Order 465290 veteran′s organization pt 2 revision 1
The Barbican Centre digital campaign
1. Dundalk Institute of Technology
School of Business and Humanities
Bachelor of Business (Honours)
Digital Marketing Plan
For
The Barbican Centre
St. Peter’s Parish Centre
3. Company Overview
The Barbican Centre was established 6 years ago and is located on William Street within the
same building as the Laurence Shopping Centre in the heart of Drogheda Co. Louth. It is
establishing itself with a reputation of a multifunctional event centre ideal for different types
of events such as shows, conferences, seminars, meetings, training seminars and exhibitions.
The Barbican consists of a 500 seat theatre with a large stage, dressing room and audio
system perfect for plays, concerts, comedy performances or information nights. The theatre
seating is removable and the whole space can be used for art and photography exhibitions,
seminars or conferences. Since 2015 the facility also provides a mobile bar unit serving beer
and wine however it is only used for stage shows and as of now provides a new photo coping
service for both internal and external use. The building itself is also equipped with four
training studios that can be used for classes, training, education and meetings. The Centre
also rents office space and has a freshly refurnished shared office with a hot desk service. The
Barbican consists of one of the biggest dance studios in Drogheda with walled mirrors which
can be also turned around into a function room and used for a different seminars or training.
The Barbican Centre is under the umbrella of St. Peter’s Catholic Church and Archdiocese of
Armagh. Currently the staff comprises of one full-time manager Declan Power, 6 Community
Employment participants, 4 caretakers and 2 administration assistants and one volunteer
caretaker. Weekly and daily group rates are offered as well as half day room hire and short
meetings from 1-2 hours.
Situational Analysis
The Situational Analysis will outline and examine the external and internal factors affecting
The Barbican Centre. It will consist of a PEST Analysis, a SWOT Analysis and a Competitor
Analysis including the Value Curve to identify the Barbican’s main competitors in the
industry.
PEST ANALYSIS
Firstly, the PEST analysis stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological and will
allow us to analyse those four external factors in relation to The Barbican Centre. The
analysis will help us understand how those factors affect the performance of the Barbican
Centre identifying the opportunities that are available
Political The political factors facing the Barbican Centre stems from the fact that it is
under the umbrella of St. Peter’s catholic church and the Archdiocese of
Armagh meaning that the barbican centre is not eligible for any governmental
grants to assist in its funding. The centre must rely on the Archdiocese and
revenue from the events held at the centre. There are also the difficulties of a
lack of signage, this falls under the remit of the borough council however
signage is expensive and the borough council is unwilling to reduce the cost to
make it more affordable for the barbican centre to implement. Legally they must
have privacy statements under the Data Protection Acts 1998 and 2003 and the
Electronic Communications Networks and Services Act 2011, if the Barbican
4. Centre wishes to embark on a campaign that involves gathering data such as the
e-mail addresses of their customers.
Economic The economic situation in Drogheda is important to consider, the rate of
employment in the town directly effects the amount of disposable income
available to individual’s. unemployment in the town has increased by 0.04% to
5820 according to CSO figures. This can have a major impact on ticket sales for
the Barbican centre as people with a reduced income only spend money on the
necessities. However, the Centre is also used for education and training
programs, these programs would prove a good source of revenue for the Centre
as well as presenting the centre in a positive light, helping the local community
Socio-
Cultural
The Barbican centre’s aim is to appeal to a wide demographic both young and
old for this particular type of business this is a smart move, but they need to be
aware that people of different age groups respond to different types of marketing
for example those aged 15-40 will respond to the digital campaign as many
people in this demographic is active on social media whereas the older
generations the number of individuals active on social media decreases this is
the demographic that is more likely to respond to offline campaigns such as
newspaper advertisements, radio adverts, posters and leafleting. There for the
Barbican Centre must be active both on and off line with regards to marketing
Technology As social media platforms are become an increasing part of day to day life for
many people, businesses must take advantage of these platforms otherwise they
risk being left behind. With over 90% of the population owning a smart phone,
people are spending more and more of their time online. For the Barbican
Centre this means maintaining a developed social media presence is vital if they
are to grow their customer base and keep up with their competitors. These
platforms allow for low cost advertising and for direct communication with their
customers and target audience
5. SWOT Analysis
Secondly, this SWOT analysis will help us to identify the positive and negative factors that
influence The Barbican Centre allowing us to examine the internal strengths and weaknesses
as well as external opportunities and threats.
Internal Strengths Internal Weaknesses
Central location
Large size of the venue including the
theatre and additional 4 training
studios
One of the biggest dance studios in
Drogheda
Office space available for rent
including the host desk service
Mobile bar unit
Photocopying service available for
internal and external use
Previous shows of medium/high
profile performers(Reputation)
Low cost of employment
Availability of hosting a broad range
of events (Comedy, Weddings etc.)
Lack of available car parking
Lack of disabled parking
Lack of governmental funding
High staff turnover due to the large portion of
the staff consisting of Community
Employment(CE) participants
No signage
Lack of trained staff to manage digital
platforms
External Opportunities External Threats
Digital campaign can be expanded eg.
improve Facebook, Twitter
Set up Instagram account
Utilising YouTube video by creating a
more attention grabbing video to garner
attention and additional revenue
Subscribe for a newsletter
T.L.T. Concert Hall & Theatre Drogheda
becoming a competitor within the last 12
months
Drogheda Arts can host a variety of acts due to
their funding received from the arts council
Local hotels provide facilities to conduct
meetings, seminars or conferences
6. Competitor Analysis
Thirdly, this Competitor Analysis will allow us to compare The Barbican Centre to its main
competitors in Drogheda. We will analyse it under 4 main headings which are: accessibility,
product price, customer service and quality in order to identify the strengths and weakness of
its competitors.
Rationale for Rankings
Accessibility
T.L.T. Drogheda rated the highest in this category as T.L.T has a large parking space beside
the building and also holds a disabled parking space and for that reason it was scored the
highest. Local hotels such as the City North Hotel or the d Hotel Drogheda ranked just below
as they also provide parking spaces located right beside them. For that reason, the local hotels
were given 3 points as an overall average score. The Arts Centre Drogheda ranked 3rd as it is
located in the centre of Drogheda and there is only street parking available. The roads are
very narrow and tend to be busy with the traffic as local shops and restaurants are nearby.
The Barbican Centre rated the lowest as the accessibility is very poor. There is no potential
parking space for the customers and no disabled parking space. The only available parking is
the street parking and there is a taxi rank located right outside the building.
Product Price
In this category The Arts Centre has ranged the highest as we have researched all of their
November and most of December events are already sold out. Some of the events are free of
charge especially for kids under the age of 10 however there is a limited number of tickets
available. An average child’s ticket would cost around 8-10 euro and adults ticket roughly
about 12-15 euro. The Barbican Centre ranked below it as the average price for a ticket varies
between 15-30 euro. In addition, they host a wide range of events such as dancing classes,
bingo, concerts or the Christmas fair being held in December. The T.L.T hosted 9 big events
throughout September-November and we calculated the average price per ticket which turns
out to be €25 and for that reason the T.L.T ranks third. Local hotels scored the lowest as they
are definitely the most expensive. For example, renting a conference room would vary
between 100-800 euro depending on the amount of participants.
Customer Service
The Barbican Centre ranked the highest due to the friendly atmosphere of the place. The
reception desk at the foyer of the building is definitely an advantage as people walking in feel
welcome. They hosted a number of successful events and this shows that people are
interested in attending them and feel comfortable. The T.L.T ranked second place due to a
high turnover of the concerts and as we checked online some of the shows for December-
January are already sold out. The Arts Centre ranked third but is going strong in competition
with the T.L.T. Their customer service category has been ranked pretty much on the same
basis as T.L.T. The last place ranked local hotels as some of the customers were not happy
with the customer’s service. We got this feedback from Trip Advisor, however some of the
hotels are fully booked out for Christmas-New Years.
7. Quality
In this category The Barbican Centre has ranked the highest as one of their advantages is the
wide range of events and a high turnover of the shows such as comedy, music, dance and
exhibitions. These are fun, entertaining and definitely raise awareness and attention among
the people of Drogheda the T.L.T ranked below the Barbican Centre as they also host a large
number of events including local artists or even Nathan Carter performing on the 11th of
December already being sold out. The Arts Centre was ranked third due to a different range
of events and activities such as the film club. The local hotels ranked the lowest due to the
availability of places and some of these events are fully booked out leaving a lot of people
disappointed.
Competitor
Name
Accessibility Product Price Customer
Service
Qualit
y
TOTALS
The Barbican
Centre
2 4 5 5 16
T.L.T. Drogheda 5 3 4 4 16
The Arts Centre 3 5 3 3 14
Local Hotels 4 2 2 2 10
AVERAGES 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 14
8. Objectives
The 5 S’s Objectives Methods KPIs
Speak Get closer to customers
through face-to-face
communication. Form
a sense of loyalty
between locals and the
Barbican centre.
Instead of just
placing posters
around the town
or in
newspapers,
have employees
hand out flyers
regarding
upcoming
events on the
town.
Increase in
sales of tickets
to events.
Community
getting to know
the Barbican
centre more
personally
through face to
dialog.
Save Keep costs down. Online
advertising/
handing out
flyers.
Keeping
advertisements
costs low.
Sizzle Drive measurable
awareness/engagement
of digital platforms i.e.
Facebook, twitter,
Instagram
Hold regular
small
competitions on
social media
channels such
as Facebook or
Twitter where
customers must
share/tag a
friend in the
post to reach a
wider audience.
More
likes/followers
on social media
platforms.
Social media
platforms
reaching a
wider audience
throughout the
country.
Sell Drive measurable
awareness for potential
business to the
Barbican Website.
Create a new
video, which
utilises clips of
what actually
goes on in the
centre.
List of centre
activities for
users.
Promotion of
all activities.
Easy for user
to follow.
Serve Collaborate with
brands to offer value to
potential customers
and/or prizes.
Speak with local
businesses
regarding the
donation of one
or more of their
products to use
as prizes in
online
competitions in
exchange for
promotion of
said business in
these
competitions.
More
Facebook likes
on the
Barbicans page
/ More Twitter
or Instagram
followers.
Increase in
interest in
events
happening at
the Barbican.
Partnership
with local
9. Speak with local
coffee shops/
restaurants in
regards making
a deal for
customers, a
coffee or food
before/after a
show in the
centre at a lower
price.
Negotiate with
nearest owner of
large car
parking space
for usage of
these spaces for
Barbican
customers in
exchange for
increase in paid
parking revenue
for the other
party.
brands/
businesses.
Strategy
The Barbican centre, as mentioned in our brief, has essentially three target markets. People
interested in hiring a space, people attending the purpose the space is being hired for and
people who wish to attend an event being held by the Barbican.
MarketSegmentation
As the Barbican centre has three target markets, it is essential that they are successful in
broadening awareness of the centre with quite a large variety of consumers. Essentially, the
Barbican centres market segments consist of three slightly different types of consumers.
Firstly, person or business who wishes to hire a space in the centre, such as to hold a class.
An important characteristic of this group to be noted would be their desire to use the space
for their own purpose, meaning they may not want help from the centre in setting it up or
hosting it. Secondly, a person who wishes to attend the above. Lastly, someone who wishes
to attend an event being held at the Barbican centre, such as a show. The characteristics
associated with the latter two groups would be relatively similar, however an important
difference to note when marketing to these audiences are the differences in the reasons they
wish to attend these events. The middle group usually attending classes, meetings etc. may
expect a more serious atmosphere of learning and productiveness so should be approached
differently than those of the final group attending recreational events.
10. MarketTargeting
Each of the three above mentioned segments are indispensable for the Barbican centre. The
first two segments go hand in hand, one not existing without the other. The latter making up a
huge amount of the centres revenue also. Thusly, it is important to target each segment
relatively equally. The only way to reach such a broad consumer base cost effectively would
be ensuring to make proper use of their online social media platforms. According to 2015
CSO statistics approximately 82% of homes in Ireland have access to the internet, leaving a
huge potential for targeting consumers with online advertising. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Snapchat and YouTube accounts are extremely popular and the majority of internet users
have access to one or more of these social platforms in Ireland. It’s essential to make proper
use of these platforms through engaging feeds and physically interesting social media pages
in order to capture the attention of the target market and get them to like/follow the Barbicans
online pages, and to share them with others.
Product Positioning
The Barbican centre is not the only centre of this type in Drogheda. It’s important to realise
the strengths of the competition in order to be able to compete. The three main competitors
identified are:
T.L.T Drogheda: They are larger with a 900 seat theatre as well as free parking which the
Barbican does not have. In order to compete with this the Barbican could try to negotiate a
deal with the Laurence’s centre across the road in which the Barbicans customers could have
access to their parking and in exchange, since it is paid parking, it would generate more
revenue for the Laurence’s centre.
An Droichead Arts Centre: Owing to the receiving of funding by An Droichead from arts
funding, they have more revenue at hand to make use of. In order to compete with this the
Barbican should instead focus on keeping costs down by utilizing free or low cost forms of
advertising such as social media advertising or handing out flyers face to face. They must
ensure their social media pages are strong in comparison to their competitors in order to catch
the consumer’s eye.
Local Hotels: The lesser of the three competitors, according to our brief the Barbican are
receiving satisfactory market share here presently. However, in order to stay in this
satisfactory position, it’s essential to constantly generate new customers for the Barbican as
the competition will also be doing this, and falling behind will result in loss of market share.
11. The Marketing Campaign
Overview
In order to achieve our objectives for our marketing campaign, our team proposes amending
the current digital structure of the barbican centre. Whilst the centre is utilising social media
we feel that there is room for improvement. We intend to update the Facebook and twitter
page to something more exciting, as well as designing a new YouTube video that is shorter,
faster passed and give a general over few of the types of events that are being held at the
barbican centre. There is also an offline element to our proposal, with individuals handing out
flyers about upcoming events and acting as brand ambassadors for the Barbican Centre. The
campaign will be launched online, with Facebook and Twitter being the mediums by which
the Barbican can gain more recognition initially. Over 47.19% of the population of Co Louth
use Facebook out of a total population of 128,375, meaning that over 60’580 people in Louth
alone use Facebook this is a massive number of people the can reached out to.
SocialMedia campaign
A strong social media presence is essential for any business wishing to expand in the modern
world. Social media pages set up by business must be fun and eye-catching, as well
informative. Business that run regular competitions get more likes and shares and in turn
more recognition then their competitors. The Barbican Centre dose have a social media
presence with over 5000 likes on Facebook and over 600 followers on Twitter, this shows
that whilst the popularity of the Centre is growing, the digital campaign can be extended
further. Through the use of competitions such as the recent three tenor’s competition, like and
share this post for the opportunity to win two tickets to the show, increasing the frequency of
competitions like this will only increase awareness of the Barbican Centre, every like and
share appears on the news feeds of the individuals who shared the post generating a viral
campaign around upcoming events. Instagram is another form social media that can be
utilised, linking an Instagram account to Facebook means that anything shared with followers
on Instagram is automatically shared on Facebook.
For the Barbican Centre location is a key issue there is no signage around directing people to
its location and it is located on a side street. This too can be overcome by utilising social
media, the header on the Facebook page could be changed to a street map-highlighting key
Instagram Twitter Facebook
12. Replacing the current you tube video with a more attention grabbing video, that is no more
than one-minute-long representing visually the types of events held at the Barbican Centre.
This video can then be shared via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Videos that are short and
fast paced hold the attention of viewers better then long videos. Also as well as being an
advertisement videos on you tube can be submitted for monetisation meaning the video could
become a source of income also, other videos could later be commissioned to promote
individual shows. Below is an example of the types of images we should be seeing in a viral
video promoting the Barbican Centre as an event centre.
Story Board for YouTube video
Brand Ambassadors
Brand ambassadors represent the organisation they are promoting, in an effort to attract more
attention to the Barbican Centre and the events being held there, a campaign held off line is
also necessary. Not everybody uses social media so this is an effort to raise further awareness
amongst the local community. We propose that representatives of the Barbican Centre
embark on a leafleting campaign with a twist. By wearing appropriate clothing relating to the
event they are promoting, for example for the upcoming Christmas fair, representatives could
dress in Santa suits and pass out leaflets advertising the event. This would grab people’s
attention and they would talk about it. Images of the representatives in costume on the street
could also be shared on social media, these images would then likely be shared by subscribers
spreading further awareness.
13. Image
We propose to alter the logo for the Barbican Centre. This will consist of a change of font to
a more calligraphic style as well as a change of background colour to a sepia tone orange and
incorporating a silhouette of Laurence’s gate. We also propose to change the moto from ‘‘It’s
not our centre it’s your centre’’ to ‘‘making your event eventful’’ we believe that these
alterations will help the Barbican Centre stand out more and garner more attention and get
people talking online.
News letter
Another suggestion we have is the implementation of a subscription based newsletter
delivered via e-mail, people can either sign up to the newsletter at the Barbican Centre or
through the Barbican Centre website, this Newsletter would be issued on a monthly basis and
consist of upcoming events as well as advertisements from local business this would help to
keep people up to date about the events at the Barbican Centre and also act as a source of
revenue resulting from advertisement fees.
Image or Logo Newsletter
14. Tactics
Platforms Rationale
Website A way to get the purpose of the Barbican centre
across to people using a completely personal
page.
A way of supplying potential customers with
more in depth information then social media
pages.
Facebook Free advertising.
Around 1.8 million Irish users daily.
70% of Irish businesses are on Facebook.
Twitter 700,000 people in Ireland log on every day.
92% of Irish journalists use twitter meaning if a
Barbican tweet receives a lot of attention or
goes viral nationally there is a potential of
coverage in national press.
Free advertising.
YouTube A good way to visually get the purpose of the
Barbican centre across to customers who won’t
want to read through more than minimal levels
of information.
77% of users in Ireland access the site at least
once per week.
1. Instagram Visually advertises the Barbican.
2. 18% of Irish people use Instagram.
3. Snapchat Relatively new social media platform popular
with younger people means it has the potential
of drawing a new set of customers to the
Barbican.
22% of the population have snapchat.
E-Marketing Mix
Earned
Media Paid
Media
Shared
Media
Owned
Media
15. Paid Earned Owned Shared
Newspaper.
Radio.
Posters.
Online Magazine.
Likes/Shares on
social media.
Followers on social
media.
Tags in posts by
social media users.
The Barbican logo.
The Barbican video.
The Barbican
website.
Facebook.
Twitter.
Instagram.
Actions
February
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13
Meeting
with
Declan
Power.
14
Meeting with
Barbican
centre staff.
15
Begin
filming
footage
for
updated
video.
16
Meet with
ambassadors
(leafleting).
17
Prepare
costumes
for
leafleting.
18 19
20
Update
Social
Media
pages with
map.
21
Design new
social media
competitions.
22
Set up
Instagram
and
Snapchat
account.
23
Meet with
local
business
regarding
partnership.
24
Discuss
redesign
of logo.
25 26
27 28
Acquire
subscriptions
16. Design
newsletter.
for
newsletter
(via social
media).
March
M T W T F S
1
Check status of new
footage acquired.
2
Begin
editing
process.
3
Finish
editing
process.
4
Begin
leafleting.
6
Launch
video on
YouTube,
connect
with our
other
social
media
platforms.
7
Launch
another
social media
competition.
8
Check status of
likes/shares/followers.
9
Launch
new
logo.
10
Launch
newsletter.
11
Continue
leafleting.
13
Check on
status of
leafleting
campaign.
Has it
raised our
profile?
14
Check on
status of
social media
campaign
(likes/shares/
followers).
15
Check on status of
video views/shares/
likes.
16 17 18
Continue
leafleting.
20 21 22 23 24 25
Continue
leafleting.
26 27 28 29 30 31
17. Leafleting
April
M T W T F S S
1 2
3
Analyse
growth of
social
media.
4
Analyse
success of
new
video.
5
Analyse
impact of on
street
presence.
6
Meet with
Declan Power
to discuss
outcomes of
campaign.
7
Decide on
whether the
campaign was
successful.
8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
18. Control
Objectives Goals KPIs Targets
Drive measurable
awareness for
potential business to
the Barbican
Website.
Get more traffic
to the website.
Increase
awareness of
the website.
Increase
effectiveness of
the website.
Easy for
customers to
use.
Interesting
page.
Increase in
usage of the
website.
15% increase
in website
views.
5% increase
in business
gained from
the website.
Partner with brands
to offer value to
potential customers
and/or prizes.
Get prizes to
offer in online
competitions
without going
over budget.
Create deals to
offer customers.
Solve the
customer
parking
problem.
More
likes/shares/
followers on
social media as
result of
competitions.
More interest in
events held at
the Barbican.
Partnership with
local brands/
businesses.
200 more
likes on
Facebook per
month.
100 new
Twitter
followers per
month.
Customers
using the
barbican in
conjunction
with other
businesses.
Get closer to
customers through
face to face
communication.
Form a sense of
loyalty between
locals and the
Barbican centre.
Communicate
with customers
through face to
face dialog.
Form a sense of
loyalty amongst
customers.
Increased praise
from the
community
regarding
communication
between the
Barbican and
the local people.
Get
customers to
feel the
Barbican
cares about
the locals and
wishes to
communicate
with them.
Form positive
local
relationships.
Keep costs down. Keep within the
designated
budget.
Not running a
deficit.
Run a budget
surplus to
allow for
business
improvements
in the next
budget.
19. Objectives Goals KPIs Targets
Drive measurable
awareness/engagemen
t of digital platforms
i.e. Facebook, twitter,
Instagram
Gain more
likes/shares
/ followers
on social
media
pages.
Engage
with the
customers
using these
platforms.
Increase in
likes/shares/follower
s on social media
pages.
Dialog online via
these pages between
the Barbican and its
customers.
200 more
Facebook
likes per
month.
100 new
Twitter
users per
month.
10%
increase in
engagemen
t between
the
Barbican
and its
social
media
followers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in examining the Barbican centres current position, utilising PEST, SWOT and
competitor analysis we were able to identify their primary competitors in the region of
Drogheda. We identified our objectives with regards to the direction we feel the Barbican
should take, and our strategy, tactics and actions detail how these objectives are to be
achieved.
Our research has shown us that the Barbican centre is able to compete with other current
businesses that offer the same or similar services. It has managed to do this by maintaining
low costs and by beginning to realise the importance of social media as a low cost advertising
platform, to garner more attention and to grow their revenue streams. Our marketing
campaign is focused on growing their social media presence and by establishing a more
visual presence through brand ambassadors on the streets. These actions will enable the
Barbican centre to target a broad demographic.
Recommendations
From writing up this report we recommend the Barbican centre take the following actions:
Monitor the actions of your competitors.
Continually update social media platforms.
Continue to engage with local businesses through examining the possibility of
partnerships.
Continue to attract good quality performances.
Hold regular social media competitions for large scale performances.
20. Continue to post on YouTube snippets of events and performances.
Utilise Snap chat to visually advertise to potential customers.
Be visually present on the streets of Drogheda.
Aim to establish a stronger relationship with the Laurence’s shopping centre
regarding use of their car park.
Continually monitor the increase of likes/shares/followers on social media platforms.
21. Bibliography
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http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/market-segmentation.html (Accessed
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IrishExaminer.com (2015) CSO Statistics: 82% of us have internet at home, [online]
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SmartInsights.com (2016) The Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning model,
[online] Available at: http://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-
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(Accessed 24/11/16)
Thetlt.ie (2016) About The TLT [online] Available at: http://thetlt.ie/about-the-tlt/
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