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1.0 Executive Summary
This integrated marketing communications plan is designed for SweetTooth Incorporated’s
new product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. This product will be promoted on a pulsating
advertising schedule throughout the year, with higher amounts of promotion during peak holiday
seasons. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will be packaged in a clear plastic box with a handle
and will showcase what is inside the kit. The kit includes: detailed directions for making the
cookie dough and the edible paint, including baking time and oven temperature, a mixing pan for
the paint, food coloring, plastic food brushes, a rolling pin, an apron, vanilla extract, lemon
extract, lemon rinds, a spatula, and a set of holiday cookie cutters for each of the five main
holidays (Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).
The primary target market for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is families, with children who
are ages five and up. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit offers a new unique twist to baking and a
fun filled family activity around the holidays. This product is also targeted to those who enjoy
baking in a creative way.
SweetTooth Incorporated will promote the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit in a way that consumers
will perceive the product as an innovative and creative way to decorate cookies as compared to
other competitors who already exist in this target market. These main competitors consist of
Nestle Tollhouse and Pillsbury. These companies have holiday cookies that you can purchase
from grocery stores and decorate with frosting and sprinkles. SweetTooth Incorporated offers a
unique product to the market segment with the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The availability of
this product will be prominent both online at http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc and in
select craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit can
also be found at retail stores like Target and Wal-Mart.
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SweetTooth Incorporated has set many goals to achieve with the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit.
The goals for this integrated marketing communications plan are to: create awareness of the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, to promote the product in a variety of advertising mediums that will
inform consumers about the product, and then lead to brand recognition, and eventually lead to
brand preference. Another goal is to create ties with more retail stores, so they allow
SweetTooth Incorporated to distribute their product and reach more people in the target market
segment.
2.0 Promotion Opportunity Analysis
SweetTooth Incorporated has created an innovative product in the market segment for people
who like to bake, and families with children. SweetTooth Incorporated has created the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit which comes with everything you need to decorate a sugar cookie for a
particular holiday. There is currently no identical product in the market right now, so the
company has an opportunity to become the brand that people recognize and prefer when it comes
to purchasing holiday cookies. There are currently other brands that offer holiday cookies that
you can easily make and decorate, but none of these brands offer the ability to paint them.
2.1 Communications Market Analysis
There are currently no products that are identical to the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit
created by SweetTooth Incorporated. The company sees that there is always a need for baking
and engaging in family activities. Families, especially mothers, look for new creative ideas
when baking and creating a new activity to keep their children entertained. Kits that are sold in
stores give simple directions and are appealing to families with children. SweetTooth
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Incorporated offers a Holiday Painted Cookie Kit that offers the convenience of almost
everything being included. On the outside of the packaging, SweetTooth Incorporated lists the
few ingredients that you need to purchase separately.
This product, along with many other types of holiday cookies, is promoted through commercials
on television, advertisements in the Sunday papers for retail and craft stores, social media,
magazines such as the Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Baking Edition, and their own
webpage: http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc.
2.1.1 Competitive Analysis
There has always been a need for holiday cookies. Baking holiday cookies is a fun
activity for children and their families to engage in. That’s why many companies have seen the
need to create products that will provide families with easy holiday cookies that they can make
and decorate. SweetTooth Incorporated takes this idea one step further by giving a unique spin
on the typical decorating of cookies with frosting and sprinkles. SweetTooth Incorporated makes
painting cookies a reality.
Currently, the leading competitive brands that exist are Nestle Tollhouse and Pillsbury.
Each company offers a type of holiday cookie that you can purchase in the store. Pillsbury has
its line of Ready to Bake Cookies! These cookies have holiday designs on them, and all you
have to do is slice them and bake them for the allotted time. Pillsbury covers all the major
holidays with their product line, just like SweetTooth Incorporated. Pillsbury even offers plain
sugar cookies that you can bake and then decorate with their own line of flavored frostings. On
the Pillsbury website, the company gives different holiday ideas for decorating their cookies
(pillsbury.com).
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Another competitor, Nestle Tollhouse, has a couple products they offer that are
competition for SweetTooth Incorporated’s Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The first products that
Nestle offers are their Holiday Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Halloween Chocolate Chip
Cookie Dough. These products contain the premade Nestle Tollhouse dough with colorful
chocolate chips that represent the colors of different holidays. Another line of products that
Nestle Tollhouse offers for different holidays are their Rolled and Ready Cookie Dough Sheets.
There are different flavors of cookie dough for Christmas and Halloween. Nestle Tollhouse is a
competitor for those two holidays during the year. Nestle Tollhouse also offers their plain sugar
cookie dough which can also be baked and decorated with frosting and sprinkles. They have
chocolate morsels that they sell as well for different times of the year. They have a Winter
package that contains dark chocolate and mint morsels, a Halloween package that contains
semisweet chocolate and orange colored morsels, a Holiday package that contains semisweet
chocolate with red and green colored morsels, and a Pumpkin Spice package which contains
pumpkin flavored morsels with cinnamon and spices (verybestbaking.com).
The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit by SweetTooth Incorporated, brings a new idea to the
table of creative holiday baking. While these cookies aren’t decorated by canned or homemade
frosting, they are garnished with an edible paint. This innovative product gives a decorative and
artistic flair to holiday baking. While this product may require more work than that of
prepackaged cookie dough, SweetTooth Incorporated wants to showcase how they are different
and more creative than the typical frosted holiday cookie with icing and sprinkles. The Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit isn’t just another holiday cookie. It’s a creative activity that families can
enjoy doing together.
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2.1.2 Opportunity Analysis
Baking is a loved pastime for many people. It’s a wonderful family activity that can
entertain children for a few hours. During the holidays, people tend to bake more often than they
would other times of the year. Many people enjoy being creative when they bake. SweetTooth
Incorporated offers both a creative way of baking and plenty of fresh holiday ideas. The Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit comes with cookie cutters for each holiday. The product gives an idea for a
new way of baking and decorating holiday cookies. SweetTooth Incorporated has an opportunity
to create a product that will be competitive in the holiday cookie market.
2.1.3 Target Market Analysis
The target market for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is primarily families with children
ages five and up. SweetTooth Incorporated has chosen this target market, because the product
offers a creative activity that can be done at home with children and parents who would enjoy
making and decorating holiday cookies during different times of the year. The target market
includes consumers and businesses, because SweetTooth Incorporated will want to distribute
their product to craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s and retail stores like Target and
Wal-Mart. These stores are all typical places that families with children usually shop. Children
are creative and love going to stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s where they can
purchase all sorts of different kinds of crafts and art projects. Parents usually do their grocery
shopping at stores like Target and Wal-Mart, and when they have their children along, they
might be more inclined to buy something that their kids would enjoy.
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2.1.4 Customer Analysis
The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is intended for families and children to enjoy together.
This product is not just for small children, all ages can enjoy participating in this activity.
Bakers who want to try something new will be enticed to try this product when they see
promotions and advertisements.
Families who want to bake something for the holidays but don’t have the time to come up
with creative ideas of their own will be drawn to this Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The directions
and supplies that come with the kit save a lot of the time of gathering all the ingredients and
supplies. Almost everything you need is right there for you and can be stored in the kit for future
use.
Teenagers would like this activity too, as opposed to decorating the traditional sugar
cookie with frosting. They can test their artistic skills while baking cookies and see beautiful,
edible results. Teenagers might even see this product as a convenient, fun activity they can bring
with them when babysitting younger children. It’s a fun activity for both age groups and will
make the time go by a lot faster.
The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is also an activity that can be enjoyed with other family
members like grandparents and grandchildren. This product is really for any age bracket, but it’s
targeted towards children, because children love crafts and baking.
2.2 Market Segmentation Strategy
The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will be targeted to all types of demographics. These
demographics include: people with children, middle class income families, both genders, all
ages, and all cultural and ethnic groups that celebrate the commercial aspects of these holidays:
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Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Children enjoy decorating
and making cookies, and so do adults and all ages of boys and girls. Families of a middle class
income or higher will be able to afford the cookie kit, but it is made to be suitable for middle
class income families. People who celebrate these five distinct holidays in the course of a year
will be more inclined to purchase a product that they can use five times a year to celebrate these
holidays.
3.0 Corporate Strategies
The corporate strategy for SweetTooth Incorporated is to have a pulsating schedule of
advertising with heavy amounts of advertising for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit during those
peak holiday seasons. The company will promote the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit through
several advertising mediums, and will also rely on buzz marketing from consumers. As brand
awareness is reached, the company will focus on targeting more of their market segment in other
ways as they continue to grow. SweetTooth Incorporated will spend more money on advertising
and promoting the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit until brand preference is reached for the product
among its competitors.
3.1 Corporate Image Strategy
The image that SweetTooth Incorporated is going for with their new product, the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit, is an image of a new, fresh, creative way to decorate holiday cookies. The
company wants to ultimately outshine all their competitors by having the best product on the
market when it comes to holiday cookies. The corporate image strategy SweetTooth
Incorporated is going for is to advertise their product in a way that customers will perceive the
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Holiday Painted Cookie Kit as being superior to all other holiday cookies you can already
purchase at the store.
3.2 Brand Development Strategy
The brand name is informative, and tells exactly what the product is. Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit, the name of the product created by SweetTooth Incorporated, gives a clear idea of
what the product entails. When customers see this brand name, they will wonder how someone
can paint a cookie and still eat it. The name will intrigue the customer to glance at the package
or look further at the advertisement of the product to gain a fuller understanding of the entire
product. The logo of the brand that is placed on the packaging is also informative, because the
name of the product can be found in a palette of paint colors. The font of the brand name is
simple and kid friendly. It helps make the product appear as though it’s targeted for children.
The company logo can also be found on the packing, and it informs the consumer about the
company and what the product is. SweetTooth Incorporated appears in a more sophisticated font
than the brand name, because it is the company name. There is an image of a cookie attached to
the logo to emphasize the sweet tooth part of SweetTooth Incorporated. These two logos on the
packaging of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit really give a glimpse into the product itself.
3.3 Brand Positioning Strategy
There aren’t any other cookies or cookie kits where you can paint cookies that are sold to
consumers. SweetTooth Incorporated is the first company to create such a cookie kit that you
can purchase at the store and make at home. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will be positioned
for people who want to try a new way of decorating and making holiday cookies. Competitors
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such as Nestle Tollhouse and Pillsbury are already top-of-mind brands when it comes to
consumer’s knowledge of which brands provide holiday cookies that they can purchase from the
store. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will be a fresh new idea that will intrigue the consumer,
and then hopefully, they will see the uniqueness of the product and the benefits and fun it could
bring.
3.4 Distribution Strategy
The company, SweetTooth Incorporated, will produce the Holiday Painted Cookie Kits
and then distribute them to wholesalers and retailers. This product will first be available online
at http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc and at select craft stores like Hobby Lobby and
Michael’s. Once the product has created some awareness from television commercials, store
advertisements in the Sunday paper, print advertisements in baking magazines, and social media
advertisements, it will be distributed to larger retail stores like Target and Wal-Mart. Once the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kits have made it to the shelves of retailers such as Target and Wal-
Mart, SweetTooth Incorporated will need to focus on making brand recognition into brand
preference for its target market.
3.5 Business-to-Business Strategy
SweetTooth Incorporated will use a direct marketing strategy and will focus on their sales
from craft stores, retail stores, and online purchases. The company will use all kinds of media to
promote the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. As the sales grow for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit,
the demand will also grow, and SweetTooth Incorporated will be able to distribute their product
to more stores.
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3.6 Public Relations Strategy
One of the main goals of SweetTooth Incorporated is to maintain a positive corporate
image. SweetTooth Incorporated does their best to provide a satisfying product to their market
segment. They mark their product with allergen information and give guidelines for their product
such as: for children ages 5 and up, and this product contains small pieces that young children
may choke on. If something were to go wrong with this product, SweetTooth Incorporated will
have to choose the best way to go about solving the problem, keeping in mind that they want to
keep a positive brand image for their company. Once the company creates awareness and gains
sales that are significant enough to make a profit, SweetTooth Incorporated plans on donating
proceeds from their sales during certain times of the year to Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s
Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. They chose this hospital to donate to, because their corporate
office is in Chicago, so this charitable donation is close to home. They hope that by donating
some of their proceeds, they will continue to maintain a positive brand image, even if something
were to go wrong to cause them to gain negative publicity. Overall, SweetTooth Incorporated is
determined to provide the best product on the baking market to families and children.
3.7 Evaluation
The overall goal for SweetTooth Incorporated is to create a high level of brand awareness
among the target market that will translate into brand preference. This can be accomplished by
brand development, promotional efforts, product positioning, and distribution in the right
channels. SweetTooth Incorporated ultimately wants their brand, the Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit, to outshine the competitors for holiday cookies in the same market segment.
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4.0 Integrated Marketing Communications Management
SweetTooth Incorporated, as a company, is focused on creating unique baking products that
are family-friendly activities. The company will need to build brand awareness of their product,
the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, and they will also need to create awareness of their company’s
website. To help create brand awareness and inform customers on where they can purchase the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, SweetTooth Incorporated will use a variety of marketing strategies.
SweetTooth Incorporated will begin with advertising and promotions for their product and
eventually, use sponsorships and public relations events to create awareness for the product they
are selling to the target market. These marketing strategies will help create the brand awareness
and brand recognition that will lead the potential customer to purchasing the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit at retail stores and on the company’s website. SweetTooth Incorporated has a $5.5
million dollar budget for their entire first year. This budget will cover all their advertising and
promotional expenses that will be accrued over the first year. As a company, SweetTooth
Incorporated will have to budget their expenses carefully to make sure they are using their
money in a productive way that will guarantee brand awareness. This brand awareness should
lead to brand recognition and ultimately, brand preference for their target market.
4.1 IMC Objectives
SweetTooth Incorporated’s main goal is to create enough brand awareness for their
product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, to be able to provide it at many different retail stores.
This will further increase brand awareness and brand recognition when people see the product in
different stores. It may entice the customer to buy the product and try it out. SweetTooth
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Incorporated believes that the more locations they sell their product at, the more people will
recognize the product and purchase it. The integrated marketing communications objectives are:
1) To raise awareness of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit and showcase its uniqueness as a
product as compared to its competitors in the same target market.
2) To distribute the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit to a number of stores such as: craft stores,
grocery stores, and warehouse stores.
3) To increase sales by using marketing strategies effectively and promoting the product to
the target market.
4.2 IMC Budget
SweetTooth Incorporated will come up with a yearly budget for their product the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit. They will include all advertising costs, the cost of using an advertising
agency, rental space for the company corporate office, and costs of distributing the product to
different retail stores. SweetTooth Incorporated has to stick closely to their budget for the first
year to ensure that they use their resources wisely. As a company, they hope to turn a profit once
they gain awareness in their target market segment.
4.3 Agency Selection
SweetTooth Incorporated will use an outside advertising agency. Since the company is
located in Chicago, SweetTooth Incorporated will choose an advertising agency that is close to
home. Tom, Dick, & Harry Creative is a Chicago advertising agency that deals with companies
who are marketing their products nationally, regionally, and locally. This is perfect for
SweetTooth Incorporated because, they are located nearby. They can communicate easily with
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this advertising agency. Another reason SweetTooth Incorporated is choosing to work with Tom,
Dick & Harry Creative, is that Tom, Dick & Harry Creative is a very well-known advertising
agency that works with of a lot of successful brands. A few of these brands are: The Chicago
Bulls, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Schwinn, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Nike,
Kraft, Fox, Discover, Wilson, Baker, National Geographic, and The Chicago Tribune. As an
advertising agency, Tom, Dick & Harry Creative is very versatile and will work with any
company who wants to be successful. The company is also associated with Ann and Robert H.
Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, which is a tie to SweetTooth Incorporated, because once
they make a profit they are willing to donate part of their proceeds to the Children’s Hospital. By
using Tom, Dick & Harry Creative, SweetTooth Incorporated feels that they will have all the
advertising tools necessary to gain the awareness of their new product the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit (tdhcreative.com).
4.4 Internet Website
The website for SweetTooth Incorporated’s URL address will be
http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc. The webpage will be very clean and simple, with tabs
to click on that will bring the customer information about the product. There will be a tab that
customers can click on to order their kit online. The website will also provide information on
where the company is located and who they distribute their product to. There will be a social
media link as well that brings the customer to the Facebook page for the Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit. The website will also feature pictures of completed holiday painted cookies, and will
provide directions on how to use the kit and how to bake the cookies. There will eventually be a
link to donate to Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital once the company makes a
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significant profit to be able to donate money. The website will be very easy to access and find
information about the product.
5.0 Integrated Marketing Communications Objective One (Consumer)
The first objective deals with the consumer of the product created by SweetTooth
Incorporated. The Company will create awareness of their new product, the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit, by advertising, personal selling, public relations, and sponsorship programs. The
company will focus on all efforts that make their product stand out amongst the competition.
SweetTooth Incorporated wants the target market to see their product as more superior than the
already existing competitor’s brands of similar products. The website and Facebook page will be
a way to communicate with the consumer and target market. These mediums are user friendly
and very informative about the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit can
be purchased from both retail stores and the website, which will increase awareness and sales.
For the first year, SweetTooth Incorporated will focus on direct marketing to raise awareness of
the new product. Once the product is recognized by the target market, the company will try to
gain brand preference so that the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will become a top-of-mind brand
for the target market. They will come up with creative advertising strategies to ensure that the
consumer will view the product as a superior holiday cookie than what is also offered by
competitors in the target market. The ultimate goal of objective one is to first increase awareness
and then create brand preference.
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5.1 Budget
The budget will consist of all advertising and extra costs and expenses that SweetTooth
Incorporated will encounter year to year. The budget will be a detailed outline of all the costs,
including: advertising costs, the cost of hiring the advertising agency, employee’s salaries,
personal selling, product promotions, the building rent, etc.
5.2 Integration Marketing Communications Methodologies
SweetTooth Incorporated will use a marketing strategy for their product that includes
advertising programs, public relations events, sponsorships, and personal selling. They will use
the tagline “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” This tagline is informative
and tells about the product. The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, is a holiday cookie kit where you
make the cookies and then paint them to decorate them. Lots of people bake more around the
holidays, so this tagline might grab people’s attention and inform them that this is an easy
holiday baking idea. The goal is to put the tagline on everything associated with the product so it
becomes recognizable and creates brand recognition besides the logo and the company name.
SweetTooth Incorporated wants to create brand preference as well with their new product, the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit.
5.2.1 Advertising
The goals of advertising for the product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, are to
ultimately bring customers to purchase the product either from retail stores or online.
SweetTooth Incorporated has hired an outside advertising agency, Tom, Dick & Harry Creative
to work with them to create advertisements that will help create awareness for the Holiday
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Painted Cookie Kit. The advertising agency will create the website and social media outlets that
promote the product. SweetTooth Incorporated will have to work on other areas of promotion,
like sponsorships and public relations events. As a company working on creating advertisements
and promotions for their product, they have a better idea of what message they want to get across
and what goals they want to achieve. SweetTooth Incorporated will need to communicate with
the advertising agency that is handling their advertising program to make sure that they
understand the mission of the company and what they want to achieve.
SweetTooth Incorporated will focus on creating awareness for their product during the
entire first year. They will use a pulsating schedule of advertising, with peak advertising during
each holiday season: Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This
allows for a balanced schedule of advertising throughout the year. The Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit will continuously be marketed to the target market as each holiday approaches. Once
SweetTooth Incorporated has gained a general awareness for their new product, they will begin
to change their advertising strategies to achieve brand preference. They will use their public
relations events and sponsorships to increase brand equity.
5.2.1.1 Advertising Goals and Budget
The advertising goals are to introduce the new product to the target market and create
awareness of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit for the potential customers that would be willing to
purchase the product. SweetTooth Incorporated will use a variety of advertising mediums. Their
advertising budget will be approximately $2,000,000. SweetTooth Incorporated plans to create
television commercials to be aired on all ABC channels during certain peak holiday seasons.
Since they will be distributing their product to four retail stores, SweetTooth Incorporated will
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want to purchase some advertising space in store ads that are mailed out to consumers every
Sunday. Another medium where SweetTooth Incorporated can advertise their product is baking
magazines. SweetTooth Incorporated is going to choose to advertise in Better Homes and
Garden’s Holiday Baking Edition Magazine, because this magazine is a well-known magazine
that many consumers read. The people who are reading a baking magazine and looking for
holiday baking ideas will definitely be interested in this new idea for holiday baking. Finally,
they will want to maintain their website and Facebook pages with prominent advertising. They
will also have to shell out money for the ad agency that is helping to create the advertisements
for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit.
There will be a total of five television commercials that will be created, one for each
holiday that is part of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The print ads will also be different for
each holiday season. They will be creative and will inform the consumer why you should buy
the product for that particular holiday. The webpage and Facebook will be current and up to
date, as the internet and social media are very prominent in today’s marketing. Consumers are
more willing and able to research new products on the internet. The internet gives a quick,
informative way to get information and become aware of new products. The website will be
very informative and will contain advertisements for the product that create awareness but also
brand preference.
5.2.1.2 Creative Brief
SweetTooth Incorporated will use this following creative brief to create their first
advertisement for the product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The goal of this first
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advertisement will be to launch the product into the holiday baking market, creating initial
product awareness.
Objective: The objective is to create awareness of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, a unique
holiday baking alternative.
Target Audience Profile: The target audience for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is families
with children ages 5 and up, but this also includes people of all ages who love baking and being
creative. This target audience is a good market segment to reach, because moms will probably be
the ones who are purchasing the product for their children. They will use the kit as an activity to
engage their children in. Mothers might use this product as a “play date” activity when their
children have friends over. This is where buzz marketing comes in. The children who are having
fun and enjoying this baking activity for the first time will probably tell their parents and show
them their finished masterpieces when they are done. This will hopefully intrigue the parents
and get them to purchase their own Holiday Painted Cookie Kit from the store. The Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit is such a unique product on the market, that it should cause people to be
curious enough to try the product. The goal is for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is to become a
favorite holiday tradition in many households where baking is prevalent.
Message Theme: The message that SweetTooth Incorporated wants to promote with their new
product is that this a unique baking kit for the holidays. It is a different way to be creative and
have fun while baking. This activity involves spending time with your family and will engage
children and allow them to use their creativity. The tagline: “The Holidays are Here. Get Ready
to Bake and Paint!” reminds the consumer that this kit is useful during five different holiday
seasons and provides a fun baking activity to celebrate each holiday.
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The Support: The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, is completely unique compared to their
competitors in the market. No other competitor has a baking kit that allows you to “paint”
cookies. It is a fun alternative to the typical frosting and sprinkles that are used to decorate
holiday cookies.
The Constraints: The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit involves time and doesn’t come with
premade cookie dough like Nestle and Pillsbury offer. The product requires a bit of time as
compared to their competitor’s products. The consumer will need to allow time to make the
cookie dough and the edible paint, as well as time to physically “paint” the cookies and bake
them. Although time might be seen as a draw back when compared to the fast alternatives their
competition offers, SweetTooth Incorporated provides a fun-filled family activity with their
product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The cookies also will also be of higher quality since
they are made from scratch and not premade cookie dough.
5.2.1.3 Advertising Design
The advertising design for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit was developed by using this
means-end chain:
Attributes: It is a fun-filled family activity, unique product, holiday baking activity, delicious
results
Benefits: It is more fun than the traditional decorating of sugar cookies with frosting and
sprinkles, and this product engages children in the activity.
Personal Value: It is a fun time spent with friends and family while using creativity and baking
a delicious dessert that you can enjoy.
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Leverage Point: The tagline, “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” is an
informative catch phrase that will be used on advertisements and on the actual physical product.
It informs the consumer that the product is a holiday baking activity.
Executional Framework: SweetTooth Incorporated will use an informative executional
framework to promote their new product. Their goal is to create advertisements that simply
inform and intrigue the potential customers.
The internet advertisements for the product will be found on social media pages and will
have pictures of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit with the tagline “The Holidays are Here. Get
Ready to Bake and Paint!” This will hopefully create a bit of intrigue and lead the consumers to
purchase the product. They will only have to clink the link found on the advertisement that says,
“Purchase your Holiday Painted Cookie Kit Here.” By clicking the link, they will be directed to
http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc where they can get more information about the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, and they can also purchase the product. This type of online
advertisement gives ease and convenience to the consumer.
The television commercials will be informative and create awareness for the product
during peak holiday seasons. The commercials will also have an emotional appeal that ties to
spending time with family and friends. There will be a total of five different commercials which
relate to the five different holidays that the kit contains cookie cutters for. For example, the
commercial that SweetTooth Incorporated will run around Christmastime will feature a family
wearing Christmas sweaters, sitting around the kitchen table listening to Christmas music, and
painting the holiday cookies. They will be complimenting each other on their creativeness and
works of art. The commercial will inform the consumers where they can go to purchase the
product. The tagline will also be mentioned at the beginning of the commercial. These
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commercials will be featured on ABC related stations, because they are mostly kid friendly,
especially including the popular channel ABC Family. Many families with children enjoy
television programs and movies on this station, so this is a perfect opportunity that SweetTooth
Incorporated is going to take advantage of. They are going to use this to benefit their marketing
strategy.
The print advertisements found in local Sunday papers will also take the informative
advertising approach. There will be advertisements for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit in the
Target and Wal-Mart local ads and also in craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s.
These advertisements will feature a picture of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, the tagline, and
the price at that select location. It will also have the words “New product” somewhere near the
picture to draw attention to the fact that it is a new unique product to the baking product
segment. Along with the informative advertisement for the actual product, SweetTooth
Incorporated will tie in coupons in the print advertisements of the retail stores. These coupons
will be a small percentage off the final price of the product, but nonetheless, will hopefully entice
customers to make a purchase and give them the perception that they are getting a deal by using
the coupon. The percentage will be 15% off, which still allows the company to make a profit, but
they will use the coupon as a promotional tool to sell their product.
SweetTooth Incorporated also counts on using the internet and social media as a
marketing and advertising tool to generate positive buzz marketing about their product. People
go on social media to share all kinds of information. Consumers talk about products they have
tried and liked, and SweetTooth Incorporated plans on using their Facebook page as strong
marketing tool in their advertising campaign, because they know if they can generate likes,
people will start talking about the product and tell their friends about their fun experience using
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the product. Consumers might also post pictures of the cookies they decorated, and it will catch
people’s eyes, and they will wonder how you can “paint” a cookie and still eat it. The main goal
is to create curiosity and intrigue the consumers so they will consider purchasing the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit and enjoy it enough to tell all their friends and family.
Once SweetTooth Incorporated has gained awareness within their target market, they will
increase advertising and use it as a reminder that the product exists and is a perfect activity for
the holidays. They will still use informative marketing techniques within their advertisements to
draw in potential new customers, but they will also inform current customers where they can
purchases replacement items when they run out of food coloring or lose something in their kit.
All these individual items can also be purchased at http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc.
This gives customers the easy convenience, if they enjoyed SweetTooth Incorporated’s product,
to purchase only what they need and not the entire kit over and over again. The purpose of the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is to provide fun baking activities at each holiday during the year.
This product is for five times a year, as well as for many years. It’s not a product with just a one
time use. It gives additional directions for future use that include how much of each ingredient
you need to make the dough. The items in the kit that can be used continuously used are: the
apron, the paint brushes, the mixing tin, the food coloring, the rolling pin, and the cookie cutters.
If the consumer loses the baking instructions, they can be retrieved on the company’s website
under the tab: Baking Directions.
5.2.2 Consumer Promotions
As already mentioned, in the print advertisements, SweetTooth Incorporated will provide
a coupon that customers can use when purchasing their Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The coupon
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will take 15% off the total price of the Holiday Cookie Kit. The Holiday Cookie Kit will be sold
for an average of $30 dollars, but prices vary from retailer to retailer. There are also different
promotions during different times of the year. The product will still be sold in retail stores on the
off seasons, when holidays aren’t celebrated, for a sale price of $25.50. SweetTooth Incorporated
would rather discount the price than take it completely off the market during regular seasons
without holidays, because at least people might still be seeing it and getting a head start or ideas
for the holidays. It will clearly be labeled that it is marked down, and that marketing tactic
usually works to give the perception that the customer is getting a huge deal by buying the
product at a discounted price.
5.2.2.1 Budget Allocation
The budget will include all advertising costs, and the money that is available to
SweetTooth incorporated to use in their budget will be distributed according to where it is
needed the most. SweetTooth Incorporated, as a company, will have to evaluate what works and
what doesn’t. They will need to use their resources wisely in advertising and promoting their
product, so that they still make a significant profit.
5.2.2.2 Consumer Promotion Selection
The consumer promotions will be targeted to SweetTooth Incorporated’s target market of
families with children ages 5 and up. The promotions can be found in print advertisements for
retail stores, and also in television commercials, the website, and the Facebook page. Consumers
can find different promotions for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit during different times of the
year. As mentioned before, during off seasons when there aren’t any major holidays being
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celebrated, the price of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will come down to influence consumers
to purchase the kit when there aren’t any holidays at the time. During holiday seasons, there will
be other promotions like coupons and free ingredients. Consumers, in general, tend to like
coupons or see the price of the product drop.
5.2.2.3 Sample Consumer Promotions
A sample consumer promotion that SweetTooth Incorporated will use is a coupon in the
local retail store weekly advertisements. The stores that carry the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit
will feature the product in their advertisement, and there will be a coupon clipping available for
consumers to use on their Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The coupon will entitle the consumer to
receive 15% off the total price of the product.
Another promotion that some retail stores might offer around the holiday seasons is if
you buy the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit by SweetTooth Incorporated, you will get a free
package of baking flour. SweetTooth Incorporated will have to form a relationship with Gold
Medal All-Purpose Flour to incorporate this promotion, but it would be an enticing offer to
consumers, especially if they love baking. Everyone loves anything that is free, so it is definitely
a draw toward the product to tack on a free item with the purchase of the Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit.
Another promotion will be contests on the Facebook page for the Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit. SweetTooth Incorporated will do five contests a year, one for each holiday. They will create
a post saying “Show us your talent. Post a photo of your painted cookie for a chance to win a
cash prize of $50.” Some other contests may allow for multiple winners with one grand prize
winner. SweetTooth Incorporated will determine what the prizes will be, but it will entice the
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customers to partake in the social media aspect of this company’s marketing strategy. This will
definitely create buzz for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit when friends of the people who choose
to partake in the contest see their posts on Facebook. They will probably look into the Facebook
page, and this will make them become more aware of the product. They will also ask their
friends how they like the product, and it will start conversations about the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit.
5.2.3 Personal Selling
SweetTooth Incorporated will sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit on their website and in
select retail stores. They will have less control over selling their product once it is in retail stores,
because they aren’t physically doing the selling anymore. That is why they must have eye-
catching advertisements and use their tagline to get people’s attention. They will have more
control when selling the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit from their website. They can control the
advertisements and eliminate any sort of competition. There will be all sorts of competition in
retail stores. Placement will be key. If the kits are sold in baking aisles, there will be competitor’s
brands that consumers will look at as well, but if the kits are placed in toy aisles or craft stores,
the other baking items that competitors sell won’t be near the product. Even if stores choose to
place the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit near already existing baking products by different
competitors, the advertisements and image of the product will give the allusion and inform the
customer that their product is unique when compared to other holiday baking items.
There will be a number on the packaging of the product to call the company with any
concerns or comments. The customer service department will handle any comments or
complaints, and will be the direct contact for personal selling. They are the company
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representatives that will connect with the consumers. They will have to be professional and
helpful to add to the SweetTooth Incorporated’s professional corporate image.
5.2.4 Sponsorship Programs
Once SweetTooth Incorporated has gained a substantial profit and has come up with a
fixed budget that works for their company, they will start sponsorships with local companies in
Chicago. They will team up with other brands and will associate themselves with these well-
known brands. They will also donate proceeds to Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
in Chicago, and will make sure that is marked clearly on the outside of the packaging. This will
be done to inform people that part of the profits that SweetTooth Incorporated is earning from
consumers purchasing the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will be donated to the Children’s
Hospital. This will also entice families to purchase the product when they see that they are a
sponsor for the hospital. SweetTooth Incorporated could also donate some of their Holiday
Painted Cookie Kits to the children at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital.
5.2.5 Database Programs
SweetTooth Incorporated will create a database before distributing their product to retail
stores and before selling their product online. All purchases will be accounted for and will be
added to the database. This will help SweetTooth Incorporated to see where they are selling the
most Holiday Painted Cookie Kits. They will also be able to track online shopping and how
many people purchase the kits on their website. The website could also have a survey for the
consumers to fill out about their experience with the product which will also help the company
gather feedback and more information about the consumers. They can put a section in the survey
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that will ask if the customer wants to be kept up to date with any new products or features that
SweetTooth Incorporated is offering. The company will use the database to gather information
about how their product is doing overall.
5.2.5.1 Data Warehouse
The data warehouse will be where data that SweetTooth Incorporated collects from their
customers is stored. This information will be used to gain more knowledge about the target
market and the customer base for SweetTooth Incorporated. All the information that is stored in
the data warehouse will be secure and unavailable to outside parties. SweetTooth Incorporated
doesn’t share any of their consumer’s information. They include a confidentiality agreement in
the fine print of their surveys that they use to collect all the information about their customers.
5.2.5.2 Direct Marketing
SweetTooth Incorporated will gather information from their database to collect consumer
information. SweetTooth Incorporated will gather customer’s information from their surveys and
their purchases on the website. SweetTooth Incorporated will then be able to send customized
advertisements and promotions to these consumers who they have more information and data
about. They can use this marketing strategy to remain a top-of-mind brand choice for consumers
that purchased a product once. If the consumer had a good experience with the company’s
product, they are more likely to try other products the company offers as well.
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5.2.5.3 Permission Marketing
On SweetTooth Incorporated’s website: http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc, they
will have an area where you can subscribe to their email program and get all the newest updates
on their products. They have an opt in or opt out section where you can choose to subscribe to
their emails. They make it very convenient for their customers to unsubscribe at any time. This is
permission marketing. The company is asking the consumer if they want to receive more
advertisements and promotions that what is already available. Email customers get more benefits
than non-email customers, but it is entirely the choice of the consumer.
5.2.5.4 Frequent Shopper Program
SweetTooth Incorporated will create a frequent shopper program which will give regular,
repeat consumers special offers and deals on their products. A lot of companies incorporate this
strategy when they are coming up with their marketing campaigns. Companies realize that in
order to keep customers they need to offer rewards and benefits to their loyal customers. This
will ensure that the customer will be satisfied with the company and hopefully their purchases. It
will give them a reason to tell their friends about their great experience with not only the product,
but also the company. This is another way to generate buzz marketing. This frequent shopper
program will be available online. The company will have promo codes for their frequent
shoppers to use that will discount their purchases.
5.3 Media Plan
SweetTooth Incorporated will market their product with a pulsating schedule of
advertising. This will give the company the most effective advertising strategy for their product.
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They know that the critical times they want to be advertising for their product are around the
holiday seasons. There is no need to have high amounts of advertising all year round, because the
product will not be sold in high volumes all year like it will be around the holidays. Rather than
using a flighting schedule of advertising, where the product is only advertised to consumers
during certain times of the year, SweetTooth Incorporated will choose to advertise all year to
keep the product in the minds of consumers. The product is also good for use five times during
the year, and that is enough of a reason to continuously market the product. Obviously there will
be more advertising around the particular holidays that the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit includes.
The company will purchase 30 second television spots on the different ABC programs.
They will run during holiday seasons and often enough that they become memorable. They will
be placed between family television programs and family movies that ABC Family features on
their station. Ads will also be placed in the Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Editions, in the
baking sections. The advertisements on the internet will be on abcfamily.com and might also be
featuring on the Chicago Morning News’ webpage as a new product that families should try.
Advertisements for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will also be found on each retail website
where the product is also sold in the actual store. These stores include target.com, walmart.com,
hobbylobby.com, and michaels.com.
5.4 Evaluation
SweetTooth Incorporated will evaluate their consumer objectives by creating surveys that can be
taken on the company’s website: http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc or their Facebook
page. The surveys will give SweetTooth Incorporated a good feel for where they are as a
company, and what consumers are looking for in their products. Some questions that might be
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asked are: “How well did you enjoy this product on a scale of 1-5?” “Would you recommend
this product to friends and family?” “Would you purchase another product by SweetTooth
Incorporated?” There would also be a section for comments and questions. These comments
and questions will be looked at by customer representatives from SweetTooth Incorporated and
the customer service department will respond to any comments or questions in a timely manner
to satisfy customer’s needs and maintain a positive corporate image with the consumer. If there
are any concerns or negative feedback, SweetTooth Incorporated will do their best to fix the
situation and satisfy the consumer, so that the consumer will view their negative experience as a
positive one that was fixed and handled well by customer service representatives. The goal of
the company is to receive0 feedback on how they are doing as a company. SweetTooth
Incorporated is going to use the evaluations to improve and enhance their company and products.
6.0 Integrated Marketing Communications Objective Two (Distribution Channel)
The main goal of objective two, the distribution channel, is to sell the product to retail stores
that will sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit directly to consumers. The distribution channel
should flow smoothly and be an efficient way to get the product sold to customers. Initially, the
product will be developed by the manufacturer, SweetTooth Incorporated. Then, SweetTooth
Incorporated will distribute the finished Holiday Painted Cookie Kits to the retail stores that are
going to put the product on their shelves for consumers to purchase. Besides direct selling to
retail stores, SweetTooth Incorporated will be selling their product directly from their website.
They will ship the product to consumer’s houses which eliminates the need for consumers to
make the trip to the store. SweetTooth Incorporated is choosing to sell the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit at retail stores that people frequently visit such as Target and Wal-Mart, which are
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nationally known retail chains. SweetTooth Incorporated is also choosing to sell their product to
craft stores, because the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit is not just a baking activity but also, a
creative one. Hobby Lobby and Michael’s are two very well-known craft stores that will be
perfect for SweetTooth Incorporation to include in their distribution channel.
6.1 Budget
SweetTooth Incorporated will create advertisements that will be showcased in the retail
stores where they sell their product. They will provide product information to the retail stores as
well, such as when and where they might like the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit sold and
positioned in the store. The budget for the distribution channel will be a total of $1,375,000.
The budget will include $275,000 for trade promotions that are between SweetTooth
Incorporated and the retailers that sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. There will be $250,000
for advertising to channel members through internet advertisements and television commercials.
$300,000 will be budgeted for personal selling, which includes any extra costs that the sales
representatives incur, but will also be used for contest rewards. A total of $250,000 will be spent
on the database program and warehouse costs. SweetTooth Incorporated wants to make sure they
are up to date with all their distributor and customer information. Finally, the last part of the
distribution budget will cover costs of $300,000 for the advertising agency, Tom, Dick, & Harry
Creative. This advertising agency will be creating the advertisements for SweetTooth
Incorporated’s distribution channel. Once the company has gained more awareness and a
significant profit, they will be able to increase this budget and provide even higher quality
advertisements for the distribution channel.
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6.2 Integrated Marketing Communications Methodologies
SweetTooth Incorporated will focus on advertising within the distribution channel to gain
awareness of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. As a company, SweetTooth Incorporated will use
their databases to provide accurate information about the distributors, and it will tell them which
retail outlets are selling more of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kits, and which ones aren’t. From
that point, SweetTooth Incorporated can decide what they want to do to increase awareness and
purchases. The different trade promotions within the distribution channel will also help
SweetTooth Incorporated to connect more with the distribution channel members than their
competition can.
6.2.1 Advertising
SweetTooth Incorporated is going to advertise their product to distribution channel
members by putting advertisements on the internet and television. The internet and television are
useful resources for advertising, because they create awareness of the product to retailers. The
employees at the retail stores will browse the internet and watch television like any other
consumer, so this will create awareness of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The goal is to
advertise enough so that retailers will become aware of the product and want it in their stores.
This will bring customers into stores for the new, exciting product, the Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit.
6.2.1.1 Advertising Goals and Budget
The advertising goals of the distribution channel are to create awareness for the
businesses who might want to purchase the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The company will
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provide advertisements that get the attention of the retailers, and these advertisements will be
found on the internet and television commercials. The budgeted amount for advertising to the
distribution channel is $250,000. The amount will be split to cover costs. $150,000 will be used
for television commercials, and $100,000 will be used for internet advertisements. This money
will be paid to the advertising agency, Tom, Dick & Harry Creative, who will create the
advertisements that will be professional and attention grabbing. Employees of the retail stores
and companies that might be able to sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit also browse the internet
and watch television, so it’s important to let them know about the product.
6.2.1.2 Creative Brief
For advertisements in the distribution channel, the following creative brief will be used:
Objective: The objective is to increase awareness of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit for channel
members.
Target Audience Profile: The target audience of the advertisements will be retail stores such as
Target and Wal-Mart, and craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s. These stores all sell
baking goods and craft activities, so this product would fit in nicely. The companies will
hopefully want to add the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit to the products that they sell in their
stores.
Message Theme: The message theme that SweetTooth Incorporated wants to get across is the
tagline, “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” The message is informative and
will be important for the distributors to use, as they will be the ones who are selling the product
directly to the customers.
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The Support: SweetTooth Incorporated will provide the distribution channel with
advertisements that will convince them to purchase the product to sell in retail stores. The
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will then become a well-known holiday baking product.
The Constraints: SweetTooth Incorporated is only looking for distributors who firmly believe
that they can sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit during the holiday seasons. As a company,
SweetTooth Incorporated will make sure that the retail stores that are distributing the product
place the product in heavy traffic areas of the grocery and craft stores. SweetTooth Incorporated
wants consumers to see the product and the advertisements that will be placed right by it. If the
company is not willing to promote the product and place it in a clearly visible area, SweetTooth
Incorporated will not distribute it to that retail store.
The following means-end chain was developed after creating the advertisement for the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit:
Attributes: Fun-filled family activity, unique product, holiday baking activity, delicious results
Benefits: More fun than the traditional decorating of sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles
and engages children in the activity
Business Value: There will be less need to use promotions for SweetTooth Incorporated, when
customers see the product in the stores.
Leverage Point: The tagline, “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” will be
informative and will encourage the consumer to purchase the product during the holiday season.
When they see the tagline, they will be intrigued about the key word “paint”. They will look at
the product more closely and hopefully become tempted to try the product out.
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Executional Framework: The executional framework will be informative of the product, the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, and the advertisement will let consumers know where they can find
information on the product and where it can be purchased.
6.2.1.3 Advertising Design
The advertisement that SweetTooth Incorporated will use both the internet and television
commercials for their product. These advertisements will inform the consumers about the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit and persuade them to purchase the kit. The advertisement will
clearly let the consumer know all the different outlets where they can purchase the product. The
advertisements used will be the same as the consumer advertisements used in commercials. The
distribution channel members are also consumers, and this advertisement will pertain to them as
well. Everyone celebrates these five commercial holidays to some extent.
6.2.2 Trade Promotions
Trade promotions will be used as incentives for retail stores to distribute the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kits. SweetTooth Incorporated will come up with agreements with the retail
stores that purchase and sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kits to consumers. The agreements will
be along the lines of shelf space, advertising in the store, and promoting the new product in the
store during peak holiday seasons. Retailers and consumers will come to an agreement about
how long the product will get to be placed in prime consumer traffic areas in the store.
SweetTooth Incorporated would like the product to be advertised in the store for the complete
holiday season, and then afterward, they would still like to be sold in stores, but in the offseason
37. 37
or holiday clearance sections. This will be a good way to place the product on sale, and still
make some money for both the distributor and SweetTooth Incorporated.
6.2.2.1 Budget Allocation
Different amounts of money will be budgeted for different marketing promotions and
company costs throughout the year. SweetTooth Incorporated will have corporate employees
handle the budget as they see fit. The corporate employees will have to have a vested interest in
the success of SweetTooth Incorporated. They will have to want to see the company succeed.
These employees will come up with a budget that will include all costs associated with
distributing the product and advertising for the product throughout the course of the year.
6.2.2.2 Trade Promotion Selection
SweetTooth Incorporated will choose to use contests with the employees of the retail
stores who sell the most products. This will ensure that the retail stores abide by the agreements
formed with SweetTooth Incorporated about the product’s placement on display shelves and
center aisles in the stores. The stores will want to sell the most so that they can win cash prizes
from SweetTooth Incorporated. The store managers will be more willing to comply with the
requests from SweetTooth Incorporated about where they want the product in the store, if the
employees of the retail store all get something out of a consumer purchasing the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit.
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6.2.2.3 Package Design
The package design will be simple and creative. The logo, which is a palette of paint
with the name of the product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit, inscribed in the middle, will be
front and center. The entire logo will be placed on a clear, plastic box, so the consumer can see
what the kit contains. The tagline will be featured on the front of the box in clear eye-catching
fonts and colors. The tagline reads “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” This
itself is informative and may cause a potential consumer to pick up the Holiday Painted Cookie
Kit to take a closer look. It is a unique product to the market, and it needs to be presented that
way. The back of the product will give a list of what the kit contains and will tell you what you
still need. SweetTooth Incorporated states clearly on the packaging that not everything needed is
contained. By doing this, they are avoiding possible negative comments about the product. If
they didn’t come out and say it up front, and the consumer bought the product thinking
everything was included, the consumer would probably be very frustrated that they cannot use
the product right away. SweetTooth Incorporated wants to save consumers the hassle and let
them know right away. There are only a few items that aren’t included such as, flour, baking
powder, butter, eggs, sugar, baking trays, the oven, oven mitts, a cooling rack, and a timer. It
gives a detailed list of what is inside: an apron, a rolling pin, vanilla extract, lemon extract,
lemon rinds, select cookies cutters for each holiday, a mixing pan for the edible paint, a spatula,
food coloring, plastic food brushes, and directions on how to make the cookies including baking
time and oven temperature. The package design will be attractive to children, with bright colors
and fonts that will catch their eye. The package design is informative and very descriptive of the
product.
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6.2.3 Personal Selling
SweetTooth Incorporated has customer service representatives that represent the entire
company to the consumers. Consumers deal with them when they have any comments or
concerns about the product. There will also be more sales representatives for the different
distribution channels. These representatives will be knowledgeable about SweetTooth
Incorporated and also the company they are distributing the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit to.
SweetTooth Incorporated will be knowledgeable about all their customers and distributors. The
sales representatives will maintain customer relationships, but will also be creating new customer
relationships and distributor contacts. The sales people and sales representatives will look for
new retail outlets to distribute their products to.
6.2.4 Database Programs
The database programs that SweetTooth Incorporated keeps will be up to date on all
information that is relevant concerning distribution channel members. All important information
about who these companies are will be stored in the database. It will be organized and efficient
so that SweetTooth Incorporated can easily reference any information they may need to find out
about the distribution channel members. They need to keep tabs on the quantities of the Holiday
Painted Cookie Kit that the retail stores can purchase and store, because this information is
important for SweetTooth Incorporated to know how many Holiday Painted Cookie Kits to
produce. They can also keep track of how many Holiday Painted Cookie Kits sell at different
locations of the retail stores and each store in general.
Salespeople who work for SweetTooth incorporated will be given access to the database
which will help improve communications between SweetTooth Incorporated and the distribution
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channel members that buy the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. The salesperson can easily look up
numbers and get an idea of how many Holiday Painted Cookie Kits need to be distributed during
each holiday season that they are being sold in bulk at the retail and craft stores. The
information that is stored in the databases can be easily changed and updated with new and
improved technology. The database helps with the company’s budget as well by keeping track
of how many Holiday Painted Cookie Kits SweetTooth Incorporated is selling.
6.2.4.1 Data Warehouse
The data warehouse stores all kinds of information. It will be organized to keep customer
information secure and separate from distribution channel members’ information. That
information will also be kept secure and protected. All this information will be backed up as
well, because the information stored in the data warehouse gives a good insight on how the
company is doing as a whole and what they might be able to do to improve.
6.2.4.2 Direct Marketing
SweetTooth Incorporated plans on using a direct marketing strategy, where
advertisements are directed at both consumers and businesses within the distribution channel.
The advertisements will be through all types of media, magazines, commercials, print
advertisements, the company’s website, and social media sites. All these outlets of advertising
are direct marketing. The information presented in the advertisements will inform and persuade
the consumer to purchase the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. All advertisements will showcase
pictures of the product, and feature the tagline, “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and
Paint!” The name of the product and the tagline will be eye-catching and informative enough to
41. 41
let the customer know that the product is a baking product, but they might need to look into the
advertisement a bit further for more information and to clarify what “painting” cookies means.
The advertisements will be a strong form of direct marketing to the target market that
SweetTooth Incorporated is trying to reach.
6.3 Media Plan
SweetTooth Incorporated will use a pulsating schedule of adverting to create awareness
of the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit for their target market. They will feature advertisements in
magazines with baking sections, print advertisements for retail and craft stores, television
commercials, the internet, their website and Facebook page. Higher volumes of advertisements
will be used during peak holiday seasons, but the advertisements will continue at a slower rate
during the entire year to keep the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit at the back of consumers’ minds as
a product they will want to try during the holidays.
6.4 Evaluation
The goals and objectives of the distribution channels will be to first create awareness in
the general target market and channel members who could sell the product to consumers in that
specific target market. Another goal, is to increase sales volume for SweetTooth Incorporated’s
product, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. SweetTooth Incorporated will need to have good
communication with the distributors of their product to ensure the product stays in the minds of
the consumers and continues to raise brand awareness. The marketing strategy that SweetTooth
Incorporated has come up with for their product will need to be evaluated at certain times of the
year, especially around the holidays, to see how the company is doing. Their outside advertising
42. 42
agency, Tom, Dick & Harry Creative, will come up with an evaluation plan for the advertising
analysis on brand awareness, product positioning, and the corporate image. SweetTooth
Incorporated will be in charge of an evaluation of their personal selling team, and trade
promotions that they come up with.
Trade promotions will need to be evaluated to see how well they worked in increasing
sales for SweetTooth Incorporated. The company can use their databases that contain all the
information about customers, channel members, sales, etc. to determine if the trade promotions
increased brand awareness and brand preference, or if they need to improve upon the trade
promotions or eliminate ones that didn’t give the desired results. This evaluation will be key to
developing new trade promotions within the company and their channel members.
7.0 Integrated Marketing Communications Objective 3 (Business-to-Business)
The business-to-business marketing communications objective will entail SweetTooth
Incorporated forming positive relationships with the companies that they are going to sell the
product to. The most ideal places to sell the product are going to be stores that specialize in crafts
and activities such as, Hobby Lobby and Michael’s. While these retail stores already sell plenty
of crafts and kits for families and children to enjoy, the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will be seen
as unique and will be a perfect addition to the store’s inventory.
Along with craft stores, SweetTooth Incorporated will want to have nationally known
businesses like Target and Wal-Mart sell the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. In keeping in mind
with their target market, SweetTooth Incorporated believes these retail stores will be the perfect
locations to sell their product in. Typically, mothers will do the family shopping, and it is usually
most convenient for them to go to one retail store that carries all the items on their grocery list.
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SweetTooth Incorporated sees this as an inviting marketing strategy to use. They know that
people shop weekly at these types of retail stores and will use that as a way to create awareness
for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. SweetTooth Incorporated will also try to market their
product to businesses that work with children, such as: camps, art and baking classes, and
schools. The business-to-business strategy will take a positive relationship between SweetTooth
Incorporated and the retail stores and businesses to be fully effective.
7.1 Budget
Businesses are always looking to carry new products to get people into their stores.
SweetTooth Incorporated is aware of this strategy and will aim some of their advertisements at
businesses so they will want to carry their “new” product. The word “new” will instantly create
a need for the retail stores to carry their products. Each retail store wants to have the newest
products that are available in order to satisfy customers.
The budget for the Business-to-Business marketing objective is going to be $3,000,000.
This budget will include $950,000 for advertising, $700,000 for personal selling, and database
programs will be given $400,000. The advertising agency will be paid $450,000 for this
marketing objective. The budget for business-to-business promotions will be about $500,000.
This budget will cover all advertising costs associated with the business-to-business marketing
objective.
7.2 Integrated Marketing Communications Methodologies
SweetTooth Incorporated will have to use a variety of marketing strategies to create
awareness and brand preference of their product. The company will focus on their
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communication and advertising with the retail stores and the businesses that will be most suitable
to selling the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. They will need to develop social media sites and
internet advertising that is very informative and creative. The internet is becoming the way that
both businesses and consumers communicate and find out information about products that are
being sold on the market. Personal selling, database programs, and trade promotions will all be
essential in the integrated marketing communications campaign. The more information that is
gathered about the product from the advertisements, the more aware consumers and businesses
will become and will choose the product over competitor’s brands.
7.2.1 Advertising
Advertising will be targeted to SweetTooth Incorporated’s website. The advertisements
will inform businesses that if they wish to request more information about the product they can
by going to the website. The website will be an essential piece of the advertising for businesses.
Businesses will be more willing to purchase the product from a reliable company with a
professional looking website that contains information about the products they manufacture.
7.2.1.1 Advertising Goals and Budget
This strategy is going to be similar to the distribution channel advertising strategy. The
main goal is to create awareness and then, inform the businesses about the product that
SweetTooth Incorporated manufactures. Advertisements will be in magazines, television
commercials, internet, and the company’s website and social media pages. These advertisements
will be informative and will intrigue the businesses and make them consider selling the product.
The budget allows for a total of $950,000 for advertising. This amount will allocate $100,000 to
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magazines, $250,000 to television commercials, $500,000 to internet advertisements and
$100,000 to the website and social media pages. This strategy will allow for the most money to
be used to advertise on the internet. The internet is predominantly where the bulk of
advertisements are that people will see. People spend hours online on social media sites and
websites. This will guarantee that if SweetTooth Incorporated advertises in prevalent areas
online they will gain awareness of their product.
7.2.1.2 Creative Brief
For this business-to-business objective, this creative brief will be used:
Objective: The main objective will be to develop brand awareness and while doing that, answer
any questions that potential businesses may have about the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit.
Target Audience Profile: The target audience will be anyone in a retail store and business that
deals with children, such as camp counselors, art instructors, baking instructors, and schools.
They will have to purchase the kits in bulk to provide enough to supply the children with as an
activity they can keep busy with.
Message Theme: The message theme for this product will still be informative and descriptive of
the product. It will include the tagline, “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” It
will be informative and still create a little intrigue that will cause customers to wonder what
“painting” a cookie means.
The Support: The Holiday Painted Cookie Kit will become a nationally known product after
establishing awareness in the target market. This marketing plan will help inform consumers and
businesses about the product and hopefully eliminate all possible competition when they see how
unique this product is.
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The Constraints: SweetTooth Incorporated will not allow the businesses to place their product
where consumers won’t see it. SweetTooth Incorporated wants the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit
to be advertised and promoted consistently with higher volumes of advertising during the holiday
seasons.
The following means-end chain was developed when SweetTooth Incorporated created their
advertisements:
Attributes: Fun-filled family activity, unique product, holiday baking activity, delicious results
Benefits: More fun than the traditional decorating of sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles
and engages children in the activity
Personal Value: SweetTooth Incorporated will be able to spend less on promoting their product
to areas where consumers and businesses are using positive buzz marketing about the product.
That is free advertising for SweetTooth Incorporated.
Leverage Point: The tagline, “The Holidays are Here! Get Ready to Bake and Paint!” will be
informative and encourage the consumer to purchase the product during the holiday season.
When they see the tagline, they will be intrigued about the key word “paint”. They will look at
the product more closely and hopefully become tempted to try the product out.
Executional Framework: The executive framework will be completely informative of the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit and will let consumers and businesses know where other
information can be found on the product.
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7.2.1.3 Advertising Design
The advertising that SweetTooth Incorporated will choose to use will be emotional and
informative. The company will choose to advertise the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit in settings
where they hope businesses will consider purchasing their product. The advertisements will
showcase, schools, children’s camps, art classes, and baking classes all using and having fun
with the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. This gives these types of businesses the idea to use this kit
to entertain children and allow them to do a creative activity. The advertisements will direct the
businesses to find more information on the website, http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc.
7.2.2 Business-to-Business Promotion Selection
The consumer promotions that will be offered to businesses who purchase the kits in bulk
will be a certain percentage off the total price, or buy five Holiday Painted Cookie Kits, and get
one free. SweetTooth Incorporated will have to figure out which incentive is most effective and
profitable for their company. This idea may be useful and may help entice businesses to buy the
new product.
7.2.2.3 Sample Business Promotions
SweetTooth Incorporated will have specific promotions that are aimed at businesses who
deal with children. Since the target market is children ages five and up, SweetTooth Incorporated
sees any business that works with children as a possible reach for promoting and selling their
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit to. These promotions will allow the business to purchase as many of
the kits as they would like at discounted prices. There will be a percentage off and deals for
purchasing a certain amount of the kits at one time. For every five Holiday Painted Cookie Kits
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purchased, the business will receive a free kit. This is a great promotion offered, because they are
receiving a $30 free gift.
7.2.3 Personal Selling
Customer service representatives will go to different business locations to try to sell the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. They will show their customer service skills when promoting the
product. They will showcase the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit and give a demonstration as a
selling point. This effort may not always be possible, but it’s a personal approach that may gain
some positive feedback and awareness for the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit.
7.2.4 Sponsorship Programs
SweetTooth Incorporated will eventually create a sponsorship program with Ann and
Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. They will donate a portion of their proceeds
from businesses that work with children, purchasing the Holiday Painted Cookie Kits.
7.2.5 Database Programs
The database programs that SweetTooth Incorporated will use will be kept up to date.
They will inform the company of how well the business-to-business marketing objective is
working. The businesses will be asked to provide some information when they make their
purchases, and this is where incentives will be applied. For giving information to SweetTooth
Incorporated, the businesses will receive special discounts and offers.
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7.2.5.1 Data Warehouse
The data warehouse will store all accurate customer and business contact information that
SweetTooth Incorporated will use when advertising to these consumers. It will be a good gauge
as to how well the company is marketing their product to the target market.
7.2.5.2 Direct Marketing
Direct marketing will be useful when promoting the product to businesses. Flyers and
advertisements can be used to create awareness, and all the previously mentioned advertisements
that are specific to businesses who work with children, and therefore, need to provide the
children with fun, creative activities.
7.2.5.3 Permission Marketing
SweetTooth Incorporated will ask the businesses if they want additional offers and
discounts. They will do this in the form of an online message when gathering information about
the consumer as they are making their purchases. This way, SweetTooth Incorporated maintains
a positive relationship with the consumers and businesses it deals with.
7.2.5.4 Frequent Shopper Program
The frequent shopper program goes along with purchasing in bulk. When businesses buy
the Holiday Painted Cookie Kits in bulk, they will be offered the chance to become a rewards
member. This means that they will receive even more discounts and promotions with future
purchases. This frequent shopper rewards program is marketed to businesses who will
continually use the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit at their place of business. The perfect examples
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are children’s camps, art classes, baking classes, and schools. If the instructors include the cost
of the kits in the total fees for the class or the camp, the children may be allowed to keep the
Holiday Painted Cookie Kit at the end of the class or camp. This would ensure future purchases
to be made by the businesses if they decide they like the results of using the Holiday Painted
Cookie Kit.
7.3 Media Plan
The advertisements will be promoted during the entire year, with more emphasis in
creating awareness during the holiday seasons. SweetTooth Incorporated will focus on any
mediums that will get through to businesses who work with children. The commercials will be in
a setting where children are shown enjoying the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. This will inform
instructors that the product is a perfect activity to incorporate in their lesson plan. The kids will
learn to be creative while having fun. The advertisements will work in a way to promote the
product and continually create awareness.
7.4 Evaluation
SweetTooth Incorporated will come up with a survey that will allow businesses and
instructors to give feedback about the Holiday Painted Cookie Kit. This feedback will be crucial
to SweetTooth Incorporated’s marketing strategy. They will be able to see if they are reaching
the target market that they wanted to reach. SweetTooth Incorporated will also use data from the
database programs, and this will also be key feedback for their product. SweetTooth
Incorporated can make adjustments and set goals for the future of their company based on the
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results they get from the feedback. This integrated marketing campaign will provide outlets and
creative ways to gain brand awareness and brand preference within the designated target market.
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Works Cited
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2014, from http://www.bhgmarketing.com/rates.html
Pillsbury® Cookies. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 14, 2014, from
http://www.pillsbury.com/products/cookies
Toll House® Product Page (Morsels and Baking Ingredients, Refrigerated Cookie
Dough, Frozen Cookie Dough, Baking Kits) | NESTLÉ® Very Best Baking. (2014, January 1).
Retrieved November 14, 2014, from http://www.verybestbaking.com/TollHouse/Products
Tom, Dick & Harry |. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from
http://tdhcreative.com/clients
LoopNet - 719-721 S State St., Office Building, Chicago, IL. (2014, January 1).
Retrieved November 16, 2014, from
http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=18924046&LinkCode
=31653&FromPPPP=true
Company Website: http://lepkemaureen.wix.com/sweettoothinc
