1. Public Relations Plan Template
Subject: Sunny View Dairy Communications Plan
Date: April 13, 2014
Purpose: The purpose of this communication is plan is to create awareness in the
agriculture community of the prestigious dairy cattle Sunny View Dairy sells both
within the United States and abroad to, mainly European, countries.
Prepared by: Ms. Lynn Bartholomew, UW-River Falls Marketing Communications Student
Ms. Debra Drews, Owner and Proprietor of Sunny View Dairy
1. Research
A. Background
Sunny View Dairy was founded in 1982. The farm had just been sold from the
Hammond family, who used the farm to raise Angus bull cattle to the Drews family who
converted the farm into a dairy farm. Today, Debbie Drew is the owner and properitor
milking around thirty to forty registered Red and White Holsteins along with a handful of
registered Black and White Holsteins too.
B. Research
Sunny View Dairy has done little in the way of advertising their services to the dairy
industry. A very few people are aware of the high quality genetics and prestigious style
that Sunny View Dairy has been known to create and carry for its clients. With no prior
major communications work completed, Sunny View Dairy has not been known to the
majority of the dairy industry for its quality genetic lineup.
The majority of their public relations works has come from word of mouth advertising.
After having a client win at World Dairy Expo (the show of shows for dairy cattle), word
of mouth advertising has become even more popular for the small dairy farm located
outside of Mukwonago, Wisconsin. Why was there no advertising prior to this? Several
reasons have come up about no further advertising of Sunny View Dairies prestigious red
and white Holstein collection.
Advertising costs money and with a small herd average of about twenty five to thirty red
and white milking Holsteins at the peak point of the season; it is not easy to sacrifice part
of your paycheck in order to promote a small farm that is not that recognized. It is also
extremely difficult to find time to place an advertisement in a local area newspaper or
even a trade publication like the Wisconsin Holstein Association. It has also been
difficult because of the lack of an internet connection. The farm does not have any
internet access points yet to be able to promote the calves that have been born from high
quality pedigree lineups that would be worth selling is extremely difficult. With this
communications report, hopefully Sunny View Dairy will be able to use these techniques
to promote their show cattle and gain more of a profit, in order to better accommodate the
farm with public relations and marketing strategies to gain a larger customer clientele.

2. 2. Analysis
A. Communication Objectives
o To create a Facebook page to promote the dairy cattle which are calving in, in
order to promote sales of the show cattle with a strong pedigree and linear score,
with at least 350 likes by December 2014.
o To achieve at least one feature story in a dairy industry trade magazine by the end
of December 2015.
o To plan a premiere sale at least twice a year with at least 50 people in attendance.
This is a way to have potential clients visit the farm and see how much type
certain cattle have and gain more interest in Sunny View Dairy by July 2015.
o To craft a website by December 2014 with at least 100 hits and visits each month
in order to showcase all prestigious dairy show cattle that have won at World
Dairy Expo, Wisconsin State Fair, and any national or international dairy shows.
B. Stakeholders/Audiences
1. Stakeholders
 Debbie Drews-Owner: Debbie is by far the biggest stakeholder because this is
her livelihood and without she is doing this to assist her in making more
money when the average milk price is low or fluctuating. She is also a
stakeholder because of the risk she is putting herself in with selling her cattle
across the United States and outside of the country can be costly and may
jeopardize the entire operation.
 Mark Ireland-Breeder: Breeders play an important role in dairy industry, in
general. They provide customers with advice on which bull they should
purchase and breed the cow to. It is extremely important to make sure
qualities and traits buyers are looking for in cattle are matched. The breeder
will gain a lot of fame if the cow is credited with being breed by his or her
hand; if it is a failure then there is no award for him or her at all.
 Matt Smith-Veterinarian: A veterinarian’s job is to make sure that before
selling an animal to another farm, the appropriate vaccines and shots have
been given. Any sickness the cow may have faced has disappeared and shows
no signs of returning. The vet must also make sure that the entire herd of
dairy cattle is healthy before sale of just one animal so the disease that may be
within the herd is not transferred to another.
 Neighboring Dairy Farms: These farms are stakeholders because they are
located near Sunny View and may gain more attention from the varying
audiences that are coming to look at the cattle. These may also be
stakeholders if they are competitors against Sunny View so the stakes may be
a bit higher within this group of stakeholders.
 Investors in the Cattle: Dairy cattle that are shown are a huge investment to
the not just the owner or the buyer. Occasionally, there are investors involved
insuring the animal because of the cows large amount of worth. If something
does happen to the animal, the appropriate actions can be taken.

3.  Nutritionist: This individual is a key stakeholder because he creates the diets
for all the cattle on the dairy farm. Investors and buyers are going to want to
know what the animal has been feed and how to appropriately adjust the
animal’s diet in order to make sure it is most comfortable after being sold.
 Community Members: These people are important stakeholders because they
live around Sunny View Dairy and may be wondering why there is more
traffic than usual coming out of the farm. Also if cows are being loaded on to
the trailers after sale and they break loose of the halter, they may run into
these individuals’ yards and cause property damage by rutting up the lawn.
This is a key group of stakeholders that the owner will want to make sure is
properly insured and know what is going on.
 Red and White Holstein Association: A professional organization that the
owner is involved with will also be a key part. This group registers her cattle
and keeps track of the animals’ pedigrees. If the animal wins any major
awards, they also keep track of that. They also produce a trade magazine that
will help with advertising the farm and the cattle.
 Wisconsin Holstein Association: Another professional organization that the
owner is involved with. Debbie’s black and white Holsteins are not as
important as her red and white cattle which will be for sale, but they still are
important to her business. This organization keeps track of registration,
awards, and pedigrees just like the Red and White Holstein Association.
 Evaluator: The evaluator categories animals on a linear scale of 1 to 100 by
looking closely at features such as feet, legs, udder, ribs, type, back, head, and
top line. With the owner’s cattle scoring 85 to 100, this will be a strong
stakeholder to have in order to help sell show cattle because buyers will be
more likely to buy with a strong linear score from an evaluator.
 Photographer: After an evaluator has scored a high an animal high, the owner
will be contacted to have said animal photographed. The photographer is in
charge of getting photos done and be able to put into the sire summary for the
next quarter (a trade publication used to help farmers buy semen, it comes out
four times a year). This is free publicity for the farm and the owner because
every customer of a breeding company receives the sire summary and an
individual does not have to pay a single dime. The photographer is a key
stakeholder because if the pictures look good they will want to be used by
other farms around the country, however, if the pictures are not of high quality
they will be in big trouble with not just the owner of the farm, but the
breeding company, who is paying them to complete this task.
 Lynn Bartholomew-Marketing Communications Student: She is a key
stakeholder because she is constructing the communications plan for Sunny
View Dairy, if the plan does not work her client will not be able to access
their key audiences and target market. If this plan is not completed to her best
knowledge and ability, her client will have an extremely difficult time trying
to sell cattle to buyers within and outside of the United States of America.

4. 2. Audience
 Dairy Cattle Show Buyers: This will be the primary target market Sunny View
Dairy will be interested in. This group is known to buy show cattle and invest
heavy amounts in the animal. They may have their own requirements of what
an ideal winning show cow or heifer may look like, but with a high linear
score and strong pedigree they will immediately want to buy the animal.
 Local 4-H Club/Members: This group is not an audience that will be looking
to invest money into the cattle, however, by letting these individuals show
calves, heifers, and cows around the area, it gives free publicity for the owner
and may attract buyers at the local shows which may be interested in buying
the animal. This is a strong audience and be sure to engage with them
whenever possible.
 FFA Members: This group is exactly the same as the local 4-H
Club/Members group. Follow the same guidelines when engaging with them
too and they will assist the owner in free publicity of the cattle.
 Professional Showmen: This is a different audience group than dairy cattle
show buyers because these individuals are hired to just show the animal.
They may, however, be a key part or guide to determining if the buyer has a
desire to invest in the animal or not. They are still a key audience member.
 Farms with Professional Show Reputations: An audience like this one may
fall under the competition file, but sometimes farms invested in show animals
want to partner together. This would be a strong investment for Sunny View
and would help spread their name out there even more.
 Breeding Companies: If all goes well with the previous audiences, the biggest
audience Sunny View can hope to attract is a breeding company who would
be interested in buying a few of their bull calves and they make it through the
stages of prodigy testing. Eventually becoming bulls that can be sold all over
the world and giving Sunny View Dairy the ultimate publicity possible. As
stated earlier, this audience would not come until all requirements of the other
audiences have been met with satisfaction. However, this a goal for Sunny
View Dairy to work toward.
C. SWOT Analysis
A. Strengths
 The few clients the farm has had over the years have gone on to win at World
Dairy Expo with Sunny View Dairy’s show cattle.
 Word of Mouth advertising is a strong asset for Sunny View to have because
personal opinion carries more weight than advertising in today’s industry.
 Sunny View has two locations outside of Mukwonago, Wisconsin. One farm
is for the fall and winter seasons while the other facility is used in the spring
and summer months. When using the spring and summer month’s facility,
potential buyers could see the animals out at pasture grazing since the pasture
is located beside a major highway.
 Strong connections throughout the dairy industry to help promote the farm.
 Incredible knowledge from industry professionals focusing on improvement.

5. B. Weaknesses
 Lack of advertising has forced Sunny View Dairy to be recognized very little
over the years especially when it comes to selling show cattle.
 With Sunny View only having between thirty to forty head, it may be hard for
them to compete against larger farms with around two thousand head.
 All animals on the farm may not be registered or have a strong pedigree, these
animals are just considered grade. Unless they produce a large quantity of
milk, they are of no value to Sunny Views operation.
 Money in the dairy industry is not easy to come by given the fluctuating milk
prices that occur on a regular basis. Having money for advertising may be not
in the budget sometimes because of this.
 A lack of signage showcasing where Sunny View Dairy may confuse potential
customers and cause them to get lost or giving up coming to the farm.
C. Opportunities
 Working with 4-H and FFA members to promote the dairy industry by
teaching them about showing and having them show Sunny View’s cattle at
local competitions.
 Partnering with other farms in order to promote show cattle across the state of
Wisconsin and the United States as a whole. This would be a good way to get
to know the competition and understand some of the tricks of their trade.
 Having the opportunity to be a Feature Farm for the Wisconsin Holstein
Association Magazine that comes out every two months. Also being featured
in the Red and White Holstein Associations magazine that comes out four
times a year would be a good investment too.
D. Threats
 Competition in the industry is always a threat. Although, there are not many
major show farms located in the immediate vicinity of Sunny View, there are
five big name farms located across Waukesha County and more featured
throughout the entire state of Wisconsin.
 Natural Disasters may occur too. Several years ago, flooding destroyed part
of a barn and had to be rebuilt. Since Sunny View Dairy is located along a
tributary of the Fox River, it is extremely important to be aware of flooding.
Other natural disasters such as tornadoes and snowstorms may occur too
resulting in a loss of the animals if it is extremely severe weather.
 Location is not at the topic peak it could be with the lack of a sign guiding
customers where to go. Since there are two farms too, potential customers
may be confused as to where the animal they are interested in maybe located.
3. Communication
A. Key Messages
 Sunny View Dairy: Quality, Integrity, Pride
 Quality and Pride comes when you purchase from Sunny View
 Even on a rainy day, there is a Sunny View…
 The best show cattle always have a Sunny View…

6. B. Strategies
The strategies are created in order to align with the objectives that were created at the
beginning of this communications plan. The four key components focused on in the
objective section will allow Sunny View Dairy to implement strong marketing
practices and attract the attention of numerous potential buyers. The first strategy that
will need to be implemented is a social media strategy to focus on the online
community specifically Facebook. The next strategy focuses on media relations and
making connections in order to get feature stories about Sunny View Dairy in a
professional dairy industry trade magazine. The third strategy Sunny View will be
focusing on is event planning with the premise of planning and hosting a premiere
sale at the farm to attract customers. The final strategy focuses on implementing a
public relations strategy with the creation of a website focusing on the success of
Sunny View Dairy. To conclude, the following are strategies for Sunny View to
implement in order to market and have a larger client basis:
 Social Media Strategy
 Media Relations Strategy
 Event Planning Strategy
 Public Relations Strategy
4. Action (Tactic)
Strategy Tactic Responsible Due Date
Social Media  Create a Sunny View Dairy
Facebook page in order post
pictures from the farm.
 Create an Instagram page and
link it to the Facebook page in
order to showcase the animals
for sale.
 Follow breeding companies and
engage with them via the Sunny
View page in order to get more
publicity and sharing content.
 Post twice daily on the
Facebook page (once in the
morning and once in the
afternoon) in order to have fans
keep being interested in the
page.
 After the page has gained a
decent amount of fans,
implement a blog in order to
continue engagement with fans
and customers of Sunny View.
Media Relations  Create a network at the
Wisconsin Holstein Association
to help create a feature story.

7.  Try to have at least two presses
releases go out every four
months to agriculture industry
trade publication.
 Design and place advertisements
in dairy industry trade
publications in order to
gain/interest more customers.
 Edit and look over all
publications before they go out
and are officially published by
the magazine in order to insure
positive messages about Sunny
View Dairy.
 Assist in writing guest columns
for some magazines in order to
showcase Sunny View.
Event Planning  Invite other farms from around
the area to be showcased in the
premiere sale in order to create a
sense of community.
 Seek donations from area
grocery stores and restaurants in
order to gain a larger audience
for the sale because people
really enjoy free food.
 Look into leasing a building for
the premiere sale instead of
hosting it a farm and running the
risk of having a bio security area
if the location is at a farm.
 Find a theme, decorations, and a
date that will work with
everyone’s schedule and will
attract a lot of people.
 Advertise the sale through
agricultural newspapers, radio
commercials, and trade
magazines to insure the
agriculture community is aware
of the event.
`
Public Relations  Construct a website to showcase
the farm, the animals, the
previous investors, the awards,
and the previous showman.

8.  Create a gallery on the website
featuring pedigrees of the cows
and any awards the cow has won
if she has competed in any
contests.
 Be a guest speaker at local 4-H
Club Meetings and in FFA
classes in order to demonstrate
running a business and being an
entrepreneur (free publicity).
 Create a personal brand for
Sunny View Dairy. The key
messages listed above can help
focus on this tactic. Implement
immediately to ensure
recognition.
 Create a Crisis Communication
Plan in case anything happens
such as a natural disaster or bio
security at the farm has been
broken.
5. Evaluation
The plan can be evaluated in several diverse ways given the different strategies and tactics that have
been presented to Sunny View Dairy on how to promote their aspect of show cattle sales. The first
strategy I presented was using social media to create a Facebook page. Using Facebook Insights,
Sunny View Dairy will be able to track and monitor the clientele looking at their page, the
demographics, psychographics, and the brands that an individual may like and buy. If these
potential tactics listed up above are failing, a way to troubleshoot them is to look into the content
that is being posted on the page. Is the content appealing to all potential customers? Is it relatable to
the customer? Is it appropriate when it needs to be? These are all questions to ask in regards to
evaluating the first strategy presented to Sunny View Dairy with social media in mind.
The second strategy presented to Sunny View Dairy is to focus on the media relations strategy. The
main objective with this strategy is to connect with customers through trade publications online or in
print. This can be measured through when questioning a potential buyer where they heard about
Sunny View Dairy or what magazine they saw an advertisement for the farm in. Another way to
way evaluate the amount of media relations Sunny View Dairy is receiving is by connecting with the
trade publications in which feature story articles have been written and the possible number of
people who have followed up with the magazine since the story was published or posted. This a
great way to connect with the potential audience and the publisher of the magazine in order to
determine the number of people Sunny View Dairy is connecting with. However, there are other
ways to connect the strategies and objectives together in order to evaluate them to get the best
outcome possible.

9. The third objective is centered on event planning. The evaluation of event planning focuses on the
amount of people that attended the event. One of the biggest evaluations to implement is to focus on
handing out a survey for guests to fill out during the event. By offering a prize for filling out the
survey there will surely be more surveys turned in and more feedback provided to Sunny View
Dairy. Another way to evaluate the event is by word of mouth like asking what people thought of
the event and if it was a success. This event is hard to evaluate because occasionally events are
difficult gage feedback, however it can be done especially in Sunny View Dairy’s case. Event
planning maybe the third objective, but there is one more important objective strategy to focus on.
The final strategy of public relations works to connect consumer and producer through the use of a
website in order to engage more in a customer friendly manner. The best way to measure
engagement of a website is through Google Analytics. Through this program, or any other website
tracking program, Sunny View Dairy can track the number of hits, the number of visits, and if there
are questions or comments on the website in order for people to understand