schedules. Offering them
information on blood donation, times and location of events, question and answers, availability, and
also allowing them to set up appointments will ensure a successful connection. Offering choices and
envoking the idea of an obligation, may increase the potential of membership through offering the
opportunity to set appointments.
5. ACR recognized through disaster relief. When asked what activities stand out when they
hear American Red Cross, 4 out of 6 participants stated disaster relief. This finding creates an
opportunity to capitalize on the notoriety of disaster relief within the ARC. Creating marketing
materials that can combine the use of both disaster relief and blood donation can create an emotional
connection, which may allow Millennials to properly understand that society always needs our help
and you can contribute anytime.


Additional Insights from Focus Group/Online Survey
• Decreased time in blood donation process

• Receive better service from staff

• Millennials do not need incentives, but they are appreciated

• See more partnerships that pertain to their lifestyle

• Advertisements that portray the feeling of accomplishment

• More events held on campus

• Convenience to donate

• Need for reducing social fears

• Stories of individuals who have benefited from donation

• Hard facts

• Specific tips on reducing problems that occur while giving blood

• 28% 18-24 year olds likely to donate in the future

• 68.4% believe more people should give blood

• 3.7% noticed blood donation advertisements

The discovery of the importance of social media within the focus group shows the importance of

implementing social media in to our integrated campaign. According to Pew Research Center, (81%) 18-

24 year olds have created their own social networking profiles. More women within our target market are

engaging in social networking, which increases the need to develop marketing material online that will

speak to them from a different viewpoint. With Millennials checking their social sites several times a day,

consistent and effective communication will increase the frequency of presenting the ARC messages on

blood donation.

Millennials recognize the ARC brand and this discovery were established within the focus group

conducted by our research professionals. When you speak of blood donation to Millennials, their first

response is the ARC; they do not acknowledge any other organization that requests blood donation. They

immediately assign positive feelings of caring, helpful, important, and heroic to ARC efforts throughout

the world. Through the findings listed above, it is our goal to meet them on their own ground and

provide them with the right information at the right time through the communication vehicles that are

important to them in their daily lives. Since participants stated that they typically saw information for

the ARC through print, billboards, and minimal television commercials, our mission is to build upon

these traditional vehicles and incorporate the use of social media, mobile marketing, and events to ensure

Millennials can get blood donation information through a variety of choices.


Integrated Communication Strategy Statement
The American Red Cross can provide many important rational benefits on blood donation, as well as

the Integrated Communication Strategy for the target market of the Millennial generation. Through
incorporation of emotional significance Statement

ourThe American haveCross can provide many important rational benefits on blood donation, as strategy
research, we Red created a diagram that will present the key factors that will create the well as the
incorporation of emotional significance for the target market of the Millennial generation. Through our
statement for our campaign.a diagram that will present the key factors that will create the strategy
research, we have created
statement for our campaign.

Rational Factors Emotional Factors

Limited Competitors Alturism
Recognized Global Understanding of the ARC
Brand/Recognition Approval from peer group
Blood Donation Being part of a worthy cause
Saving lives Moral responsibility
Giving back to the community Feeling of accomplishment
Volunteering time Reducing social fear
Make a difference Desire for testimonials

Taking a bold step can make a difference. Give life and donate blood.

Saving one life takes a simple act of kindness. Make a difference today.

Being brave for just a moment can last a lifetime. Donate blood.

Join Join Bold Movement and make a change. Give ive Blood.
the
the movement and make a difference. G blood.


Strategy Statement contd.
Our new strategy statement above can be understood by analyzing the key factors that brought the idea to

fruition. Millennials understand that there are few competitors within the market and the words “blood

donation” brings American Red Cross to their mind. This association creates a powerful opportunity. Our

goal through the statement is to persuade Millennials to be a part of something bigger, while assuring

our “movement” will reduce their fears. Our campaign will incorporate our strategy statement in to our

creative pieces by accentuating the branding traits of engaging, unique, inspiring, and reliable. Millennials

desire to have their own groups within their generation is very important in relation to our goal through

our strategy statement. We want to create a movement that they will be proud to be a part of and will be

recognized as a worthy cause that they can call their own.


American Red Cross Creative Brief
Client: American Red Cross Date: 04/11/2011
Type: Integrated Marketing Communications Plan

Why are we advertising?

To increase blood donations within the 18-24 year old market, both repeat and first-time donors.

Whom are we talking to?

Adults between the ages of 18-24 who are potential first-time donors or repeat donors that may have any

social fears or unknowledgeable of blood donation.

What do they currently think?

Through primary and secondary research we discovered that the target audience relates blood donation

to the American Red Cross. Their primary focus is on disaster relief, with little attention to the blood

donation segment. Millennials also feel that giving blood is an inconvenience.

What would we like them to think?

Donating blood to the American Red Cross is a quick procedure, and painless. Becoming part of a

movement can help them give back to the community and help save lives year around. The ARC is

interested in them and will be there anytime. Our goal is to focus on creating the understanding that the

ARC is more than just involved in disaster relief.

What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?

Becoming part of the Red Cross movement and having the confidence to overcome external and internal

fears is a worthy cause.

Why should they believe it?

Their commitment to donating blood can save up to three lives. Our focus group and online survey

indicated they need information and our campaign will provide them with the right information and the

right time to move forward with donating blood.

Are there any creative guidelines?

Full color print ads, social media, web advertising, mobile ads, college events, .30 television and radio

spots, and outdoor advertising. All materials must include the American Red Cross logo. Focus on

the diversity of the ARC. Blood donors should look happy and fall within the 18-24 year old range for

any marketing materials. In order to follow current ARC brand standards, all creative pieces will use

Akzidenz-Grotesk or Georgia fonts.


Media Plan

Objectives
• Increase ARC brand presence on broadcast television through shows viewed within
the 18-24 year old market by 25 percent.
• Generate 15,000 new Facebook fans between the 18-24 year old markets over a
12-month period.
• Create 20,000 brand impressions for the ARC through the use of the multimedia
messaging service (mobile marketing) for the 18-24 year old market over a 12-month
period.
• Increase online brand presence through web advertisement and promotion by 30
percent over a 12-month period.
• Increase frequency of the ARC reach through print media by 25 percent to expose
approximately 30 percent of the Millennial population 5 times over the next 12-month
period.

Strategies
• Leverage network television sitcoms within the 18-24 year old market by focusing on
the ease of the blood donation process and the importance of becoming a lifelong donor
through strategic product placement.
• Create a specialized Facebook page for the “American Red Cross Bold Movement”
campaign that will be unique to the ARC through regular updates, status changes, and
promotions to increase awareness and build strong relationships within the 18-24 year
old market.
• Incorporate the use of the specialized Facebook fan page and the use of the iPhone
app to allow consumers to opt-in to up-to-date information on blood donation.
• Leverage consumer/news websites most frequently visited by Millennials with web
advertisements that stimulate interest and provide information on the blood donation
process. Following the same layout for web advertisements, we will create advertisements
that will be placed within college and university Facebook pages to increase penetration.
• Design print media that requires a “call to action” in the top 6 magazines viewed
within the 18-24 year old market. Top six magazines will be measured by highest
penetration among Millennials.


Broadcast Television Placement

Today, the number of television sitcoms that are geared toward the 18-24 year old target audiences
have increased tremendously throughout the top networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, MTV, VH1, The
CW, FOX, HBO, etc. Favorite and promising new television shows beat the web as the most frequent
media conversation topics for the Millennial generation. According to Deloitte’s “2007 State of Media
Democracy” survey, conducted by the Harrision Group, when Millennials find something they like, they
broadcast it, and do so effectively. Although some of the popular shows within the Millennial generation
will not fit our objective of our focus on increasing awareness for blood donation like Project Runway,
LOST, and Sportscenter, our main objective is to place the
image of the ARC in the setting of shows where we are able
to produce the best results. In order to create a variety
within product placement that can attract the diversity
that occurs within the Millennial generation, our goal is to
focus on implementing placement within 10 shows most
recognized by the Millennial generation. The top shows we
will focus on are as follows in no particular order.
• Glee
• The Office
• Grey’s Anatomy
• True Blood
• How I Met Your Mother
• Gossip Girl
• The Big Bang Theory
• One Tree Hill
• Scrubs
• Greek
By using a variety in age range that occurs within each
show, it creates a unique opportunity to allow actors/
actresses of different ages to influence and persuade
Millennials to understand the importance of blood
donation in our society. Our goal is to blend the use of
blood drives within each show to a setting that is both
recognizable and a good fit to the storyline of each sitcom.
In order to continue with the focus on variety, each blood
drive created within each sitcom will focus on our idea of
“being a bold individual” and “joining the movement” with
a twist that will relate to the characters within the show
and a tone that will flow accurately along with the layout
of the sitcom.

WCreative’s proposed storyline for the proposed ARC initiative will feature an episode where a blood drive
is being held within the community, a local college, or workplace. We want the ARC placement within
each show to have a realistic approach that can flow easily with the program. Characters participating
in the blood drive will take on different roles including; first-time donor (nervous), repeat donor, and a
strong blood donor advocate. The plot will focus on discussing the process of donating blood, negative
perceptions that are associated with blood donation, how easy it is to donate, and the minimal amount of
time it can take out of your day to save three lives. Throughout each placement, our goal is to continually
project our strategy statement. Characters will discuss how being bold can make a difference, as well
as asking other individuals if they are interested in “Joining the Bold Movement.” We want viewers to
associate blood donation with these key phrases in order to continually increase reach and frequency
throughout our other proposed media outlets.


Facebook

With the Millennial generation at an estimated one-quarter of the U.S. population, their coming of age
in a technology-driven world has propelled them to become heavy influencer’s on a large percentage
of purchases occurring within the U.S. The primary medium today for the Millennial generation is the
Internet and the increasing popularity of Facebook calls for a focus on attracting and retaining Millennials
for blood donation where they have an easily accessible medium to interact with the ARC brand.
According to William Blair & Company 2007 survey, 94 percent of Millennials indicated that Facebook
had staying power and 70 percent said they plan to continue using Facebook after graduation. Today,
Millennials typically have twice as many friends compared against the total U.S. population, which creates
a unique opportunity to create a specialized Facebook page that will cater to their preferences within their
generation.

Since the ARC already has two very prominent fan pages, our goal is to create a specialized ARC Facebook
Fan page that is specific for the campaign we have created. Following closely with our strategy statement,
the specialized page will be titled “The American Red Cross Bold Movement.” Unlike other brands that are
attempting to promote products through Facebook pages, the ARC has a unique advantage by providing
information and generating engagement that will differentiate them among other brands by focusing on
the importance of giving back to your community and embracing civic engagement. Millennials do not
expect anything in return for their volunteerism within their community, but their desire to fit in with
their crowd and be recognized by their peers provides a unique advantage to allow family and friends
to become aware of your volunteerism within your community. Millennials who participate in blood
donation will receive an award for their recent donation. The award will be posted on the donors wall and
provide how much blood you have donated, where you donated, and your level as a donor. The award
badge will increase with the more donations completed. The award will allow donors to see where they
stand within their community in relation to blood donation. This application will facilitate comments and
“likes”, as well as increase the presence of the ARC on news feeds. Our goal is to allow Millennials to see
their friends contributing and become inspired to give back to the community.

In order to continually engage the Millennial within the specialized Fan page, we will introduce a tab
labeled “Bold Moves” that will allow discussion on the blood donation process to encourage and reduce
the uneasiness associated with blood donation. To allow individuals to see their progress, as well as other
friends, we will create a tab labeled “The Bold Movement” that will break down your status as a blood
donor within your specific geographic area that will have a feature to allow individuals to post their blood
donor status within their community.

Within the Millennial generation, friends are perceived as trustworthy and credible, which provides a
unique opportunity to encourage the use of posting your next visit for blood donation or photo of the
individual giving blood. We want to take the photo section a step further than most brands by creating a
“Donor of the Week” where a blood donor that has posted a photo will be featured on the fan page. This
creates another unique touch point where the ARC brand will be recognized on news feeds. Millennials
consistently post their everyday activities and we want to encourage them to make blood donation posts
a part of their everyday lives. Our goal is to allow Millennials to become the largest contributor’s the
specialized fan page and reduce the anxiety associated with blood donation by creating an open and
continuous discussion. Reducing fears, providing information, and allowing individuals to understand
how quick the blood donation process is, will increase the potential of Millennials adding blood donation
as a top priority in their volunteer efforts.


The main goal of the Facebook page is to build strong relationships with donors and provide continual
activity that can spread throughout the Millennial community. Today, Facebook is known for the primary
medium for social interaction. Millennials check their pages consistently to view friend’s status, update
their own, and engage in communication. Viewing the current ARC blood donor page, it is evident that
there is a need for engagement. Our goal will be to increase the ARC’s communication on their wall and
allow individuals to see their contributions are not going unnoticed. In order to effectively engage the
Millennials, the brand must have a clear and concise voice through their Facebook page to encourage more
activity. Our focus on creating the specialized blood donor Facebook page that focuses on our strategy will
be to engage the Millennial through our above tactics to revive the current blood donor page in to a social
media platform that engages in two-way communication and recognizes individuals for their efforts. The
creation of the specialized page will be connected with the 2 current ARC Facebook pages to revive them by
introducing current fans to “The American Red Cross Bold Movement” to sustain engagement beyond the
duration of our 12-month campaign.

By combing all of these tactics for the “American Red Cross Bold Movement” page, we can increase
engagement through awards that will be posted on profile pages, the use of photos giving blood, specific
tab for open discussion, and a specialized tab to view your status as a donor, will allow individuals to be
publically recognized for their efforts. These characteristics will facilitate discussion and inspire other to
become a part of the ARC blood donation.


Mobile Advertising

In order to increase brand sighting within the Millennial generation, we must hit them in every aspect
of their lives. By capitalizing on the increased engagement created through the specialized Facebook fan
page, we will create a mobile campaign that will incorporate the use of the special features portrayed
within the “American Red Cross Bold Movement” Facebook page to enhance the campaign through an
integrated effort. To focus on implementing the mobile campaign, WCreative will create a unique iPhone
application that coincides with one feature implemented on the Facebook fan page; the “Bold Movement”
section that allows you to see your status as a blood donor. Our goal is to create a flow between social
media and mobile marketing that allows users quick access to information provided on the fan page
without having to dig through their phone Facebook application to view current information for the
“American Red Cross Bold Movement.” To stay in focus with the core ideas of the ARC, the iPhone
application will be named “iGive”. In order to provide Millennials with an exceptional iPhone application,
the following list will be the key touch points within the application that are accessible for the user in no
particular order; Bold Movement, Blood Drive Locations, Refer a friend, Donor Reminder, Contact Us,
Make Appointment, Facebook Update (quick post to Facebook with ARC badge). Our goal is to create
unique picture images messages that can remind individuals to set up an appointment, provide them
motivation and statistics on blood donation.

MMS is an integral approach that allows us to incorporate the ideas of all marketing strategies in to
compelling images, audio, and video. It also creates a unique advantage of targeting a specific audience
based on demographics, location, behavioral data, and trends. Mobile marketing provides an opportunity
to both inform and educate, while also increasing engagement through the ARC social media platform.
Looking within the past at SMS mobile marketing, MMS revenue is now increasing at a rate that rivals the
historic ascent of its SMS predecessor. The first commercial MMS services were launched in 2002, and in
2008, Portio Research reported worldwide revenues of $26 billion. In comparison, it took SMS 11 years
to pass $30 billion in annual revenues, according to Portio. These figures are indicative of the potential of
incorporating the use of MMS in to our integrated campaign for the ARC.

A huge benefit to using MMS mobile marketing for blood donations is the advantage in utilizing data
collection for future efforts. By allowing Millennials to opt-in to receive future information, WCreative
will be able to collect e-mail addresses to retarget them throughout the campaign. Providing donors with
an easily accessible tool will allow them to not only understand the importance of blood donation, but
also allow them the ease-of-convenience that can encourage them to donate, as well as inform family,
friends, and co-workers on the ARC’s dedication to their volunteerism within the community. Through
our primary research, we discovered that disaster relief was the primary area recognized by Millennials
and the ARC’s recent success with their mobile campaign for Haiti relief reiterates our findings. Our goal
is to take advantage of ARC’s recent use and success of mobile marketing to bring “blood donation” to
the forefront and allow Millennials to place “blood donation” as an important effort along with disaster
relief. With estimates indicating that 85 percent of individuals read text messages within 15 minutes of
receiving them, our MMS messages on behalf of the ARC combined with our “iGive” application will not
only increase the ARC’s brand presence, but also increase impressions that can spread throughout the
social media world. Today, 95 percent of individuals who own an iPhone regularly surf the Internet, and
65 percent of those browsing on mobile devices are using an iPhone. According to a March 2008 Rubicon
study, iPhone users are young with half under the age of 30 and 15 percent are students. These figures
show that incorporating the use of the “iGive” app and the incorporation of MMS mobile marketing have
the reach that we need to fulfill our objective on impressions. According to Simmons New Media study,
many consumers say they are ready for mobile advertising. Over a third of consumers who are online for
at least one hour a week rate themselves as being interested in receiving ads via their mobile.


Thank you for becoming
a member of the
Bold movement.

iGive

Thank you for becoming
a member of the
Bold movement.


Web Advertisements

At WCreative, our goal is to reach Millennials at every touch point that will provide the best results and
integrate well with all forms of medium used within our campaign. We will focus on placing web banner
advertisements in the top 10 target online media to generate awareness and stimulate interest in blood
donation for both male and female Millennials. In order to increase impressions, we will focus on the top
10 sites for both male and female.

Male Female
Facebook.com Facebook.com
ESPN.com MySpace.com
Google.com Google.com
YouTube.com YouTube.com
Digg.com Perezhilton.com
Collegehumor.com Postsecret.com
Yahoo.com Yahoo.com
Myspace.com Addictinggames.com
Amazon.com & engadget.com Ebay.com
Fark.com Slickdeals.net

We will create two banner advertisements respectively for both the male and female Millennials to
be advertised on the above listed websites. In order to tap in to the popularity of music and television
within the Millennial culture, WCreative will be adding a specialized ad that will be displayed on both
Pandora.com and Hulu.com. Our strategy is that incorporating these sites will play well with our product
placement in television sitcoms and our “Bold Moves, Bold Music” public relations event. By targeting
these particular sites, we can hit the target market with banner ads that will direct them to the “American
Red Cross Bold Movement” Facebook page. Our goal is to navigate them to an area where they can be
constantly engaged through up-to-date information and two-way communication. The landing page
within the ARC Facebook
Page will be the “Bold
Movement” tab that
allows users to see
individuals who have
donated blood in their
geographic area, as well
as the next blood drive
nearest to their location.
Navigating Millennials to
this particular tab within
the page will ensure that
the first thing they view is
an intricate platform that
is user-friendly.

The importance of using
banner ads relates back to
our discussion on primary
research that uncovered
disaster relief as the primary area recognized by Millennials. Placing banner ads within the selected sites
allows Millennials to see the importance of blood donation, not only within the ARC, but for the entire
U.S. population. Our goal is to create ads that depict females for the websites most popular with female
Millennials and ads that depict males for the male Millennials. We want to create a relationship that can
be seen on their level by producing ads that depict individuals within their age range.


Print Media

Our goal is to place full page magazine advertisements in the top 10 target print publications measured by
the highest penetration among Millennials to generate awareness of the need for blood donation within
the U.S. and provide them with a call-to-action centered on our strategy of being part of the “movement”.
In order to reach Millennials consistently, WCreative will focus on the following top 10 publications for
Millennials.
• Cosmopolitan
• Entertainment Weekly
• ESPN the magazines
• Glamour
• Maxim
• Rolling Stone
• US Weekly
• Vibe
• Time
• Vogue

It is inevitably important to have publications with high levels of readership, but it is also imperative that
we advertise our current ideas throughout a variety of publications to ensure that we can reach the diverse
nature of the Millennial generation.

According to MPA, some 85 percent of adults 18 and above read magazines and adults between 18-24 read
more magazines than adults who are over 35. Younger generations still have an affinity for traditional
media and it is important to place emphasis in area that is still a key source of information for the
Millennial generation. Magazines that specifically target the Millennial provides the ARC the opportunity
to place the importance of blood donation in front of the individual on a consistent basis, while they
are viewing information that is relevant to their everyday lives. We want our print media initiatives to
play on the style associated with the Millennial generation and flow smoothly throughout the variety of
publications that we will present the ARC’s need for blood donation within the Millennial generation. In
order to see the importance of incorporating print media in to the mix, we are providing these Millennial
facts on magazine readership by Deloitte.
• 71 percent of Millennials say they enjoy reading print magazines even though they
can find the information online
• 64 percent tend to pay greater attention to print ads in magazines or newspapers than
advertising on the Internet
• 58 percent of Millennials agree magazines help them learn about what’s “in.”

A particular figure that WCreative wants to focus on is the statistic that Millennials read magazines to
learn what’s “in.” Getting the ARC message in to information where Millennials are looking for what’s
popular provides a unique advantage to allow ARC blood donation to be the new thing all Millennials are
talking about among their friends.


Helping others in the time of need takes courage.
They gave him a reason.

Join the Blood Movement and make a difference. Give Blood.

facebook.com/

AmericanRedCross
Get the iGive App
BoldMovement for iphone or droid market


Public Relations

Objectives
• Generate 25,000 new blood donors between the ages 0f 18-24 by July 2012.
• To increase awareness among in-college Millennials, specifically by increasing their
knowledge on the importance of blood donation by 35 percent over the next 12-month
period.
• Leverage a well-known brand for a cause-related marketing promotion
• Increase the efficiency of the marketing campaign throughout all ARC chapters by 40
percent.

Strategies
• Creation of the “Bold Moves, Bold Music” event to be held on select college campuses
across the U.S. within a 12-month period.
• Design and implement a public service announcement to be aired during the ARC
product placement within the television sitcoms listed within the media plan.
• Creation of Apple iPod removable covers that are integrated with the iPhone app
“iGive” and the “Bold Moves, Bold Music” event.
• Develop a fully-integrated internal communications plan that will lay out the specifics
of the “Join the bold movement and make a difference. Give blood” campaign.

Bold Moves, Bold Music event

The “Bold Moves, Bold Music” event will be a media tour to build brand awareness, increase blood
donation, and create an inspiring and hip brand personality for the ARC to reach the in-college 18-24 year
olds. The event will travel across the U.S., which will incorporate blood drives that are centered around
local music relevant to Millennials within their particular college or university. The ARC will travel to a
total of 20 institutions of higher education over a 12-month period with a little twist. Over the course of
the 12-month period, the ARC will host 6 surprise acts from well-known artists relevant to the Millennial
generation. The surprise acts will occur every 2 months over the 12-month period. Since we are focusing
the campaign on a national level, the “Bold Moves, Bold Music” tour will incorporate the use of key
national media planners within the ARC, combined with regional communication directors and chapter
representatives.
All tour schedules, mobile bus
Join the Bold Movement and make a differnce. Give Blood.

implementation, and marketing
materials (including posters)
Get the iGive App
for iphone or droid market

will be set up, communicated,
and delivered from the ARC
national headquarters to each
regional ARC office. In order
to reduce costs associated with
setting up and transporting all
equipment and material required
Every 3 seconds someone needs blood.
1 Pint of Blood can save up to 3 Lives.

for the tour, each regional
office will be required to set up
1 pint of blood equals 1 pound.

the blood donation stations,
Friday Sept. 24 Mountainlair Plaza medical equipment, volunteers,
Anders osbornerebirth brass band
Featuring

refreshments, and local bands.
 g al ac t i c s oul rebels brassband  At WCreative, we want to
g l e n n d avi d an d rew s tromboneS horty
ensure that the “Bold Moves,
 revitalistsrockin dopsey jr.sunpie
Bold Music” tour is represented
barnes & LA Sunspotspapa grows funk
throughout several touch points
DJ Soul SistaKermitt RuffinsDr. John
that are implemented within the
facebook.com/AmericanRedCrossBoldMovement campaign.


American Red Cross Proposal W Creative

American Red Cross Proposal W Creative

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