MARKETING PLAN

Hey everyone, please look this over and feel free to add anything.
We can finalize it when we proofread the presentation material.
Thanks!, Kate

Executive Summary
Ascend Inc. is a design firm located in New York City. They specialize in destination branding catering to the greater NYC area where the firm is stationed, also including cities and countries around the world. Projected profits encompass existing travel, hospitality and tourism clientele who seek a greater outreach. Ascend Inc. is committed to engaging travel businesses in attaining more clientele themselves while retaining a fresh image. According to our financial plan, we project to make profits by year three.


Brand Name & Service Positioning
(The one slogan or sentence the company is known)
Ascend Inc. “Let your business take off”

Situational Analysis
SWOT

Segmentation & Target Market
(What the need is)
*see target market 10.25.09

Objectives & Goals

Marketing Tactics
*see Promotion

Implementation Plan & Action plan

Budget (Financial plans: include projections and historical data)
*see Financial info

Market Analysis (include industry analysis, target market and competition)
Our target market: Ascend Inc. proposes to design solutions within the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. We will utilize corporate identity, marketing, advertising, packaging, and exhibition design.

Through promotion and advertising, we will target customers in the NYC area. We also take clients from around the world as our team is well traveled and is able to meet with clients outside the NYC area. Ascend Inc. is unique given its team, its varied backgrounds and expansive knowledge of the travel and hospitality industry. Within Ascend, we speak numerous languages and therefore out win similar firms within the NYC area that do not have the vast language proficiency.

Service Analysis
Ascend Inc represent clients in three main areas of branding: those who need an identity, those that are interested in re-branding and keeping their image current, and those that would like it to improve.

•Efforts directed at several highly defined groups of prospects.
•Maintaining close contact with customers and prospects with known buying preferences, habits and activities.

Invest in test market analysis through a specialty firm.
Image marketing
Niche marketing
Relationship marketing
Lifestyle marketing
Target marketing

Marketing Goals
*See data for Market Research

Marketing Message
From 10.25.09

Revised Target Market
* Groups that do not have strong identities
* Countries that do not have a well defined or strong tourism board. They may need help enticing people to visit their countries.
* Hotels within these countries that want a more luxurious, funky, fresh, etc. look
* Transportation such as planes, cruise ships, or buses
* Travel agencies - online such as Expedia, or local groups

Refined Target Market, as agreed upon last meeting (Oct. 27)
Organizations within the travel, tourism, hospitality industries, and destinations that
1) Do not have a brand identity
2) Have an existing brand identity that is weak or ineffective (bad)
3) Require design executions that further complement/supplement an existing strong identity.

Ascend, Inc. has the capacity to:
1) Create a brand identity for the organization, which will be
2) Strong, memorable, and impactful
3) Representing the value of the organization in all its possible executions




7 P’s

-Price: What we charge our customers.
Our hourly rate is $100/hour. Once we figured our costs, we rounded up to get our hourly rate to in order to stay competitive in the market.

-Place: Where and how a service of product is sold or offered (Another way of saying distribution)

Ascend is based in NYC and this is where most of the work is completed. When the opportunity arises, we can travel to clients who don’t live in the area, or live out of state or country. We try to utilize video conferencing when possible but if the client meetings are not in the NYC office, the client pays for Ascends travel expenses. The costs are figured into the estimates from the start.

-Promotion: Advertising & Promotion, PR, direct marketing, word of mouth, websites, and any and every way to get noticed.
*see Promotion

-Product: What we sell - the goods, the services and everything in between (be aware that there are very few products that are purely goods or purely service). Here we need to consider everything that makes up our product or product range, from the core benefits to the add-ons and variations.

Ascend offers corporate solutions in the travel and hospitality industries. Our firm is focusing on encouraging people and companies to travel. We create guidebooks, brochures, travel campaigns and promotion ads for hotels, destinations and resorts.

-People: Everybody involved in transactions - principally, the customers and the front-line staff. Particularly important for services, e.g., the quality of a haircut (as a service) is determined largely by the person doing the cutting.

Ascend consists of an Executive Creative Director who is responsible for leading creative strategies and vision for client accounts. The Executive Creative Director is responsible for the operations and execution of the Creative Department, while overseeing development of Creative Department process, methodology, deliverables and budget. This individual is also responsible for recruiting, managing and grooming all designers, and for leading the department to creative solutions that fulfill client objectives and Company creative vision. The Executive Creative Director will facilitate working groups through strong interpersonal, monitoring, and team-building skills. Alongside is the Executive Creative for Marketing, who is responsible for leading marketing strategy and vision on client accounts for our firm. The Executive Creative Marketing is responsible for the operations and execution of the Marketing Department, while overseeing development of Marketing Department process, methodology, deliverables and budget. This individual is also responsible for recruiting, managing and grooming all sales staff. We have a Graphic Designer responsible for coming up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. The designer should use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. The designer needs to confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design, so they can clearly prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. The main goal is to always create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.

Then we have a Strategic Sales person responsible for convincing others to buy services and otherwise change their minds or actions. The individual must strategically through observing, receiving, and obtaining information from all relevant sources. The individual needs to communicate with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. The information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. The Administrator is responsible for clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. Individual needs to have principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. And finally, the Intern who is responsible for supporting the individuals that are in their department.

Our clients range from the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, such as airlines hotels and resorts. They come to us for corporate branding, elevating their already existing campaigns or volumizing campaigns that need reenergizing.

-Physical Evidence: The napkins at the restaurant table, the reports consultants provide and the uniforms of the airplane flight attendants all give us clues about the service we are consuming. The bits of “evidence” that we give a customer help overcome the intangible nature of services and give them a true appreciation of the value of the service being provided.

When initially meeting with clients, we leave them with a brochure of our services to remind them who we are and what we can do for them. They can use this to compare if they are getting a few estimates. In addition, we to also give an estimate of our potential services for the job they need completed. This clearly defines the work we will do and what it will cost them. Our prices are in the competitive market range, which they can see when comparing estimates. The contract proposal clarifies any questions the client may have about services rendered.

-Process: The processes used to make and deliver a product. Again, particularly important for services where the product is produced and consumed at the same time

Our design process is the same for each client. We first research and find out about the client and their business needs. We look at their competition and what can make them stand out in their market. After the initial research, we organize the findings and present it to the client for their approval. We add and update this research in a second meeting. After that, we define all elements that can be utilized for the client to reach their goal. Along with this, we show one to three design directions we think would work. Once the client has decided on a direction, Ascend generates the necessary information into a more completed design. After the clients signs off and gives the go ahead, we finalize all aspects. Execution and delivery are the final step.