3. 2
The Great Sphinx in Egypt is carved out of rock. It has the head of a
Pharaoh and the body of a lion, representing wisdom and strength.
Carbondale is the heart of “little Egypt” in Southern Illinois. It is the home
to Southern Illinois University, the Salukis, and Sphinx Advertising.
Sphinx measures and defines success by building relationships
with clients and providing innovative solutions to their challenges.
In the spirit of our namesake, we believe that the best ideas come from
a synergistic blend of integrated marketing communications.
Brains and brawn.Youthfulness and yearning. Intelligence
and instinct. Learning and living. It is our belief that each of these elements
is fundamental in creating an invigorating and successful campaign.
Delivering strong results and powerful ideas, we are
Sphinx Advertising--an Integrated Marketing Agency.
4. Table of Contents
3
Executive Summary
The case study provided byAOL directed us
to develop a recommendation for the implementation
of an advertising plan targeted at men and women,
ages 18-24. Emphasis is placed on nontraditional
marketing vehicles and a creative strategy that will
make AIM top of mind among our target audience.
The budget for the campaign is $25 million.
The objectives addressed by this campaign are;
1) to increase trial and drive usage of AIM
products by 15%,
2) to bridge the gap between AIM Messaging
and AIM Social Media, and
3) to increase AIM brand awareness.
To ensure that the campaign resonates with
our target market, Sphinx Advertising undertook
extensive primary research. We initiated an online
survey and conducted a focus group to understand
the buying habits, media usage, and attitudes about
online communication of those in our target
audience.
The information presented by the client
and our primary research led Sphinx Advertising
to the following conclusion: In order to increase
the audience size of AIM, we need to enhance the
product with certain features that would serve as
drivers for usage. These features are designed to
provide convenience and expedience by using a social
networking framework.This led to the conception of
AIM Flash, a portable drive programmed with already
existing AIM products.This device capsulates many of
AIM’s best products, and it is the primary element of
our campaign.
Other features include a new dynamic interface,
synchronization of the Xdrive with the USB storage
device, and AIMTunes.
Wechosetonameourbrandstrategy20/20
because it reflects a plan that not only addresses the
problems of today, but plans for the long-term future
of AIM.This plan will bring the AIM brand out of its
current myopia and provide perfect 20/20 vision for
AIM and its users.
In order to execute this strategy, Sphinx
Advertising conceived tactics that adopt a 360°
touch-point approach. The approach expands upon
AIM’s role in social media and online communication.
One of our tactics involves a nationwide college
promotional event to publicize and distribute AIM
Flash drives to our target audience members.Another
tactic involves AIM Chats, in which users can have
their questions answered by various celebrities.These
tactics, along with others, are designed to engage the
audience in interaction with the brand while providing
them a unique brand experience.
The recommended media strategy reflects
the media consumption of our target market and
emphasizes nontraditional marketing vehicles to
efficiently reach its members.The budgetary allocation
for the media mix is well balanced and uses different
IMC elements such as traditional media, the Internet,
promotional events, and other non-traditional and
ambient media. The campaign will be evaluated
at different stages to gauge its effectiveness and
corrective actions will be taken if necessary.
About Sphinx 2
Executive Summary 3
Situation Analysis 4-11
Company analysis 5
Competitive Analysis 5
Consumer Analysis 6-7
MarketTrends 8
Product Analysis 9
Brand Analysis 10
SWOT/
Problems and opportunities 11
Brand Strategy 12-13
Creative Executions 14-21
Media Strategy 22-26
References 27
Acknowledgments 28
5. Situation
Analysis
As a part of the digital generation, the executives at Sphinx Advertising have
been active users of online communication for several years. Growing up in this
technological era has given us the opportunity to fully explore the past and create
the future of AOL Instant Messenger.This campaign has proven to be a challenge as
the advances in instant messenger services and social networking sites are becoming
increasingly innovative and ever changing.
We will be introducing you to our primary research findings throughout the
Situation Analysis. The methodology used in our primary research consisted of an
online survey and a focus group discussion.We surveyed over 400 college students
across universities in the Midwest, and our results indicate that AIM greatly exceeds
its competition in likeability and everyday usage when compared to other messenger
services.
4
6. Company Analysis
AOL LLC. is an Internet service and media
company that is owned by Time Warner and based
in New York City. The company began in 1985 as
an Internet Service Provider known as Quantum
Computer Services, and later changed its name
to America Online in 1989. By 2000, AOL usage
exceeded 30 million and its stock value reached
$226 billion. Since its merger with Time Warner,
however, AOL has seen a significant plummet in its
value and subscription rates,and is now barely worth
$20 billion with less than 13 million subscribers.
Currently,Time Warner is trying to spin off AOL
as two separate businesses:
1) an Internet Service Provider
2) a Content Provider.
As an ISP, AOL is attempting to
reposition itself as a free open Internet content
provider similar to Yahoo!, rather than offering a
closed set of services to subscribers. AOL’s revised
mission,as of mid-2006,is“to serve the world’s largest
and most engaged community,” looking to push the
company forward.AmongAOL’s brands and services
are Quigo,Tacoda, Netscape, Moviefone, Mapquest,
Truveo, Goowy, and Weblogs, and the company is
also partnered with the antivirus software provider,
McAfee (AOL.com).
As a Content Provider, AOL was the first
Internet service to integrate a web browser into
content, and the company also introduced the
Buddy List in order to leverage instant messaging. In
May of 1997,AOL released AOL Instant Messenger,
a free instant messaging application that now allows
users to communicate over the Internet via text
messaging, voice, and video.
5
Competitive Analysis
AOL Instant Messenger is a social media
product that allows users to chat and share content
free of charge. It has positioned itself as the national
leader in usage among the messaging market.
However, it remains in stiff competition with Yahoo!
Messenger and MSN Messenger as well as third parties
Trillion and ICQ both nationally and worldwide. As
opposed to in the United States, AIM ranks 4th in
usage in the worldwide market. Yahoo! Messenger,
MSN Messenger, and Google Talk are AIM’s chief
contenders, but Yahoo! and newcomer Skype are
looking to incorporate video and voice chat into their
instant messengers as well, creating even tougher
competition for AIM (AIM Case Study).
Instant messaging services such as AIM have
begun to see a slow decline in users due to the rising
popularity of free,ad supported,social networing sites
such as Facebook, Myspace, and Bebo. Due to their
increasing usage, these sites are seen as competitors
to AIM Pages, People Connection, and
Userplane. AIM Pages also falls behind Blogger and
Myspace Blogs in posting comments on other users’
pages. In the same realm, AOL Groups ranks last in
average monthly unique visits, with Yahoo! Groups at
the top of the list. In mobile usage, however, AOL’s
mobile Web site receives more traffic in the U.S. than
that of Google, MSN, andYahoo! (Hitwise).
According to our primary research, the most
popular email service used is the School Account (30%),
followed by Yahoo! (21.3%), Hotmail (19.2%), Gmail
(11.2%),& AOL (5.3%).About 60% say they do not have
their own website or blog, but 96% say they do have a
profile page on a social network. 58% of respondents
are on Facebook, 38% are on Myspace, and1.8% use
another social networking site.Only 76% responded that
they used instant messaging regularly. AIM is the most
frequently used messaging service with 82%, followed by
MSN Messenger with 27% of respondents and Yahoo!
Messenger with 7%.
Brand
Yahoo! Messenger
Windows Live
Messenger
ICQ
Skype
Google Talk
Myspace
Facebook
Unique selling point and features
Has 17.7 million users. Offers conferencing and is supported by advertising. Partnerships include
Micrsoft, Lotus, and Reuters Communication Services. Currently #2 in messaging.
Has 14.6 million users. Formerly known as MSN Messenger.Their current advertising slogan is “I’m
Making a difference.You IM.We give.” Promotions are currently with Cause and Effect by mtvU called “The
I’m Inititave.” It is also incorporated with Xbox Live.
Has 29 millions users. Current slogan is “Everybody, Everywhere.” Some of its features are greeting cards,
mobile, video chat, groups, and forums.
3.3 million users. Known mostly for their use of PC phone calling and is incorporated with Sony PSP.
12.6 million users. It is a IM system that is bundled with Gmail and has been growing in popularity in the last
two years.
A social networking site that offers IM,TV, Mobile, and is based around profiles. It is also
advertising-supported. It is currently the 5th most popular website in the U.S.
An advertising-supported social networking site. It offers games and applications, and is also based around
profiles. Started as a site exclusively for college students and largely popular among
18-24 year olds.
7. Consumer Analysis
Demographics
Consumers ages 13-28 make up the
second largest generation known as the Millennials,
or sometimes called Generation Y or Eco Boomers.
As of 2006, this generation totalled over 75 million
people, with a growing market value of over $100
billion. Approximately 37.3% of 18-24 year olds are
full time college students.They are also more ethnically
diverse than other generations, with 61% White,
17% Hispanic, 15% Black and 4% Asian. According to
Deloitte Development LTC. 2006,“38% of Millennials
identify themselves as ‘non-white.’” Also, another
study presented by Teenage Research Unlimited in
Northbrook,IL concluded that 6 out of every 10 teens
said that “their friends included members of diverse
racial backgrounds.” Our audience communicates
face to face mostly with classmates, co-workers, and
friends. With acquaintances, our age group prefers
to use social networking to get in contact with them.
The phone is used mostly to communicate with family
members.
Our data shows that our audience spends
3-4 hours either hanging out with friends or on the
Internet. Most spend 1-2 hours watching TV, reading
the newspaper, or listening to the radio.
Purchasing behavior
Not only are Millennials a large market
but they also have a spending power of around
$400 a month. The average adult consumer spends
80% of their before-tax income, whereas under-25
consumers spend 108% of their before-tax income,
which is over the index by 28! These figures are
expected to continue to grow, reaching a 14.6%
increase and total income of $555 billion by 2009.
Teens and adults13-24 years old have an aggregate
income of $335 billion and they are characterized as
having excessive spending habits. They spend more
on things like clothes and entertainment than they
do on food (Research Wikis). However, the purchase
of cell phones, digital audio players, and hand-held
computer devices threaten the hold of the apparel
industry, as well as the spending priorities of this
age group. Among college students, 41% own digital
audio players and 90% own cell phones. These cell
phone users are more likely to use their phones for
text messaging and Internet use, making 18-24 year
olds the “leading market” in text messaging (Research
Wikis).
Psychographics
Key characteristics of Millennials are:
• Tech savvy
• Optimistic
• Diverse
• Open-minded
• Impatient
• Connected 24/7
• Independent
• Lifestyle-centered
• Seek to make a difference
• Comfortable with change
This generation has grown up around the
Internet and has a more advanced way of seeking out
information.They want instant gratification and look
at information as simply being a “click away.”They also
hold a strong sense of individualism, self-assurance,
and freedom.
6
Media andTechnology ideas and usage
Millennials want and expect to have control over their media experiences through technology. Teens
do not see technology such as DVRs, instant messaging, and wireless phones as anything “new.” Instead,
they are considered fundamental extensions of their consciousness. According to Simmons, 15.5% of 18-
24 year olds agree that the Internet changed the way that they obtain information, compared to 19.7% that
disagreed. Clearly, rather than seeing technologies like the Internet as innovations, Millennials view them as a
way of life.
The 18-24 year old age group
is the “leading market” in
text messaging.
White
Hispanic
African American
Asian
61%
17%
15%
4%
Ethnicity Breakdown
Deloitte Development LTC
8. 7
Age
13-25
16-18
19-20
21-24
Internet
hrs/week
17.4
17.3
16.2
15.5
TV
hrs/week
15.0
12
12
13.7
Radio
hrs/week
14.4
11.3
936
10.9
Phone/cell
hrs/week
8.1
7.6
6.8
7.5
Yahoo! and Carat Interactive, 2003
Traditional media
Males in this generation tend to read the
traditional male magazines such as Maxim and Playboy,
and Gamepro remains popular with the younger male
segment.Females tend to read the same magazines as
theyoungerfemaleswiththeadditionofCosmopolitan
to the mix. Popular magazines for females focus on
lifestyles and celebrities such as Seventeen, People,
andYM.
According to Nielsen’s Media Research,
American Idol is among the Top 10 television shows
in teen homes. Generally, there are a higher number
of TV addicts among 18-24 year olds, yet they watch
one-third less television programming than 13-17
year olds.
Internet and Social media
Internet has become a vital part of the teen
consumer’s everyday life. Approximately 88.7% of
18-24 year olds are using the Internet, compared
to 77.3% of the adult population. Millennials are also
very likely to purchase items online, such as computer
products, travel services, and tickets to entertainment
events. Overall, about 51% of females and 43.3%
of males are active online buyers. Among college
students, 97.7 million males and 98.8 million females
use the Internet,and 27.8% of men and 18% of female
Internet users are considered to be heavy users.
Furthermore, 49.4% of 18-24 year old Internet users
say that they are less likely to use television,magazines,
newspapers, and radio due to the prevalence of the
Internet (Pew Internet, 2004).
Teens are also now known as “content
creators.” More than half of online teens say they
create content through a variety of sources such as
blogs, social networking sites, or personal websites.
They also take existing content on the Internet and
make it their own by remixing it, and they often share
content that they have created with their friends.
Creating content on the Internet empowers teens
to express themselves and be heard in ways never
before imagined. According to a Pew Internet study,
39% of teens share their own artistic creations online,
such as artwork, photos, stories, and videos, while
another 51% say they currently download music
and 31% download videos. Teen downloaders get
their music from multiple sources, either paying for
it through services like iTunes and BuyMusic.com or
using peer-to-peer websites.
Advertising views
Young women are said to pay great attention
to celebrity endorsements and movie theater
advertisements.Among 18-24 year old women,27.6%
enjoy reading magazine advertisements, compared
to
only 19.5% of adults as a whole.About 25% of college
students receive cell phone ads, but only 5% of the
recipients can recall the advertiser and a mere 1%
responded to the ads. Of these recipients, 92% say
that the ads are annoying, and 67% are less likely to
purchase a product that uses text message advertising
(U.S.Youth Market Study 2005).
AIM Users
Of the 22 million AIM users, 20.7% are
between the ages of 18 and 24, over indexing total
AIM users by 77. An overwhelming 10.7% of those
users are students, with an index number of 299!
Among users, 75% log onto AIM every day, and the
same percentage has sent instant messages in the past
30 days. According to the same study, 21% of AIM
users have published blogs and 34.8% have visited
someone else’s blog in the same time period. With
the increase in popularity of cell phones, 28.1% of
AIM users download content to their cellular devices,
and 47.5% have sent or received text messages in the
past month (AIM Case Study).
12%
22%
37%
29%
Entertainment
Communication
Work
Other
Top WebsitesVisited
Sphinx Advertising Primary Research
9. 8
Market Trends
• Use of online video and advertising -
marketers spent an estimated $225
million on Internet video advertisements
in 2005, and that amount is said to
exceed $1.5 billion by 2009, according to
eMarketer
• Mobile advertising - text messaging,Web
mobile, content (i.e. viral videos, music
videos, commercial messages) - spending in
U.S. on mobile ads exceeded $421 million
in 2006 is expected to reach $5 billion by
2011, according to research by eMarketer.
• The main form of communication most
frequently used is the cell phone, followed
closely by face-to-face interaction. Social
networkingonaday-to-daybasisrankedlastas
the most frequent form of communication.
• 37% of the target audience spends 3-4
hours on the Internet per day, which account for both
personal and work related usage. About 26%
spend 5-6 hours on the Internet a day, and 3% of students
spend more than 10 hours a day browsing theWeb.
• 99.2% have a cell phone, so mobile alerts would be a very effective way to reach
our audience..
• Social networking - eMarketer projects that advertisers will spend over $1.3
billion on social networking sites by the end of 2008.
• Blogging - Blog advertising accounted for 81.4%, or $16.6 million, of total
spending on user-generated online media in 2005, but blog ads will comprise only
39.7%, or $300.4 million, of overall spending in 2010, according to the Center for
Media Research.
• Virtual worlds - Parks Associates estimated in June 2007
that $15 million was spent advertising in virtual worlds in
the United States in 2006 and projected that it would rise
tenfold to $150 million in 2012 (eMarketer).
• Video game advertising - 2005 spending on in-game
advertising was $56 million, and this figure is estimated
to grow to $1.8 billion by 2010 according to Massive
Incorporated,althoughYankee Group gives a lower estimate
at $732 million
• Within instant messaging: offline messaging, video chat &
voice chat - will they become more widely used?
Forms Of Communication most frequently used
Sphinx Advertising Primary Research
“All new technology comes from old
technology, and is going somewhere else,
and leaves a trail of terminology, ideas and
techniques in its wake. Change is inevitable;
preparedness for change can spell the
difference between survival and extinction.”
0
Face to Face
Instant Message
Social Networking
Text Messaging
Email
Phone
20 40 60 80 100
-David Lance Goines
10. 9
Product Analysis
AOL Instant Messenger, dubbed AIM, is an
ad-supported instant messaging program that is free
to registered users under certain copyrights and
terms of use. Overall, current awareness of AIM is
above 80% and has a market share of about 70%
(AIM Case Study). The majority of current AIM users
are now college students entering the job market.AIM
became extremely popular among this generation
throughout middle and high school. However, today’s
teens are more likely to use social networking sites
as a means for online messaging, leaving them even
less likely to sign up for AIM once they graduate
high school and head to college. Targeting college-
age AIM users in marketing AIM Social Media is ideal,
and there are certainly ways to appeal to a younger
audience as well.
According to our survey,54% of more than 400
respondents said that their IM was not constantly logged
in on their computer.Nearly 40% of those surveyed have
more than 100 friends on their Buddy List. 65% say
they exchange more than 10 messages in a typical
conversation. 46% of the responses used IM
during the times of 5pm-10pm.
Mobile capabilities make AIM even
more universally appealing, giving users the
option to have IM’s forwarded to their mobile
devices, send an IM from your computer to a
friend’s phone, change your away message or status
by sending a text message to your AIM, or make a
phone call to a mobile phone or land line directly
from your AIM. Along with mobile messaging, AIM
provides users with several other driving features
AIM Tunes allows users to create their own playlists with
music files on their own computers as well as stream music
from that of buddies on their
Buddy List.
AIM MusicLink detects what song users are currently
listening to through various media players and displays the
song or video title as the current status as it appears on the
Buddy List and in the Buddy Info (AIM.com).
Xdrive provides 5GB of free file storage through the web
and accessible on any computer with the use of your AIM
screenname as the log-in.
AIM bots provide an interesting medium by which AIM
users may receive information or post updates. These
special screennames may be sent messages in order to
receive search engine-like results or have some specific
action taken on your behalf.
AIMWIMZI is a downloadable widget that may be placed
on a personal blog or webpage to allow instant message
capabilities while keeping a user’s screenname anonymous.
AIM Whimsicals use lines of HTML to place similar
applications on web pages (AIM.com).
AIM Pro, powered by WebEx, was developed specifically
for corporate usage.AIM Pro allows business professionals
to communicate via instant message, video conferencing
and online meetings, and desktop and file sharing
(AIM Pro.com).
AIM Pages, a free service to all AIM users, enables the
creation of a personal social networking page that may
be shared with friends. An individual’s AIM Pages can
include photos, videos, music, and news, and skins. AIM’s
other social media products include People Connection,
Userplane, Groups, Comments, and Polls.
People Connection is a hub that allows users to connect
to each other through message boards,blogs,photo uploads,
chat rooms, and profile searches (peopleconnection.aim.
com).
Userplane is an open-widget communication platform for
online communities widely used by companies that have a
strong web base (userplane.com).
Social Media Blog, informing users of the latest AIM
updates and developments.The site links to several other
blogging sites, such as the popular gossip blogTMZ, as well
as AIM’s charity website, AIM for Good.
All of these products and features are available via links
on the AIM Dashboard, or AIM Today, the live welcome
page that pops up upon user sign-in.
0
VideoChat
AudioChat
TextChat
Mobile
IMForwarding(tocellPhone)
AimPage
UniversialAddressbookbyPlaxo
GroupChat
Emotions/BuddyIcons
20406080100120
AIM Features Used
Sphinx Advertising Primary Research
11%
18%
19%
Ease of Use
File Transfer
Chatting
Buddy Info
Customization
Accessibility
Privacy Setting
Notifications
None
10%
8%
9%
9%
11%
5%
Most Important Features
Sphinx Advertising Primary Research
0
Video Chat
Audio Chat
Text Chat
Mobile
IM Forwarding (to cell phone)
Aim Page
Universial Address book by Plaxo
Group Chat
Emotions/Buddy Icons
20 40 60 80 100 120
11. Brand Analysis
The AOL/AIM brand has maintained a high
level of awareness among those in our target market
throughout its transition from an Internet service
provider to content provider. However, the AIM
brand does not hold a top of mind position among
these users when compared to the competition.
This is due to less public relations efforts on behalf
of the AIM brand, and a lack of marketing the new
and innovating products AIM offers.
There appears to be a sense of confusion
among the users of AIM products. Although AIM
and AOL Social Media have features that are
popular among the target audience, it is becoming
increasingly difficult to explore these features
due to the inconsistent strategy currently being
implemented by AIM. AIM appears to have spread
itself thin by offering too many features, each with its
own design and web presence.In order to effectively
reach new and existing users,AIM should implement
and create a cohesive web presence highlighting the
features that will continue to drive the brand.
This graph illustrates the positioning of AIM
in relation to other online brands.AIM is well known
and close to the top of the target market’s minds,
but also perceived as unexciting. AIM’s familiarity
stems from its long run as the most popular instant
messenger, but AIM’s unfamiliar array of products
overwhelms users, which leads to dullness and
disengagement in the minds of the target market.
Other sites, such as Google, Ebay, MSN, and
Youtube, offer users exciting, relevant content, while
competing social networking sites such as Facebook
and Myspace are closer to the top of the target
market’s minds. AIM needs to increase its level of
excitement, and brand awareness will surely follow.
10
Perceptual Map
Exciting
Not So Exciting
Top of MindBottom of Mind
X Twitter
X Imeem
X Pandora
X Xanga
X Blogger
X Wikipedia
X AIM
X Microsoft
X Google
X You Tube
X Facebook
X Myspace
X Yahoo
X MSN
X ebay
12. Problems &
Opportunities
Problem: “Dominance of Facebook and Myspace in
social networking.”
Opportunity:We have a chance to gain a whole new
audience from our successes with instant messaging
while gaining new ground with AIM Pages.
Problem: “Clutter on the website and other various
applications from AIM.”
Opportunity: We have a chance to build a cohesive
website and fully integrate all of AIM applications into
an easy-to-navigate website.
Problem:“The decreased usage of AIM and AIM
products to the rise of other popular social networks.”
Opportunity: We have a chance to create a place
where all aspects of social networking can be found
within AIM and its many products.
Problem: “The Younger generation does not know
about AIM and its many applications.”
Opportunity: Existing users will serve as an influence
on new users who are unfamiliar with whatAIM and its
applications have to offer.
SWOT
strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
• Strong recognizable global brand
• Potential synergies withTime Warner properties
• Dominant share of instant messaging market
• Established presence in mobile media
• Wide range of online applications offered
• Decreasing popularity, usage, and growth
• Poorly organized, inconsistent, and helter-skelter
web presence
• Lack of focus on core businesses
• Low key advertising & promotions resulting in low awareness
• Lacking online presence / buzz / innovations when compared
to peers
• Abundance of features available
• Exponential growth in mobile web usage
• Fickle and constantly shifting loyalties among target audience
• Existing users as influencers of product
• Amount of time spent online by target audience
• Popularity of social networking applications
•Text messaging on phones over instant messaging
• Development of IM applications within social networking sites
• Uncertain company future due to corporate upheaval
• A new generation of web users who did not grow
up with AIM
11
14. Brand Strategy
Objectives:
1) Increase trial/usage by 15%
Primary Communication Objective: Promote trial
and usage among college students/target audience
members through consumer promotions and
innovations.
2) Bridge the gap between AIM messaging and AIM
social media.
Primary Communication Objective: Encourage
existing and new users to explore different features
incorporated within AIM.
3) Brand Awareness
Primary Communication Objective:Through the use
of traditional and non-traditional media, make AIM
once again a top of mind brand.
Key Selling Idea
Key Selling Idea: The goal of the 20/20
Campaign is to create a clean, integrated, and
navigable online presence for the AIM brand. The
20/20 Campaign will bring clarity and a futuristic
vision to the brand as well as focus on the essentials
to make the brand usable and stand out among the
competition.We will identify the unique features and
drivers of the AIM brand and utilize these features to
create an innovative and top of mind product.
Target Audence
The primary target for this campaign will be
18-24 year olds, with a heavy focus on full-time
college students in the United States.These tech-savvy,
trendsetting individuals are connected 24 hours a day, 7
daysaweek,andhavegrownupwiththeInternetinvolved
in their daily lives.The online world is ever changing, and
this age group is comfortable with adapting to change.
13-17 year olds will be the focus for the
secondary target. This younger group is the future of
our brand and will soon become online influencers, so
attention to this younger market is essential.
Support
In order to provide an innovative online
portal, we have emphasized the strengths of AIM to
expand on its popularity.We will appeal to the target
market by making AIM the gateway to the Internet
through the promotion of AIM Flash.The elements of
the 20/20 Campaign link existing AIM products
and innovations together through the use of online
collaborations and event marketing. Through both
traditional and non-traditional advertising, we will
promote the elements of the 20/20 Campaign
and encourage user participation.Both the AIM brand
and today’s youth place a high emphasis on social
media, hence making the 20/20 campaign the
best fit for AIM in gearing towards the future.
Tone
The tone of our creative executions is
energetic yet pragmatic, and it emphasizes the
importance of AIM in the day-to-day lives of our
target audience.This campaign gives members of our
target audience a chance to strengthen and develop
a relationship with AIM, thus achieving the established
objectives.
Touchpoints
We have identified four main categories of
touchpoints that AIM has with the target audience.
We have created and executed our branding strategy
based on these touchpoints.
1) Advertising and promotions
2) Interaction between users and AIM client
3) Direct contact between user and AIM personnel
4) Unexpected contact which includes chatter
among users and target audience influencers
such as bloggers.
13
15. Creative Executions
Product Intergration
AIM Flash
The portable drive itself is a bracelet
designed for a comfortable, light fit.It is easy to carry
and can be worn anywhere at anytime, making it a
device that teens will be less likely to lose compared
to other flash drives.AIM Flash will prompt a browser
that manages your personal settings, and it may be
used at any computer with an available USB port
and Internet connection.
The bracelet design consists of a solid
color with the AIM logo, with the color being at the
discretion of the consumer. University logos, names,
and colors will be used for AIM Flash drives available
at various college bookstores across the United
States.
Browser
The browser will contain a scroll of icons
representing customized applications for personal
use. These icons will link up to AIM products and
other chosen widgets. We plan to give away a free
512MB AIM Flash at our special events, and 1GB and
2GB AIM Flash drives will be for sale at university
bookstores.The space will be available to store any
files in addition to the 5G of space on the Xdrive
with which your AIM Flash will link.
14
AIM Flash
AIM Flash Login Screen
16. The Browser Window Anatomy
Once a user plugs in the AIM Flash, a browser
window will appear, prompting users to log in with their
AIM screenname and password. Upon log-in, the user
is to click on the AIM logo at the top left, dropping a
list of icons linking to different AIM products and other
user-customized features. As shown, when an icon is
scrolled over with the mouse, the icon enlarges and
the application name appears.The arrow button is used
to continuously scroll through a user’s customized list,
and clicking on an icon will prompt the corresponding
application.
Customization
The links across the bottom of the browser window
are used to edit various features of the AIM Flash device and
all AIM products. As demonstrated in the illustrations, the AIM
Flash browser may be personalized with multiple colors and
typefaces.These features will allow users to interact with various
AIM products on a more personal level, and the AIM Flash may be
used as a universal tool for organization.
15
17. Brand Experience
Promotional Events
AIM Flash will set up shop at concerts on
and around 50 college campuses nationwide. This
promotional event will focus on larger schools and
those with a high concentration of 18-24 year olds
in the surrounding areas. Free 512MG AIM Flash
drives will be handed out to students at booths, and
AIM Ambassadors will demonstrate to students how
AIM Flash works.This provides consumers with one-
on-one customer service and immediately employs
interaction with the product.
AIM Ambassadors will be paid for identifying
which concerts to sponsor, setting up the booths at
each concert, handing out AIM Flash wristbands, and
demonstrating product usage. Each ambassador will
be trained on how to use and customize AIM Flash
and will be equipped with knowledge of the
various AIM products associated with it. It
will also be their responsibility to
implement several marketing efforts
for the concert and scavenger hunt, and
to facilitate the scavenger hunt that is
taking place on their designated campus.
The number of ambassadors will be
determined by the size of the
campus and the anticipated
concert attendance.
AIM Flash will provide
promotional funding for the event
in order to attach the brand and
product name.“RockYour Campus,”
the AIM Flash promotional
event, will increase awareness of
AIM and AIM Flash and engage consumers in using
the products.
Mall and Poster Advertisements
To promote the“RockYour Campus”concert,
11X17 inch posters will be displayed in shopping malls
and on the designated college campuses.The poster
is bold and eye-catching in order to attract out target
audience’s attention and a grungy, youthful theme is
used.The“RockYour Campus”logo is placed boldly in
white over a blue background at the top of the page.
The date and AIM sponsorship is also in white, and is
placed below the logo in a complementing font.The
featured Warner Bros. Records band, Green Day, is
placed in a large, sans serif font in the center of the
page.The blue rays of the background draw the eye
in to focus on the band name.AIM’s logo is placed in
the lower right corner nest to a button, which when
pushed, plays a MIDI file of the band.
16
Event Poster
Event Booth
18. Scavenger Hunt
The “Rock your Campus” viral campaign
will be a mixture of Internet, mobile, and instant
messaging.The brand ambassadors will facilitate and
organize a viral scavenger hunt on each individual
campus on which these concerts will be held. One
month before each concert date, marketing efforts
for the scavenger hunt will commence, encouraging
students and community youth to become involved.
The advertisements will explain that contestants
need to log into AIM and go to the “Rock Your
Campus” microsite. A demonstration video and
instructions will appear on the web page, and
contestants will be asked to enter their screennames
and cell phone numbers.Soon after,they will receive
an instant message from an AIM bot.The message
will contain a picture and a Rock and Roll riddle,
and it will be the user’s task to walk around campus
and follow the clues. Users can solve the riddle by
taking a digital picture of the object and submitting
it through the AIM bot or a mobile phone. If the
correct image is submitted, the user will receive the
next clue.This will continue until there are only four
contestants left.Winners of the contest will receive
numerous prizes as well as the chance to go back
stage at the concert and meet the band.
This promotion will not only generate
excitement, but will also engage users in use of AIM
bots, AIM File Share, and AIM mobile capabilities.
In addition, the AIM brand will resonate with our
target audience by being associated with a fun event,
a popular band, and awesome prizes.
17
Newspaper Insert
19. Brand Interaction
PS3 Integration
AIM will implement a new downloadable
version of its software specially designed for the
Playstation 3. Currently, Playstation allows users to
add friends and chat via the Playstation 3 Network,
but we find this limiting. By incorporating AIM into
the PS3, Sphinx wants to allow gamers to chat in
between sessions with other friends on AIM, and to
stay connected with AIM buddies as well as friends
on the PS3 Network. Incorporating AIM into the
PS3 Network will also allow users to message AIM
buddies who might not be on PS3, and invite them
to join you online to play a certain video game.Since
the PS3 also has Bluetooth capability, users will have
better quality voice chat and video chat. Not only
that, but by providing a more unified chatting system
on PS3,AIM will be expanding its network.
In addition, working with Playstation and its
upcoming project HOME, a virtual world much like
Second Life,AIM has another foothold in the virtual
world. Within HOME, AIM will purchase multiple
advertising media and create small shops and virtual
games.
Mobile
After conducting research on the latest advertising trends, it became
apparent that there should be much emphasis in the mobile spectrum. Our
team wanted to incorporate new ideas, as well as integrate mobile with other
advertising media.To accomplish this without being intrusive, we feel it would
be effective for AIM to combine mobile with the scavenger hunt. AIM users
registered for the scavenger hunt would receive the latest clues via text message.
This feature is exclusively for AIM users, in hopes that AIM will acquire new users
through participation in this event.
In addition,we have also devised a program called“MyAIM Updates.”This
feature gives AIM users the option to receive text messages on their cellphones
about content they are interested in. Upon logging into their AIM accounts, users
can choose from a list of possible features such as horoscopes, sports, news,
weather predictions, and the like.The chosen features will then be texted to the
AIM user’s cell phone on a daily basis until the user opts-out. Furthermore,AIM
users would also be able to change their status, info, and photo by sending a text
or picture message to their screenname.
18
20. Chats
AIM Chats will allow users to submit questions to celebrities that are deemed popular and respected by the members of our target market.AIM
Bots will relay these questions to the chosen celebrities, such as Perez Hilton or Rihanna, who will then read them and respond to questions they choose
to answer.The celebrities’ responses will be sent back to the users who asked the questions via the same AIM Bot.This promotion will appeal teens and
young adults who look to admirable celebrities for trends within multiple facets of life.This will attract new users as well as encourage current AIM users
to more frequently use instant messaging.
Internet Advertising
Our Internet advertising will comprise of banners and skins that incorporate the same design
elements as the AIM Flash browser window. The banner ads will promote AIM Flash, “Rock Your
Campus,” the scavenger hunt, and the 6.5K Charity Run.Throughout the year, the banner ads will
change to correspond with each promotion.
19
Banner AdsMyspace Skins
21. In Store Ads
Point of Purchase displays featuring AIM
Flash will be assembled in college campus bookstores
across the United States.The displays will exhibit the
1GB an 2GB flash drives and their prices. The in-
store displays will remain consistent with the overall
theme of the campaign and its design elements.
In addition, $50,000 of the profits from AIM Flash
wristbands sold will go to a non-profit organization
featured on the AIM for Good website.
Charity Run
AIM for Good will partner up with one of its
featured charities and holding a 6.5k run, sponsored
by AIM 6.5. Participants will receive free 512MB
AIM Flash wristband, which will be co-branded with
the featured charity.The run will take place in cities
across the nation with high concentrations of 18-24
year olds.
LED Billboards
Our 18-24 year old target frequently uses text messaging throughout the day, every day. AIM will
take this popular, growing form of communication to a larger level by placing large, LED billboards featuring
30-character text messages at college sports arenas and outdoor stadiums.These electronic billboards will be
sponsored by AIM and encased in AIM’s signature red speech bubble.They will allow game spectators to send
their text message to a server, which will then be displayed on the large screen.
Large-scale sports stadiums, such as Busch Stadium in Saint Louis, MO, charge $2.99 for each text
message that is published on the LED screen.This $2.99 cost is a bit steep for our 18-24 year old target
audience, so a cheaper $0.99 fee will be charged per message.The revenue for these messages will benefit
one of the charities sponsored by AIM for Good.
The LED billboards are a great way for users to merge text messaging with a social cause, while
incorporating a fun way to publish a simple “I love you” or “Happy Birthday” message at a live sports event.
Your
Text
Here
AIM
. Send Your Text To #5555 .
. Max. 30 Characters . $0.99 Per Message .
20
Banner Ad
22. Web Redesign
As mentioned, some of the major problems
facing AIM are the vast amount of websites,
inconsistent navigation, and low awareness of
certain products. Sphinx Advertising has developed
a list of Web suggestions to minimize these setbacks
in order for AIM to become a front-runner in the
social media category, while also becoming more
attractive to new and current users.
AIM Homepage
Sphinx suggests that the AIM homepage,
Buddy List,AIM email,andAIM Pages all be integrated
into AIM Dashboard.This would create a seamless
product encompassing all of what AIM has to offer.
Consequently, this will eliminate the large number of
AIM web pages that currently exist, making it much
easier for users to navigate and locate various AIM
products and affiliates.
Customization
From the AIM Dashboard, also known as
AIMToday, users can access their email account,AIM
Page, and the various blogs and links on the current
website. User and software updates will also be
available and may be customized. Furthermore, the
homepage will be a dynamic interface that allows
users to arrange features however they so choose.
Widgets and Applications
The latest widgets and AIM Plug-ins will
be available for download by AIM users through
the homepage.These may also be customized to a
user’s liking and may be added or removed from the
AIM Dashboard at any time.
Social Networking
Since AIM has one of the largest instant messaging networks,it needs to utilize its current user base to
develop the groundwork for a social network.This network could start off as an independent entity and then
be integrated with Bebo at a later stage. By doing this,AIM can break free from a one-dimensional messaging
service to that of a multi-pronged networking system.
IM Window and AIM Page
We also suggest that AIM integrate a mini AIM Page into the IM window, while still allowing users to
manage their tabs as they chat with multiple buddies. Users can customize their mini AIM Page, and all users
will have a link their AIM Page and their AIMTunes.This will make both AIM Pages and AIMTunes more visible
to AIM users, and we feel that more users will utilize these social networking tools with this integration.
21
24. Media Strategy
Media Objectives
1) Create national awareness of AIM and its
products among 18-24 year olds.
2)Target advertising to 18-24 year old college
students because of the influencer effect.
3) Reach 60% of target audience an average of
3 times and 40% of target audience an
average of 5 times during the campaign.
4) Increase overall registration for AIM by 15%
by the end of the campaign year.
Media Plan
The execution of this campaign will
concentrate in 50 United States cities that Sphinx
Advertising has identified as cities with a growing
population of 18-24 year old college students.
Internet advertising and product placement will
supplement these efforts and reach members of
the target audience who do not reside in these pre-
determined cities.
Media Strategy
Sphinx Advertising will use traditional as
well as non-traditional media. The message will be
visually placed in front of a captive target audience
via the web,print,mall displays,and video games.The
message will be carried through popular, influential
disk jockeys, creating a positive image for the brand.
Product placement will allow AIM Flash to t be
integrated into situations that reflect how pervasive
AIM has become in our daily communication
needs.
Budget
23
Target Markets:Top 50 Universities in the United States
Item Budget % Amount Spent
Media Buying 58% $14,500,000
AIM Flash Production 10% $2,500,000
Charity Promotions 10% $2,500,000
P.O.P. Displays 8% $2,000,000
Celebrity Chats 8% $2,000,000
Ambassador Salaries 2% $500,000
Contingency 4% $1,000,000
100% $25,000,000
25. MediaTactics
Website Ad Type Reach % Unique Imp. (1000s) Frequency CPM Gross Imp. (1000s) Total $
YouTube Banner Ads 64% 36,500 3 $8 109,500 875,000
MySpace Banner Ads/Skin 68% 36,500 3 $8 109,500 875,000
Perez Hilton Banner Ads/Skin 42% 15,000 6 $5 90,000 450,000
ESPN Banner Ads 26% 18,750 3 $8 56,250 450,000
CNN Banner Ads 16% 20,000 4 $3 80,000 240,000
Digg Banner Ads 10% 7,300 8 $3 58,400 175,000
IMDB Banner Ads/Skin 18% 10,800 6 $4 64,800 260,000
IGN Banner Ads 15% 7,300 8 $3 58,400 175,000
Pandora Banner Ads 15% 5,000 10 $1 50,000 50,000
E! Online Banner Ads 25% 8,750 8 $5 70,000 350,000
Career Builder Banner Ads 14% 6,250 8 $2 50,000 100,000
4,000,000
Google Keywords 500,000
Yahoo! Keywords 500,000
1,000,000
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Internet: Banner Ads, Skins, Keywords
Internet advertising will be focused on
websites that are popular with the target audience
to increase brand presence. Banner ads will be
placed on YouTube, MySpace, Perez Hilton, ESPN,
CNN, Digg, IMDB, IGN, Pandora, E! Online, and
Career Builder. In addition, AIM Flash skins will
be placed on MySpace, Perez Hilton, and IMDB.
Internet advertising will take place throughout the
year, focusing on promotions and events that are
occurring during the current month.
As of March 2008, the competition is
not taking advantage of search engine marketing.
Relevant keywords and names of competitors will
be bid on through Google Adsense and Yahoo!
Search Engine Marketing.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular
websitesamongthemembersofourtargetaudience.
Frequent visits to Facebook will allow for increased
ad exposure and help drive our promotional efforts
for the scavenger hunt and “Rock Your Campus.”
Ads and News Feeds will give event information as
well as scavenger hunt updates and will be catered
to each school’s network.
PS3 In Game Ads
Gamers are able to recall about 25-30% of brands in the short-term, and their attitudes toward
product placement in video games is generally positive. In-game advertising is a profit-heavy endeavor that
will generate millions for AIM in terms of reach. Both males and females in our target market are heavily into
playing video games. 18-24 year olds are gaming approximately 8 hours a week. The market for hardcore
gamers, who play 15 hours or more a week, will grow 40% to 17 million this year.
AIM will tap into this medium by advertising in the virtual arenas and playing fields of the hottest
sports games titles through companies such as Double Fusion, IGA, and Adscape.
24
Video Game Type of Ad Cost
NCAA March Madness Billboard $500,000
Madden NFL Billboard $500,000
$1,000,000
26. 25
Product Placement
Sphinxhaschosenthreetelevisionprograms
that have a large reach among our primary and
secondary target audiences - The Office, Gossip Girl,
and American Idol. These programs will be used as
a vessel to broaden the awareness of AIM through
product placement. Not only is this a more cost
efficient way to penetrate televised media, but
it is also more positively viewed than television
commercials among our target audience members.
Mall Displays
To promote “Rock Your Campus,” Sphinx
will advertise through the use of mall displays.
Shopping centers are a commonplace frequently
visited by the target audience, not only to make
purchases but also to socialize.
Newspaper Insert
Full color inserts will be placed in campus newspapers at the 50 colleges at which AIM will be holding
promotional events. Color inserts have greater visibility and exposure than a standard newspaper ad of similar
size.Also, these newspapers are a niche media directed specifically to our target market.
Radio Live Liners
Members of the target audience are active consumers of radio. Popular disk jockeys in the selected
college towns will announce live liners to further promote “Rock Your Campus” and remind listeners of the
event. Local disk jockeys are key influencers to the target audience and will allow for a familiar and local
tone.
Sidewalk Chalk
Sidewalk chalk is an affordable way to get information out on college campuses. Chalking will be done
in high traffic areas that are frequented by students on the average school day.This will create awareness of
“RockYour Campus” and will also serve as reminder advertising.
Evaluation
Marketing Objectives
Objective: Increase trial and usage of AIM products by 15%
Evaluation: Examine registration data available from AIM to determine if objective
was met.
Objective: Bridge the gap between AIM Messaging and AIM Social Media
Evaluation: Incorporate tactics that will encourage existing and new users of AIM
to supplement their messaging activities with social networking capabilities.
Objective: Increase AIM brand awareness
Evaluation: Conduct brand performance studies in comparison with other similar
brands to gauge top of mind perception.
Creative Execution
Creative executions will be evaluated by copy testing various creative elements in
order to ensure its effectiveness among the target audience.These evaluative tests
will be used for likeability, interactivity, and persuasive ability.
Media
Objective: Create national awareness of AIM and its products among
18-24 year olds.
Evaluation: Conduct brand performance studies in comparison with other similar
brands to gauge top of mind perception.
Objective: Target advertising to 18-24 year old college students because of the
influencer effect.
Evaluation: Examine profile data of new members to determine the increase in
registration among 18-24 year olds who are not college students.
Objective: Reach 60% of target audience an average of 3 times and 40% of target
audience an average of 5 times during the campaign.
Evaluation:Use web metrics and newspaper readership as well as radio listenership
data to evaluate set goals.
Objective: Increase overall registration for AIM by 15% by the end of the
campaign year.
Evaluation: Examine registration data available from AIM to determine if objective
was met.
27. 26
Media Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec % of Budg. Cost
14% 3,500,000
Radio Live Liners 7% 1,750,000
Mall Displays 5.60% 1,400,000
Posters 1.40% 350,000
4% 1,000,000
Newspaper Inserts 2.20% 560,000
Facebook 1.20% 300,000
Ambient 0.60% 140,000
8% 2,000,000
The Office 4% 1,000,000
Gossip Girl 2.50% 600,000
Dirt 1.60% 400,000
32% 8,000,000
Internet 20% 5,000,000
Playstation 3 4% 1,000,000
In-Game 4% 1,000,000
ArenaTexting Billboards 4% 1,000,000
58% 14,500,000
Promotional Event
Scavenger Hunt
Product Placement
Other
Flow Chart
28. References
AOL Instant Messenger Home Page
http://www.aol.com/aim/home.html
Sphinx advertising primary research
Syndicated research studies and software
USYouth Market Study 2005
US Census Bureau 2006
Teen Attitudes 2003
Ingameadvertising.com 2007
Simmons Media Research
SRDS
Marketresearch.com
www.teenresearch.com
Massive Incorporated
Yankee Group
Trade publications
Advertising Age
Brand Week
Ad Week
Media Life magazine
Media Post
Academic and Scholarly publications
Amy Voida Wendy C. Newstetter , Elizabeth D.
Mynatt, When conventions collide: the tensions of
instant messaging attributed, Proceedings of the
SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing
systems:Changing our world,changing ourselves,April
20-25, 2002
CEO Refresher 2003,MRITwelve Plus 2003,Projected
US census 2006
ComScore, 2007a.“NewYear’s Resolutions Reflected
in January U.S.Web Traffic,” at http://www.comscore.
com/press/release.asp?press=1214, accessed 16
February 2007.
David Lance Goines, A brief history of Electronic
printing.
Grinter, R. E. and Palen, L. 2002. Instant messaging in
teen life.In Proceedings of the 2002 ACM Conference
on Computer Supported Cooperative Work
Hitwise, 2007. “MySpace The Top US Search Term in
2006 Among All Websites,” at http://www.hitwise.
com/press-center/hitwiseHS2004/2006-top-search-
terms.php, accessed 15 February 2007.
McFarlane,D.Coordinating the interruption of people
in human-computer interaction. In Proceedings of
INTERACT’99. IOS Press, Inc., 295--303.
Millennials Rising, Neil Howe and William Strauss
(Vintage Books, 2000)
MRI Teenmark, 2003, 2003-1 Roper Youth Report
NOP World Company (Feb. 2003)
Pew Internet and American Life Project. http://www.
pewinternet.org/.
Sara A. Bly , Steve R. Harrison , Susan Irwin, Media
spaces: bringing people together in a video, audio,
and computing environment, Communications of the
ACM, v.36 n.1, p.28-46, Jan. 1993
Steve Whittaker, Rethinking video as a technology
for interpersonal communications: theory and
design implications, International Journal of Human-
Computer Studies, v.42 n.5, p.501-529, May 1995
Sweeney, 1999 C. Sweeney, A chat room you can be
NE1, New York Times Magazine (1999, October 17),
pp. 66–68.
Walsh, D. A. (1998). 1998 Video and computer game
report card. Minneapolis, MN: National Institute on
Media and the Family.
Woodward, E. H., & Gridina, N. (2000). Media in
the home 2000: the fifth annual survey of parents
and children (Survey Series No. 7). Philadelphia, PA:
Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Yahoo (2003).Yahoo! and Carat unveil research results
showing teens are truly born to be wired”. Retrieved
from
http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1107.html.
27
29. Acknowledgements
This campaign was a true collaborative effort involving numerous departments across campus, including:
School of Journalism, Department of Cinema and Photography, Department of Radio andTelevision, Department of Speech
Communication,American Marketing Association, Saluki Advertising Agency, and Public Relations Student Society of America.
We are extremely grateful to Prof.William Freivogel, Ms. Karen Waldron, and Ms. Sherida Evans at the School of Journalism for their
help in organizing our trip and representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale at NSAC.We would like to thank our professors in the
School of Journalism for laying a strong foundation towards our future careers in advertising.
We would like to extend a special thanks to Professor Linda Correll, Dean Gary Kolb, Ron Graves, and Clare Mitchell
AAF Officers
President: Erin Koelkebeck
Vice President: Jenny Methling
Media Director: Nathan Brendal
Secretary:Ashley Henna
Fundraising Director: Sara Ingold
PresentationTeam
Jacob Feasby
Sara Ingold
Cole Singleton
Karyn Graham
Adrian Ortiz
Thanks to the Following AAF Members:
Kelly McCarty, Jenna Smith, Erin Kressner, Dwight Jae Williams, Daniela Burgos, RobertYancey, Stephen Hardnett, Bryan Haupt,
Meredith Hanson,Tiphani Lenoir, Bridgett Moran,Whitney Priebe, Laura Hackstadt, Scott Kinkelaar
Special thanks to our faculty advisor Prof. Narayanan Iyer
28
