Portfolio Marketing Plan GS word

Girls Scout Marketing Strategy
By
Catherine Bale
Regis University

Marketing Plan Outline
1. Executive Summary
2. Marketing OpportunityAnalysis
a. External Environment
b. Internal Environment
c. SWOT Analysis
3. Competitive Landscape
a. CompetitorProfiles
b. Competitive Matrix
4. CustomerAnalysis
a. CustomerNeeds
b. Currentand/orpotential customers
c. Market Research
5. Objectives& Goals
6. Product Strategy & Tactical Plan
a. ProductStrategy & Rationale
b. ProductTactical Plan
7. Price Strategy & Tactical Plan
a. Price Strategy & Rationale
b. Price Tactical Plan
8. Place Strategy & Tactical Plan
a. Place Strategy& Rationale
b. Place Tactical Plan
9. Promotion & Tactical Plan
a. Promotion Strategy &Rationale
b. Promotion Tactical Plan
c. Promotional PlanningGrid
10. CustomerKnowledge Management
a. Control Plan
b. Lifetime Value
c. NextSteps
11. Financial Reports
a. Projected ProfitandLossStatement
12. Appendix
13. References

Executive Summary
The Daisy program at Girl Scouts Colorado, hereinafter“GSCO”,has beenlosingmembers asthe
product is maturing and beginning to decline. To reverse this trend, we have crafted a marketing plan
capable of capturing 1 percent of the total market and generate a profit of $38,610 in the first year of
implementation. This marketing plan has been developed by realigning the newly examined customer
needswithupdated product, price, place, andpromotion strategies andtactical plansto guide the exact
implementation of thisplan, while consideringthe competitive landscape aswell asthe broaderexternal
and internal environments. Inthe sections tofollow, we have provided detailedinformation summarized
in a concise and effective manner in order to deliver maximum value and insight behind our
recommendations. Alsoaccompanyingthismarketingplan, are detailedfinancial projections thatfurther
add logic and reason that support our plan. Lastly, we have added tools for simplifying the examination
of the lifetime value of Daisy members and provide advice on the next steps that will lead the GSCO
organization and its Daisy program into a new and prolific stage in the years to come.
Market Opportunity Analysis
Market Situation
Strongmarketingplansare characterized bytheiralignmenttoexternalandinternal factorsinthe
environment. Smith explains that, strong [marketing] strategies leverage strengths and minimize or
negate weaknesses (2005). In order to understand those factors, we have spentourtime divingintothe
unique trends andmovingpiecesthatare facingthe companyandhave dividedthe sectionstofollow into
external andinternalenvironments, andhave endedwithaSWOTanalysis toprovideaquick summary of
all four components.
External Environment (Opportunities & Threats)
Opportunities
The potential opportunities associated with the Daisy program can be very exciting. As the
population grows and demand/awareness evolves so will the size of the target market which is a huge
opportunity. Improvements intechnologywill alsohelptomeetcustomers’needswithnewandimproved
daily programs, supportive services, program administration, and safety which could thereby reducing
legal, staffing, and government related issues. Technological improvements could alsolead to safer and
easier participation by providing a secure shuttle program or self-drivingcars that can remove the time
commitment of having parents take their children to and from the program events. As the economy
strengthens, there is also an enormous opportunity to increase revenue as more people join the
workforce, and have a greater disposable income to invest. However that opportunity could also be a
threat as people may be able to afford higher cost programs which would negatively impact the Daisy
program.
Threats
The firstthreatcomesfrom new entrantsandcompanies thatofferin-house childcare, local kids
sportingassociations, gyms,andbefore andafterschools day care programs thatcanbegintooffersimilar
products forthe same market. Thereisalsothepossibilityof lawsuitsforallegedcasesof neglectorabuse,
whichcan happen eveninthe best-runand-staffed facilitiesandresultinpublicrelations problems that

could take years to recover. There is also the risk of high employee turnover and difficulties in finding
qualified staff members. Next, economicdownturns couldcreate hardship raisingrevenue andfundingas
membershipandnew enrollments intotheprogramdecreases. ChangesinGovernmentregulations could
also negatively affect the program thereby increasing cost associatedwith the programs such as zoning
ordinances, insurance coverage and rates. Changing market demographic composition could have a
higherconcentrationof people withcultural influences thatopposeK-1st
grade programs. Lastly, theGSCO
brand perception andassociation to K-1st
grade age group may diminish whichcouldleadto enrollment
problems for the organization.
Competitive Environment
Although there are severalsmallerdirectcompetitors, the competitiveenvironmentiscomposed
of four larger organizations competing by providing similar products and/or competing for the limited
time of parents. The firstand largestcompetitorisYMCA. The companycompetes withsimilarproducts.
Its strength is brand recognition, and the company is one of the largest providers of extracurricular
activities inthe nation. They alsoprovide care forawide range of age groupsfrom6 montholdto18 year
oldand have strong financials. Theirweakness comesfromtheirbroadbrand perception. Althoughthey
can anddohave a marketshare inthe K-1st
grade age group, theirbranddoesnotallowthemtospecialize
in this space in order to leverage opportunity. The second competitor is The Boys and Girls Clubs. This
organization hasgreatbrandperception andcompetes withGirlsScoutsongettingthe attentionandtime
commitments from parents. One of their strength comes in the form of brand recognition and support
from large corporations as well as celebrity endorsements. However their focus is more in the lower
income demographicandhence the company is considered tobe more of a helpfor kidsthat are not as
fortunate as others. This is in turn their weakness, because parentsrarely seek this organization out to
furthertheirkids’ abilitiesandexperiences. The company isalsomorefocused onolderkidsbecauseonly
5% of their members fall within the K-1 age group. The third and most direct competitor is American
Heritage Girls. The company is designed to cannibalize the memberships of Girls Scouts and promotes
itself as the better “Christian” alternative to “secular” Girls Scouts. Currently, 90% of its members are
former Girls Scouts and the company is partially driving the Girl Scouts decrease in memberships. The
company competeswithvery similarproducts. Theirstrengthisthat they have identified aniche market
withinthe broader Christianpopulation andare exploitingthisunchallenged opportunity. Howeverthat
strengthisalsotheirweakness becausethey leave large portionsof the marketunaddressed due totheir
religious focus. The last direct competitor is Avid 4 Adventure. A Colorado based company focused on
getting children experienced with the outdoors and addressingall ages from 3 to 17 year olds. They are
considered acompetitorbecause they are offeringsimilarday camp products and are tryingto grab the
parents attention by focusing on the outdoor mentality of many parents located in Colorado. Their
weakness is their current size and sole focus on outdoor activities which may have seasonal
characteristics.
Othercompetitors thatare not direct, yetstill competingforthe time of parentsare the parents
themselves.Parentswanttospendtimewiththeirchildrenandmaynotalwayswanttoshiptheirkidsoff
to daycamps or clubs. Otherindirectcompetitors are all the techcompanies thatare focused onkeeping
the kids latched onto their tablets and phones and are competing for the time and attention. The last
group of indirectcompetitors are the cable companies thatare lookingtokeepthe children athome and
in front of television in order to boost their viewer count.
Internal Environment (Strengths & Weaknesses)

Company Overview
Serving the state of Colorado, the GSCO charter was formed from five previously run Girl Scout
councilsin2007 (Girl Scoutsof Colorado, n.d.). They currently supportsix levelsof age groups:Daisy (K-
1st
grade), Brownie (2-3rd
grade), Junior (4-5grade), Cadette (6-8th
grade), Senior (9-10th
grade), and
Ambassador (11-12th
grade). Over the past two years, the Daisy Program has noticed a significant
downturn in membership and enrollment, in some areas as much as 10% (Regis University, n.d.). Such
downturns have sparked interestinthedevelopmentof anew marketingplantointroducenew members
into the Girl Scout program and help with a better transition.
Market Type
The target marketismade up of parentswhohave daughters consistingof age’sthree tosix. The
GSCO mustaligntheirmarketingplanwiththe appropriate Business toConsumer(B2C) strategy inorder
to effectively reachthismarket. Suchanemphasis will require the organizationtofocus onthe consumer
in order acquire new members and develop loyalty. In the case of GSCO, the company should look to
markettheirprograms notto only bringinnew members, butalsoto retaincurrent onesand have them
retainthroughoutthe six otherage grouplevelswhichwouldincrease the lifetimevalueof eachmember.
Programs and services forthe selected demographicmustcater to the market needssothat familiesare
able toparticipate. They mustalsodifferentiate theirservice overotherprogramsintheareabymarketing
towardtheircompetitiveadvantages (Malcolm, 2008). The targetmarketfamiliesare thosethatare faced
with finding activities and learning programs for their young daughters.
Core Competencies
GSCO is well positioned torevitalize theirposition inthe K-1st
grade market due to its resources
whichcome fromfinancial, physical, human, andintangible facets. Financially, Girl Scoutcookies are the
predominate mannerinwhichthecompanyfundstheirprogramserviceseachyear. Thisprovides asteady
revenue streaminordertofund theexpansion.The companyalsomaintainsphysicallocations throughout
many major Coloradocities, aswell asthree campproperties. Inaddition totheirphysical locations, staff
andover10,000 adultmembers work inadditionalcitiesinthe state,whichare dividedintoeightregions.
They serve almost 25,000 girls in these regions (Girl Scouts of Colorado, n.d.). This provides good initial
coverage to reach the target customers. Finally, the national identity of Girl Scouts is an intangible
resource, whichiseasily recognizable andconnotes animage thattiesbackto itsmission of buildinggirls
of courage, confidence,andcharactertomake the worldabetterplace(Girl Scoutsof Colorado, n.d.). This
national image carries over 100 years of program services, centered toward female leadership and
knowledge, withthe ability toteachand mentoras a core competence throughoutthe Girl Scoutbrand.
Lastly, the company could leverage economies of scale and leverage all the operational efficiencies
necessary to reestablish a dominant position in the target market.
In addition toitsresources, GSCOmustascertainthe capabilities toprovideasuccessful program
for K-1st
grades. Giventhe age group, the organization mustmake itself capable of meetingthe needsof
the families itserves. Thisincludes ensuringthe commitments required of familieswill satisfy thatof the
demand, including financial, location, and time. Also, the program must satisfy a needor draw approval
from the community in order to prove competitive advantage. As Girl Scout communities have proven
capabilities to work within their communities, GSCO must also utilize this to gain visibility of service
offering to increase interest and membership enrollment.

While the established brand and program competences are larger strengths GSCO will utilize to
ensure competitive advantage, it must ensure its weaknesses are addressed to reduce impact on their
ability to succeed in this market space. Firstly, since the program is exploring an option to promote the
Daisy programto a Pre-Kaudience, there isaninherentweakness since the required partnershipsare not
yetestablished whichmaytake time todevelop andnurture before asuccessingrowingmembers of the
Daisy program can be seen. Next, many parentsmay not associate the organization withthisage group.
Thiscould hinderprogramadoption andcouldweaken andslow downmembership growth. Thirdly, asa
majority of their program funding comes from cookie sales, such a heavy reliance on one source could
prove dangerous should trends and salesshift. This change in market sentiment may take years to take
effect, but it is nonetheless less a weakness. Another potential weakness is that location and time
commitments maybe anissue. Whilethe organization maintainslocations inthe largercitiesof Colorado,
they couldbe missingpotentialmembershipinothercities. Furthermore, thelocations andprogramtimes
withinmajorcitiesmayprove to be a conflictwiththe abilitiesof local families. Lastly, while the brandis
a centricstrength, itcouldact as a weakness. Some mayholdnegativeviewsbasedonpastexperienceor
misconstrued information and press of the Girl Scouts.
SWOT Summary
A SWOTanalysis isintendedtocapture thekey issuesfromthemarketingaudit(McDonald, 2008).
It helps provide a quick overview of major factors that the organization should focus on. Ideally, the
strategy will leverage the strengths and opportunities and will lessen the impact of the threats and
weaknesses
Strengths
• Steady andreliable revenue streamfrom
cookie sales
• Widespread locations providegood
coverage.
• trustedandtenured brandfocused on
female leadership andknowledge
• Established economies of scale can
leverage operational efficiencies.
Weaknesses
• Established brandandprograms may also
become a weakness if parentsare notable
to associate the brandwiththe target age
group.
• Single revenue streamcouldbe risky in
the long-runif marketsentimentchanges
towards cookies.
• Program timesmay conflictwithparents
schedules
Opportunities
• Population growthandaddressable
marketinColorado
• Technological developments couldleadto
easierandsaferparticipation of children
and couldreduce internal staffingcosts.
• Expandingeconomy couldleadtomore
parentsseekingoutadditional programs
for theirdaughters.
Threats
• New Entrantscouldcompete formore
time withadditional before/afterschool
programs.
• Changingdemographics opposed topre-K
programs could threatenthe expansion.
• Legal issues mayleadtoa publicrelations
disasterhurtingthe programs credibility.
• Expandingeconomy couldalsoleadto
parentsseekingotherprograms
Competitive Landscape

Competitor Profiles
Competitor profiles are an important component to this marketing plan because they provide a brief
overview of whatcompanies existinthe marketplace andhelpusnavigate andunderstand theirimpact.
Avid 4 Adventures - Positions itself not just as a camp or school program, but as an authentic outdoor
experience thatteacheskidsthe skillsandconfidence inoutdooractivitiesinordertolaunchthemintoa
lifetimeof exploration.The company targetsand3to17 yearoldsandispredominantly Coloradofocused.
www.avid4.com
AmericanHeritage Girls- A directcompetitortogirlsscoutwitha Judeo-Christianfocus targetinganiche
market. The company was founded in 1995 in West Chester, Ohio by a group of parents wanting a
wholesome program for their daughters. They wanted a Judeo-Christian focused organization and the
company is today seen as a Christ-centered alternative to Girl Scouts. AHG has expanded dramatically
and, accordingto Garibay, membership is50percentaheadof where itwaslastyear. “Over90 percentof
the people who come to us have left the Girl Scouts – we’re like the best keptsecret...” - Patti Garibay,
Founder. http://www.ahgonline.org/
Boys and GirlsClub of America - Founded in1860, the company has deeprootsand support frommany
big brand organizations. The company is focused on providing access to safe and organized places that
kids can join and receive the necessary attention and relationships in order to grow and develop. The
company is positioning itself as a movement to improve the quality of life for kids and help establish a
road to success. http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx
YMCA- The Company ispositioningitself asaleadingnon-profitorganizationforthree key pillarsof focus
on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. With a strong brand recognition and
outreach it isa formidable competitor;bothon a local and international scale, andattract the attention
from many parents in the target market with a wide variety of products and services.
http://www.ymca.net/
Competitive Matrix
In light of the factors noted below, Girl’s Scout of Colorado is relatively well-positioned to service the
industry’s K-1st
grade market needs relative to its competitors. GSCOs major strength in comparison to
their key competitors is its well-recognized brand and a major weakness in comparison to their key
competitors is the small variety of products and below average promotion tactics.
Note: Matrix Shown on following page

Customer Analysis
Customer Needs
The target customerislookingfora safe, affordable, currentandconvenientextracurricularnon-
sportprogramthatutilizes groupmeetingsand/oroutdooractivitiesfortheirdaughters inK-1st
grade that
provide the toolsaswell asfunandeducational environmenttosucceedinbuildingcourage, confidence,
and character in their daughters, so they may become leaders and improve their ability to adapt in
changing real life scenarios.
Note, that the above definition is very narrow and additional market research of current daisy
program parentswouldbe required inorderto eitherfurtherfine tune the needs orexpand themwhich
could lead to a broader target market with a subset of unique segments.
Current and/or potential customers
Identifying customers and target markets is important in order to maximize the return on
marketinginvestment. Knowingwhomtotargetandwhere howeverisnotan easy tasksince eachtarget
markethas to meetfour criteria. A target markethas to be homogenous, distinct, accessible, andviable
(Smith, 2005). This is frequently referred to as an HDAV analysis. Smith goes on to explain that strong
marketingstrategiesgoontodefinerealsegments(HDAV segments)astheirtarget(2005). So, the section
that follows examines the target market by looking at each of the components of the HDAV analysis.
The first qualifier of a strong market is that it is homogenous. Homogeneous means that every
memberof the group has similarneeds andmotivations asregardsthisproduct or service (Smith, 2005).
The target market identified is parents that have daughters in K-1st
grade and are looking for
extracurricularnon-sportprogramthat utilizes groupmeetings and/oroutdooractivitiesandis bothfun
and educational while building personal core strengths. There is a clear common interest within that
group. Steppingfurtheraway, alargerpotentialtargetgroupwouldbe peoplelookingforanykindof non-
sport oriented programfortheirdaughters inK-1st
grade. Yet evenbroader, would be people lookingfor
programs that buildcore personal strengths regardless if they are sportornon-sportoriented. Butinany
of the three cases, the customer has certainly similar interests and needs and thus is homogenous.
However to highlight the lowest common denominators true across the most targeted to broadest
market, parentsare lookingfora currentand convenientprogram. Current, meaningitisup to date and
appealing to today’s generation. Convenient, meaning it is easily accessible for parents to enroll their
daughters and join a troop. Both of these further strengthen the homogenous attribute.
The second qualifier is that the target market is distinct. Distinct means that, as regards this
product or service, members of the group have differentneeds andmotivations frommembers of other
segments(Smith, 2005). The identified targetmarketismostcertainly distinct, because the needthatthe
productfulfills isaimedatbuildingcore personal strengthsintheirK-1st
grade daughters.The bestway to
contrast this is by looking at other programs that target a similar demographic but satisfy other needs.
For example Avid 4 Adventure also target parents with children, and thus daughters, in K-1st grade
however the need it fulfills is for parents that want their children to learn and appreciate the outdoors.
This isclearly very differentthanthe Daisy program and hence itfulfills distinctneeds whichare present
inthe targetmarket. Anotherexampleare the programs offered byYMCA. Thiscompetitoralsotargetsa
similardemographicbutisdifferentinthatit offers a brickand mortar locationsolution andgearsmore
towards being a place where children can be dropped off for care and extracurricular activities. Both of
these attributes are very different from the Daisy program further strengthening its distinct attribute.

The next point is very critical; the target market has to be accessible. Accessible means that the
segmentcan be identified andreached throughwhateverresearch andcommunication mechanisms are
available. There islittle pointina segment, howeverhomogeneous anddistinct, whichcan't be reached
(Smith, 2005). At firstglance, the uniquely identified segmentmayseemimpossible toreach, but witha
little creativity itisactually notthatfar off. Partnerships withK-1stgrade facilitiescanbe established and
then leveraged to incentivize parents to take a survey where qualifying questions can be scattered
throughout. These qualifying questions can be used to identify this specific segment and thus make it
accessible. Alsodirectmailsolutions canbe putintomotionafterpurchasingtargetlistswhichare usually
easy to obtain in today’s information driven age.
The last component to validate the quality of this segment is to see if it is viable. Viable means
that the needs of the segment can be met at a profit, or in some other way that is practically feasible.
There is little point in a segment, even a homogeneous, distinct, accessible one, which is so small or so
transientas to not be worththe effort(Smith,2005). Since Girls Scout is a non-profitorganization itisa
bitdifferentwhen assessingif the segmentisviable, butnonetheless the identified needsof thissegment
are already components of thevalueproposition ofgirl’sscouts. Sofromaneedsperspectiveitiscertainly
viable. Asfarasprofitability, more information isneededonthe averagelifetimevalueof adaisy member
in order to determine how viable the segment is if the company is solving for future cash flows. If the
company is only lookingat in year costs and revenues the numberof members is a good metricto hone
inon as isthe gross marginwhichcouldhave a growingattribute aseconomies of scale are leveragedon
growing membership numbers.
To conclude, the HDAV analysis above supports that this segment is real and worth pursuing. Next, we
will explore some additional segmentation and will make an attempt to size the market.
Before getting intothe details, it is important to note that more primary research is required to
reallygeta goodsense forthe size of the marketandthe demographiccomposition of the targetmarket.
In absence of that information, the section below will attempttosize and describe the marketbasedon
personal reflection and secondary research and information found online.
To size the market, we need to identify first how many people with K-1st grade children live in
Colorado and the isolate that for parents with female children. Currently in Colorado there are an
estimated 573,603 parents of K-1st grade children:
5,272,086 people inCOx 6.4% underthe age of 5 = 337,413 K-1stgrade children
337,413 x 70% inmarried-couple homes=236,189 x 2 parents= 472,378
337416 x 30% in single family homes =101,225
472,378 + 101,225 = 573,603 total parentswithK-1stgrade children
Now, that number of people would have to be adjusted for the percentage of people that have female
children. Based on the US Census the female person percentage is 49.8% (2015). So that would reduce
the number down to 285,654 parents with female children in K-1st grade:
573,603 parentsof K-1stgrade children x 49.8% female population inColorado=285,654 parents
with K-1st grade children that are female.

At this point, thisbringsus to the limitations of our marketsizingexercise basedonactual data. Further
research will be necessary to refine this number to its actual size. But we would like to offer additional
feedback based on personal reflection on the demographic composition which may assist in refining
future research. Firstof all, we suspectthat majority of the target customers are locatedin metropolitan
areas where parents with similar interest are located. This is further supported by personal observation
that girl’sscoutsare usually sellingcookies indenselypopulated areasandtown centers. Next, since the
program istargetingparentswithchildren inthe K-1stgrade market, thatwouldsuggestthatthe parents
fall withinaspecificage groupandwe believethatrange tobe between 25-40years. Lastly, there ismost
likely anincomeskew thatfurtherrefines thistargetgroupandwebelievethatthe skewistowardshigher
income ranges. Families with above average income tend to spendmore time and money on additional
extracurricularactivitiesforthemand theirchildren. So, it will be necessary tofurtherrefine the market
size based on additional research.
Lastly, we believe thatthe strategicgoal GSCO should go after is a 25% of market share inorder
to establish a dominantposition inthe market and there are several reasons for thisgoal. Firstas a rule
of thumb, a25 percentmarketshare isdominant, andmakesyouamajorplayerinthatmarket. If youcan
identifyamarketnichelarge enoughforprofitability, yetsmallenoughtobe unattractivetobigbusinesses
you have a winner (Bangs, 1998). Second, shooting for a stretch goal like this will force the company to
inevitably reinvent itself if it wants to recover its dropping membership numbers. Third achieving this
objective canproduce asustainablebusiness thatbenefits society now andintothe future.Lastly, further
research will have to be done in order determine the current position of the company.
Market Research
As customer needs and potential consumers were identified, market research was used to
support the claims of their scope. Primary and secondary research was used to gather various forms of
data and to identify the needs and possibility of effective promotion of the Daisy Program in the K-1st
grade market. This sectionwill identify the typesof researchused to support the selection of our target
market segment as well as isolate additional research needed to further narrow the scope of focus
possibly required for the GSCO to find sustainable competitive advantage within this program.
From a broad lens, research wasmade on the GSCO programs to ascertaincharacteristics of the
sample parent or family that utilized the current service offering. From GSCO, the organization mission
and current membership size gave the ability to align the program vision to potential supporting
information on the market. Internal research was necessary in this as the current situation is initially
seekingtointroduce anew promotionchannel toan existingprogram. Thiswould actas supportingdata
to alsoidentify if perception of the programinthe targetmarketwas alignedwiththe program’scurrent
focus. This could establish if the need for a new promotion campaign were the correct approach, or if
changes in the service were needed to meet the consumer needs.
Secondary research from the US Census Bureau began the shape the target market for our
research. As noted above, we needed to gather an estimated market of the K-1st grade population to
determine both the sample size needed to research, as well as understand the potential impact the
proposed promotion could have. With current new membership levels, we could then estimate—by
removingasimilarnew membership population fromthe estimated targetpopulation—amore accurate
target market this promotion would impact. This would give us the amount of K-1st grade children that
would not otherwise sign up for this program. To narrow this target market further, the GSCO will then
needto identify outliers tothispopulation bylocation. If membersof the population of children thatare

not estimated to join live in remote areas, it may not be suitable to the program to develop services in
these areasfor varyingreasons. Thisinformationhasnotbeenable tobe gatheredwithavailabledataat
this time; however estimates can be made based on relative population sizes of outlying remote towns
compared to the population size of the state.
From identifying the target market size, more qualitative data is needed to understand the
reasonsbehind individuals joining—ornotjoining—thisorganization.Withquantifiable data, we are able
to betterable to understand whatiscurrently workingtobringinmembership aswell asunderstand the
opportunities GSCOmay have to gain membership. Fictionally, we usedcustomersurveys, focus groups,
as well as interviews togatherthisinformation. Surveys were giventofamiliesof the targetmarketwho
were potential consumers. The focus of the survey was to understand the consumer needs when
searching for an extra-curricular program, and understand the perception of the current offerings as
GSCO. Focus groups, chosen fromparents of existingmembers, non-members, andpriormembers were
gathered to understand more deeply issues families might face when deciding on extra-curricular
activities for their daughters. Lastly, interviews were taken from a sample of places where the current
GSCO promotions weremade—suchasschools andcommunity organizations—sowe couldunderstanda
third party observation of the current effectiveness and response to the membership recruitment.
While the quantifiable datawasable to provide measureable statistics of the marketingimpact,
the qualitativedatawasmoreimpactfultodeterminingthe solutionof GSCO’sDaisy Program. Information
(fictitiously) formulated fromsurveys, focusgroups, andinterviews gaveinsighttothe currentstate of the
Daisy Program’srecruitment, the needsof currentandpotential consumers, aswellasimpactsof current
efforts. Whiletheintentisinitiallytofindnewpromotion opportunitythroughthepre-K-1stgrademarket,
it must first be determined if the current need matches the proposal. GSCO’s problem of membership
decline inthe DaisyProgrammaycome fromthe needtore-buildthe programtobetteralignwithmarket
demand. As well, solution could be had in the current marketing efforts. If current marketing methods
towardsthe K-1 grade Daisy Programis insufficientoroff targetwithparent’sneeds, the proposaltojust
promote intopre-K-1stgrade would notbe the mostefficientuse of funds inthe market. It is important
therefore, for the marketing research to link GSCO opportunities with the current market, and identify
opportunities to gain sustainable competitive advantage.

Objectives and Goals
The Daisy program is losing membership. In the past 3 years the loss of Daisy scouts has been felt
significantly, asmuchas a 10% reduction insome areas. In 2012 nearly 10,000 girlswere enrolled inthe
Daisy program.
The following goals and objectives will be achieved as a result of implementing this plan.
• Market Share –
o Capture 1.00% of market share year 1
▪ ~2,856 new members (285,600 target market x 1.00%)
o Capture 0.75% of additional market share year 2
o Capture 0.56% of additional market share year 3
• Enrollment – Increase membership in the daisy program by 25% over the next 12 months
o Current Members ~ 7,290 (10% annual decrease from 10,000 members in 2012)

Product Strategy & Tactical Plan
Current Product Review
The established Daisy programaimedat girlsin K-1st
grade has beenaround since 1984, Daisy is
the initial level of Girl Scouting. Named for Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low, Girl Scout Daisies are in
kindergarten andfirstgrade (around ages 5–7). They typically meetingroups of ten girlswith two adult
leaderswhohelpthegirlsplanactivitiestointroducethemtoGirl Scouts. The groupmeetingare scattered
around the state and varyingtimes. The Girl Scout Daisy uniformconsists of a lightblue tunic. They may
alsoweartheirtunicwitha white shirtandkhaki bottoms orwithan official Girl ScoutDaisy uniform.But
in general, the uniforms have remained largely unchanged for quite some time.
As with any product; over the last two decades the product has been progressing through its
natural life cycle which consists of four key stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline
(Kokemuller, n.d.). Priorto2012, nearly 10,000 girlswere enrolled inthe Daisy programasstatedbyGSCO,
and thisnumberhas beendecliningyearoveryearat nearly 10% suggestingthatthe producthas passed
its maturity stage and is in natural decline and the program might need repositioning. Repositioning is
required especially whentheproductisapproachingthatpartof itsProductLife Cycle concept(PLC) where
growthis startingtotail off, and the far sightedmembers of the [management] teamcanalready discern
the outline of future replacement(Brown, 2005). For the purpose of this marketingplan, we will suggest
slightmodifications tothecurrentproductinordertohelprealigntheproductwiththechangingcustomer
needs which have evolved to demand greater convenience and up to date products. But we would
strongly recommend that all products be evaluatedforthe relevancy and fitto currentmarket needs as
marketneeds are undoubtedly differentthanwhenthe products were launched andshould be expected
to continue to change which would require Girls Scout to perpetually reevaluate its products and go
beyond concerns with promotion.
Positioning Statement
For parents who have daughters in the K-1st
grade age group, Girls Scout Colorado provides the
well-established and trusted Daisy program. Unlike traditional extracurricular programs, the daisy
program offers a convenient and current non-sport program that leverages group meeting and outdoor
activities to expand core interpersonal skills and leadership for young girls setting them up for a path of
success.
Strategy Rationale and Product Alignment
As identified in the prior section, the customer needs suggest this program would certainly
support the requirements of being an extra-curricular environment that teaches leadership to instill
confidence inafun manner. However, asa program for younggirls, the GSCO Daisy Program must finda
strategytoincrease theirmembershipnumbers andmake changes tobettermeetthe consumer’sneeds.
This section will beginto outline the proposed strategy in which the Daisy Program in GSCO can take to
improve their overall product offering so as to develop an environment to increase initial membership
and progressive participation.

The Girl Scout Daisy Program is a service for girls in grades K-1 and is intended to introduce the
girls to the world of Girl Scouts and lay a pathway for future programs. The program is also intended to
provide anurturingenvironment,andtoteachthemabouttheircommunitiesandthe worldaroundthem.
The Girl Scoutsare ledbycommunityvolunteers toengageinleadership activitiesthathelpthemdiscover,
connect, and take action for the betterment of themselves, their values, and their communities (Girl
Scouts, 2015). These activities are performed through guided books with reward patches to signify
achievementof a lesson. These patchesare then wornon vestsfor display of progression andsuccess in
theirrespective areasof mastery. Initscurrentstate, the program offers foundationalunderstandings of
values and mission that will carry young girls through their entire progression through the Girl Scout
Program. It currently identifies with many of the characteristics found in the customer needs through
lessons of leadership to instill character, value, and confidence. In addition, the legacy of the Girl Scout
brand provides the structure to provide a safe, affordable, and fun environment withwhich young girls
can develop.
Market research noted that, along with a promotion component, the Daisy Program has an
opportunity tobetteraligntheircurrent program offerings withthe customerneeds. If repositionedfor
the customer, the GSCO may curb the effects of decreasing memberships, and rebuild to an image for
sustained competitive advantage (Ruskin-Brown, 2005). Coupled with an appropriate promotional
strategy, the Daisy Program must also examine the convenience and packaging components of their
product. As schedules tend to be tight in families progressing from Pre-K to Kindergarten, parents are
lookingtofindactivitiesfortheirkidsthatare convenientandfitintotheirschedulethroughoutthe week.
Convenience can further be improved by offering the program in abundantly available locations pre-
determined and reserved for Daisy’s. Additionally, the lessons on leadership, could adjust their actives
and messaging to the current environment while retaining overall structure and core intent. Current
relevancy could also be improved by updating the packaging, namely the uniforms, to be in line with
parent expectations and desired by girls in the K-1st
grade age group.
Tactical Plan
The currentGSCO Daisy program isan extracurricularactivity foryounggirlsinkindergarten and
1st grade. Thisprogramis currently offered throughschools acrossthe country andis marketed towards
familieswhowanttogettheirchildren involved inafterschool activities.Currently,whenintroducingthe
producttothe community, the information tojointhe GSCOispassedoutthroughschoolstothe children.
If the children neglect to bring that information home to their parents, the family may overlook the
opportunity togettheirchildreninvolved. There iscurrently nodirectcontactorsellingtothe familiesof
potential memberswhichcouldaccountforlack of interestandtherefore membership. Once signedup,
the members’ parentsare responsible forobtainingthe uniform, any supplies needsforfuture activities,
andgettingtheirchildrentothe meetings. Parentalinvolvementisencouraged withinthe troops andcan
be extremely helpful forthe success of the group. Each troop has an average of ten girlsrangingfrom5-
7 yearsold. The activities range fromcraftingtoleadership skillstrainingandprepares themfornotonly
their future in school for gives them life skills to build on throughout their Girl Scout career.
Whenevaluatingthe currentproduct, The Daisy Program, we have anopportunity tomake some
changesthatcouldhelpincreasemembershipandmore inamore positivedirection. Bymaking the GSCO
meetings more accessible andconvenientforfamilies, we couldsee anincrease inmembership andhelp
to draw future business through those members. To inform our potential members about our new

convenientlocations inmore remote areasacrossColorado, we will need tofocus onour promotion and
distribution methods. While the product isn’t changing much, we could still focus on a tagline for our
promotions that express the changes made. Using a new tagline such as, “Now available in _#_ new
locations,” or “Now serving more families than ever before,” would help inform our customers of the
changesmade and get themto reevaluate aprogram they may have seena hundred times. These more
convenientlocationsalongwithexpandingthe meetingtimesavailableforparticipation couldchangethe
perception that this is a very time consuming activity for children to be involved with. The GSCO must
show parents that getting their children involved will ease their transition into school, increase their
leadership skills, and develop social skills that will all last a lifetime.
The current product packaging, the vests and patches, are iconic for the Girl Scouts, and are a
perfect promotional tool. The vests worn by the scouts are a walking billboard for the Girl Scout brand
but should be improved to remain up to date and appropriate for the variousages. The vests show the
parentsandmembers how accomplishedamemberisthroughthe numberof badges theyhave andgives
them all a sense of accomplishment. The badges are a great way to give each member a goal and give
them an opportunity to accomplish something and build their character and self-esteem.
Toensure thatthe productisevolvingwiththe times, there shouldbe yearlyquality controlchecks
to see how the current program is working and evaluate if any changes need to be made immediately.
These checks would be done through annual surveys of current members and would provide great
information about how the program was currently functioning, what was done well, and what
recommendations could help improve the program in the future. This quality assurance check will give
parents, scouts, volunteers, and employees an opportunity to add value to the business through their
valuable feedback. Aftertheseyearly checks, the Girl Scoutsshould be able toidentify any currentissues
and move towards a better and more productive future. Lastly, these packaging updates should be
recognize and visually displayed on their website so people can see the evolution on a time scale which
can build further confidence in parents that the company is trying to stay up to date on their product.

Price Strategy and Tactical Plan
Price Strategy & Rationale
Before diving into the strategy and objective of price, as it relates to the Daisy program, it first
and foremost important to review the current pricing structure and its various components.
The Daisy program in its current from draws on four aspects:
1. Annual Membership Fees – $15 per year
2. Daisy Vest – $16 one time
a. Plus vest & program add-ons at various prices
3. Camps Trips/Camps – from $10 to $100 per event
4. Troop Activities – from $5 - $7 per month
a. These costs are not a revenue source for the Daisy program, instead they are variable
budgets set up by each troop and collected weekly, monthly, or periodically depending
on the organizational structure of each troop. Additional, these can vary from troop to
troop and most likely depend on demographic composition of the troop.
In addition to understanding the current pricing structure, it is important to also highlight the fact that
GirlsScout is a nonprofitorganization. Assuch, pricingis meantto mainly fulfill one purpose, whichisto
cover all costs just enough to breakeven. However, simply because the organization is a nonprofit, this
does not mean that other objectives can’t be pursued diligently.
The price objectiveof the Daisy programissalesorientedandisfocusedonincreasingthenumber
of members of the Daisy program. The price strategy that will support this objective is cost-plus. In this
strategy, the organization calculates thetotal costof acquisition andthenaddsapercentordollaramount
in order to cover the administration cost and deliver the required profit. Luecke presents a simple
equation toexplainthis:Price =(Unitvariable cost+Unitallocation tofixedcosts) × (1+ percentmarkup)
(2006.) Although cost-plus is not a strategy usually used to increase memberships and overall market
share, an argumentcan be made here howeverbecause GSCOis a non-profitorganization andcan price
its product low since it is not solving for a specific profit amount. This would then change the price
equation to just be Price = (Unit variable cost + Unit allocation to fixedcosts) and would omit the “(1 +
percentmark up)” resultinginsavingsthatcan be passedonto the consumer. Thislow cost solution has
the ability todrive more members bykeepingpriceslow and alignswiththe target customerneeds one
of which is an affordable afterschool program for their daughters. Lastly, it is helpful to highlight the
importance of cookie sales as they relate to price and cost. Since a disproportional amount of revenue
comes from cookie sales a slight increase on that channel could help cover costs across the whole
organization and would allow GSCO to pass even more savings through the cost-plus strategy.
Price Tactical Plan
This section explains the specific actions that can be taken to implement the pricing strategy
explained aboveandachieve thepricingobjective. The firstactionshouldbe tospeakwiththeaccountant
to betterunderstandall the costs, meaningthe fixed, variable, andmixedcosts. Bangsexplains thatfixed

costs are independent of sales levels, while variable costs rise and fall with sales. Mixed costs involve
elements of both (1998). A solid understanding of the costs by program, in this specific case the Daisy
program, will enable GSCO to put together the right pricing structure in order to pass the maximum
savingson to the customerwhile maintainingbreak-evenoperations, whichwill alignwiththe customer
needs and will boost memberships through improved alignment which is the pricing objective. This
program specificcostanalysis should be repeated quarterly toensure marketingandfinancial objectives
are metandsatisfied. Also, equally importantwill be tobetterunderstand the source andtrendof cookie
sales since this source of revenue is the cash cow of the organization. Lastly, an appropriate revenue
allocation methodwill have tobe craftedinorderto properly segregate the financials of each program.
Next, inorderto keepthe variable costslow andfurtherkeepthe pricingof activities low forthe
Daisy program in order to alignwithcustomerneeds, GSCOshould outsource the personal selling, troop
management, andcampingtripsto the parentsand olderGirl Scout troops. This tactic wouldeffectively
repurpose the resources thatthe company acquires witheach new memberand will allow the company
to furtherreduce the costsof the program. Again, becausethe company isonly lookingforenoughprofits
inorder to break eventhistacticwill furtherenable the company toacquire greaternumberof members
and still achieve its pricing and financial objectives.
However price tactics should not only be constrained by costs, rather there additional factors
worth monitoring when considering price:
1. What is the price elasticity of the customer or how sensitive are customers to price
increases?
a. If they are not sensitive prices could go up
b. If they are sensitive prices have to remain flat or go down.
2. What are the prices of similar products and services from competitors?
a. If the competitors are pricing their competitive products high, perhaps a slight
increase will notresultina lossinmembers butan increase inrevenue whichbe
reinvested into more marketing.
3. What are the revenue trends fromcookiesalesandhow will thatimpactthe financials of
the Daisy program?
a. If trends are good, perhaps prices can be dropped to drive more members.
b. If trendsare not good, perhaps priceswillhave togoupinorderto coverthe loss
of revenue.
By understanding the cost structure, improving on both the fixed and variable costs, and the
appropriate consideration of additional factors, GSCO can follow the cost plus strategy and achieve its
pricing objective by reaching a greater number of.

Place Strategy & Tactical Plan
Place Strategy & Rationale
Withmembership declininginthe GSCO, we mustfocus onthe currentdistribution methodsand
give thought to if new distribution places could make a difference concerning increasing membership.
Exploring new places for distribution provides the GSCO the opportunity to examine which areas best
serve the current members and where they are missing the mark.
The current strategy for the direct service distribution in the GSCO is through meetings and
activities withthe Daisy members. Daisy Scoutsmeetregularly, withthe helpof volunteers, tolearnkey
components of characterbuildingfoundintheirguidebooks.60-90 minute meetings usuallytake place in
varyinglocations procuredbythe volunteerorpossiblyaidedbythe GSCO. Thesecaninclude troopleader
houses orpublicfacilities (e.g. school andcommunity centers). The meetings are delivered withactivities
and methods of exploring lessons, while meeting the interests and abilities of the children (McGuire,
2015). Besides meetings, there are otheractivitiesforthe girl scouts that are delivered throughcamping
adventures and day trips put together by the GSCO.
The Daisy program, along with the other Girl Scout programs, is a service currently available in
various areas around Colorado but the service area is in need of expansion. Currently, schools and
community centers are themostusedvenuesforGirl Scoutmeetings buttoexpandourfocus of thetarget
market, more convenient and accessible options need to be explored. The GSCO should maximize their
presence withincurrentservice areasandreachout to nearby communities thatwill extendtheirservice
area. Thisextension inservice areawill supportthe targetcustomers’ needsforconvenience andassess
the need to adaptto potential changes forsustained success. Becomingafixture inmore places willhelp
gain exposure, brand awareness, and eventually more membership.
Place Tactical Plan
To increase membership,itisnecessary toexplorenew venues formeetingsandactivitiestoalign
withthe needs of our currentcustomerbase and attract new members. Joiningthe Girl Scouts can be a
commitment many parents are not used to but some are looking for an avenue to get their children
involved in the community (Dufresne, 2015). As the Girl Scouts seek a moderate to high level of
commitment, the convenience of place and time can make all the difference. As families must often
volunteer to help with the planning of activities, the occurrence and place of events must be such that

they alignwiththe expectations andneeds of the customer. Gettinginvolvedinthe community toassess
new venues to hold meetings will generate great ideas as well as tie the troops together with their
community members. Byexpandingthe areaand time slotmeetings are available;GSCOmaybe able to
attract more familiestotheirprogram. In order to reduce the stressof transitioningintothe Girl Scouts,
the troop’s meeting schedule should be assessed to ensure the recurrence is in line with the abilities of
the children andfamiliesinvolved. While the information iscurrently notavailable toascertain, Directors
withineachof the local troop councils will workto gatherdata on possible venuestomarketto and also
new venues to hold their meetings.
Inaddition tothe meetinglocations,the GSCOwilladdress the locations of the campsandspecial
activities provided to the Daisy Program. Currently, the activities are present in larger cities of Colorado
with camps and activities in nearby locations for the young girls. Troops in more rural areas must travel
longer distances to participate. While these activities reach a large portion of the Colorado chapter,
activities ought to be developed in these outlying areas. Finding nearby movie theaters, parks,
museums/zoo/aquarium, and shopping centers, could be the next best way to improve ability to
participate and gain membership. The GSCO will look to work with local venues to lease space, hold
activities, and raise awareness of the supporting community by doing so. Local area Girl Scout Directors
will be tasked withunderstandingtroopneeds andabilities toraise interestsandimprove the turnoutof
the special activities. The troopleaderswillalsostill have the freedomtochoose activity destinations for
their members based on the current needs in that area.
Lastly, while the currentprogram has provensuccessful foryears, examiningthe currentvenues
for meetings andactivities provides the opportunity toevaluate the needforchange as well. Inan ever-
changingworld, the GSCOmust remainaware of theircurrent customerneeds andbe willingtoexamine
new options for meeting places. The GSCO website is a great example of a new meeting platform that
couldimplemented if the GSCOwere willingtomove towardsamore virtual market. Insteadof children
alwaysattendingactivities, girlscouldhave the optionof attendingonlinelearningactivitiesfromtimeto
time. This wouldhelpalignthe program with a majority of the customerneedsand reach a much more
broad audience. Current online programs could also be utilized more effectively to educate parents,
inform families on needs, and improve the overall communication of the troop members. When
evaluatingthe needsof ourtargetmarket, the convenience andease of anonlinelearningplatformcould
be a perfect option for a typical family.

Promotion Strategy & Tactical Plan
Promotion Strategy & Rationale
The promotional objective of thismarketingplanistostimulate demandanddrive anincrease in
memberships forthe Daisy program. Inorderto materializethatobjective, the commonrationale behind
the tactics outlined below is to find non-traditional cost effective methods that will drive the biggest
increase inmemberships withthe incremental $25,000 marketingbudgetthatwasallocated. Specifically,
the tactics are focusingon non-traditional promotion methods thatGSCO appears to not be usingtoday
for the Daisy program. There are four components inthe promotional mix and includes publicrelations,
digital marketing, advertising, and personal selling:
1. Public Relations—A component of the promotional mix strategy utilized in this plan will be to
effectively communicate to the target market through public relations and service efforts.
Deliberate messaging, thatparallels the customerneeds identified inthismarketingplanwillbe
utilized in the following strategies to cultivate positive relations with external stakeholders to
obtain favorable outcomes toward membership goals. The use of these public relations tactics
will notonly generatepositive relationships withpotentialmembers,butalsoimprovethe overall
image and increase awareness toindirectstakeholders. The expectedresultsof these programs
will be to increase awareness in the Pre-K market for future membership, reinforce a positive
relationship within the community, and increase membership by 5% over a three year period.
2. Digital Marketing – As identified in the customer analysis, one of several key attributes of the
targetmarket isconvenience, andwe believeone easy andconvenientwaytogetinfront of the
target market is through digital marketing which GSCO is not currently leveraging for the Daisy
program.
3. Advertising – The GSCO could benefit from the use of an advertising promotional strategy
because of the well-defined market and the ability to reach a large client base quickly.
Advertisingwillalsobe acost effective approachtothe promotional effortsusingvarious tactics.
Over time, the most people could be reached using this promotional strategy.
4. Personal Selling –The GSCOcanuse a personal sellingpromotionalstrategytogettheirmembers
more involved inreferringtheirfriends tojoin. Havingpersonal contactwithpotential members

through current members to help persuade and sell the GSCO brand will increase membership
signups and help satisfy customer needs. This option provides convenience for the parents
througheasy signup andgivestheirchildren achance tobe involved inactivitieswiththeirfriends
and meet new people.
Promotion Tactical Plan
PublicRelations
Daisy Ambassadors:
While current promotion exists through the school systems, there is opportunity to engage
deeperwithtargetdemographics of potentialmembersforthe program. ExistingGirlsScoutswillbe used
to promote the program throughin-classpresentations tothe Pre-K, Kindergarten, and1st
Grade classes
at local schools. Note that these ambassadors are different from the “Ambassador Program” offeredat
GSCO today. Rather these are “Daisy Ambassadors.” Working with schools to effectively find the
appropriate timingandenvironment, the DaisyAmbassadorswill presentinformationontheprogramand
conductan activity toencourage excitementaboutwhatthe GSCOcanofferandthe valuesitrepresents.
It isthe hope that thispresentation notonly generates excitement, butalsoalleviatesanyapprehensions
had by younggirls that wouldhave prevented participation. While the Pre-Kgirlscannotyetparticipate,
the generation of excitementwill be the mainfocusof thisgroup, so that they are aware of the program
whenthey are able to joinin the nextyear. In addition tothis presentation, supplemental materialswill
be provided toinformthe child’sfamily. These materialswill include whatthe Daisy Ambassadors spoke
to the younggirls about, the activities they didinclass, the valuesof the Girl Scouts, information onthe
Program and commitments, aswell as an invitation tojointhe “Daisy for a Day” event(notedbelow). In
addition to effecting the children and families, it is the intent of this program to exemplify the service
orientation and commitment to community the Girl Scout organization has to the schools and
administration members they will work with. Ambassadors, who will be chosen by troop leaders, will
exemplify the Girl Scout vision and have proven the ability to present themselves in a manner that
represents the leadership traitstopromote the GirlsScoutsinsucha fashion. Typically, the Ambassadors
will be older Girl Scouts, in the brownie program, that have gone through the Daisy Program. As 2nd
-3rd
graders, the Ambassadors will be able to mentor the younger girls and get them excited for the journey
ahead. Participation inthe Ambassadorprogramwillqualify forthe brownie Girl ScoutWaypatchintheir
effortstopromote theidealsofGirl Scouttraditionsandsisterhood. Overall costsforthistactical initiative
will be minimal. Fliersandeducational materialswillhave printingcosts, asoverall messagingwill needto
be aligned to ensure all troops have similar information that works with the brand messaging intend by
the GSCO. The overall budgetforthisinitiative will be $9,000. Thiswill include material printingcostsof
$1,500, the retainer for a public relations firm of $5,000 to align new materials with the promotional
efforts, andadditional $2,500 in brandingworkfromthe firmto develop the graphicsandimage content

within the distributed materials. The public relations firm will not only ensure the proper messaging of
the materials, but help in the development of training and materials to guide Ambassadors in their
meetings.
Daisy fora Day:
The “Daisy for a Day” tactic will act in conjunction withthe “Daisy Ambassador” program. Open
to Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st
Grade families, this event is intended to most effectively communicate
what the Daisy Program offers. Acting as an open house, invitees are welcome to join a troop meeting,
where they will shadow Daisy membersand participate in the events for the evening. It is the intention
of the eventto bringfamilies—bothgirlsandtheirparents—closertothe Girl Scout program inhopes of
developing a better understanding of what the organization represents and the levels of commitment
expected. The girlswill have the opportunities to meet troop members prior to joining, so they are not
afraid of having to make friends on the first day. Parents will be able to meet with troop leaders and
parentvolunteers tobetterunderstand expectations andorganization of the events. The eventswilltake
place ina publicvenue,suchasa school buildingorcommunity center, withthe abilityformore toattend
the event. Expectations of potential families will be addressed in these events, and activities performed
in the meeting will provide participants with an understanding of the education and character building
provided in this Girl Scout level. The events will happen twice per year—once in each semester of the
school year. Duringthe firstsemester, only Kindergarten &1st
Grade students will be invited, asthey will
already be able to join. In the spring semester of school, Pre-K families will be asked to join, as they will
be closerto the required age for signingup. Less than$1,000 will be budgeted forthisprojectto pay for
minimal supplies to support meeting efforts. A majority of the public relations costs will be incurred
throughthe AmbassadorProgram, includingthe guidelinesof meetingsandsupportingmaterials toguide
leadersforthe adjoiningevents. Inaddition tothis, improvedwebsitelandingpageswill guide individuals
to signingup foreventsto ease the implementationonleadervolunteers andallowingthemtofocus on
running the troop meeting.
Digital Marketing
There are many digital marketingtactics, but we believe thatleveragingpaidsearchadvertising,
improved and dedicated website landing page, and targeted email will have the highest return on
investment and will produce the maximum stimuli to increasing demand and membership of the daisy
program. The section that follows examines each tactic in detail.
Search Advertising:
Google iscurrently offeringagrantto all non-profitorganizations,whichallowsatargetedspend
on theirsearch engine forup to $10,000 per month. Examiningthe search volume forspecifickeywords
focused at the target market, GSCO could reach the maximum volume of visitors and still be under the
grant limit. This is an attractive option, because it is completely free to implement and administer and

allowsthe organization toappearinall the appropriatesearches. The implementation canbe done bythe
GSCO marketingdepartmentorbyan outside managementagency, andthe attachedkeyword listcanbe
used right of the shelf. The results, based on average click through rates (2.5%) and average site
conversion rates(10%) thispromotional tacticcoulddrive asmany as500 new members annually. Lastly,
these resultscouldbe improved evenfurtherif the website isimproved andalignswiththe call toaction
on the search ads, so it would be advisable that incremental resources are invested into an improved
website.
Dedicated Website Landing Page:
Currently, the Daisy program is not easily accessible from the GSCO website which could be
causingfriction inthe numberof website enrollsandgeneral awarenessof the Daisyprogramwhichcould
be depressing demand. Since the promotion objective is to increase demand and membership, a more
targetedandconversion focused landingpage couldimprove boththe demandandincreasemembership
sign up. The cost to get a unique landing page generated can be as low as $1000 through the use of
freelancer. While the value onan estimated unique visitorvolume of 2,500 per monthand a conversion
improvementof 5percentagepointscouldyieldasmanyas125 incrementalmemberspermonthor1,500
members annually. An example of a free landing page geared at conversion can be seen here
(http://gsco.instapage.com/)
Targeted Email:
Emails are a great way to get in front of customers at a very low cost. The value to our target
customers is that email is a convenient way to read about the Daisy program and sign up for the Daisy
program making this a solid promotional tactic that supports the promotional objective. Emails can

increase demand and can lead to a direct sign up for membership. In order to use email effectively, the
GSCO has to acquire a list of emails that pertains to the target market. Site like www.listfinder.com will
sell a list of 50,000 customers that fall within the target audience for $3,000 (Price based on this
demographic selection: All individuals, living in Colorado, with children ages 0-3 & 4-6). The GSCO
marketing department could implement this with their email client, or an outside service can be signed
up for which would make the execution simple. Using the open rates and click-through rates of non-
profits, GSCO could expect to generate as many 550 new members from a single list. But time and
attention will havetobe devotedtohavewell-craftedemailsgeneratedwithclearcallstoactionandagain
have them lead to simple landing pages that are geared towards conversion (see dedicated website
landing page above for an example of such a landing page.)
SalesPromotion
While there are manypromotional methods available, usingsalespromotion isagreatway to
reach a large segmentof consumers andgettheminterested inthe Daisy Program. Usingmembership
discounts todrive future salesisthe methodwe believe will be mosteffective andwill be discussed
furtherinthe LoyaltyProgram.
Loyalty Program:
The Loyalty Program proposed would involve the current members of the GSCO, their parents,
and an area volunteer to distribute the promotional materials. The area volunteer would distribute
promotional materials and be a resource for troops and potential new members. To get interest from
new families, gettingthe wordout is half the battle, and thenthe focusshould be on new signups. This
program rests on the satisfaction andexcitementof the current members andwill be made available to
all troops. The “Bring a Friend” promotion would benefitnew members throughfree membership fora
year and could satisfy an activity for a patch for the old member. This promotion would drive new
membership and help reward the loyal members that are already a part of the GSCO community. To
informthe membersandparentsof the new promotion, brochuresandbusinesssizereferral cardsshould
be provided toeachtroop. The referral cardswouldprovide all the information neededforthe potential
members being recruited.
Personal Selling
When looking at increasing our promotion of the Daisy program, making a face to face connection with
potential consumers canmake allthe difference. The followingCommunityOutreachProgramiscentered
on personal selling and making a personal connection with the members of the community.
Community Outreach:
Gettinginvolved inthe community isagreatopportunity topromote the GSCOtoalarge number
of people and also forge a partnership with its members. Based on customer needs, the GSCO would

benefit from both advertising and personal selling promotional strategies within each targeted
community. In communities around Colorado, there are hundreds of businesses that are visited by
families and will be a great avenue to reach a large number of potential members. To get businesses
interestedinareciprocalrelationship, ateamof volunteers wouldbe responsibleforreachingouttothose
in the community and building a relationship. The volunteer team would be responsible for outreach,
promotional distribution,andanyfollow upneeded. The GSCOshould focusonthe followingplaceswith
the best promotional capabilities that will reach the largest customer base.
1. Large family practice or pediatric doctor and pediatric dental offices
2. Zoo, museum, aquarium
3. Shopping center, movie theater
Advertisingsupportwouldbe neededtoeffectively promotethisnew program. Usingsomefunds
to produce flyers, posters, anddisplays, will helpdrive brandawareness andanincrease inmembership.
These materials would be made available to any business that agreed to partner up for a reciprocal
promotional relationship. If a business displays the GSCO materials, allows a Girl Scout activity
demonstration, or recommends the program to its customers, the GSCO would reciprocate with
promotion. The GSCO could provide members with promotional information from the participating
businesses andhelpbuildrelationships betweenthe membersandthe businesses withinthe community.
Using these promotional tools, the focus is on increasing market share and annual membership
signups. If GSCO can reachchildren andparentsusingthesenew methods, they couldbe makinglifelong
members thatwillalsohelpexpandthe customerbase. Withaninitial budgetof $10,000, the GSCO could
produce promotional materials and start working on the programs with members and community
businesses. The promotional materials themselves would be the most cost effective part of the entire
plan. If ordered inmass quantities, the average costof referral (business) cardsis2 centsper card and 1
centfor promotional flyers. Itwill be vital toemploy someone todistribute andalsotrackthe program’s
effectiveness andthe returnon investmentovera1-2 year time period. Thistime periodisnecessary to
properly evaluate the program itself, make modifications, and track the overall ROI. To be seen as
successful strategies, asignificantincreaseinmembership overtwoyearswouldbe necessary. Overthe
next 2 years, we expect to see an increase of at least 5% in annual memberships and we are hopeful to
see much success using these promotional strategies.

Promotion Planning Grid
Objective Target
Audience
Promotion Tactic
and Positioning
Cost Implementation Estimated
Results
Increasing
Membership
throughOnline
searchengines
Mass targeted
Audience of the
Daisy program
(online)
GSCO appearingin
all appropriate
keywords search
engines
$0.00
(Google
grant for
non-profits)
GSCO Marketing
DepartmentorOutside
ManagementAgency.
Keyword list usedrightof
the shelf
Clickrate of 2.5%
Avg. site Conof
10%
500 new
membs/yr
Easy accessof
findingthe daisy
program with
feweronline
clicks
Prospective
members
lookingfor
general
information on
program details
Website landing
page
$1,000 The use of freelancer Volume 2,500/mo
Conv. Of 5% point
1500 new
membs/yr
Solicitingtarget
audience
throughemails
of current
promotions
Target
Audience with
emails
addresses.
Acquire listof
target audience
emailsfrom
listfinder.com.
Email promotion….
$3,000 Email clientoroutside
service whichwouldmake
the execution simple
Usingopenclick-
throughrates
550 new
membs/list

Partneringwith
local
professional
services and
otherbusinesses
whichdaisy
target audience
frequently visit
to increase
membership
enrollmentin
the program
Targeted
Parentsand
children who
oftenvisittheir
local doctors,
dentist, and
other
entertainments
placeslike the
Zoo, museum,
aquarium,
movie theaters
and shopping
centers
Promotional flyers,
postersandother
promotional
materialsand
information will be
available atthese
placesto passout
to customers during
theirvisit. GSCOwill
reciprocate
promotions attheir
events.
$10,000 for
Partnering
and
promotional
materialsas
well asthe
Referral/Loy
alty
programs
Front endemployees of
these establishments will
assistinthe distribution of
promotional materials.
3 additional personshired
to manage and track the
program
5% membership
increase inthe
daisy programis
expected over2
yearperiod
Referral/Loyalty
program to
generate
increase
membership
enrollmentin
the daisy
program
Friends and
family of daisy
targeted
audience
Brochures and
business size
referral cards
provided toeach
troop. The “Bringa
Friend”promotion
Included in
cost above
Currentmembers of GSCO,
theirParents, anda team
to distribute the
promotional materials
Included in
estimated results
above
Expandingon
existingschool’s
promotions to
increase
enrollmentfrom
local Pre-K,
Kindergarten,
and firstgraders
Local Pre-K,
Kindergarten
and 1st
. Grade’s
families inthe
Denverand
surrounding
areas school’s
systems
Daisy Ambassadors
visitinglocal schools
withpromotional
materials…Inviting
targetedaudience
to jointhe “Daisy
for a Day” Event
$1,500
printing
materials
$5,000 PR
Firm
$2,500 for
branding
(graphics &
image
content
Existinggirl’sscouts
chosen bytroop’sleaders
will be usedinpromoting
programs through
presentations.
Supplemental promotional
materialspassed outto
families of targeted
audience.
5% membership
increase inthe
daisy programis
expected overa3
yearperiod

‘Daisy fora Day’
program
targetedto
increasing
membership
enrollmentin
the program
Opento Pre-K,
Kindergarten,
and 1st Grade
families
Openhouse
invitation. Invitees
(bothgirlsand
parents) will joinin
local troop’s
meeting, events,
and meetscout
leadersandtroops.
About
$1,000 for
supplies and
otherrelated
expenses. A
$1,000
contingency
amount.
Troop leaders andexisting
local scoutswill meetboth
the girlsand parentsto
explain programdetails
and activities.
Included in
estimated results
above
TOTAL $25,000 2500 members/
year + 10%
increase in
memberships

Customer Knowledge Management
Control Plan
As the common expression states, if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it. The importance of
measurementisreally atthe core of every marketingplan, because itallowsthe organization tovalidate
if the thought process and research is having the desiredeffect. Although there are many sophisticated
methods of measurement available to organizations, at the end they all just reduce to a set of key
performance indicators (KPIs) and the objective here is to really keep things simple for GSCO. Here are
two KPIs that will evaluate this marketing plan:
• Last Three Months over Same Period Last Year New Member Sign Ups – This metric will be
crucial in understanding the incremental impact of this marketing plan. By comparing to same
period lastyearGSCOwill be abletosee the liftinnewmembersignupswhichwill serve asproof
of impact.
o This method also side steps having to track the source of each new member sign up,
which would be a preferred approach, but would require a more sophisticated
information system.
• Last Three Months over Same Period Last Year Revenue– Same methodology as tracking new
membersignups butfocused on revenue. Bycomparingand contrastingthe period overperiod
revenue brought in after implementing this plan, GSCO will be able to evaluate what the
economic contribution of this marketing plan is and if it is lining up with the projections.
By looking at those two KPIs, GSCO will be able to evaluate the impact of this plan. Additionally, the
organization will alsobe able tomonitorthe average revenuepernew memberyearoveryearwhichcan
lead to further insights into the health of the program and the changes in the purchasing habits of its
members of the Daisy program.
Lifetime Value (LTV)
Focusingonlifetime valueof Daisy membersisincredibly importantfornotjustthe Daisyprogram
but GSCOoverall because the Daisy programisinmany waysa gateway to girlsscouts. LTV can simply be
understood as the total value generated by a single member over the entire lifecycle of that member.
Now within that definition there is a lot of room for interpretation. Firstdo we only consider economic
value orbroadervalue tobrandandthe impacttothe girlsthemselves?Secondisthe lifecycle only limited
fromK-12 orshould we alsoconsiderthe valuegeneratedbyparentswhousedtobe girl scouts?Certainly
up for debate, but for the most actionable information limiting to only economic value and K-12 span
wouldbe botheasiesttotrackandmeasureandcanhelpevaluate resource allocationforall theprograms.
Since the information was not yet received by the marketing plandevelopment teams, below is
the recommended structure that should be used when evaluating the LTV of Daisy members. The data

pointsinblue are the onesthatwould havetobe filledoutbyGSCOinordertoevaluate thelifetimevalue.
GSCOmay alsowanttoaddthe revenue receivedfromcookiesalesaswellunderthe revenuesectionand
furtherexpand byaddinginthe associated coststogetto a net contribution permember. Forillustration
purposes, we have takenourbestguessonthe metricsinordertoderive LTV revenue permemberwhich
can be seen below but we have also added the LTV model to the appendix section for download.
NextSteps for GSCO
Duringthe last10years, there hasbeenasteady decline inmemberships forthe GirlScouts. Tocombat
the decline, anaggressivemarketingplanhasbeendeveloped andisrecommended toturnthingsround.
Evaluatingthe customer needs andcurrent market opportunities orlimitations, hasenabled usto make
educated recommendations andprovide ablueprintforthe GSCOto helpensure success. The following
is a listof nextstepsthat should be taken by the GSCO to helpincrease theirmembership numbers and
maintain those numbers in the future.
• Enact the promotion plan we developed
• Use the $25,000 inthe mosteffectivewaypossiblebyfocusingonthe lessexpensive optionsfirstto
see what type of return can be gained before more intensive promotions are taken on.
• Track ROI for all promotion tactics used and compare to previous years.
• Survey new members to evaluate if the programs affected their desire to join.
• Survey parents about opportunities and ideas for future promotion.
• Investinsupportstaff to track progress, improve relationships, anddrive new ideas and promotions.
• Continue to improve/review the product and align with customer needs.

Financial Reports
Projected Profit and Loss Statement
The financial information summarized in the sections below, is the representation of the
projected impactthismarketingplanwill have once itisputinmotionandcarriedthroughas specifiedin
the sections leadinguptothispoint. Investingthe fullallotted$25,000 intothisplanwill have aprojected
profitof $34,610 inthe firstyear. Fromthere, itisourrecommendation tocontinue repeatingthisplanas
itisprojected tocontinuetoaddnew memberswhilethe prioryearcohortcontinues intothesecondyear
of the Daisy program producing a growth in total new members and overall profit growth whichcan be
further reinvested into this plan to gain even better results.
Note, further analysis and information relating to costs and retention will be necessary in order to fine
tune the projections. Based on the best information we have available, here is the summary of the
financial statements (See next Page.)

Footnotes:
1. Individual revenue from Daisy members as generated through the implementation of this marketing plan
Individual revenue based on annual $15 per member fee.
Target Market 285,654
Target Enrollment percentage of Target 1%
Total Estimated New Members in Three Years 2,856
Anticipated Growth by year to capture target market share:
Year 2016 2017 2018
Total Members 2,856 4,998 6,605

New Members 2,856 2,142 1,607
Anticipated retention of new members 75%
0.
2. Merchandiserevenue from Daisy members generated through the implementation of this marketing
plan
Initial sales in required vestpurchases of $16 for new members. Cost of Sales on merchandisebased on
percentage estimated from the 9/30/14 GSCO audit.
Percentage Cost of Merchandise Sales
Total 2014 MerchandiseSales - GSCO $ 677,465
Total 2014 Costof Sales - GSCO $ 363,182
Total 2014 percentage cost of sales - GSCO 53.6%
0.
3. Public Relations Program expenses as explained in the promotion sectionof the marketing plan; please reference
Promotion Strategy& Tactical Plan for more details.
4. LoyaltyProgramexpensesas explained inthe promotion sectionof the marketing plan; please reference Promotion
Strategy& Tactical Planfor more details.
5. Personal Selling Programexpenses as explained inthe promotion section of the marketing plan; please reference
6. Management and General Expenses relatedto the Daisymemberships andmerchandise sale to newmembers
through the implementation of thismarketing plan. This does not account for additional administrative costs and
troop expenses related to the increase of memberships, including new staffing requirements, camping andspecial
activities, or troopactivities.
7. Digital MarketingProgram expenses as explained in the promotion sectionof the marketingplan; please reference

Appendix
I. LTV Model:
II. Expense Summary 2016

III. Expense Summary 2017
IV. Expense Summary 2018

References
Bangs, D. H., Jr. (1998). The marketplanning guide:Creating a plan to successfully marketyourbusiness,
product, orservice (5th ed.).
Collins, J. 2013 – SWOT Analysis forGirl scoutsof America– TransformingStrategy, www.girlscouts.org
2008 by Girl Scouts of the USA
Dufresne, L.(2015). Discussion PostResponse:Cost. RegisUniversity. WorldClass. Retrieved at:
https://worldclass.regis.edu/d2l/le/162607/discussions/threads/695073/View
Luecke, R.(2006). Marketer's toolkit:The 10 strategies you need to succeed. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Press
Girl Scouts. (2015). The Girl Scoutsof the UnitedStatesof America:Daisy Program. Retrieved at:
http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/facts/what_is_gs/daisy.asp
Girl Scouts of Colorado. (n.d.). Girl Scoutsof Colorado|Official WebSite. PlanetMedia. Retrieved March
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Kokemuller, Neil (n.d.). Longevity of ProductLife Cycle. Retrievedat:
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Malcolm, M. (2008). MalcolmMcDonald on MarketingPlanning:UnderstandingMarketingPlansand
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http://2point5kids.com/girl-scouts/what-is-the-time-commitment-for-girl-scouts/
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