Assessment brief for this module
Integrated Marketing Communications Assessment 2020/21
Overview of the assessment
A 15 minute pitch presentation recommending and justifying an outline integrated marketing communications plan to raise the tourist profile of Sheffield.
A 2,500 word written assignment in which you will evaluate one marketing communications tool from your outline integrated marketing communications plan to raise the tourist profile of Sheffield.
?
Background Case Study: Sheffield Bids for Place on Tourist Map
Adapted from article in Sheffield Telegraph newspaper, July 4
SHEFFIELD is gearing up for a fresh attempt to establish itself as a tourist destination. A strategy was outlined with the ambition of the city being ranked among the top 10 UK hotspots for conferences and leisure breaks and in the top three for sporting and other events, including festivals.
The latest initiative, drawn up by the city council and hoteliers, follows more than a decade of attempts to cement a place for Sheffield on the tourist map.
One recent survey placed Sheffield 26th in a table of the best UK city for visitors. Edinburgh came top, Glasgow second and Newcastle third. Sheffield's local economy is missing out. As a measure of the importance of tourism the hosting of the World Snooker Championships generated £2.3m. New efforts are intended to generate business all year round.
One of the main targets may be the conference trade, using the City Hall as a major venue. A refurbishment programme, which includes the addition of conference facilities, was completed recently. Another potential revenue stream would be to tap into the short-break leisure market. This would involve emphasising Sheffield's proximity of the Peak District, the city's cultural attractions, its industrial heritage and its reputation as a City of Sport. Sheffield will be promoted as ''a city on the up with a great lifestyle, good business opportunities and a lot of creative and exciting things going on'', said Joan Spencer, the City Council's head of Marketing and Tourism.
The detailed strategy is expected to be launched around September. But it would not involve a big budget or glamorous PR campaigns of the kind that some other towns and cities have opted for. Critics have accused the council of failing to allocate sufficient resources to help get an effective tourism strategy off the ground. This week's presentation to the council by Miss Spencer included figures from two years ago when Sheffield spent £431,000 a year on tourism compared with £2.1m by Cardiff, £1.6m by Birmingham and £1.1m by Leeds. Stoke-on-Trent spent fractionally more than Sheffield.
Miss Spencer believes that significant results can be achieved by taking 'small practical steps' and working closely with private sector partners who have an interest in the success of the campaign. ''We are not doing a high spending campaign that would be undeliverable. We have got to achieve targets'.
"The city council's marketing communications budget of £280,000 could be doubled or trebled with contributions from hoteliers, Sheffield International Venues, Sheffield Theatres and Galleries Trust, the Universities, Sheffield Development Corporation" she said. It would not be a city council strategy but a city of Sheffield strategy. ''If we promote the city in a modest and honest way and stress the progress we are making, when people come here they will be pleasantly surprised and act as ambassadors for the city.'' said Miss Spencer. ''Sheffield is never going to be first choice for two week summer holidays but it can be for short urban breaks, events and conferences.''
There are still mixed messages about the image of Sheffield. Some people still think that Sheffield is industrial, grey and confusing to get around. Others believe it to be friendly, creative and changing. Councillors welcomed the latest initiative but took the opportunity to air some of their current complaints. '' We need more quality restaurants in the city centre - they are sadly lacking,'' said Liberal Democrat Amanda Williams. '' And why is Sheffield never on weather maps or on those in motorway service stations? This is something we must address.'' Others wanted to see more publicity material at Sheffield railway station and Councillor James McBride wanted to see more done to attract disabled tourists.
(Although based on a real news article, the brief to follow is fictitious. The information needed to support your analysis is available as secondary data and you should not make direct contact with Sheffield City Council).
?
Assessment requirements
Task 1 Course work Group task (40% in total)
An outline integrated marketing communications plan pitch presentation
A 15 minute pitch presentation recommending and justifying an outline integrated marketing communications plan to raise the tourist profile of Sheffield.
Your brief
In groups of 4 or 5, you will form your own marketing communications agency.
Sheffield City Council have recently announced that they are looking for a marketing communications agency to help them to change perceptions and raise the tourism profile of Sheffield, increasing visitor numbers to the region and therefore benefiting the local economy.
You are an ambitious, local, marketing communications agency interested in adding a high profile local government campaign to your portfolio. You will be pitching for the business against other local agencies and the process will be highly competitive. You really want to win this account with Sheffield City Council as you are passionate about your city and the surrounding area and would like to encourage other people to visit and spread the word! Your presentation should be both persuasive and engaging.
Sheffield City Council has confirmed that the allocated marketing communications budget is £280,000 in total but that staff costs are excluded. The council are fully aware that this is a relatively small budget compared with other UK cities tourism budgets, however it is funded by tax payers and the council has a responsibility to ensure that the budget is spent as effectively as possible.
Sheffield City council have asked your agency to produce an outline integrated marketing communications plan for the next 12 months marketing communications activities. This outline plan should provide a solid foundation from which to promote Sheffield as a tourism destination in the future, it must leave a legacy beyond the 12 months of the plan. They have requested that each agency provide the outline integrated marketing communications plan as a pitch presentation.
Your plan must offer something new, a new angle or 'hook' to encourage people to visit Sheffield from beyond the surrounding area. Promoting existing events in the Sheffield (e.g. the Tramlines festival or the World Snooker championships) is not what the council are looking for, this activity happens already and will not add significant additional tourist numbers to the city and the surrounding area.
Continued overleaf….
?To assist each agency Sheffield City Council have provided further instructions on the elements they expect to see in your outline integrated marketing plan pitch presentation.
(Adapted from the SOSTAC® Planning model, P.R.Smith).
A brief introduction to your marketing communications agency, the team and their responsibilities, previous experience
(Where are we now?)
What are current perceptions of Sheffield and the surrounding area? How many people currently visit the city/surrounding area? How does this compare against other tourist destinations in the UK?
3.0 Marketing Objectives
(What does your plan aim to achieve?)
Based on your situational analysis, what do you want to happen as a result of your proposed plan?
Include three appropriate SMART objectives.
4.0 Marketing Communications Strategy
(How will you get there?)
What is your angle or ‘hook’ to encourage people to visit the city?
Who is your proposed target audience (B2C, B2B or both?)
How will your proposed plan leave a legacy for the future?
5.0 Marketing Communications Tactics
(What is the detailed marketing communications mix you propose?)
With the limited budget, which marketing communications tools do you recommend to ensure you maximise the budget and ensure your proposed target audience receive your message? Justify your choices.
Advertising, public relations/ media relations/celebrity endorsements, sponsorship, direct marketing, personal selling, sales promotions, exhibitions, mobile or digital communications, social media
Illustrate some examples of how this will be executed (e.g. adverts, storyboards, social media page) to help the audience to visualise your proposals
6.0 Action
(What will happen and when?)
For the next 12 months provide a schedule of what activity will happen and when
7.0 Control
(How will the success of the plan be measured?)
How will the budget be allocated?
Have you included SMART objectives for each of your recommended marketing communications tools? (E.g. awareness, likes, follows, bookings and so on)
8.0 References
An APA referenced list of all sources of supporting data you have cited throughout your presentation.
