Kris Shaw

Creative Communications Student

Red River College
160 Princess Street
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1K9



March 11, 2013



Kenton Larsen
PR Instructor
Creative Communications
Red River College
160 Princess Street
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1K9

Dear Mr. Larsen

Please find enclosed a public relations campaign for Soleful magazine.

The proposal outlines steps well take in order to generate publicity for, and successfully
launch, Soleful. Well create buzz for the magazine, then turn that buzz into sales. The
proposal will also go over how we can keep those sales longterm, and turn Soleful into a
household name. This plan lays the foundation for longevity in the marketplace.

This document will go over the strengths we have and the challenges well face. It will show
how we can overcome those challenges and meet our goals.

Shoe in includes a communication strategy that will show Soleful to be fun and stylish.
Youtube videos, radio promotions, and full vinyl outfits await. This strategy will appeal to our
target market, and establish the magazine as a must-buy. It will also ensure a successful
launch event at the March 28 Magazine Trade Fair.

Were very excited about this project and hope you find the proposal to your liking. Feel free
to contact me at (204) 995-0429 if you need any more information. Ill call you in the coming
week to discuss the proposal further, and schedule a meeting in which we can iron out
some more details.

Sincerely,



Kris Shaw

Encl.
2

Soleful
A Public Relations Campaign





















Submitted to
Kenton Larsen, PR Instructor, Creative Communications

Submitted by
Kris Shaw, Creative Communications student

Date
March 11, 2013
i
Executive Summary
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Soleful is launching, and we want everyone to know about it. At the end of March, the magazine
for enshoesiasts will be officially starting, and we have a plan to make sure it gets the attention it
deserves.

Weve got great resources on our side, including a talented and versatile team with a lot to offer.
Weve got the facilities and the know-how, and were going to put them to work for this
magazine. We can produce the materials in the same spot well be holding the launch event: at
The Roblin Centre at Red River College. This is also a central location in a hip district, which is
especially attractive to our target audience.

Who are we trying to reach? Enshoesisasts, of course. More specifically, enshoesiasts who are
willing to spread our message and subscribe to our magazine. Soleful is fresh, stylish, and
super cool. We want to attract people who value those qualities. We want to position Soleful as
the shoe magazine you absolutely cant do without if youre a show lover.

So how are we going to do it? Well:

1. appeal to opinion leaders in the shoe community
2. create an active social media presence
3. advertise in Red River College
4. put ourselves out there on YouTube
5. create a launch with lots of prizes and giveaways
6. hold a launch full of fun and lots of chatter

We need to create a lasting impression that will turn interest into sales and sales into long-term
dedication. We need to represent Soleful: be fun, be stylish, be fearless, and be all about the
shoes.
4

Table of Contents
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______________________________________________________________________


Executive Summary........................................................................................................................i

Purpose Statement........................................................................................................................1

Situation Analysis..........................................................................................................................2

Target Audience and Analysis & Desired Outcomes.....................................................................4

Strategy and Rationale..................................................................................................................6

Preliminary Budget......................................................................................................................10

Evaluation....................................................................................................................................11

1
Purpose Statement
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To generate as much publicity, notoriety, and momentum for our magazine as possible, leading
up to and including a successful Magazine Trade Fair.

The campaign should:

1. put the magazine at the forefront of our target publics minds and create brand interest,
2. get people talking about our magazine and encourage our target publics to buy it when it
comes out,
3. include a way to build a database of people who are interested in our magazine, and a plan
to convert them into readers and buyers later,
4. harness new and traditional media, PR, and publicity to reach potential readers,
5. get people talking about the magazine by giving them a stated or implied invitation to
participate online and at the Trade Fair, and
6. Be fun.
2
Situation Analysis
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Introduction

Soleful will be a magazine for enshoesiasts. It will explore fashions and trends in shoes, while
also exploring the people behind and inside them. It will give human insight into the shoe world,
focusing professionals in the industry and people who, like our readers, think shoes are
awesome and an integral part of self-expression.

We want Soleful to have a successful launch. A successful launch leads to a successful first
issue. Aside from ensuring that the magazine itself is stylish and full to the brim with the
absolute finest in safe-for-work shoe porn and knowledge, weve got to have a successful social
media campaign to get the word out about Soleful and the Soleful launch on March 28, 2013, in
the Atrium at The Roblin Centre at Red River College. In order to make all three components --
a solid magazine, a widespread social media campaign, and a successful launch -- work
together, we must consider the following.


Strengths

The market for a shoe magazine such as Soleful is niche enough to have a defined target
audience, but wide enough to be accessible to many people. Shoes dont go over anyones
head. On top of that, Soleful is a clean, modern magazine. Its stylish and sexy, and therefore
has great appeal on the rack.

We have access to professional design software and facilities to produce a high-quality
magazine, and an open, modern space -- the Atrium at Red River College -- to hold the launch.
These are available to us at no cost.

Our magazine group has a combined total of over 920 followers, and two of our members are
on Red River Radio during prime air time (Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons). We can
use these strengths to further promote the magazine and get a good start on a social media
following.

The reader demographic is likely to attend events. The target audience is young and hip, and
likes to attend gatherings and launches. See the next section for more details.

The potential for advertisers is extremely good as Soleful is within a niche market. Ideal
advertisers are easy to narrow down because the niche is so clearly defined.








3
Weaknesses

No one in our magazine group has experience producing a magazine or hosting an event
outside of Creative Communications. We all have busy schedules incorporating school, work,
and extracurriculars and, despite all that hard work, are poor (read: soon to be rich) students, so
our budget is quite small.

On the day of the launch there will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 15 other magazine
launches in the same venue, creating competition for attention from passersby and our target
publics. We have no advertisers yet, but the potential for advertisers is positive.

The fact that Soleful caters to a specific niche is generally a positive, though it does have the
potential to attract the wrong niche audience (actual shoe fetishists). As well, our target
audience may be working during the launch, as its in the afternoon.


Opportunities

The Red River College Roblin Centre Campus is located in the heart of the Exchange District
and has a lot of foot traffic, which could bring many people in contact with our magazine during
the launch. Our demographic is also likely to hang out in the Exchange District, as its a funky,
trendy spot. Theyre also likely to be attracted, aesthetically, to the modern, industrial look of the
Atrium.

The spring is when new shoe fashions and trends come out, so our target audience will have
shoes on the brain and it will be easier to interest them in our magazine and magazine launch.

The Exchange District being a likely hang out for our target publics, theyll be used to the hustle
and bustle of downtown. Itll be less likely that well lose potential attendees to the
misconception that theres no parking downtown.


Threats

The other magazine launches in the Atrium that day will cause a lot of noise and clutter that
could potentially take away from our launch. The dense, diverse crowd may be a slight deterrent
for our target audience.

The launch will take place the Thursday before a long weekend, so its possible we may lose
some potential attendees to travel or predetermined plans. As well, this is Winnipeg and the
weather is never a sure thing. If its very nice outside, theres a greater chance people will be
traveling for the weekend. If its rainy or cold, theres a greater chance people will stay home
rather than brave the elements.
4
Target Audience and Analysis & Desired Outcomes
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Merlot Enshoesiasts - Primary Audience
Arianne and Arthur

Arianne:

Age: 30
Occupation: Accountant
Favourite magazines: Anna, Vogue, Elle
Income: $52,000
Spends disposable income on: Clothes, shoes, socializing
Shops: Aldo, Melanie Lynne, EQ3, RW & Co., boutiques
If she were a shoe, shed be: A black, patent leather stiletto with a peep toe and a 3.5 heel

Arthur:

Age: 32
Occupation: Graphic designer
Favourite magazines: Vanity Fair, Dwell, Esquire
Income: $45,000
Spends disposable income on: Socializing, clothes, shoes, electronics
Shops: Moores, Stockhomme, Best Buy, Manitoba Liquor Control Commission
If he were a shoe, hed be: A classic black oxford with updated details a double buckle and a
stitched design

Merlot Enshoesiasts make an average income that allows for a comfortable lifestyle with
enough left over for a few indulgences. They appreciate things of a slightly higher quality and
spend money on clothes, events, and, of course, shoes. Theyre opinion leaders within their
social groups as theyre always up for a wine tasting or book launch.

Merlot Enshoesiasts are active in the fashion and shoe market. They present themselves as
trendy, put-together people, and therefore try to stay at the leading edge of fashion trends.

Theyre already active in the shoe world and willing to spend money on this interest. The goal
with Merlot Enshoesiasts is to change their awareness and behavior. We need to make them
aware of Soleful. Once theyre aware of the magazine, their tendency to splurge will make it an
easy sell.

We also need to establish Soleful as a high-end product outside current, favourite brands.
Merlot Enshoesiasts can have a tendency to pick certain brands and stick with them, and we
need to change their attitude in order to put Soleful on their must-buy-every-month list.

To attract them to the launch, we need to be stylish and fun. We need to give them something to
talk about. See the next section to see how were going to achieve that.


5
Riesling Enshoesiasts - Secondary Audience
Dana and Dominic

Dana:

Age: 24
Occupation: Junior copywriter
Favourite magazines: Glamour, EQ, Wired
Income: $28,000
Spends disposable income on: Clothes, shoes, music, books
Shops: Payless ShoeSource, Rickis, thrift stores, Chapters, online, obscure/funky shops
If she were a shoe, shed be: a platform heel with an ankle strap and a fun, bold design

Dominic:

Age: 22
Occupation: University student, majoring in English
Favourite magazines: Wired, Spin, Esquire
Income: $15,000, plus student loans
Spends disposable income on: Clothes, shoes, technology, music
Shops: Online, thrift stores, obscure/funky shops
If he were a shoe, hed be: A black hightop with a fun design and a pop of colour

Riesling Enshoesiasts make slightly less money, but are very creative and invested in the image
they put out there. Like all enshoesiasts, they see the shoes they wear as a statement about
who they are.

Riesling Enshoesiasts are the Merlot Enshoesiasts of the future. They dont have the money to
spend as much as theyd like on their interests, so theyre very picky about the things they
choose to splurge on. Theyll buy a slightly more expensive pair of shoes, on occasion, but
when they do, the shoes are absolutely to die for.

Theyre aware of the shoe world, but not entirely active in it, as they have to save up to make
the purchases they like to make. This is why we have to change their behaviour. We have to
position Soleful as the shoe magazine any shoe lover cant live without. We have to make it
clear the magazine is worth the money.

We also have to make Riesling Enshoesiasts aware of Soleful. Merlot Enshoesiasts are opinion
leaders, so by getting them sharing our magazine online and by word-of-mouth, it should be
relatively easy to make Riesling Enshoesiasts aware. Theyre less brand loyal than Merlot
Enshoesiasts, but just as knowledgeable, and so their attitude toward a magazine telling more
than just brand name stories will be favourable. By positioning ourselves as a fun, funky, human
magazine worth every penny spent on it, Riesling Enshoesiasts will add Soleful to their To
Splurge On list.

The launch will play a large part in this positioning. Well have to be fearless and forward,
unafraid to show this audience exactly what theyre in for. Read on for more details.
6
Strategy and Rationale
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Action:

1. Theme: Talk to me, baby! The Soleful launch will be themed after the feature articles
in the first issue of the magazine: shoe shining, kinky shoes, barefoot running/running
with barefoot sports shoes, and shoemaking. Each member of the group will be
dressed to match one of these articles and will offer related services and contests.

In this way, we can offer enshoesiasts a multifaceted shoe experience while also
demonstrating the value of the magazine. Want to know why Soleful is a
magazine youd be interested in? Have a chat with the articles themselves.

2. Where: The launch will take place in the Atrium at Red River College in the Roblin
Centre on March 28, 2013.

This venue is available to us at no cost and is also in the Exchange District,
a trendy, downtown Winnipeg spot attractive to the Soleful target audience.

3. Who: The four members of our magazine group will be involved in the launch. Also, the
owners of Jose & Markham will be there, dressed as old-time shoemakers and
available to answer questions about their store, as theyre the main cover story. Theyll
also be offering a special contest whereby attendees can design original shoes and the
best male and female designs will win $200 gift baskets full of shoe care products and
gift certificates.

The owners of Jose & Markham give a face to Soleful and offer a taste of the
human stories we want the magazine to be known for. The store is sophisticated
and high class, but still accessible, so itll give an uptown feel without becoming
snooty.
















7
4. What: Well offer a shoe shining station, run by Brandon Macgranachan, along with a
draw for anyone who gets their shoes shined. The winner will win a shoe shining kit.

Ill be dressed in kinky boots and a vinyl dress and will be offering a draw in
which people can win a gift certificate for Smitten and pole-dancing classes.

Kieran Moolchan will be dressed as a shoe maker and helping the owners of
Jose & Markham to run the shoe design contest. Therell be four categories for
shoe design, again, based on the articles in the first issue of the magazine:
kinky shoes, running shoes, male dress shoes, and everyday wear. The rules
are simple. Choose a category (or a few categories), draw up a design, tell us in
thirty words or less why you think its awesome, and send it our way. The
owners of Jose & Markham will help us judge the results. People will
enter the contest at the launch, or online with a code given at the
launch, and the winners will be announced on Twitter and Facebook the
following day.

Sara Wasiuta will be barefoot in running attire and will be offering a draw in
which people can win a gift certificate for Running Room.

We will offer PDFs of the magazine at a cost of $2 per download.

In this way, well offer a variety of shoe-related activities and giveaways,
and we can therefore satisfy a greater number of attendees.

5. Before the event: We will acquire costumes and prizes, the magazine will be finished
and perfected, and PDFs will be generated and put online.

During the event: Each member of the group will encourage people to approach
our launch table and enter the contests and draws. Well play music that has to
do with fashion and shoes. Well mingle and answer questions.

After the event: Well stay active on social media, especially when announcing
the winners of the shoe design contest. Well follow up with e-mails given,
offering information on upcoming Soleful issues and encouraging subscription.

Its important that the launch corresponds closely with our presence online and
the magazine itself. We want to show the people at the launch that were
enshoesiasts, too, and then continue to show that online.


Communication

6. Communication tools: Well put out a news release online, then send pitch
e-mails to shoe bloggers and vloggers. Well make a YouTube video, which will also be
included in the pitch e-mails, showing a shoe music video promoting Soleful. Well also
tweet about the video, put it on Facebook, and promote it by posting it as a video
response to other popular, related Youtube videos. There wont be an Aldo video on
Youtube without our video as a response.


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7. Ads: We plan to put up posters in the Exchange District and in Osborne Village.
As mentioned above, well also have the YouTube video online. Well also use the
screens in the Atrium to show short slideshows advertising our magazine and launch.

8. Invites: Well invite owners of Winnipeg shoe stores with personalized invitations
delivered by hand by members of our group. We will also invite shoe bloggers
and vloggers in the pitch e-mails.

9. Other considerations: No staffing will be necessary to run the launch. Each
member of the group will pitch in to make the launch happen.

10. Budget: We expect to spend $500 on the Soleful launch.

11. Communication strategies:
a. Publicity: pitch e-mails, news releases, Youtube video, buzz and word of
mouth through bloggers and vloggers

I. With the number of combined followers within our group, a
Youtube video with a decent amount of views is entirely possible,
and an exciting prospect. It adds an element of visual excitement to
entice our audience, and makes it easy for them to share our
message with the click of a button. It gives us a chance to
emphasize the personality of Soleful and make viewers want to attend.

The pitch e-mails and news releases will allow for more exposure
for our target audience. These bloggers and vloggers are the
people our enshoesiasts already follow. Getting them to talk about
us will create easy buzz and word of mouth marketing.

b. Shoe design contest, draws for prizes

I. Lets be down to earth here: everyone likes free stuff, and that
includes our target audience. You know what they like even more
than free stuff? Free stuff that fits in with their interests. Put down
your name, win free shoe stuff. Whod say no to that? Certainly
not an enshoesiast!

The shoe design contest will let our target audience be creative, for
one thing (and, of course, refer to the bit about free stuff here), but
it will also reinforce one of our key messages: Soleful is about
people. Were not just pushing big brands, were celebrating
everyone who loves shoes, and to prove it, were giving our target
publics a chance to design a pair for us.








9
c. The screens in the Atrium showing our advertising

I. Soleful is a magazine offering safe-for-work-shoe-porn, so lets put
some up where our launch is going to be. Any member of our target
audience in the area will see crisp photos of shoes and want to take
a closer look.

This advertising will also pique the interest of others not necessarily
in our target audience. The element of curiosity will draw others to
our launch. The message becomes Want to see what theres a
picture of a woman in full fetish attire and eight-inch heels on the
Atrium? Just be right where youre standing now on March 28 and
well tell you.

d. Twitter, Facebook, and Red River Radio

I. These are the most basic ways to spread the word about Soleful
and get our target audience to come to the launch. Weve got to be
active on social media, following and Liking pages and feeds that
are likely to reach our target audience. Weve got interact on social
media to get these resources to forward our message on to our
publics.

Red River Radio, much like the advertising in the Atrium, allows us
to reach both Riesling Enshoesiasts (who are younger and likely to
listen to less mainstream radio) and other, unexpected audiences.
We can pique both interests with promotion on the radio station.

This strategy will allow us to reach our target audience, and perhaps some other
interested parties, too, for very little cost. It also creates a community for Soleful
within the enshoesiast community, and will allow for greater subscriptions and
a sense of familiarity and trust with our subscribers and fans.

Were creating curiosity and generating buzz. Talk to us, baby! We love shoes,
too, and we want to talk to others just like us. This strategy is all about being
open with our target publics and celebrating with them.

Its also about being a little coy and sexy. The video and advertising strategy is
the equivalent of showing a little leg. Were giving them just enough to have
them wanting more.

Of course, we wont leave them hanging. More they want? More theyll get! A
launch filled with toe shoes, shoe shines, shoe making, and a woman in full
vinyl? Plus all the shoe contests and shoe talk an enshoesiast can handle?
Well have to keep a stock of cigarettes at the launch, because well be leaving
our visitors more than satisfied.
10
Preliminary Budget
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Expense Cost

Social media development, creation of
ads, writing of news releases and pitch
e-mails, design of invites (ie salaries)
$100

Printing costs $50

Materials for Trade Fair (including costumes,
prizes, gas, and food) $300

Production of Youtube video $50

Total $500
11
Evaluation
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Preparation

- Audience excitement: Before the launch, well measure how much excitement our
communications have generated among our audience. To do this, well go on Twitter and ask
our followers to tweet with the hashtag #Soleful if theyre as pumped as we are about the
launch of the magazine. On Facebook well ask those who Like our page to comment and let
us know how much theyre looking forward to it. At least 50 responses on social media would
be a good amount of buzz generated.

- Biggest and baddest: Are we more buzzed about than our competition? There are other
magazines launching that day, and were all vying for attention. This calls for a little espionage.
Well keep an eye on the competitions standings. Are they getting more Likes and follows than
us? Are they getting more YouTube views? Are more people talking about them online? If
these things arent the case and were number one in this regard, we know were doing our
jobs better than they are.

- Online: Before the launch, we want at least 50 Facebook Likes and 100 Twitter followers. We
want at least five bloggers and vloggers to have mentioned us. There should be at least 150
views on our YouTube video, and 10 comments.

- Groundwork: Are the invited bloggers and vloggers coming to the launch? How about the
invited shoe store owners? How often are we being mentioned on social media? If at least 70
per cent of the invitees are coming to the launch and were getting five mentions on social
media per week, thats a successful start.


Implementation

- Attendance and sales: Well take a head count at the launch of the number of people who
come to our table and talk with us. We want at least 60 website visitors. We also want to sell at
least 30 copies of the magazine.

- Media attention: How many interviews will we give during the launch? How many pictures will
we take for blogs? How many vlogs will we show up in? We want media exposure in at least
three different outlets.

- Audience base/online success: There should be a combined total of at least 20 new Twitter
followers and Facebook Likes during the launch. The hashtag #Soleful should be used at
least 15 times. We should have at least 50 per cent of attendees coming up to talk to us about
our message (the Youtube video, the advertising, a mention on a blog/vlog, etc.).

- Booth success: Our theme is Talk to me, baby!. How many people did we talk to? As stated
above, we want that number to be at least 60. We want to sell 30 copies of the magazine, and
we also want to hear a lot of the phrase Where can I subscribe? that day. Well go into further
detail on subscriptions in the next section.
12
- Trade Trade Fair success: The more successful the fair is, as a whole, the more exposure our
magazine will get, even if just through people walking by. How many people will attend the
fair? Were aiming for at least 150.


Impact

- Audience to buyers: In the two months after the launch, we want to sell at least 50 more
magazines, with at least 35 per cent of those being subscriptions. Within six months, we want
to triple that number.

- Buzz/Something to talk about: In the two months following the Trade Fair, we want to see the
numbers of blog and vlog mentions stay the same (at least five per month). We want to double
our Facebook Likes and Twitter followers, and keep #Soleful going with at least 20 uses of it
per month. We want to see continued comments and views on our Youtube video, doubling
what they previously were.

- Reach: Where are our readers and subscriptions coming from? Well keep track, and at least
10 per cent should be from outside of Winnipeg.

- Fun factor: Whats the buzz like? This is a judgement call. We want comments like Had a
blast at the launch #Soleful and Cool magazine, check it out. We want to see lots of talk
about how much people like the magazine and how much fun they had at the launch. We want
to see pictures people took.

- Audience awareness: Well conduct a small survey, using contact information gathered at the
launch and on social media. We want to make sure our audience is excited about the future of
the magazine, and understands what it is were trying to tell them. Do they know what the
magazine is about? Have they shared it with friends and family? Do they plan to buy/continue
to buy the magazine? Questions like these will help us gauge the effectiveness of our strategy.