Marketing on a Shoestring Budget Ian Arnold, Web Developer Lenore Messler, Graphic Designer Aron Myers, Art Director Florida State University Oglesby Union

Sustain and build student attendance Expand services information and support Grow student involvement Overview This session will present the marketing plans for four programs and projects at our student union: late night programming (Breakfast for a Buck), annual events (Friday the 31 st, Spring Fling, Pizza League) and illustrate how low- cost ($300-$0) but creative and effective marketing can:

Creative and Effective Design Photography Swingers Handbills Flyer and Poster postings The use of Websites and electronic media Social marketing and viral campaigns Word of Mouth This session will also explore traditional (means) of marketing, but from an inexpensive, cost-cutting and partnership perspective:

Creativity Seek out inspiration Be unique from the other marketing and color schemes in the places you market your events. You must stand out! Use graphic imagery and fonts appropriate for your event or program. You must be strategic! Don’t be afraid to experiment with new marketing strategies! This is a process that will be repeated over and over again with slight modifications to meet the unique marketing strategies for each of the programs, events and services you wish to market. Shouldn’t creativity be a key element and approach for any marketing effort anyway? On a reduced budget, creativity can make the difference between a moderate and a very effective campaign.

Clarity Follow the proper Text size Importance ratio Highlight key attraction words like “free” and “food” Be conscious of art and font contrast Don’t make assumptions about the general knowledge of your target audience. On a reduced budget, there will be fewer posters for posting, handbills, banners—fewer chances for your advertisements to gain the attention of your target audience. You have to be sure that when the eye of your target audience makes contact, your message must be clear!

Consistency Continue to advertise in the places that have proven successful in the past while seeking out new and free avails for promotion. Your target audience will look to these advertising spaces to get updates about their favorite programs and events. Consider creating a logo or design scheme for popular and/or regular events. Using your website as an extension of your marketing strategies and promote your events in (the same place on your frontpage - webcalendar)‏ Consistency and repetition leads to branding. All of the pieces of your campaign, however small, should be designed and presented with a consistent design aesthetic and message. If you are given the task of promoting an annual or ongoing event, consistency and repetition leads to branding.

A Few Creative Tips Layout, Design, and Color Schemes Marketing in Color and Black & White Focal Point in Design

Analogous Complementary Triadic Monochromatic Color Schemes

colorschemedesigner.com

Analogous

Complementary

Triadic

Monochromatic

Depth

(Lack thereof)‏

Depth (Lack thereof)‏

Focal point Spot color Drawing the Eye

Color as a Focal Point

Spot Color

Breakfast For a Buck Descriptive title plays up the “food and free or almost free” binary. First rule of food advertisements: The photos of food must look appetizing! Built in audience with prescheduled Friday late night events. Reinforce the strengths of marketing campaign. The monthly, late night, all you can eat breakfast at the Union Food Court form 11pm to 2am. Your FSU Student ID will get you in for $1.

Breakfast For a Buck Consult your business partner for assistance: Photography Flyers and Posters (in-house)‏ Built in audience with prescheduled Friday late night events. Co- marketing efforts. Website Calendar with graphic Swingers borrowed from Guest Services MARKETING STRATEGIES

Swinger outside the food court Web site

Breakfast For a Buck $00 - In-house design $00 - Photography $00 - Swingers However, if your office wanted to invest in swingers, they are available for purchase for about $50 $ Poster prints One roll of $65 paper (110 feet yields x 36 posters) $1.96 per poster. $ In-house flyers and posters for posting boards $00 - website and list-serve announcements $00 - Word of mouth TOTAL: $13.58 COST ANALYSIS

Breakfast For a Buck COST ANALYSIS $ Attendance: Average 300 students 2009 Attendance: Average 900 students

Spring Fling “Free food and carnival” on campus. Word of Mouth! Viral campaign and website announcements Handbills Posters A monthly, a carnival type event held in the spring semester. Students can enjoy popcorn, funnel cake, and cotton candy, win prizes at game booths, and view campus from the top of a Ferris wheel. Best of all, events are free for FSU students! MARKETING STRATEGIES

Spring Fling $00 - In-house design $00 - Photography $00 - Swingers However, if your office wanted to invest in swingers, they are available for purchase for about $50 $ Poster prints One roll of $65 paper (110 feet yields x 36 posters) $1.96 per poster. $ In-house flyers and posters for posting boards $00 - website and list-serve announcements $00 - Word of mouth TOTAL: $13.58 COST ANALYSIS

Spring Fling COST ANALYSIS $ Attendance: 5,162 students

Friday the 31st Creative Photography Flyers and Posters (in-house)‏ Built in audience with prescheduled Friday late night events. Co- marketing efforts. Website Calendar with graphics and viral campaign Swingers borrowed from Guest Services A full evening of Halloween themed events from 5pm to 2am. Your FSU Student ID will get you in for free. MARKETING STRATEGIES

Friday the 31 st RAW PHOTOS OF STUDENTS

Friday the 31 st EDITED PHOTOS

Friday the 31 st

$ fake blood $00 - In-house design $00 - Photography $00 - Swingers $ Poster prints $ In-house flyers and posters for posting boards - Version 1 $ In-house flyers and posters for posting boards - Version 2 $00 - website and list-serve announcements $00 - Word of mouth $ handbills TOTAL: $43.04 COST ANALYSIS

Friday the 31 st COST ANALYSIS $ Attendance: 4,166 visitors Website had approximately 1,750 visitors in the month of October, making it one of the top sites for the Union for the month.

Pizza League Bowling managers wanted to raise the number of recruitment week registrations and had no additional money outside of what was currently used for promotion. Raise interest in the Pizza League A student bowling league run under the Union’s bowling lanes. Four friends and for six bucks each equals a night of bowling and pizza. During the recruitment week and $5 registration, you get a free-shirt. PROMOTIONAL CHALLENGES…

Pizza League 2007 Knocked Up Ratatouille Superbad 300 TOP MOVIES

Pizza League 2007

Pizza League 2008 The Incredible Hulk The Dark Knight Indiana Jones Iron Man TOP MOVIES

Pizza League 2008

Pizza League 2009 Star Trek Sherlock Holmes Avatar Zombieland TOP MOVIES

Pizza League 2009

Pizza League $00 - In-house design $00 - Swingers However, if your office wanted to invest in swingers, they are available for purchase for about $50 $ Poster prints One roll of $65 paper (110 feet yields x 36 posters) $1.96 per poster. $ In-house flyers and posters for posting boards $00 - website and list-serve announcements $00 - Word of mouth TOTAL: $13.58 (No Additional Cost)‏ COST ANALYSIS

Pizza League ADDITIONAL COST ANALYSIS $ Attendance: Average 5 teams/Sunday night 2008 Attendance: Average 10 teams/Sunday night 2009 Attendance: Average 12 teams/Sunday night

Wrap Up You can expand your budget or your creative thinking, clarity, and consistency… both have potentially the same effect. But our method of marketing on a shoestring budget costs far less.

Questions?