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Integrated
Marketing and Communication
Plan

This integrated marketing and communication plan will be guided by the following marketing principles:

• People don’t really buy, they want to own.
• People are averse to the act of paying, but they are interested in the possibilities of investments.
• People don’t just want to become members of organizations, they value the sense of engagement in an organization through active participation, which is triggered by innate human spirit of volunteerism.

Executive Summary

1. This plan aims to translate, present, and package  the BICC similar to a “product” that its proponents must “sell“ to a specific “target market” under a very “competitive marketing” environment.

a. As a “product,” which is classified as tangible (physical goods) or intangible (e.g. professional services, club memberships, etc.); BICC’s promotion shall be governed by basic marketing principles.

b. “Selling” (as in, Promotion) is one of four key fundamentals of the marketing discipline known as the “4Ps of Marketing,” namely:  Product, Price, Promotion, & Place.

i. Product: the tangibles or intangibles to be sold or promoted.
ii. Price: the monetary value assigned to a product.
iii. Promotion: the manner by which the product is sold or promoted to its target market (i.e. “selling”).
iv. Place: the geographic location where the product is sold or promoted.

c. “Target Market” are the Salesian past pupils located anywhere in the world and of whatever nationality.

d. “Competitive Marketing” simply means that this plan was formulated for the BICC considering the target market’s (i.e., Salesian past pupils) “share-of-mind” and “share-of-wallet” (both are marketing terms) similar to promoting a “product” versus other brands competing in the market.

2. This plan maximizes all available and accessible communication channels that may be cost-effective, including but not necessarily limited to human channels (members & other interested publics), commercial media (newspaper, radio and TV), and the Internet.

3. This plan optimizes the applicable marketing promotion mix that is equally cost-effective, as follows:

a. Advertising
b. Sales Promotion
c. Public Relations & Publicity
d. Personal Selling
e. Direct Marketing

Plan Objectives

This integrated marketing and communications plan aims to achieve the following objectives represented by the acronym AIDA (AWARENESS, INTEREST, DESIRE, ACTION).

1. To create awareness about the organization, its activities, and its members.
2. To generate interest among the organization’s target members.
3. To highten prospective members’ desire to be associated and get involved in the organization.
4. To translate into action target members’ interest and desire by actually signing up and participating in the organization’s various endeavors where ever they are .

 
Marketing & Communication Programs and Action Plan

A. Advertising

Similar to promoting any product or brand, BICC as an organization of Salesian past pupils, shall adopt an advertising strategy of building the BICC’s long-term image as an organization worth being a member of as embodied in its vision and mission statement. As an organization, the BICC shall represent a “brand” image to its target market similar but unique in form  (a Bosconian ‘trademark’) as an example, to the likes of the Rotary Club or Toastmasters International. Our major advertising objective is to create awareness, interest, desire, and action among prospective members and finally persuade them to join and participate  actively in the BICC.

Our organizational logo, color, and “tag line” shall be designed to represent the BICC’s vision and mission, and shall be used for advertorial purposes (print Ads). AD Placements shall be made where cost can be optimized (if not totally waived), inlcuding but not limited to school publications, print media whenever we can get an “X” deal, and the Internet websites.

Action Plan:

1) Design of Print AD, BICC brochure, and promotinal items (to be contracted to a Bosconian in the advertising industry pro-bono)
2) Presentation of AD Concepts, brochure design, and promo items to BICC Officers
3) Approval by BICC Officers
4) Formulate media plan (AD exposures)

B. Sales Promotion

This shall be an adjunct promotional activity whenever and where ever applicable, and shall be conducted during trade shows and exhibits directly or indirectly participated by the BICC, including but not limited to school fairs/exhibits and technology exhibits. Activities shall be in the form of distributing BICC brochures and promo items complemented by a short explanation by Bosconians assigned to man the exhibit booths.

Action Plan:

1) Prepare and forecast 12-month schedules of trade shows and exhibits in coordination with the school.
2) Prepare brochures and promo items for storage.
3) Orientation and training of people manning the trade/exhibit booths to be done prior to scheduled exhibits.

C. Public Relations and Publicity

The BICC is not just about the organization but more importantly, also about its members. Public relations and publicity shall be the strategic program of this marketing and communication in the promotion of the BICC and its vision and mission. The appeal of public relations and publicity shall consider the following factors:

• Create high credibility for the BICC as an organization by publishing articles about is worthwhile projects, activities, and the life and success stories of its members located anywhere in the world.
• Dramatize its vision and mission through articles written about its members in whatever profession they practice and the various industry they belon to anywhere in the world.
• Amplify the desire of Salesian past pupils to want to belong and participate because of of the BICC’s worthwhile cause exemplified by the stories of its members worth emulating and learning from as good examples of the Don Bosco teachings.

Action Plan:

1) Identify writers and contributors for articles.
2) Identify and locate Bosconian candidates as subjects of the articles
3) Negotiate with print media
4) Coordinate with print media release of articles
5) Broadcast information blitz about forthcoming articles using all viable communication media, but with emphasis on the use of the Internet
6) Explore possibilities of radio/TV guesting opportunities in order to promote the BICC.
7) Identify servant leader Bosconians in different professions and in various industries and ask them to assist in endorsing the BICC to prospective members.

D. Personal Selling

this program shall take the opportunity of optimizing personal contacts by existing members with prospective members within the community or various other organizations where ever they are based. This program shall be known as a “member-get-member” or a “member referral” program. Recognition shall be given to members able to refer and successfully sign-up new members. Recognition shall be in the form of recognition or commendation certificates given to members during general membership meetings/functions together with supporting acrticles written about them in all BICC publications and/or Internet website.

Action Plan:
1) Enrollment and assignment of BICC member “agents” responsible for a certain locality or geographical location.
2) Design website to incorporate on-line member registrations
3) Design system of monitoring registration per BICC “agent”
4) Establish member registration feedback system (reportage) for informing agents of their referral status

E. Direct Marketing

This program shall optimize the Internet in reaching and inviting prospective members to the BICC organization. The BICC direct marketing approach shall be characerized as follows:

• Non-public:  Messages shall be designed in such a way that each message was written for a specific individual.
• Customized:  Messages can be customized to appeal to a group of individuals depending on their particular circumstances (eg., mechanical engineers,  doctors, architects, etc.).
• Up-to-date:   Any type of message can be prepared very quickly for delivery to the individual (eg., forthcoming general membership meeting, activity advisory, organization updates, etc.).

Action Plan:

1) Update the BICC general directory with emphasis on capturing the latest email addresses and Internet website membership (e.g. Facebook, Multiply, Twitter, etc.) of existing members.
2) Contact the heads and batch presidents to gather from each their respective batch email group addresses for use in our direct marketing campaign.
3) Prepare an email address “broadcast list” by group and/or member category (eg., by officer level, by industry category, by geographic location, by profession, by batch, etc.)
4) Prepare draft of various proforma direct marketing letters and materials that can easily be uploaded for sending via the email systems.
5) Prepare a 12-month calendar of acitvities and programs that needs to be broadcast to members and other stakeholders under the direct marketing campaign program.
  
F. BICC Internet Website Design

The BICC website shall be the core and strategic communication channel for reaching existing and prospective members. Therefore, it is vital that the BICC website be designed to be attractive to both members and advertizers. The BICC website shall be redesigned /updated to incorporate the BICC vision and mission against the approved advertorial material design (print AD).

Action Plan:
1) Identify and assign a “Bosconian” web designer.
2) Appropriate officer-in-charge together with a web “subject matter expert” to meet with web designer to formulate web design.
3) Formulate a website map/design (including all possible web links)
4) Review and approve the website map and design
5) Implement and upload new design.
6) Upload the BICC vision and mission statement in line with the newly approved advertorial design concept.
7) Identify and appoint a BICC Website “System Administrator.”

G. BICC Directory Update Program

This program aims to update the BICC directory and eventually integrate it with a common database of the Don Bosco Alumni Association to serve as a master directory of all Salesian past pupils. The BICC directory shall serve as one main attraction to authorized subscribers to access the BICC website in locating any of their batchmates.

Action Plan:

1) Check existing BICC server hardware configuration and capacity to possibly accommodate a directory database.
2) Prepare a capacity volume forecast for the directory database to check whether it can be handled by the existing server.
3) Identify the data sources for the directory update.
4) Design the database directory contents (data fields).
5) Assign data encoders.
6) Alpha test and audit the database.
7) Upload the directory database.
8) Broadcast the availability of the BICC Directory via a direct mail campaign to all stakeholders via the Internet and other applicable media (and other communication channels).

H. Bosconian of the Year Awards Program

Honoring Bosconians in different professions and representing various industries serve to strengthen the “brotherhood” mentioned in our vision statement. Therefore, a continuous recognition program is appropriate to further espouse the mission and objectives of the BICC.

Action Plan:

1) Organize an awards group.
2) Define the criteria for the awards.
3) Define the mechanics for the awards.
4) Identify and specify the kinds of awards.
5) Identify and budget what to give to awadees.
6) Lay-out and plan the awards schedules.