2. Objectives
Tawana Sampson brings hope to the city of Greensboro, NC with everything that she has been
through and her story. She has lost everything due to being a victim of police brutality but she
has refused to let that put a dent in her journey to success. Sampson has authored Savannah
Jackson: Out of the Ashes, the first installment in a three part series. Sampson has also assisted
her fiancée in publishing his first book Da Ghetto Got Me Guezz’n, which is also part one in a
three part series. Krave The Unity is committed to creating a IMC plan to meet the following
objectives:
1. Create a brand around Tawana Sampson.
2. Promote and market the books Sampson has and will author to the City of Greensboro,
NC.
3. Bring encouragement to the youth in Greensboro, NC with Sampson’s story.
4. Bring encouragement and hope to those who have been in Sampson’s position.
TargetMarket
There are 10 public high schools and 6 private schools in Greensboro, NC. Out of the 10 public
high schools 4 of them are middle colleges that cater to preparing young students for college. In
addition to that, there are 6 colleges and universities in Greensboro, NC. In order to maximize
results, an ideal group to target would be urban youth ranging in ages 15-22. This target group
accounts for 34.9% of Greensboro’s total population. Roughly 40% of this group consists of
young African Americans that we can target. We do not have to specifically target youth who
likes to read because the purpose of the IMC plan we will set forth will encourage those who like
to read to maintain that hobby and those who don’t will be encouraged to start doing so. There
isn’t much for the youth to do in Greensboro, NC due to the strict curfew restrictions. The
literature provided by Sampson serves as a solution to exercise the minds of Greensboro’s youth.
Not only that, they will be able to be entertained by and relate to the books authored by Sampson
because they are urban street novels with encouraging messages embedded into it.
Positioning
Our goal is to position Tawana Sampson in the minds of the citizens of Greensboro as a beacon
of hope. There are a lot of people in America that has suffered from police brutality and
unfortunately, many of them don’t live to tell their story. Sampson is one of the few who has
survived. Not only has she overcome something that was supposed to defeat her, she has also
overcome a rough past of drug dealing. Sampson has turned over a new leaf and she is
committed to encouraging at-risk youth not to go down the path that she has taken. Sampson is
also committed to reminding those that has already went down the same path that it is not too
3. late to start over and turn things around. This encouragement will be given through her books
and many other initiatives that will be outlined further into the marketing plan.
Distribution
The books will be sold in local bookstores in Greensboro, NC as well as neighboring cities.
Local bookstores are starting to become popular hangout spots for the youth in Greensboro as
well as in the nation; especially with different events that are always held at local bookstores.
The books will also be sold at major retailers such as Walmart, Food Lion, Barnes and Nobles,
bookstores on college campuses and kiosk located in malls.
PromotionalStrategies
Book Talks
Sampson is tied to a large network of supportive associates and organizations that is with her in
the fight for justice. Book launch parties will be held by different people in the city of
Greensboro, which will present Sampson a platform to talk about her book and the inspiration
behind her stories. We will also have book talks at local bookstores. Bookstores are always
having different events going on, so an event such as this will be beneficial to both parties.
Social Media
Sampson already has a “Justice For Tawana Sampson” Facebook page but this simply isn’t
enough. A Facebook page will be created for her, which will be geared towards the Tawana
Sampson brand. A Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and a Youtube accounts will be created
to keep our target market connected to Sampson. She also has a Tagged account which has over
15,000 friends on this account. Of course we will further expand on the following that she has on
Tagged. We will also use her Tagged account to encourage those who are on it to get involved
with her other accounts and encourage others to get involved as well using buzz marketing.
Website
A website will be created to even further connect her with not only the citizens of Greensboro,
NC but people all over the nation. The website will be all of her social media accounts wrapped
into one and then some. The website will consist of the following:
1. Blogs
2. Events Section
3. Advice Column
4. Online Forums
5. Gallery
6. Audio Books/Merchandise
7. Free Samples of her books
4. The blogs on her website will serve as a platform to express her thoughts. It will be her online
personal diary. She will be able to talk about anything from her involvement in different
community meetings to how she is feeling that day. This will certainly bring our target market
closer to Sampson and it makes her more relatable to the masses.
The event section of her website will serve as a calendar that will keep people updated on her
speaking engagements that will be further discussed more into the marketing plan. It will also
keep people updated on appearances, book launch parties, book talks, protest, demonstrations
and etc. Lastly, this section will update people on community meetings from different
organizations in the Triad area that is geared towards making their communities a better place.
An advice column would be a great asset to her website because it allows our target audience to
ask her questions about what they should do in certain situations. She is equipped to give advice
on teen sex, gang violence or anything to help people turn over a new leaf and produce positive
change from a life of destruction.
The online forums will serve as a safe place where people can come and voice their opinions and
concerns about certain topics. The topic would be chosen by Sampson’s team and people will
discuss how they feel about the given topic. This is beneficial to those who can’t make it out to
community meetings. On the online forums, they can post their insight and ideas on making a
Greensboro a better place. The online forums will also serve as a place that would allow those
who can’t make it out to the book talks to talk about Sampson’s books online.
The gallery will be just a place where pictures and videos are posted. There will be pictures of
different events that will be held by Sampson. There will also be pictures and videos of
protest/demonstrations to show the world that the city of Greensboro stands in solidarity with
other cities in the nation that are fighting injustice.
Audio books will be available for purchase on Sampson’s website. This will be for those who
prefer to hear her stories rather than read them. Also, order forms will be on the website to grant
customers the convenience of ordering her books online.
Lastly, samples of her books will be available on her website. People want to know what they are
buying before they buy it. The samples make it easier for them to do so. The first 10 pages will
be available for download for those who want to read a sample before they purchase.
Book Tours
Another way to promote Sampson’s books will be doing book tours around North Carolina. She
will visit different cities in North Carolina and have book signing events accompanied with a
book talk or a seminar.
5. Buzz Marketing
To further expand Sampson’s mission, she will have speaking engagements at high schools and
on college campuses in Greensboro as well as other neighboring cities. Sampson will also do
radio interviews, local television shows and she will serve as a panelist on panel discussions held
on college campuses. Another way to get the word out is to go into targeted neighborhoods and
hold book talks and seminars at the local community centers in the neighborhoods. We will also
have a street team to pass out pamphlets to people in those targeted neighborhoods. The
pamphlets will serve as samples of her books. This will encourage more people who don’t have
access to technology to go out and purchase her books.
