Bloomingfoods Market and Deli

Student Awareness Proposal

GROUP 18 Sofia van Tilburg Hillary Wood Mackenzie Wielheimer Lindsay Gavin Jordan Littman

Table of Contents
Executive Summary3 Situation Analysis4-5 SWOT Analysis .6 Research Plan.7 Bloomingfoods Survey..8 Research Analysis..9 Survey Results.10-11 Campaign Plan Grid.12 Campaign Plan13-19 Timetable..20 Evaluation Plan...21-23 Appendix.24-25
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Executive Summary
We were commissioned to investigate ways in which Bloomingfoods Market and Deli can further its market share within the Bloomington, Indiana community. Our research brought to our attention the lack of students viewing Bloomingfoods as a viable grocery-shopping alternative. We found that a majority of college students surveyed hold similar beliefs to Bloomingfoods, in that a healthy lifestyle is important to them. However, only 7 percent of students admit to shopping there. Surveys distributed concluded that Kroger is Bloomingfoods main competitor holding 59 percent of students major shopping trips. Moreover, of those who chose quality and freshness of product as their most important factor when grocery shopping, only 30 percent shopped at Bloomingfoods compared to 60 percent who shopped at Kroger. After analyzing current Bloomingfoods co-op members and the student population, we suggest students be the key public this campaign is intended to reach. Students could be the defining factor between average market share and increased profits. Through thorough research, our agency believes it would be in Bloomingfoods Market and Delis favor to undertake various strategies in order to improve their market within the Indiana University student population.
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Situation Analysis
Bloomingfoods is a local business in Bloomington that focuses on healthy eating and living. Using secondary research and through browsing their website, social media sites and their store, we have come to the conclusion that a the majority of their customers are mainly people who are already members of the co-op and local community. According to their mission statement, it is clear that the local community is important to them as evident by the locally grown produce they stock in stores. Bloomingfoods Market and Delis $90 co-op membership fee allows customers to invest in the company becoming a member and owner therefore gaining a sense of ownership. The company emphasizes this deal by allowing coop members to partake in special membership discount days, special events and classes. After working through the client SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) Analysis, our main conclusion is that Bloomingfoods marketing currently does not include the student demographic, which is a possible external opportunity they could expand upon. The strengths associated with the SWOT analysis are that Bloomingfoods extends multiple opportunities to the community to give back and the company promotes a healthy lifestyle. They also are doing a very good job of maintaining a positive relationship with their current target publics locals and current members.
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Situation Analysis Cont.

The Bloomingfoods brand in general is successful in-andof-itself, however, they could increase their target markets and optimize profitability by reaching out further to the some 40,000 undergraduates on Indiana Universitys campus. After analyzing our secondary research there were a few unanswered questions worth bringing into our primary research. These include: Do students like Bloomingfoods? Do they have a positive attitude towards it? Is a healthy lifestyle important to them? (Students) If price didnt matter would they shop at: Bloomingfoods, Kroger, Target, Marsh, or other? Whats important to them when shopping? (Price, proximity to home, quality/freshness of the produce) Do they buy their own groceries, or do parents/others? Where do they live? (Apartment, dorm, sorority/fraternity house, etc.) Do they even know that Bloomingfoods is a viable option? Through our primary research we plan to answer these questions to better understand Indiana Universitys students feelings about Bloomingfoods and living a healthy lifestyle.

SWOT Analysis
Internal
STRENGTHES Organic produce Locally grown Co-op member benefits Online sustainability tips Loyal employees Twitter, Website Family-type atmosphere

External
OPPORTUNITIES College students possible public Going free/ ecofriendly trend setting Enhance social media site Not a lot of advertising People with eating restrictions THREATS

WEAKNESSES

No supply of Other organic produce International produce markets (Sahara Mart) More expensive produce Kroger, Marsh, WalMart, Sams Club No advertising to student population Genetically modified crops High cost of membership No coupons available Weather/crop problems Better maintenance of website/ social media
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Research Plan
To further gauge the understanding of the student population at IU, we intended to conduct a close-ended questionnaire/survey given to a random sampling of students. To obtain this sample, we handed out surveys to students as they entered Ballantine Hall. Ballantine Hall is at the center of campus and most students enter the building on a daily basis, making it the ideal place to hand out surveys. In accordance with the survey handed out on campus, we also handed out the same survey to Bloomingfoods customers. We used a random sampling to separate our individuals from the general public. With the permission of Bloomingfoods management, we positioned ourselves at the exits of multiple Bloomingfoods locations and provided paper surveys. Subsequently the results obtained from the questionnaires/surveys will further assist us with comparing and analyzing the information using graphs and charts. The outcomes from the questionnaires/surveys will contribute in determining the final message that will be conveyed to the student public.

Bloomingfoods Survey
Bloomingfoods Customer Survey Please circle your answers. Are you an IU student? Yes No Are you a Bloomingfoods co-op member? Yes No How do you feel about Bloomingfoods? Love it Like it Dont care Dislike How important is a healthy lifestyle to you? Not important Somewhat important Very important What is most important to you when grocery shopping? Price Proximity Quality/freshness of product Where do you do the majority of your grocery shopping? Bloomingfoods Kroger Marsh Target Other: _______________________ What is your gender? Female Male Other In what type of housing do you reside? House Apartment Dorm Sorority/Fraternity house Other: ________________________ 8

Research Analysis
Our student surveys found that not only do very few IU students currently shop at Bloomingfoods Market and Deli, however even less are part of the co-op. However, our research also concluded that the majority of students expressed that living a healthy lifestyle is important to them, a belief that directly correlates with the Bloomingfoods mission. Still, only 7 percent of students shop there. The surveys concluded that Kroger is Bloomingfoods main competitor, with 59 percent of students doing the majority of their shopping there. In addition, of all students who chose quality and freshness of product as their most important factor when grocery shopping; only 30 percent shopped at Bloomingfoods compared to 60 percent at Kroger. After surveying our public, IU students, the main goal we want to achieve is to create a larger awareness of Bloomingfoods Market and Deli as a viable grocery shopping option for students. Bloomingfoods provides products that are local, organic and fresh all of which coincide with students desire to live a healthy lifestyle. The data on the following pages was compiled from surveys filled out by Indiana University students.
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Survey Results
How important is a healthy lifestyle to you?
7%

46% 47%

Not Important Somewhat Important Very Important

What is most important to you when grocery shopping?

Price

23%

12% 65%

Proximity

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Survey Results Cont.

Where do you do the majority of your grocery shopping?
12% 10% 12% 59% 7%

Bloomingfoods Kroger Marsh Target Other

Are you a Bloomingfoods co-op member?

7%

yes no
93%

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Campaign Plan Grid

After analyzing the data we collected from our student surveys we were able to build on the foundation of this table. The evaluation of our publics values and needs allowed us to develop our tactics for implementing a successful campaign plan.
Public Students Values Healthy Lifestyle Needs Demonstrate ability to achieve healthy lifestyle easily Make more affordable Better promote the availability of fresh/local produce at Bloomingfoods Media (tactics) Putting Bloomingfoods products in oncampus food courts Student discounts days and social media promotions (giveaways) Produce tasting night in the Union

Price

Quality

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Campaign Plan
Overall Campaign Goal: Creating awareness and meeting a need among Indiana University students in Bloomington, which will result in the development of a Bloomingfoods student-consumer base. This relationship will be developed through Bloomingfoods ability to meet students need for healthy options in close proximity to their dormitories and classes. Dorm Food Courts Objective 1: Develop a relationship between Bloomingfoods and students during their freshman year on campus, which will be sustained throughout their time in Bloomington. Strategy: All IU freshmen live in one of three dorm neighborhoods and each neighborhood has its own food court. A meal-point package is purchased when students register for dormitory housing, which allows students to purchase all meals through their freshman year via meal points. Healthy as well as special diet options are few and far between at these food courts. Many students must eat gluten-free or dairy-free, or choose to be vegetarian or vegan. Maintaining a balanced and healthy diet can be difficult with the limited options provided. Most freshmen are without transportation and only have the option of eating meals at food courts. Students value and have a need for healthy meals that can be purchased at their dorm food court. Many times this need is not being met; most food court options
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Campaign Plan Cont.

consist of comfort foods, sandwiches and fried and processed foods. Tactics: Bloomingfoods has the opportunity to reach all freshman students through implementing its hot food bar into the food courts. We suggest bringing Bloomingfoods organic options to freshmen and making them available to be purchased with meal points. An assortment of Bloomingfoods side options: chicken salad, tofu salads, egg salad, quinoa salads and vegetables will bring a large variety to students meals. The hot bar will provide students with a variety of soup, salad, chicken, tofu and grain options. All Bloomingfoods items will be labeled with a sticker, informing consumers where Bloomingfoods is located and advertising to students their student discount card. The implementation into the food courts will result in lower classmen awareness of Bloomingfoods before they move into off-campus housing during their sophomore, junior and senior years. Students will have the opportunity to taste Bloomingfoods options and develop a connection with the company. It is more probable that when moving into other housing, their relationship with Bloomingfoods will be sustained. Students will more likely grocery shop and buy meals they have previously had in the food courts at Bloomingfoods store locations to meet their needs for healthy options.
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Campaign Plan Cont.

IMU Food Courts Objective 2: Attract students to Bloomingfoods through centering a hot bar and pre-packaged items in the center of campus. Strategy: The Indiana Memorial Union (IMU) is located in the heart of campus and has many purposes for students, professors, visitors and the community. Mainly students visit the union to study, use computer labs, meet up with friends or buy a meal between classes. It is one of the only buildings on campus besides the dormitory food courts that people visit to buy a snack or meal. The IMU food court consists of few restaurants that provide healthy options and no restaurants where organic items can be purchased. Many options are fast food restaurants such as Burger King, Chick-Fil-A and Pizza Hut. There are currently two restaurants that advertise healthy options but these restaurants are lacking in variety. For example: Cyclone Salads strictly sells salads and Freshens Smoothie Company sells only smoothies, frozen desserts and few healthy side choices. Neither of these restaurants makes their items with vegetarian, vegan or special diet restrictions in mind. Bloomingfoods has so much to offer students in comparison to the existing food court options. Bloomingfoods has the opportunity to give students access to a variety of nutritional, organic and special diet options while theyre on campus. Our team suggests Bloomingfoods
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Campaign Plan Cont.

implementing their pre-made entres, sides and hot bar into the IMU food court. Busy traffic occurs in the IMU in between classes, during lunchtime and dinnertime; IMU traffic would allow for many customers through out the day. Tactics: To create awareness of Bloomingfoods new presence in the food court, several tactics will be executed: flyers, social media, and a student rewards card. Making students aware of Bloomingfoods new IMU location and what their food can offer is key to attracting new customers. Flyers will have coupons printed on them valid for 25 percent off a first purchase. Flyer content will inform potential customers on nutritious options, organic foods, card discounts, locations and social media information. These flyers will be strategically passed out during the letting out of classes and on the busiest campus spots. To give student customers incentive to return, each student will be offered a rewards card. When showing the rewards card at the register, the customer will get his card scanned. After spending $50, a student will be eligible for $5 off his or her next purchase. Food Court Trial Tactic: During the first two weeks of Bloomingfoods opening on campus locations, we will introduce a large variety of hot bar
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Campaign Plan Cont.

and pre-packaged items. A mix of fruits, vegetables, chicken salads, tofu salads and other salads will be available for students to grab on the go. Hot bar items will change daily. A variety of chicken, tofu, mixed vegetable, pasta and soup options at the hot bar will be introduced each week. At the end of each week, our team will pass out surveys to customers to evaluate what items were the most popular. After analyzing the surveys, our team will compile a list of favored items among students. Providing foods the majority of students favor will allow Bloomingfoods introduction to be efficient and popular. Social Media Objective 3: Attract more Facebook and Twitter followers through social media created specifically for students, and cater to their interests. Strategy: Almost all IU students utilize social media every day to communicate and become informed, whether that be in the news or the lives of their friends. The two most popular social media sites among college students are Twitter and Facebook. Bloomingfoods has already developed and accumulated followers on Twitter and Facebook but our team sees a need to create a Twitter account and Facebook group, strictly for initiating communication between Bloomingfoods and students. Bloomingfoods Facebook and Twitter currently promotes instore discounts, which are useful for students. On the other hand, the majority of information posted and tweeted does not engage
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Campaign Plan Cont.

students. For instance, the student majority is not interested in gardening workshops, local benefits and art shows. Tactics: The majority of students value a healthy lifestyle and diet. We suggest that Bloomingfoods cater directly to students interests by posting in-store discounts, foods and local fitness opportunities in its social media outlets. Social media should consist of Bloomingfoods advertising its exclusive foods and the health benefits its foods have. Students will be engaged through reading information informing them how shopping at Bloomingfoods can help them attain a healthy diet. Posting and tweeting relevant information to students lives daily will accumulate more followers and Facebook group members. Our Twitter account name will be @BloomingfoodsIU and the Facebook group will be named Indiana University Bloomingfoods. On Twitter and Facebook, we will encourage students to take an active role in promoting Bloomingfoods. We believe monthly gift card giveaways will create communication between Bloomingfoods and students. To do this, Bloomingfoods will advertise that Facebook users who post a status about why they love Bloomingfoods will be entered into a drawing to win a gift card. In order to be eligible for a giveaway, a user must tag Bloomingfoods in a Facebook status or hashtag Bloomingfoods in a tweet. This will create store awareness among thousands of Facebook and Twitter users.
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Campaign Plan Cont.

Student social media outlets will also be used to create awareness about Bloomingfoods new locations in the campus food courts. Social media will inform students on daily changes in the hot bar and pre-packaged items. Kirkwood Location Objective 4: Attract more student traffic into the Kirkwood Bloomingfoods location. Strategy: A small Bloomingfoods store with a mini hot bar is already located behind Panda Express off of Kirkwood Ave. This store is unknown to many students due to its location behind Kirkwood stores and its small size. Many students live in housing nearby or have classes close to this Bloomingfoods location. There is much opportunity for this store to maximize profits. Tactics: To create awareness of this location among Kirkwood traffic, we suggest constructing a large sign to place on Kirkwoods sidewalk. This sign will be large and positioned off the ground to attract attention on a street that is consistently busy. Sign content will indicate the direction of the Bloomingfoods store and the variety of produce, grocery, and hot bar items for sale.

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Timetable
05: Launch social media sites 20: Install new sign outside of Kirkwood store/Canvas campus with `lyers 26: Install Bloomingfoods hot bar in campus food courts & the IMU 26-27: Passing out `lyers on campus 30: Survey favorite foods

August

September

05: Twitter and Facebook giveaway 06: Survey favorite foods 13: First revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 26: Second revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 30: Evaluate IMU food court location revenue

October

10: Twitter and Facebook giveaway 11: Third revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 25: Fourth revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 31: Evaluate IMU food court location revenue

November

08: Fifth revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 11: Twitter and Facebook giveaway 22: Sixth revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 29: Evaluate IMU food court location revenue

December

11: Twitter and Facebook giveaway 13: Seventh and `inal revenue evaluation for all dorm food court locations 20: Evaluate IMU food court locaiton revenue

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Evaluation Plan
To better gauge the success of our campaign proposal, we have evaluated the specific tactics and strategies used to raise awareness in the student population. This will allow fro one to better see the effectiveness of our proposal. We have broken down each of our objectives in order to more easily assess each tactic used. Dorm Food Courts We will be able to track the Bloomingfoods sales made at every dormitory food court by working hand-in-hand with the IU Residential Programs and Services (RPS). We will review Bloomingfoods sales at each of the food courts every two weeks. RPS, yearly, conducts reviews of the sales made at each food vendor, which allows us to go back and review the total sales. Sales can be tracked using students Campus Access cards, which they have to swipe each time they buy food at the food courts. During the two-week trial period, students will be questioned about their dining experience and how they feel about the Bloomingfoods options available. Their answers will allow us to gauge their preferences and tell if Bloomingfoods should be installed permanently within the RPS food courts.

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Evaluation Plan Cont.

IMU Food Courts The Indiana Memorial Unions food court does not allow meal point transactions; therefore RPS will not be tracking the activity of Bloomingfoods purchases. In order to evaluate the success of implementing a Bloomingfoods hot bar into the IMU, we will check revenue monthly. We will also go into the food court and evaluate the traffic going through Bloomingfoods line compared to the other food vendors. This will allow to see firsthand the amount of students choosing Bloomingfoods as an eating option. Social Media Our social media tactics will be implemented and evaluated throughout the extent of our campaign. Evaluating the success of our social media tactics will be based on the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans we have acquired from those who show interest in Bloomingfoods on campus. Another way of gauging success will be from the number of people who retweet posts in order to receive information on upcoming events or discounts. We want to assist Bloomingfoods in conversing with the student population. Therefore, our main method of social media tracking should be to evaluate the increase in student postings and messages in interaction with the organization.
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Evaluation Plan Cont.

Kirkwood Location The Bloomingfoods located on Kirkwood Avenue has the potential to be a central hub for student shoppers. To test the effectiveness of the new, larger sign indicating where Bloomingfoods is, we will watch the number of student punch cards each month and look for increases in student shoppers.

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Appendix

Bloomingfoods
NOW ON CAMPUS!!!!!
Locally grown, fresh produce

Campus Food Courts & IMU

Starting August 26, 2013
Check us out @BloomingfoodsIU

only at

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August 26, 2013

BLOOMINGFOODS
Only%at%Campus%Food%Courts%&%Indian%Memorial%Union%%

Locally'grown,'fresh'produce''
Check%us%out%@BloomingfoodsIU%

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