The purpose of this project was to take all the information IABC gave us, research how to

successfully and creatively achieve their goals and then come up with and display the work that
we did in regards to our advertising campaign.

Larissa Pfaff
Sarah Anderson
Robert Kueppers
Kaitlyn Palmer
Mackenzie Gerber

MARC 360
Amelia Reigstad
December 7th, 2015
Table of Contents
Executive Summary.3
Situational Analysis/Strategic Research..3

The Organization.3
Market Research..7
Product Research...10
SWOT Analysis.11
Advertising Campaign Objectives.12
Creative Strategy12
Advertising Message Idea..12
Message Format.13
Motivational Appeal..13
Rough Ads.14
Creative Brief.16
Media Strategy...19
Media Objectives...19
Media Mix.19
Cost Efficiencies20
Media Schedule/Plan.20
Evaluation Strategy21
Summary/Conclusions...21

Executive Summary:
During the course of working collaboratively together with a team, we were able to research the
advertisers objectives and come up with several creative ways to advertise the IABC MN
chapter. When the class met with IABC at the beginning of the year, we learned about what
IABC is, who their target market is, and what they hope to achieve out of a advertising
campaign. We discussed that the goal of the campaign would be to increase membership and
attendance at events. Our team was able to learn about the variety of events that IABC organizes
and holds which gives us a better image of what IABC offers and how to market the membership
they offer. The target audience that IABC was targeting before and they have hit is the
experienced professional, with fifteen or more years experience in the industry. For a change,
they would like to market to young professional, recent college graduates and current college
students to initiate more communication within the younger professional audience. IABC also
made us aware of their competitors in the MN area, PRSSA and AD FED. As a group, we were
able to research was these associations efforts were in regards to reaching out to the designated
target market.
The main point of this project was to take all the information IABC gave us, research how to
successfully and creatively achieve their goals and then come up with and display the work that
we did in regards to our advertising campaign.

Situational Analysis/Strategic Research

The Organization:
International Association for Businesses Communicators -Minneapolis, Minnesota

History and Background:

IABC has been a global membership association since 1970 with a network of 12,000 members
across 80 countries. IABC works with professionals in the field of business communication
including positions as the following:

Public Relations

Media Relations

Corporate Communication

Human Resources

Graphic Design

Public Affairs

Editing

Leadership Coaching

Marketing Communication

Community Relations

Writing

Mission: Our Global Standard and career purpose define the communication profession.
Organizational Objectives:
IABC connects with corporate communicators, independent consultants, academics, and
students to learn about opportunities needed to move forward in ones career. This organization
offers the ability to connect with a global network, learning the best practices from the top
experts. The IABC local membership creates opportunities to connect, learn, and make new
friends with communication professionals in a certain area. The local IABC chapters offer
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meetings, professional development opportunities, and a variety of events that will help members
find their next job.
Marketing Objectives:
We would like to increase IABCs social media presence as well as the aestheticity of the
website to be more appealing to the viewer.
Organizational Structure: Currently IABC does not utilize Ad Agencies or outside suppliers,
however they have promoted their business internally.
IABC:
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a community of
professionals from across the globe looking to span their professional circle. There are thousands
of people from around the world who are utilizing the services that IABC offers. This company
is a global network and has 100 chapters in 80 different countries with 15,000 business
professionals.
Members from the International Association of Business Communicators come from a
variety of fields such as public and media relations, corporate and employee communication,
human resources, public affairs, photography/video production, marketing communications, and
many more. Many members are representing fortune 500 companies and this becomes a valuable
resource to other members. This organization creates opportunities for networking and opens
doors for future professional networking and development opportunities.
The International Association of Business Communicators Minnesota is the local chapter
located in Minneapolis Minnesota and is an award-winning chapter. This chapter strives to gain
new members along with attendance to events. The benefits of joining the Minnesota chapter are
discounted events, opportunities for leadership, and recognition for members to improve their

personal professional development. According to the IABC Minnesota website, IABC is the
most diverse and only local-to-global network of professionals in business communication who
support, engage, and share with each other. IABC offers a world of connections and resources to
propel your career
IABC Minnesota is known for their professional family environment. The organization
wants to know more about the individual looking to grow their networking circle. Our goal is
to encourage a collegial network of professionals engaged in all aspects of business
communication and to extend opportunities to members to expand their leadership skills and
experience by participating at the local, regional, and international level. IABC helps start
conversations between members to help create potential networking connections.
IABC Minnesotas client can vary. Currently the client base is skewed toward individuals
who have 15 or more years of experience. The chapter is looking to seek out a younger
demographic. This is including students who are finishing or graduating college. Students who
are currently in college can get a membership at a discounted rate so even students whose
pocketbooks are tight can still utilize the benefits of being a member. In todays business world,
students are looking for networking opportunities in their area and a company like IABC offers
events all across the Minnesota area. The majority of events are located in Minneapolis,
Minnesota where there are an abundance of opportunities available to new college graduates.
There are many services that can be utilized for students within IABC that could become
extremely beneficial for students leaving college. There are trained and experienced
professionals to communicate with and that students are able to interact with. Networking within
Minneapolis is beneficial to start as soon as possible and IABC has contact with multiple
business professionals within the twin cities area. IABC gives students a jump-start even before

entering the business world by giving them the opportunity to create a network and practice
interacting with individuals outside the scholastic environment.

Market Research
Being that Professional Association isnt a stated industry when it comes to researching
industry information, we do have a basic understanding of what these associations do. All of the
following mentioned associations strive to bring business professionals together in the
marketing, advertising and public relations industry. We can assume that this industry is growing
as more and more young professionals are becoming interested in networking with others in
hopes of receiving a job in the future. Also, college students are thinking of new ways to
differentiate themselves from one another and become more involved in the industry, by joining
business professional association such as IABC. Whether the members be current business
professionals or college students striving for a degree in a desired field, all are welcome to events
and a membership. IABS has many competitors, but only a select few in the Minneapolis areaPRSA and ADFED.

Ad Fed- Advertising Federation

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is the nations oldest national advertising trade
association and the only association representing all facets of the advertising industry. The AAF
also has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region of the nation.
The AAFs membership is made of nearly 100 blue chip corporate members including the
nations leading advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies; a national network of
nearly 200 local federations, representing 40,000 advertising professionals,; and more than 200
AAF college chapters, with over 6,500 student members. The AAF operates a host of programs

and events including the Advertising Hall of Fame, the American Advertising Awards, the
National Student Advertising Competition, the Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism, and summer
Ad Camps for high school students in Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C.
AAF Mission:
The American Advertising Federation protects and promotes the well-being of advertising. We
accomplish this through a unique, nationally coordinated grassroots network of advertisers,
agencies, media companies, local advertising clubs and college chapters.
What AAF does:

Brings members together to yield creative business solutions.

Protects and promotes advertising at all levels of government through grassroots

activities.

Educates members on the latest trends in technology, creativity and marketing.

Provides programs to assist local association volunteer leadership.

Presents the industry with its future leaders.

Honors advertising excellence.

Promotes diversity in advertising by encouraging the recruitment of people of diverse

cultures.

Applies the communication skills of its members to help solve community concerns.

PRSSA- Public Relations Student Society of America

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the most well-known organization
for students interested in public relations and communications. This association seeks to advance
the public relations profession by nurturing generations of future professionals. They advocate
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rigorous academic standards for public relations education, the highest ethical principles and
diversity in the profession. PRSSA is made up of more than 11,000 students and advisers
organized into 300+ chapters in the United States, Argentina, Colombia and Peru. PRSSA is
headquartered in New York City, and led by a National Committee of PRSSA and PRSA
members. They have a history of support from parent organization, the Public Relations Society
of America (PRSA), which offers professional development, networking opportunities and news.
PRSSA helps you enhance your education, broaden your network and launch your career in
public relations.
PRSSA Membership Benefits:
Enhance Your Education- PRSSA can recommend great places to study public relations, and then
help you get the experience, achievements and practical knowledge employers are seeking.
PRSSA offers internship listings, competitions, and Chapter and National leadership
opportunities; scholarships and leadership awards; and publications, news and social media to
keep you updated on industry trends.
Broaden Your Network- PRSSA can connect you to lifelong opportunity, experience and
professional growth. Develop valuable relationships with future colleagues through PRSSA
National and regional events, PRSSA Chapters, PRSSA social media or Chapter and National
leadership opportunities. Meet current professionals at your PRSA sponsor Chapter, through the
Champions for PRSSA or by searching the PRSA member directory.
Launch Your Career- As a PRSSA member, you can use the PRSA Job center to find public
relations employment opportunities all over the world. You also may join PRSA for just $60 a
year as an Associate Member when you graduate, connecting you to 110 Chapters, 16
Professional Interest Sections, and resources especially for new professionals.

Product Research
Features:
IABC offers many features for students such as internships, Campus Road Shows, a
student committee, and a Meet the pros Event. Internships are offered to students to help them
gain work experience and knowledge that is crucial in preparation of the work world. IABC
interns get the opportunity to gain access to networking opportunities and a large array of
resources to further their career in the communications field.Campus Road Shows are a
campaign of IABC MN members and communication professionals that go around and speak to
students at college campuses around the Western Wisconsin and Metro area. These professionals
speak about communicating, networking, mentoring, and internships.
Student Committees are used to build your portfolio with hands on work with these
business professionals that are currently employed in the Twins Cities area. The student
committee is a volunteer opportunity offered through IABC that can give you priceless
experience and impress possible employers by being able to add this student committee to your
resume and portfolio.
The Meet the Pros Event hosted by IABC MN is a way for students to test out IABC and
what it has to offer to enhance their professional lives. Meet the Pros invites professionals from
all sorts of big time corporations such as Best Buy and US Bank as well as others from nonprofit
organizations set around the Twin Cities Metro area.
IABC is an international corporation and has been around since 1970 which creates a long time
global brand that is a diverse and vibrant and most importantly, experienced in the
communications industry.
Benefits

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Students are able to reap several benefits by being a member of IABC MN including
providing tools and resources that can propel an aspiring and determined students career
forward. Students can place their membership to a professional association on their resume to
show potential employers how much experience and interest they have in the field of
communications, marketing, and business. Access to scholarly articles and peer-reviewed
research are also quantifiable benefits that students will receive after becoming members of
IABC MN. For example, IABC has created access to the online library known as Discovery
which gives incredible access to articles and reference books at the tip of your fingers. As a
member of IABC students also get a discounted fee when they attend IABC events that include
professional, regional, and world conferences.

SWOT Analysis
One of IABC MNs strengths is that they are international. There are chapters all over the
world that IABC MN members can connect and network with. IABC has many volunteer
opportunities along with their events that are good additions to anyones resume. There are event
discounts for IABC MN members that allow the members to network with professionals from all
over. IABC MN prides itself on its excellence in culture in how they present themselves and that
the work environment is family-oriented. IABC is a diverse business communication association,
meaning it is not specific to one career field.
There are some weaknesses in IABC MNs organization. They have a hard time
justifying the benefits of their membership versus the cost of their student and professional
membership options, therefore having a low membership number. They also have a hard time
promoting the membership and getting people interested in the idea. People can attend the events

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without being members. IABC MN also has low attendance at events. Their events do not target
everyones needs; for example, there are some that are targeted for business professionals only.
Communication about changes or additions is not filtered down from the international chapter to
the local and regional chapters.
An opportunity for this kind of association is the growing need for them. A lot more
students want to get involved in an organization that allows them to network with professionals
and get ready for post-graduation life. The job industry is also becoming more competitive and
students need to find a way to set themselves apart so they need to find an organization that will
allow them to do that. An association that brings together professionals and students allows the
professionals to connect with todays generation and see their potential and what they can offer
as well as connect with other professionals.
Threats to IABC are their competition, AdFed and PRSSA. Both of those organizations
have popular events that bring in lots of people. They also have justifiable means for their
membership costs and great benefits for students and professionals. AdFed and PRSSA are also
more involved in universities with student organizations and student audience-involved, whereas
IABC continues to be involved with people who are already in the industry.

Advertising Campaign Objectives--?

Creative Strategy
Advertising Message Idea:
The overall message we are trying to say in our advertising campaign is that by joining IABC,
young business professionals will be striving for success in an opportunistic industry. Our theme
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is creating a connected world for business professionals involved in the same industry. The
messages that we incorporate into our ads vary, but are very relative to each other. Our campaign
tries to reiterate how connecting with people within the same industry will help them grow into
their desired field. Our IABC MN advertising campaign tends to be more transformational as we
are promoting the experience members would have by joining the association. In most of our
ads, we mention how young professions will grow by joining and how this will benefit their
professional development.
Message Format:
Throughout the creating of our ads, we did not want to target just one specific audience, but both
college students and business professionals. In order to do this, we used general terminology that
resonates with both students and business people. The tone of our campaign is a friendly voice
that includes the necessary creativeness to appeal to these audiences. It is sophisticated enough to
appeal to the businessmen, but creative and colorful enough to be noticed by college or young
professionals.

Motivational Appeal:
Throughout our ad campaign, we use a combination of rational and emotional appeal to relate to
both audiences. When relating to college students, we try to use more of a rational appeal,
however, when talking about their potential success, emotions get involved. It can be a scary
situation graduating from college, but we want to make it clear that by joining this association,
the fear is reduced. This could also be used as a fear approach, but not in the typical way most
fear ads are created. We are addressing an uncertainty in the eyes of our college students because
graduating and getting a job is very stressful.

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Rough Ads:
Print:

14

Transit:

Radio: IABC ad - Are you a college student looking to network with business professionals, or
are you a current professional looking to connect with young college graduates? Join IABC! The
International Association of Business Communicators is a global organization dedicated to
connecting professionals in the business community. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter
to learn more about our upcoming events.
Descriptions:

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For our print ad, we decided to use a globe for the background to promote the
international opportunity of the association and how professionals are able to connect from
around the world through IABC. The main headline for our ad states Interested in connecting
with business professionals from around the WORLD? This is a general question that should
appeal to people that are striving for global success. By doing this, we not only promote the
regional association, but make it aware to our audiences that they have the ability to network
from around the world. Our call to action simply states to join IABC and to visit the IABC
(IABC MN) website for more information or to gain a membership.
For our radio ad, we decided to appeal to both college students and business
professionals. We ask the question Are you a college student looking to network with business
professionals, or are you a current professional looking to connect with young college graduates?
Join IABC! We are an organization dedicated to helping you! By asking this question, we
appeal to college students listening to the radio that are potentially interested in networking with
business professionals. We also make aware the fact that many business professionals are
interested in networking with college students because they are future employees.
For our transit ad we decided to go with a more simple design that exemplifies the
business professional life with symbols on the left side of the ad. On the right side, we have
IABC in large font, to attract people to the name of the organization, also what IABC stands for.
The ad is a bright color yellow to stand out from the clutter of other transit ads, wherever it may
be. Yellow is also seen as a positive and happy color, and since IABC as a business
communication association has more of a family and friendly feel, we thought this was a good
color choice. The symbols in the corner are very broad, but relate to anyone who is working in or
is interested in working in the business world. This ad will attract young professionals who use

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public transportation. The call of action is still large enough to be noticed and will lead people to
the IABC MN chapter website. The next step to ensure a membership is to get the IABC MN
website up to date.
Creative Brief
The problem - IABC is trying to increase event attendance because they currently notice that
they are struggling to bring people to events. Another problem IABC is striving to change is
increasing their membership. This organization depends on recruiting people from the
professional world to become members.
Target Audience We are targeting young adults who are striving to improve their professional
communication skills. Other target audiences are recent college graduates and those who are
involved in different businesses.
Brand Character The relationship between IABC and its audience is a professional form of
communication. They want to provide networking opportunities with established members of the
business community as well as connect the young crowd with real business professionals.
Offer IABC is offering a way to connect with other business professionals. They offer this by
allowing members to buy a membership and attend a variety of educational events. Attending
these various events allows young professionals to network with others and learn more about the
industry.
Features They offer networking socials and luncheons and well as being a member of a global
organization. Members also have the ability to get involved with the volunteer experience that
IABC offers.

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Benefits Having a membership gets you a discount at all IABC events. Being a part of a
professional association can set people apart from other job applicants by being able to add
IABC to ones resume.

Objectives The objectives that IABC has for this advertising campaign is to increase their
membership for the Minnesota chapter. The goal they want to achieve is 250 total members by
July of 2016. They also want to increase attendance at all of their events.
Expectations and Behaviors The expectation for the members is to attend events and pay the
membership fee. Being part of a business association, members are also expected to act like
professionals and network in a business manner.
Current Mindset The current mindset of the audience is that people dont know a lot about
what IABC is in general or what it has to offer. IABC has not previously done any advertising,
but they are interested in investing in advertising in order to meet many of their objectives listed
above.
Required Mindset The drive to improve their professional network as well as their professional
communication skills should be the required mindset. They should also want to learn more about
how other professionals and business communicate. While networking with other professionals,
they will learn about trends in the industry and how the industry is growing today.
Why? The target audience should care about what IABC has to offer because it can offer them
a lot. They will be able to network and meet other professionals as well as gain a greater
knowledge on the communication process by attending the events.
Competitive environment IABC has a lot of competitors in the twin cities area. Some of them
include AD Fed, PRSA, and MWMC. AdFed is most likely their strongest competitor when it

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comes to professional associations because they currently have a strong relationship with college
students and universities. AdFed also hosts a variety of events similar to what IABC offers, yet
they seem to get a higher attendance because of their marketing efforts.

Tone Our style is to appeal to the younger crowd by putting ads on YouTube, Spotify, and
Pandora. The tone we would like to use is not necessarily humorous yet not totally serious. We
want to have a welcoming voice for our radio ads and have the context be very simple yet
appealing. We believe that in order to appeal to college students, we need to be unique and
creative in our strategies.

Media Strategy:
Objectives:
Over 60% of IABCs members are derived from the more experienced business professionals
with 15+ years experience in the industry. The goal of this campaign is to increase membership
by 20% among the young professional target audience. The campaign will reach over 500,000
people within the Twin Cities area with the media strategies we plan to implement.
Media Classes:
We plan to place our advertising campaign in a variety of mediums throughout the Twin Cities.
These include consumer magazines, university and public radio stations as well as city transit.
Media Vehicles:
When researching where we could reach the vast majority of college students and young
professionals, we found that Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine appeals to our young professional
target audience. Advertisements on transit will reach many college students who are commuting

19

to and from class within the metro area. Our radio ads will be heard by college students via the
desired university radio stations also within the Twin Cities. The use of public radio will reach
young professionals, as well as a smaller amount of college students.

Media Options:
Depending on the cost that is assigned for various locations within a magazine, we would like
our ad placed on the inside of the front cover or towards the middle fold. These locations are
where a large amount of ads are usually reached. We plan on placing our radio ads in the
university radio stations around the time of 5 p.m. When using public radio to reach business
professionals, we plan on placing our radio ads during morning and evening rush hours. These
hours include 7-8 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. This way, we are reaching our target audience while they are
commuting to and from work.
Cost Efficiencies:
Media Schedule:

Evaluation Strategy
Summary/Conclusions
We have created an efficient and effective advertising campaign for IABC MN by reaching out
to college students and recent graduates through Spotify and Pandora. These music streaming
sites are very common amongst college students because they are free and have a wide range of
music. By sticking our audio ad there, we are more likely to reach a larger number of students
than traditional local television ads. We also put it on local radio and college stations to reach our
our target audience as well. Having our audio ad air during rush hours will be heard by business
20

professionals listening to the radio to pass the time. We have a print ad that will go into
Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine and on transit around the Twin Cities area. This will also reach
college students and business professionals alike. This reach will help IABC MNs objectives of
increasing their membership and attendance at events because a greater amount of people will
hear it and see it and therefore look into it. Our goal is to have college students especially
become interested in it for their future post-graduation.

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