We are Ultimate Advertisers and we are here to present to you our recommendations for your account.  The target market for Bick’s Pickles consumers is adults aged 25 to 45 and children aged 5 to 12 years, both male and female.  The adult segment are in the middle to upper class income level and live in densely populated regions in Canada, excluding Quebec.  The adult segment are the primary users, while the children are the secondary users.  The lifestyles of the adult segment are those who engage in family-oriented activities such as barbecues, picnics, and sporting events.  Both segments enjoy the taste of quality food and they go grocery shopping on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.  
 Pickles are in the maturity stage of the product life cycle, and therefore advertising must focus on profit maximization.  Since Bick’s Pickles is in the maturity stage, advertising strategies should be designed to prolong the mature phase as long as possible.  We are still using advertising to help prolong the maturity stage, but not as much as we used in the introduction and growth stages of the product life cycle.  We are going to reallocate funds from mass advertising to sales promotions in order to maintain market share position.  Increasing sales promotions will encourage repeat purchases by loyal customers, which is key to maintaining a long lasting and strong position in this stage of the life cycle.  
  
  
  

2. ADVERTISING PLAN  

ADVERTISING OBJECTIVE:   

Our advertising objective is to create brand preference for Bick’s Pickles.  We want to:  
1. Increase market share of Bick’s Pickles by 10% of our current market share.  
2. Increase consumer loyalty (repeat purchases) by 15%  

ADVERTISING STRATEGY:   

To meet these objectives we will position Bick’s Pickles as the best choice of pickles.  We are using the brand dominance positioning technique to gain market share, stating that “It’s not your typical pickle”.  We are using sales promotions in order to increase consumer loyalty.  
  

3. CREATIVE PLAN  

OBJECTIVE:  

1. Key Benefit Statement: Great Taste.  Guaranteed to be of superior taste over other brands of pickles.  
2. Support Claims:  

• Research:  In a survey conducted last month, 78 out of 100 respondents stated that Bick’s Pickles was their preferred choice of pickles due to its great taste. 
• Ingredients:  Bick’s Pickles uses only the finest quality ingredients, such as high-grade pickles and top quality garlic. 
• Price:  Bick’s Pickles is a mid-priced brand that offers consumers excellent value for their money. 

1. Image:  The message will be communicated by using real life scenarios that the target market will be able to relate to.  
2. Theme:  The theme will be family-oriented.  
3. Tone and Style:  The messages use a positive appeal technique, since the product is presented on the basis of a positive and enjoyable experience for the consumer.  

EXECUTION:  

A variety of media will be used to depict real-life situations.  Television, radio, and print advertisements will enhance the brand preference of Bick’s Pickles.  The television, radio, and print advertisements emphasize the fact that people prefer Bick’s Pickles over other brands.  
  
  
  
4. MEDIA PLAN:  

The mediums that will be used to reach our target market are television, radio, and print.  Between the use of the mediums sales promotion will be used.  

OBJECTIVE: 

WHEN:  
Television:  May, June, and July, November, December  
 Radio:  May, June, July, and August  
 Print:  June, July, and August.  
 Sales Promotion:  September, October, January, February, March, and April  

WHERE:  
The areas that the mediums will be used are in densely populated regions in Canada, excluding Quebec.  

HOW:  
Reach:  High reach will be used since we are using prime time television.  
Frequency:  Horizontal frequency will be used during the week to build a frequency against a target market.  
  
  

STRATEGY:  
Our target market is loosely defined; therefore the media strategy that will be used will be the shotgun strategy.   Also, since the advertisements will be used in prime time television it will attract different ranges of income groups, age, sex, etc.  
  
 
 

4. SALES PROMOTION PLAN  

1. "The Cool Million - Adopt A Pickle Give-away..."  
Welcome to the  
Bick’s Pickle Adoption Agency  

Small action figures Bick’s pickle characters that come in a tiny pickle barrel that is placed inside the Bick’s pickle jar with the rest of the pickles.  

How to win.  
Open the jar and if the pickle speak to you.  
Then you win a prize. Whatever the pickle says, that will be the prize.  
List of Bick’s Pickle Adopters Here  
1. The Cool Pickle  
2. The Football Pickle  
3. The Sheriff Pickle  
4. The Grandpa Pickle  
5. The Baby Dill Pickle  
6. The Play Ball Pickle  
7. The Rock & Roll Pickle  
8. The Hippy Pickle  
9. The Elvis Pickle  
10. The 'I'm so HAAAAAAPPPY!' Pickle  

Timing of Promotion  
April to August and January to April  

Prizes 

A Bick’s pickle barrel filled with ONE MILLION DOLLARS CASH! Only if they shoot the basketball into the hoop.  
(Quantity: 1)  

The Cool Pickle Mobile (4x4 Jeep) sponsored by Jeep.  
(Quantity: 1)  

Major sport event tickets for the entire family (Baseball, Football or Basketball.)  
(Quantity: 100 sets)  

McDonalds’s food voucher  
(Quantity: 50 for the entire family)  

Barbecue equipment for the entire family.  
(Quantity: 3)  

Disney vacation for the entire family. Sponsored by Disney.  
(Quantity: 1)  
  
At a selected basketball game, the two contestants would have a chance of winning the million-dollar prize by pitching a baseball into a pickle barrel (that would be placed far away to make it difficult.) If they lose they get a pair of cool Bick’s Pickle bikes for the entire family. (They are painted in a hip pickle design.)  
(This would generate extensive media publicity, if they win or lose.)  
(This event would be covered by Lloyds of London Insurance Company, therefore Bick’s would not be liable if they win the million dollars prize. Lloyds of London Insurance Company are in the business of insuring unusual events such as this.)  

How will we promote this sales promotion campaign?  

POP displays (point of purchase displays)  
Trade promotion – Co-op Ads, flyer promo. (We are featuring their names in our radio ads, in return they will give us ad space and prime shelf space, corner aisle displays also.)  
We will advertise right on the Jar.  
Announcer at the end of our TV ad mentions the promotion.  
  

2. Event  
“The Great Canadian  
United way Pickle Festival”  
(Fun for the whole family!)  
All money raised go to United way.  

Featuring Sharon Lois and Bram!  
   The Bick’s pickle parade.  
   Fun, food, arts and crafts, vendors and festivities all day!  
   Amusement rides  
   Musicians, dances, singers, T-shirts, hats, entertainment stages.  
   Tour de Pickle family bike event  
   Free samplings of Bick’s pickles  
   Police officers and Fire fighters are involved.  
   Public schools would be involved.  

Place: Toronto, Ont. – May 18 – Centre Vile at Centre Island  
           Vancouver, BC. – June 15 – BC’s Kids village  

How will we promote this?  
Co-sponsored by:  
CBC Television network  
Standard Broadcasting (680 News, CHUM FM)  
In-store displays  
Announcing it at the end of our radio commercials.  
  

3. Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Nationwide Bick’s Pickle Fun Tour  
Sponsorship: Only $50,000 – Because it is not the full Canada, not the East Coast.  
   Our Bick’s Characters would be opening for them.  
   This will include our logo on all promotion items for the tour.  
   Our banner will be placed across the stage.  
   The tour would also be useful in giving away promo items.  
   The tour would take place in the summer months because of better weather conditions.  

Where  

The tour will consist mainly of large sized venues because of their popularity.  
   Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Marathon, Thunder Bay, Kenora, 
   Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Banff, and Vancouver.  
  
4. Trade: Personal selling contest / incentive program  

We also want to focus on our business to business market. There is much money to be made in selling our pickles to various restaurants and cafeterias at schools, businesses, etc. That is why we also want to create an incentive program directed at our sales people.  
At the annual Christmas diner party (which will be attended by all of Bick’s Pickles employees.)  

The top salespeople will receive recognition of their efforts with gold awards given by the president of the company.  

First place: New Beetle car  
Second place: Trip for two to the Caribbean (for two weeks.)  
The winner must increase sales in trade and the hospitality industries (Restaurant, Hotels.)  

We also want to promote loyalty among our business customers, so we will offer quantity discounts and make sure our sales staff is maintaining close relationships.