Public Relations Campaign

Meraki Relations
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Background of Oswald 2
Situation Analysis 3
Goals and Objectives 4
Target Audiences 5
Positioning and Key Messages 6
Challenges 7
Communication Vehicles 8
Research Methods 9
Time Chart 10
Strategies and Tactics 11-13
Budget 14
Evaluation and Advertising and Events Plan 15
Diret Marketing Plan 16
We Are Meraki Relations 17 1
 BACKGROUND
Oswald Services and Repair has been in operation for 79 years
based in Idaho Falls. The business has been kept within the family
for three generations and are current run by Kevin Oswald. Kevin
has been running the original location in Idaho Falls since 2004 as
well as adding a new location in Rexburg, Idaho.

Photo: Kevin and Renae Oswald

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 SITUATION ANALYSIS
Community Minded: Oswald has a focus on the people in their communi-
ty and cares for the needs of their customer’s.
STRENGTHS

Cleanliness: Oswald’s office has a neat, clean environment.

Transparency & Honesty: This priority for Oswald’s is evident in their will-
ingness to take customers into the shop and educate them honestly.
Competitivity: Oswald’s has competitive prices. They are not the highest
prices in Rexburg, and they are not the lowest for their quality of work.

Unestablished: Oswald’s currently does not have a mission statement, how-

ever Kevin, the owner, is working creating one.
WEAKNESSES

Advertising and Marketing: Oswald does have an Instagram page, but there
is not a common theme or goal to the advertising.
Location: of Oswald is also a bit farther away from the main town of Rexburg
which might make it difficult for people want to take the extra miles to Oswald.

Lead with “Why”: In helping Oswald’s customers understand the ‘why’ be-
hind the business (why they do what they do, why they sell their product)
people will be drawn to the business.
OPPORTUNITIES

Introduce the Oswald Employee Family: With such a focus on the com-
munity, we see great opportunity in introducing the employees through social
media and the website.
Get people to the Shop: To solve the issue of location, just getting people
out to the shop will help. Having community events and helping students in
automotive mechanics will increase exposure to the shop.

Newer Business: Oswald is new to Rexburg, therefore the people in Rexburg

may already have a prefered or regular auto-shop. It may be difficult to get new
faces into Oswald.
THREATS

Cleanliness: Oswald has a neat, clean environment which may not appeal to
certain demographics, such as farmers with dirty equipment.
Clarity in Advertising: “Oswald Services and Repairs” does not include the
word “Automotive.” People driving by may not identify Oswald an automotive
repair shop.

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 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The launch of communication plan will be in June for a one-year anniver-
sary of when Oswald opened. The communication plan will last 7 months
and end in December.

INCREASING POSITIVE PERCEPTION

1 Create a positive view of Oswald’s. Success
can be measured this through surveying before
and after the application of this plan.

INCREASING AWARENESS
2 Get Oswald’s name out there. Success can be
measured through surveying before and after
the application of this plan.

INCREASING CLIENTELE BY 20%

3 Record the number of cars/customers coming
to the shop daily, and look for the growth ove
the course of the 7 months this plan will last.

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 TARGET AUDIENCE

PRIMARY:
The primary target audience for this plan and for Oswald’s
is women. This includes students, mothers, older and
younger women, and both married or single women.

SECONDARY:
The secondary target audience we chose is families and
those who aren’t as informed with automotive mechanics.

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 POSITIONING & KEY MESSAGE

‘A Family Who Cares For Your Family’

Oswald has always been fiercely loyal to its family
throughout the years, and we can’t wait to offer this
same loyalty to you and your family. Since 1939,
Oswald has brought quality auto service in
automotive repair to the community of Idaho Falls,
and can’t wait to offer that same dedicated service to
the community of Rexburg. In Oswald, we understand
that trials can come up at any and can potentially
leave us lying flat on our backs. When these trials are
auto related, we want to be the first family member
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you reach out to for help.
 CHALLENGES
One large challenge that Oswald faces is
that people are “creatures of habit” and may
not want to change from the auto shop they
currently go to.

Another challenge Oswald faces is the

possible 3-4 day wait on getting cars into the
shop in Idaho Falls. These people usually do
not want to make the trip to the shop in
Rexburg.

One final challenge Oswald faces is that

they do not do walk-ins. This could turn away
business, even though the intent is to save
customers time waiting.

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 COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

1 SOCIAL MEDIA
Oswald’s social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram will
be used. Both platforms will need updated content including
relevant pictures and updated information.

2 WEBSITE
Oswald’s website will continue to use the blog which will
showcase the employees to make employees more personable
to the community.

3 FLYERS
Oswald will make flyers to give to the apartment managers
in Rexburg. These apartment managers will hand out the fly-
ers to their residents when the residents are buying a parking
pass. The flyers will be handed out during the Spring 2019
semester starting in April. This way, students and Rexburg
residents with vehicles will be aware of Oswald’s automotive
repair shop.
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RESEARCH METHODS

A large amount of our research will be survey based, for

this we will be using Qualtrics and Google Forums.

By surveying, we will be able to narrow the target mar-

ket and measure if the awareness and positive percep-
tion of the business are increasing.

To find ways to develop the business in Rexburg, we

will look at similar small automotive businesses who
have started up in new locations and compare their tac-
tics to those of Oswald Services and Repairs.

We want to hold focus groups of women to determine

which women are the primary customer and target audi-
ence for Oswald’s.

Graphs
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 TIME CHART

April Ideas Are Pitched & Put Into Action

May Be on the Glasscard ap

Focus on getting Oswald’s name out to the
public

June One Year Anniversary of the shop in Rexburg,

have community party

July Begin the “Employee Highlight of the Week”

on social media and in newsletter
Begin the monthly newsletter, have people
sign up when a service/repair is done.

August- Continue the employee highlights

Sept. Focus on advertising at summer events

*Goals and dates are subject to change and may vary.

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 STRATEGIES AND
TACTICS
COMMUNITY

Strategy Tactics

Bring people to the new location · Have a 1 year anniversary of the

to raise awareness of the new location, bringing community
business and where it is located. members to the shop for a
barbeque.

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STRATEGIES AND
TACTICS CONT.
SOCIAL MEDIA

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SCHOOL PROGRAMS

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 Budget

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 EVALUATION PLAN
We will begin with surveys that will help give us an idea on
the demographic we will need to focus on. Our main audi-
ence is women, but the surveys will help us find out specif-
ic age ranges, those who have cars and don’t, those who
know about Oswald, married/not married, etc. We will be
using Qualtrics and Google Forums. We want to hold focus
groups of women to determine which women are the primary
customer and target audience for Oswald’s.

ADVERTISING PLAN
Incorporate the Glasscard mobile app to get Oswald onto
their site, this will aide in awareness and the numebr of cus-
tomers.
Putting QR codes on flyers that take customers directly to
the Oswald website.
Creating more of a presence on social media. This will in-
clude freshening up the Instagram and other social media
accounts by changing the content posted and overall appear-
ance.
Distributing flyers for Oswald in residential communities,
and to students at apartment complexes with the parking
passes.
Sponsor local youth teams and local events.
Create and publish a Monthly Newsletters to the public on
the Oswald website. 15
DIRECT MARKETING PLAN
Oswald Repairs needs to take several steps to become
more involved in the community and to have a better social
media presence.

We feel that if you are to use a few of our suggested

strategies, you will receive more support and recognition
from the community. Also, we feel that your social media
presence could be improved, which would result in more
interaction from your customers. This booklet lays out our
suggested actions that you take to improve your public
relations.

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 We Are
Meraki Relations

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