Upper 90

Custom Apparel Retailer

People in Our Shirts Get Taken
Seriously
MKTG 384: IMC
Canessa Collins
James Madison University

Synegrated Team: Libby Dickinson, Connor DeJarnette,

Gretchen Angerman, Connor Winans, Riley Garcia
Campaign Time Period: January 1st, 2021 – December 31st, 2021
Date: November 20th, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Agency Philosphy ........................................... 3
Executive Summary ........................................ 4
Industry Review .............................................. 6
Company Description ..................................... 9
Product and Service Review......................... 12
Competitive Review ...................................... 14
Buyer Analysis .............................................. 20
Primary Research ......................................... 25
Promotional Program Review ....................... 26
Segmenttation, Targeting, Positioning .......... 27
Marketing Objectives .................................... 28
Communication Goals and Strategies .......... 29
Creative Brief ................................................ 30
Media Plan.................................................... 34
Media Flowchart ........................................... 55
Budget Breakdown and Summary ................ 56
Measuring Program Effectiveness ................ 58
Conclusion .................................................... 60
Appendicis .................................................... 62
Bibliography .................................................. 68

ii
AGENCY PHILOSPHY

Agency Name: Synegrated

Slogan: Share your story, Claim your future 

Mission Statement: Synegrated’s mission is to

provide clients with sophisticated, innovative, and
dynamic solutions to help unleash creativity and
claim their market.
 
Synegrated’s Guiding Pillars: These five standards were collectively established by the
entire Synegrated team. They are embodied and embraced by all members. Our agency remains flexible
and annually reassesses our standards to ensure they apply to our changing society.

• Trust: Provide our clients with reassurance, clear communication, and confidence in our efforts
to create a powerful brand image and use responsible budgeting.
• Innovation: Utilize creative strategies and industry expertise to solve problems and develop
ideas in unique ways, rather than simply looking to the past for answers.
• Equality: Extinguish the hierarchical feeling that a client may experience when working with
another party. 
• Client’s Best Interests in Mind: Always look for the best possible solution for our clients by
using every resource at our disposal for maximized satisfaction. 
• Ethical Standards: Ensure that all actions taken uphold the ideals of our client’s brand and
protect society, while also adhering to our firm’s own ethical guidelines. 
 
Synegrated’s Promises:
• Efficiency: Working diligently to find the best solutions for our clients in a timely and effective
manner.
• Attentiveness: Provide our clients with the level of detail orientation they deserve.
• Excellent Customer Service: Offer clients our utmost undivided attention, as well as
guaranteeing all questions or problems are properly and quickly solved. 
• Focus: Choose strategies that facilitate seamless transitioning between marketing channels, drive
targeted sales, and establish awareness.
• Selective Hiring: Employ highly skilled industry professionals that are capable of efficiently
exceeding the needs of our clients, while also creating an environment of respect, trust, and
compassion for our employees. 
• Creative Solutions: Provide innovative solutions that challenge media norms and technological
standards.
• Balance: Our willingness to work collaboratively with clients eliminates power imbalances and
allows the client to retain ultimate control over all marketing decisions.

3
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive Summary
Major Target Audiences: The target audience for the proposed marketing campaign is B2B customers
in the local area, which is defined as businesses within a 30-mile radius of Upper 90’s brick & mortar
building. Zip codes include individuals in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta County. Any
business with a staff in uniforms, employee merchandise, or a potential need for promotional products is
included in the target audience.
Time Period of the Plan: The campaign will run over the course of one calendar year, beginning on
January 1 of 2021 and concluding on December 31 of 2021. Over the course of the IMC campaign’s
st st

duration the Synegrated team will work closely with Upper 90 to monitor the campaign’s effectiveness
and make changes as necessary. Following the conclusion of the campaign, Upper 90 will likely find
themselves positioned combatively in the market for years to follow.
Campaign Objectives:
• Increase awareness from Upper 90’s potential customer base in Harrisonburg, Rockingham
County, and Augusta County by 30% within one year of the campaign’s launch.
• Increase traffic to Upper 90’s website from internet users within 30 miles, either organic or
paid, by 40% within one year of the campaign’s launch.
Campaign Theme/Slogan: People in our Shirts Get Taken Seriously
Overall Budget Total: $15,000
Summary of Media Plan Mediums: All advertising messages in the following mediums will convey
the theme, People in Our Shirts Get Taken Seriously, to attract target audience members and build
overall campaign awareness.
• Traditional Advertising:
o Video advertising will be utilized to reach the B2B audience; however, in order to remain
within budget, the video will be pushed through non-television vehicles.
o Upper 90 will be promoted over the radio to target local consumers on music and news
stations targeted at the IMC’s audience.
o Flighting print advertising messages will be mailed to local business addresses, posted
throughout the 30-mile radius, and placed in newspapers and magazines.
• Digital Marketing:
o Continuously updating the website, Upper 90 will utilize SEO marketing strategies and
Google Ads to improve their website’s reach.
o Add live-chat features, blog postings, updated customer reviews, and information on
base-prices for their products into the website.
o Promote omnichannel retailing by pushing in-person clients to Upper 90’s website
through QR codes, flyers, and referral incentives.
• Social Media:

4
 o Improve, unify, and build Upper 90’s Facebook and Instagram presence through both
paid and organic advertising and through a profile overhaul.
o Content uploaded will range from text posts, images, videos, and boosted
advertisements.
o Promote omnichannel retailing by pushing social media followers to Upper 90’s website
and brick & mortar location.
• Support Media:
o OOH Media will be utilized in areas with high levels of foot-traffic.
o Place Upper 90 signage on multiple popular bus stops and transit vehicles.
• Direct Marketing:
o Direct sales strategies will be launched.
o Email campaigns empowering awareness and incorporating easy-to-access links to Upper
90’s website will be sent. Email enables narrow segmentation within the B2B market due
to its selective nature.
o Encourage customers to post online reviews, both to Google and on social media.
• Sales Promotion:
o Launch contests that encourage customer participation, build awareness, and generate
excitement that improves Upper 90’s reputation.
o Coupons for 5%-OFF will be emailed to customers after they place their first order to
encourage repeat business.
• Personal Selling:
o In adherence to B2B norms, personal selling strategies will be implemented, both
virtually and in-store.
o Phone calls and store-visits will also be utilized to reach new customers.
• Public Relations:
o Increase community engagement to build Upper 90’s reputation as an involved and
charitable business in the community.
o Share press releases to spread information.
• Sponsorships:
o Promote employee volunteerism and community engagement.
o Teach businesses in the local community about how to improve their businesses through
public presentations.
• Corporate Advertising:
o Publicly support community causes and events, both verbally and through social media.
o Launch an in-store initiative to engage in environmentally friendly business.

Measurement: While many companies choose not to conduct evaluations for their marketing
campaigns, Upper 90 will utilize low cost methods to gauge the IMC campaign’s effectiveness. Tools
utilized will include in-store and phone surveys, as well as Google insights and Facebook Ads Manager
data. Measurements taken will test the IMC’s theme recognition, brand awareness improvements, and
Upper 90’s recall rates, along with many other metrics.

5
INDUSTRY REVIEW

NAICS Code: OD4211

Industry Description: The custom screen-printing industry has declined steadily for five years since
2014 (McGinley/IBIS world). The majority of the revenue this industry receives is from printing on
apparel and other non-paper materials; these services satisfy both B2C and B2C clients. Since 2014, a
decrease in unemployment, improving income levels, and a boosted economy has increased both
consumer and commercial demand for this industry's custom printing services because the average
household’s discretionary income has grown. As a result of this, this industry has vastly outperformed
other printing segments despite the shrinking overall market.

Industry Size: Participants in this industry are reported to have control over a very small portion of the
overall market. No market participant is reported to hold more than 5% of the overall industry share
because many of the market participants are small regional operators; 99% of the participants are
considered minor. 

Industry Growth: According to an IBIS World database written by Devin McGinly, “the custom
screen-printing industry is expected to flatline over the next five years to 2024, achieving minimal
growth but avoiding the declines expected in most other printing segments” 
• The increase in digital marketing is expected to decrease other forms of customized
printing, such as printed mailers, but apparel is expected to remain relevant. 
• In response to minimal market growth and increased foreign imports, competing firms must
make strategic use of their marketing budgets to capture domestic market participants.
• Discretionary income within the United States is expected to continue increasing, thus giving
promise to the likelihood of a discretionary purchase, such as a customized clothing article. 
• It is anticipated that businesses will increase their advertising budgets in the coming years, thus
expanding B2B opportunities in the custom screen-printing industry.
• New market entrants are not a significant threat in the custom printing
industry because individual participants are small.

6
Current Industry Trends and Developments Affecting the Promotion Program:

• Throwback logos and designs

• Customs masks 
o Themed masks, including status-oriented brands, sports logos, and unique patterns.
• Tie-dye
• Environmentally conscious materials and production methods
• Plus-size apparel
• Custom blankets
• Personal pictures made into a blanket
• Transition towards multi-wear apparel/higher quality products
o This trend is especially important in the B2B industry to build a better brand image for
companies using custom apparel.

Macro-Environment Factors and Issues:

• Demographic: Consumers from all age ranges are targetable in this industry because clothing is
a universal necessity. Furthermore, custom apparel is not a significantly expensive product,
allowing all income levels to be potential buyers. Bulk order expenses are typically distributed
between group members and different quality products cater to a variety of budgets. Consumers
located in remote areas can order products online, while those in well-developed regions can
choose to buy from either in-store or internet retailers.

• Economic: B2C sales are likely to increase during a booming economy and decline during a
recession because the money spent on custom apparel is traditionally considered discretionary
for this segment. B2B sales are less likely to be significantly influenced by the state of the
economy because uniforms are likely viewed as a necessity, but decisions within the purchase
(i.e. quality level preferences) still be affected. 

• Technological: The custom screen-printing industry has been spared some of the technological
disruption that occurred over the past decade. Digitalization has decreased demand for
physically printed goods (i.e. mailers and flyers). However, screen printing is considered a
higher-end printing method, one that is often used for goods less prone to digitalization. The
decline in custom apparel screen printing has been much less severe than in other segments of
the printing industry. 

• Political: Presidential campaign shirts offer potential for new business. Some small business
owners may prefer a conservative in office because of their position on business-
related tax codes. 

• Legal: Although the custom screen-printing industry does not have any specific regulations,
people who choose to operate in this industry still have to abide by government-imposed
regulations regarding healthcare benefits, fair labor practices, and environmental practices. Other
regulatory implications include adjusting to the affordable care act, which increases employee
costs. Screen printers must always be mindful of copyright infringement laws.

7
• Social: Social movements may spark an
increase in custom shirts that advocate
for certain ideologies and support the
viewpoints of various interest groups.
The green movement is also something
that should be kept in mind because
consumers are increasingly demanding
environmentally conscious business
decisions from retailers. Another social
movement to consider is Fair
Trade sourcing.

• Cultural: Trends spread quickly in

today’s digital world, thus prompting
many individuals to capitalize on
trending topics and turn pop culture
developments into customized
merchandise.

• Environmental: Operators are expected

to abide by the Clean Air Act, which
takes record of air quality and pollutant levels generated by firms. Customers are increasingly
demanding environmental conscientiousness from companies they conduct business with.

8
COMPANY DESCRIPTION

History of Upper 90: Upper 90 is a one-stop custom apparel and design company located in
Harrisonburg, Virginia. The small business is a subsidiary of Endless Horizons, which is a parent
company to about nine different companies located around the city of Harrisonburg. Upper 90 began as
a soccer-goods retailer in 2005. They eventually expanded and began performing screen-printing
services on the side. However, as their screen-printing business became more profitable, the company
shifted away from selling soccer merchandise in March of 2019. Following this decision, Upper 90
redirected their efforts and focused solely on producing custom goods. Despite changing industries, they
elected to keep the store’s original name; this decision was made because the owners feared they may
lose recognition from their established Hispanic customer base due to language barriers. Upper 90’s goal
is to guarantee quality products at affordable costs, all while providing exceptional customer service. It
is for these reasons that Upper 90 is known for their hardworking staff, which has been their trademark
from the very beginning.

Upper 90’s Present Status and Market Position: Upper 90 is still developing their brand and working
to increase awareness for their products and services in the surrounding community. Their rebranding
efforts have faced new challenges since their exit from the soccer market. Currently, they are working to
dismantle their reputation as a soccer merchandise retailer, but their rebranding efforts have been
minimal. Thus far, Upper 90 has successfully redesigned their logo, changed their
storefront location, and launched a new website.

Surrounding custom product competitors have claimed the following relevant market segments:
• Mark-It has established control over downtown Harrisonburg businesses
• Daniel’s has a competitive advantage for winning large orders (1500+ shirts)
• Moxie has gained prominence in the JMU and EMU-student community

Despite these competitor’s dominance, Upper 90 does have a strong presence in the Hispanic
community and multiple long-term relationships with surrounding construction companies.

Upper 90’s Product Lines:

• T-shirts
• Polo shirts 
• Hi-Res Design Work
• Wellness (masks)
• Hats 
• Sweatshirts
• Promotional Products

Sales History: Currently, those numbers are very hard to quantify due to Upper 90’s recent beginnings.
The approximate current annual sales to date are around $27,000 with a projection quantified
at $49,700. These numbers are said to be higher than last year's numbers, but an accurate comparison
between data cannot be presented at this time due to limited data availability. As Upper 90 begins to
expand and gain more traction within the community, their sales numbers are predicted to increase.

9
Target Markets:
• Schools
• Sports teams and leagues
• Businesses
• Bands 
• Youth groups
• Churches

Current Marketing Mix: Currently, Upper 90 is not successfully making consistent use of any
marketing channels to reach their customers. They have a weak presence on social media and basic
signage visible to individuals driving past their brick and mortar location. Upper 90 currently relies on
word-of-mouth to promote their business, but they struggle to find other sustainable uses of promotion.

SWOT Analysis:

Positioning:
• Upper 90 is likely in a poor position due to their competitors already being well-established in
the community.
• Unlike mass online competitors, such as Custom Ink, Upper 90 does not allow consumers to
design customized products through their website. Customers are expected to visit the store,
make phone calls, exchange text messages, and/or send designs over email to complete
transitions.
• Searching “Upper 90” online does not direct customers directly to their website. There is a
severe need for Upper 90 to improve their SEO efforts, both on the internet and social media.
• When Googling “Custom Apparel 22807” the results do not yield Upper 90.

10
Brand Review: Currently, Upper 90 has a very limited presence on social media. Their Facebook
profile provides minimal information and has little activity. There are a few customer recommendations
and reviews, most of which are positive, but it is hard to tell if the
comments are about the company’s current screen-printing services
or their past soccer-related endeavors. Their most recent post was
from April of 2019, and the majority of their posts contain content
specifically related to soccer. Their Instagram, which has not been
updated since May of 2018, is consistent with
the dated characteristics of their Facebook profile. The company does
not have any presence on Twitter; however, there are multiple
unaffiliated Twitter accounts that contain Upper 90 in their
usernames. Upper 90 has not engaged in any promotional activity for
their products or services since their transition away from a soccer
retailer and they lack an overall integrated marketing
communications strategy. There is also a visual disconnect between the media featured on their
social networking profiles versus the content seen while browsing the company’s website. As seen in the
image to the right, it is likely that a consumer viewing their Facebook profile would mistake Upper 90
for a company exclusively targeting the needs of those with an interest in soccer. However, when
browsing their website, their clients are listed as the following: Schools, Sports Teams/Leagues,
Businesses, Churches, Youth Groups, and Bands. This lack of integration is detrimental to their brand.

Upper 90’s Ratings:

• Google rating: 5/5 stars (based off of 5 reviews)
o “It was great working with their professionals. I received great advice on the designing
and sizing and all the shirts were done very quickly.”
• Facebook rating: 4.4/5 stars (based off of 9 reviews)
o “Screen printing is awesome, arrives fast, and is always done perfectly!”
• Facebook recommendations: 34/40 people recommend Upper 90
• Yelp: Only one customer rating of 4/5 stars
o “Great place for soccer gear, it’s a small business but I loved it. Prices are good, a lot of
older stuff on discount, but some current items also”
• BirdEye: 4.6/5 star-rating based off of 47 customer reviews
o Most of the reviews listed are over 5 years old.

Factors that Define Upper 90:

• Emphasis on high quality products
• Affordably priced items
• High levels of customer service
o Interest in building long-term relationships with customers

11
PRODUCT AND SERVICE REVIEW

Campaign’s Product and Service Focus: The following products are emphasized in the B2B market
for Upper 90’s IMC:

• Polos
• Shirts
• Long and short sleeve
• Quarter-zips
• Construction Vests
• Masks
• Logo and graphic design services

Product and Service Sales History: Currently, Upper 90 does not have a detailed or lengthy sales
history for their individual products. After reaching out to Bruce and Neil at Upper 90, they confirmed
that they have limited information on this matter and affirmed that they were unable to share a detailed
history.

Product and Service Market Share: While there is not a detailed report displaying what portion of the
local shirt and custom apparel market is controlled by Upper 90, it is safe to say that their market share
would is low. It can be estimated that Upper 90 has a market share between 1-5% at most. This is
assumed due to Upper 90’s low media presence, newness, lack of brand recognition, and strong
competitors.

SWOT for the Product/Service:

12
Key Benefits: The apparel products created by Upper 90 will help the customer’s business establish a
unified presence, which will increase the recognition of their company from existing and potential
customers in the community. In addition to higher levels of brand recognition, the business’s staff will
feel valued by their employers because they will be provided high-quality uniforms. Establishing a
uniform provides ease to employees and improves company morale.

Brand Image: Upper 90 can use the B2B campaign to dismantle their existing reputation as a retailer
that specifically services customers with needs related to soccer. They can then expand their
reputation to include new segments as they grow their customer-list of local businesses they supply
apparel. Using their successes in the B2B market, they can continue to build their brand as they become
a stronger participant in the B2C segment.

Positioning: Since many of the local custom apparel companies use similar suppliers (ex: Comfort
Colors and Gildan) it is important for Upper 90 to establish a high level of customer service that
differentiates their business from competitors. The following perceptual map was made using high/low
quality and high/low price to show where Upper 90 is positioned in the market compared to their
competitors.

13
COMPETITIVE REVIEW

Competitor Activity: The online retailer, Custom Ink, has modified their marketing efforts to target
consumers affected by COVID-19. This is an example of an e-blast sent to individuals that have
browsed their website or bought customized products from them in the past. The emotional appeal
reminds customers that they can use t-shirts to “feel united with your group no matter the distance.”
They also adjusted their normal services to accommodate individual shipments, orders, and payments,
which is promoted in the text below the email’s opening graphic. 

Market Analysis: Across the board, customers mainly focus on a few key factors when looking into
purchasing customized t-shirts. The top 4 areas that consumers pay the most attention to are comfort,
quality, uniqueness, and price. The customer is going to want the shirt design that they pick to best fit
the atmosphere that the shirt will be worn in. An example that covers all of these factors is if the
customer is purchasing shirts for a construction company. This specific person will be looking for a light
fitting, lightly colored, comfortable t-shirt that will be able to take the wear and tear of working
outdoors. Since they will be buying in bulk price, this will also play a key role in hoping that they can
get a decent number of shirts for a lower price.

Indirect Competitors:

Custom Ink: Custom Ink is an American-based online retail company that makes customer apparel such
as T-shirts and sweatshirts. Custom Ink positions themselves as a company that brings “Quality in every
stitch” and unites their customers with their Three Hearts Initiative (an initiative that emphasizes three
pillars to their brand 1) Encourage community service, 2) Support volunteer initiatives, 3) Donate
to inker’s charitable activities).

• Key Benefits of Custom Ink: Custom Ink focuses on customer experience more than anything.
With their customer service representatives working seven days a week and their commitment to
the betterment of the community, they continue to strengthen their brand reputation and growth.
Custom Ink also has a wide variety of designs, colors, and sizes that customers can choose from
which is due to their exclusive design lab.

• Positioning of Custom Ink: Customer Ink’s brand positioning caters towards excellent
customer service and quality of their shirts. They use their Three Hearts Initiative
to display community involvement and engagement with their customers. Custom Ink customer
has very positive reviews, examples below:
o “It was one of the easiest processes ever! Cooper Westbrook and his team were terrific! I
will be ordering again very soon!!”
o “Nothing but a positive experience doing business with you. Great quality of product and
service. I received the product two days sooner than promised and in great packaging and
condition.”
o “I love custom ink, customer service is always great, easy design website, always
satisfied”

14
 • Promotion Program Mix: As an online retailer, Custom Ink’s
promotional program relies heavily on digital advertising. Their
advertising efforts often include pushing website banners and screen side-
panels to unaffiliated web pages; these advertisements are often shown to
consumers that browsed and engaged with their website in the past. They
also utilize direct marketing by sending e-blasts to their customers.
Another strategy used by Custom Ink is stickers. Every custom shirt
produced comes with a tag that also doubles as a sticker (see image).
Customers that choose to place this sticker on their personal belongings
are helping create brand awareness for Custom Ink.

• Message and Media Strategies: Custom Ink is active across all their major platforms which
include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Custom Ink has nearly 60,000 followers on
Instagram, 20,000 followers on Twitter, and over 300,000 likes on Facebook. Custom Ink posts
daily across all of these platforms and shares information primarily regarding their clothing
products, community involvement, and overall business development.

• Custom Ink Strengths: Custom Ink has a strong presence across their social media platforms,
a fantastic customer service base, a great reputation with their community, and presents
endless opportunities for apparel design.

• Custom Ink Weaknesses: Custom Ink’s biggest weakness is their lack of in-store experiences.

4Imprints: 4Imprints is a promotional merchandise company that sells a wide variety of products which
include, but is not limited to, apparel, drinkware, technology, wellness products, and stationary
products. 4Imprints is a London-based direct marketer but has several locations in the United States
and has proven to be successful with a 17% sales growth from 2018 to 2019.

• Key Benefits of 4Imprints: 4Imprint’s focuses on valuing their various products at low prices.
They offer exclusive brands and provide good customer service (live chat, email, and phone
number extension) to support customers in their various needs. 4Imprint’s greatest benefit is their
large variety of products that come from exclusive brands that most other merchandising
companies may not offer.

• Positioning of 4Imprints: 4Imprints positioning focuses on their value, variety of products,

and happiness of their customers. 4Imprints slogan is “Certain delivery. Certain value. Certain
happiness.”, which represents their brand value. 4Imprints also emphasizes their great customer
service and that is shown throughout various reviews (below).
o “GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE! I ordered tote bags from 4imprints for a corporate
event.”
o “Consistently outstanding customer service, quality of items and price point. Michael is
awesome and they donate daily to worthy charities. Jon is spot on with getting things
through before my deadlines.”
o “I have used these guys with several different businesses I have owned. HUGE selection,
fast production and shipping and great customer service.” 

15
 • Promotion Mix Program: 4Imprints promotional program revolves primarily around direct
marketing and digital advertising.

• Message and Media Strategies: 4Imprints is slightly active on Instagram, while their
primary platforms are Twitter and Facebook. On Instagram they have just over 5,000 followers
while on Twitter they have 15,400+ and over 56,000 likes on Facebook. Their Twitter and
Facebook are linked to each other and communicate with their customers through those
platforms.

• 4Imprint Strengths: 4Imprints biggest strength is their diverse set of items and products that
come from exclusive brand and companies. Their low prices and amazing customer service also
prove to be a great strength.

• 4Imprint Weaknesses: 4Imprints greatest weakness is their social media presence consistency
and platform engagement. While they do respond to their customer on their platforms, they tend
to favor Twitter and Facebook rather than Instagram. They are extremely spontaneous when they
choose to respond and who they actually respond to.

ePromos: ePromos is a promotional product company that helps customers design the best customer
apparel, corporate gifts, and brand awareness products. ePromos’ extensive product selection
helps customers find the product that best suits their needs and wants. ePromos sets itself apart through
their cutting-edge technology that brings the best customer experience to the promotional products
industry.

• Key Benefits of ePromos: ePromos focuses on helping companies find tangible branding
and advertising products that align with their customers budget. Through their
“Education Center”, a feature that allows a customer to narrow down their search to specific
items, customers can choose specific products and items that help elevate their marketing
and advertising endeavors. ePromos also provide 4 pillars that they guarantee for each of their
customers, Satisfaction, Price, Accuracy, Reward.

• Positioning is ePromos: ePromos positions itself as a company that specializes in the proper use
of promotional products and draw best practices from their experiences from working with over
20,000 clients. They emphasize that “our goal is to deliver not just products, but results”.
o “By far, the best customer service out there from any of the promo companies. Amy
Daniels is an A+. Thanks for your help!”
o “Great place to get all of those items for the reunion or any function where you want
something to remember it by.”
o “Excellent customer service… excellent product. Very pleased.”

• Message and Media Strategies: ePromos is very active across all their social media platforms
which includes Twitter (3.077 followers), Instagram (1,497 followers) and Facebook (8,902
followers). ePromos posts about new deals, holidays, specific causes, as well as information
related to their overall marketing objectives.

16
 • ePromo’s Strengths: ePromo’s biggest strength relies in their wide variety of products that help
companies leverage their marketing and advertising needs. They use a high quality, reliable
search engine that helps companies isolate their specific needs and wants. Paired with great
customer service and an active social media presence, they prove to be a top promotional
production company.

• ePromo’s Weaknesses: Their biggest weakness relies in their cluttered website at first glance.
Despite the Education Center, ePromos website is extremely cluttered and, at times hard to
follow and among. Another weakness is their streamline social media content. Different
platforms are promoting the same message and that can be redundant and boring.

Direct Competitors:

Muddy Feet: Muddy Feet is a graphic services business that provides custom apparel, manufactured
signs, promotional items, flat signs and even creative and website designs. Muddy Feet is located in
Harrisonburg, Virginia and is one of Upper 90’s main direct competitors.

• Key Benefits of Muddy Feet: One of the main benefits of Muddy Feet is their diversity of
products. These items include but are not limited to apparel, promotional items, flat signs, and
websites. They have highly trained technicians in all of their departments to make sure that their
customers are getting the best quality possible. Another benefit is Muddy Feet works with a
variety of customer, including James Madison University, which helps build their brand all
across Harrisonburg.

17
 • Positioning of Muddy Feet: Muddy Feet’s main message is that they are “Guaranteed to leave
an impression.” Muddy Feet focused on the quality of their work and make sure that customers
are always shocked with how well their products turn out.

• Message and Media Strategies: Muddy Feet lacks a social media presence on most platforms
besides Facebook. On Facebook, they post approximately once a week but have solid gaps in
posts so they are very inconsistent. On Instagram and Twitter, they haven’t posted any content in
over 2 years.

• Muddy Feet’s Strengths: Muddy Feet prides themselves on their high-quality products and this
is their number one strength. Because they have highly skilled employees that specialize in
various tasks, they are able to produce the best quality products to their customers. Their quality,
paired with their partnerships with various other companies makes powerful in the graphic
services industry.

• Muddy Feet’s Weaknesses: Muddy Feet truly lacks a solid social media presence and has found
themselves criticized for their poor customer service at times. Many customers online have
expressed Muddy Feet’s bad service relating to their stickering and email etiquette. Their failure
to address complaints also posed as a weakness.

Daniel’s Promotional Products: Daniel’s is a full-service promotional products company that is

located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Daniel’s works with a wide variety of company sand organizations
which include small businesses, schools, teams, churches and everyone in between.

• Key Benefits of Daniel’s: Daniel’s is a full-service, one stop shop, company that focuses on
promotional products. Their key benefit is that they have the ability to fulfil large orders like
1,500 t-shirts. This benefit is key for companies who wish to stock up and order products in bulk.

• Positioning of Daniel’s: Daniel’s stresses that they are a “one-stop shop for all of their
customer’s needs and wants.” They pride themselves on have a wide variety of products, at the
best value. They also make it very clear that once you purchase something from them, that you
are “Partners for Life.” The position themselves as a caring company that wants to build long
lasting relationships for your company needs.

• Daniel’s Strengths: Daniel’s biggest strength is their blend of good products and services that
are able to be purchased in bulk. The option to bulk their products make them stand out amongst
their competition because their competitors do not have the facilities to make high quantities.
They also have a very high customer satisfaction rate.

• Daniel’s Weaknesses: Daniel’s biggest weakness is that their services are expansive and can be
hard to know exactly what they offer at a specific time. Their website can also be confusing to
track at times as well.

Moxie: Moxie is a customer retail printing store located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They focus on
partnering with the James Madison University to provide Greek-life apparel and other accessories to the
students and organizations. They are a small business but offer big company quality and turn around.
18
• Key Benefits of Moxie: Moxie’s primary benefit is how much they interact and engage with
their customer base. They mention that they “love to interact with students help them craft their
creativity.” Their willingness to help the student population as well as other companies that
approach them make them a direct competitor to Upper 90.

• Positioning of Moxie: Moxie positions themselves as a “small company experience with the big
company quality and turn around”. Moxie is locally owned and most people who go to Moxie
love how down to earth their employees are. Moxie customers love their small business
experience and refer their friends and colleagues to them because of their experiences.

• Promotion Program Mix: Moxie does not advertise and promote themselves often. They rely
mainly on word of mouth and recurring customer to promote their business.

• Message and Media Strategies: Moxie lack social media engagement across all platforms.
Their last post was approximately 4 years ago. They primarily use word-of-mouth to get their
message across.

• Strengths of Moxie: Moxie’s greatest strength is their long-lasting relationship with Greek life
and organization across the James Madison University student population. Their long-lasting
customer bae helps them retain their customers as well as gain new ones through word of mouth.

• Moxie’s Weaknesses: Moxie’s biggest weakness is their lack of any social media presence.
Because they haven’t posted anything in over 4 years, they are not well known online.

19
BUYER ANALYSIS

Various Market Segments:

• Business-to-Business (B2B):
o Local business owners in the surrounding area:
▪ Restaurants
▪ Hardware stores
▪ Recreational shops
▪ Retail stores
▪ Construction companies
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C):
o Residents in the surrounding community:
▪ School Organizations (elementary
through college demographic)
▪ Religious and youth groups
▪ Sports teams
▪ Family events

User Profile: Due to the ubiquitous need for clothing,

users are not limited by any demographic, geographic,
psychographic, or behavioral characteristic. However,
these factors do influence the user profile/market
segments.

• Demographic Influences:
o Those with higher incomes are able
to afford more expensive custom products,
enabling them to purchase Comfort Colors
shirts rather than Gildan products. They
will also be able to print on both the front
and back of the shirt, as well as
use multiple ink colors.
o  Customized clothing is not a necessity,
which makes the buyers likely to have
discretionary income.
o Younger individuals are likely to purchase
custom products related to clubs, schools,
youth groups, and sports teams.
o Adults are likely to wear custom apparel
provided by their employer, such as a
uniform or a free promotional shirt.

20
 o B2B employees often wear custom shirts printed with the company logo when at trade
shows.

• Psychographic Influences:
o The custom messages printed on Upper 90’s products often convey beliefs and values of
the wearer.
o The custom shirts also convey messages about the user’s activities and lifestyle.
o Those that purchase customized products are likely to enjoy feeling a sense of belonging.

• Behavioral Influences:
o Repeat customers are likely in the apparel industry if the user requires annually updated
shirts.
o For example, fraternities need new rush shirts each semester and soccer teams need new
uniforms each year
o The user can be cross-sold to purchase different customized products while placing an
order.
o For example, Upper 90 accepted the client’s original order for custom shirts, but then
added on custom masks with the same design

• Geographic Influences:
o Upper 90’s product users are likely to be local and within a 30-mile radius of the store.

Consumer Buying Decision Process:

Upper 90’s Buyers: Influences on the Decision:

• Business owners • Participants in the B2B market wearing
• Parents the product
• Group leaders/presidents • Companies paying for the product
• Coaches • Firm owners
• Teacher/Faculty Advisor, Students • The product designer, as well as those
providing advice and feedback

21
Decision Maker: The individual responsible for
placing the order
• Manager
• Parent
• Coach
• President
• Company owner

Factors Influencing the Buying Decision:

• Demographic: Age, gender, and personal
styles influence the product’s design and overall
look.
o Income level affects the product’s
quality level: 
o Low income: Gildan, one-sided, and less
ink colors
o High income: Comfort Colors, more ink
colors, pocket on shirt, printing on both
sides of product.

• Geographic: Consumers are unlikely to travel

far distances to purchase custom apparel
because many options are widely available, both
in-store and online.

• Psychographic: The lifestyle of the consumer

will influence the type of product being
purchased, as well as the ease of product
design.

• Behavioral: Customers are largely responsible

for the speed of the buying process. The longest
step typically tends to be the design stage, but
once the order is placed Upper 90 can quickly
provide the product. This means the buyer’s
efficiency and organization is a highly
influential factor on the order’s turnaround
time.

Extended Problem Solving: The decision to purchase a customized product requires extended problem
solving. It is unlikely the consumer will internally know exactly which retailer they should order
from, thus requiring the customer to conduct research and collect external information. However, once
they compare prices, ratings, customer service levels, and quality, they still are responsible for designing
the product. The design process increases the degree of problem solving required, and the following
factors should be considered:

22
 • Financial Risks: 
o Business Owner: is this uniform order in the budget for my business? 
o Team Leader: can each member of my team afford the unit price of this customized
product?
• Physical Risks:
o Coach: will athletes be able to safely perform in this product?
o Parent: is the material used in this shirt hypoallergenic? Is the ink safe to wear? 
• Social Risks:
o Is the design of this product socially acceptable?
o What will people think of the individuals wearing this product?
o Does Upper 90 have a good reputation, or could doing business with them harm my
brand?

Purchase Involvement Level:

• High-Involvement for high quantity and complex designs.
• Low-Involvement for repeat purchases, smaller orders, and simple designs. 

Key Factors Influencing the Buyer’s Behavior:

• Time of year
• Many businesses have different seasonal or annual needs
• Company/personal needs
• Budget
• Timeline
• Quality of shirt

Buyer Personas:

23
24
PRIMARY RESEARCH

Primary Research on Upper 90 Apparel: Delving deeper into how customers review Upper 90’s
custom apparel, as well as discovering what goes into their decision-making process when choosing
Upper 90, was very intriguing. After conducting research through several social media outlets,
including, Google Reviews, Yelp, BirdEye, and Facebook, the results found that the overall review
of Upper 90 was positive, but could be enhanced. The average 5-Star rating Upper 90 received from
all platforms was a 4.4/5 Star rating. This equates to an 88% positivity rate. Customers loved how
personable and relieving it was to work with professionals who interact with their customers in a
genuine and efficient way. Customers appreciated the time and effort Upper 90’s employees put into
making sure that their products were the best. Unlike other custom apparel companies, Upper 90
prides itself on its personal relationships with their customer base and strives to continue that in the
future.

As for the downfalls found during research, it revealed that Upper 90 is not up-to-date on their
social media sites and their website SEO is lackluster. Customers become weary and often get
frustrated when they can’t find Upper 90’s website or their social media pages. Most of Upper 90’s
internet outlets are old, out-of-style and need a major revamp. Despite Upper 90’s recent website
change, the SEO mechanics still lead customers to get lost and reduce their desire to make a
purchase. With only 20 seconds maximum to make an impression on consumer behavior, Upper 90
loses precious seconds if the consumer cannot find their website or social media sites. In closing,
Upper 90 is known for their relationships with customers, as well as for the high quality of their
products. Unfortunately, they lack a modern social network and proper SEO tactics.

A customer is interested After a period of After finally reaching the

in a custom apparel
company, they search
Upper 90 and notice that
the link to their website is
burried by several other
links, making it obvious
that their SEO is not
effective.
frustration, the customer
eventually discovers the
correct link to Upper 90's
website. They click on the
website link while still
being disapointed about
navigating to the correct
website.
website, the customer
has passed the threshold
of time between actively
searching what a
company offers and being
fed up with the
experience. They leave
the site, contributing to a
high bounce rate.

25
 PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM REVIEW

Current and Past Marketing Efforts: As a new participant in the Harrisonburg screen-printing market,
Upper 90’s marketing efforts have been extremely limited. While they do have accounts on both
Facebook and Instagram, their content is not integrated, and the scheduling of their posts
is both inconsistent and infrequent. It is evident that they have not launched any marketing campaigns
since their inception, and this was confirmed after meeting with Bruce.

Facebook:
• There is no evidence that Upper 90 ever utilized Facebook’s “boost” feature to increase the reach
of their posts.
• The current page includes numerous photographs from their days as a soccer retailer.
• No evidence of a cohesive message strategy or tone is evident.
• Facebook reviews discuss Upper 90’s history as a soccer retailer, but rarely mention their new
business as a screen-printing business.

Instagram:
• Upper 90 has revamped their
Instagram profile since
September of 2020, as seen
below.
• While they only have 2 posts
to date, they have tried
to clean up their profile by
deleting all of the past soccer-
related posts.
• Upper 90 has also updated
their profile picture.
• The account’s new biography
reads “Full service print shop
nestled in the sweet
Shenandoah Valley. Website
coming soon.”
• No postings have evidence of
any promotions or paid content.

Other Media Mediums: Upper 90 has not utilized any print media, direct mailers, or internet
advertising since their transition to a custom apparel business. As a new and small retailer, they are in a
position to start fresh with a new campaign and take advantage of their current lack of brand identity. Using
the IMC proposed in subsequent sections, Upper 90 can establish who they are as a brand to their customers
and begin growing their business.

26
SEGMENTTATION, TARGETING, POSITIONING

Campaign’s Targeted Market Segments: This campaign is designed to attract business from B2B
clients in the surrounding area. The B2B market provides a critical opportunity to Upper 90 because
there is a large audience of potential customers. Additionally, clients in the B2B market are likely to
have repeat custom product needs, thus facilitating a long-term customer relationship between Upper 90
and clients in this segment.

The B2B Market Breakdown: Upper 90 needs to break down the large B2B market in order to
efficiently influence their audience. It is proposed that Upper 90 narrows down their audience using both
geographic and behavioral metrics.

Key Audience Members:

• Independent restaurant managers and owners in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta
County.
o Likely to have cooks and servers in frequent need of new uniforms due to health
standards and frequently spilt food dishes. Additionally, masks have become a new
component of uniforms in the food industry.
• Owners and managers of construction companies in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and
Augusta County.
• Small business owners in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta County with staff
members who are required to wear a uniform.
• Small business owners in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta County with staff
members who use free t-shirts as a promotional product to increase their brand’s awareness and
spark sales.
o Especially common practice for apartment complexes, which is a large player in the B2B
market due to the surrounding dense college student population.
• Churches and Sports teams with coaches or camp counselors that need shirts to make staff
members identifiable.
o Could build off these sales to include camp or team participant shirts for individuals
registering for the client’s teams/camps/Vacation Bible School programs.

Campaign’s Positioning Strategy: As a new market entrant, Upper 90 likely does not have an
established market position in the eyes of their customers. This makes it especially important that
the proposed IMC strategically situates Upper 90 into the market as a long-term and strong
participant. It is for this reason that the campaign positioning strategy is centered on the following:

• Product Price and Quality: Upper 90 needs to position themselves as a custom apparel retailer
that provides both high-quality products and exceptional customer service at a great price. This
will build and develop their value-oriented reputation.

• Product User: The campaign targets local B2B consumers, which means the IMC must
emphasize the needs of businesses owners, especially those with staff wearing uniforms.

27
MARKETING OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Increase awareness from Upper 90’s potential customer base in Harrisonburg, Rockingham
County, and Augusta County by 30% within one year of the campaign’s launch.

Objective 2: Increase traffic to Upper 90’s website from internet users within 30 miles, either organic or
paid, by 40% within one year of the campaign’s launch.

28
COMMUNICATION GOALS AND
STRATEGIES

Communication Goals and Strategies: The following communication goals (1-4) will provide metrics
to help guide the achievement of our overall marketing goals. The
AIDI model was utilized to develop these goals.
Goal 1: Increase organic web traffic to Upper 90’s new website by
25% by the completion of the campaign.
• Cognitive Phase: Improves awareness and builds knowledge
of the services offered by Upper 90.
• Focus: Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Support Media

Goal 2: Build a long-term customer base by earning 1000 new page

likes on Facebook and 250 new Instagram followers by the end of the campaign.
• Cognitive and Affective Phase: Increases buyer’s knowledge of Upper 90 while also building a
preference.
• Focus: Digital and Social Media

Goal 3: Grow awareness of Upper 90 as a custom apparel retailer from B2B consumers by 35% within
10 months of the campaign’s start date. Awareness should be paired with their reputation as a small
business capable of outperforming competitors through customer service.
• Behavioral Phase: Later in the purchase cycle, awareness can translate to purchases.
• Focus: Public Relations, Traditional Advertising, and Digital Marketing.

Goal 4: Increase the number of B2B clients in the target audience who prefer Upper 90’s custom
apparel products over the local competitors by 20%.
• Affective and Behavioral Phase: Preferences translate into convicted purchases.
• Focus: Digital Marketing, Sales Promotion, and Personal Selling.

The Following Media Vehicles will be used to implement the IMC:

• Traditional Advertising
• Digital Marketing
• Social Media
• Support Media
• Direct Marketing
• Sales Promotion
• Personal Selling
• Public Relations
• Sponsorships
• Corporate Advertising

29
CREATIVE BRIEF

Purpose of the IMC Message: Since the proposed IMC is targeted towards players in the business
market segment, the campaign theme resonates with buyers looking to move their business forward. In
order for a business to survive in today’s rapidly changing retail environment, businesses must be quick
on their feet to satisfy the instant-gratification that many customers demand. Shopping experiences must
be seamless across channels, and the in-store experience is critical to the formation of a customer’s
attitude towards a company.

The IMC message, People in Our Shirts Get Taken Seriously, reminds business owners that everything
they do influences the public’s perception of their business. In today’s media-rich world, it is critical for
retailers to integrate all of their marketing messages across all media channels. Likewise, employees
wearing one style of uniform conveys cohesion, builds respect, and facilitates sales.

Target Audience: The B2B market has been broken down as follows to determine which individuals to
target.

• Demographics: Individuals of all demographics are responsible for coordinating the appearance
of a business’ staff. All ages, ethnicities, religions, income-levels, and genders can be either the
decision-makers or the employees wearing the uniforms themselves.
• Geographics: Business owners and decision-makers in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and
Augusta County.
• Psychographics: Individuals who integrate their career into their personal lives focus on self-
growth, as well as professional growth. Those who value career grow will strive to improve their
business and find satisfaction in the success of their retailing location. Their hobbies likely
overlap with the function and purpose of their business, thus facilitating increased commitment
to their business or job.
• Behaviors: Individuals in this segment are expected to conduct lots of research before making a
purchase decision because it is closely tied to the success of their business, assuming the
decision-maker is the business owner. Furthermore, the investment in uniforms is likely to be a
long-lasting decision because the apparel will be worn repeatedly for long periods of time.
However, if the decision-maker is not the owner then they may consider slightly fewer options
and conduct less research, but they are still expected to use a process similar to the extended
decision-making model.

Currently, individuals in this segment are not aware of the high level of importance associated with
having a cohesive staff appearance. They also may not currently have distinct and identifiable uniforms
for their employees, or the current uniform may be dated, uninspiring, and worn-out. Most individuals in
the target market likely have little experience with Upper 90 because they are a relatively new player in
the local screen-printing market. While this is not an ideal situation, it does provide Upper 90 with an
opportunity to decide how they want to be perceived by their customers.
30
Therefore, the IMC program will promote the following attitudes:
• Upper 90 is a talented and high-quality screen-printing business
• Upper 90 has excellent attention to detail when helping customers produce digital designs
• Superior customer service Upper 90’s competitive advantage
• Upper 90 is a great option for a long-term mutually beneficial business relationship

The goal of promoting these attitudes is to have the target audience think of Upper 90 as a premium and
highly professional custom apparel business. Clients will find peace of mind knowing they are getting
exactly what they want for a fair price. It’s important for Upper 90 to portray themselves across media
channels as a welcoming and friendly business; this will ensure the buyer’s journey is smooth and
efficient, ultimately encouraging repeat customers. When businesses in the target market think about
uniforms and apparel for their business, Upper 90 should come to mind.

Advertising Appeals

• Humor and Logic: Attract the attention of business owners, while also retailing professionalism
and focus. The goal of the humor appeal is to introduce positivity into a post-pandemic world
where humor is needed most by suffering businesses. By using humor, advertisements can
promote Upper 90’s apparel services and create a goodwill for the company. Using humor will
also make Upper 90 stand out amongst other competitors. Furthermore, humor is likely to help
the advertisement be shared through word-of-mouth.

• Rational: Use logic and statistics to persuade business owners that they need a cohesive and
identifiable staff. Unification will benefit their business’s bottom line and improve customer
relations and attitudes. With local businesses and B2C customers in tight financial positions due
to the global pandemic, approaching with a rational argument would be beneficial for Upper 90.
They need to make it clear to potential B2B buyers that Upper 90’s products are of the highest
quality, but still reasonably priced. By using a rational appeal, Upper 90 can use statistics and
factual evidence to show how a cohesive, identifiable, and distinct uniform is critical to the
success of a business.
o Statistics on the importance of employee recognition from the business’ customers.

Message Strategy and Product Positioning:

Strategy: The use of Upper 90’s comfortable and stylish uniform apparel will make employees stand
out and feel confident, ultimately enabling them to push the business forward.
• The benefit of having staff wearing a cohesive uniform made by Upper 90 will provide clarity to
the in-store customer experience.
• Staff will feel valued and proudly wear their uniforms, bringing joy and happiness to the
workplace.
• The presence of uniforms increases the likelihood that a customer will request service or ask
questions, thus enabling the employees to engage in personal selling strategies.

31
 o This will increase sales and improve the customer’s perception of the business because
the purchase is likely to be more informed. Providing customers with answers to their
questions will boost the customer’s confidence in their buying decision and reduce the
chance of post-purchase cognitive dissonance.

Positioning Rationale: This strategy will help consumers understand the benefits of Upper 90’s apparel
and prove to consumers that their products are the best choice for them. By using humor, logic, and
rational appeals, Upper 90 can shine a light on their competitive advantages and position themselves as
the best choice for high quality products at a low price. Additionally, this IMC also positions Upper 90
on the basis of Product Usage, which is centralized on B2B client’s providing staff apparel and uniforms
to their employees in order to get taken seriously by their customers.

Creative Executional Framework:

• Testimonial: Using a testimonial from a past satisfied customer will rationally appeal to a B2B
customer by establishing trust in Upper 90. Since Upper 90 is a local business, the B2B buyer
will identify with the speaker because it will be a member of their local community.
o “Satisfied Client” Testimonial: A video combining recorded interviews from past B2B
customers describing the value of having a unified staff unit. Interviewees could speak
about how their customer’s shopping experience was made easier because consumers
knew who to contact for help while in their retail store. The video could also feature the
B2B client’s customers agreeing that the unified staff was very helpful, thus
demonstrating the need for uniforms from two different perspectives. This video could be
posted on social media and boosted to increase the frequency and reach.
o Upper 90 has provided custom apparel products for Clementine’s (a restaurant in
downtown Harrisonburg), perhaps they would be willing to assist in the production of
this video.

• Slice of Life: Presenting a problem and then following with a solution is eye-catching and often
calls customers to action, especially when they relate to the problem identified in the
advertisement. The described problem should be a common issue experienced by business
owners that have employees not in a cohesive uniform. Showing business owners how they can
Get Taken Seriously by providing their staff with uniforms is a great way to demonstrate Upper
90’s value.
o “Who Can Help?” Advertisement: The advertisement features a photograph in a retail
environment in which a young child is shown shopping with their mother. The still image
makes it evident that the child asked their mother where to find a certain item desired by
the kid. The mother subsequently has instructed the child to ask “someone in a t-shirt.”
The child knows exactly what she means and also knows exactly who to ask, thus
demonstrating the value of having a unified and identifiable staff. This advertisement
could be directly mailed to local businesses in the form of a cardstock postcard, as well as
pushed to businesses digitally.

• Humor: A proper amount of humor can be used for viewers to capture the attention of decision-
makers and help them remember the advertisement. It is important to keep the humor appropriate

32
 and sensitive to the ongoing pandemic, especially considering the toll that Covid-19 has taken on
business owners.
o “Where’s Waldo” Video: A video of a crowded store or restaurant in which a customer
is frantically trying to find the employee in a uniform produced by Upper 90. The video
is from the customer’s point of view, and every so often the audience catches a glimpse
of the back of an employee in uniform. The customer does not find the employee until the
end of the video and is very relieved that they do. Humor will be created by showing the
customer almost finding the employee, but then failing because of funny interruptions,
such as a shelf falling, the customer slipping on a banana, or a child spilling a beverage.
This video can be pushed through social media and is likely to be shared via word-of-
mouth because of the comical content. Furthermore, the video could be advertised on
YouTube.

Creative Considerations for the IMC:

Tone:
• Positive
• Bright
• Uplifting
• Humorous
• Cute

Promises:
• High-quality service
• Reasonable prices
• Large variety of screen-printing options

Claims:
• Businesses have a need for a cohesive and identifiable staff

Colors:
• Shades of blue

Graphics:
• The advertising should include photographs, not cartoons or clip art images, to match the real
need businesses have for staff uniforms.
• The headline fonts should stand out from the photographs and not be difficult to read.

33
MEDIA PLAN

Traditional Advertising:
Objective 1: Expose 30% of the businesses in Harrisonburg and Rockingham county population to the
video advertising message 4 times within a 4-week period through continuous advertising.
• Strategy 1: Get the audience's attention and keep them engaged throughout the video.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Have the video play for 30 seconds on a TV in-store.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Play the video in-store every 5 minutes for the 30 second duration to build
frequency.
o Tactic 1.1.3: Make the video fast paced and exciting to be able to hold the viewer's
attention throughout the video.
• Strategy 2: Through social media, customers and viewers will be able to see the video ads on
their mobile and at home devices.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Add the video to the website to give the visitors a chance to watch the
video.
o Tactic 1.2.2: Post the video on multiple social medias twice a month to give people who
may have missed it the first time a chance to watch.
o Tactic 1.2.3: Add a link to their Instagram and Facebook bio that will redirect them to
the video, which is posted on their YouTube page.

Objective 2: Expose 15% of the B2B Harrisonburg and Rockingham county population to the radio
advertising message 8 times within a 4-week period through pulsing advertisements.
• Strategy 1: Since radio advertisements are comparatively inexpensive, the plan is to use this
avenue to generate exposure frequency. Additionally, because listeners are transitioning towards
streaming services, additional options include to advertise through broadcast radio, Pandora
Radio, and Spotify.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Broadcast on Spotify.
o Tactic 2.1.2: Broadcast on Pandora.
o Tactic 2.1.3: Broadcast on Apple Music.
• Strategy 2: Upper 90 broadcasts their ads through business focused radio stations, they will
reach a specialized market.
o Tactic 3.2.1: Broadcast onto News Radio WKCY; station 107.9
o Tactic 3.2.2: Broadcast on WEMC station, 91.7
o Tactic 3.2.3: Broadcast on 104.3 KCY Country

Objective 3: Reach 15% of the B2B residents in Harrisonburg and Rockingham counties to the printed
advertising message 1-2 times within a 6-week period through continuous advertising.
• Strategy 1: We will utilize print media to continuously expose our previous buyers to our
product through items such postcards, and flyers.
o Tactic 3.1.1: Placing print media on Harrisonburg Department of Public Transit (HDPT)
o Tactic 3.1.2: Place flyers on front door of downtown Harrisonburg businesses.
o Tactic 3.1.3: Mail our previous clients postcards to build long-term customer
relationships.

34
 • Strategy 2: Since print is not too expensive compared to other media, we will use this vehicle to
keep up awareness in the surrounding area that Upper 90 resides in.
o Tactic 3.2.1: Downtown Harrisonburg magazine print advertisement
o Tactic 3.2.2: Put an ad in the JMU Breeze newspaper.
o Tactic 3.2.3: Put a sign on Mr. J’s front window.
Budget:

• Percent of Total Budget:

o 15%
o $2250
• My Medium:
o Radio: 2%
▪ Broadcast: 1%
▪ Internet: 1%
o Print: 13%
▪ Newspaper: 3%
▪ Magazine: 5%
▪ Flyers: 1%
▪ Postcard: 4%
Rationale: By using an Integrated Marketing Communication strategy, we can target our customers
using a variety of advertising vehicles, including through video content, radio advertisements, and
printed mailers. For the video content, this will include videos being shown through social media, such
as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The video will also be shown in-store to customers on a TV
when they walk into the physical Upper 90 location. The radio advertisements will allow Upper 90 to
reach their target market during the most active times of the day for driving, morning and evening.
These radio ads will be broadcasted on radio stations such as 107.9 and 104.3, since the typical listener
of these channels are more interested in business. When it comes to the printed media, this will entail
postcards being sent to previous customers with the zip code of 22801 and 22807. Also, for printed ads,
Upper 90 will distribute flyers to nearby businesses, and to local newspapers. These strategies will allow
us to make sure we reach as much of our target audience as possible. However, for our campaign we are
prioritizing frequency over reach because exposing potential-clients to our advertisements multiple
times will increase trust towards Upper 90; they are unlikely to be motivated to make a purchase after
one exposure to an Upper 90 advertisement. Advertising one cohesive and integrated message is critical
because Upper 90 is a relatively new company with a small market share. By unifying our advertising
message around the theme that “people in our shirts get taken seriously,” we can increase the frequency
through different vehicles. Additionally, we can share audio between radio and video advertisements to
increase associations, and then utilize our print advertisements to reinforce the marketing image created.
Using different vehicles reduces that likelihood that a customer will zap, zip, or simply avoid our
advertisements because they will likely be exposed to variations of our theme, thus minimizing boredom
and wear out.

35
Traditional Advertising Deliverables:

36
Radio Scripts Deliverables:
• Example 1:
o Wife: I think all we need to make dinner is two Sweet Vidalia onions.
o Husband: Okay, I’ll be quick!
o **car audio indicates that the wife pulled up next to grocery store and the closed-door
sound indicates that the husband has exited the vehicle**
o Staff: Welcome to Holland’s Grocery!
o Husband’s funny “internal thought” voice: I remember that she wanted onions, but I
don’t know what a sweet Vidalia onion looks like… is that the purple one? I should just
ask an employee. Now (holding out the word: “nowwww”) where is someone in one of
those classic red shirts. AH! There is one.
o Husband to Staff: hey there, do you happen to… (audio fades out and it is clear to the
audience that the grocery trip continued on and was successfully accomplished)
o Voiceover: At Upper 90 custom apparel, we can make sure your staff has uniforms that
get noticed, and get the job done. After all, people in our shirts get taken seriously!
• Example 2:
o Bruce: “Hey everyone! Welcome to Upper 90 custom apparel, where we fulfill your
creative printing needs!”
o Bruce: “Today I will be giving you a tour of Upper 90 to show you all how we make our
products online, and through machines. I can’t wait to show you all the process!”
o Bruce: “Upper 90 has everything you need when it comes to customized apparel. We are
able to print on a variety of different options, and we do all of the printing in store! Here

37
 is a plain t-shirt that has no design or logo on it. I am going to show you today how we
would print a t-shirt with a customized design.”
o Bruce: “Next, I would love to show you where we keep all of our products that are
waiting to be shipped!”
o Bruce: “Since all of the apparel ranging from t-shirts to masks are made in store, we also
have to be able to have an area to stock all of these items that are waiting to be shipped.”
o Bruce: “Finally, I would like for you to step into my office to see the online side of the
business. Our customers put an order in through our website and send us the logo,
pattern, design etc. of their choice. At Upper 90 we are able to print on so many different
options such as t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, and masks. We truly try to individualize
everything we make to make sure YOUR order stands out among the rest.”
o Bruce: “That’s the basics here at Upper 90, and I am excited to see what we can create
for you and your business today!”
• Example 3:
o Customer: “Oh god, not again… I always lose track of time! Where is an employee I can
find?”
o Narrator: “Food is flying, the customer cannot see anything but the bright, noticeable,
appealing, heart wrecking shirt…. Oh sorry, too personal!! The customer is sprinting so
he isn’t late for his very important date. He rushes over to that shirt who so happens to be
an employee.”
o Customer: “Oh wow, I like your shirt! Can you help me wrap up my meal?”
o Employee: “Yes of course, let me go get the check”
o Narrator: “After the employee in the sexy, sleek, beautiful shirt… Oh god not again.”
o Narrator: “At Upper 90, we make sure that you have the most unique and eye-catching
apparel to spotlight our customers' employees. People in our shirts get taken seriously so
you better look sexy while you’re in one!”
• Example 4:
o Restaurant manager: “Don’t you just love these new uniforms, Tony?”
o Tony the server: “Yes! They fit so much better than the old ones, and the way they look
isn’t even comparable!”
o Random Customer: “Hey, I would just like to say, you guys are so much easier to point
out from other customers now with these new shirts, I used to not be able to tell who was
who when this place got crowded, excellent choice!”
o Tony: “That’s great to hear! Yes, our staff and myself really like them, they look great,
don’t they?”
o Customer: “That they do! Would you mind if you closed me out? I have to get back to
my family”
o Tony: “sure thing! One Sec…”
o Tony: In his head…. “wow that’s a really good tip, sweet!”
o *door closes from customer*
o Voiceover: Here at Upper 90, we don’t only care about your staff's appearance, we care
about their service too. And with us, we handle the appearance, the service will take care
of itself.
• Example 5:
o Voiceover:
▪ Does your business need a new look?

38
 ▪ Does your business need a spark in the right direction?
▪ Do you want your employees to stand out?
▪ Then call Upper 90 at 540-705-6373
▪ We have provided high quality custom apparel to businesses in the Shenandoah
Valley area for over 15 years
▪ Don’t wait! Call today! Again that's 540-705-6373
Print Advertisements Deliverables:

39
Digital Marketing:
Objective 1: Increase Website traffic by 45% from B2B residents in Harrisonburg and Rockingham
County within the first year of new SEO and website launch; achieved by continuously updating the
website every week, which may include new blogs (pulsing), new apparel, new partners, etc.
• Strategy 1: Upper 90 lacks a solid SEO foundation and is losing a majority of their web traffic
to other companies that have a similar name and appeal. To capitalize on these missed
opportunities, Upper 90 must make advances to their SEO algorithm.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Suggested Keywords:
▪ Custom
▪ Apparel
▪ Uniforms
▪ Shirts
▪ Customized
▪ Harrisonburg
▪ Rockingham
▪ Screen printing
▪ Graphic design
o Tactic 1.1.2: Google pay-per-clicks
o Tactic 1.1.3: Local Search Marketing
• Strategy 2: Make the website look more aesthetically pleasing to match their new rebranding of
the company.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Add a blog to their website
o Tactic 1.2.2: Add positive customer reviews to their website to show off their previous
successes.
o Tactic 1.2.3: Include price ranges for products.

Objective 2: Reduce website bounce rate to below 60% by the end of 2021 from B2B residents in the
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area; achieved by continuously updating the website every week
to keep it interesting and relevant/current.
• Strategy 1: Produce an interactive and viewer-friendly website to ensure satisfaction, without
creating customer confusion.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Implement live chat between viewer of website and Upper 90 to reduce
bounce rate.
o Tactic 2.1.2: Rich media presented on the homepage of the website
o Tactic 2.1.3: Trial for customizable content for product satisfaction
• Strategy 2: Improve Upper 90 Storytelling
o Tactic 2.2.1: Place pictures in Z formation to catch customers eye
o Tactic 2.2.2: Show honest, compelling story that depicts customer wearing Upper 90
apparel
o Tactic 2.2.3: Quotes from previous clients discussing how Upper 90 sets their business
apart
Objective 3: Receive 1,500 organic visitors from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County per month
from Google and Safari by the end of 2021, achieved by updating the website (at a minimum of) once a
week for the duration of the campaign by adding keywords and phrases.
• Strategy 1: Increase traffic that will potentially lead to future sales.

40
 o Tactic 3.1.1: Create a flyer to go downtown that tells viewers to visit Upper 90’s website.
There will also be a QR code on the flyer to get easy access to the website as well.
o Tactic 3.1.2: Build a sense of community throughout the Harrisonburg and Rockingham
county area.
o Tactic 3.1.3: Make the URL “Upper90CustomApparel”, instead of “Upper90va.”
• Strategy 2: Emphasize use of word-of-mouth advertising to increase referrals to the site.
o Tactic 3.2.1: Make comments at the end of social media posts to tell their friends and
family about Upper 90.
o Tactic 3.2.2: If you refer someone to Upper 90’s website, and they make a purchase, then
you will get a discount on your next order.
o Tactic 3.2.3: “How did you hear about Upper 90” drop down menu when contacting in
‘Contact Me” section of Website
Budget:
• Percent of Total Budget:
o 22%
o $3,300
• By Medium:
o Internet: 22%
▪ Google Ads: 17%
▪ Website: 5%

Digital Marketing Deliverables:

41
Social Media:
Objective 1: Expose 30% of the B2B Harrisonburg and Rockingham county population to a video
advertising message through Facebook or Instagram 4 times within a 4-week period through continuous
advertising.
• Strategy 1: Utilizing both paid and organic exposure, Upper 90 will be able to target the
audience through two different routes to a consumer’s timeline.
o Tactic 1.1.1: The video will conclude with Upper 90’s contact information.
o Tactic 1.1.2: The same video will be used for the organic and paid advertisement to
increase the frequency of views.
o Tactic 1.1.3: The video will show the outside of Upper 90’s storefront to increase the
recognition of their brick & mortar location
o Tactic 1.1.4: Target consumers in the B2B market by pushing advertisements to the
following types of social media accounts:
▪ The owner’s personal social media accounts
▪ The staff’s social media accounts
▪ The business’s social media accounts
• Strategy 2: To encourage the video to be fully watched it will be kept under 15 seconds to help
maintain interest.
o Tactic 1.2.1: The video will be pinned to the top of Upper 90’s Facebook page
o Tactic 1.2.2: The video will be pinned to the story timeline of Upper 90’s Instagram
profile
o Tactic 1.2.3: To prevent wear out, paid advertising will be discontinued after 4 weeks.
o Tactic 1.2.4: Since the video is only 15 seconds, it will also be uploaded as a story on a
scheduled timeline for both Instagram and Facebook. The video will be reposted one time
each week for the objective’s 4-week timeline.
Objective 2: Generate Facebook likes from 20% of the B2B residents in Harrisonburg and Rockingham
counties who are reached through scheduled Facebook advertisements over the duration of the
campaign.

• Strategy 1: Push an advertisement containing quick facts and information about Upper 90
products and services to B2B consumers.
o Tactic 2.1.1: The brick & mortar location’s address, store hours, and phone number will
be included.
o Tactic 2.1.2: There will be a scannable QR code with links to Upper 90’s website,
Facebook, and Instagram.
o Tactic 2.1.3: A list of Upper 90’s most popular B2B products and services will be listed
(ex: masks, uniform shirts, branded company merchandise, etc.)
• Strategy 2: The caption will encourage them to ‘like our page to stay up to date’ with the latest
Upper 90 products and offerings.
o Tactic 2.2.1: The ‘like our page to stay up-to-date’ sentence will conclude with relevant
emojis (such as a shirt, a briefcase, etc.) to break up the monotony of words.
o Tactic 2.2.2: The advertisement image will also encourage viewers to like the page
(include the graphic of Facebook’s thumbs up)

42
 o Tactic 2.2.3: Update timeline periodically with relevant B2B posts to encourage likes
from those viewing Upper 90’s posts
▪ They will not want to miss out on an update if the posts are relevant to their
business.
▪ Example of a relevant B2B post:
• “Did you know that 94% of customers prefer to shop in stores that require
their staff to wear uniforms? Uniforms are a great way to encourage
customers to ask questions while shopping, thus leading to more sales!”
• “Did you know that employees enjoy wearing uniforms to work because
they don’t have to think about what to wear each day! Equipping your
team with a comfortable uniform is a great way to increase employee
morale.”
Budget:

• Percent of Total Budget:

o 20%
o $3,000
• By Medium:
o Facebook: 12%
o Instagram: 8%

Social Media Deliverables:

43
Support Media:
Objective 1: Increase brand awareness by 50% using OOH advertising in the Harrisonburg and
Rockingham county community through the use of support media across the community within 2
months of the campaign launch.
• Strategy 1: Go throughout the community and find where specific support media can be placed
and in which way and form.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Placement of support media should be in areas with high foot/vehicle traffic
where the most amount of people can see them.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Ads should be easy for the viewer to digest and understand the meaning
behind the advertisement.
o Tactic 1.1.3: Use images/colors/graphics that stand out to the viewer that catches their
eyes and attention.
• Strategy 2: Figure out which implementation of OOH will be most effective in the area of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham county.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Use the specific OOH found in strategy 2 and focus on deploying that
advertisement mainly, with little deployment of other types.
o Tactic 1.2.2: Generate new leads from this specific OOH in efforts to drive website and
social media traffic.
o Tactic 1.2.3: Constantly monitor leads generated by the specific OOH used and
constantly switch the advertisement messages that the ads portray.
Objective 2: Populate at least 50% of all transit stations in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham county
area with upper 90 signage as soon as possible from the launch date to cultivate sales.
• Strategy 1: Research which particular transit stations are most busy and at what specific times of
day.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Target those stations and deploy support media accordingly.
o Tactic 2.1.2: Continuously change the advertisements at these stations, make sure the
potential customers have something new to look at.
o Tactic 2.1.3: Display on the advertisements what Upper 90 can offer.
• Strategy 2: Research bus routes and place support media accordingly. If someone sees an AD
getting on the bus and sees the same AD getting off the bus, that is a good thing.
o Tactic 2.2.1: Coordinate the same advertisements on stations where possible customers
will get on a bus and get off.
o Tactic 2.2.2: Send out surveys asking people in the Harrisonburg community if the
specific advertisements they have seen have been effective.
o Tactic 2.2.3: Develop a schedule of support media to constantly have an in flowing
stream of new advertisements/content.
Budget:

• Percent of Total Budget:

o 4%
o $600
• By Medium:
o OOH: 4%

44
Support Media Deliverables:

45
Direct Marketing:
Objective 1: Raise brand awareness in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham counties for Upper 90
Apparel by 35% within the first year of the campaign launch.
• Strategy 1: Direct Selling Strategy- Using direct selling will allow Upper 90’s apparel to be
seen firsthand by B2B in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham counties.
o Tactic 1.1.1: An in-person presentation for a B2B company within the Harrisonburg and
Rockingham counties, displaying the need, comfort, and practicality for Upper 90
apparel.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Online Meetings: with everything being virtual, adapting to an online
environment and having a meeting demonstrating the need for a product is essential.
Holding online meetings for B2B consumers to directly show how Upper 90’s products
will be valuable to them
o Tactic 1.1.3: Engage directly with consumers to and make them loyal customers
• Strategy 2: Direct Email Strategy- Using direct email, Upper 90 will be able to reach a wide
range of consumers including their targeted ones for B2B.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Segment emails sent to consumers by B2B and to regular consumers to
increase retention and engagement.
o Tactic 1.2.2: Display a list of Upper 90’s most popular apparels and how they can be
useful for the consumer. Make the email stand out and make the customer want to click
on it!
o Tactic 1.2.3: Encourage sharing information by providing an easily accessible link
within the email and user-friendly functions. Provide shareable QR code as well to
increase brand awareness.

Objective 2: Increase sales between B2B clients within the Harrisonburg and Rockingham counties by
15% within the first year of the campaign launch.
• Strategy 1: Push social media engagement and make social selling more effective
o Tactic 2.1.1: Make information about Upper 90 apparel easier to access/find online
through SEO and Website revamps.
o Tactic 2.1.2: Increase peer/customer evaluations and make a spotlight of the positives
mentioned.
o Tactic 2.1.3: Lower the risk associated with purchases by laying out all the necessary
information such as, liability, returns, and satisfaction.
• Strategy 2: Make a video showing off the practicality of Upper 90 apparel and send it in a mass
email, as well as online!
o Tactic 2.2.1: Create video to that highlights Upper 90’s most popular brands
o Tactic 2.2.2: Display real people telling how much they love their Upper 90 apparel (as
well as businesses)
o Tactic 2.2.3: Promote video through social media sites to engage more consumers
Budget:
▪ Percent of Total Budget:
o 10%
o $1,500
• By Medium:

46
 o Direct Mailers: 6%
o Email: 4%
Digital Marketing Deliverables:

47
Sales Promotion:
Objective 1: Expose 40% of the B2B Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area to Upper 90 through
social media contests and sweepstakes. This Sales Promotions will happen over a span of 4 weeks.
• Strategy 1: Use both paid and organic exposure to reach the target market.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Upper 90 uploads a photo to their Instagram page. Viewers of the post will
have the opportunity to enter a contest to win new shirts for their business if they follow
the Upper 90 Instagram, leave a comment on the post with 3 people tagged, and to share
the post on their own Instagram story.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Businesses upload to Instagram or Facebook with a story/picture. In this
photo, they will have Upper 90 tagged which will enter them into a contest to be able to
win free masks for their business.
o Tactic 1.1.3: Upper 90 posts on their social media accounts that they are hosting a
contest, for two weeks, companies will be encouraged to post content of their staff in the
most creative ways possible, exciting hard-working employees, employees with that have
been with the company the longest, etc.). The winner receives….
• Strategy 2: Create appealing ads that are eye catching which will increase the incentive to
participate.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Main website will have a 2-day flash sale. Consumers will get 5% off their
order while also including free shipping.
o Tactic 1.2.2: Create promotion codes that Upper 90 will post to their Instagram story.
Consumers can use a code, such as, code ‘custom90’, to be able to get 5% off their
purchase.
o Tactic 1.2.3: Make distinct marks on the tag of a shirt. If a customer finds and brings in
the shirt with the mark, they get a free shirt.

Objective 2: Expose 40% of the B2B Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area through direct
mailing of coupons and vouchers. This will happen over a span of 2 months.
• Strategy 1: Reach the target market through emailing consumers coupons and offers.
o Tactic 2.1.1: When consumers make their first purchase on Upper 90’s website, they will
get 5% off their first order if they enter their email.
o Tactic 2.1.2: For every 5th order, consumers will receive a 5% off entire purchase for
their next order in their email.
o Tactic 2.1.3: Have special holiday offers that will be emailed to consumers, such as
using holiday promo codes.
• Strategy 2: Reach the target market who have previously bought from Upper 90, to create
reminders.
o Tactic 2.2.1: Mail postcards to previous and current customers of Upper 90.
o Tactic 2.2.2: Give coupons to consumers who refer and friend/business to Upper 90.
o Tactic 2.2.3: Send free samples, such as masks, to previous consumers.
Budget:
• Percent of Total Budget:
o 5%
o $750
• By Medium:
o Coupons: 3%

48
 o Contests: 1%
o Sweepstakes: 1%
Sales Promotion deliverables:

49
Personal Selling:
Objective 1: Set up phone conversations with at least 50% of the businesses in the Harrisonburg and
Rockingham area within the first 6 months of the program launch.
• Strategy 1: Keep the phone calls straight and to the point while being friendly and informative
o Tactic 1.1.1: Try to keep the phone calls to under 5 minutes to prevent people from
getting annoyed and use the phone calls as an introduction.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Be as friendly and kind as possible to try and create the start of a long-term
relationship. Before doing this there will be training for the employees making the phone
calls and doing practice runs.
o Tactic 1.1.3: Give as much information as possible in a little amount of time to try and
communicate the numerous benefits the products bring.
• Strategy 2: Second, Plan to reach out to businesses that are qualified leads that would benefit the
most from new uniforms.
o Tactic 1.2.1: First, reach out to smaller businesses that would benefit the most from new
uniforms and apparel.
o Tactic 1.2.2: Next, reach out to the types of businesses that would be more likely to sell
merchandise. I.e. Restaurants, bars, entertainment locations, etc.
o Tactic 1.2.3: In the case of voicemails, create a predetermined script that relays the
message accurately and precisely.

Objective 2: Visit 20% of the businesses in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham area within the first 6-
months of the program launch.
• Strategy 1: For in-person meetings, plan to display high quality products and let the apparel sell
themselves.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Bring a range of various products to the in-person meeting and show the
potential clients the great quality.
o Tactic 2.1.2: Consider bringing a potential uniform for the specific business to show the
dedication and commitment to giving them great service.
o Tactic 2.1.3: Provide examples of uniforms from other local businesses that have bought
from Upper 90.
• Strategy 2: Strive to build long term relationships with customers rather than one quick sell.
o Tactic 2.2.1: Upper 90 sales reps will be very polite and friendly and not push too hard
and come off as aggressive.
o Tactic 2.2.2: Invite business owners and/or managers out for something to eat to create a
more friendly and non-business environment.
o Tactic 2.2.3: Offer them 24/7 customer service by giving personal phone numbers from
the sales rep to show the potential clients of the great customer service upper 90 has.
Budget:
• Percent of Total Budget:
o 6%
o $900
• By Medium:
o In-person Meetings: 5%
o Phone Calls: 1%

50
Public Relations/Publicity:
Objective 1: Increase overall exposure in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area by 50%
within 2 years from the programs launch.
• Strategy 1: Become more active within the local community by volunteering and participating
in local events.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Donate masks to local public schools and emergency services including
Sentara Medical center with the Upper 90 logo.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Provide young sports teams with jerseys that have the Upper 90 logo on
them.
o Tactic 1.1.3: Participate in local 5k’s and races that support great causes and donate
supplies for these events as well.
• Strategy 2: Actively try and help the people as well as the environment in the community.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Perform random acts of kindness that can catch the eyes of the public
o Tactic 1.2.2: Attend community meetings to help show the dedication to the community.
o Tactic 1.2.3: Help the local environment by planting a tree or trees and by helping clean
up litter.

Objective 2: Reposition the Upper 90 brand to be 100% custom apparel through all forms of social
media within 3 months of program launch.
• Strategy 1: Increase SEO of the Upper 90 website.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Update the website regularly (weekly or bi-weekly)
o Tactic 2.1.2: Pay for ads on Google so when people search Upper 90 the correct website
is the first to come up.
o Tactic 2.1.3: Use various keywords in website description to make it easier to find.
• Strategy 2: Get rid of all confusion regarding what Upper 90 is.
o Tactic 2.2.1: Delete any Upper 90 Soccer social media i.e. Facebook, Yelp, Yellow
pages,
o Tactic 2.2.2: Have the logo be the first picture to come up on Google when searching
Upper 90.
o Tactic 2.2.3: Create all new social medias rather than try and change the old ones from
the soccer days.
o Tactic 2.2.4: Keep the logo the same across the board on all forms of social media.
(Upper 90 vs Upper Ninety)
Budget:
• Percent of Total Budget:
o 10%
o $1,500
• By Medium:
o Getting Involved in Community: 5%
o Rebranding: 5%

51
Public Relations/Publicity Deliverables:

52
Sponsorship:
Objective 1: Increase brand awareness in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham county area by 35% within the
first year of the campaign launch.
• Strategy 1: Partner with Horizon's Edge (Upper 90 sister company) and host a soccer
tournament for multiple teams to compete in.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Show off volunteer shirts on social media to promote Upper 90 and the
Horizons Edge Soccer Tournament.
o Tactic 1.1.2: All volunteers at the event would get an Upper 90 shirt and be able to
promote the brand. (ex: Water Boys, Referees, Linesman, snack people, etc.)
o Tactic 1.1.3: The winner of the soccer tournament, would get custom Upper 90 shirts
with their team name/logo on there!
• Strategy 2: Improve Community relations by hosting local trash clean ups, tree planting days, or
local food drive.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Host monthly/bi-monthly community service events
o Tactic 1.2.2: Promote social responsibility online through social media channels
o Tactic 1.2.3: When partnering with companies, provide shirts for volunteers and
workers.

Objective 2: Increase corporate/business appeal by 15% within the first 2 years of the launch of the
campaign.
• Strategy 1: “Why business apparel makes your company more impactful” presentation to local
businesses during a Harrisonburg business event.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Present to local businesses in Harrisonburg/Rockingham county during a
local event.
o Tactic 2.1.2: Make a booth that explains the benefits of custom apparel and its impact on
consumers
o Tactic 2.1.3: Provide pamphlet guide to help increase brand awareness through custom
apparel
• Strategy 2: Social Media Business Booth for Custom Apparel
o Tactic 2.2.1: Make a social media web page/tab on website that outlines the importance
of powerful custom apparel
o Tactic 2.2.2: Sponsor companies to be featured on site to promote custom apparel
importance
o Tactic 2.2.3: Promote content through website and social media platforms on Upper 90
accounts as well as being tagged/mentioned by others.
Budget:
• Percent of Total Budget:
o 5%
o $750
• By Medium:
o Community Events (tournament): 3%
o Presentations: 2%

53
Corporate Advertising:
Objective 1: Create a positive image for Upper 90 in the B2B community

• Strategy 1: Using image advertising, Upper 90 can create goodwill and position their company
as a socially responsible business.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Share social media posts that disclose Upper 90’s environmentally friendly
activities
▪ Images of employees recycling
▪ Posts showing reduced box usage
• Ex: customers bringing their own reusable bags to carry home their
fulfilled shirt orders.
o Tactic 1.1.2: Vocally support and share community events/causes that are beneficial to
the surrounding community on social media
• Strategy 2: Sponsorship activities are a beneficial method Upper 90 can utilize to improve the
public’s perception of their business. (see above)
o Tactic 1.2.1: Upper 90 will share their sponsorship activities online to show their
followers and viewers that they are engaged in the surrounding community.
Budget:
• Percent of Total Budget:
o 1%
o $150
• By Medium:
o Image Advertising: 1%

54
MEDIA FLOWCHART

55
BUDGET BREAKDOWN AND SUMMARY

Summary:
Allocating $2,250 (15% of the overall budget) to traditional media allows Upper 90 to be
exposed throughout Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta County. Radio and television ads
will provide viewers and listeners with Upper 90’s name and message, increasing their reputation and
credibility throughout the neighboring communities. Allocating 15% of the overall budget towards
traditional media is an appropriate percentage for this medium because it is very important.
Next, $3,300 (22% of the total budget) was allocated towards digital and Internet. This large
value was allocated because Upper 90 currently has a very weak SEO algorithm and searching for the
website online can be a potential nightmare for many customers, leading to lost sales for the company.
Navigating through search engines to find the Upper 90 website will no longer be a hassle after the
allocations of funds are implemented. Social Media was given $3,000 (20% of the total budget) because
Upper 90’s current social media accounts are not coordinated between platforms. Allocating this amount
towards social media will allow Upper 90 to make these accounts brand focused and coordinated across
platforms.
Direct marketing was allocated $1,500 (10% of the total budget) because it was determined that
physical, mailed advertisements would reach the target market in a way that benefits Upper 90 in the
long run. Familiarity and frequent contact between Upper 90 and the recipients of these advertisements
will further benefit Upper 90 and make them a ‘household name’ in years to follow. Public relations and
publicity were allocated $1,500 (10% of the total budget) to build up Upper 90’s brand reputation from
the weak position it is currently in. These dollars will be spent producing multiple press releases
touching on different objectives Upper 90 will tackle during the duration of the Integrated Marketing
Communications plan.
Areas of the campaign including Support media, corporate advertising, and measurement and
evaluation were allocated smaller amounts of the overall budget because Synegrated deemed them to be
less effective than other high-allocation areas of the campaign. Although still very important, these areas
of the campaign will play a lesser role in propelling Upper 90 into the spotlight they wish to be in. Sales
promotion, personal selling, and sponsorship were also allocated smaller amounts of the overall budget
due to the portrayed effectiveness of each method. Sales promotion was allocated $750 (5% of the total
budget), personal selling was allocated $900 (6% of the total budget), and sponsorship was allocated
$750 (5% of the total budget). Again, although important, these methods would not necessarily address
Upper 90’s objectives as efficiently as other mediums, but they will still assist and provide
diversification to the media plan.

56
Upper 90’s Budget:

Total Budget: $15,000.00

Media Dollar Amount Percentages

Traditional Advertising (Mass Media) $2,250.00 15.00%

Sales Promotion $750.00 5.00%

Digital/Internet $3,300.00 22.00%

Social Media $3,000.00 20.00%

Public Relations and Publicity $1,500.00 10.00%

Corporate Advertising $150.00 1.00%

Direct Marketing $1,500.00 10.00%

Personal Selling $900.00 6.00%

Support Media $600.00 4.00%

Sponsorship $750.00 5.00%

Measurement and Evaluation $300.00 2.00%

Total $15,000.00 100.00%

Budget Conclusion: When developing the media plan, budgetary considerations were accounted for to
ensure the plan can be executed financially. While market prices are subject to fluctuations, the figures
above we calculated using conservative industry estimates.

57
MEASURING PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS

Objective 1: Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the entire IMC to determine if the campaign was
effective, as well as gain insight on how to proceed with future marketing endeavors.
• Strategy 1: In order to determine the change in consumer’s awareness of Upper 90, there will be
pre-testing conducted prior to launching the IMC plan.
o Tactic 1.1.1: Ask all clients entering the store or calling on the phone the following
questions:
▪ “How did you hear about Upper 90?”
▪ “Do you currently follow/like Upper 90 social media pages?”
▪ “Have you previously placed an order with us?”
o Tactic 1.1.2: Record their responses in an excel spreadsheet, along with the following
information:
▪ What did they call about?
▪ Did they place an order?
▪ What did they purchase?
▪ Are they a B2B client or a B2C client?
• What is their business?
▪ Are they likely to repeatedly place orders, or was the shirt designed for a one-time
purpose.
• Strategy 2: In order to determine the change in consumer’s awareness of Upper 90, there will be
post-testing conducted after the conclusion of the IMC plan.
o Tactic 1.2.1: Ask all clients entering the store or calling on the phone the following
questions:
▪ “How did you hear about Upper 90?”
▪ “Do you currently follow/like Upper
90 social media pages?”
• If they respond with no,
encourage them to find Upper
90 on social media!
▪ “Have you previously placed an order
with us?”
o Tactic 1.2.2: Returning to the excel
spreadsheet created for pre-testing, Upper 90
can determine the changes that resulted from
the IMC.
▪ Which of the IMC efforts lead to the
greatest increase in brand awareness?
▪ If most people respond that they learned about Upper 90 through the traditional
advertising efforts, this medium should be emphasized in future marketing efforts.
▪ Compare the responses from clients to the increase in social media likes/followers
to validate the feedback.

58
Objective 2: Evaluating the effectiveness of the IMC’s social media efforts.

• Strategy 1: Using the free data provided by Facebook, the advertising efforts can be measured
before and after the IMC’s launch.
o Tactic 2.1.1: Measure changes in the following areas:
▪ Page likes
▪ Post engagements
▪ People reached
▪ Page views
▪ Actions on page
▪ # of account reviews
• The star-rating out of 5
▪ The image to the right displays
the metrics provided by
Facebook on a business’s
overall account:
o Tactic 2.1.2: Examine individual posts
to determine which styles/content was
most effective in engaging customers
within the target audience. The
following image displays the metrics
provided by Facebook on individual
postings:
o Tactic 2.1.3: Facebook also provides insights regarding paid vs. organic reach. Upper 90
can measure this data and determine which route was most effective for reaching their
target audience.
Objective 3: Evaluating the effectiveness of the slogan (post-testing)
• Strategy 1: After the IMC is completed, ask customers entering the store or calling on the phone
if they can recall Upper 90’s slogan: “People in Our Shirts Get Taken Seriously”
o Tactic 3.1.1: If the customer can successfully recall the slogan of Upper 90’s IMC, then
inquire where the client saw/heard the slogan.
o Tactic 3.1.2: If the client is unable to recall the slogan, be sure to share the slogan with
them.
o Tactic 3.1.3: Record the responses in an excel spreadsheet and determine:
▪ The percentage of customers that could successfully recall Upper 90’s slogan
▪ The medium that the customer recalled the slogan from
• Determine which media vehicle was most effective

59
CONCLUSION

Upper 90 plans to become more of a ‘household’ name in the coming months for local
businesses. Partnering with Synegrated, Upper 90 will be equipped with an integrated marketing
communications plan that will help reach their goals as a company. Upper 90 currently has a very small
service/product market share, a weak online presence, and low brand recognition. Although these
challenges are pertinent to Upper 90, Synegrated will help tackle their problems and present them with
opportunities that will fix the many challenges they face. Using strong campaign objectives and a
powerful media plan, Synegrated will deliver nothing but success to Upper 90’s business.
Business to business consumers, segmented both geographically and behaviorally, will be the
target market of this campaign. This includes independent restaurant owners with staff wearing
uniforms, small business owners/managers, construction companies with work teams in uniform, and
churches and sports teams with coaches or camp counselors that need staff shirts. Upper 90 must
position themselves as a custom apparel company that offers high quality products at a very affordable
price to this target market; by doing so, they can develop the value-oriented reputation they need to
claim their market share. With the campaign theme “People in Our Shirts Get Taken Seriously”, Upper
90 can become the next big custom apparel brand for local businesses. Given a budget of $15,000,
money will be allocated to areas of the campaign that will be most useful and beneficial to Upper 90’s
success in the long run. A wide range of media mediums and vehicles will be utilized to increase
awareness of Upper 90 and propel them into the market position they desire.
Using various traditional advertisements, Upper 90’s name will be exposed throughout
Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta County. Radio and television ads will provide viewers
and listeners with a familiar name and message due to repeat exposures, thus achieving frequency. Print
advertisements and digital advertisements will provide customers with a physical or mobile message
from Upper 90 consisting of not only the IMC theme, but their brand image as well. Currently, Upper 90
has a weak SEO algorithm, so delegating time and funding to this aspect of the business is crucial for
increasing levels of customer engagement digitally; this is critical in today’s digital world. Improving
Upper 90’s social media platforms to unify their brand and vision is also a crucial aspect of this IMC
plan. This will include both paid and organic advertising, as well as performing a complete profile
overhaul. Direct marketing, sales promotion, and personal selling are also key factors of this IMC plan
that will separate Upper 90 from the competition. Using email campaigns that facilitate awareness,
contests that encourage customer engagement, community involvement that stimulates positive public
perceptions, and personalized phone calls and store-visits that foster long-term relationships,
Synegrated’s IMC program proves that detail matters. Every aspect of the Integrated Marketing
Communications plan is intuitive, well-researched, and highly optimized to successfully and efficiently
execute the Marketing Objectives outlined by Upper 90.

60
 In the future, Upper 90 must focus on continuing long-term relationships with their new B2B
customers. Nurturing these relationships will provide Upper 90 with continued business, as well as new
avenues of revenue for years to come. Upper 90 is advised to monitor B2B customer order dates and
track when a specific customer may need new uniforms; many industries experience uniform
deuteriation and dirtiness, ultimately hurting their customers’ perception of the company’s staffing unit.
Fortunately for Upper 90, this provides them a reselling opportunity.
Looking ahead, a surge into the B2C market provides major opportunities to Upper 90. With the
current proposed focus on B2B customers, entry into the B2C market will present Upper 90 with
additional revenue avenues and growth as a custom apparel brand.

A Message from the Synegrated Team

Working on this proposal since August has greatly enriched our team’s Fall 2020 semester. We
are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to pitch our IMC campaign and look forward to receiving
your feedback. We want to say thank you to Bruce and Neil for answering all of our questions about
Upper 90, as well as thank Professor Collins for guiding us throughout this process. We all learned so
much throughout this process and are very proud of our proposal!

61
APPENDICIS

Traditional

Print

62
Digital

Social Media

63
Direct Marketing

64
Sales Promotion

65
Press Release

66
67
BIBLIOGRAPHY

4 Things to Consider Before Buying T-Shirts for Your Company. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2020,
from https://saltycustoms.com/blog/4-things-to-consider-before-buying-t-shirts-for-your-company

Brotspies, H., & Weinstein, A. (2017, November 17). Rethinking business segmentation: A conceptual
model and strategic insights. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0965254X.2017.1384750?scroll=top

Chen, T. (n.d.). Effects of Employees' Uniform on Company Image and Employees' Self-perceptions
and Customers' Perceptions. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10941665.2011.610149?scroll=top

Ellis, M. (2020, February 26). How to design a t-shirt: The ultimate guide. Retrieved September 19,
2020, from https://99designs.com/blog/design-other/how-to-design-t-shirts/

Merritt, I. (2019, October 30). Company Shirt Designs: 6 Tips To Make Them Look Great. Retrieved
November 2, 2020, from https://www.rushordertees.com/blog/6-things-include-company-t-shirt/

Rodriguez, A. (2020, October). Custom Screen Printing. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from
https://my.ibisworld.com/us/en/industry-specialized/od4211/about

Smith, C. (2018, March 08). Custom T-shirt Printing Market is Expected To Cross US$ 10 Billion by
2025: Credence Research. Retrieved October 4, 2020, from
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/03/08/1418682/0/en/Custom-T-shirt-Printing-
Market-is-Expected-To-Cross-US-10-Billion-by-2025-Credence-Research.html

Stedman, M. (2019, June 03). Work Uniforms & Customer Perceptions: Roscoe Chicago. Retrieved
October 4, 2020, from https://www.eroscoe.com/work-uniform-company-blog/customer-
perceptions-of-uniforms-in-the-workplace/

N/A, Custom Ink. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2020, from https://www.customink.com/

N/A, Promotional Products by 4imprint. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2020, from
https://www.4imprint.com/

N/A, The Mark-It Screen Printing & Embroidery. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2020, from
https://www.themarkithva.com/

N/A Moxie Hop To It. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.jmumoxie.com/

N/A, Muddy Feet Graphics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://muddyfeetgraphics.com/

68
N/A, Home - Daniel's Promotional Products, Harrisonburg, VA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2020,
from https://danielspro-ad.com/

69