HUMANITIES TARGET LEARNING AND EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION CENTRE (HTLC) COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

STRATCOMM 2014

ENTITY PR
CATHERINE CHAMBERS - SUMMER MARTIN - KAILEY MCLEOD - HOLLY STEWART

CONTENTS
1. Situation Analysis.................................................................................................................. 2. Strategic Summary ............................................................................................................... ! ! 2.1 Goals ....................................................................................................................... 2.2 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7

3. Target Audiences .................................................................................................................. ! ! 3.1 Primary Audience ..................................................................................................... 3.2 Secondary Audience ................................................................................................

4. Strategy and Tactics ............................................................................................................. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 4.1 Humanities Career Development Centre ................................................................. 4.2 Explore. Experience. Excel. ..................................................................................... 4.3 Logo ......................................................................................................................... 4.4 Communication Channels ........................................................................................ 4.5 Posters ..................................................................................................................... 4.6 Social Media ............................................................................................................ 4.7 Workshops ............................................................................................................... 4.8 Internships ............................................................................................................... 4.9 Mandatory Human 1AA0 Class ................................................................................

5. Our Message ......................................................................................................................... 6. Timeline and Budget ..............................................................................................................

1 SITUATION ANALYSIS
! The Humanities Target Learning & Experiential Education Centre (HTLC) is a centre that is dedicated to helping Humanities students explore and develop career opportunities. The HTLC provides various events and activities such as resum workshops, career clusters and networking events which encourage students to gain knowledge and build their skill-set for future career endeavours. ! The purpose of the communications plan is to increase brand awareness for the new learning

centre as well as to encourage students to attend and participate in the events and workshops. The HTLC is an ideal opportunity for students to nd information about internships, experiential learning, and workshops. Through new advertising and marketing initiatives, the HTLC hope to nd an increase in participation within the Humanities faculty.

2 STRATEGIC SUMMARY
2.1 GOALS ! The overall goal of this communications plan is to increase brand awareness and participation

in the HTLC events. The HTLC provides students with the necessary tools for career success, and students need to learn of the excellent opportunities the HTLC has.

2.2 OBJECTIVES 1. Increase campus visibility and brand awareness through various promotional tactics such as posters and other media outlets. 2. Create a brand identity that will serve greater meaning to Humanities students. 3. Get students excited to participate in HTLC activities and events.

3 TARGET AUDIENCES
! In order for the HTLC to reach their goals of establishing greater awareness through the McMaster community, it is imperative to identify and recognize target audiences to determine how to communicate effectively. This includes two main groups: primary and secondary audiences. The primary audiences can be classied as lower year and upper year Humanities students, while secondary audiences include various campus groups.

3.1 PRIMARY AUDIENCES ! The primary audience intended for the HTLC can be divided into two categories, lower year

(1st and 2nd) and upper year (3rd and 4th) Humanities students. While both equally essential to target, there are differences between these two groups that are vital to recognize. Lower year students nd a lesser need to attend workshops that deal with experiential learning and may nd it more useful to attend sessions which offer career exploration. Upper year students may have aspirations for specic careers and yearn for practical involvement in workshops that teach students hands-on experience.

3.2 SECONDARY AUDIENCES ! The secondary audiences who are stakeholders within the HTLC are campus groups such as

the McMaster Humanities Society, the Communication Studies and Multimedia Student Society, the McMaster History Society, the English, Cultural Studies, & Critical Theory Society, among other student societies within Humanities.

4 STRATEGY AND TACTICS

By targeting students through these already established audiences, we are able to inltrate their market presence as well and promote what the HTLC has to offer, by providing program-specic workshop opportunities. Other strategies that will aid in meeting the goals of the HTLC include a name change along with a new logo to identify the organization.

4.1 HUMANITIES CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE ! The Humanities Target Learning & Experiential Education Centre presented an opportunity for

innovation in relation to the brand identity. By revising the HTLC name to the Humanities Career Development Centre (HCDC), it simplies the associations with the organization. This name change will provide greater meaning for Humanities students and allow for easily recognizable identication.

4.2. EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE. EXCEL. ! These three words make up the slogan for the Humanities Career Development Centre. By

highlighting the key objectives of the organization and constructing a simple yet effective slogan, it summarizes the underlying values of the HCDC.

4.3 LOGO ! The following logo will be the new image which brands the Humanities Career Development

Centre. This logo features the steps to success to associate achievement and accomplishment with the organization. It also incorporates the McMaster colours (maroon and grey) as well as the

standardized font "Univers.#

4.4 COMMUNICATION CHANNELS Two key communication channels would be utilized in order to promote the HCDC The McMaster Silhouette and the university#s radio station, 93.3 CMFU. Advertising through these channels would optimize awareness by targeting these channels main audience, which are McMaster University students.

4.5 POSTERS ! Utilizing a traditional approach to promotion, posters provide supplementary advertising that

can reach many Humanities students. By placing permanent posters about the HCDC (who they are and what they do) in display cases such as in the buildings in the Arts Quad, the HCDC message reaches a greater audience. Digital posters, which advertise upcoming HCDC events online through sharing on the HCDC Facebook and Twitter accounts, will also aid in meeting the goals of the HCDC.

4.6 SOCIAL MEDIA ! Along with using Facebook and Twitter to announce and promote upcoming events, it is

imperative to utilize social media trends in order to better promote the HCDC. By classifying HCDC events through tweets using the hashtag #MacHCDC, audiences on Twitter will be able to recognize and search specically for the organization. Designing online contests which involve "sharing# and "retweeting# specic HCDC news in order to win a prize will also aid in promoting. Prizes could include one-on-one sessions with speakers who are presenting at events for the HCDC.

4.7 WORKSHOPS ! The organization currently offers several workshops to provide students with the tools

necessary to succeed, however, regulating the occurrence of these sessions would allow students to recall when specic sessions occur. An example of this would be scheduling resum-building workshops for every rst Thursday of the month, students have the opportunity to attend, or easily visit the next month#s session, knowing that there will be one.

4.8 INTERNSHIPS ! Providing internship programming is already an asset provided by the HTLC, although

administering new experiential learning opportunities in a wider range of elds would further legitimize the organization. Placements in elds such as English (The Hamilton Spectator), Theatre and Film (Theatre Production), Women Studies (Non-Prot Organizations), etc., would allow for more Humanities students to experience hands-on learning.

4.9 MANDATORY CLASS ! Beginning in Fall 2012, the mandatory class of HUMAN 1AA0: Orientation for Success in the

Humanities, could be used toward the HCDC#s advantage. By working with the instructor, partial class time could be used to promote the HCDC by teaching students about the organization, creating a relationship with students and the HCDC from the beginning of their time at McMaster University.

5 OUR MESSAGE
! Our message is simple: Explore. Experience. Excel. The HCDC will attract students by promoting three main features which they provide: exploring new pathways and opportunities for Humanities students, experiencing by helping students gain more real-life work experience in their desired eld and excelling by helping students to surpass their goals and stand out amongst others competing in their eld of work. By focusing on Explore. Experience. Excel. students will be encouraged to get involved and use the resources which are both available and benecial them.

6 TIMELINE AND BUDGET

JANUARY: [Preliminary Work] Name Change and Steps for Promotion - Update social media with new brand identity (Website, Facebook, Twitter, create Google Local page); 8-10 person hours. - Design updated brochure with new brand identity; 2 person hours. - Design posters to be placed permanently in the HCDC Ofce. Print poster; 3 person hours + HD Matte Presentation/ Bond Material ($5.00/sqft). - Implement and schedule resum workshops for every rst Thursday of the month; 4 person hours. FEBRUARY: - Promote events and weekly newsletter via social media; 5-7 person hours. - Resum workshop, rst Thursday of the month; 1 person hour. - Promotion advertisements for events, resum workshops, workshops and opportunities; targeting Humanities student interests = The Silhouette: $ 9.00 per column inch (2" wide X 1" high), CMFU 93.3 McMaster Radio: 30 sec. advertisement $30/spot. CONTINUE STRATEGY FOR HCDC PROMOTIONS THROUGH MARCH AND APRIL MAY: - Promotion for the HCDC opportunities and end of the school year promotions via social media; 3-5 person hours. - Promotions during May at Mac which target incoming rst year Humanities students; 5-7 person hours. AUGUST: [Begin Planning Promotions for Upcoming School Year] - Continue to update social media and promote the HCDC with upcoming events for the new year; 5-7 person hours. - Design and print yer to hand out to rst year students during orientation week; 3-5 person hours, 8.5 X 11 (Letter) = 0.06/per side X 3000= $180.00. SEPTEMBER: - Promote events, update weekly newsletter and HCDC opportunities targeting rst year Humanities students by encouraging engagement via social media and e-mail; 7-10 person hours. - Promotion advertisements for events, resum workshops, workshops and opportunities; targeting Humanities student interests = The Silhouette: $ 9.00 per column inch (2" wide X 1" high) CONTINUE PROMOTIONS THROUGH OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER: - Promote events and weekly newsletter via social media ; 5-7 person hours. - Resum workshop, rst Thursday of the month; 1 person hour. - Promotion advertisements for events, resum workshops, workshops and opportunities; targeting Humanities student interests = TheSilhouette: $ 9.00 per column inch (2" wide X 1" high), CMFU 93.3 McMaster Radio: 30 sec. advertisement $30/spot.