CAS 285 - FALL 2016

FREDERICK MEIJER GARDENS

PUBLIC RELATIONS PROJECT

JANELLE CONTI - WORK SAMPLE

Prompt: For my Public Relations and Advertising class (CAS 285), we had to come up with a Marketing
Plan for the Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World event at Frederick Meijer Gardens. This
project had to include one blog post, five tweets with rationales for each, an online news release, and a
public relations plan.

Janelle Conti

CAS 285

Professor de Haan

10 November 2016

Blog Post: Finally Home for Christmas

The move from the Philippines to the United States was hard in more ways than one.
My family and I were instantly thrust into a completely new environment, unaware of how to
adapt to American culture. All of a sudden, we had to learn a new language, dress dierently,
and get accustomed to new people. Its not always easy to reinvent who you are for the sake of
fitting in. The comforts of home were starting to fade further and further away, and I tried
holding on tightly to whatever I could.

One of the hardest experiences that Ive had since moving to the United States was
that very first Christmas that my family spent alone. Typically, in the Philippines, my entire
extended family would gather at my house. The sound of laughter and crinkling wrapping
paper would fill the living room, radiating the warmth and love that comes from family time
around the holidays. Traditional Filipino decorations were displayed our entire household, from
the front porch to the stairwell. Lights lined each room, illuminating everything in their path.

I never thought I would ever feel the

same comfort and peace around
Christmastime, until last year. During
my Christmas break, my parents and I
were bored and looking for something
to do. My mother suggested that we
go to Frederik Meijer Gardens and
make use of our membership, since we
havent made it out there all year.
Apparently, Christmas and Holiday
Traditions Around The World were
being displayed at the Gardens this
year. I begrudgingly complied, despite
my yearning for the warmth of a fire
place.

https://lovelylittlepostcards.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/filipino-tree-blog1.jpg?w=1312

As we were walking through the Gardens, I noticed something bright and red out of the
corner of my eye. As I moved closer, I gasped in realization. It was a parl! Dozens of these
Filipino lanterns hung from a lit-up from a Sausage Tree, which was common in the Philippines.
The beaming, ruby decorations was just like the one we used to have on our front door. With
my parents by my side, we looked at the decorations in awe, our hearts swollen with pride for
our country. There arent very many moments when we get see our culture represented. So,
having seen it among the dozens of other cultures presented that night was an incredible
experience.

I looked at the other exhibits and I wondered if other people felt the same way I did
when seeing their own traditional holiday decorations. Were they surprised? Were they proud?
Did they, like myself, feel at home too?

For more information on the Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World Exhibit, click here. If you
have been to the exhibit in the past, let me know how you felt in the comment section below!
RATIONALE: Based on the information that I gathered about Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around
The World Exhibit, I wanted to focus on the diversity of cultures represented at the event. The exhibit
was particularly interesting to me, because they chose to incorporate holiday traditions from almost
every continent, and not just the Americas and Eastern Europe. When I first heard of the event, I didnt
think that my country would even be represented at this event. After doing some research, I was
surprised to see that they incorporated such a huge part of my culture into the exhibit. I thought that by
describing my experience, I could relate to the culturally inclusive audience that I was trying to reach.
Also, I thought that describing an experience with my family would attract both parents and their
younger children to pursue more information about the event. I also tried to include some information
about Meijer Gardens memberships in the blog post, just to introduce the idea to potential customers.
Overall, I thought that this blog post about my experience would appeal to families, particularly those
comprised of people of color to the exhibit.

SOURCES:

http://www.meijergardens.org/calendar/christmas-and-holiday-traditions-around-the-world/ FMG
Website

https://lovelylittlepostcards.wordpress.com/tag/sculpture/ Blog post about someones experience

at the Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World Exhibit

https://www.facebook.com/events/1714558315530515/ Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around

The World Facebook Event

Twitter Posts
TWEET #1: Bored at home? Come Celebrate the holidays with us! Word on the street is that Santa might
make an appearance. #HolidaysatFMG

PHOTO INCLUDED:

http://www.meijergardens.org/storage/cache/made/storage/images/_framed/
B98LRnGE-5644-3763_581_325_90_int_c1.jpg

RATIONALE: This tweet is supposed to appeal to parents who dont know what to do with their children
over the holiday break. If they havent taken pictures with Santa yet, that might be a reason to go check
out the exhibit. I came up with the hashtag #HolidaysatFMG just to see who has been posting on social
media about the event.

TWEET #2: Only 12 more days 'til the Opening Day of Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the
World! Have you RSVP'd yet? https://www.facebook.com/events/1714558315530515/

RATIONALE: I included the link to the Facebook event not only to make people aware of the event, but
also to cross-promote our social media platforms. People can get more detailed information about
events to come on the Facebook page, rather than Twitter.

TWEET #3 (Poll Tweet): Which display are you most excited to see at the Christmas and Holiday
Traditions Around The World Exhibit? #MeijerGardensChristmas

CHOICE 1: The England Tree

CHOICE 2: The Model Trains

RATIONALE: Interactive media generates a two-way form of communication between the PR team and
its social media following. I wanted to explore Twitter polls, and see how many people our social media
platforms were reaching, and which displays they were enjoying most. I also created a hashtag to keep
track of conversations around the exhibit. The information that I used for this tweet was gathered from
the Frederik Meijer Gardens website.

TWEET #4: What's more precious than her eyes lighting up with joy? Plan your visit today and see the
cool holiday displays! http://www.meijergardens.org/calendar/christmas-and-holiday-traditions-around-
the-world/

PHOTO INCLUDED:

http://image.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/width960/img/grandrapidspress/photo/2013/11/-
e1278e967a6ebfd1.JPG

RATIONALE: This tweet is meant to emotionally appeal to parents and grandparents who want to make
their children happy around the holidays. I included a link to the Frederik Meijer Gardens website, which
provides information about pricing and planning a visit.

TWEET #5: Here's a sneak peek of the Korean display! Did you know that over 40 countries are
represented at this year's exhibit? #HolidaysatFMG

PHOTO INCLUDED:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/
x6gDO81WxgU3wWX7txcTFZy3GQQD73BBtCSfab8f3hnf8SyWqNBs7QZTxkfOzffA
-dTnigQ6jA=w5120-h3200-rw-no

RATIONALE: I wanted to feature a culture that people may not expect to be at the exhibit to let people
know about the variety of cultures represented at this particular event. Also, I thought this tweet would
be eective because people like to engage with exclusive content provided by the PR team. The hashtag
that I used for this tweet is a way to track the conversations going on about the holiday season at
Frederik Meijer Gardens.

Online News Release

SUBJECT: Stuck at home for the holidays? Come join us instead!

GRAND RAPIDS, MI: November 9, 2016

The temperature keeps dropping as the last of the colorful, autumn leaves cascade to
the ground. Winter is coming, and with it comes the time to celebrate the holidays with
our loved ones. Though this may seem like the time to bundle up and stay inside, the
holiday season is the perfect time to visit Frederik Meijer Gardens for the Christmas
and Holiday Traditions Around the World Exhibit! This annual exhibit is celebrating its
22nd year with what seems to be the best exhibit yet. Running through January 8th,
the event will open its doors to the public at 9AM on November 22nd. This year, the
exhibit will be exploring the influence of folklore on some holiday traditions. It will be
the perfect time to witness the interactive displays that include over 400,000 lights, a
vast array of international Christmas trees, and a number of carolers spreading holiday
cheer. Not to mention, the kids can enjoy exclusive visits from Santa and his reindeers!
This event is open for all ages and its a fun, engaging activity for everyone. Gather
your friends and family and join us on opening day to celebrate the diverse holiday
traditions people practice all over the world!

Janelle Conti

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

(616) 957-1580

info@meijergardens.org

Public Relations Plan

Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World Exhibit

I. Situation
The Meijer Corporation is a very well known company around Grand Rapids. They are
known to value community, diversity, and family values. This annual event that has been
happening for 22 years is a manifestation of those values. The main purpose of this public
relations plan is to reinforce the Meijer Corporations values and image towards the community.
Another reason why a PR plan is needed for this event is to attract customers to the exhibits.
People arent usually open to going out during the holiday season, because they would rather
be inside with their families. This plan can outline ways in which the PR team can appeal to
specific publics, and persuade them to buy a ticket and see the interactive displays.

II. Objectives
For this particular public relations plan, I have crafted three specific objectives to
measure the success of the event. The first objective is to sell 2,500 more tickets to the event
this year in comparison to last year. By selling more tickets, the company will be able to
generate more revenue. Another objective of this public relations plan is to attract a more
diverse audience. The whole exhibit focuses on highlighting dierent cultures, so it would be
important for the event to appeal to an ethnically diverse audience. Not only does this objective
increase the events popularity, but it also contributes to the Meijer Corporations values for
diversity and inclusion. The last objective of this PR plan is to increase the number of people
who visit Frederik Meijer Gardens regularly. Though this event is a specific promotion for the
holiday season, the ultimate goal is to reinforce a customers loyalty to the Gardens.

III. Audience
The most eective audience of this campaign would be parents and young children.
The exhibit itself will be already be appealing to children, because it involves shiny lights and
characters such as Santa and his reindeers. Though the activities at the event cater to children,
the campaign beforehand should be targeted towards the parents. Ultimately, parents are the
ones who decides what the whole family does for the holidays. Not to mention, they have
resources such as transportation and money, which is an important factor for getting people to
the event. In addition, this campaign should also be inclusive and appeal to a variety of
ethnicities. We want to attract people whose cultures are represented at the event, in order to
increase the diversity of our audience and learn about other peoples perspectives.

IV. Strategy
In order to complete the three objectives of this campaign, I have come up with three
eective strategies to carry out. The first strategy is to persuade our target audience that this
event is fun, interactive, and educational for people of all ages. If we stress the fact that this
event is not all fun and games, but actually also educational, then people may be more open to
spending the money on the exhibit. Another strategy that can be implemented throughout this
campaign is to connect the attendees to future events at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Cross-
promoting future events can help the organization generate revenue as well as retain loyal
customers. The last strategy that could be put into action in this campaign is to promote a safe
and welcoming environment. If the event has an inclusive atmosphere that encourages people
to learn and be open-minded, then people of dierent ethnicities will feel more welcome to
attend the event and share more about their specific culture. These three strategies can help to
communicate values of family, community, and diversity, which are three of the main beliefs
held by the Meijer corporation.

V. Tactics
Specific tactics have to be put into place in order to fulfill the strategies and objectives
mentioned above. These tactics, which involve a mix of mass communication and personalized
communication, can help to serve the overarching goals of the whole campaign.

The first step in implementing the strategies of this campaign is to utilize all of the
Meijer Gardens social media platforms. In todays digital age, most people get their information
about events through social media outlets. The PR team could create content that previews the
upcoming attractions at the Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World exhibit. For
example, Facebook Live is a great communication tool to show people, specifically our target
audiences, how each display shares cultural knowledge and insights. This could be a great tool
to prove to potential guests that the displays and exhibits at this event are culturally inclusive,
and not just a variation of American Christmas traditions.

Going along with the idea of previews, another tactic that could be utilized in this
campaign would be to send a volunteer or a sta member to speak to public and private
elementary and middle schools in the greater Grand Rapids area. This sta member could give
a preview as to what this event will look like by talking about one of the cultures represented in
the exhibit. For example, they could talk about the German Christmas tree that will be present
at the event, as well as various German holiday traditions. This little preview will help to engage
students, and hopefully encourage them to ask their parents for permission to go. By
interacting directly with these students, the PR team is working with personalized
communication that could eectively promote commitment to the event.

After the presentation, the students can go home with a brochure explain what the
event is to their parents. The brochure can include information about what people can learn,
and about how much admission costs. In the back of these brochures, there could be a section
that mentions a discount for Meijer Garden memberships. For a limited time, families could get
a discounted price on a membership. This section should mention how much money a family
could save with a membership to the Gardens, as well as the upcoming attractions that take
place during the spring and summer seasons. By convincing people to buy a membership
would reinforce their commitment, and persuade them to visit the Gardens more often.

Lastly, we can continue to promote this campaign to ethnically diverse families by

creating posters with inclusive, and welcoming language. Because Frederik Meijer Gardens
and Meijer Supermarkets are under the same corporation, we display the posters at various
Meijer Supermarket locations. That way, our campaign can reach people of dierent races,
genders, socioeconomic statuses. The rhetoric that we use for these posters have to be
encouraging and inclusive to the various populations that we can potentially reach. We can
even display posters in a dierent languages to cater to people of dierent ethnicities. Because
this event is all about awareness of global cultures, attracting a diverse audience can help
create relationships within the community and reinforce the companys value of diversity.

These are only a few of the tactics that we can implement during this campaign. With
more time and resources, we can continue to come up with practical ways to achieve the
companys overarching goal for this event.

VI. Calendar/Timetable
This campaign should begin about 3-4 weeks before the opening day of the Christmas
and Holiday Traditions Around The World Exhibit. Since the exhibit begins on the 22nd of
November, the campaign should begin around the last weekend in October or the first
weekend in November. By beginning at this time, our holiday campaign wont interfere with the
Halloween festivities happening at the Meijer Gardens. This will also give us enough time to
prepare the materials needed to promote this event.

For this campaign, its important to release new content, whether it be physical or
digital, almost every week leading up to the event. Therefore, the first step that the PR team
needs to take is to finalize the template and designs of each poster and brochure. They also
need to finalize a schedule with the elementary and middle schools that they are planing to
speak at. The second week will compose of delivering these materials to their respective
places. Posters will be delivered to each Meijer supermarket in the greater Grand Rapids area,
brochures will be delivered to schools, articles will be posted to social media platforms, and
volunteers will be getting ready to speak to classes. The third and fourth weeks of the
campaign will be dedicated to executing these tactics, and persuading people to come to the
event. During this time, the PR team should be keeping track of the trac on their social media
websites, as well as advanced ticket sales. Finally, the campaign will end on November 22nd,
which is the opening day for the Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World Exhibit.
This will be the day where the PR team discovers whether or not they accomplished their goal
through these strategies and tactics.

VII. Budget
The budget for this campaign may constantly vary. There are a lot of variables that need
to be considered in terms of the campaign materials. First of all, we need to consider how
many employees are working on this campaign. We also need to account for printing costs for
our materials, such as posters and brochures. Also, this campaign needs to account for the
money that may be lost if people dont take advantage of the discounted membership oer.
However, there are some ways in which this campaign cuts costs. For example, for the school
tours, my suggestion was to have a few volunteers speak to the students, which would save
the campaign some money. Also, social media platforms, as well as their analytics programs,
are very cost-eective because most of them are free of charge. All of those variables have a
say in what the ultimate budget could be. Therefore, my best estimate for a seasonal campaign
budget for this particular organization would be $2,500 - $3,500. Depending on what
connections the organization holds in terms of getting discounts, this budget should account
for most of the cost of materials for this campaign.

VIII. Measurement
There are a multitude of ways to best evaluate the success of this PR plan. The first
objective we need to consider is selling 2,500 more tickets this year compared to the previous
year in order to generate more profits. This objective can be measured by counting how many
tickets were sold throughout the duration of the Christmas and Holiday Traditions event. It
would also be beneficial to account for what types of tickets were sold during the event to see
how much revenue the facility actually gained. If we sold more tickets, but they were priced for
children and not adults, then the facility may not have made as much money as it could have.
Another objective that needs to be considered for measurement is whether or not the event
attracted an ethnically diverse audience. One way to measure this objective would be to have a
survey station near the exit of the exhibit, and ask guests to fill out a quick survey. This survey
could inquire about their ethnicity, and whether or not they felt their culture was accurately
represented for a more culturally rich experience. The last objective that we need to consider is
whether or not this event increased the number of guests at Meijer Gardens as a whole. Within
the next few months following this exhibit, the PR team should conduct some research
regarding the number of people who visit the gardens. They should also account for the
number of people who bought discounted memberships, and whether or not this eort helped
to reinforce customer loyalty. These various measurement methods can determine whether or
not the tactics and strategies exhibited throughout this campaign were eective for the Meijer
Corporation.