1. FINAL REPORT
For-Profit Team
ABSTRACT
A detailed account and guidebook of
Traffick Jam’s for-profit team’s work
from 2015-2016
TEAM MEMBERS
President: Hayley Gray
Vice President: Heather Carpenter
Ally Bove
Michael Brock
Ben Jackson
Christina Murray
Carina Plasencia
Austin Rose
Diamond Ross
Kyle Smith
John Tipton
Lauren Tuttle
Gianna Williams
2. 1
Table of Contents
Company Background Pages 1-2
Creative and Integrated Marketing Communications Pages 3-7
Social Media and Website Pages 8-13
Events Pages 14-18
Products and Raffles Pages 19-24
Income Statement Page 25
Closing Remarks Page 26
Appendices
A: 2015-2016 Team Member Contacts
B: All Professional Contacts
C: Shine Out Advertising Timeline Checklist
D: Shine Out Event Timeline Checklist
E: Shine Out Event Schedule of Events Day Of
F: Logins for Social Media and Website
G: Press Release for Shine Out
H: List of Church Contacts
I: Flyers for Events/Promotional Nights/Raffles
J: Script/Handout to Potential Donors
K: Pictures of popup shop table
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35-42
Page 43
Page 44
3. 2
Mission
Traffick Jam is a self-sustaining team of Mercer Marketing students whose purpose is to
teach Macon’s teens how to drive out sex trafficking.
Traffick Jam goes into our local schools to teach teens to (1) recognize sex trafficking in
its many forms, (2) realize that it is a problem in the U.S. and even in Middle Georgia, (3) react
if they encounter sex trafficking and what actions to take to avoid the danger, and finally (4)
raise awareness among their friends, family, and community.
Traffick Jam’s work is funded by creating and selling objects of value and hosting events
that resonate with people who are passionate about driving out sex trafficking.
Vision
Expand the Traffick Jam brand to teams across the country and to continue to grow the
brand in such a way that it increasingly impacts the lives, attitudes, and behaviors of teens.
Company Culture
Traffick Jam’s company culture emphasizes its commitment to leaving a legacy for both
the next generation of Mercer students and the middle and high-school students it reaches with
its curriculum. Members are students who are focused on creating a memorable product or
service that supports its advocacy and education mission. Our students are professional inside
and outside of class, and cultivate an upbeat and edgy culture through collaboration, teamwork,
and brand awareness. It is essential to have an atmosphere of open communication with positive
feedback and constructive criticism. Team members should be assessed in the beginning to learn
strengths and weaknesses for the most effective team management. Furthermore, each class
period should begin with a brief meeting on the goals for the day, upcoming events, and open
discussion of any confusion or issues. For future reference, management should ensure short-
4. 3
term and long-term goals are communicated to everyone, and class time should be structured
with everyone remaining on task. A social media platform such as Slack, Groupme, or a
Facebook group should be used for communication outside of class between all members.
Deadlines must be set with specific instructions on tasks to achieve objectives.
Brand Description
Traffick Jam is an independent brand created by marketing students at Mercer University.
Traffick Jam strives to create value with products that reflect its mission to educate teens in
Macon about the dangers and realities of sex trafficking in Middle Georgia. Traffick Jam’s
product mix includes promotional items, such as t-shirts and decals that raise awareness for its
mission and brand. In addition, Traffick Jam works with wholesale companies to sell clothing
and accessories made by recovering victims of the global sex trade. Traffick Jam‘s brand
embodies a commitment to prevent sex trafficking in the Macon community and support that
same commitment in communities around the world.
For-Profit 2015-2016 Objectives
Create “Traffick Jam” Brand and cultivate brand image according to mission
Spread brand awareness, interest, and support on Mercer’s Campus and expand brand reach
to community at large
Sell objects of value to support education mission.
5. 4
Creative
The creative director, Carina Plasencia, was in charge of making the tag line, logo, shirt
design, flyers, social media images, yard signs, and post cards. Before we could started on the
creatives, we needed to decide on what to do with our organization name. The group from last
year was broken up into two teams, the not-for-profit called Traffick Jam and the for-profit
called Decoding Freedom. Coming into the year, we discussed the confusion that comes from
having two names for a single organization. Though we were separate groups with specific tasks
we needed to complete on our own, in the end, we were working towards the same mission so we
decided to adopt a unified name, Traffick Jam. We wanted to be consistent across everything we
did from producing merchandise to posting on social media. From there we focused on making
an all-encompassing tag line. We tied in driving, traffic, and car elements to play off our name,
while connecting with our goal of educating high school students in Middle Georgia. We wanted
to keep it short and appropriate. Next, we moved on with creating the logo.
The logo was made in class using Microsoft Word and then it was edited and adjusted on
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. The hand print represents our organization making a
difference, as well as the students we educate. The road signifies the path taken with the high
school students as Traffick Jam educates them about sex trafficking. Our tag line is a distressed
6. 5
font called 3rd Man from www.dafont.com that was free and was used to add texture and
dimension to the logo.
A flyer was created for each event. In total, seven event flyers, which can be found in the
Google Docs, were distributed in academic buildings around campus including Stetson, SEB,
Knight, Hardeman, Computer Science, Groover, and Ware. For our biggest event, Shine Out Sex
Trafficking, flyers were put up in downtown Macon and Mercer Village. Flyer quantities varied,
but on average about 30 flyers were printed. Separate Facebook and Instagram images (with
specific size measurements) were made to be posted on social media as well. Square postcards
were printed for the Jason Aldean raffle and for general information about Traffick Jam. The
Jason Aldean postcards were miniature versions of the flyer and the general information
postcards where front and back and included our mission, who we are, and what we do. Other
prints included yard sign posters, brochures, and programs that were made for Shine Out Sex
Trafficking. Designs for promotional marketing materials were based on what was most
appropriate for the events. Sex Trafficking Week included a design that was more serious since it
was an awareness event. Shine Out incorporated brighter colors and fun text to make the flyer
more inviting.
Future Advice for Creative Director
For social media, images need to be the correct size to fit the appropriate dimensions so
that important information in not cropped out. Make sure the logo is always on the prints and try
to make it as big as possible to build brand awareness. It is recommended to get a single person
to handle the printing and distribution of flyers. Calling the Mercer Auxiliary Services office at
478-301-2741 would be the best choice of communication. We had a lot of mishaps with using
Auxiliary Services to print (wrong sizes, discoloration, etc.), so it may be best to find a different
7. 6
printing business. If Auxiliary Services is where the printing will take place, make sure to ask for
the specific format they would like and how the items will be printed (four per page, front and
back, etc.). Lastly, there is a computer lab in the first floor of Stetson near the back stairwell and
all the computers have the Adobe Creative Cloud programs, which would be great to use to make
the creatives.
Integrated Marketing Communications
The advertising section worked along with every sector of the business, but mostly
creatives and social media. Advertising for events throughout the semester was based on flyer,
social media platform, and school platforms, such as Bear Blurbs, which you can email at
campuslife@mercer.edu.
Flyers
For every event, we put flyers around campus in Stetson, SEB, Willet, CSC, Knight,
Wiggs, Computer Science, Langdale, and Ryals. We wanted to get flyers in every building that
we possibly could on campus. We did ask for permission before hanging the flyers because some
buildings on campus have rules when it comes to putting up flyers. We also utilized Mercer
Village to advertise our flyers. We put them in the window of every building in Mercer Village
after asking the owner or workers for permission to do so. In the downtown area, flyers were
posted in Just Tap’d, Macon Arts Alliance, WEAR on First St., Golden Bough Bookstore,
Amanda’s Cakery, Cox Capital Theatre, Roasted Café & Lounge, Parish on Cherry St., The
Hummingbird, and Convention and Visitors Bureau. We asked to hang flyers in every location.
The color copies were more effective than the black and white for eye-catching reasons as well
as people actually taking the time to read them, as indicated by feedback given to Traffick Jam.
In auxiliary services, the price for color printing is $0.39/ page verse black and white printing
8. 7
which is $.07/ page. You can talk with the professor about her printing a couple in color for you
though to cut some cost.
Shine Out Media
Shine Out was the biggest event of the year which commanded a lot of focus on an
advertising strategy. There was a press release created for Shine Out along with Dr. Crutchfield’s
assistance, which can be found in Appendix G. The press release was sent out to several news
outlets for possible announcements to the community about the event including the Telegraph,
The Cluster, WGXA-TV, 41NBC, and 13WMAZ through email two weeks before the event. The
emails for these outlets can be found in Appendix B. We sent a follow up email closer to the day
of the event just for a reminder. We also sent out emails of the press releases along with
description of our organization to local churches. The list of churches and their emails can be
found in Appendix H. Lastly, we sent out emails to professors with classes that somewhat related
to the purpose of the event asking them to offer their classes extra credit if they came to the
event. There was a timeline created for what advertisements went out and when, which can be
found in Appendix C. This is an essential part to creating an advertising plan in order to hold
team members accountable and ensure tasks are done effectively.
9. 8
Website
We created the website through Wix.com, one of the leading providers of custom
websites on the internet. The decision came down between Wix.com and Squarespace.com, but
after comparing pricing for both services, we chose Wix.com at a rate of $135.80 per year. This
price includes a free domain name registration for a year, e-commerce capabilities, and a voucher
for search optimization. The ability to set up an online storefront was the biggest determinant in
choosing a provider after cost, as the main goal of the website was to open a storefront for distant
customers.
After choosing our provider, Austin Rose designed the website. We first designed a
website based off a template on Wix.com that featured a red and black-themed display, with a
gloomy picture of a woman in a field in the background. After reviewing the final edit of the
design, we ultimately decided that it was too depressing and did not fit the mood which we
wanted to convey. With the help of Dr. Crutchfield, we searched for other non-profit websites
that stood out among the rest, and found design elements that would suit our needs. We finally
decided on a site with ample white space and large pictures, one that would appear modern and
clean. We used a black and white theme with vibrant pictures that cover the entire computer
display, in order to make the images pop.
The Traffick Jam website features six main pages:
Home
About Us
What We Do
Events
Store
Contact
The landing page and home page, features a brief about us and who we are, then includes
a mini storefront at the bottom. Customers could learn everything they want about Traffick Jam
10. 9
and make a purchase without leaving the homepage. The “About Us” page details who the
Traffick Jam team is comprised of and our purpose. The “What We Do” page details the
curriculum program of Traffick Jam, and what we do with the money that we raise. This gives
visitors insight into what exactly our function is in the community. The “Events” page displays a
calendar or posters about upcoming events and details and links surrounding the events. It should
be updated often to remain accurate. The “Store” page is our online storefront, which sells all
Traffick Jam products. Also, it outlines how much money it takes to educate a student, breaking
it down so customers can see their contributions. Lastly, a brief contact page allows visitors to
email us at Traffick Jam about any questions or how to get involved.
In the one semester TraffickJamGeorgia.com was online, we placed 9 total orders in the
store, totaling $169.94 in sales. Raffle tickets for Jason Aldean totaled $123.97 in sales,
compared to $45.97 in sales for clothing. These customers lived in South Carolina and Georgia,
with a vast majority residing outside of the Macon area.
As indicated in the table above, in March, Traffickjamgeorgia.com had 250 unique
visitors with 518 page views, continuing the trend of over 100% growth in visitors month to
month. 123 of those visitors were from Georgia, and the next biggest market, 69, was in San
Francisco, CA and Wichita, KS with 29 visitors. There is not much to explain the interest in
those two locations, as none of the visitors from those areas purchased products. We also had
visitors in the UK and Thailand, although they made no purchases.
City Visitors
Macon, GA 77
San Francisco, CA 69
Wichita, KS 29
Washington, DC 4
11. 10
Although the majority of our visitors were from Macon, the website should try to target
customers outside of Macon as it is accessible world-wide. The website store will be a great tool
for Traffick Jam as it continues to experience growth and interest, as we can see from the data
that it allowed customers to purchase product remotely. Overall, the website sales showed a
profit from its initial investment only two months into its 12-month billing cycle. Costing
Traffick Jam a little under $12/month, per month sales on the website storefront realized roughly
$73 in gross profit per month. As we have already recouped the cost of the website through its
first two months, the investment was sound and profitable. These profits do not account for
raised brand awareness, which also can be translated into profitable outcomes for the website.
The Traffick Jam website raised awareness throughout the United States and in two other
countries.
Maintaining the website throughout the year will be imperative in ensuring a sound return
on investment. In order to login, go to wix.com and use the login information provided in
Appendix F. The website needs to be updated with new events and products in order to keep
customers informed. Also, more media such as pictures and video can be added to enhance the
site experience. The next Traffick Jam team can make media creation a priority to bolster the
website’s appearance and effectiveness.
Editing the site on Wix.com has a small learning curve, but with some practice anyone
should be able to pick it up. The design and formatting was the hardest part, and small tweaks
Month Cost Per Month for
Website
Sales Per Month on
Website
Profit Per Month
February 11.32 33.98 22.66
March 11.32 135.96 124.64
April 11.32 ----- -----
12. 11
and additions shouldn’t be hard to complete from here on out. There are numerous apps and add-
ons that Traffick Jam can take advantage of down the road with more capital.
Social Media
In order to create more customer relationships, communicate with our target audience,
and promote products and events, we created two social media accounts: Facebook and
Instagram at traffickjam.macon. The social media marketer posted on Facebook at least once a
day on average and every other week on Instagram. These posts were pre-planned in Facebook
with a set day and time that it would publish and consisted of content ranging from products,
events, news articles on sex trafficking, and updates on going into the schools.
Using Facebook insights, the results indicated our target audience was women age 18-24.
Facebook gathers this by seeing who engages with the posts most frequently, and who is viewing
our page the most. When we started posting on the Facebook page on January 18th
, our organic
reach was 49 people, and by April 6th we were at 204 organic views.
In order to gain more reach throughout the semester we began to boost the posts.
Boosting allows you to target specific people based on demographics and locations. On February
23rd, we boosted our first post about our products. It received 177 organic views and 158 views.
We chose to target those who followed our page and their friends, which allowed us to gain more
organic views and have a better understanding of who we should be targeting. We began to boost
posts about events, products, and raffles frequently so that more people would see them. The
social media marketer also analyzed the times our audience was on Facebook most often. The
results indicated it was best to post at 9 AM, 12 PM, and 9 PM.
The most successful post which was boosted, was our product post announcing the new
“Not For Sale” tank tops we were going to start selling. For this post we got over 90 likes, about
13. 12
14 shares, and our reach more than double from previous posts that got about 400 views to now
over 1000 and that’s based on the first day we boosted it. The paid reach up there shows the total
views we got over the entire time the ad was running. This cost us only $15 and it really helped
in promoting our brand so from then on we knew that boosting our post would be very
beneficial.
The overall goal with our brand was to be consistent, relevant, and appropriate for our
cause. We wanted to spread our message to students, faculty, and communities in not just
Macon, but all over GA with the hopes of reaching a nationwide audience.
Tips for Social Media Management Next Year
For next year, we would recommend planning on doing live Facebook feeds for at least
one minute at every pop up shop selling products. It would raise awareness and allow for
students to have immediate information about where to buy our products in a unique way.
Additionally, the social media marketer should make a calendar of general posts, updates, and
articles for the semester. It should be reviewed by the events team, leaders, and professor so that
14. 13
there is a clear understanding of expectations from the beginning. That will also lead to more
focus on analyzing results so that we can have a better understanding of our target audience.
Along with scheduling posts, the social media manager should work with at least one member of
the team going into the schools. The person from the education team would act as a liaison and
be responsible for summarizing what the other team is doing during the week, or in the near
future. This will allow for the social media manager to create different posts and be able to tailor
the posts to that.
We would also either revamp the Instagram accounts or make sure that the social media
manager has the posts connected to the Facebook account. That way it would be easier to keep
the brand aligned and consistent posts. There could be a hashtag created and Instagram
competitions to gain more engagement from our followers. However, if that cannot be done, the
Instagram account should be deleted. Finally, for events or pop up shops there should be a
snapchat filter purchased with our logo or the event logo. It is an affordable way to uniquely
show off our brand, and allow others to share our brand with their friends/followers we may not
be reaching. Furthermore, we could have our own snapchat similar to many companies where we
do live feeds of the education sessions.
Note: Login information for social media and the website can be found in Appendix F.
15. 14
Events
Brainstorming for events to host was a collaborative effort. We researched our target
market and exactly who we want to attend our events and planned events through that process.
We wanted to be innovative and tried to come up with different events that people would enjoy.
Logistically, Mercer has a reservation platform called 25 live that was used to reserve all of the
venues we needed for the events that we had—even for the tables that we needed to reserve to
sell raffle tickets and our products. On 25 live there is an event wizard can be used to figure out
everything that we needed for each thing we were holding. For example, for the tables, we had to
not only pick a place, but also determine how many tables and if we needed A/V supplies as well
as anything else from the physical plant. Evan Paulson was the contact for this and knew about
everything that was needed for each thing reserved, and he was always good about responding in
a very prompt manner.
Our first event of the semester was Human Trafficking Awareness Week. This event was
an opportunity to raise awareness of sex trafficking on campus and with the community. We
wanted to begin this week with a free event on campus to get people excited about being part of
the cause to end sex trafficking. We also wanted to give people the knowledge that was needed
to be aware of the signs around them.
To kick off this week, we hosted the “Tunnel of Lost Souls.” It was free to everyone. We
decided to book the second floor of the Stetson School of Business and Economics as our
“tunnel”. The tunnel had four classrooms. The first three were viewing rooms. Traffick Jam
members were recorded as actors telling stories of people who were in situations of sex
trafficking. The first room gave introductions to who they were. The second room went deeper
into their stories and the third room wraps it all up at the end. The fourth room had facts about
16. 15
human and sex trafficking in Georgia taped to the walls. There was also a place for those who
participated the take a survey of the overall experience. We had an attendance of eight, though
others did show interest in the event. This event was not our most successful because we had to
plan it coming off of winter break. If we had a month or more to plan the event we could've used
student actors and a videographer/editor to make it seem more realistic. We possibly could have
found someone willing to tell a personal story. Another change that could be made is to use a
venue that can be manipulated for a darker, more depressing feel. This way the patrons can delve
more into the videos. Also to have something hands on to do. This would be a great way to get
CLA professors involved in Traffick Jam, by possibly giving their students extra credit for their
involvement. However, it is essential to make all events fun, which seemed to be a major
problem with this event. Although it was educational, it was not an event people would enjoy.
The second part of sex trafficking awareness week involved setting up a table in the CSC
We used three days in the Connell Student Center further into the week to get our name out to
the students and sell our products. Additionally, we had a bake sale, in which members of the
team paid for the ingredients and made their own goods to sell so that anything sold was
profitable for the organization. Selling in the CSC is a great way to mingle with students and
introduce the organization but after so many days you see the same people over again. I would
highly recommend it for Human Trafficking Awareness Week, along with passing out ribbons,
stickers or buttons.
Our main event of the semester was the 2nd
annual Shine Out Sex Trafficking. The
purpose of this event was to bring anti-sex trafficking organizations together as an opportunity
for those who are passionate about the cause to learn how to get involved. This was an event
open to community with free food and takeaways for the patrons. Traffick Jam also used this
17. 16
opportunity to sell merchandise. The event was held in Newton Chapel, opposed to Tattnall
Square Park where it was held the year before. This location was highly favorable as the logistics
ran smoother inside with sound systems, bathrooms, and out of the elements. The event lasted for
two hours and we had a crowd of about fifty people. Attendees included: Mayor Robert Reichert,
Bibb County Sheriff and the DA.
The speakers and performers obtained for the event were:
David Lester – CLAWS
Christine Watson - MG ALert/ International Justice Mission
Cynthia Smith - Out of Darkness
Jeff Shaw - Out of Darkness (Keynote Speaker)
Point B.L.A.N.K.
Justis Ward
All professional contact information is listed in Appendix B. As should be done with all
events, a timeline was made 2 months in advance. The timeline for the successful execution can
be found in Appendix D.
Finalize Venue: Finalizing the venue includes tables, chairs, podium, and a stage. Make sure
you also book a rain location if you decide to continue the tradition of holding the event at
Tattnall Square Park.
Vendors: Make a list of all of the restaurants and stores that could possibly be able to donate
food and paper items for the day of Shine Out. Our list included:
Margaritas
Chick-Fil-A (Zebulon Rd.)
Jittery Joes
Sauced
Rookery
Barefoot Tavern
Circa
McDonalds
Greek Corner Deli
Moe’s
18. 17
Bear’s Den
Fincher’s BBQ
In total, over 50 calls and 15 restaurant solicitations were made for food donations for
Shine Out. We only ended up receiving donations from Moe’s, Texas Roadhouse, Papa John’s,
Fincher’s, and Goodwill’s Anderson Conference Center.
Finalize the order of the Program: Know all of the speakers and find a way to place them in an
order that would be best appealing to the audience.
Speaker meeting/email: Find a time to email or call all of the speakers to find out what they are
speaking about and give them a timeline of how long they'll have to speak. We made sure to
make the key topic about how the community can be involved in ending sex trafficking. This
helps to keep each speaker on a specific topic to avoid random information. Make sure to also
ask them about their bio that they would like to be introduced with. Always keep them updated
on any information that may change with the time or venue of the event.
Advertising: Advertising would best be seen two weeks before the event. A detailed advertising
plan for how we advertised Shine Out can be found in Appendix C. The press release sent to the
organizations listed in the advertising plan can be found in Appendix G.
Volunteers needed: It is important to have enough human resources readily available. Positions
needed include: greeters, parking, merchandise sales, food distribution, set-up, and clean-up. We
also decided to place programs in the seats before the event instead of handing them out. The
same people who set those out are also in charge of passing out and lighting sparklers.
Call Speakers: Call the speakers to make sure there are not any last minute questions and make
sure they understand the setup and overall topic of the event.
Day of Event: Execute: A sample schedule from our event has been provided in Appendix E.
19. 18
Restaurant-sponsored Nights
During the semester, we held two restaurant-sponsored nights in order to reach into the
community, develop more business relationships, and raise money. Our first was a fundraising
night held at Moe’s on Vineville Ave. This event was our way to end a week of awareness by
moving off campus. We were able to talk to customers about who we are and what we want to
accomplish in the community. We were in contact with the owner of Moe's through Dr.
Crutchfield's connection. He agreed to give us 10% of the proceeds for that night, but we had to
be present there. It was successful because we were able to reach people that we were not able to
on campus. We were given $70.22.
In the middle of the semester, we held another restaurant-based event with a Marg’s
Night at the Margaritas in Mercer Village. Margs donated $300 to Traffic jam. Brad, the owner,
is whom we worked with to make the event possible, although communication required more
effort on our end. For future reference, be very assertive and proactive in answering any
questions restaurant owners may have. The event was staffed by 1 or 2 members of our class in
hourly rotations. These members had Traffick Jam flyers that they could pass out to people in
order to spread brand awareness and walked around communicating with customers.
20. 19
Products
Promotional Products
We bought three different products throughout the year. We started with a navy shirt that
had Traffick Jam on the front and on the back it had different words that corresponded with sex
trafficking. The words were researched and tested with different viewers to verify potential
audience members would not mind wearing a shirt with those words on them. These shirts were
one of our more popular items. We ordered 30 and sold 15. We bought them for $6.75 and sold
them for $15. This gave us a net income of $123.75. However, having only sold half by the end
of the semester indicated that these shirts were not a good product to sell. Many people felt that
we should have put the graphic on the front since the back is not seen under jackets.
Around spring break, we ordered white tank tops that said “Not for Sale” on the front.
We bought 30 of these for $6.75 apiece and sold 8 of them for $12 resulting in a net income of
$42.00. These sold very quickly and were received positively on Facebook. As a result, selling
efforts should be focused on these tanks. We ordered 100 decals at $1.00 per decal. We only sold
3 or 4 of these and gave many away, indicating these were not good products to sell.
Amount
Order
Amount
Sold
Cost Price
Net
Income
Given
as gifts
Remaining
inventory
Cost of
Remaining
Inventory
Navy T-
Shirts
30 15 $6.75 $15 $123.75 10 5 $33.75
Tanks 35 8 $6.75 $12 $42.00 1 26 $175.50
Red Thread
Bracelet
40 26 $2.21 $5 $72.54 0 14 $30.94
Headband 30 26 $4.21 $10 $150.54 0 4 $16.84
21. 20
The reason we picked these three items is because we felt these items would spark the
interests of college students. However, in the future, it would be beneficial to do market research
and test out product ideas prior to buying them. Our target market was female college students
age 18-24 as females are more likely to buy than males as indicated by the research from the
class before us. We bought these items from John Tipton’s company, Solutions Printing. He was
part of the class and was able to get a good price on these products.
Nonpromotional Products
The first products we acquired were our Traffick Jam T-shirts and decals. While, these
products were great as promotional items, we decided that some non-promotional products were
also needed. Last year, the class sold Elephant Pants that were made by women affected by sex
trafficking. We were left with eleven pairs of these pants in inventory, selling all but two pairs
throughout the semester.
In order, to choose our non- promotional products, Christina Murray researched
wholesalers of products with a connection to the anti-sex trafficking cause. She found three
viable sites: Eternal Threads, Global Goods Partners, and Malia Designs. She contacted each
company to learn their wholesale policies and prices. From this information, she created a
PowerPoint presentation for the class, which included the policies and possible products.
Here is the minimum order and shipping information provided by each company:
Company Minimum Order Cost Shipping Cost
Eternal Threads $100 $15
Global Goods Partner $100 $12.95
Malia Designs $150 $12-15
22. 21
Since the company's policies were so similar, we had to choose our items based on the
products’ selling potential. We wanted low cost, yet stylish items. Referencing survey responses
from the previous year, we determined college students would not be willing to spend more than
$20 on a product. We decided the Lungi Headbands and Red Thread Bracelets from Eternal
Threads were the best options. Each item is handmade by girls in Nepal. The items provide the
girls with income and education so they may recover from the sex trade or avoid ever entering.
Proceeds from the bracelets also support safe houses along the borders of Nepal. Having this as a
background for the products would further support the willingness to buy as a result of the
meaning of the products indicated by the surveys from last year. Christina Murray contacted
Linda Egle at Eternal Threads. Since Linda appreciated our cause, she offered us an additional
deal on the items; selling the red thread bracelets at a wholesale price, which is not their typical
policy. Contact information can be found in Appendix B. The process from order to shipping
took only two days.
Allocating shipping and handling costs to each item, the headbands cost a total of $4.21
each and the bracelets cost $2.21 each. As you should always markup items by at least 100%, we
chose to price the headbands at an even $10.00 and the bracelets an even $5.00. We ordered 30
headbands and 40 bracelets. These items have been very successful. We have sold 26 of each
item. The profit generated from these two items totaled to $175.30, making them the most
profitable of our products offerings.
Product Management Tips
If we had to do it again we would create a solid shirt at the beginning and focus on selling
them throughout the semester. The tank tops should have been ordered sooner so that students
could have bought them to wear over Spring Break. The decals are strictly give away items and
23. 22
should only be used as such. If ordering new products, consider going through Eternal Threads.
They appreciate our cause and will certainly offer discounts. When selling products, be sure to
track items sold at the time of sale. If selling clothing, record the size. These steps will help keep
track of available inventory. Create a spreadsheet to track inventory. Enter the total amount of
items ordered, their cost, and sales. Designate one person to make changes to this spreadsheet to
ensure there is no double counting. There is a spreadsheet already made on Google docs.
However, it needs simplifying and verification.
Product Distribution
In addition to selling products via the website, Traffick Jam hosted several popup shops
throughout the semester both on and off of the Mercer University campus. The reason for these
popup shops were to spread awareness for overall organizational cause, promote and sell
products, promote and sell raffle tickets for the organization’s several raffle prize opportunities,
and to promote signature events. The locations for the popup shops included the Connell Student
Center (CSC), Cruz Plaza, Stetson School of Business and Economics, the Science and
Pop Up Shops Sales Most Popular Product
Stetson School of
Business
$168 Lungi Headband
Battle of the
Bands
$75 Elephant Pants
Cruz Plaza $81 Lungi Headband
SEB $20 Pants
Cruz Plaza $147 Tank tops
Camp for a Cause $47 Lungi Headband
First
Friday
Sales
Most Popular
Product
February $134 Lungi Headband
March $113 Lungi Headband
24. 23
Engineering building (SEB), Mercer Battle of the Bands, Camp for a Cause, and Wear Boutique
in downtown Macon. The target profit goal per shop was around $75 which was met with the
exception of two shops.
Tips for Popup Shops Next Year
The most popular and successful locations for the shops were Cruz Plaza and the Stetson
School of Business between 11 and 2. The least successful was the Science and Engineering
building. This is a location that should not be used in the future. There was a low number of
traffic in and out of the building as well as the students seemed to be uninterested in our purpose
for being there. The Camp for a Cause location seemed to net low profit but actually was a
potentially good event. Most of the people at Camp for a Cause were customers that had already
been targeted. All the locations used this year besides the Science and Engineering building are
great places for future popup shops. The locations of shops can be used more than once but
should be rotated. Some potential good sites for future popup shops are Mercer athletic events
such as baseball and basketball games, other downtown boutiques, the University Center, and
other campus events. The most popular product that was sold at the shops were the Lungi
headband. While the least popular were the decals. Decals were unpopular for the price that was
selected and should most likely be considered a giveaway item. All products except decals
should be sold and possibly reordered in the future. The t-shirts should be redesigned if possible.
One item that we had lots of requests for but did not have enough in stock was the decoding
freedom baseball t-shirts. These should be considered for reordering. The pop up shops are a
necessary way to earn revenue and earn back team members investments.
25. 24
Raffles
In addition to the products and restaurant nights, we held raffles to raise money. The first
raffle included two raffle baskets and a Yeti cooler. The items were donated from different stores
and restaurants in the Macon community including Jittery Joe’s, Sauced, Margarita’s Mercer
Village, Indigo Salon, Signature Salon, Head Over Heels Boutique, and Rumour Boutique.
Winners were announced at the basketball game.We made $805 from this first raffle.
The second raffle was for two Jason Aldean benefit concert tickets. Students in Traffic
Jam were given 10 raffle tickets to sell themselves and could receive more if needed. A printed
letter was made to take to potential donors, which can be found in Appendix J. This allowed the
team members in charge of procuring donations to present Traffick Jam to various restaurant
managers. We made around $355 from this raffle.
When it came to getting raffle items a team member, Ben Jackson, had leverage with
existing relationships to secure various items, including from in the Athletic Department. Daniel
Tate, who is in charge of marketing, helped us get a football helmet signed by Head Coach
Bobby Lamb. This select auction raised $230.
Tips for Future Raffles and Keys to Success
In order to be successful in raffles, team members must be persistent, creative, and
passionate. That being said it was important to map out in lists what was needed, when it is
needed by, and who was responsible for completing each item. Also, when soliciting food
vendors and they ask how many people will be attending the event, it is best to tell them about
25 people or half of the party. This will make them more likely to give smaller quantity. It seems
obvious but it is a good reminder that something from everywhere is more beneficial compared
to looking for 3 or 4 major food vendors.
26. 25
When it comes to getting big ticket items for the raffle, it is best to look for existing
relationships with the retailer. For example, someone on the campus might have worked for or
know the owner of a retail location. This seems like common knowledge but we found that if we
know the person, then they are more likely to help us out. Next year the students should look to
use the same food vendors since they will be that much more familiar with our brand. Also next
year look to have some of the student athletes help sell raffle tickets to their teammates because
they have a solid relationship with those peers. In addition to student athletes, Greek students
also have a given body of students to target so we suggest making it mandatory to have everyone
in the class regardless of those backgrounds (athlete, Greek) sell at least 5 tickets and provide an
incentive if they sell more than 10 tickets total. Additionally, deadlines should be made and
clearly told to potential donors to avoid confusion on what will actually be received.
Furthermore, do not advertise any particular items or restaurants until it is guaranteed to avoid
false advertising and confusion with customers.
Income Statement
We started with $776 leftover from last year. In order to best maximize our brand’s
effectiveness, each member of Traffick Jam personally invested $40 into the company at the
27. 26
beginning of 2016. In addition, Dr. Crutchfield contributed $200 of seed money, for a total of
$1,380 invested into the education effort and initial products. The decision to personally invest
into the brand created a unique sense of ownership for the individuals involved. Our efforts and
success over the semester dictated whether or not our investment would be returned. This money
was withdrawn at the end as we made enough to cover our COGS, SG&A, and Not-for-profit
expenses in addition to leaving an extra $206 of net income.
Tips for Financial Officer in the Future
The excel spreadsheet used to record all transactions should be updated by only one
person to avoid confusion and error. Additionally, transactions should only be recorded when
they have been deposited or withdrawn from the account. The bank statement should be
reconciled with the spreadsheet each class period. Detailed descriptions of the transactions
should be recorded with dates and what products/events contributed to the amount being
recorded.
Closing Remarks
The hope for Traffick Jam is to expand in Georgia at first, and move out into the United
States after that. In order to do that, we will need to increase the monetary goals for next year.
This will involve major web expansion gaining much more traffic on the website, as well as
social media. Additionally, we will need to gain sponsorships from major companies and on a
school level. Traffick Jam will be opening up “clubs” at various universities in Georgia such as
Georgia Southern, UGA, and Georgia College and State. It is essential to talk to the
administrative offices of these schools, and Mercer, in order to receive funding from schools.
Selling efforts will also need to be expanded into shops in the community. Read through all of
the tips for next year in each section for more detailed directions for next year.
28. 27
Appendix A
2015-2016 Team Member Contacts
Name Phone Numbers Email
Kyle Smith (Raffle) 478-952-5184 kylesmith3850@gmail.com
Ally Bove (Events) 404-441-2222 ally.bove@yahoo.com
Michael Brock (Products) 404-886-0627 brockmichael27@gmail.com
John Tipton (Products) 423-463-5271 johnbtipton10@gmail.com
Diamond Ross (Public Relations) 229-429-2297 diamondross013@gmail.com
Gianna Williams (Events) 770-853-0507 gd.williams2111@gmail.com
Heather Carpenter (Vice President) 913-433-7774 10925773@live.mercer.edu
Carina Plasencia (Creative) 404-573-6300 carplasencia@gmail.com
Christina Murray (Products) 478-335-4233 christina.lucia.murray@gmail.com
Ben Jackson (Raffle and Communications) 770-880-2600 benjaminrjackson30@gmail.com
Hayley Gray (President) 478-973-1485 hgraye@gmail.com
Lauren Tuttle (Social Media) 540-525-9602 laurenntuttle@gmail.com
Austin Rose (Website) 404-735-1649 austinjamesrose@gmail.com
Dr. Crutchfield 478-396-7405 crutchfie_tn@mercer.edu
29. 28
Appendix B
Jeff Shaw jeff@outofdarkness.org 404-275-
2064
Craig Douglas lpmcllc@hotmail.com 478-447-
2255
Cynthia Smith outofdarknessmiddlega@gmail.com 478-230-
7746
Christine Watson 24thingsucando@gmail.com 478-213-
5236
David Lester (Dr. Crutchfield has information)
Moe’s- Ray Yarbrough rayyarbrough0702@gmail.com 478-747-
5341
Indigo Salon 478 254-
4738
WGXA-TV news@wgxa-tv.com
41nbc news@41nbc.com
13wmaz eyewitnessnews@13wmaz.com
The Cluster editor@mercercluster.com
Evan Paulson (Coordinator of Campus
Resources)
paulson_er@mercer.edu 478-301-
4200
Kelly Jackson (Global Goods Partners) kjackson@globalgoodspartners.org
Linda Engle (Eternal Threads) communications@eternalthreads.com
Malia Designs contact@maliadesigns.com
Brad (Margs) margaritasmacon@gmail.com 478-318-
5302
Bear Blurbs campuslife@mercer.edu
30. 29
Appendix C
SHINE OUT ADVERTISING CHECKLIST:
Start promoting on social media: Mention at least once a week on social media outlets
Have approval of flyers
Send Press Release to cluster (give them my name, email, and description: we want to
notify the mercer community about Traffick Jam and our upcoming Shine Out event):
editor@mercercluster.com to Published March 17 mention to possibly be published
online as well
Send out flyer to professors to try to get them to give students extra credit for attending
Put event on Mercer Calendar
Send out Press Release to churches
Send Press Release to Telegraph, 41 NBC, Radio Stations 96.5& 99
Flyers go out in Residence Hall (120); Stetson, SEB, Willet, Med School Auditorium,
CSC, Hardeman, Knight, Ware, Groover, EGC, Langdale, Willingham, Computer
Science, and Psych building
Talk to stores that we have affiliation with about putting flyers in their store windows
Contact Church affiliated groups on campus
Put out yard signs on Cruz, quad, and med lawn
Do mural of flyer in chalk on Cruz.
Hand out glow sticks around campus
Execute Event
32. 31
Appendix E
Schedule of Events
Time Tattnall/Newton Schedule
3:00 Equipment Arrives
5:00 Volunteers Arrive
5:30 Guests Arrive
6:00 Patrons get food
6:10 Opening Statement 5 mins
6:15 David Lester 15 mins
6:30 Intro of Point BLANK
6:35 Poem 5 mins
6:40 Intro of IJM
6:45 IJM 10mins
6:55 Intro of Musical Performance
7:00 Musical Performance 5 mins
7:05 Intro of Jeff Shaw
7:10 Jeff Shaw 20 mins
7:30 Intro of Point BLANK
7:35 Poem 5 mins
7:40 Intro Out of Darkness
7:45 Out of Darkness 10 mins
7:55 Intro Traffick Jam
8:00 Raffle Announcement and Closing 10 mins
8:10 Event Ends
34. 33
Appendix G
www.mercer.edu
March 10, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Tammy Crutchfield, (478) 396-7405 or crutchfie_tn@mercer.edu
Mercer University Marketing Students to Host Community Event
to ‘Shine Out Sex Trafficking’
Traffick Jam, a team of Mercer University marketing students whose mission is to drive out sex
trafficking in Middle GA, will host their second annual, free community event, "Shine out Sex
Trafficking," on Thursday, March 31, 6-8 p.m., in Tattnall Square Park. The goal of this event is to
educate community members on how to get involved in the effort to end sex trafficking in Middle
Georgia.
Jeff Shaw, founder and president of Out of Darkness, an Atlanta-based anti-trafficking ministry, will be
the keynote speaker. Out of Darkness has made 600 rescues from Georgia streets and jails and placed
these women into long-term care and has a chapter in Middle GA, which has completed 30 rescues over
the past year.
Representatives from several Middle Georgia anti-trafficking organizations, including the International
Justice Mission, Out of Darkness Middle Georgia, Traffick Jam, and CLAWS (Civil Lawyers against
World Slavery) will also present. Additionally, members of Point B.L.A.N.K., Mercer's first-ever spoken
word collective, as well as vocal artist, Lauren Tuttle, will perform. Local vendors will provide free food
for attendees to enjoy.
At the end of the event, sparklers will be handed out to encourage community members to go "Shine out
Sex Trafficking."
Jeff Shaw will be in Macon on Thursday, March 31 and will be available for an interview before the
event. Please let us know if you would like to interview him.
Traffick Jam is a self-sustaining team of Mercer University’s Stetson School of Business and Economics
Marketing students whose purpose is to teach Macon’s teens how to drive out sex trafficking. Traffick
Jam goes into our local schools to educate and empower teens to protect themselves, their friends, and
their community. Traffick Jam’s work is funded by creating and selling objects of value and hosting
events that resonate with people who are passionate about driving out sex trafficking.
Last year, Traffick Jam served 150 children and is on track to serve over 400 this year. Traffick Jam is
sustainable year to year with new Mercer marketing students taking over existing initiatives.
35. 34
Appendix H
Organization 1 - Name Name Organization 1 - Title E-mail 1 - Value Phone 1 - Value Address 1 - Formatted
Northway Church Anderson Phil Pastor panderson@northwaychurch.net (478) 476-1971 5915 Zebulon Rd, Macon, GA 31210
St. Francis Episcopal Church Derek Stokes Missions Chair derek.e.stokes@gmail.com
Centenary United Methodist
Church Eric Mayle
Director of
Centenary
Community
Ministries eric@centenarymacon.org 478-742-8926 1290 College Street, Macon, Georgia 31201
Northminster Presbyterian
Church GAIL NEWARK Representative grnewark@yahoo.com 201-600-4398
Thompson Lift Truck Joey Rogers joeyrogers@thompsontractor.com 478-785-1119
Northside Christian Church Kevin Payton paytonfamily@yahoo.com 478-477-6539 5024 Northside Drive, Macon, GA 31210
Christ Chapel Sports Town Kim Winters kdwinters@Live.com 478-475-9818 170 Starcadia Cir, Macon, GA 31210
Lisa Call lcall@ingleside.org 478-477-7251 834 Wimbish Rd., Macon, GA 31210
Wesley United Methodist
Church Mark Magoni Pastor mmagoni@bellsouth.net 478-781-0332 4256 Hartley Bridge Rd., Macon, GA 31216
St. Paul Episcopal Church Lightsey, Pam Mission Chair pam.lightsey@usdoj.gov
Highland Hills Baptist Church Renee Bennett Missions Chair reneebennett24@cox.net
Wesley United Methodist
Church Rev. Billy Kimbrel Pastor wesleyumcsecretary@gmail.com 478-781-0332 4256 Hartley Bridge Rd., Macon, Ga 31216
Bethel Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church Rev. Jamie L. Capers Pastor pastorjlcapers@yahoo.com 478-746-8007 1668 Pio Nono Avenue, Macon, GA 31204
The Well Church Rev. Sue Jackson Pastor revsuejackson@gmail.com (478) 477-6097 6258 Thomaston Rd, Macon, GA 31220
Vineville United Methodist
Church Rev. Ted Goshorn Associate Pastor tgoshorn@vinevillemethodist.org
(478) 745-3331
ext. 304 2045 Vineville Ave., Macon, GA 31204
Liberty United Methodist
Church
Rev. Wayne
Anthony Pastor libertybradshaw@gmail.com 478-788-5343 6511 Houston Road, Macon, GA 31216
Vineville Baptist Church Dr. Richard Kremer Senior Pastor rkremer@vbcmacon.org 478-743-9366 4256 Vineville & Pierce Avenues
Covenant Life Cathedral
Robert W.
Hunnicutt Pastor PastorHunnicutt@aol.com
478-781-2273 x
11 4543 Bloomfield Rd., Macon, GA 31206
First Baptist Church of Christ-
Macon Scott Dickison Pastor scott@fbcxmacon.org 478.742.6485
511 High Place
Macon, GA 31201
St. Joseph's Catholic Church Steven Mastrangelo
Director of Parish
Admin. steve@st-joseph.cc 478-745-1631
Martha Bowman United
Methodist Church Tim Steffan Senior Pastor tsteffen@marthabowman.org 478-477-1901 500 Bass Road, Macon, GA 31210
Harvest Cathedral Church Vivian Porter Group Life Pastor vivian@harvestcathedral.com 478.781.7157 2254 Rocky Creek Road, Macon, Ga 31206
Southside Community Church William Rand Pastor randw@windstream.net (478) 213-1306
44. 43
Appendix J
Hello,
Traffick Jam is a non-profit organization run by Marketing Management students of
Mercer University under the direction of Dr. Tammy Crutchfield. Comprised of
mostly senior students with a passion for marketing and making a difference, our
mission is to raise money to educate and empower Macon teens to protect
themselves and their friends from sex trafficking. Last year, we educated over 150
students in Macon high schools. This year, we will be educating over 500 students.
Shine Out Event Details:
Willingham Hall- Mercer University
6:00-8:00
100 People
Donation Request:
Paper products or salad
Last year, we raised $800 in raffle ticket sales during our Shine Out event. Your
donation has the potential to truly change lives of people throughout the Macon
area. We thank you for your time and appreciate any contributions you can make
to our event.
Sincerely,
Ben Jackson
Traffick Jam Team Member
Contact Us:
Email: traffickjamgeorgia@gmail.com
Phone: 770-880-2600
Website: www.traffickjamgeorgia.com
