1. Simmons College Honors Program: Comprehensive Marketing Plan 2012-2013 Academic Year Developed by Mercedez Lemieux, Marketing Intern for the Honors Program

2. Objectives Increase current student engagement with our brand Honors Liaison Honors Student Advisory Board Walking tours, teas, & cafés Increase visibility within the Simmons community Re-focus marketing efforts to target specific consumer segments

3. Target Audience(s) Freshmen-entry students Age: college-aged Sophomore-entry students Age: college-aged Transfer students Age: college-aged Dix scholars Age: 24+ Commuter Across all segments: Demographics Gender: female Generation Y Education: attending/will attend Simmons College full time GPA: 3.4+ Geographics Location: Boston, MA (and surrounding neighborhoods) Psychographics Lifestyle: Achievers* *Based upon ‘How to Discover the Best Appeals for Target Publics’ – Linda P. Morton

4. SWOT Analysis StrengthsOpportunities Established consumer base No competing brands Top management realizes the importance of re-vamping current marketing efforts Company can expand its online presence and control its positioning strategy within that channel The increasing demand for ways a consumers can competitively differentiate themselves WeaknessesThreats Current marketing efforts are outdated Does not have a clearly differentiated positioning strategy Promotional materials are created and distributed by outside departments unrelated to the company itself Student group affiliated with the brand is disorganized & inconsistent with their marketing efforts Diminishing program engagement with consumers as they mature within the program Limited number of professors able to teach Honors courses creates an imbalance in which types of courses are offered Negative perception of Honors requirements for entry

5. Rationale: Engagement Participation in Honors events & Honors student groups is very low Majority of active members are freshmen Losing member engagement as they grow through the program

6. Rationale: Market Segmentation Current marketing efforts geared towards only 1 target audience: freshmen-entry consumers Does not accurately address other 3 target audiences: Sophomore-entry Simmons students Transfer students Dix Scholars

7. Market Research Conducted interviews with: 2 student life deans/directors 7 leaders of student groups (also members of Honors) 2 organizations were found to be absent of Honors presence 1 organization was unresponsive Questions asked: What do you/does your organization want to see from Honors? What could be done to boost attendance at Honors events & increase participation from your students? How do you get your students involved & attending events- and keep them involved? Suggestions/additional comments

8. Research Findings Attendance at events is a struggle across the boards Personal invites to relevant student groups Perception that Honors events are exclusively for Honors students Be mindful of days, times, and location of events Coursework on relevant issues Monthly informal event (same time, same place) for consistency Co-sponsor events w/ relevant student groups Key Takeaways/Suggestions

9. Implementation Tools & Resources Social Media efforts: Create Twitter account and establish following Re-format Facebook and foster an engaged community Informational materials: Existing website Create flyers for events, courses, & academic opportunities Send email updates about opportunities & deadlines Distribute electronic newsletters Current consumers (monthly)

10. Action Steps Continue current consumer newsletter Update existing website & link to social media sites Maintain Facebook & Twitter as separate media strategies Facebook: events, weekly posting (continuity), highlight achievements Twitter: relevant articles, things going on on/around campus, announcements, deadlines

11. My Recommendations Promotional materials: Memory On Hand bracelets Joining benefits/incentive Branded swag w/ a purpose Create Honors Program Instagram Link to Twitter/utilize photos in tweets One more way for the consumer to engage with our brand Improve marketing efforts of Honors Liaison (student group) Develop a how-to guide on marketing efforts to be distributed to the Honors Liaison executive board Oversee marketing efforts to ensure they align with the Honors brand/image Increase co-sponsorship of events on campus w/ relevant student groups