2. This communications plan proposal has been prepared by
Times are changing, perspectives are shaping. Cobalt Communications provides
high caliber, creative PR strategies for the modern world. Our purpose is to cultivate
trust and credibility with our clients while helping them define and communicate their
purpose.
We deliver the most leading-edge work in the industry, and this is how:
•We are creative. We disrupt the market through new, innovative approaches.
•We are resilient. We use strategic communications to handle challenges and threats.
•We are honest. We focus on accurate, open and consistent communication in order
to build and maintain relationships with our publics.
Be Bold, Be Intentional, Be Cobalt.
Michaela Faronda - Account Manager
Stephanie Livaudais - Research Director
Skie Warner - Copywriting Director
Kirsten Tate - Director of Creative Services
Lexi Paul - Media/Social Media Director
CobalCommunications
Cobalt
Communications
3. Table of Contents
Table of Contents 1
Executive Summary 2
Background 4
Current Situation 6
Research 8
Plans, Goals & Objectives 12
Strategies 14
Framework 16
Tactics Explained 18
Timetable 24
Budget 28
Evaluation 29
Appendix 31
1
4. Executive Summary
2
Cobalt Communications has created this extensive public relations plan for our client, The
Blind Tiger Cafe, with the goal of outlining the strategies, tactics and programs that will allow
the cafe to reach its full potential. In order to do this, the community must be made aware of the
uniqueness of the cafe and all that the boutique/coffee and tea bar/coworking space fusion has to
offer.
Throughout this campaign, Cobalt Communications plans to increase community
awareness and increase the number of customers who visit the cafe. This will be achieved by
using social media, print advertising, networking throughout the Tampa Bay area, use of review
sites/mobile applications, and many more strategies which are discussed later in the public
relations campaign.
The sections of this book are organized as they are with the intent to ease the intake of
information.
The Blind Tiger, unlike a typical cafe, offers a unique fusion of high-quality coffee/tea
products and workspace through the rare mixed-use atmosphere the cafe provides. The Blind
Tiger goes beyond tapping into the market of coffee shops — it is specifically the answer to an
increasing demand for a concurrently one-of-a-kind and beneficial experience in an age where
people have an unquenchable thirst for something novel and unique.
Beginning with sections on background, current situation and research, our team has
determined the most specific target audience for this campaign as three primary groups: tourists,
local students and local young professionals. The findings from our research are included.
The structure of our plan is provided to allow for easy analyzation of how the campaign
will develop over a four-month period. These components include the specific plans, overall
goals and objectives we will work from in order to employ the campaign.
The framework of the campaign is outlined in the next sections, which detail the
objectives, strategies and tactics to be used by The Blind Tiger throughout the four-month
period.
A thorough explanation of specific strategies and tactics follow. These sections include
information about how to execute each strategy’s individual tactic.
5. 3
Lastly, the timetable, budget and evaluation sections of the campaign are laid out in an
easy-to-execute format to ensure the cafe owners will understand how to use each step in the
campaign. Specifically, the timetable include a numbered list of actions to take throughout the
length of the campaign, which will also serve as a check-list.
Implementing Cobalt Communication’s public relations campaign for an initial four-
month period will facilitate the The Blind Tiger in reaching its full potential. The use of the
campaign after this period will help the cafe in retaining repeat/loyal customers and will
allow the cafe to utilize results found in the evaluation to, in turn, apply them toward future
communications plans.
6. Background
Composition of The Blind Tiger: Three business
ventures make up the boutique/coffee and tea bar/
coworking space fusion in Ybor City named The Blind
Tiger. All three business ventures have nine employees
on staff. The following are each of the businesses
broken down independently:
• The Blind Tiger Cafe: a coffee shop that offers tea,
coffee and pastries from the local vendors Buddy Brew
Coffee, Te Bella Tea and Piquant Epicure & Cuisine.
• CoWork Ybor: Office workspace for rent ideal for
small businesses and startups. Wi-fi, printing and
work spaces are available for $12/day or a monthly fee.
Group rentals are also available. Complimentary coffee
is served to anyone using CoWork.
• Black & Denim:An all-American apparel and denim
textile company that started in Ybor in 2006.
Objectives of The Blind Tiger: To strengthen the cafe’s
social media presence and expand networking efforts
through the community, targeting the community’s
needs in order to promote growth. The cafe owners
would like to promote word-of-mouth of the cafe by
locals to those who are visiting the area.
Purpose & Objectives
The Blind Tiger is a “1920’s speakeasy style” coffee
shop in Ybor City that offers gourmet pastries,
premium coffee ingredients and separate work space
areas for business people. The concept of “CoWork” is
combined with the cafe and offers clients free printing,
workspace, and wifi for a flat fee per day (or per
month). The cafe has nine employees that cater to the
needs of those who love high quality coffee. The Blind
Tiger also offers personal coffee brewing classes for a
fee for those who want to learn how to properly brew
their own coffee.
One of the owners of The Blind Tiger, Roberto
Torres, wants to promote the cafe throughout the
community by strengthening its social media presence
and attending more networking events. He says that
an ultimate goal for the cafe is to create widespread
awareness through the community. He would like it if
locals would suggest the cafe to travelers from out of
town. Roberto would also like to improve the presence
of the cafe online, catering more to the community’s
needs in order to further promote growth. Though the
cafe has only been open for a few months, Roberto
says that The Blind Tiger already has hundreds of
loyal customers that travel from as far as Orlando for
a cup of their coffee. To reach the cafe’s objectives,
Roberto says he currently attends local community
events to promote The Blind Tiger. Roberto hosts
personal brewing classes at the cafe, with class sessions
offered on Groupon, for those who want to properly
brew their own coffee. Thousands of people search on
Groupon daily, so this is another opportunity for the
cafe to be recognized.
Composition
The governance structure of The Blind Tiger consists
of three separate business ventures incorporated into
a single concept. The three business ventures are as
follows:
The Blind Tiger Cafe:
A cafe co-owned and operated by Roberto Torres.
There is one manager in addition to Torres. The cafe
sells products from local vendors. Buddy Brew Coffee
sells their coffee products to The Blind Tiger. Te Bella
Tea sells their tea products to The Blind Tiger. Piquant
Epicure & Cuisine sells their pastry items to The Blind
Tiger. The Blind Tiger sells no food or drink items of
their own. It is unknown at this time how much the
mark-up is for the food and drink products The Blind
Tiger purchases and then sells to its customers. No free
wi-fi is available.
CoWork Ybor:
An at-will office work space for rent. Also co-owned
and operate by Roberto Torres. CoWork is located in
the same storefront building, adjacent to The Blind
Tiger Cafe. Wi-fi is available for $12 per day. Monthly
and group rentals are available for the workspace.
CoWork and The Blind Tiger are incorporated with
each other with complimentary coffee served to
CoWork patrons.
4
7. Black & Denim:
An apparel company owned and operated by Roberto
Torres and two business partners.The apparel is for
sale within The Blind Tiger storefront facility. All
three of these business ventures are small businesses
with a total of nine employees. The client achieves its
goals and serves its purpose at its own will. No outside
organizations are hired to implement campaigns.
Relevant Publics
The Blind Tiger generally serves locals, people who
love high-quality coffee and tea, business people who
can take advantage of CoWork Ybor, the work space
areas at Blind Tiger’s storefront location which offers
printing, workspace and wi-fi (for a flat fee per day or
month), people who want to learn how to brew their
own coffee properly via personal brewing classes, and
people who seek vegan goods and a limited breakfast/
lunch selection while having their tea or coffee.
The publics that The Blind Tiger has deemed the most
important are those who seek a fun, non-traditional
work and meeting place to enjoy high-quality coffee
and/or tea with an interest in taking advantage of the
printing, workspace and wifi provided by CoWork, The
Blind Tiger’s business-type counterpart.
Funding
Based on an email conversation with Roberto Torres,
these are the figures for funding public relations efforts
for The Blind Tiger:
• $0.00 is spent annually by The Blind Tiger on
reaching public relations goals.
• $0.00 is needed to carry on with current plans.
• The Blind Tiger is self-funded, with no additionally
sources of funding.
• The return on investment for current public relations
projects is 100%, since The Blind Tiger does not spend
money on advertising.
Competitive Frame
Direct competitors include coffee shops and smaller
restaurants within walking distance. Within a three-
block radius (a 10 minute walk) there are at least
13 places that sell coffee. Tre Amici At the Bunker,
Naviera Coffee Mills, Joffrey’s Coffee and Company,
and The Bricks are the four highest rated. They all sell
similar products, include a small or medium selection
of bakery products and all have free wi-fi.
An indirect competitor could include any business that
offers free wi-fi or work spaces for rent. For example,
The Blind Tiger has a strict “no wi-fi” policy due to
their development of CoWork Ybor. There are several
of these in Tampa, with CoCreative being the most
popular. There are also libraries which offer basic
services like wi-fi and printing in the vicinity, such as
Hillsborough District Library which is only four blocks
away from The Blind Tiger and CoWork Ybor. Also,
Hillsborough County has recently opened their own
shared workspace in Ybor City.
In the coffee shop space, The Blind Tiger does very
well against its competition. Many of the customer
reviews rave about the delicious coffee and the well-
educated and courteous staff at the cafe. The ambiance
appeals to a young crowd, and there are
comfortable chairs that encourage lounging. However,
one drawback for them is their
lack of free wi-fi — something which is standard fare
at every other coffee shop in the area. Also, there are
few tables or workspaces which is likely due to the
cafe’s “no wi-fi” policy as well as its shared workspace,
CoWork Ybor, which is right next door. Compared
to other businesses like CoCreative, CoWork Ybor
operates on a smaller scale. CoCreative offers entire
offices for rent as well as shared workspaces, whereas
CoWork Ybor is smaller and geared toward day-to-day
use, such as for startups and new professionals.
5
8. Current Situation
Development
The Blind Tiger was initially set to open in September
2014, but was pushed back a couple of months and
officially opened in early November 2014. It initially
opened as a coffee shop and denim store/textile
shop (Black & Denim), then mid-November 2014
the coworking space CoWork Ybor opened. The
three owners transformed an old office space into
a unique and mixed-use space for The Blind Tiger
Cafe, CoWork Ybor and Black & Denim. Because the
boutique/coffee and tea bar/coworking space fusion in
Ybor has only been up and running for a few months
to date, not much has changed in terms of growth or
evolution of the client’s business.
The idea for the Black & Denim clothing line began in
2006. Luis Montanez,
Roberto Torres and Chris Findeisen worked for three
years to create the line and
launched it in 2009, selling the clothing in 50 stores
nationwide within three years of the launch. After a
Kickstarter campaign raised enough money to open a
small shop, Black & Denim opened its first storefront
in August 2013 in a closet-sized Ybor City location.
Black & Denim quickly outgrew this storefront and
moved to a shop in Channelside, only to return to
Ybor City in 2014 for the boutique/coffee and tea bar/
coworking space fusion that has become The Blind
Tiger — just across the street from the old Black &
Denim storefront.
The Blind Tiger has not initiated any public relations
efforts to date.
Current Position
Blind Tiger Cafe has only been open for four months,
so its relationship to the community is growing each
day. The Cafe has associated itself often with Black &
Denim Apparel, which has been a well known Bay-
area mainstay. Given the news coverage at the time of
opening, Blind Tiger Cafe was greeted positively. The
owner envisions forging deeper ties with the Bay-area
by going to independent business associations, local
trade shows, and more, and is involved in the Visit
Tampa Bay program Unlock Tampa Bay.
Given the positive reception The Blind Tiger and
CoWork received at the time of opening, many
people were and are excited. The Tampa Bay Business
Journal and St Petersburg Tribune both featured the
venue’s opening, saying the venture was to become
a “destination retail spot” in Ybor City. Similarly,
customers have had generally good reviews of the
service, food, and experience they’ve had. It is rated
very highly on sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon.
The Blind Tiger’s current situation in regards to social
media is as follows:
Instagram - The most social media engagement the
cafe has is with Instagram. Approximately, 90 users
(upwards) “like” the cafe’s posts.
Twitter - Low customer engagement. Twitter Posts
have only about one to two “re-tweets” or “favorites”
per post.
Facebook- Adequate engagement for a business open
for just a few months. The cafe’s posts have about 1-10
“likes” each.
6
9. Direction
Throughout this PR campaign we need to address
how The Blind Tiger is a unique coffee shop that
offers premium ingredients and daily workspace. The
Blind Tiger offers CoWork, a business where one can
purchase wifi and a desk area for $12 per day. This
option for customers makes The Blind Tiger different
from most other coffee shops, especially those in Ybor
City. This is a huge opportunity for growth because the
cafe offers more than just coffee for business people.
People like to utilize the free wifi in most cafes, but
The Blind Tiger offers more than that; the cafe offers
separate work space with desks, printing, and wifi for a
small fee per day (or per month).
The second opportunity would be for us to connect
The Blind Tiger with other businesses and events
currently happening in the area. This means we will
need to improve their presence on social media and
redo most of their company website. With more social
media presence, more people in the community will
notice the cafe which is essential for growth. A great
way to improve business is to be recognized in the
community. The goal is to have people come from out
of town and suggest going to The Blind Tiger for their
coffee, recommended by locals. If the cafe partners
with and hosts local events, the community will
become more aware and will be more willing to try a
new destination.
Vision
Ultimately, the Blind Tiger wants to promote the
unique qualities of their coffee shop within the
Tampa Bay Community. Our client expressed that the
experience customers gain from the Blind Tiger are
unique and almost unparalleled to want can be had at
other coffee shops in the surrounding area. The Blind
Tiger has a distinctive background story and overall
look to the cafe, qualities they want us to capitalize on.
Our client envisions public relations initiatives as a
catalyst to disseminating the word about their quality
product and uniqueness. In the past, the Blind Tiger
has not really utilized any public relations initiatives
nor had they outsourced a public relations firm to help
their business.
Our client expects communication efforts that are
trending, cutting-edge and most importantly creative.
The Blind Tiger is looking for ways to get in touch with
Tampa Bay Community while also connecting with the
large influx of tourists that visit the city. Our client also
expects attention to detail and high quality work that
they can actually implement following our contract
with them. Cafe owner, Roberto Torres is especially
interested in the visual appeal. He wants to show
Tampa Bay all that Blind Tiger has to offer through
videography and social media illustrations, especially
highlighting on their special, unique events.
Fortunately the Blind Tiger is giving us all creative
control. They want Cobalt Communications to present
any ideas we have and will evaluate what they will use
following the proposal.
Pitfalls
When launching a new communications campaign
there are many potential problems that need to be
considered. Some problems that may be encountered
by initiating a communication effort are the following.
Budgeting issues are a large potential problem.
Currently, The Blind Tiger has no funds dedicated to
a communications budget. Adding this effort to their
business plan may be short lived if budgeting is not
considered. With no prior experience with handling
funds allocated to strategic communication, the client
will need careful guidance on this task.
Another potential problem are other local providers
of Buddy Brew Coffee and Te Bella Tea. We do not
know the details of any manufacturing contracts with
our client or the details of manufacturing contracts
with other competitors our vendors are currently
engaged with. We do not know the level of loyalty
the vendors will have with our client. Our client may
become very successful as a result of our campaign,
thus affecting the sales of large competitors, such as,
Oxford Exchange. The competitors may wish to sign
a non-compete contract with our vendors, which may
leave our client with zero vendors. The Blind Tiger
needs to strengthen its relationship with its vendors to
ensure a mutually beneficial partnership and to avoid
any potential non-renewal of contracts.
A third problem that may encounter is employee
involvement. As the agency providing the campaign
we need to make sure that all parties involved in the
campaign are in agreement with the communications
plan. Any employee who does not agree with the
communications plan may sabotage it. To avoid this we
need to make sure the employees are considered a vital
part of the campaigns’ success. We will need to include
the employees in all aspects of the campaign, from
planning to execution to evaluation.
7
10. Research
Statement of the Problem
Following extensive research
and analysis, the circumstances
and situation affecting The Blind
Tiger appear to be as follows:
The attitudes of consumers
toward The Blind Tiger indicate
generally positive feedback, specifically with the
atmosphere (“creative and quirky,”) the high quality of
coffee products available, the friendly service and the
location of the cafe. Drawn from consumer reviews
across multiple platforms such as Yelp, Urbanspoon
and Facebook, the attitudes of consumers are overall
positive and seem to view The Blind Tiger as an up-
and-coming coffee shop which is progressing toward
becoming a go-to coffee shop in the Ybor area.
Compared to leading competitors, The Blind Tiger
strongly differentiates itself from other coffee shops,
mainly because of its uncommon mixed-use space. The
boutique/coffee and tea bar/coworking space fusion in
Ybor is one of a kind.
Some of the weaknesses of The Blind Tiger include the
no wi-fi policy, since free wi-fi is a common feature
at not only competing cafes, but at almost all public
places today. Also, The Blind Tiger has not utilized any
public relations initiatives in the past and, as a result,
it has had little success in spreading the word about
the uniqueness and quality of products available, aside
from word-of-mouth marketing.
Problem statement
Today, The Blind Tiger is missing out on opportunities
to connect to its publics. If this
problem is ignored, the cafe may miss a critical
founding period in reaching out and making the
community aware of and informed about the rare
mixed-use space that is The Blind Tiger.
Goal statement
To increase the community’s awareness of The Blind
Tiger, specifically the uniqueness
and all that the boutique/coffee and tea bar/coworking
space fusion has to offer.
Research Questions/Hypotheses
We are trying to answer the main question of what
people look for in a cafe experience. We thought our
most popular answers would be “quality of coffee/tea”
and “atmosphere.” We included the question of “How
likely are you to choose a cafe over another dining
experience?” and expected the answers to mostly be
“not likely” due to the lack of food items that cafes
offer. We asked the question “Where and how do you
obtain information about dining options in the Tampa
Bay area?” and we expected people to answer with
“social media” or “friends/word of mouth.”
Most people that we know go to cafes quite often, so
when we asked our respondents how often they go to
cafes, we expected them to answer anywhere between
1 and 4 times per week. When we asked respondents
what their favorite cafe in the Tampa Bay area is, we
expected most people to say “Starbucks.” Most people
are unwilling to travel very far to a cafe, so we included
this question in our survey, to expect most people
to say “no more than 2 miles.” We asked the general
education, sex, and age questions, expecting most
respondents to be females between the ages of 18-22
with a Bachelor’s degree.
By asking these questions we would be able to
determine how far people would be willing to travel
to a cafe, therefore knowing the possible outcome of
how many people would be willing to travel to The
Blind Tiger if it had what they were looking for. By
asking what people look for in a cafe experience, we
are better able to assist The Blind Tiger in knowing
this information in order to implement it at their
cafe. Since it is assumed that most people look for
high quality coffee and drinks in a cafe, The Blind
Tiger is already ahead in the campaign because they
offer top quality ingredients that are locally brewed to
perfection.
graph 1
8
11. Method
Our data collection technique was digital surveying.
We created a survey using Google Sheets and
distributed it to as many people as we could in a two-
week period. We chose this method because it was
free, allowed for various question formats in the same
program, came with built in analytics to allow us to
view the data in real time and adjust our strategies
accordingly. Also, given our time constraints, surveys
proved to be the most efficient method, allowing us
to reach a broad and varied group of people in a short
amount of time.
Blind Tiger is located in Ybor City, a highly popular
district of the City of Tampa. Our survey’s population,
then, is the City of Tampa, which has about 353,000
people in a 170-square-mile area. This is a diverse
and spread out population comprised of mainly
Caucasians, Latinos, and African Americans. The
median household income in Tampa is $40,000
($10,000 below the national average). Ten percent of
the population is between the ages of 18 to 24 and 32%
is between the ages of 25 to 44.
Our survey’s sample size was 45 people chosen via a
combination of random and convenience sampling.
Since we created a digital survey that was distributed
via social media and email, we didn’t have complete
control of the sampling method. The reason for this
distribution method was our time constraints and lack
of resources - we had about two weeks to complete our
data collection and had no budget to conduct research.
We recorded a total of 45 responses over a two-
week period. The surveys were distributed digitally,
primarily over email and social media like Facebook
and Twitter with posts including a short survey
description and a call to action. Users clicked on a
link which directed them to the online survey. The
survey was made up of 10 questions, seven of which
were a mix of multiple choice and text box questions.
The remaining three were basic multiple choice
demographic questions.
Analysis
Every time a user took our survey, the results were
logged in a linked Google Sheet (similar to an Excel
chart). The results were put into a form that was easy
to analyze, which every user being a row in the chart
and each question a column, so that when answers
were recorded they went into the corresponding cell.
Using Google Form’s publishing tools, these answers
were then turned into pie charts, bar graphs, lists and
other visual methods of communicating the responses.
These were instrumental in helping us understand our
findings and how to apply them to our strategies.
Findings
Our first question asked, “What do you look for in
a “cafe experience?”’ (See Graph 1). The five answer
choices (excluding “other”) were presented in such
a way that they primed the respondents to think of
various elements of the cafe experience besides just
coffee. This was a multiple choice question which
allowed respondents to choose more than one answer.
The top two answers were “quality of coffee/drinks”
and “atmosphere/environment,” with 69% of
respondents choosing them. Access to Wi-Fi came
third (62%) and a varied menu came fourth (58%).
Workspace area was last at 38%. Additionally, 7%
chose “Other.”
The second question asked respondents how likely
they’d be to choose going to a cafe over another dining
option. They were limited to choosing one answer
choice. An overwhelming majority answered neutrally,
with 67% answering “maybe, depending on the
cafe” (see Graph 2). The remaining few had stronger
opinions: 20% answered “likely” and 13% “not likely.”
Our third question asked respondents to expand on
their previously given answer, filling in a text box to
tell exactly why they’d choose the dining experience
they did. Given the variety of answers, these were
coded into the following categories: quality of coffee/
drinks, variety of menu items/food, workspace area,
atmosphere/environment, access to Wi-Fi, and other.
These categories reflect the answer choices in Question
1, as we wanted a way to weigh how much of a factor
each element of the cafe experience was for customers.
(Answers could be coded into two different categories.)
9
12. After the content analysis, we’ve discovered that a cafe’s
atmosphere (29%) is still the most important factor
in whether or not a customer will choose that for a
particular dining experience, followed by workspace
area (19.2%) and variety of food items (19.2%). The
complete results of the content analysis are found in
Table 1.
Our next question asked users where and how they
obtained information about dining options in the Tam-
pa Bay area. This is a multiple choice question which
allowed them to choose more than one answer (see
Graph 3). This question was important to us because
these answers would be heavily considered in the shap-
ing and evaluating our communications plan.
Far and away, respondents selected “friends/word of
mouth” and “social media” as their top choices (87%
and 84%, respectively). Advertisements came at a dis-
tant third, with 38% including them in their selections.
Other media ranked low on respondents lists: maga-
zines (9%) billboards (16%) and newspapers (18%).
Next, we asked, “How often do you go to cafes?” We
wanted to establish a baseline to compare Blind Ti-
ger’s repeat customer rates to the rate of cafes at large.
A majority of respondents (29%) said they go “1-2
times per week.” Interestingly, the next most-selected
option was “once per month,” with 24% choosing that
option. “Two-three times per month” was next at 20%,
followed by “3-4 times per week” (18%), and “Never”
(9%) (See Graph 4).
Our next question asked respondents to write in a text-
box what their favorite local cafe is. Starbucks was the
top submission at 24%. Oxford Exchange in downtown
Tampa was the next favorite at 16%, and 24% do not
have a favorite cafe, do not go to cafes, or chose not to
disclose. Other cafes that were mentioned include Kah-
wa, Buddy Brew and Felicitous (next to USF campus).
Respondents were then asked how far they are willing
to travel to visit a cafe (see Graph 5). Most said “6-
10 miles,” with 40% choosing that option. “No more
than 2 miles” was the next most popular choice (29%),
followed by “2-5 miles” (22%). Nine percent of respon-
dents said they wouldn’t travel.
At this point, we’ve finished our primary data collec-
tion and asked three basic demographic questions
relating to age, gender and level of education. These
questions helped us get a clearer picture of our sample
group, and were designed to be as inclusive as possible.
In the age question, we found that a large majority of
our respondents (56%) were between the ages of 18-22
years old (see Graph 6). This puts them firmly in the
“millennials” generation, which is one our key publics.
At 31%, our second largest group, 23-27 years old, is
also considered to be millennial. Thirteen percent were
older than 32 years old. In the gender question, we
found that 69% of respondents identified as female and
31% identified as male (see Graph 7).
When our respondents were asked what is their high-
est level of school completed, 47% said Bachelor’s
degree, 8% said Master’s degree, 13% said Associate’s
degree, 27% said no degree but some college credit,
and 4% said high school diploma (see Graph 8).
graph 5
10
13. Application/Interpretation
This survey has given us valuable insight into the
Bay area consumer. Judging from the demographics
of our sampled group, most of the survey takers fall
under our “millennials” publics, and this provides
information on the tastes and habits of local
millennials. That being said, we’ll have to supplement
our research for our other publics (like tourists) with
outside, third party research.
We’ve learned that the most popular way that
respondents find out about Tampa Bay dining options
is via social media or word of mouth. These results
support current research with lauds the value of social
media and word of mouth over other traditional
forms of promotion. According to AdWeek, personal
brand stories and recommendations shared over
Facebook trump other forms of social media in terms
of trustworthiness, and freely-given recommendations
from close friends or family trump any form of paid
promotion.
Encouraging customers to share their stories and
pictures with a dedicated hashtag that would be
promoted throughout the store (on menus and
signage). Blind Tiger’s social media team would
regularly review the contents posted to the tag and
share customer stories and pictures, reinforcing
and encouraging customers to share. (See a similar
campaign by South Tampa restaurant Datz featuring
the Instagram tag “#datsforfoodies”).
In addition to the value of social media in promoting
to our publics, we’ve learned that most potential
customers are willing to drive (“6-10 miles”) to visit
the shop, but a significant amount would prefer to be
within walking distance (“no more than 2 miles”). This
data is valuable to our campaign as it will aid us in
further targeting our messages.
Another key finding is that “access to wifi” is a very
significant part of the “cafe experience” for most
respondents, who ranked it right up there with the
atmosphere and the beverages themselves. This
indicates that Blind Tiger needs to carefully discuss
and explain their reasons for forgoing such a key
aspect of the typical cafe experience. Continuing to
promote and tout the benefits of the adjoining CoWork
Ybor and emphasizing the “old school” atmosphere
will be a key in avoiding people passing up the Blind
Tiger altogether.
How will you use the data you collected to plan the PR
campaign?
Our findings should help us identify specific trends.
Are participants answering how we expected them to?
Are they providing insight on aspects not considered
previously? More importantly, how will we address the
issues brought up? What comes from analyzing the
focus group results will let us determine what further
action needs to be taken in the quantitative portion
of our research. To analyze the results from the
survey instrument, we will compare the results from
the interval/ratio questions asked across categorical
demographics. Any correlations found will be tested
using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. We can conduct
cross-tabulations, univariate and/or bivariate analyses,
and analysis of variance when necessary.
The most results-oriented test we predict will be testing
correlations. Trends that are found in our quantitative
research that relate or match with trends found in our
qualitative research will be heavily focused on. We
have a greater chance of our communications proposal
for The Blind Tiger to be successful if we revolve
the campaign around the findings of our research.
If we choose to run any statistical tests that require
software, Cobalt Communications will use either SPSS
or STATA, because of free access through the USF
Application Gateway.
What mistakes did you make in designing the research
or collecting data that could have influenced findings?
After reviewing our survey and findings, we realized
that not all of our publics were represented in our
demographics. We were not able to find a way to
distribute our survey to tourists, which required us
to find outside research and incorporate it into our
strategy. Also, due to our survey distribution method,
our sampling method was not as random as we would
have liked. Distributing the survey through social
media and email limited the amount of people that we
could send it to. The results could be biased due to our
extended circle of friends and family. We recommend
any surveys in the future to be completely random.
11
14. Plans, Goals &
Objectives
The goal of our campaign is to increase awareness of the unique qualities of the cafe as well as increase the
amount of customers who come to the cafe, especially in terms of retaining them as repeat customers. Our plan
for reaching this goal includes the use of multiple strategies including social media, print advertising, networking
throughout the Tampa Bay area and utilizing review sites and mobile applications.
We need to ensure awareness in the community about the cafe compared to traditional coffee shops remains
constant and consistent. The amount of repeat customers could be improved.
Throughout the campaign we plan to increase awareness among tourists and potential local customers and in-
crease amount of customers walking through the door.
Our overall plan is to increase community awareness and increase the number of customers who visit the cafe by
using a series of strategies including social media, print advertising, networking throughout the Tampa Bay area
and review sites and mobile applications.
Our client is a relatively new business in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the Blind Tiger Cafe is doing a great job
of promoting themselves for only being open for about 5 months. The Blind Tiger seeks to keep their momentum
going and remain relevant in Tampa Bay
Cobalt Communications would like to help the Blind Tiger stay relevant by continuing to attract local and visit-
ing customers by promoting the cafe qualities.
As a result of the proposed communications plan, Cobalt Communications and the Blind Tiger Cafe would like
to see a continued increase of awareness of the cafe via social media and a higher volume of clientele walking
through the door throughout the week.
We have tasked ourselves with exceeding four main objectives, set to a four-month-long timeline, that aim to
meet our goal of increasing awareness about our client.
12
15. Objective 1 - Increase Awareness of Cafe among Tourists (by 10%
over a four month period)
We chose this objective per the client’s request. Building and maintaining a presence among tourists was an
important aspect of growing the cafe’s success in our client’s mind. We also feel that it is important for the Cafe to
be established as one of the “must see” sites in Tampa from a tourist’s perspective. Being a relatively new busi-
ness located in Ybor City on the most popular street, 7th Avenue, we feel that a 10% growth in awareness among
tourists is a reasonable number to obtain.
Objective 2 - Increase Awareness of Cafe among local students and
young professionals (by 12% over a four month period)
We chose this objective because the cafe caters to the demographic of local students and young professionals.
Again, because this is a new business that is in a state of growth we feel that a 12% increase in awareness among
this key demographic is obtainable.
Objective 3 - Maintain Customer Loyalty through onsite customer
engagement (Build customer loyalty by increasing customer
engagement by 15% over a four month period)
We chose this objective because customer engagement is what makes a new business thrive. We are stretching at
setting our objective at a 15% increase, but with consistent effort, this objective should be obtained within the set
timeframe.
Objective 4 - Increase purchase of Living Social deal by (Artisan Cof-
fee Brewing Class and Tasting) (sell 40 deals over a four month peri-
od)
Another way to meet our goal of overall increased awareness of the cafe is to increase awareness of the more
unique and lesser known services offered. The coffee brewing class is one of these unique aspects that we feel we
can grow with our campaign. The task of selling 40 deals over four months should be easily met with consistent
effort from our client.
13
16. Strategies
Potential Customers - Tourists
•Leverage the Tampa Bay network
•Review sites and mobile applications
•Print advertisement
One key public for our client is tourists and business professionals from out of town. Tampa Bay is extremely
well-known for its tourism and the amount of people that come to visit from all around the world. Since Ybor
City is a historic district, it attracts people from around the world. The Blind Tiger is at an all-time advantage
with its location in the heart of Ybor City — on the 7th avenue strip — which is the most popular part of the
historic district. There are a plethora of hotels located near Ybor City where many business professionals stay
during their work conventions. We decided we want to create print advertisements to place at local hotels.
In order to market to tourists and business professionals from other areas, we have come up with some strategies
for The Blind Tiger to consider. Our first strategy is for the cafe to leverage the Tampa Bay network and attend
local events such as conventions and markets. Many people travel to Tampa Bay not only as tourists, but also for
work conventions. These business professionals from out of town like to explore what the Tampa Bay has to offer,
and among the many foodie-type options for adventures, there are some nice cafes as well. We think it would be
a good business strategy for The Blind Tiger to attend local events with a booth offering options from the menu,
print copies of the menu for customers to take with them, and also some “swag” items such as logo stickers and
key chains. Not only will this promote the cafe to out-of-town business professionals, but it will also ensure that
if the professionals enjoy the products, it is likely that they will visit the cafe the next time they are in town.
The Blind Tiger can also utilize mobile applications and online review sites. By creating a mobile application and
allowing potential customers to access reviews, menu information, hours, contact information and pictures, they
will be able to get an idea of what to expect from The Blind Tiger and it could push them toward trying the cafe
out. Customers will enjoy being able to look up reviews and see photos of the products from The Blind Tiger.
Another strategy is to create print flyers or advertisements to place on the concierge desk at local hotels in
Channelside and Ybor City so that while customers are checking in and out, or simply looking for nearby places
to hang out, they will see The Blind Tiger flyers and possibly choose to go there. The flyers should contain the
cafe name and logo, along with hours of operation, location and some general menu items. Something like this
could boost the amount of travelers that come in to the cafe. Another aspect to add to the flyer is a purchase
incentive- such as “Bring in this flyer and receive $1 off of your coffee/tea purchase.” This way, the owner of the
cafe knows the customer came there because of the flyer being distributed locally.
Potential Customers - Graduate Students/Young Professionals
•Leverage the Tampa Bay network
•Social media
•Review sites and mobile applications
•Print advertisement
Tampa ranks second on the Forbes list for top 10 cities for young entrepreneurs. This is a major benefit for The
Blind Tiger, as it has the workspace fusion incorporated into the cafe. We believe that using social media, review
sites and applications, print advertising and networking with local professional organizations will be the most
effective strategies for communicating with the graduate student/young professional public.
14
17. Potential Customers - Undergraduate Students
•Social Media
•Print advertisement
•Face-to-face customer engagement
Another key public is undergraduate college students as the Tampa Bay area has a large population of people
pursuing higher education. Cobalt Communication would specifically like target students from the University of
Tampa, Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida.
A bulk of the “Millennials” generation is comprised of undergraduate college students ranging from ages 18 to
22. We believe the most effective way in communicating with this public is through social media platforms,
print advertisements and face-to-face customer engagement.
Obstacles
Obstacle with social media:
Respondents overwhelmingly reported that they use social media and word-of-mouth as their primary sources
of information for dining options in Tampa Bay (85% word of mouth, 83% social media). A challenge that can
arise here is low engagement — people see the post and keep scrolling. How can this be avoided: A dedicated
effort to create content that drives engagement (implement social media monitoring to find what works and what
doesn’t), run social-only promotions to encourage people to pay attention to posts.
Obstacle with print advertisement:
Survey respondents rated print sources very low on the list of how they get their Tampa Bay dining information,
circulation area might alienate our tourist demographic. How can this be avoided: Focus on “grad students/
young professionals” demographic in publications they are likely to read (Tampa Bay Times/*TBT, Tampa Bay
Business Journal, Creative Loafing) and tout the features of the adjoining CoWork Ybor.
Obstacle with Tampa Bay networks:
This alienates the “undergraduate students” demographic (only 2% in this age bracket reported that they look at
networks like “Unlock Tampa Bay” for information about dining options). How can this be avoided: Position this
as “community involvement,” and highlight the involvement on social media. “Giving back” is important.
Obstacle with review sites:
Lack of customer participation. How can this be avoided: Highlight positive reviews and address negative ones
— show customers their opinions are seen and valued. One way to do this could be to physically clip or share
socially what customers have been saying. Respond to each comment, both positive and negative.
15
18. Framework
Objective 1 - Increase Awareness of Cafe among Tourists (by 10%
over a four month period)
Strategy 1 - Connecting with local tourism board/bureau
Tactic 1- Placing Blind Tiger stationary at local hotels
Tactic 2- Further relationship with Visit Tampa Bay by promoting Cafe’s special events through their calendar
and being involved in special advertising campaigns
Strategy 2 - Social media/internet
Tactic 1 - Encouraging customers to write reviews and “check-in” on Facebook, Instagram, Urbanspoon and Yelp
Tactic 2 - Reach out to similar cafes around the country to give social media shoutouts to the Blind Tiger.
Customers that love a good coffee shop will hopefully seek out the Bling Tiger Cafe when visiting Tampa
(especially if they’re favorite local coffee shop has highlighted The Blind Tiger)
Objective 2 - Increase Awareness of Cafe among local students and
young professionals (by 12% over a four month period)
Strategy 1 - Utilize social media platforms more strategically
Tactic 1 - Short videos to visually promote product, atmosphere, crafting of beverages and special events
Tactic 2 - Encouraging customers to write reviews and “check-in” on Facebook, Instagram, Urbanspoon and Yelp
Strategy 2 - Create a presence on college campuses
Tactic 1 - Place print advertisement within local college newspapers
Tactic 2 - Attend campus events that can showcase The Blind Tiger
Strategy 3 - Build a presence within the Tampa Bay area community
Tactic 1 - Creating a presence at college campuses by tabling at campus functions
Tactic 2 - Create a presence at Ybor City Saturday Market
Tactic 3 - Place ads in the Creative Loafing Newspaper: This newspaper highlights the “best of the bay” in other
words, events and local attractions in the Tampa Bay area.
16
19. Objective 4 - Increase purchase of Living Social deal by (Artisan
Coffee Brewing Class and Tasting) (sell 40 deals over a four month
period)
Strategy 1 - In store promotion
Tactic 1- Have baristas frequently mention the Living Social deal in store
Tactic 2- Create in store signs for the class so customer see the sign when visiting the cafe
Strategy 2 - Social media promotion
Tactic 1 - Use boosted social media posts
Tactic 2 - Strategic wording and timing of social media posts (solely on the living social promotion)
Tactic 3 - Create an event page for the class
Objective 3 - Maintain Customer Loyalty through onsite customer
engagement (Build customer loyalty by increasing customer
engagement by 15% over a four month period)
Strategy 1 - Create an email list-serve of customers to remind them of special events and new features to the cafe
Tactic 1 - Collect emails from customers
Tactic 2 - Have baristas ask for every customer to sign-up for the electronic newsletter
Strategy 2 - Encourage social media use
Tactic 1 - Launch a social media photo contest where customers can document their experiences at the Blind
Tiger
Tactic 2 - use hashtag #blindtigerybor on social media platforms, print on business cards and menus and other
print ads
Tactic 3- feature customers in social media posts, retweets, etc
17
20. Tactics Explained
We would like to specifically increase awareness of The Blind Tiger in
the community, realistically by 5%. We would like to measure how many
people follow The Blind Tiger on social media, Twitter, Instagram and
Facebook specifically, after our campaign compared to how many people
followed the company before. We will have the Blind Tiger focus on one
hashtag (#blindtigerybor) to monitor the increasing number of people
that follow or have “liked” The Blind Tiger on social media sites such as
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. By focusing primarily on one hashtag
we will be able to measure the success rate of our campaign.
The Blind Tiger has a major advantage that their location is not placed
near a Starbucks, the leading cafe competitor. Our team is measuring the
response rate of the potential customer surveys we distributed through
Google Drive to determine what most people like to see out of a cafe- wifi,
atmosphere, menu items, or convenience. We will suggest to the owner
that he should improve the cafe’s presence in the community by attending
nearby conventions and events.
We intend to measure the plan’s success by monitoring the amount of followers The Blind Tiger has on social
media- Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter- recording the number before our campaign, and then again after. We
will be able to see if there is an increase in followers due to our campaign. If the result is around a 5% increase,
our campaign will be successful, with our goal of expanding awareness in the community of this unique cafe. We
want to also provide the owner of the cafe with the satisfaction that we have helped him expand his business.
Our client is a relatively new business in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the Blind Tiger Cafe is doing a great job
of promoting themselves for only being open for about 7 months. The Blind Tiger seeks to keep their momentum
going and remain relevant in Tampa Bay’s array of dining experiences.
Our plan meets directly meets the goals of our client because it maintains their relevancy by staying connected to
targeted publics through a variety of different means. Our plan intends to connect The Blind Tiger to customers
in unique ways that are not only interesting but engaging. We balanced incentives and effective communication
to highlight our client’s unique special events, promotions and atmosphere.
Our intended public are locals and tourists that fall into the following descriptions:
1. Local College Students (both undergraduates and graduates)
2. Local Young Professionals (could be going to school and working concurrently)
3. Any Tourists with specific attention to tourists that are in town for work related purposes
We plan to gear our social media efforts specifically towards local customers. We believe that tourists are more
likely to discover The Blind Tiger through restaurant listings, mobile application reviews and hospitality infor-
mation resources. Locals are likely to use some of the same means to find The Blind Tiger in addition to word of
mouth and friends posting on their social media account about their experiences.
The owner of The Blind Tiger, Roberto, would be responsible for carrying out each individual activity during this
campaign. In addition to him, he could hire (or designate) a certain employee to implement this plan as well, if
he does not want to carry it out himself. If he were to choose to hire or appoint an employee for these activities, it
would be added to the campaign budget.
18
21. Objective 1 - Increase Awareness of
Cafe among Tourists (by 10% over a
four month period)
Strategy 1 - Connecting with local tourism board/bureau
Tactic 1- Placing Blind Tiger stationary at local hotels
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-Connecting with local hotel’s guest services
-Contacting the manager of the concierge of the following
hotels to place brochures and menus in guest resource center.
Tactic 2- Further relationship with Visit Tampa Bay by promoting Cafe’s special events through their calendar
and being involved in special advertising campaigns
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-Contact Visit Tampa Bay regarding their upcom-
ing advertising campaigns, especially the Summer
Leisure Campaign. Since our plan is set to launch in
May, taking part in the Summer Leisure Campaign
aligns perfectly with the timeline. This marketing
campaign highlights the many activities to take part
in Tampa, over the summer.
-Advertise the Cafe’s themed tea times as special
events in Visit Tampa Bay’s Calendar of Events
Strategy 2 - Social media/internet
Tactic 1 - Encouraging customers to write reviews and “check-in” on Facebook, Instagram, Urbanspoon and Yelp
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-Make Facebook and Instagram account names visible in the Cafe. Print account names on menus and receipts,
write them on the chalkboard outside of the Cafe
-Have baristas drop an informational handout about mobile application review sites upon serving customer’s
orders
Tactic 2 - Reach out to similar cafes around the country to give social media shoutouts to the Blind Tiger. Cus-
tomers that love a good coffee shop will hopefully seek out the Blind Tiger Cafe when visiting Tampa (especially
if they’re favorite local coffee shop has highlighted The Blind Tiger)
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-Contact similar coffee shops (in regards to atmosphere and services offered)
-The Blind Tiger needs to provide “shoutouts” to other cafe’s first to expect recognition in return
19
22. Objective 2 - Increase Awareness of Cafe among local students and
young professionals (by 12% over a four month period)
Strategy 1 - Social media/internet
Tactic 1 - Short videos to visually promote product, atmosphere, crafting of beverages and special events
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-Video example: beverages being crafted by baristas
-Video example: customers using the workspace
-Video example: showcasing new merchandise, panning across the merchandise section of the establishment
-Video example: special tea times
-Video example: how was the beverage crafted
-Video example: opening the store procedures
-Video example: closing the store procedures
-Video example: tea brewing
-Video example: customers enjoying the oatmeal bar
-Video example: growler refill process
-Video example: setting up the pastries
-Video example: contest winner teasers
Tactic 2 - Encouraging customers to write reviews and “check-in” on Facebook, Instagram, Urbanspoon and Yelp
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-Make Facebook and Instagram account names visible in the Cafe. Print account names on menus and receipts,
write them on the chalkboard outside of the Cafe
-Have baristas drop an informational handout about mobile application review sites upon serving customer’s
orders
Strategy 2 - Create a presence at college campuses
Tactic 1 - Place print advertisement within local college newspapers
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-Contact school newspapers
University of South Florida: “Oracle” (Lifestyle Section)
University of Tampa - “The Miranet” (Lifestyle Section)
Hillsborough Community College - “The Hawkeye” (Arts and Entertainment Section)
Tactic 2 - Attend campus events that showcase The Blind Tiger
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-University of South Florida “Bull Market”
Bull Market is a weekly tabling event that happens every Wednesday. Student organizations and local
vendors set up tents and tables, hand out promotional items and fliers to students.
-Tabling suggestions: Bring a custom Blind Tiger table cloth and promotional decals for students to place on
their laptops
20
23. Strategy 3 - Build a presence within the Tampa Bay area community
Tactic 1 - Creating a presence at college campuses by tabling at campus functions
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-University of South Florida “Bull Market”
Bull Market is a weekly tabling event that happens every Wednesday. Student organizations and local
vendors set up tents and tables, hand out promotional items and fliers to students.
-Tabling suggestions: Bring a custom Blind Tiger table cloth and promotional decals for students to place on
their laptops
-The Blind Tiger can sample some of their beverages and promote upcoming special events
Tactic 2 - Create a presence at Ybor City Saturday Market -
Since the cafe is located in Ybor, this is a great way for the client to get connected with the local community.
Ybor City is also a historic district which attracts a large tourist population. The Ybor City Saturday Market
differs from other community markets because it’s not solely based on farm to market products. Ybor’s Saturday
Market gives opportunity to a wide array of vendors to promote their business and generate sales.
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
- Directions for registering for a space at the Ybor City Saturday Market:
-The Blind Tiger should register for the daily rate to provide flexibility. The campaign is intended to last 4
months. The Blind Tiger can create a presence at the market once every month.
Tactic 3: Place ads in the Creative Loafing Newspaper: This newspaper highlights the “best of the bay” in other
words, events and local attractions in the Tampa Bay area.
Tactic 3: Execution Plan
- Prepare a general or specific ad for the paper: The Blind Tiger can create a general ad marketing the cafe as a
whole OR if a major special event arises within the the 4 month campaign timeline
- Contact Creative Loafing Sales and Marketing Coordinator for ad space and fees:
Objective 3 - Maintain Customer Loyalty through onsite customer
engagement (Build customer loyalty by increasing customer
engagement by 15% over a four month period)
Strategy 1 - Create an email list-serve of customers to remind them of special events and new features to the cafe
Tactic 1 - Collect emails from customers
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
- Have professionals drop their business cards into a bowl by the register. Provide a promotional aspect while
also getting emails. Especially for young professionals, The Blind Tiger can promote two free hours of wifi in the
coworking space next door (one winner to be chosen every month).
Tactic 2 - Have baristas ask for every customer to sign-up for the electronic newsletter
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-The Blind Tiger should have an ipad prompted with a google form near the register where customers can easily,
and quickly log their email for promotional updates on the cafe.
The form should have short description of what the customer’s email will be used for and a space provided to
type in the customer’s email.
-Baristas should be briefed at a staff meeting of the new efforts to maintain customer loyalty to the cafe
21
24. Strategy 2 - Encourage social media use
Tactic 1 - Launch a social media photo contest where customers can document their experiences at the Blind
Tiger
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-Use the unique hashtag (#damngoodBT) to track customers photos on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
-Repost winners to The Blind Tiger account
-Choose three winners a month that can receive the following prizes: one free beverage or pastry, one free hour
of wifi from the co-work space, The Blind Tiger mug
Tactic 2 - use hashtag #blindtigerybor on social media platforms, print on business cards and menus and other
print ads
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-The Blind Tiger currently uses the hashtag #blindtigerybor in conjunction with many other hashtags. To track
social media progress the cafe must especially promote one hashtag to see who is talking about the cafe and how
much.
Tactic 3 - feature customers in social media posts, re-tweets, etc.
Tactic 3: Execution Plan
-By consistently using and promoting a major hashtag the Blind Tiger can easily repost customer’s positive com-
ments about the cafe
22
25. Objective 4 - Increase purchase of Living Social deal by (Artisan
Coffee Brewing Class and Tasting) (sell 40 deals over a four month
period)
Strategy 1 - In store promotion
Tactic 1- Have baristas frequently mention the Living Social deal in store
Tactic 2- Create in store signs for the class so customer see the sign when visiting the cafe
Strategy 2 - Social media promotion
Tactic 1 - Use boosted social media posts
Tactic 1: Execution Plan
-Facebook allows users to pay for “boosts” a feature that makes posts appear higher on audience’s News Feed
(which increases the likelihood of being read)
Tactic 2 - Strategic wording and timing of social media posts (solely on the living social promotion)
Tactic 2: Execution Plan
-Posting at the beginning of the week asking audience if they have end of the week date plans (The class is held
every Thursday)
-Posts could have a tag line reading “Thirsty Thursday”
-Posting at the beginning of the month saying “try something new this month, take The Blind Tiger Artisan
Coffee Brewing Class”
-Create special posts about Living Social special discounts (a few dollars off the original price and its deadline)
Tactic 3 - Create an event page for the class
Tactic 3: Execution Plan
-Plan to create an event page every other week
-Invite only 50-100 of your followers at a time to create exclusivity (and to not exhaust your audience)
Inviting a small portion of your audience to the event will prevent over-saturation of the event
23
30. Budget
Estimated total budget for the four-month communications plan proposal : $1444
Item Details Quantity Total Cost
Fliers-trifold or double
sided
For vendor tables/hotels 200 $80
USF Oracle advertising 5 column x 2.75”, 16
weeks
$99
Creative Loafing Tampa
advertising
1/4 sheet, weekly $400
Video Videographer hourly +
production + fees
$300
Graphic design services Branding package + fees $100
Sunglasses For vendor tables 60 $100
Coasters For vendor tables 60 $60
Balloons For vendor tables 20 $10
Business Cards For vendor tables 150 $20
Pens For vendor tables 200 $90
Signage (to promote
reviews)
For restaurant 10 $5
Signage (for in-store pro-
motions and Living Social
For restaurant 2 $30
Boosting social media Per Facebook post (Reach:
5000-13000)
1 $20
Miscellaneous Any unforeseen expenses $50
Promotional items Free items such as menu
items or mugs
$60
Recommended Budget $1444
28
31. Evaluation
Criteria
The success of our campaign will be measured by a number of criteria. Cobalt Communications feels that
the best criteria to measure the results of the campaign includes things such as the amount of customers through
the door of the cafe, Facebook/instagram/twitter likes (social media interaction), amount of customers who use
hashtags already implemented by the cafe, use of unique hashtag created in campaign. By using these methods,
we will be able to see if there is an increase in customers, followers, customer interaction, etc. directly as an im-
pact of implementing our campaign.
We will also create 2 evaluation surveys- one for current customers and one for potential- asking the
current customers how often they come to The Blind Tiger, and when they do how often they use the hashtag
our team created for the campaign “#damngoodBT.” For our evaluation of potential customers, we will ask in
our survey if the customers have ever heard of The Blind Tiger before, and if they have, how they heard about
it. If the current customers answer that they use the hashtag every time they visit the cafe, then our campaign is
successful; in the second survey, if potential customers answer “yes,” they have heard of The Blind Tiger before
and if “through social media/word of mouth” then our campaign is successful.
Method
For our evaluation, we would create surveys targeted towards the audiences of current and potential
customers. We would create two surveys; one for general awareness of The Blind Tiger and one for current cus-
tomers using the hashtag. We would use the same survey technique on Google surveys because the data results
were extremely easy to analyze for our first survey through this instrument. The evaluation surveys would be
distributed over a two-week period, since our first survey was distributed over that same time period. If the re-
spondents in our target group of current customers respond saying that they have used the new hashtag “#damn-
goodBT” our group implemented, one of our campaign objectives can be measured as successful. This objective
would be to promote the use of one singular hashtag from our campaign rather than the use of many other
hashtags so we can track the results of how many people are regularly using it. In our survey to current cus-
tomers we will ask how often they come to The Blind Tiger and how often out of that time they use the hashtag
“#DamngoodBT.” If they use the hashtag every time they visit the cafe, our campaign is rendered successful.
Our second evaluation survey will be targeted to potential customers, focusing on the question “Have
you ever heard of The Blind Tiger before?” Following that question, if they answer yes, we will ask “How did you
hear about The Blind Tiger?” If the majority of our respondents over a two week period answer “yes” that they
have heard of the cafe before, and “social media/word of mouth” about how they heard of it, then our campaign
was successful.
Analysis
After collecting a vast array of data from our target audience, we can analyze the results and will be able
to determine how our campaign was successful. The results should help us identify specific trends. To analyze the
results from the survey instrument, we will compare the results from the interval/ratio questions asked across
categorical demographics. Any correlations found will be tested using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. We can
conduct cross-tabulations, univariate and/or bivariate analyses, and analysis of variance when necessary.
The most results-oriented test we predict will be testing correlations. Trends that were found in our
quantitative research that relate or match with trends found in our qualitative research were be heavily focused
on. We had a greater chance of our communications proposal for The Blind Tiger to be successful if we revolved
the campaign around the findings of our research. If we choose to run any statistical tests that require software,
Cobalt Communications will use either SPSS or STATA, because of free access through the USF Application
Gateway.
29
33. Appendix
Works Cited:
References (as needed)
Bennett, S. (2013, December 10). Consumers Trust Social Media Recommendations (and Facebook Most Of
All). Social Times. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-recommenda-
tions/494136
Whitler, K. (2014, July 17). Why Word of Mouth Marketing is the Most Important Social Media. Forbes.com.
Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kimberlywhitler/2014/07/17/why-word-of-mouth-marketing-is-the-most-import-
ant-social-media/
Frisch, E. (2012, December 12). Attracting Tourists to a Restaurant. Foodservice Warehouse. Retrieved April
20, 2014, from http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/restaurant-marketin /attracting-tour-
ists-to-a-restaurant/c28090.aspx
Café Opinions Survey - Cobalt Communications
The purpose of this survey is to collect data from consumers and potential customers of The Blind Tiger Ybor, an
Ybor City-based café. We are asking customers for their opinions of their preferred café experiences. Data col-
lected from this survey will potentially be used to create a public relations campaign that addresses the expressed
needs or desires of customers.
* Required question
What do you look for in a “café experience?” *
Please mark all that apply.
Quality of coffee/drinks
Variety of menu items/food
Workspace area
Atmosphere/environment
Access to wifi
Other: [ ]
How likely are you to choose a café over another dining experience? *
Likely
Maybe, depending on the café
Not likely
In your own words, explain why you chose the answer to the previous question. *
Please write a sentence or two.
[ ]
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34. Where and how do you obtain information about dining options in the Tampa Bay area? *
Please mark all that apply.
Newspapers
Magazines
Billboards
Advertisements
Friends/word of mouth
Social media
At school
At work
Sporting events
Farmer’s markets
Unlock Tampa Bay (or similar) events
Other: [ ]
On average, how often do you go to cafés? *
Pick the range that best fits your answer.
1-2 times per week
3-4 times per week
2-3 times per month
Once per month
Never
What is your favorite café in the Tampa Bay area and why? *
Please list the name of a café and a few things you love about it.
[ ]
How far are you willing to travel to a cafe? *
Pick the range that best fits your answer.
No more than 2 miles
2-5 miles
6-10 miles
More than 10 miles
How old are you? *
Pick the range that best reflects your age.
Younger than 18 years old
18-22 years old
23-27 years old
28-32 years old
Older than 32 years old
What is your gender? *
Pick the choice that best reflects the gender you identify as.
Female
Male
Trans*
Choose not to respond
Other: [ ]
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35. What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? *
If currently enrolled, please select the highest degree achieved.
No schooling completed
Some high school, no diploma
High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)
Some college credit, no degree
Trade/technical/vocational training
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
Professional degree
Doctorate degree
Your response has been recorded. Thank you for participating in our survey. Your opinions are truly valued.
Research Graphs and Tables
Graph 1
Graph 2
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