Cayuga Communications has been tasked with creating a media plan to increase sales of the Altoids breath mint brand by 20%. Altoids currently holds the number one brand awareness position but has fallen to third in category sales behind Tic Tacs and Ice Breakers. The media plan will target individuals ages 18-34 through a pulsing campaign using national and local media to achieve reach and frequency goals. The $25 million budget campaign will communicate a revitalized brand message to increase Altoids' appeal among younger consumers and regain market share from competitors.
2. Table of ContentsExecutive Summary............................................................ 2
Agency Overview................................................................ 3
Situational Analysis............................................................ 4
Brand Analysis............................................................................... 5
Competitive Analysis................................................................... 12
Target Audience Analysis........................................................... 22
SWOT............................................................................................. 25
Recap............................................................................................. 26
Media Objectives and Strategies .................................... 27
The Connection Idea.................................................................... 28
Target Audience and Media Mix............................................... 29
Sales Promotions.......................................................................... 37
Reach, Frequencies and GRPs.................................................... 40
Geography..................................................................................... 43
Scheduling and Timing............................................................... 44
Budget........................................................................................... 45
References.......................................................................... 48
Appendix............................................................................ 50
1
3. Executive Summary
Since it’s creation in 1780, the Altoids brand has held the number one po-
sition for awareness within the breath mint category. The “curiously strong
mints,” originally created to relieve stomach discomfort, quickly gained
the attention of American consumers as a reliable breath freshener. The
strong, distinct flavor of Altoids and its recognizable tin packaging have
allowed the brand to thrive in a category that is cluttered with competitors.
While Altoids remains one of the top brands in the breath mint category, the
brand has slipped to third in category sales. Additionally, media spending has
been sporadic over the past five years. In order to increase Altoids’ sales
by 20%, the professionals here at Cayuga Communications will implement
a comprehensive media plan that will revive the Altoids brand and regain
market share from its closest competitors. We will use a combined national
and spot campaign to reach our target audience of individuals ages 18-34.
We will do this through a pulsing campaign - effectively communicating our
revitalized brand message by achieving a reach of 83.8, frequency of 4.8,
and 400 GRPs during peak months (December, March, and August), and
a reach of 79.7, frequency of 4.5, and 362 GRPs during off-peak months.
Our message will revitalize Altoids’ brand and effectively expand its ap-
peal to include this younger demographic, all while staying within a $25
million budget. Through a defensive strategy, we will provide a plan that
is driven by both creativity and data to efficiently meet Altoids’ needs.
2
4. Agencey Overview
Through an uncharacteristic, research-backed
strategic approach, Cayuga Communications
seeks to build stronger relationships with con-
sumers by maximizing ROI, strengthening value,
and delivering reliable creative executions.
3
6. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis
Marketing Objectives and Strategies
While Altoids holds the number one position in brand
awareness for its long history as a brand, it has
fallen behind some of its competitors for catego-
ry sales. They have also fallen behind as their ad
spending has been inconsistent over the past five
years. This has left competitors like Ice Breakers to
exceed Altoids in both sales and ad spending. With
this in mind, Altoids is planning a brand revival, and
an attack on close competitors. Altoids can achieve
this goal with a primary objective of increasing ad
spending by $25 million for the upcoming calendar
year. With this bold ad spending, Altoids should also
be able to bring about more national awareness to
increase annual sales by 20%. Cayuga Communica-
tions plans on using creative media with a strong ef-
ficacy on digital to reach these marketing objectives.
5
7. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis
The Mint Industry
Altoids belongs to the breath mint category. There are well over 20 brands of breath mints or “breath candies” in this cate-
gory, making it a highly competitive category to market in. In the past year, breath mint category sales totaled approximately
$658 million. Tic Tacs leads the pack at $172 million, followed by Ice Breakers with $130 million, and in third place, Altoids,
with $97 million. According to a report from Rabobank, Americans are chewing a lot less gum and mints are starting to take
the “share of mouth.” According to Rabobank senior analyst Nicholas Fereday, “savvy mint companies have packed fresh
breath, oral hygiene and low calories into their marketing mix, and trumped gum on convenience and value.” This is great
news for brands in the mint industry, who can benefit from the decline in gum sales. This ultimately puts breath mints in a
great spot for the near future.
The Altoids Brand
Altoids is a breath mint brand over 100 years old. Originally introduced in 1780, Altoids was marketed to relieve stomach
discomfort (Wrigley site). The William Wrigley Jr. Corporation purchased Altoids in 2008 by confectionery giant Mars for
$23 billion. Wrigley is known as the world’s number one maker of chewing gum, with operations in more than 50 countries
worldwide and selling products to an estimated 180 countries. Wrigley owns brands such as Extra, Juicy Fruit, Orbit’s 5
brands, Doublement, and Life Savers among others. Altoids currently takes third place in breath mint sales, but sale fig-
ures for the brand are eroding. Altoids is currently in danger of falling further behind, as ad spend has been quite sporadic
for the past few years. Altoids is finding it difficult to keep up with their competitors who are actively targeting the younger
segment of the market (18-34). Among teens and adults (18-45), Altoids has an estimated 35% brand awareness. While
the Altoids brand certainly has longevity, one weakness of its age is that it can be viewed as a more old-fashioned brand
than other competitors in the mind category. Altoids is also old-fashioned, as the brand has had little digital presence and
social media engagement in the past.
6
8. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis:4C’s
Altoids offers many different flavors of mints such as peppermint, wintergreen, and cinnamon to name a few. Altoids was
originally introduced in 1780, packaged in a small cardboard box and advertised as a way help relieve stomach pain. To-
day, it comes in a strong, metal tin and appeals to other audiences, with its low calorie ingredients and sugar free options.
Consumer Wants and Needs
Cayuga Communications is targeting consumers aged 18-34. These individuals are known as “on the
go eaters” who usually carry gum or mints with them. They typically drink strong coffee, and occational-
ly smoke and drink. Altoids is a powerful breath mint, allowing these consumers to eliminate bad breath
that may be offensive to others. Using breath freshing products like Altoids is imperative for this age
group because they are sexually active and want to reduce odors and radiate more attractive scents.
Costs
Altoids is in the middle of the pack but also in a similar
price range to its competitors. Altoids cost about $1.69
for its 1.7 oz container. Tic Tac is $1.17 for 1 oz. and
Ice Breakers are a whopping $2.09 for 1.5 oz. At first
glance, Tic Tac is by far the cheaper option. Howev-
er, for a regular-size package Altoids is actually $0.99/
ounce, whereas TicTac is $1.17/ounce. Altoids is at a
cost advantage, because of their multiple price options.
7
9. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis:4C’s
Convenience
Communication
Altoids can be found in numerous re-
tail stores such as Target, Walgreens,
Staples and Wal-Mart. They are even
available online through Wrigley.com
and Amazon.com. Altoids can be
found internationally in places such as
Europe, but their strongest audience
lies in America.
At Wrigley.com consumers can find
information concerning Altoids’ in-
gredients, variety of flavors and ac-
cess the brand’s social media pages.
This is a great way to inform con-
sumers about new products, product
distribution, or even inform people
on Altoids’ past history. In 2011 Al-
toids conducted a “Curiously Strong
Award” campaign on Facebook and
YouTube. The company successfully
influenced brand awareness through
interpersonal communication with
their audience. Consumers were en-
couraged to give “awards” to their
friends, which allowed an enormous
spread of word of mouth. In two
weeks, Altoids gained 9,400 new fans.
8
10. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis:Trends
Clean Eating
There are various external trends that could have an impact on Altoids’ sales, as well as the sales of the
product category. Firstly, there is currently a trend to eat clean, where many U.S. consumers avoid buying
foods and candies with added sugar and chemicals, and instead choose to purchase natural foods with
wholesome ingredients. Consumers are examining nutrition facts and are proactively educating them-
selves about the side effects of eating sugar, chemicals, and other unnatural ingredients. Although Al-
toids does not contain many ingredients, the ingredients it does contain are sugar, gum arabic, artificial
flavors, gelatin, and color (red-40). These ingredients are not generally thought of as the most healthy,
and do not fit into a clean eating diet. Therefore, the clean eating trend has a negative impact on Al-
toids’ sales and on other mints that have similar ingredients.
9
11. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis:Trends
Economic Involvement
Secondly, the U.S. economy has been improving for the past sev-
eral years, which means American consumers may have a high-
er propensity to splurge on impulse buys, such as Altoids. While
Altoids are not a luxury item, nor are they extremely expensive,
they are not a necessary item that consumers rely on for survival.
Because the U.S. has been coming out of an economic crisis for
several years now, consumers may be more likely to spend their
disposable income on frivolous items such as Altoids.
Hygiene
Lastly, U.S. consumers as a whole are hyper-fo-
cused on hygiene, and view hygienic products as
essential to maintaining one’s standard of living.
This attitude has a positive effect on Altoids’ sales,
because Altoids is a product that promotes fresh
breath and signifies healthy oral hygiene. The hy-
giene market in the U.S. has shown steady growth
and is expected to continue to grow into the future,
which shows promise for Altoids’ future sales.
10
12. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Brand Analysis:Geography
Smith Kendon, the founder of Smith & Co. based out of London, England,
developed Altoids mints in 1780. The brand, which was first sold exclusive-
ly in Europe, became available to American consumers in 1918. The mints
were originally marketed as “curiously strong” lozenges that could relieve
intestinal discomfort in addition to bad breath. The “curiously strong”
branding was derived from the high concentration of peppermint oil used
in the original recipe. This branding caused American consumers to quickly
turn to Altoids as a breath mint rather than a stomach aide. In 1920, Al-
toids unveiled new tin packaging that would forever change the perception
of the brand. The strong, distinct flavor and durable, easily recognizable
packaging has made Altoids one of the most well known mint brands in
the United States. As U.S. sales grew larger and European sales began to
decline, Altoids moved its manufacturing facility from Bridgend, Wales to
Chattanooga, Tennessee. This move put the Altoids production operation
in close proximity to regions of the United States where the brand is heav-
ily marketed.
The Altoids brand has great potential across many of the 210 Designated
Market Areas (DMAs) in the U.S., especially in heavily populated cities and
more urban markets. This insight can be observed by looking at the Brand
Development Index (BDI) numbers for Altoids, which measures the performance of a brand in a particular DMA. The highest BDI for the brand is
in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA DMA, which reports an index of 129. The Washington, DC (Hagerstown, MD) DMA comes in a close
second with a BDI of 126. The Boston (Manchester), MA-NH DMA reports a BDI of 120 and New York, NY is at 116. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX re-
ports a BDI of 105. Overall, most of the large U.S. cities report a BDI that over indexes. In terms of the Category Development Indexes (CDI) for
breath fresheners, which measures the performance of the product category, many of the DMA’s report an index that is about 100 or over. This
shows that the category is fairly strong in these particular DMAs because people living in these market areas are more likely than the average
population to purchase breath freshening products. Despite many DMA’s reporting high CDIs, there are also many that are fairly low, suggesting
that the breath freshener category is weak in these market areas. Among the DMA’s reporting the lowest CDIs were Helena, MT (81), Anchor-
age, AK (84), Fairbanks, AK (84), Juneau, AK (86), Twin Falls, ID (87), Hartford & New Haven, CT (89) and Burlington-Plattsburgh, VT-NY (89).
Every other DMA reported a CDI of 90 or higher. Altoids may want to take a look at these low CDI markets to determine if they are worth adver-
tising in at all. Markets that have a very low CDI are risky to advertise in because the product category as a whole performs below average.
11
13. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis:Overview
For our main competitors we chose Tic Tac, Ice Breakers, Lifesavers, and Mentos. We wanted to choose compet-
itors only in the mint category, so we eliminated gums and other breath fresheners. We took into account brands
with the largest share of market, as well as brands that indexed at an average number or slightly above average
for our target market of 18-34. Ice breakers were 161 for 18-24 and 113 for 25-34. Lifesavers were 101 for 18-
24 and 85 for 25-34. Mentos 97 for 18-24 and 106 for 25-34. Tic Tacs were 104 for 18-24 and 95 for 25-34. We
chose to take a defensive approach and compete directly with brands our target market is not necessarily brand
loyal to, but is not necessarily unfamiliar with either.
12
14. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: tic tacs
Tic Tac is a fresh one-calorie breath mint. It began distribution in 1969 by Italian confection manu-
facturer Ferrero. To this day Tic Tacs are still created by Ferrero, the company who is also known
for creating Nutella, Kinder, and Ferrero Rocher. Tic Tac is the leader in breath mint sales, with
$172 million. They are also one of the top breath mint brands when it comes to ad spending. In
2015, the brand spent $13,574,000 in total advertising spending. They tend to stick with products
just focused on the classic mint. They have some variety in flavor, but it will be in the same shape
package etc. Recently Tic Tac expanded into the Flavor Mixers, which change flavors as consum-
Media Mix
Currently, Tic Tacs is focusing on its #GoLittle cam-
paign, which highlights Tic Tac as a little mint with
great power. Many advertisements showcase a Tic
Tac making its way through “Little Adventures.” The
mint brand is also highlighting their new product,
Flavor Mixers. Tic Tac is quite active on social me-
dia, and has two main social accounts—one for the
global company and one focusing on just the United
States market. Tic Tac USA has an impressive 15.5
million followers on Facebook and 30.1K followers
on Twitter. Tic Tac Global has 856K followers on
Twitter and 197K followers on Instagram.
Overview
13
15. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: tic tacs
Seasonality
Around the holidays, specifically Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day, Tic Tac creates seasonal packaging and
flavors tailored to specific holidays.
Creative Examples
14
16. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: Ice Breakers
Ice Breakers are second in breath mint category sales with $130 Million. Ice Breakers has been a part of
the Hershey Company since 2000, the former being Nabisco. The brand started producing gum in 1995 intro-
ducing the “revitalizing flavor crystals.” It was not until four years later that the brand expanded into the mint
category. Ice Breakers have been known for their package design with two sized openings;
there is one “to share” and one “not to share.” Icebreakers have continued to make strides in all
of their products, being very successful with the launch of Ice Breakers Cubes (a crystal cubed gum) and
also has expanded their mints with many different flavors from minty to fruity and some even combined. Ice
Breakers has always been at the top for ad spending. For the past 3 years, they have been the leaders
by a significant margin. In 2015, the brand spent $37,751,700 in ad spending, and are projected to
continue to maintain their ad spending high in the 2016 year.
Overview
Media Mix
Ice Breakers has roughly 1.3 million likes on Facebook and
are fairly active on the site. They produce various ads, vid-
eos and maintain the overall brand voice on social media.
Ice Breakers started a campaign (called Break Through) in
January 2016 featuring a unicorn used to represent brain-
storming, innovation and confidence that may be obtained
through Ice Breakers Coolmint.
15
17. Seasonality
Ice Breakers does not appear to have seasonal products, but the brand does produce some ads targeted at spe-
cific regions during specific seasons (example below).
Creative Examples
S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: Ice Breakers
16
18. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: Life Savers
Overview
Life Savers are known for their gummy candies and mint treats shaped as life preservers. Clarence Crane,
who also created the original Pep O Mint flavor, introduced them in 1912. In 1913, Edward Roll created the
Life Savers Candy Company. It wasn’t until 2004 that Life Savers was absorbed into Wrigley. Life Savers are
not only known for their iconic shape, but also for their product variety—from gummies to breath-freshening
mints. The brand offers a sugar-free mint, and recently released a citrus mint that freshens breath just was
well as wintergreen or Pep O Mint. When it comes to sales over the past couple years, Life Savers has not hit
it big. They fall far behind competitors in the breath mint category. Life Savers has also been low in ad spend-
ing over the past years—the last time they were a standout was in 2012, hitting $1,588,400 in ad spending.
However, even with low ad spending, the brand indexes extremely well with 18-34 year olds, even more so
than other brands with bigger sales.
Media Mix
Life Savers Mints has not been featured in ad
campaigns over the last few years. In the past,
Life Savers has been advertised digitally through
banner ads. The brand has a Facebook following
of 99,613 and posts roughly once per month. The
brand’s Facebook posts tend to promote specif-
ic Life Savers’ products and feature high-quality
graphics where the product is the main focus. The
brand conducts minimal audience engagement on
Facebook and does not reply to comments on the
page. Neither Life Savers Mints nor Life Savers
have active Twitter or Instagram accounts.
17
19. Seasonality
While Life Savers Mints are promoted year-round, many of the brand’s Facebook posts and packaging designs are
winter-themed. The brand uses winter holidays to promote the green color-scheme and cold mint flavor in creative
executions.
Creative Examples
S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: Life Savers
18
20. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: mentos
Overview
Mentos is an exceptionally fresh chewy mint that comes in a wide variety of mint and fruit flavors. Its unique round
shape combines taste, freshness, and functionality. Mentos has also expanded into the gum category, which has pro-
vided the brand with a boost in sales. Mentos is owned by the global brand Perfetti Van Melle, one of the world’s larg-
est manufacturers and distributors of confectionery products and chewing gum. In 2015, Mentos was 6th in the catego-
ry in terms of usage. When it comes to ad spending, Mentos is third in the category spending with $6,436,500 in 2015.
Mentos’ ad spending has been on the rise since 2013, so it is projected that they will continue to be top spenders when
it comes to advertisements.
Media Mix
Aside from print advertisements, Mentos utilizes various other forms of media to promote their product. The brand
has video and photo content posted consistently on their webpage and social media pages. Mentos is very active on
Facebook with 12,797,057 followers. The brand interacts with many of their followers by responding to posts/com-
ments, consistently sharing new products and posting content that resonates with many mint lovers (e.g. celebrating
national coffee day because many people use mints
to eliminate “coffee breath”). The brand’s twitter
handle is not as popular with just 6,835 followers, but
the brand does a great job of responding to tweets
with the word “Mentos” in them. In terms of televi-
sion advertisements, Mentos is not heavily active in
the U.S. Most of their television spots are purchased
internationally (India has multiple TV ads that were
broadcasted recently). The most recent TV ad done
by Mentos this year promotes their new “Choco &
Caramel Roll” candies. Digital media seems to be
Mentos’ preferred channel in the U.S.
19
21. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis: mentos
Seasonality
While Mentos has a wide variety of flavors, none of them are officially assigned to a specific season. All of the fla-
vors are offered year round (excluding flavors that may be limited edition or discontinued). Even though all flavors
can be purchased year round, Mentos seemingly prefers to market fruity/tropical flavors heavily during the summer
months. It is difficult to conclude that this is due to seasonality because fruity flavored mints are also a newer
product trend that the brand needs to market heavily to increase awareness.
Creative Examples
20
22. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Competitive Analysis
Share of Voice
Out of all major competitors accounted for in this media plan, the Tic-Tac brand
holds 20% share of voice. This means that out of all competitors included in this
plan (Ice Breakers, Mentos, Altoids and Lifesavers), Tic-Tacs spent 20% of the total
amount of money spent on advertising. In 2015, Tic-Tacs spent $13,574,000 out of
the $66,573,800 total that the included competitors spent on advertising.
tic tac
Out of all major competitors accounted for in this media plan, the Ice Breakers
brand holds 57% share of voice. This means that out of all competitors included
in this plan (Tic-Tacs, Mentos, Altoids and Lifesavers), Ice Breakers spent 57%
of the total amount of money spent on advertising. In 2015, Ice Breakers spent
$37,751,700 out of the $66,573,800 total that the included competitors spent on
Ice Breakers
Out of all major competitors accounted for in this media plan, the Life Savers brand holds 2% share of voice. This means that out of all
competitors included in this plan (Icebreakers, Mentos, Altoids and Tic-Tacs), Life Savers spent 2% of the total amount of money spent on
advertising. In 2012 (the last year Life Savers reported ad spend), Life Savers spent $1,588,400 out of the $66,573,800 total that the includ-
Life Savers
Out of all major competitors accounted for in this media plan, the Mentos brand holds 10% share of voice. This means that out of all compet-
itors included in this plan (Icebreakers, Tic- Tacs, Altoids and Lifesavers), Mentos spent 10% of the total amount of money spent on advertis-
ing. In 2015, Mentos spent $6,436,500 out of the $66,573,800 total that the included competitors spent on advertising.
mentos
21
23. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Target Audience
Segmentation
For Altoids, Cayuga Communications aims to target consumers who are already mint users and who are somewhat familiar with the
Altoids brand. For these consumers, Altoids may not currently be their first choice mint. Our goals are to reach these mint consum-
ers, create a heightened awareness of the Altoids brand, and position Altoids as their first-choice mint brand. By doing so, we hope
to generate a 20% increase in Altoids’ sales through increasing Altoids’ ad spending by $25 million for the upcoming calendar year.
Through primary research Cayuga Communications aimed to uncover which media respondents were most likely to consume. We
were interested in what mints they buy, why they buy them, and what qualities they look for in a mint. The majority of our respon-
dents were female (83.3%), students (89%), and between the ages of 18-24 (82.9%). We found that 88% of respondents were
internet users. In terms of specific internet apps/sites respondents visit, Facebook came in at 98% of respondents and Instagram
with 88.9% of respondents. The next highest source for media intake came from online video streaming and music streaming.
66.5% of respondents reported to consume both Netflix/Hulu and Spotify/Pandora. Overall, this pool of respondents is often online.
When it comes to motivations behind purchasing mints, respondents value fresh breath (85.5%) and will most often consume mints
after a meal (69.3%) or before human interaction (45.6%). Respondents tend to buy mints in grocery stores (58.8%) and 38.8% of
respondents buy mints once a month. We also found that Altoids comes out on top for mint purchases amongst our competitors.
However Altoids and our competitors were within a few percentage points of one another - Mentos was at the bottom with 9.9%
and Altoids at the top with 25.2%.
Primary Research
22
24. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Target Audience
Consumer Insights
Our target audience is men and women ages 18-34. Our research shows that this audience already purchases and consumes
mints. This target consists of individuals in college, those just beginning their careers, and young professionals beginning to settle
down. Our target audience heavily consumes media, strives to be health-conscious, but struggles due to their busy lifestyles (122),
and are going through big life changes, such as graduating college (245) or buying their first home (170). Men and women ages 18-
24 are 69% more likely to be heavy mint users than the average person and men and women ages 25-34 are 10% more likely to
be heavy mint users than the average person.
Men and women ages 18-34 view social media three to four times a day on average (194).
They also watch cable television shows such as MTV (216), Adult Swim (208), and Nickel-
odeon (187). Many are not viewing cable networks at all (122). This target audience enjoys
magazines such as Cosmopolitan (209), ESPN (172), and Seventeen (239). They are known
as a tech-savvy “wizards” due to their heavy media usage (153). Heavy mint users like to
connect with brands through social media networking sites, which are heavily used by our
target audience of women and men ages 18-34 (202).
This target enjoys taking risks (182), strives to get to the top of their careers (175), and
agrees that money is the best measure of success (138). This age range is 55% more like-
ly than the average person to enjoy standing out in a crowd and 77% more likely to buy the
same products celebrities use than the average person. Similarly, heavy mint users are 70%
more likely than the average person to love keeping up with celebrity news and gossip and
52% more likely than the average person to be influenced to purchase a product by a celebrity endorsement.
This target tends to work in the arts/entertainment (180), finance and insurance (127), and accommodation/food services (227). 18-
34 year olds in general are living across a variety of regions in the United States. Heavy mint users over index in the Mid-Atlantic as
well as the Southeast.
23
25. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
Target Audience: Profiles
Meet Geoff
Geoff is a 20-year-old
sophomore at New York
University (270) study-
ing finance (127). Geoff
loves being away from
home (123), and is excit-
ed to follow his passion
for finance and gain the
skills necessary to pur-
sue his dream to work on
Wall Street (175). Geoff
does not sweat taking
risks (182)- he strives to
join a new student orga-
nization each semester; this year he’s trying ski club. A Boston native,
he proudly supports local Boston sports teams. He likes to support
brands that Boston sports teams and celebrities endorse (143), such
as Dunkin Donuts. When grocery shopping, he looks for brand name
products he can rely on (195). Geoff is a natural socialite and enjoys
going out and exploring the city with friends on the weekends (140).
Geoff also enjoys indulging in late night pizza (125) while watching
Adult Swim (208) with friends. Geoff hasn’t been the healthiest since
coming to NYU, and has had a hard time getting rid of the freshman
15 - he often does not have enough time to be as healthy as he would
like with his busy schedule (122).
Jessica is a 29 year old college graduate (245) living
and working in Washington DC (126) . She is original-
ly from San Francisco (129), and just graduated from
Santa Clara University (270). She was recently promot-
ed to be a curator at the National Gallery of Art (180).
Jessica is devoted to getting to the top of her career
(175). When she is on a break at work you will find her
on Instagram or Pinterest, finding new trends (194).
She tends to buy products that are used by celebrities
and well known brands (177). When she is not at the
gallery she also enjoys keeping up with her favorite
San Francisco Sport teams, like the 49ers and the
Giants
- she
like to
keep up
to date
with her
favorite
players
and stay
in the
know
(130).
Meet Jessica
24
26. S i t u a t i o n a l A n a l y s i s
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Well-known
Recognizable packaging
Priced lower than some competitors
Longevity - brand established in 1780
Old fashioned
Lack of social media and digital
engagement
Not relevant to the 18-34 market
Weaknesses
Economic improvement
Partnerships
Heavy mint users like to connect with brands
through social media/networking sites (202)
Opportunities Threats
Many well known competitors
Competitor advertising/social media
Clean eating trend
25
27. The Challenge
Key Consumer Insight
Altoids has had a hard time resonating with younger demographics. The brand is currently viewed as old-fash-
ioned, lacks social media engagement, and has had little digital presence in the past. Cayuga Communications
believes these three features contribute to Altoids’ lack of young consumers
We have identified a key insight that could solve this problem: Individuals ages 18 to 34 and heavy mint users
like to stay connected to celebrities and are influenced by the products celebrities use. More specifically, indi-
viduals ages 18-34 like to buy the same products celebrities use (177) and like to keep up with celebrity news
and gossip (130), and heavy mint users love keeping
up with celebrity news and gossip (170) and agree
that a celebrity endorse- ment may influence their
product purchases (152). Altoids could use this
insight to their advantage when targeting young
consumers and heavy mint users to help sway these
segments towards the Al- toids brand. This could be
done through the use of ce- lebrity endorsements rep-
resented in advertisements and celebrity influencers
on social media and other digital mediums to catch
the attention of our younger target audience. Tapping
into this new demographic will help Altoids to gen-
erate the 20% U.S. sales increase that the brand
sought out to achieve with this campaign.
Situational Analysis Recap
26
29. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
The Connection Idea
RefreshAltoids:
Refreshing never gets old. From your New Year’s resolution, to your annual spring-clean-
ing, to the start of a new school year, everyone needs to recharge and start anew
every once in awhile. Whatever cobwebs you’re blowing away, Altoids is there
to help you stay current. Rethink, revise, refresh - if Britney can do it, so can you.
Our connection idea, “Altoids: Refresh,” is simple and timeless, just like an Altoids mint. The Refresh campaign will
centralize around the idea that many people in our target audience are going through transformational life events,
such as school, starting a career, starting a family, or buying a house. These events can be exciting and revital-
izing, but they can also be scary. We want our consumers to know that whatever transformation they are going
through, Altoids will help them stay refreshed through the ups and downs. Because celebrities heavily influence our
target audience, we also plan on aligning our connection idea with transformations the stars have gone through,
such as Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber. The Refresh campaign also aligns with our plan to increase Altoids’ digital
presence. Our target audience is extremely tech savvy and is constantly staying up to date on the latest news and
trends. The Refresh campaign seeks to embody our ever-changing culture and society that is influenced by the
Internet, celebrities, and the natural motions of life.
28
30. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Target Audience and Media Mix
Objective
To gain market share among men and women ages 18-34 through a defensive strategy – we will target people
who currently consume mints, but who may not think of Altoids as their first choice brand. To reach this target, we
will advertise using television, magazines, digital, out of home, social media, as well as other sales promotions.
29
31. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Television
Television was a clear pick to utilize for our Altoids’ media campaign, as it allows for creative opportunities, audience selectivity, and
it is an effective medium to attain our reach and frequency goals. Although our audience often views television shows online and
through streaming services, they are still watching TV in their downtime, which is why it is important to utilize during this campaign.
Heavy mint users are also heavy TV watchers, due to their index of 129. Thus, it proves to be an important medium for the overall
campaign. We will be running 30-second advertisements during all of the television programs we have chosen. Our national syndica-
tion program will include Friends. Spot cable will include the Rick and Morty Show, as well as the MTV shows Awkward, Catfish, and
Teen Mom. Network cable programs will include Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Game of Thrones.
Media Buys
Strategy & Rationale
30
32. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
TelevisionFriends is a classic show that is syndicated on a variety of network television sta-
tions. The show is popular amongst 18-34 year-olds who grew up watching it when
it was on TV from 1994-2004. The characters go through various life-changing
moments, which our target market can easily relate to since they too are going
through big life moments as well. The show is often syndicated during “Nick at Nite”
programming.
Rick and Morty is a sitcom played on Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, which are both
viewed within our target. With an index of 208, our target market is 108% more likely
than the average viewer to watch the television show, and thus it is a great program to
place our advertisements.
We also chose three MTV shows with high indexes for our TV placements: Awkward
(227), Catfish (230), and Teen Mom (224). Our consumer often watches these during
their spare time during the day, which is why we have chosen a daytime daypart.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians is a reality television show which focuses on the per-
sonal and professional lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family. With an index of 173, this
will surely be a great spot for us during prime time, especially since the Kardashians are
one of the most influential celebrity families of the decade.
Finally, Game of Thrones is a medieval fantasy epic shown on the HBO channel. With
an index of 123, we are hoping to raise Altoids’ brand awareness amongst the male
18-34 year old demographic within our target market.
31
33. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Digital
Altoids is an old brand but it is imperative that we engage a younger audience. Thus, using digital is a great way to hit our target
market. Heavy mint users have an index of 101 for heavy Internet usage, but even more useful as to why Altoids should increase
their digital spending is the fact that our main competitors have high indexes in this category. The highest index numbers for digital
were Twitter (201), Hulu.com (186) and Pandora (183). We plan on placing pre-roll and mid-roll advertisements on Hulu, audio adver-
tisements on Pandora, and sponsored posts on Twitter. Altoids is not very interactive on social media, but this is a great opportunity
to take initiative and connect directly with their audience and build a stronger relationship, which will be discussed more in depth.
Strategy & Rationale
32
34. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Magazines
Magazines are an excellent medium to utilize for our Altoids media campaign, due to their upscale and niche appeal, high level of
audience involvement, long shelf life, and outstanding creative opportunities to highlight the revitalized Altoids brand. Although our
target audience is exceptionally tech-savvy, they do still enjoy reading traditional magazines to take a break from staring at screens.
With an index of 133, heavy mint users are heavy magazine users as well, making this an appealing medium for our campaign.
Because of our diverse audience, we wanted to choose magazines that had a wide appeal and would reach a wide array of niche
audiences. We chose to place advertisements in two magazines that are considered primarily women’s interest and two that are
considered primarily men’s interest.
Media Buys
Game Informer is a monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of
video games and associated consoles. With a circulation of 6,353,075 and an index of 218 for indi-
viduals ages 18-34, Game Informer is an attractive publication to advertise to our target audience.
Rated "the World's #1 Computer & Video Games Resource," Game Informer readers are invested in
the magazine’s content and are anxious to get their hands on the latest issue. With a large, devoted
audience such as this, Altoids’ advertisements won’t go unnoticed.
Game Informer
Strategy & Rationale
33
35. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Magazines
Cosmopolitan targets contemporary women, featuring beauty, fashion, career and sex
advice. People who read Cosmopolitan are often searching for “how-tos” or “tips and
tricks” – these types of articles are heavily focused on transforming some aspect
of one’s life. Therefore, Altoids’ “Refresh” campaign may resonate well with CCosmo-
politan readers. With an index of 200 for individuals ages 18-34 and a circulation of
3,032,211, this medium will surely get the attention of our target audience.
Muscle and Fitness is a monthly fitness and lifestyle magazine for individuals devoted to
building muscle, improving nutrition, and using supplements. Muscle and Fitness readers
are already interested in refreshing and transforming their bodies and health through a
fit lifestyle, so they may be more receptive to Altoids’ Refresh campaign. With a circu-
lation of 6,438,000 and an index of 183 for individuals ages 18-34, Altoids may be the
next supplement Muscle and Fitness readers buy.
Muscle and Fitness
Cosmopolitan
Babytalk is America’s oldest baby and parenting magazine, offering readers advice on
everything from baby names, to how to enrich family time. Babytalk has built up a large
readership over its 80+-year life, tallying up a circulation of 2,200,000. We know our
target consumer is going through life changing events, such as starting a family – this
is reflected in Babytalk’s high index of 201 for individuals ages 18-34.
Babytalk
34
36. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Radio
To meet increased reach, frequency and GRP goals during the heavy up months of December, March, and August, our agency elected to purchase
spot radio during the morning drive daypart. We believe that radio is a strategic buy, as heavy mint users are 20% more likely than the average
consumer to listen to radio (120). Spot Radio-Morning Drive radio spots will be purchased in the Albany, GA, Greenwood-Greenville, MS, Laredo, TX,
Bakersfield, CA and Fresno-Visalia, CA DMA’s. These are spot markets that reported CDIs well above 100 (previously discussed). This means that
in each of these markets, the mint category is strong, therefore, a heavy up strategy in these markets may allow the Altoids brand to steal some
market share from competitors in these markets. We decided to purchase Spot-Radio Morning Drive because this option will resonate well with
our target audience of 18-34 year olds. People in this age category range from students/young professionals who commute to school/work in the
morning to younger parents who drive their kids to school in the morning. This is the time we want to expose our audience to Altoids messaging. List-
ed in the table below are the radio stations we will be purchasing in the heavy up months of December, March and August. We decided to focus on
stations with Religious and Hip-Hop formats because this genre of music indexes high among heavy mint users (Religious: 133 and Hip-Hop: 126).
.
Media Buys
Strategy & Rationale
35
37. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Social Media
To engage with our tech-savvy audience online, we will pair our paid online advertisements with owned media. Altoids lacks a
strong digital and social media presence, however our audience lives and breathes social media. Therefore, engaging with con-
sumers on social media will be a crucial part of our campaign. While Altoids has a moderate Facebook following, the brand has
zero activity on other social media sites that are popular among our target audience, such as Twitter and Instagram. We have
outlined a list of ideas for Altoids to execute via social media to heighten target audience involvement in the digital space:
Execute a hashtag campaign on Twitter and Instagram called #Refresh to encour-
age consumers to connect with the brand and share life moments where they want to
turn over a new leaf (i.e., need to #Refresh).
Engaging with consumers who post about the Altoids brand by liking, favoriting, reply-
ing, or retweeting their content.
For followers who post pictures or text of them having a bad day (or who just need
to #Refresh), we will offer them a digital coupon for Altoids and spread the hashtag
#Refresh.
Throwing a #Refresh Twitter party. Consumers who engage during the Twitter party
will be entered into a contest for a chance to win a prize package.
Media Buys
As owned social media is free, we will execute the above strategies on a pulsing campaign schedule, increasing content during the
peak periods of our paid campaign (December, March, and August). For the remainder of the year, the level of content will remain
relatively stable.
Strategy & Rationale
36
38. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Sales Promotion
OHH
For out-of-home advertising, we
will place ads on public trash
cans and park benches. Because
our target audience is primarily
active and “on-the-go” twenty and
thirty year-olds, a focus on adver-
tising within public areas will be
effective in optimizing our reach
and frequency goals. This deci-
sion was also made based on our
“Refresh” connection idea. When
you throw away or recycle some-
thing you are refreshing - getting
rid of the old, and in with the new.
We believe that out-of-home ad-
vertising will reinforce our brand
image because it will supplement
Altoids’ other advertising outlets.
These executions will be placed
in our spot heavy-up DMAs
during our heavy-up months of
December, March, and August.
Refreshwith Altoids
37
39. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Sales Promotion
Point-of-Purchase Display
Our team has decided to place-point-of purchase displays in local drug stores, and department
store, such as Target and Walmart, where Altoids are distributed. We will have them on display
in the month of December in our heavy-up DMAs, to kick off our campaign with a bang. The
point-of-purchase displays will focus on “refreshing” with your New Year's resolution. The dis-
play will read “What in your life needs refreshing?” There will be sections of buttons that read
suggestions such as “Organization,” “Social Life,” “More ME Time.” Consumers will be able to
press one of the buttons and a fun life hack will be dispensed in relation to the category they
choose. For example if they press the organization button their paper would read “Hang soda
tabs on hangers, so you can stack hangers and take up less space in your closet.” If they press
the “Social Life” button, it might say “Start a sunday brunch club with your friends, pick a new
place for brunch every Sunday,” and so on and so forth. The piece of paper they get with the
life hack on it will also double as an Altoids coupon. The display will also prominently show-
case Altoids in general giving consumers the opportunity to pick up their fresh tin of Altoids.
Hang soda tabs on hangers, so you can stack
hangers and take up less space in your closet
Refresh
with Altoids
Use this coupon for BUY
ONE GET ONE FREE Altoids
38
40. T a r g e t A u d i e n c e a n d M e d i a M i x
Sales Promotion
Altoids Oscars After Party Series
Our target audience over indexes for
buying products that celebrities use
(177). We wanted to use our extra bud-
get to enforce this connection with
celebrities through a creative sales
promotion - the Altoids Oscars Af-
ter Party Series! Altoids will pair with
a local bar/night club to sponsor two
events in NYC and Los Angeles. These
will be Oscars After Parties open to
the public. Altoids will provide free
samples, merchandise, and coupons.
Refreshwith Altoids
We will also launch a Snapchat geofil-
ter. The geofilter will promote our “Re-
fresh” campaign - the person taking
the picture will first look old and worn
out (in need of a refresher), then once
they open their mouth, Altoids will flow
into their mouth and a revitalizing glow
will come to their face. Not only will
this spread joy and campaign aware-
ness to event attendees, but also they
will be able to send the Snapchats to
their friends. The geofilter will be lo-
cated across the U.S., so all consum-
ers can feel as if they have a per-
sonal invite to the Altoids After Party
39
41. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Reach Frequencey & GRPs
Objective
To launch a campaign that will achieve a reach of 70, an average fre-
quency of 3.1, and 400 GRPs during the peaks of the pulsing campaign.
We want to communicate Altoids’ revitalized
brand image to consumers across the entire
nation. However, there are specific markets
we have chosen to heavy up in during the
pulsing months of our campaign (Decem-
ber, March, and August). These spot mar-
kets were chosen as a result of the cities’
high CDIs for the mint category and lower
BDIs (comparatively to the higher CDI) for
Altoids. Our approach will be to gain market
share in areas where the mint category is
already strong. By taking a defensive ap-
proach in these markets, we hope to obtain
loyal mint consumers from other brands and
convert them to become Altoids consumers.
Strategy & Rationale
40
42. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Reach Frequencey & GRPs
Monthly Bugdet Breakdown: First 6 months
41
43. Monthly Bugdet Breakdown: Last 6 months
M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Reach Frequencey & GRPs
32
44. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Geography
Objective
To implement a national and spot combined approach in the following DMAs: Albany,
GA, Greenwood-Greenville, MS, Laredo, TX, Bakersfield, CA, and Fresno-Visalia, CA.
Strategy & Rationale
We want to communicate Altoids’ revitalized brand
image to consumers across the entire nation. How-
ever, there are specific markets we have chosen
to heavy up in during the pulsing months of our
campaign (December, March, and August). These
spot markets were chosen as a result of the cit-
ies’ high CDIs for the mint category and lower BDIs
(comparatively to the higher CDI) for Altoids. Our
approach will be to gain market share in areas
where the mint category is already strong. By taking
a defensive approach in these markets, we hope
to obtain loyal mint consumers from other brands
and convert them to become Altoids consumers.
43
45. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Scheduling and Timing
Objective
To implement a combined national and spot twelve-month pulsing campaign beginning in December that will generate more aware-
ness about the Altoids “Refresh” campaign and revitalized brand image. During the peak months of December, March, and August,
advertising will heavy up in our designated spot DMAs in order to align our brand message with key times of the year – New Year’s
resolutions, spring-cleaning, and back to school.
Strategy & Rationale
The pulses within our campaign align with moments during the year when people “refresh” and start anew. Our target market
recognizes and embraces change, especially since it is part of their everyday life. Our target market is graduating college, get-
ting married, and moving to new cities, possibly settling down. Thus, it makes sense for our scheduling and timing to align with
instances when change occurs.
The peak months of the campaign include December, March, and August. We will launch our campaign during December, just
in time for the holidays when Altoids can be used as a stocking stuffer and refresher for that midnight kiss. New Year’s is one
of the greatest moments during the year when people “refresh.” This is when they set new goals for themselves and start
anew, which is why we’d like to begin the campaign in the month of December.
Our next peak month is March, a time that is often known for spring-cleaning. As the excitement of winter rolls away and spring
quickly approaches, our target market is looking to throw out the old, and bring in the new. Thus, this spring cleaning idea
aligns perfectly with our big idea.
Finally, our last peak month for the campaign will be August. This is a time when summer winds down and back to school shop-
ping is in full effect. August also aligns with our “refresh” idea because it is often a time when college students are heading
back to campus and looking for a new wardrobe, along with a fresh start to the school year.
44
46. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
BudgetObjective
To carry out a media plan on a $25 million budget, allocating at least $5 million to digital and TV resources.
Strategy & Rationale
Our $25 million budget was predetermined in the brief. While we have chosen a pulsing media schedule, which is a historically ex-
pensive media buying choice, our plan is very cost effective. With our media buys, we will hit our reach, frequency, and GRP goals,
all while staying significantly under budget. This has opened creative opportunities to use the remaining $4,028,100 for sales pro-
motions, including out of home installments, sponsoring the Oscar’s after party, and point-of-purchase displays.
45
47. M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Budget
Monthly Bugdet Breakdown: First 5 months
46
48. Monthly Bugdet Breakdown: Last 7 months
M e d i a O b j e c t i v e s a n d S t r a t e g i e s
Budget
47
54. M e e t T h e T e a m :
Molly Astrove
Molly Astrove is an integrated marketing communications major and economics minor from Wellesley, MA.
This past summer, Molly interned at Schneider Associates, a Boston-based integrated marketing and public
relations agency. After graduating in December, Molly will start her career at an integrative media agency.
Chris Falcone is an integrated marketing communications major from Norwalk, CT. Over the sum-
mer months, Chris works as a Golf Operations Manager at the Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT. He is
also the current president of the Tau Rho Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity based out of Itha-
ca, NY. After his graduation in May of 2017, Chris will begin a career in Account Management.
Chris Falcone
Christina Lyons
Christina Lyons is an integrated marketing communications major and sociology minor from Fram-
ingham, MA. Christina has previously worked as a Creative Services intern at Sperry and a Recruit-
ment Marketing and Design intern at Bright Horizons. Upon graduating in December, Christina will
be moving to Los Angeles with her older sister and begin a career at a full-service or media agency.
Rosalyn Moisan
Rosalyn Moisan is an integrated marketing communications major and writing minor from Portland, ME.
This past summer Rosalyn work as the Marketing Intern for a social for-profit, Mighty Well. Rosalyn
has a passion for nonprofits and hopes upon graduating in May, to find a career in the nonprofit sector.
Anthony Zagorsky
Anthony Zagorsky is an integrated marketing communications major and graphic design minor from
Queens, NY. Anthony has previously worked an internship and job requiring strong communication and
creative skills. Anthony is on a diversity committee at Ithaca as well as their track and field team.
53