2008 Projects
American Sign Museum
The goal of this capstone was to create a comprehensive marketing plan for the American Sign Museum. After 2-1/2 years at its present leased space in Walnut Hills, the museum purchased a larger building in Camp Washington where it plans to relocate. Extensive marketing research was conducted in order to determine how to best promote the opening of this new space to local as well as regional markets. Targeted segments were identified and a strategy developed to promote to each. The museum’s expanded capacity to serve as a venue for receptions and banquets as well as seminars and corporate events was considered a key ingredient to maximizing the potential of the new space.
Anneliese von Oettingen School of Ballet
The Anneliese von Oettingen School of Ballet is a nonprofit organization active in Cincinnati since 1948. With 2008 being the 60th anniversary for the school, the school’s directors wished to increase awareness of the school and attract new students. The main goals of this initiative were creating a marketing plan and public relations guide that summarized ideas to raise awareness, attract students and create buzz in the media.
Cincinnati Museum Center
The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) projects focused on understanding CMC customers through market research. Over five months, the consultant performed focus group sessions and administered quantitative surveys to hundreds of Cincinnati area residents. This research helped CMC better understand its customers’ family entertainment and education needs.
Cincinnati Park Board
Cincinnati Parks was interested in increasing revenue generated from its rental facilities. The Capstone project focused on the development of a marketing strategy to capitalize on this opportunity. The strategy included research to identify the target market, its needs, behaviors and preferences. The consultant determined the most effective communication strategy to reach the target market. The communication strategy included updating the current website and promotional material as well as developing new media.
CMC Property Management, LLC
CMC Properties is the largest private landlord in the Clifton area, owning and/or managing over 1,000 apartments in six different properties. Through its detail-oriented, hands-on approach to property management and its outstanding customer service, CMC continues to grow and work toward its mission to simplify the lives of its customers. The Capstone project assisted CMC in its continued efforts to better understand and serve its target market, and in the process, develop a branding and marketing strategy that further promotes CMC as the area’s premier property management company.
Currito – Burritos without Borders
The consultant developed Currito’s Marketing Guidebook that is distributed to Currito’s franchisees for their creation of effective marketing strategies. This comprehensive source of marketing tools focused on the three primary target markets of Currito: college campus environments (students), downtown locations (business crowed), and suburban and food-court/ mall locations (families and diverse crowd). Furthermore, the Marketing Guidebook was structured according to the primary marketing objectives of Currito restaurants: creation of awareness, customer trial and customer loyalty.
dunnhumbyUSA
Every year, dunnhumbyUSA develops significant new strategic initiatives to deliver double-digit growth for the current fiscal year and beyond. The consultant worked alongside a cross-functional team to construct a market entry plan for two dunnhumbyUSA initiatives. While these initiatives are confidential, both took dunnhumby’s offer into new high-growth areas where its capabilities were likely to provide game-changing insights for clients in marketing roles in leading CPG companies.
IndieVizuals
IndieVizuals.com is an online video community targeted toward the teen/tween market. The website is a safe and educational avenue for amateur filmmakers and musicians to share, collaborate and learn about the process of making videos. Inviting users to post their “home-made” videos, IndieVizuals embraces creativity and motivates learning. The consultant developed a marketing plan to promote the site and an action plan for 2008/09. In this dynamic work environment, the consultant was engaged in multiple marketing functions ranging from strategic partnering, sponsorships, in-depth market research, media buying and PR.
Olives at the Ludlow Garage
As a relatively new restaurant, Olives provided a two-pronged challenge: (1) increase trial (first-time customers) and, (2) increase repeat patronage (i.e., the frequency of visits for current customers). Primary research included exit interviews with consumers who had just dined at Olives as well as consumers who dined at Olives and at a comparable restaurant in the area. Secondary research focused on current trends within the restaurant industry, locally and nationally. The client was provided with a full marketing plan outlining several positioning options for Olives. Recommended identity platforms included executional elements for making Olives a more memorable experience for the customer while leveraging current trends in the industry.
Procter & Gamble Pet Care
The P&G Global Upstream Marketing Organization designs product initiatives for IAMS and Eukanuba globally, focusing on a 1-3 year time horizon. The consultant collaborated with multiple functions within P&G’s Pet Care Division to identify market trends and develop an innovative product for the IAMS/Eukanuba brands. For this project, the consultant worked with members of the Research & Development, Finance, Product Supply, Consumer Research and Customer Development organizations.
Procter & Gamble Pet Care
This Capstone, which focused on increasing product trial at Point of Marketing Entry and Point of Change through interactive marketing, provided the opportunity to understand the role of interactive marketing within the marketing model at one of the world’s best marketers. Reaching Pet Care’s strategic target, driving awareness and conversion, and driving the business was a unique challenge not just for Pet Care, but in the CPG space overall. Understanding and effectively reaching a “who” through interactive marketing is a skill that is broadly applicable.
Raymond Walters College
This consultant prepared a marketing plan that included research on the drivers that effect college choice, student media habits and a loyalty analysis. Data were collected through both personal interviews and online surveys. An analysis of schools competing for traditional and adult students was completed, including an evaluation of new competitors such as accelerated, distance learning and online alternatives. The research provided a foundation for shaping a marketing strategy based on a sound understanding of the market.
The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education
The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education promotes tolerance, inclusion and social justice based on lessons learned from the Holocaust. Established in 2000 on the campus of Hebrew Union College, CHHE developed its own nonprofit organization in July 2006 and provides many educational and outreach programs to the local community. This Capstone Project involved the development of a communications plan promoting brand recognition and increasing awareness for CHHE’s community outreach and educational programs.
The United States Playing Card Company
As a part of the organization’s Specialty Markets Sales division, the U.S. Playing Card Company operates a retail gift and outlet store. The store, having been in operation for five years, faced a need for higher visibility in the community. The project entailed finding innovative ways to promote the store in order to drive interest and increase foot-traffic. A focus was placed on high-impact advertising and promotions with a limited budget.
TriState Habitat for Humanity ReStore
TriState Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit corporation comprising eight chapters in Butler, Clermont and Warren counties (Ohio); Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties (Kentucky); and Dearborn and Ohio counties (Indiana). The ReStore is a building materials recycling center with proceeds enhancing the construction of homes for Habitat for Humanity families. The ReStore required a marketing plan identifying the target consumer, analyzing reach opportunities for the target, maximizing advertising spending and evaluating the retail footprint of the store. The marketing plan efforts directly helped the TriState ReStore increase its sales, which in turn helped Habitat support its basic mission of building more houses for those who are in need.
U.C. College Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department (CCM)
The ballet market is a saturated and declining market, and competition for the limited number of participants is fierce. The University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM) Preparatory Department wished to attract new students into its introductory ballet programs. A strategic marketing plan was needed to analyze the market and develop a plan to increase enrollment and visibility of the program. The Capstone marketing plan served as a template for developing marketing plans for the CCM Preparatory Department’s other programs.
Western & Southern Financial Group
Western & Southern Life, a member of the Western & Southern Financial Group, is currently catering to a wide spectrum of the U.S. population. The current business need of the company is to expand into the middle market for the life insurance category, typically defined as households with a combined annual income of $30,000 to $100,000. The consultant analyzed the current marketing trends, and provided recommendations for the right strategies to target the segment better. The initiative focused on analyzing and understanding the consumer base for the life insurance policies sold by Western & Southern.