Julaine Stark Project #1: Direct Mail Campaign, Strategy & Design Prototype

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1 Project #1: Direct Mail Campaign, Strategy & Design Prototype Marketing Strategy & Tactics Communication Strategy Prototype Development Targeted (niche) Communication Marketing Collateral Design Graphic Design Copywriting Photo Selection & Retouching Creative Concept Development Promotion & Client Relations Vendor: Commercial Printer Software: Adobe Photoshop Software: Adobe InDesign Software: Adobe Illustrator A new Daktronics sales rep was assigned to the Branson, MO area where he discovered that our longtime reseller in the area had switched to our biggest competitor. Since this sign company had enjoyed an unofficial exclusive relationship with Daktronics in the past, no other sign companies in that very tourist-driven area were selling Daktronics displays either. Create a campaign to generate leads in the Branson area which our new rep would use to cultivate relationships with local sign companies. Create a marketing strategy for the campaign and design a prototype. Department graphic designers & writers would follow my prototype and concept to fit other target niches for future mailers. Marketing Strategy: Series of two companion direct mail pieces for each niche in the Branson area (hospitality, car dealerships, restaurants, etc.) Implement Strategy: The decision was made to target the hospitality niche first. The first mailing was an oversized postcard. The front said simply, They ll be swimming somewhere tonight, why not in your pool? The second mailing, a bit more involved than the first, was also a self-mailer, but needed to include much more information than the first, yet maintain the same eye-catching appearance & feel of the first piece. The tri-panel piece was designed to appear identical to the first postcard but then would open to reveal much more information and include installation photos. The Final Product Julaine Stark project highlights page 1

2 Project #2: Strategic Planning Marketing Strategy & Tactics Creative Problem-Solving Business Development Verbal Communication Skills Facilitation & Presentation Marketing Plan Development Client Relationships Blue Ocean Strategy Creative Concept Development As a Marketing Associate in the Commercial Business Unit at Daktronics, I was hired to bring continuity to the marketing efforts directed at our resellers (sign companies across the country who incorporated Daktronics displays into signs they were designing/building for their local clients.) In this role I was the marketing representative in annual strategic planning for the reseller segment. With a rep from each functional group, we performed a SWOT analysis of the segment (Blue Ocean Strategy, How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim) evaluating our current challenges and developing short-term and long-term goals and strategies for the coming year. One main challenge was: Although our competitors were smaller, they had developed a marketing strategy which portrayed Daktronics as this huge corporation which didn t care about the little guy. The planning sessions resulted in two main initiatives which would guide communication strategy and marketing projects for the year: 1. Daktronics is hands-down the world leader in the industry, with the highest quality manufacturing, the most cutting edge technology, and the most dependable product around. Why settle for anything less? 2. Daktronics network of regional sales and services offices provided local support for our sign companies and offered many services, trainings, etc. that were not highly publicized. Initiative #2 would be a challenge: Although we hosted an annual Sales & Service Seminar, many sign companies were small, could not afford the cost of sending their employees all the way to our corporate headquarters/manufacturing facility in Brookings, SD, and did not want to spare them for the week they would be away from the shop. I suggested we devise a mobile, mini-seminar to take to local field offices, making training available without the cost or travel time. Working together with sales staff and engineers, we assembled several traveling teams. Small trucks were outfitted with displays and work stations for hands-on installation and troubleshooting. Engineers took turns traveling to our regional offices, where they would work with the local sales reps to host an open house training opportunity for local sign companies. Once our overarching strategy was developed, I traveled with a team of four others, including the vice president of the Commercial Business Unit, to various field sales & service offices to meet with our staff there. We assisted them as they performed their own SWOT analysis and adapted the corporate initiatives to their unique, local situation. Julaine Stark project highlights page 2

3 Project #3: Tradeshow Banners; Strategic Booth Modifications Strategic Planning Convey New Initiatives Creative Problem-Solving Creative Concept Development Distinguish from Competition Graphic Design Vector Graphics Vendor: Large-Format Printer Software: Adobe Illustrator The International Sign Association s (ISA) annual convention and trade show is the largest industry event of its kind. Every year, the marketing department tried to bring more attention to the Daktronics booth in the exhibit hall, but struggled to differentiate their product from the competition. Since ISA focused on sign companies, Daktronics reseller segment was the driving force and I was their key marketing contact. Make strategic, cost-effective changes to the existing booth design which would set Daktronics apart. The annual planning several months before had resulted in two key initiatives to communicate to our sign companies (see Project #2 on the previous page). My assignment was to create an aesthetically-appealing, eye-catching theme for our trade show booth and other promotional items to communicate these initiatives simply and cost effectively. I wanted a tagline that would concisely convey both initiatives. After several brainstorming sessions, we settled on The industry leader around the world... with local support for you. I designed a one-color logo centered around a globe. The logo was used on all material connected to the show: Communications with resellers, invitations to our appreciation reception at the convention center and the reception program/decorations. Since we had limited time (approximately 6 weeks before setup) and a limited budget, I came up with two separate design concepts to present to management: 1. Take a more conservative approach and redesign several vertical, 6 freestanding banners to fit existing parts of the booth. 2. Think farther outside the box and create massive banners to hang from the ceiling on both sides of a huge digital display which hung above the booth, continuously playing videos and other content. This was my recommendation, which was approved. Using booth schematics and our placement in the exhibit hall, I designed two banners, each one 8 feet wide and 25 feet long. I consulted with exhibit hall staff to ensure the banners met their specifications to install the banners on their ceiling. Side by side, the banners would display the entire logo, with Industry Leader Around the World superimposed on the left banner, and With Local Support For You on the right banner. The banners would hang by the main walkway and placed so that whichever way one approached the booth the Julaine Stark project highlights page 3

4 closest banner would contain the Industry Leader content, and the farther banner would contain the rest of the phrase. I located a large format print vendor to handle the job within my budget and time constraints. They did an exceptional job! I also had the animation department create a 3D rendering of the globe and animate it with the tagline. This played at various intervals on a large display hung from the ceiling. Feedback from the show was outstanding. Since the attendees were all sign company employees, the banners drew people to the booth who would otherwise never have shown an interest in Daktronics or even known we were there. Passersby commented on the massive banners, which could be viewed from any location in the exhibit hall. In the words of one Daktronics sales rep, the banners were the hit of the show. The Final Product Julaine Stark project highlights page 4

5 Project #4: Newsletter Redesign & Content Fresh Concept Brand Management Graphic Design Editorial Control Writing & Editing Vendor: Commercial Printer Software: Adobe InDesign Software: Adobe Photoshop Software: Adobe Illustrator The Commercial News Monthly (CNM) was a monthly publication sent to every sign company which had done business with Daktronics in the past five years. The CNM was Daktronics most frequent, reliable communication with resellers and consisted of one 8 ½ x 11 page, printed on both sides. Conforming to Daktronics branding standards, create a fresh, attractive layout which was easy to navigate and would allow for additional content. Expanded the content from a two- to four-page design, allowing for a more flexible layout and inclusion of additional content. New features I introduced: 1. Monthly column written by customer service highlighting a standard procedure which was a common subject of service calls. This column alone reduced the volume of calls to our field sales & service offices and the Daktronics general customer service hotline. 2. Concept of a theme for each issue. The theme would focus on a specific niche or target audience (auto dealers, hotels, restaurants, churches). 3. Product information and selling tips specific to that month s niche. Back issues became a cumulative sales resource for our resellers to refer to when presenting to a specific audience, and a training resource for their sales and service staff. The Final Product click to view Julaine Stark project highlights page 5