McLane's Scramble Plan Book

McLane Evans
#datenightscramble

Table of Contents
2
• Research 3-6
• Goal and Objectives 7
• Strategies and Tactics 7-9
• Competition Packet 10-17
• Press Releases 18-21
• Media Advisories 22-23
• Social Media Calendar 24-25
• Facebook Posts 26-30
• Instagram Posts 31-35
• Twitter Posts 36-39
• YouTube Posts 40
• Scramble Event 41-44
• Media Kit 45-53
• Blog Posts 54-61
• PSA 62
• Evaluation 63-65
• Scramble Competition 66
• Appendix 67-68
• Feedback 69

History
The Alabama Moving Image Association is a federally
recognized 501 ©(3) nonprofit organization created to encourage
in Alabama and build the successful audiences for the
independent films. The AMIA produces the nationally recognized
Sidewalk Film Festival. The festival has been in existence since
it’s first year in 1999. Filmmakers across the country and world
come to Birmingham to screen their work at Sidewalk. This year
the 18th annual festival will take place August 26-28, 2016.
Situational Analysis
Sidewalk has established itself as one of the top leading coolest film festivals in the
world. They are looking to make 2016 one of their biggest, audience interacting years
as they prepare for the 18th annual film festival.
Target Audience
An organization to give filmmakers opportunities and a community to excess other
filmmakers in a non film industry city such as Birmingham itself. The want is to reach
those individuals interested and wanting to partake in the entertainment industry.
Regardless if it is in the area of filmmaking itself or the enjoyment of the activities
that occur around the events.
Prior IMC Campaigns
The Jam Music Video Competition in 2015 was the last Scramble event close to a
campaign. The competition weekend was March 12 -15 and the screening happened
on March 31. The competition was to have local bands/musicians randomly paired
with Filmmaking Teams, yet there was not necessarily a campaign for the event.
Scramble 2015 recieved a lot of attention because it had double the amount of
participants. All music videos were screened before a panel of judges and a live
audience at the Scrambled Jam Screening & Showcased at Iron City Birmingham.
3

Interview
Interview with Executive Director Chloe Cook prior to Scramble
Campaign
• Q: “How many social media platforms does Sidewalk currently have?”
• A: “We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube”
• Q: “Have you guys ever done a social media campaign?”
• A: “We have promoted events on social media, but never for an extended
period of time”
• Q: “What do you want to see different in the Scramble Filmmaking
Competition this year through the campaign”
• A: “I want to see a sold out theater at the screening event filled with people
from all over the Birmingham area. Especially since it will be at a venue as
big as the Summit Carmike Theaters. We like to do an audience choice vote
at the end to give out another award, but the problem is it normally ends
up going to someone who brought the most friends or family instead of the
quality of a film. If we can increase the awareness of the Scramble screening
event, I think we would see more accurate results in audience votes.”
Prior Earned Media
Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World in
2015 by MovieMaker Magazine
Top 10 Great Places for a Fabulous
Film Festival by USA Today
4

Website and
Social Media
Sidewalks website is polished and well organized. The company’s slogan varies
depending on the campaign going on. For the short filmmaking weekend
competition called “Scramble,” the slogan was “Date Night.” This explains the
overall theme and graphics that go along with all the promotion for the event.
Filmmakers where given a single rose before competition weekend and were required
to show the rose at some point in the film. The logo for Scramble stayed identical to
Sidewalk’s colors and font sizes, keeping with the yellow and black so everything
correlates together. On the website, there is a “about list”, “filmmakers list”, “news &
resources”, and links to all social media accounts.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube compromise Sidewalk’s social
media presence at the time of the start of the campaign. During the course of the
campaign, Periscope was added to the list. On Facebook, Sidewalk has 11k likes,
Twitter has 8,367 followers, Instagram has 1,1613 followers and 105 posts. The social
media posts are usually about promoting whatever campaign or event that is going on
or approaching. Most Facebook and Twitter content comes from the material from the
various events or filmmakers involved in the Sidewalk events. Various followers they
have include most of the Birmingham community such as venues like Alabama
Theater, or venues like Iron City, and popular restaurants used for workshops like
Rojo Mexican Restaurant. Sidewalk’s YouTube account has 109 subscribers with about
21,853 views. They use their YouTube account mainly to post trailers for films
submitted to their competitions.
They were named one of the top 25 film festivals in the country by MovieMaker
in both 2014 and 2015. USA TODAY calls Sidewalk one of 10 great places for a film
festival. Sidewalk has become a symbol of the Birmingham revival happening where
people from all over the country will travel to watch their favorite films in the historic
Birmingham theater district. Sidewalk does live posting during events and is active
on social media year round, but mainly during festival weekend in August. The staff,
sponsors, and volunteers all share involvement with Sidewalk throughout the
Birmingham community.
5

Competitor Analysis
Birmingham senses a special vibe that visitors don’t find
other places in their travels. The variety of festivals offered
year-round nourishes the vibe of the city. Each festival offers a strong
attendance rate, social media presence, and high
reviews.
Secrete Stages is Birmingham’s newest music festival. A two-day walking
music festival that takes place downtown on the first weekend in August. A diverse group of
music enthusiast are entertained by 6o bands on the stages of neighborhood establishments. All
Secrete Stages venues are within a two-block radius, so the patrons can come to the city center,
park, and have walking access to dozens of bands, variety of venues, and restaurants. Billed as
a “music discovery festival.”
Artwalk is an art festival that transforms Birmingham’s loft neighborhoods into an art
district, featuring the work of more than 100 visual artists, live musicians, street performers,
food and drink vendors, and children’s activities. For the past two years, more than 100,000
people walked the streets of downtown for the two-day event.
Sloss Music and Arts Festival takes place at the Sloss Furnaces National
Historic Landmark. In its inaugural year in 2015, Sloss Fest attracted more than 25,000 music
fans to rock to nationally known and regional alternative bands on
three stages. Southern Living magazine calls the event one of iconic Southern
festivals.”
Southern Makers Festival showcases the many and varied talents of
Alabama’s most creative cooks, brewers, builders, designers, and other craftsmen. More than
200 makers throughout the state are expected to display their goods and talents.
Moss Rock Festival takes place in the beautiful surroundings of The Preserve in the
Birmingham suburb of Hoover. Artists display and sell their jewelry, pottery, paintings,
glassware, and folk art. Food and drink vendors are on site.
6

Goal
• To increase the awareness of attendance for the
2016 Date Night Scramble event between kick-off
weekend and screening event.
Objectives
• To ensure attendance rate increases by 10% for
March 10 screening event
• Build a stronger network of followers on
social media
Strategy #1
• Sidewalk will create theme for Scramble
Tactic #1
• Theme for Scramble Filmmaking Competition will
be “Date Night”
Strategy #2
• Sidewalk will create hashtag to promote Scramble
on social media
Tactic #2
• Sidewalk will use #datenightscramble on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
7

Strategy #3
• Sidewalk will host events
Tactic #3
• Sidewalk will host the kick off event for Scramble
Filmmaking Weekend at The Abbey Coffeehouse
• Sidewalk will host Scramble Screening Event
at The Summit Carmike Theaters
Strategy #4
• Sidewalk will post movie trailers
Tactic #4
• Sidewalk will create YouTube playlist to post
Trailers on other social media platforms such as
Facebook and Instagram
• Sidewalk will reach out to media to promote event
• Sidewalk will write press releases, media alerts, and
reachouttomedianewsroomstopromoteScramble
events
Strategy #5
Tactic #5
8

Strategy #6
• Sidewalk will have a social media contest for
Scramble
Tactic #6
• Sidewalk will choose a winner for who used social
media the best in between the kick-off and
screening event to help promote audience
attendance
Strategy #7
• Sidewalk will make new social media platform for
Scramble Screening Event
Tactic #7
• Sidewalk will create Periscope account to use for
the first time at screening event
Strategy #8
• Sidewalk will showcase audience social media
promoting success at screening event
Tactic #8
• Sidewalk will make social media art cards
to play on the silver screen to act as previews as
they scroll through various #datenightscramble
posts
9

KICKOFF
FRIDAY, 2/19 6-8PM
THE ABBEY
131A 41ST ST S
FILM DROP OFF
SUNDAY, 2/21 6-8PM
SIDEWALK OFFICE
310 18TH ST N
SCREENING
THURSDAY, 3/10 7-9PM
CARMIKE CINEMAS
THE SUMMIT
SIDEWALK FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS
DATE NIGHT SCRAMBLE
A SHORT FILMMAKING COMPETITION
WITH A ROMANTIC TWIST
FEBRUARY 19TH-21ST, 2016
REGISTER YOUR TEAM AT SIDEWALKFEST.COM/SCRAMBLE
Date night at the movies – it’s a tradition as old as cinema itself. Now’s your
chance to get in on the action with the 2016 Sidewalk Scramble filmmaking
competition! Your team will have 48 hours to write and produce a short film
for a chance at over $3,000 in cash and prizes.
10

Media Advisory #2

FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Chloe
Collins,
Executive
Director

chloe@sidewalkfest.com

Who:
Sidewalk

What:
Scramble
Screening
Event

When:
Thursday,
March
10,
2016

Where:
Carmike
Cinemas
Summit
16

321
Summit
Blvd,
Birmingham,
AL
35243

Why:

• Doors
open
at
6:00
pm

• Screening
happens
between
7:00-‐9:00
pm

• Tickets:
$8
in
advance,
$10
at
the
door

• Sidewalk
screens
the
films
from
2016
Date
Night
Scramble
weekend-‐long
filmmaking

competition

• Teams
had
48
hours
to
make
a
grand,
romantic
short
film

• A
jury
of
experts
will
give
away
over
$3,000
in
prizes

o Best
Film
Jury
Prize

o Best
Film
Audience
Prize

o Best
Use
of
Social
Media
Prize

The
Alabama
Moving
Image
Association
is
a
federally
recognized
501
©(3)
nonprofit

organization
filmmaking
in
Alabama
and
building
audiences
for
independent
film.
Since

Sidewalk
Film
Festival’s
debut
in
1999,
filmmakers
from
across
the
country
and
around
the

world
come
to
Birmingham
to
screen
their
work
at
Sidewalk.

##
facebook.com/sidewalkfilm twitter.com/@sidewalkfilm
23

DATE NIGHT SCRAMBLE
MARCH 10, 2016
41

Periscope
Sidewalk created a Periscope account that
was used for the first time for the Date Night
Scramble Campaign.
43

Media Kit
#datenightscramble
Founders
Sidewalk was founded in 1998 by Kelli
McCall Franklin, Wayne Franklin, and Erik
Jambor (pictured to the left), three independent
filmmakers who desperately wanted an international film
festival for their community. They named the festival
“Sidewalk” because of the idea of being able to walk from
theater to theater by foot.
45

Executive Director
Chloe Cook’s portfolio includes work in public
relations, marketing, fundraising, non-profit
administration and event management. She has been
at the helm of the Alabama Moving Image Association
since May 2009. Prior to that, Chloe served as Vice
President of Public Relations with WilbanksElam
marketing and public relations, where she specialized
in non-profit account management, strategic planning,
community relations, event development and
sponsorship management.
Josh Vasa comes to the Alabama Moving Image
Association with 11 years of event production and
non-profit work experience, serving stints with Alabama
Public Television, Birmingham-Southern College and
Kid One Transport.
Festival Director
46

Education and Outreach Coordinator
Noah Cannon was hired on as the Marketing and
Development Coordinator for Sidewalk after interning
for the organization in 2013 and 2015. He arranges the
planning and executing strategies for social media while
also being in charge of the education and youth board.
Creative Director
Rachel Morgan is currently an Instructor and Director of
the Radio & TV Production Department at Lawson State
Community College, a Co-Instructor of documentary
film at the University of Alabama and Creative Director
for the Sidewalk Film Festival. Rachel has served as a
Sidewalk programmer for 10 years.
47

Fact Sheet
• Since its debut in 1999, filmmakers across
the country come to Birmingham to screen
their work at the Sidewalk Film Festival
• Sidewalk Film Festival has been listed
one of the “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals
in the World” in 2014 and 2015 by
Movie Maker Magazine

• The Summer preview of Sidewalk Film
Festival was mentioned by The
Washington Post in 2015
• Named one of the top “10 places to for a
Fabulous Film Festival” by USA Today
• Listed as one of the “Top 10 Festivals for
the Rest of Us” by Time Magazine

• “20 Best Festival Investments” by
MovieMaker Magazine
• Hosts monthly filmmaker meet ups called
“Salon” at local restaurants
• Arranges yearly filmmaking competitions
as a smaller version of their annual Film
Festival
• Manages a Youth Education Board
• A federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization
• Hosting it’s 18th annual festival in August

50

51
Fundraising Events
Salsa Showdown
The Annual Salsa Showdown is a fundraising competition between local restaurants & catering companies to
determine who offers the best salsa, guacamole, queso, and specialty dip. It is returning to Avondale Brewing
Company on Saturday, May 28, 2016 from 2PM-6PM! Tickets are $10 advance and $15 at the gate.
Admission will include unlimited sampling privileges at each competitor’s station, a ballot for casting an
“Audience Choice” vote, Piñata smashes, kids’ activities, live entertainment, beverage vending, and more!
Think you can handle the heat?? Enter our Hot Pepper Eating Contest for a chance to win CASH prizes!
Proceeds will benefit Sidewalk Film Festival, a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Hosted by
24 Frames Per Second, Sidewalk Film Festival’s Young Professionals Organization.
$idewalk $10K Party
The annual $idewalk $10K Party is filled with great food from Rojo, beer and wine, live entertainment and
the chance to take home some incredible prizes, like the grand prize- $10,000!
Tickets are $150 and provide you with admission for two to the party and a chance to win the big prize.
Sidewalk only sells 150 tickets to this event and we sell out every year so don’t wait.

Annual Sidewalk
Film Festival
52

Contact Information
Sidewalk Film Festival
310 18th Street North Suite
100
Birmingham, AL 35203
www.sidewalkfest.com
Facebook: Sidewalk Film Festival
Twitter/Periscope: @sidewalkfilm
Instagram: @sidewalkfilm
YouTube: Sidewalk Film Festival
Websites
53

Blog Post #4
Staff
Spotlight
61

Public Service
Announcement
62

Evaluation
Goal
• To increase the awareness of an attendance at 2016
Date Night Scramble event between kick-off
weekend and screening.
Objectives
• To ensure attendance rate increases by 10% for
March 10 screening event
• Build a stronger network of followers on
social media
Results
• According to Ticket Biscuit 150 available seats were
sold. Therefore, Sidewalk Scramble experienced a
33% increased attendance rate
• Through social media Sidewalk increased
awareness of Scramble event resulting in the
successful use of #datenightscramble
• Instagram - 239 posts
• Facebook- 118 photos
• Twitter - 94 posts
63

On average, over the past 4 years (2012,2013, 2014)
the number of tickets sold for a Scramble Screening
was 98 over an available 150. 2015 was not included
because the theme that year resulted in
filmmakers being paired with bands. Therefore, 2015
is not a an accurate comparison with 2016 because the
number of participants was doubled.
Date Night Scramble was the first campaign for a
Scramble competition and resulted in the success of
filmmakers using the hashtag to promote their film
64

Analytics
The analytics from Twitter
represent the success of
Scramble on social media
throughout the duration of the
campaign. Below shows a drop
in analytics taken from the week
after the campaign ended on
Facebook. This supports the
objective of why a strong social
media presence is necessary year
round. In order for other
Sidewalk events to have the
same success as Scramble and
keep surpassing the analytics
shown in the first graph, the
Sidewalk staff must start using
social media for all the events to
keep becoming nationally
recognized.
65

Appendix
#datenightscramble
67

Art Cards of social media posts
were played as previews on at
the screening event hosted at the
Summit Carmike Theaters
The winner of the Social Media award went
to the Team who accumulated the most
attraction for the Scramble Screening event
on social media. Team The Ak-47s had
total 38 Instagram posts, 17 Twitter posts,
and 23 Facebook posts with the inclusion
of 186 likes for their Facebook page for
their film.
68

Feedback
Taking prior years into consideration, Date Night Scramble had the best overall attraction and
attendance of any Scramble filmmaking competition or event besides the annual film festival. The
original objective to have a 10% increase ended up resulting in a 33% increase and broke record
attendance. This increase in attendance came from the awareness social media attracted through
the use of the hashtag on both Sidewalks and filmmakers social media platforms. This was the first
campaign for a Scramble Event and the social media component fulfilled its
objective role to meet the goal of the entire campaign.
For future campaigns, it has proven that social media should take priority action to promote all
Sidewalk events and not just for the film festival. By promoting campaigns on social media, it is
ideal to create a unique z for that campaign to interact with the active audience participating in the
specific event. This forms awareness of all things event related, filmmaker related, and
Sidewalk related. By practicing out social media on all platforms year round will even result in
higher attendance rate and awareness for the annual Sidewalk Film Festival in August.
69

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