Inquiry Marketing Co.

Kaundra Belton, Jaleesa Hopp, Ashlyn Hunter,

Maclane Riley, Kiara Williams
 Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3

Research 4 - 15

Introduction 4
Situational Analysis 4
Target Audience 8
SWOT Analysis 11
Primary Research 12
General Reccomendations 15

Creative Brief 16 - 17

Marketing Strategy 18 - 19

Branding Suggestions 20 - 21

Specific Tactics 22 - 31

Mobile App 22
Pop-up events 24
Social Media 26
Outdoor 30

Budget 32

Media Schedule 33

Additional Suggestions 34

References 35

2
Executive Summary
Purpose
Knowledge Park is both a strategy and a place meant to bring new
life to the downtown area of Rock Hill, SC. This project struggles
with awareness and lack of visibilitiy among all of its audiences.
This plan is meant to increase awareness of Knowledge Park among
students, as well as job-seeking recent or graduates to-be, in the
Rock Hill area.

Objective
This plan begins with the overarching goal of creating awareness
among the Rock Hill student body. The objective of the project was
to create a marketing campaign spanning over the course of a year
within a budget of $150,000 that acheives this goal.

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 Research
Introduction
Rock Hill, SC is a somewhat small town located on the outskirts
of Charlotte, NC. It used to be a place booming with economic
opportunity and promise. Now, this city is mostly run down and in
need of some attention in order to attract new residents. Knowledge
Park is a concept born in response to this issue.

Knowledge Park is both an initiative and a place dedicated to

transforming Rock Hill, SC into a vibrant place again where people
want to work, live and play. The actual area stretches all the way
from Winthrop University to Fountain Park, aiming to become an
urban business district offering everything people need in one
convenient, trendy and comfortable place.

Situational Analysis
Industry/Envirnoment
All over the Charlotte area, it seems like new mixed-use
developments are appearing every day. Some even refer to them
as colonies. These large new developments feature everything a
millennial could want - trendy apartments, shopping, dining and
sometimes even employment opportunities - all in one place, and all
brand new.

In a study conducted by Alan Ehrenhalt of governing.com,

researchers identified that many millennials are beginning to move
out of crowded city centers and into convenient developments like
these due to lower price, less traffic and more convenience. Hence
the boom in this industry, and Rock Hill’s motivation for struggling
to keep up.
The Brand
Knowledge Park positions itself as a commitment to creating
community wealth and prosperity for the citizens of Rock Hill. This
commitment will be visible in the next five years as
a new urban lifestyle is developed in the heart of Rock Hill. This
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goal also drives Knowledge Park to attract new businesses, tourists,
increase resident excitement, retain young people, etc.

Right now there is a lot of what some may call ‘clutter’ within the
city of Rock Hill. This leads to the issue of lack of awareness, as well
as confusion among consumers. There are many branded branches
of Rock Hill:

Old Town Rock Hill - “Only in Old Town”

City of Rock Hill - “Always On”

Rock Hill, SC Economic Development

Each of these entities has its own branding, website and social
media accounts. So, Knowledge Park just adds another Rock Hill
brand to this mix, even though it technically encompasses all of it.
Obviously, this is extremely confusing for a consumer to understand.

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 A successful brand anchors six main visual and verbal brand design
characteristics around a consumer story. Knowledge Park’s brand
design is pretty lacking, as shown here:

The three main elements Knowledge Park is missing are picutring,

animating and describing. Animating is an element hard for a brand
such as this define. It is hard for the target audience to associate
pictures with the brand because most of Knowledge Park does not
exist yet, and the illustrations and images of what is to come have
not been widely released to the public or used in advertising. Finally,
a slogan or wording used in future advetisements will help satisfy
the description element of the brand.

6
Unique Benefit Proposition
At the moment, there is no clear and defined unique benefit that
Knowledge Park offers to its consumers. This needs to be fleshed
out and defined based on the target market that Knowledge Park is
trying to reach.

Current/Past Advertising
Currently, Knowledge Park uses excitement and hope for the future
to play on emotions. All videos and promotional materials talk
about the bright future ahead and feature individuals excited about
the promise in this town. Other materials also feature the words “my
KP.”

There has been no paid advertising, such as billboards, branded as

Knowledge Park. Even though the Rock Hill Jobs campaign was
technically a part of Knowledge Park, it had its own branding. This
is only adding to the clutter that was mentioned before. It does not
have its own Facebook page, however the Technology Incubator
does, which does not make sense. Every social media post about
Knowledge Park is on the Rock Hill Economic Development page.

Knowledge Park has one large issue that has been previously
discussed - lack of awareness. This could be due to its misleading
name and lack of advertising explaining what it Knowledge Park is.
This information can certainly be found, but the consumer must dig
to find it online, and most people do not go to that effort.
Competition
Riverwalk is a community in Rock Hill, close to the border of
Fort Mill, situated on the Catawba River. It features single-family
detached homes, multiple apartment buildings, shops, dining and
new businesses. Riverwalk also hosts many recreational events at its
BMX track, velodrome, soccer fields and, of course, the river itself.
This community is also extremely close to I-77, allowing those who
commute to Charlotte for work quick access to the interstate.

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 Kingsley is a very new community located in Fort Mill, SC. It
currently hosts many shops, dining locations, apartments, and LPL
Financial headquarters. In the future, Kingsley will also feature more
large businesses and two new hotels. Kinglsey has a very modern,
urban feel while still playing off of the rich history of Fort Mill by
adding a few old textile mill design elements.

NoDa is a neighborhood in Charlotte, NC, aptly named for its

location on North Davidson Street. This community can be
compared to a historic arts district with its diverse population, local
art, restaurants, craft breweries and tattoo shops. This neighborhood
also offers apartment living, as well as easy access to public
transportation.
Target Audience
Demographics
For the purpose of this marketing plan, the target market chosen is
students in the Rock Hill area ages 18 - 25. A secondary market of
concern is job-seekers, specifically those who are graduating college
seniors looking for their first jobs. There are three institutions for
higher educations in Rock Hill: Winthrop University, York Technical
College and Clinton College.

The demographics are distributed as follows:

Total population: 6,170

Gender distribution: 67% female, 33% male

Ethnicity: 63.78% Caucasian, 28.15% African American, 3.95%

International, 2.2% Latino Hispanic, 1.41% Asian and .44%
American Indian

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Total population: 5,061

Gender distribution: 59% female, 41% male

Ethnicity: 59% Caucasian, 24% African American, 11% two or more

races, 4% Latino Hispanic, 1% race/ethnicity unknown

Total population: 200

Gender distribution: 62% female, 38% male

Ethnicity: 97% African American, 2% Caucasian, 1% non-residents

The target market for this campaign consists of 11,431 students. Their
demographics are detailed in the following chart.

Gender Distribution Ethnicity Distribution

3%
9%

36%
28%
63% 61%

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 Psychographics
Five members of the target market took part in the VALS Strategic
Business Insights survey. Among the participants, two main
personality types were identified: experiencers and strivers. VALS
listed the following personality traits as definitive to those in the
target market:

Experiencers Strivers

• Want everything • Have revolving employment;

• First in and first out of
trend adoption, but also
tries to go against current
mainstream
• Are up on the latest fashion
• Love physical activity
• See themselves as very
socialable and believe
friends are extremely
important
• Are spontaneous
• Have a heightened sense of
visual stimulation
high temporary
unemployment
• Use video and video games
as a form of fantasy
• Are fun loving
• Are imitative
• Rely heavily on public
transportation
• Are the center of low-status
street culture
• Desire to better their
lives but have difficulty in
realizing their desire
• Wear their weath

It’s obvious that another characteristic of the target audience is

high social media usage. The Pew Research Center reports that
88% of people ages 18 - 29 use social media. The two highest used
platforms for this group are Snapchat and Instagram. 78% of people
ages 18 - 24 use Snapchat and 71% use Instagram.

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SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Planned, already in progress,
future developments
• Successful completion and use
of new Comporium bicycles
and pedestrian facilities
• City already owns most
property targeted for
redevelopment
• KP growth will provide more
employment, dining, retail
and recreation for residents,
students, and visitors in Rock
Hill
Opportunities
• Possible relationships with
other organizations, including
colleges, in Rock Hill
• Surrounding neighborhoods
may undergo enhancement
due to new amentities and
revenue, providing more
attractive areas that people
will want to live in
• Yock Tech, Winthrop, and
Clinton College offer a large
pool of talented young people
who may be convinced to stay
in Rock Hill due to efforts of
Knowledge Park
Weaknesses
• Lack of awareness and
communication of what KP
is among students, residents,
visitors, etc.
• Negative perceptions of Rock
Hill
• Public infrastrucutre is lacking,
obsolete, or inappropriate to
support redevelopmen, leading
to negative perceptions,
opinions and lack of support
• KP is not complete, has a long
way to go, consumers are
impatient
Threats
• Loss of public and political
support if citizens don’t feel
connected to Knowledge Park
• Without more strong
connections (pedestrian,
bicycle, public transport),
surrounding neighborhoods
will be less likely to benefit
from Knowledge Park
• Competing neighborhoods
that are already built and
complete have a higher
chance of enticing recent
graduates and young people
to move there
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 Primary Research
Process
20 people in the target audience were selected for interviews. Each
participant was asked to describe themselves, especially in relation
to their life as a student in Rock Hill. Then, each was asked a series
of questions organized into the following groups:

• Awareness of Knowledge Park

• Feelings and perceptions of Rock Hill
• Ideal place to live, work and play
• Media usage
• Questions about job-seeking if the participant is a graduating
senior

Due to the number of questions and insightful conversation, each

interview lasted approximately 20 - 25 minutes.
Interview Questions
Have you heard of Knowledge Park?

What do you like about Rock Hill?

What do you dislike about Rock Hill?

Do you plan to stay in Rock Hill after graduation?

Do you spend time in Rock Hill on the weekends?

Describe your ideal place to live

What do you like to do on the weekends?

Where do you go on the weekends?

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How often do you use your phone?

How often do you use social media?

What social media platform do you use the most?

If they are a graduating senior...

Are you going to live in Rock Hill after graduation? If not, why?

Where are the jobs you’re applying for located?

Do you apply to jobs based on their locations?

What are your feelings about commuting to work/traffic?

Insights
There were a few common insights mentioned consistently by
interview participants. Here are some of the most prevalent and
important trends:

Lack of awareness and misperception

Most interview participants had heard about Knowledge

Park before, but had no real information about what it is.
Most had made assumptions that were way off. The majority
assumed it was something educational for children. One
interviewee said “isn’t it a fun park for children with
educational games?” On the other hand, a few viewed it as
an attempt to solely engage the Winthrop community with
Rock Hill, calling it an effort to become a “college town.”

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All-inclusive neighborhoods

Every interviewee said they would like to live in a

neighborhood where everything, and they do mean
everything, is close by. One said that Rock Hill needs more
variety of things nearby such as “restaurants that offer fresh
options, fast food is the only thing nearby.” Another said
that she wants a neighborhood with “organization, because
right now Rock Hill is just scattered all over the place.” This
also plays into the identified characteristics of the
“experiencer” who wants everything.

Affordable

While each interviewee wants to live somewhere nice, they

also don’t want something that will be extremely expensive.
Most mentioned living on the outskirts of a large city, due in
part to the affordability.

Social media is priority

Every single interviewee said they use their phone, more

specifically social media, for more than half of the day. Our
target audience is definitely aware of their social media
problem, one even stating “wow, it sounds terrible to say
that out loud.” Each participant also said that they use
Instagram more than any other platform. This social media
outlet is definitely the most visual, causing young people to
pursue an “instagrammable life.” This is also a trend that
taps into the “experiencer” that thrives off of heightened
visual stimulation.

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Campaign Recommendations
After interviewing the target market, the direction of this campaign
is rather obvious. The ideal neighborhoods each person described
are exactly what Knowledge Park is supposed to be, they just do
not know that yet. This campaign should focus on informing the
student body in Rock Hill about what Knowledge Park is, so the
misperceptions can be erased. It should also focus on creating a
social media presence branded as Knowledge Park since that is
where the target market is found.

The campaign should also highlight the things that these college
kids want after graduation and senior job-seekers are desperately
looking for: an all-inclusive neighborhood located right in their
current town.

All marketing materials should be very visual. Some pieces should

even include the computerized images and sketches of what
Knowledge Park will look like so the target market can begin to
understand that everything they want is coming to Rock Hill in the
near future. By actually showing what this town can become, the
audience will be more easily enticed to stay in the place where they
are creating new friendships and beginning to call home.

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 Creative Brief
Objectives
• Increase awareness of Knowledge Park so the audience knows
what it can do for them
• Simplify the other brands within Knowledge Park, creating one
overarching brand, so the audience feels a conection to the
community
• Increase student interest in Knowledge Park and bring visual
awareness to the audience by increasing digital traffic and
participation in interactive components
Target Audience
The chosen target market is students in the Rock Hill area, ages 18-
25. A secondary market of concern is job-seekers, specifically those
who are graduating college seniors from the three high education
institutions in the area: Winthrop University, York Technical College
and Clinton College. The total population includes 11,431 students,
most female, with ethnicity heavily Caucasian and African American.
Psychographic profiles include experiencers and strivers. Another
noteworthy characteristic is high social media activity.

Key Consumer Insight

Students are looking for a place where they can live, work and play
in one central location. However, they are currently traveling away
from Rock Hill to fulfill the work and play aspect. Therefore, they
feel they will have to move from Rock Hill in the future.
Main Proposition
Knowledge Park offers everything that the target audience wants -
all-inclusive neighborhoods - right in the students’ “backyard,” giving
them a space to live work and play without traveling to Charlotte or
other surrounding areas.
Support
Plans to build Knowledge Park are already in place or underway,
making it the all-inclusive neighborhood these students dream
of. Already built amenities, such as the comporium bikes and

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restaurants/breweries like Legal Remedy, have experienced immense
success. Continued growth and increased success will enhance this
all-inclusive neighborhood, causing it to rival other competition.
Core Brand Positioning
A new urban business district inspiring a lifestyle that appeals to
people’s desire to live, work and play in one central location
Personality
• Excitement and inspiration to start a new chapter of your life
• Nostalgia, reinvention of a once thriving city
• Fun with a fresh perspective
• Inspiring sense of community and providing gathering places
Tone of Voice
Fun and spontaneous, while also maintaining an informative voice
to bring awareness to the target audience while incorporating visual
elements.
Mandatories
Gold and turquiose colors, gotham font

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 Marketing Strategy
As previously mentioned, this marketing plan is strongly focused on
building awareness of Knowledge Park among the target audience.
This goal is clearly reflected in the chosen media mix.

Due to the habits of the target audience, this campaign will be

digitally heavy. This is the easiest way to meet the audience where
they already are and slowly build awareness. To aid in fostering
initial awareness, promotional events, which could also be seen
as push marketing, will be utilized. These events will definitely be
visited by all areas of the target market, but will be placed based on
student activity. Finally, outdoor channels will provide reminders of
Knowledge Park to the target audience.

20%

20% 70%

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19
 Branding Suggestions
All core Knowledge Park branding, such as colors, logos and
fonts, will obviously remain the same. However, added elements
will enhance the brand. For example, a slogan should be added to
the brand, and emcompass the feeling and meaning of the brand.
The chosen slogan is “where it all comes together.” This could be
represented with the logo as follows:

By incorporating a slogan, and beginning to describe Knowledge

Park as an all-inclusive neighborhood, the brand design will begin to
be fuller. It will also be enhanced by using illustrations of what’s to
come in messaging, allowing people to finally picture the brand.

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The area of animating is still left blank. This is probably a section
that will never be filled. This area is relevant to more traditional
brands and products rather than a neighborhood or community.

In addition to Knowledge Park branding, other brands in the

vincinity need some work. In order to create a cohesive Knowledge
Park brand, these other brands in the geographical location of the
new brand need to be simplified to aid the previously mentioned
clutter. While these brands shouldn’t be eliminated, it should be
clear that they are a part of Knowledge Park. Here is an example of
what could be done to the Old Town Rock Hill brand:

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 Tactics
Mobile App
The target audience is “addicted” to technology, more specifically
their smartphones. Brands are increasingly adopting apps so
consumers can find everything about their brand at the touch of
a button. For this reason, an app is crucial for Knowledge Park’s
success.

The myKP app would increase student interest by showing the

consumers everything Knowledge Park has to offer and “lure”
them to visit with rewards. Additionally, participants would have
to create an account in order to use the app, this would aid in
creating a consumer database. The app would include the following
components.

Directory
A comprehensive list of all the businesses, restaurants, etc.
in Knowledge Park divided by category.

Map
An interactive map would feature icons with each location
of interest and help people find their way around Knowledge
Park.

Calendar
A calendar would list all events happening in Knowledge
Park with related details. Push alerts can also be enabled
to event reminders.

myKP points
When visiting participating restaurant and merchandise
locations, people can scan their myKP app and get points.
These points can later be redeemed.

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23
 Pop-Up Events
To support awareness of Knowledge Park itself, as well as the
new myKP app, pop-up events should be hosted where students
frequent. These events should be held on each campus, as well
as during events happening in Knowledge Park that tend to
draw student attendance. At these events, representatives will
distribute flyers with information regarding the app. In exchange
for downloading the app, people can choose from a variety of
Knowledge Park items including T-shirts, PopSockets and pens.

Career fairs at the three higher education institutions should also

be taken advantage of. These career fairs allow the chance to reach
young job-seekers and distribute information about employers in
Knowledge Park.

Event locations include:

Winthrop Univeristy (vendor expo and career fair)

York Technical College (career fair)

Clinton College (campus visit)

Come See Me

Red, White and Boom

Oktoberfest

Christmasville

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25
 Social Media
Creating a social media presence is one of the most important
things Knowledge Park can do to capture the attention of the target
audience. Facebook and Instagram are the platforms that should
be utilized because they have a wider audience, are the most used
among this specific target audience and offer the opportunity to
convey visual messages.

Knowledge Park currently does not have any social media accounts
itself, but is often mentioned on other accounts such as the City of
Rock Hill and Rock Hill Economic Development. So obviously, new
accounts should be created. While Knowledge Park can go by its
name on Facebook, the most relevant, available handle on Instagram
is ‘@mykp_rh’.

Posts should fall into four general categories:

Events

Facilities

Mobile app

Contests/giveaways (recommend four over the course of the

year, with two winners each)

Additionally, certain individual posts can be boosted to become an

ad, specifically targeting students in the Rock Hill area.

Knowledge Park should utilize the hashtags #myKP and

#liveworkplay to facilitate conversations with consumers on social
platforms. These social media accounts will also be linked in the app,
and listed on other marketing materials.

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27
 Mobile App Facilities

• Dine at your favorite • Have you tried *insert

restaurants in Knowledge restuarant*? It’s the newest
Park and scan the app to get place to dine in Knowledge
#myKP points! Redeem them Park! #myKP
for rewards and coupons.

• Download our NEW

#myKP app for a complete
calendar of special events in
Knowledge Park!

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 Events Giveaways

• Come see us tonight at • Visit Knowledge Park, share a

Christmasville for info about photo and tag us for a chance
our NEW #myKP app and to win this #myKP prize pack!
the chance to win some cool
prizes.

• We can’t wait to see you at

Come See Me! Stop by the
Knowledge Park table to
pick up exclusive #myKP
merchandise.

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 Outdoor
Because there is not much to do in Rock Hill at the moment,
most students leave the area on the weekends. Many are going to
Charlotte to find things to do, and some are simply going home. No
matter what they are doing, there is a high chance they are travelling
on I-77.

For this reason, billboards will be placed on this interstate.

Knowledge Park will utilize two billboards, one slightly south of the
Dave Lyle exit, and one north-bound on the way to Charlotte. These
billboards will be used a total of seven times, according to relevant
events and student travel, as outlined on the media schedule. Each
billboard must be displayed a total of four weeks, according to
Lamar advertising, the company that owns most billboards along
I-77.

There will be two different types of billboards: mobile app and

general awareness. The type of displayed depends on relevant
happenings. This is colored accordingly on the schedule. Shown here
are two examples, one from each type of billboard.

Additionally, Knowledge Park should take advantage of the lamp

posts lining Dave Lyle Boulevard close to this community, as well as
the downtown area. During times when these lamp posts are not
occupied with event banners, Knowledge Park banners should be
displayed to signify the borders of this new community.

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31
 Budget
Mobile App
Development Fee $8,900
Yearly Maitenance Fee $6,900
Pop-Up Events
T-Shirts (2,000) $12,507
PopSockets (2,000) $11,016
Pens (2,500) $1,484
Flyers (2,500) $1,117
Winthrop Vendor Expo Fee $50
Social Media
Allotment for Boosted Posts $10,000
Tote Bags (10) $97.49
Outdoor
Billboard Printing Fee (14) $11,760
Billboard Advertising Fee (14) $49,000
Pole Banners (est. 50) $5,656.60

Total $118,488.09

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Media Schedule

January February March April

Channel 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Pop-Up Events
Social Media
Billboards
Pole Banners

May June July August

Channel 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4
Pop-Up Events
Social Media
Billboards
Pole Banners

September October November December

Channel 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Pop-Up Events
Social Media
Billboards
Pole Banners

*Orange represents app focused billboards, blue represents those

focused on general awareness.

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 Additional Suggestions
Digital
In addition to a social media presence and mobile app, a few more
steps could be taken to ensure a thorough digital presence. Digital
ads can be placed on websites that students frequent. SEO tactics,
such as keyword integration and backlinking, could be adopted to
make Knowledge Park have a high organic search ranking. Google
alerts can also be enabled to keep track of these searches and
conversations in the digital sphere.

Public Relations
Whenever Knowledge Park reaches important milestones, such
as the opening of large projects, press releases should be sent to
all surrounding, relevant news stations and newspapers. Though
the target audience does not watch much televised news, they
would likely view digital stories and social media posts from news
organizations. Additionally, relevant influencers should be identified
to help with awareness of Knowledge Park. There could be bloggers
that create native advertising pieces, or simply those with a large
social media following that would post a photo in the area and tag
the post with Knowledge Park’s locations and #myKP.
Measurement
Measurement of the tactics previously detailed will be fairly
simple. Followers on Instagram and likes on Facebook are easy
to determine. Also, the number of accounts created on the app
is an easy way to see how many people have been influenced
by promotions to download the app. Additionally, the previously
mentioned Google alerts will help understand if people are now
searching for this new Rock Hill community.

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References
Ehrenhalt, A. (April 2018). City or Suburbs? What do Millennials
Really Want? Retrieved from www.governing.com/columns/
assessments/gov-millennials-cities-suburbs.html

Smith, A. (1 March 2018). Social Media Use in 2018. Retrieved from

www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/

Riverwalk Carolinas. Retrieved from www.riverwalkcarolinas.com/

Kingsley Fort Mill. Retrieved from www.kingsleyfortmill.com/the-

details/

Experiencer - VALS type. Retrieved from www.

strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/experiencers.shtml

Striver - VALS type. Retrieved from www.strategicbusinessinsights.

com/vals/ustypes/strivers.shtml

Clinton College Fact Sheet. Retrieved from clintoncollege.edu/

about-clinton/fact-sheet/

Clinton College Review. Retrieved from www.

communitycollegereview.com/clinton-college-profile

About Winthrop University. Retrieved from www.winthrop.edu/

aboutwu/

York Technical College Enrollment Demographics. Retrieved from

www.yorktech.edu/ie/10-year-comparison/

http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/

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