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Fall

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Moondogs
Atlanta
The operational strategy and potential marketing
strategy for Moondogs Atlanta

Kayla Brown Caitlin Parrish Molly Smestad


Jocelyn Radillo
Table of Contents
COVER PAGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HISTORY
DEMOGRAPHICS
TARGET MARKET
CULTURE
LIFESTYLE
BRAND LOYALTY
TRENDS
INDUSTRY TRENDS
WEEKLY SPECIALS
INTERVIEW
SURVEY
QUANTITATIVE RESULTS
QUALITATIVE RESULTS

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NEED VS. WANT

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PERCEPTION

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FACTORS OF PERCEPTION
VALUE
MOTIVATION
ATTITUDE
MOLDING CONSUMER ATTITUDE

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20
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21
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E-MARKET PLACE

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RECCOMMENDATIONS

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EVALUATION

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WORKS CITED

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History
Moondogs celebrates twenty-one years and counting. However, twenty- one years
ago Moondogs went by a different name. In 1993, John Kalber, Mike Taylor, and Eric
Hurst began their adventure and opened up The Heights. The Heights was a bar located in
the heart of Buckhead on 3179 Peachtree Street. Two years later, 1995, Mike Taylor
bought out Eric Hurst and decided to make a fresh start with co-owner John Kalber, thus
Moondogs was born. After buying out his business partner, Mike and John expanded the
bar to what it is today, Moondogs Atlanta.
In the late 90s Buckhead, especially Peachtree Street, began to take its stride. The
bars were buzzing with people from all over Atlanta. From 1999 to 2004 Moondogs
reached their peak sales, the bar averaged about $1.5 million in sales. Though Moondogs
was still attracting customers, the sales dropped. Sales were averaging from $727,000 in
2012 to &787,000 in 2013. Though sales were increasing, the bar fell short of the past
sales. These declining sale are due to emerging Roswell Road bars. Mike Taylor,
Moondogs owner, noticed a difference when the Roswell Road bars began to get popular
around 2012 and even more so in 2013. Though this years sales are projected to be
around $812,000, Taylor feels that the sales and customer base have much more room to
grow.
Demographics
Target Market
Moondogs is a multi-bar venue located above Peachtree Street in the heart of
Buckhead Atlanta. It is a comfortable and friendly bar with a unique shape that attracts

those trying to catch the game, enjoy a cocktail or trying ones hand at one of the many
bar games offered. The bar consists of multiple rooms with four bars located around the
venue; the sports bar, the groove lounge, the pub, and club side. Moondogs offers a full
bar and multiple beer and wine selections for all preferences. Drinks are offered with a
wide selection and a cheap rate. With a multiple bar layout, cheap drinks, and bar games
in every room Moondogs attracts mostly college-aged to recent graduates.
Culture
Households under the age of 35 spend 51-58% above their typical household
expenditure on beer and ale at restaurants and bars. (1) Similarly, households under the
age of 34 spend approximately 66% above national average household expenditure on
liquor. (1) Moondogs is located in close proximity to seven college campuses, many of
which fall into this age category. In response, Moondogs targets male and female
customers from the ages of twenty-one to thirty-five.
Demographic culture is defined as everything humans learn from and share with
members of a society. Most Moondogs customers follow a set culture. These customers
are typically college aged or recently graduated (Generation Y or Millennial Generation),
living within close proximity of the bar, and making less than $24,999 annual income.
They welcome cheap drink specials on a daily basis and a close drive home. These
millennials appreciate the large, diverse bar scene to accommodate large groups for a
night out or for multiple table games of Texas Holdem.
Moondogs youngest target are those customers who are 21, the youngest age in
Georgia to consume alcohol, attracting the juvenile behavior of many young, newly
drunk customers in the bar scene. Therefore, norms for the culture of this bar are a

slightly immature as well. Cultural norms are defined as unwritten rules of behavior; they
dictate acceptable and unacceptable behavior. (2) Surrounded by bars that offer similar
cheap drink prices and college lifestyle bars, Moondogs hires staff and security on hand
to assure each customers safety. This is the norm for the customers and staff of
Moondogs.
The attire is casual. Depending on the time or day that you are there the dress
changes slightly. On Wednesday (their busiest night) and the weekends the dress code is
a little more upscale opposed to the other nights where it is acceptable to arrive in ones
work attire (business or casual) for a spontaneous drink before heading home. Most male
customers will arrive in their favorite fraternity t-shirt or sports shirt and a pair of khakis
to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of the bar. The bar prides itself on offering a varying
range on diversity on the dress attire of the casual bar.
Lifestyle
Ages 21-35 are social ages. Individuals enjoy drinking, dancing, cultural
acceptance, independence, and individuality. Individuals begin full-time jobs and start
making independent decisions. This age segment typically begins a salary job around said
age and also begins paying bills. Between the money that is going to bills and is being
saved, the left money is disposable income. Disposable income is that in which is used to
spend on luxury items that are wants opposed to needs. This is money that one sets aside
for luxury occasions such a eating out at a restaurant, frugally shopping, or spending
money on drinks at a bar, etc. This age segment however still craves the fun culture
opposed to their new job schedules. Bars are luxury spending. However, with this
segment coming into more disposable income than they are accustomed to, they choose

to spend their luxury money at a bar. Moondogs is located in the heart of many
businesses in Atlanta and offers cheap drinks to their market. This entices the new
businessmen and women to these prices and relaxed atmosphere.
Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty is necessary in the bar industry. As stated previously, it is difficult
to differentiate the products per bar location. Thus, the bar must capture the customers
loyalty through their experience and the atmosphere. Moondogs has a high rate of
customer loyalty. These loyal customers appreciate their good music, spacious
environment, friendly staff and good drink prices and specials. Moondogs has a multi-bar
layout allowing for each guest to choose the type of atmosphere meeting his or her needs.
Trends
Industry Trends
The interest and population of bars in the United States is steadily increasing. In
response, revenue is increasing due to more frequent visits, longer stays, and higher bills.
(5) The bar industry is changing its direction and focusing on millennials. This is an
attractive market to target due to their high expectations, disposable incomes and wants to
spend it on the latest trend. (4) Millennials appreciate the eye-catching drinks and
ambience of the venue therefore many bars are pushing their companies in that direction
to satisfy the needs and wants of this market. This market is not impressed by simplicity,
they expect more.
Cross promotion is key. (4) Cross promotion is the cooperative marketing by
two or more companies of one anothers products. Cross promotion is a major trend
growing rapidly. It is important for the bar industry to promote themselves. It is difficult

to change products of a bar because most bars offer the same or similar products. Bars
must seek other ways to differentiate themselves such as prices, atmosphere, customer
service, etc. Customers can go to any bar for a drink so most do venture to learn or try
new bars if they have one they already frequent and enjoy. Therefore, by cross promoting
a bar it allows for customers to gain awareness of one bar and create a relation to the
brand they are cross promoting themselves with and allow for a potential new customer.
Weekly Specials
Moondogs offers special deals and events throughout the week. These deals
include, but are not limited to, drink specials, free games, tournaments, and more. The bar
offers karaoke and free popcorn nightly. Below are the stable weekly specials.

Day of the Week:

Special:

Tuesday

Texas Holdem Tournament winners receive cash prizes


Free pool games.

Wednesday

Customer Appreciation: $1 Vodka Cocktails,


$1 Drafts, $5 Pitchers

Thursday

$2 Bombs & Texas Holdem tournament

Friday

Kick the Keg! Whoever finishes the keg receives a cash prize

Saturday

$3 Whiskey cocktails

All Week

$4 Bombs

Interview

To better understand Moondogs as a whole, as a group we each asked questions


centered around Moondogs business structure, as a bar. We interviewed both Mike
Taylor and Andy Kalber. We started off by asking Taylor and Kalber what the strengths
and weaknesses of the bar were. Both Taylor and Kalber agreed that their strengths
overpowered their weaknesses, but their strengths include categories such as; the quality
of their staff, their crowds, their regulars, their music, their ambiance, and their games.
The weaknesses were things such as lack of response to marketing strategies, and
sometimes the type of people that made of the crowds on the weekends. I asked Taylor,
how would you characterize your ideal customer at Moondogs, Taylor replied the
crowd that I like is laid back, appreciates good customer service, and knows how to have
a good time without causing any trouble. Next we asked Taylor what kind of marketing
he has done in the past that wasnt working very well. He pointed out that they have a
Facebook page, and they use it for events, but that it wasnt their main marketing vehicle.
Kalber did mention that he was indecisive about getting involved with Instagram due to
inappropriate pictures that could potentially be posted. We then talked to Kalber a little
more about marketing once Taylor had become busy. We asked Kalber if there were any
day of the week that we could help bring in more traffic, which day would it be? A
surprising answer, he replied, they need to get more people into the bar on Saturdays.
With Saturday being such a popular go out night, we threw out a couple of event
suggestions to hear Kalbers thoughts. Once we mentioned quarterly beer-pong
events, he really liked the idea. Once we came to an agreement about what kind of event
we would use as a marketing strategy, Kalber described the regulars and the staff as a
whole and explained that they are connected like a family. Right after he mentioned

connection as a family, the owner Taylor came back to the conversation with three pieces
of Oreo birthday cake. This just goes to show that given the history of the bar, Moondogs
deserves a solid, fun, consistent crowd. The employees work hard, and they treat each
other with respect, and think about them outside of just work.

Survey
We constructed a one hundred response surveys about what consumers opinions
were about Moondogs. We divided the survey into three different sections. The first
section is the About section, which determines the demographics. The second section is
the Moondogs section, which helps us break down consumers thoughts about
Moondogs. The third section is the Bar Life section, which creates a comparison of
other Buckhead bars to Moondogs.
The survey consisted of quantitative and qualitative questions.

Quantitative Results
The quantitative questions consisted of demographic questions and yes or no
questions. The survey was mixed with all demographics, but the most common
demographic was a Caucasian female around twenty-one to twenty-four years of age that
lives inside the perimeter. As a whole we had more female respondents than male by
24%. According to Consumer Behavior, women more than men have hedonistic values
(concepts about what is worth having) such as pleasure, fun, and enjoyment. The ages
varied, but the survey respondents were mostly within the target market of the bar.
Though Caucasian was took the majority, there were a variety of different races, such as,

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African American and Asian or Pacific Islander. The income also ranged, the most
common income was less than $24,999 with $25,000- $49,999 only 7% behind. The
survey also had a small percentage of consumers who had an income of over $100,000.
Most consumers resided inside the perimeter, which allows us to narrow down our target
market. Though we want to market to people outside the perimeter, it is easier to reach
consumers that are closer to the Buckhead area. Within the perimeter, 17% of the
consumer lived on a college campus, such as, Georgia State and Georgia Tech. We can
use this information to help us locate different target markets.
Besides the demographic questions, we used the quantitative method for two other
questions. The first question was, Have you ever been to Moondogs? The responses we
received we dominantly yes, 91% of consumers who took the survey have been to
Moondogs. The second question was, Do you notice an online presence of Moondogs?
The responses we received we dominantly no, 67% of consumers who took the survey
have not noticed an online presence.

The lack of online presence was shocking because owner, Mike Taylor, spends
money promoting Facebook posts and events and get over thousand of views a day.
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Qualitative Results
The qualitative questions were all open- ended questions to get in depth answers
from the consumers. The survey asked, How often do you visit Moondogs? to
understand the degree of interest, or involvement, a consumer has to Moondogs.

Most consumers would describe their interest in Moondogs as a situational


involvement. 44% of consumers visit Moondogs on a monthly basis because of
birthdays, bachelor or bachelorette parties, or visiting Atlanta for the weekend.
Consumers are only interested in going to Moondogs for specific situations, not just to
grab a drink to relax. Though the highest percentage of visits was on a monthly basis, 3%
of consumers go there on a daily basis. The consumers that go to Moondogs on a daily
basis have a deep involvement with Moondogs. They are very brand loyal and have
extreme interest in the bar.

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In order to find out the wants and needs of consumers we asked a multitude of
questions that were open- ended and multiple choice. In the multiple-choice section,
respondents were allowed to check all the answers that apply. The first question only
pertained to Moondogs, Why do you come to Moondogs? We wanted to know what
desire brought the consumer to Moondogs. This question helped us determine what need
or want Moondogs satisfied. The second question was, What helps you choose what bar
to go to? We wanted to compare this question with the first question about Moondogs.
What need or want was Moondogs not giving the consumer?
We measured value using open- ended question, What do you like about
Moondogs? and What do you dislike about Moondogs? The responses to these
questions outlined what values consumers get from Moondogs. The values that
consumers receive from Moondogs are utilitarian values, social values, ego/ identity
value, and recreation value.
We wanted to uncover hidden motives and perceptions by using the third-person
question phrasing. Our question was, How would you describe Moondogs to a friend?
By asking this question their answers would reveal their motives or perceptions
about Moondogs without directly asking what they thought. We wanted to have nonstructured questions so that the respondents would say what comes from their mind. The
respondent projected themselves into the situation and gave the survey these responses: it
is a great place to go, sports bar, has cheap drinks, has an older crowd, very laid back, has
different moods for each bar, and has welfare Wednesdays. From these responses we
were able to get an understanding of the hidden motives and perceptions of consumers.

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Another question was, What events would you be interested in? This question
was designed to understand the services that would satisfy a consumers hedonic
consumption.

The events consumers were the most interested in were a beer pong tournament,
glow party, flip cup tournament, and a karaoke contest. All of these events could create an
intrinsic enjoyment because each event comes in the following forms. A glow party could
be a sensory pleasure because of the lights and music or it could be fun and play because
of the dancing that accompanies the music. A karaoke contest would fall under sensory
pleasure for those who are in the audience listening, but fun and play for the consumers
singing along to their favorite song. A beer pong and a flip cup tournament would fall
under the category of fun and play because they involve people playing a game for fun.
Need vs. Want

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Need
A need can be defined as a discomforting human condition. It can be
discomforting in a physiological sense or in a psychological sense. A consumer need for
those that are attending Moondogs might be arriving sober when everybody else is
intoxicating. In this case, many consumers will feel bored or annoyed, resulting in a

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consumer need.

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This graph demonstrates consumer needs for the bar that they decide to go to. The
most important need claimed by consumers is tied three ways; they want to be around
their friends and family, they want to be around people like themselves, and they want to
listen to new popular music that they can have a good time drinking to. Music is a very
unique element, with a college crowd on the weekends, they want EDM, house, or
anything that has shots in the lyrics, music that they can dance to. Moondogs can meet
these consumer needs in multiple ways. Moondogs glow room is seen as a party dance
room for those that want to do a little more than just standing around. There is another
room in which they can pick their own song and sing along with in karaoke. Moondogs
has so many rooms for music to keep the consumers attention, all the employees need a
little feedback from the needs that the consumers have. After music, location and
familiarity of bar are both tied at 13%. Location is something that cannot be changed, but
our marketing strategy can increase the consumers familiarity of the bar with our BeerPong Olympics quarter annual event. Drink special is the next most desirable need from a
consumer. With different events that are hosted, drink specials will be promoted in new
unique ways each time to push the average college consumer to keep buying drinks with
the money they are saving. Quality of staff is always important overall, but more so to
those consumers that are regulars with the bar isnt packed with the college
fraternity/sorority crowd coming through each weekend. When we look at the average
college student customer at Moondogs on the weekends, the most important thing to
these types of consumers is how fast they're getting their drink, and the overall
presentation of how the drink is made and the end result of how it looks. Last but not
least, in consumer needs are advertisements, landing at 3%. This may seem low, and

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consumers may say that they dont look at advertisements, but when Moondogs starts
throwing big events that are shared through advertisements, consumers will catch on to
the fun events.
Want
A want can be defined as a desire for a specific object or product. A want for a
consumer at Moondogs would be either a cocktail because they are bored with the
appearance of a standard beer, and want an eye-catchy drink from one of the fantastic
bartenders. Another example of a consumer want at Moondogs could be becoming
uninterested in conversing with others drinking, and Moondogs has a solution for that
problem. There are multiple types of games at Moondogs including; pool, darts, beer
pong, a glow room, and free food even.

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This graph demonstrates the types of consumer wants at Moondogs. The


consumers top priority when they come to Moondogs is to catch their generous drink
specials. After their drinks, they want some free games. The games include pool, darts,
beer pong, flip cup, and karaoke. Next coming in with a tie, the consumers want
ambiance and a quality staff. The consumers are looking for a creative bar scene, and
Moondogs provides this with the incredible ambiance displayed through multiple types of
rooms. All of my needs and wants are met from the bartenders because they provide great
customer service. The next reason for customers to want to come to Moondogs happens
to be the location. They have a great location, but unfortunately are right down the room
from their main competition, which involves 15-20 bars stacked right in a row. The last
want that consumers attend Moondogs is for the crowd base, with our marketing strategy,
we will definitely be aiming for this to be a higher reason for consumers to come to
Moondogs.
Perception
There are three parts to perception; first there is exposure, which is defined as a
stimulus comes within the reach of one or more of our five senses. In our case with
Moondogs, we would focus on exposing things to catch consumers sight, get them to
taste and make sure they like what they're hearing with the music Moondogs controls.
The second part of perception is attention, which is allocation of mental processing
capacity. In this aspect we are aiming to catch more attention with our event ideas such as
a beer pong tournament, flip club, dart competition, and a glow party. The final part that
completes perception is interpretation; this is the process and outcome of understanding

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the meaning of a stimulus. In the end, we want the interpretation to be positive when the
consumer leaves Moondogs, an increase of 15% positivity by the end of next year.

The graph above is a great demonstration of the different perceptions of


Moondogs, which initially help us on what we need to work on to create a better
perception for our common consumer base.

How would you describe Moondogs to a friend?


Great place to go
Sports Bar
Cheap Drinks
Games
Older Crowd

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Laid Back
Ambiance (different moods)
College bar on Wednesday

This graph is another good example of how consumers look at the bar with a
certain kind of perception.
Factors of Perception
Values
Values can be defined as desired end-states of life and preferred paths to
achieving them.
As a team we are working together to create and build value within our marketing
strategy. We will implement our marketing strategy with the responses our 100
respondent surveys.

Likes
Great Atmosphere
Free Games
Drinks
Nice Bartenders
Wednesday Specials ($1 cocktails and $1 drafts)
Different Rooms (Spacious)

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Free Popcorn
This graph shows us what consumers find valuable at Moondogs, and we want to
increase this list with our soon to be implemented marketing strategy.
Motivation
Approach motivation is the desire to attain a gold object. We are going to make an
educated attempt to motivate consumers to keep coming to Moondogs and increase the
overall consumer base. We are going to do this by creating quarterly beer pong
tournaments ran throughout the year. Each beer pong tournament will be themed
differently to give the consumers something to be creative and have fun with. Through
this approach we are attempting to attract consumers and motivate them to put together
teams and build a new tradition.

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In the figure above, these following events are ideas we made up to become
events for the consumers.
Attitudes
Attitudes towards bars and Moondogs are classified in three sections, The ABCs
affect, beliefs, and connotation. We want to affect the consumers in a good way. At the
end of the night we want them to feel like they can come back to Moondogs and know
that they will have a good time. The beliefs are considered the expectations about what
something is or is not. As a team, we believe that our marketing strategy will increase the
consumer base resulting with an increase in sales, and an overall increase of 15% in sales
at Moondogs by the end of December 2015. Connotation is our instruction to the mind

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that next time the occasion arises; we are going to buy this thing. Moondogs has a great
atmosphere for college students. With our marketing strategy, we are planning to have a
certain amount of teams come out for each scheduled beer pong even, as a certain theme.
These themed teams will catch the attention of consumers, who are not participating, but
next time the occasion arises, they will want to be a part of it.

Molding Consumer Attitudes


There are multiple ways to mold consumer attitudes. First, reference group play a
vital role in molding consumer perception. Reference groups refer to the individuals,
groups, and institutions that one uses as points of reference. These could be people that
one tends to ask for advice when making a choice, or in order to establish their own
values and behaviors (Avery 232). Everyone has at least one point of reference in his or
her live. A point of reference can be used to Moondogs advantage. For instance, of the
people surveyed, when asked how they heard about Moondogs. Roughly seventy eight
percent stated that they heard Moondogs through their family and friends. Roughly six
percent heard about Moondogs from social media, fifteen percent walked or drove by
Moondogs, and the last remaining percent heard about Moondogs from a different source.

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All of these options act as reference points to our consumers. Marketers are
interested on understanding and measuring consumer attitudes as well as molding and
shaping them; therefore, we believe that we are better able to influence the consumer if
we are better able to influence their reference groups (Avery 232).

Reference Group Influences


There are three forms of reference group influences. The first one is informative.
Informative is based on expertise, or experienced consumers. For Moondogs, these are
the people who would be considered the regulars, those that frequently come to
Moondogs and are recognizable by the staff. These individuals are well aware of the
venue, the bar, and the area. These are the types of individuals that have strong
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credibility. A persons power to exercise informative influence on another person comes


from his or her own expertise. This means that the persons power may grow as he
obtains more experience. The product enthusiasts would be one of the four types of
expert reference that would influence our consumers the most. The product enthusiast
suggests anyone who is a huge fan of bars, would be the first person to try out any new
product from that bar. In this case, product enthusiasts would be the individuals who are
always on the lookout, and excited whenever something new happens at Moondogs. The
market mavens are another type of expert reference. These are the individuals that are
well informed about the market place endeavors (Avery 235). They possess information
about a range of products, prices, and even special promotions in effect at the time.
These would be the types of people who are constantly doing their research about what
Moondogs offers and look at the pros and cons of the specials. The difference between
these two is how they go about things. The enthusiast gets excited and tries the product
out. The market maven does his research and knows what the promotion is about,
without having to try it out, as they are in the know.
The second form is normative. Normative influence occurs when the consumers
decisions are based on his or her desires to conform to the expectations of someone else.
It comes from the referents power to compensate, or punish, the consumers behavior
(Avery 326). Examples of normative influence groups range from peers and family, to
organizations.
There are also different types of groups that we have chosen to cater to which we
call primary groups. These primary groups are also the kinds of groups would serve as a
direct source when recommending Moondogs. The primary groups that are associated

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with Moondogs and the consumer include family, co-workers, sport clubs and
fraternities/sororities. This would make sense for a number of a reasons, the main one
being the cost. Fraternities/sororities as well as sport clubs look for ways to socialize at a
relatively cheap cost. Moondogs is able to provide exactly that. Co-workers would prefer
to go to Moondogs because they can get employee discounts, not to mention they are
quite familiar with the staff and its clientele. Familiarity would seem more of an incentive
to feel a sense of belonging. Family members, on the other hand, would prefer to spend
the time with their loved ones and wouldnt mind the relatively cheap costs. Again,
influencing these primary groups, or sources, will entice others to participate and take
part at Moondogs.
The reason why we are able to use reference groups and primary groups is
because a group is defined as two or more people sharing a common purpose (Avery
233). This entails that with a collective purpose, these individuals are better able to take
the advice of the person within their group; rather than the advice of a stranger.

Conative Route
Other than reference groups, we chose to implement the conative route. This
approach would involve changing attitudes by first changing behavior. This focuses on
how we are going to induce the consumer. Inducing involves having a direct contact with
the consumer. For example, free samples act as having a direct contact with the
consumer; therefore it allures the consumer. As part of our survey, we had a section that
asked the consumer what would help them choose which bar they would go to. Our data
suggested that sixteen percent would go based on their friends and family, thirteen

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percent based on the location, sixteen percent based their choice on music, eleven percent
on quality of staff, thirteen percent on familiarity of the bar, twelve percent on drink
specials, sixteen percent on the crowd and three percent on advertisements.

Cognitive Route
Cognitive route focuses on molding the thought process of the person. For
instance, a marketer would be able to provide an association with the product or service.
From there the reaction could be positive or negative, according to past experience or
association. If the consumer accepts the marketers association to the product, then a
brand acceptance has been created. This means that we have now enabled the consumer
to believe that our particular product is good and we have then increased the chances of
them coming to us in the future. Based on these results, there are a couple of ways we can

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target the consumer. We first would need to look at the strongest factors that influence
the consumers decision. Based on the data above, Friends and family, the crowd, and the
music all have the strongest influence at a percent of sixteen; therefore, it would only
make sense to better enhance the perception of Friends and Family and Moondogs
crowd, as well as focusing on having the most updated music for these groups.
Unfortunately, it seems that advertising might not be an attractive route for the simple
fact that only three percent of people base their decision on advertising. There is not
much we can do on location for the fact that location is usually influenced on factors such
as cost. If we were to relocate somewhere else, it hurt the establishment considering
Buckhead is well known for its proximity with competing bars. The result of relocating
would be more on maximization and less on increase market share.

Social Comparison Theory


A foundational theory we took into consideration includes the social comparison
theory. We took this into account knowing people tend to bring friends when making
choices. In return, it provides the consumer a sense of belonging and approval of their
behaviors as they relate to the group. This ties into social facilitation, which refers to the
effect the presence of another body has on our performance, in this case, choosing
between Moondogs and its competitors. Trusting peers while searching for the right bar
merely facilitates the process of information search.

Post-Choice Experience

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Ultimately, we want customers to have a positive feeling with the outcome of our
events. Through responses we were able to get an insight on peoples certitude in
Moondogs and its services. According to our survey, based on their experience, we
discovered customers likes and dislikes that could potentially influence consumers
future decisions and buying behavior. They indicated a great satisfaction with the variety
of drinks, the Welfare Wednesday Special, free games, staff, karaoke, free popcorn and its
spacious rooms. Customers appeared to be dissatisfied about the smoky environment, the
cleanliness of the bathrooms, a delay in replenishing drink specials, some of the crowd,
and the location of Moondogs. By addressing these problems, we can minimize stages of
information search when making their next purchase decision. We asked customers what
factors could enhance their Moondogs experience. Their responses suggested an increase
in Saturday night activities, promotional events, team competitions, drink specials, and
the incorporation of live bands at the venue. Positive, or negative, patrons will share their
post-choice experience of Moondogs. We want to address their needs to our fullest
potential. It is crucial for us to satisfy customers, as they are likely to become regulars,
therefore, increasing customer loyalty.

E-Market Place
According to the given survey results, (refer to Appendix Exhibit 2 for survey
results) Moondogs has a low online presence. Only 33% of people have seen an online
presence of Moondogs. This means out of 100 surveyed responses, 67 people have not
seen any online presence of Moondogs. See Appendix Exhibit 2 for survey results.

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According to Forbes magazine, these are the top 10 benefits of Social Media marketing:
(3)
1. Increased Brand Recognition
Visibility is valuable. (3) Social media is on the rise and with an account on
social media sites you can extend the broadcast and reach of your brand. Seeing your
brand broadcasted in multiple locations may help a potential customer become more
acquainted and inclined with your business. This not only makes it easer to market
and spread the word about your brand but it also cuts advertising costs.
2. Improved Brand Loyalty
A study by Convince & Convert found loyalty increases with social media
presence. 53% of Americans who follow brands in social [media] are more loyal to
those brands. (3)
3. More opportunities to convert
Every post on a social media account will allow access to customers, new and old.
With every positive post increases the likelihood of an eventual conversion to ones
brand.
4. Higher Conversion Rates
When a company has a social media presence online it creates more of
humanization perception because you can interact online. Brands can act in a personal
manner through this channel. Companies can benefit from this because people enjoy
doing business with people opposed to companies. (3)
5. Higher Brand Authority

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Allowing for more social media allows for greater reach to potential customers,
which in turn will increase brand awareness and authority.
6. Increased Inbound Traffic
Your inbound traffic is limited to current or past customers without social media.
By using social media accounts you can increase traffic into your bar. This gives a
higher opportunity to positive experiences and a possible conversion, or a new loyal
customer, to Moondogs bar.
7. Decreased Marketing Costs
implementing social media into ones marketing plan, you can decrease costs and
increase customer reach. Most forms of social media marketing are free therefore
cutting marketing and advertising costs dramatically if implemented correctly and
successfully.
8. Better Search Engine Rankings
The more sites that you have on the Internet will increase your rankings through
browser search engines. By increasing your search engine ranking, your web address
will escalate to higher ranked places on any given search engine allowing for greater
reach of potential customers. Companies such as Google and other search engines
may be calculating their rankings using social media presence as a significant factor,
because of the fact that strong brands almost always use social media. (3)
9. Richer Customer Experiences
There are forms of social media that allow you to track your companys measure
of conversation throughout any social media you have. This site allows you to see
positive or negative feedback. When a customer has a bad experience, said customer

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is more likely to write a review opposed to if a customer has a good experience. With
this knowledge, a company can quickly identify negative experiences and can
personally (over social media) reach out and publicly apologize for their experience
and can offer an incentive or reason to return. Other online users can see the response
that Moondogs replies with and appreciate the customer service Moondogs is willing
to offer. People enjoy frequenting places that they recognize the companys
appreciation of the customer. Its a personal experience that lets customers know you
care about them. (3)
10. Improved Customer Insights
Social Media allows for a company to send valuable information out publicly
making it easy to find for the customer. It also allows the company to post any
specials, events, or other valued information for potential customers to search or
come across on their social media accounts. It also allows you to gain important
knowledge of the customers insights, opinions, and desires.
Moondogs is a current user of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
Mike, the bar owner, posts specials on Facebook and changes the photos on a frequent
basis. He also invites people to like the company page. Liking a page on Facebook
allows for posts by the company to show up in their News Feed on their homepage
allowing easier, quick access to the post. The bar also has an Instagram but it is not used
on a regular basis nor has it been promoted or advertised. Currently, Mike is in charge of
handling all social media accounts. Mike is also in charge of measuring the traffic and
progress of their social media. When registering a Facebook as a company page, the
website will generate reports to track a certain pages click-through rate, how often the

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page is being searched, and how often it is being visited. Mike runs these tests and tracks
the companys social media rank using this method.

Recommendations

Objective
Based on our research we conducted, we have two objectives. Our objectives are
what we want to accomplish with Moondogs. The first objective is to increase sales by
15% by the end of Q4, December 31, 2015. The second objective is to increase customer
base by 15% by the end of Q4, December 31, 2015.

Strategy
Based on our objectives we want our core message, or strategy, to be Moondogs,
steps above the rest. We will use tactics to show consumers that Moondogs is better than
any other bar because of its diverse nature.
Tactics
Our first tactic is to use the social media dashboard Hootsuite to create an
efficient and centralized e- marketplace for Moondogs. Hootsuite is a professional social
media service that helps organize social media throughout a company. Hootsuite is a free
program that helps you schedule messages to post ahead of time, manage your social
profiles, delivers easy to read reports, and more. In order to organize Moondogs social
media we will use Hootsuite. At the moment, the only social media Moondogs has is
Facebook. Mike Taylor, the owner, spend a lot of time posting promotions and events, in

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order to get people in the door. We want to cut his time in half and broaden his social
media outlets.
First, we will create a Twitter and Instagram that can easily be controlled by
Hootsuite. Next, we will create posts so we can schedule them to post in the future. The
Tweets will be set up to post randomly during the week from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00P.M.
Another day for Twitter posting will be Sunday because that is Moondogs day of rest.
We want the bar to stay fresh in the consumers minds, so tweeting on Sundays will
remind consumer Moondogs is still there. Finally, we will schedule Instagram posts to
post during the day around 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. We chose this time because most of
our target market will be at lunch, relaxing and looking on social media.
The posts we send out through various social media outlets will include weekly
deals at Moondogs, events, special chances to win prizes, and funny picture, just to make
the consumer laugh.
After a month of posting, we will evaluate our traffic using Hootsuite reports and
redesign our tactic from there.
Our second tactic will revolve around an event, Beer Olympics. Beer Olympics
with happen quarterly, four times a year. Bear Olympics will consist of popular beer
games, such as beer pong, flip cup, quarters, and beer ball. There will be teams of two
and the winner will receive cash prize and a trophy.
Each quarter will have a different theme. The first quarter a team will have to
represent their county. For example, two teammates could both be from the United States,
wearing red, white and blue; another team could be from Brazil, wearing the Brazilian
flag and colors. The second quarter will be come as a team of superheroes, such as

35

Batman and Batgirl or Mario and Luigi. The third quarter would be come as your favorite
football team, such as, the Falcons or The Saints. The fourth, and last quarter, will be ugly
sweater themed, for example, a team would come in their favorite ugly sweater.
In order to market the event we would target colleges, especially fraternities and
sororities. We would also use Hootsuite to get the word out to people not in college.
Our third tactic would be to strengthen in-house marketing. Moondogs will hold
monthly meeting to inform employees about special promotion and new events. Not only
do the consumers need to be aware of promotions and events, but staff should know what
is going on. The meetings will help keep every employee on the same page. The
employees will be more informed, so the staff can answer any question a customer might
have about the event or special. The staff can also promote more efficiently if they know
what the promotion or event is in detail. Keeping the staff knowledge will help face to
face marketing.
Our fourth and final tactic would be to get Moondogs more involved with
sponsorships. For example, intramurals, such as, Go Kickball or Go Softball is popular
amongst the young professionals in Atlanta, which is Moondogs target market.
Sponsoring intramural events will help spread the word about Moondogs. If we sponsor
Go Kickball, Moondogs logo will be on the back of all the teams shirts. In addition to
visual promotion, at the end of the game, the winner will receive a voucher to one free
pitcher of beer at Moondogs, set to expire that day. After a long game, the players would
love a free pitcher of beer. Since Go Kickball end early, the players will get to the bar
earlier than the normal crowd. When the later crowd walks in they will notice more
people in the bar and want to stay. Consumers will less likely stay at a bar that has no one

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enjoying a cold beverage. If we get more people in the seats early, more people will likely
stay.

Evaluation
To evaluate the overall performance, we will focus on achieving 1) an increase in
sales by 15%, and 2) an increase in customer base by 15% by the end of Q4 (December
31, 2015). By looking at Moondogs quarterly revenue growth, or the increase of sales
compared to a previous quarter, we will be able to determine how much of the bars sales
have increased over time. This can be used in the future as well when comparing on a
year-to-year basis or sequentially. Looking at previous quarters will provide us with an
idea of how well Moondogs is doing. To avoid costly methods, customer base will be
measured by the use of a clicker. Though its been used for years, the lack of
implementation and record keeping has not provided accurate numbers. We want to put
this to use as we compare customer base quarter-to-quarter through the implementation of
our events. Clickers will be present at every event by the front entrance and entries will
be recorded at the end of the night.

Conclusion
By using new social media dashboards, creating new events, strengthening inhouse marketing, and becoming more involved in sponsorships, Moondogs plans to reach
its goals of raising sales and customer base.
Steps above the rest
-Moondogs

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Works Cited
1. Bar Business 2012. SBDCNet SBDC Clearinghouse. Web
<http://www.sbdcnet.org/small-business-research-reports/bar-business2012/>.
2. Avery, Robert Kozinets, Arch Woodside, Banwari Mittal, and Priya Raghubir.
Consumer Behavior: Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods.
3rd ed. 2003. Print.
3. DeMers, Jayson. "The Top 10 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing." Forbes.
Forbes Magazine,
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10benefits-of-social-media-marketing/>.
4. Ponchione, Alissa. "7 Trends For 2014." 7 Trends For Bar and Restaurant
Owners in 2014. Web. <http://www.nightclub.com/bar-management/7trends-for-2014>.
5. "Cafs/Bars in the US." Cafs/Bars in the US. Euromonitor International, Web.
<http://www.euromonitor.com/cafes-bars-in-the-us/report>.

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