2. A piece of the world can be yours with any one of the products from the innovative and
captivating company, Serengetee. This entrepreneurial venture launched in 2012 from the dorm
room of three college students who returned from visiting 15 countries with an idea. This idea
was for an online clothing brand that will have a piece of fabric of your choice from another
country and 5% of the proceeds will be donated back to a specific cause that it supports. The
brand has expanded to include 5 panel hats, shirts, backpacks, headphones, and outerwear and
the causes have been grouped into 10 different categories. The progress of this philanthropic
brand has gone unnoticed by many people for a long time which is the purpose behind the
development of an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Plan. The Naked Truth that
needs to be exposed about Serengetee is that it incorporates expressive patterns from various
countries into the products while donating a percentage back to those communities in order to
help change the lives of their people.
The target market of Serengetee will respond well to their brand image and find the
aspect of giving back to the community appealing. It is comprised of males and females in the
age range of 14-24 (Millennial Generation) so it includes young teenagers to college students and
they can be located anywhere in the world. A characteristic of this market is that they are very
interested in global travel and they do not take standard vacations, but instead they choose to
travel in order to take something meaningful away from it (Machado). This demonstrates two
important characteristics, global interest and benevolence, that Serengetee wants to have in their
target market because those are the building blocks of their brand. The association of the pattern
on the product to a specific charity may inspire these people to travel to that country as
volunteers for an organization. In regards to fashion, people in this target market tend to be fond
of clothing patterns so that will immediately attract their attention, but the source of these
3. patterns will keep them interested. This market will also be interested in how the company
started because the founders are people around their age. Serengetee is relatable and intriguing to
people in this target market.
The IMC Plan that is going to be developed for Serengetee is going to appeal to the target
market and utilize a range of mediums. The goal of this plan is to make the company known by
people in all areas of the U.S. and eventually internationally, but that is not the focus of this
initial plan. Serengetee was started in California so people on the West Coast have the advantage
of hearing about it first, but members of the Millennial Generation in other regions need to learn
about the company. More products can be sold and more money for the causes can be generated
once Serengetee has a stronger following. Hopefully, a result of this brand recognition will be
that the monthly donation goal of $4,000 will be reached every month and eventually they will
have to increase this amount. In order to achieve these outcomes, a strategy has been developed
to attract attention and inform people about Serengetee.
This plan involves elevating certain advertising methods that the company already
employs as well as adding new mediums to the mix. They currently have a few celebrity
endorsements (Tyler Posey, Jimmy Tatro, The Buried Life), but they need to become more
involved with promoting the product and will be integrated into a majority of the advertisements.
They may also decide to find a celebrity that is more recognized. Serengetee also has campus
reps in high schools and colleges to promote their company mission and products. This concept
fits well with the brand and will spread to all areas of the country be advertised more on their
social media networks. A social media campaign is going to be the starting point of the plan in
order to get people interested and spread the word about the company. Social media in the forms
of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube are platforms that the target market is
4. very familiar because they grew up during the advancement of socializing online. College reps
and social media will also be accountable for promoting the email promotions which people can
receive if they sign up for free on the website. Once the college reps, social media platforms and
celebrity endorsements have been strengthened, T.V. commercials, a blog, and different forms of
guerrilla marketing will be utilized.
The traditional media execution will be in the form of a television commercial. The
concept would be based upon our group using spring break to travel to third world countries and
discover different culture and realize the struggles that these people go through on an everyday
basis. While we are visiting these communities, we discover that the people are creating these
different designs that are very eye-catching and our group sits down to try to figure out how we
can incorporate the designs that they have and help these people out at the same time. After a
long meeting, we decided that we can take these designs and put them on book bags,
headphones, tee shirts, and when somebody purchases any of our products the ad would explain
that 5% of your purchase will go back to the a third world countries to help out these people by
strengthening their economy and helping the local artists that our company purchases their
designs from. At the end of the ad we would display photos of the people that are being helped
from the donation to the cause. This will be the first commercial released because it informs
people about all aspects of the company.
The new media execution will be in the form of a blog spot for which Tumblr has been
chosen. This form of media allows bloggers to be creative with how they present posts to their
followers. With the ability to choose different blog settings and themes, the patterns used to
create the products can be utilized and make the profile unique. Photos and videos of the
products as well as written excerpts will be posted on the Tumblr so that people can learn more
5. about the company as well as any new products. To re-blog on Tumblr means to repost a post
from someone you follow onto your profile. Serengetee can utilize this setting because they can
re-blog photos of people that are wearing the products and using them in their everyday lives.
The target market will find Tumblr to be accessible and relevant because many of them probably
have existing accounts. The preferred website for Serengetee on Tumblr would be as simple as
Serengetee.Tumblr.com so that people will easily be able to remember it and recommend
checking it out to their companions.
Serengetee has many different ways in which they reach their consumers, some of which
are enabled from guerilla marketing. Many companies solely try mainstream ideas to reach their
consumers, but at Serengetee they like to think outside the box. One of our ideas involves the
Serengetee backpack. An oversized backpack is going to be created and act as a vending
machine in Times Square in New York City. When potential consumers approach the machine,
they will be asked to choose a cause that Serengetee supports; after they have made their choice
they will be given a Serengetee sticker as well as a coupon for Serengetee products. This type of
guerilla marketing is a creative way in which Serengetee can expand its array of consumers as
well as influence returning ones. Another way in which Serengetee can advertise to consumers is
in subway stations. We want to utilize the subway systems in major cities, but not to advertise on
the sides of train cars or the walls of the subway like all other companies. We would like to make
it available that when people purchase tickets for the subway, not only are they getting their
subway ticket, but they are also receiving a coupon for Serengetee. When we try to spread as
much knowledge as we can to consumers as well as potential consumers, it greatly benefits
Serengetee as well as the causes in which we support.
6. A third type of marketing that Serengetee can use will involve Chipotle Mexican Grill
which is a food company that is well known throughout the United States as well as worldwide.
They sell various types of Mexican foods and have a target market made up of consumers aged
18 to 34. This target market cuts right through Serengetee’s so they can help each other reach
new heights in advertising. All that we desire is that all employees at certain Chipotle locations
around the U.S. wear Serengetee shirts and have some premade ones for sale. This technique will
benefit both companies because Chipotle will also be promoted on all of Serengetee’s social
media platforms. This relationship will present a good image for Serengetee and help them reach
their goal of becoming known all around the U.S.
Serengetee is a company that deserves to become known worldwide because it produces
good quality products in an innovative way, but gives a percentage back to help struggling
communities. They may not be the only company that has a similar business model of giving
back, but they are making themselves stand out. Their target market is going to be intrigued by
them just by learning about their story and they will be the main focus of the IMC plan. The plan
involves a multitude of mediums that will help people learn about the company’s mission and
products. Once this comprehensive plan is put to action, Serengetee is going to go viral around
the world and teach people that purchasing any Serengetee product is helping communities by
“Saving One Life at a Time.”
7. Works Cited
Machado, Amanda. "How Millennials Are Changing Travel." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media
Company, 18 June 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
