John Caples. Student Campaign of the Year Entry Kit 2010

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1 Student Campaign of the Year Entry Kit 2010 For more information and to enter, visit dmnews.com/student-awards Sponsored by:

2 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 The assignment and challenge 6 Official rules 7 Five tips to win My Campaign My Strategy My Creativity My Win

3 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 3 Do you have what it takes to develop a Caples Student Campaign of the Year? Test your direct marketing creative skills by entering our contest, sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing. Your group could win $5,000, an internship and bragging rights. A past winning team assisted the client, Pentel, in converting their idea to a live campaign. View this campaign at spinthepen.com What can I win? The winning individual or group will receive a generous $5,000 cash prize. In addition, the winning individual or two lead group members will receive an internship(s) at Alloy Media + Marketing and a paid trip to the annual Caples Awards in New York in March of One runner-up individual or team may receive a $1,000 cash prize and up to two tickets to attend the Caples Awards. What do I have to do? Design a marketing campaign for the Sony VAIO laptop series. You will need to use your creativity and ability to think strategically and analytically to create a campaign that ensures the client achieves its desired objective. When is the deadline? The entry deadline is January 21, 2011 Who can enter? Whether a major in graphic design, marketing, communications or chemistry, any individual or group can enter as long as all members involved were enrolled as undergraduate students at a US college or university between December 14, 2009 December 14, 2010.

4 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 4 Background The latest VAIO laptop series consists of nine models tailored towards different users needs. From a customcolored small notebook to a large 17 with a Blu-ray burner built in, the Sony VAIO series offers users the ability to truly pick a laptop model with the most desirable qualities, and customize as they see fit. Each model features innovative design elements, built-in Sony media applications and bonus software such as the Adobe Suite and wireless display for select models. To learn more about capabilities of the products, head to the Sony site: Market Problem With competition high among student laptop purchases, the Sony VAIO laptop series must find a way to stand out in a crowded and competitive market. Designed with personalization in mind, the Sony VAIO laptop series offers choice customization, from its color motif to its browsing capabilities to unique media viewing through its unparalleled HDTV graphics. This campaign should be designed to educate students on the capabilities of the VAIO laptop series and clearly deliver the message that the VAIO laptop is the best product to meet their needs. The marketing plan should showcase the benefits of the VAIO laptop series, drive them to learn more about the products and increase purchase intent among the target audience. The assignment For this campaign, participants should develop a marketing plan that targets college students. Create a direct marketing campaign to increase brand awareness for Sony on college campuses nationwide. You are required to use the two direct marketing channels outlined below and are allowed to use one of the optional media channels listed below (for a total of no less than two or more than three individual media channels). n REQUIRED: Direct mail (envelope or postcard) n REQUIRED: Digital marketing channel from the following: Website/Microsite, Mobile marketing/online video, Online display/banner ad or Optional Media n Campus signage/ campus newspaper n Viral or word of mouth n Promotion (street team, event, grassroots) n Social media

5 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 5 In addition, the campaign should be aimed at being viral either through social networking, online video sharing or other digital media that encourages sharing. Target audience For this campaign, your target audience is college students throughout the US, ages 18 to 24. Standard campaign Campaign Write-Up. Students are required to fill out the online entry form which is separated into the following sections: objectives, research and planning, strategy, tactics, and evaluation/measurement of success. There is a 500 word limit per section. Campaign Creative (copy and design). For all forms of media used to promote the Sony VAIO, students must explain and show the creative elements used. Students are strongly encouraged to present their work in photo board format. Digital elements including URLs, banner ads, etc. may be uploaded online. All print elements must be mailed to: Haymarket Media c/o Eva Chan, Caples SCOTY Award 114 W. 26th St., 4th floor New York, NY Results. Students are strongly encouraged to use social networking tools to test their campaign ideas and illicit response from peers. The results of any efforts your marketing campaign receives should be delineated within the campaign write-up. Questions? inquiries to sonychallenge@alloymarketing.com or contact Eva Chan at eva.chan@dmnews.com The 2009 winning team from the University of Pennsylvania s Wharton School of Business

6 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 6 Official rules All entries must be submitted online. Once your entry is complete, visit dmnews.com/student-awards. n Entries must be from undergraduate students enrolled at a US college or university. n Entries must be received online by Friday, January 21, Late entries will not be accepted. n The, Haymarket Media Inc. and Alloy Media + Marketing reserve the right to disqualify any entry deemed unsuitable for any reason, not limited to, but including: failure to meet any of the previously stated rules; plagiarism or unattributed use of copy righted material or images; excessive use of profanity, nudity, or violence; any content that advocates and supports racial, cultural, religious, or gender bias. n The leading individual or two lead members of the group with the top entry will receive travel to New York for the Caples Awards in March 2011 including airfare and standard hotel room expenses to be paid for by the sponsor. n The winning individual or winning group of the Student Campaign of the Year Award will receive $5,000 and an internship(s) with Alloy Media + Marketing (for a period of time to be determined). n One runner-up for the Student Campaign of the Year Award may receive $1,000. n The judges of the Student Campaign of the Year contest will include representatives from Alloy Media + Marketing, the, Direct Marketing News, and Sony. n The winning student(s) agree to permit their likenesses and campaign elements to be used by the, Haymarket Media Inc. and/or Alloy Media + Marketing for advertising or promotion. n All entry materials become the property of the sponsoring organizations and will not be returned. n Immediate family members of employees of Alloy Media + Marketing or Haymarket Media Inc. (Direct Marketing News) are not eligible to enter. n By submitting your entry for the Caples Student Campaign of the Year Award, you agree to the rules and regulations listed above. Sponsored by:

7 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 7 5 tips to win a Caples Student Campaign of the Year award A few things to keep in mind when trying to win the Caples Student Competition Visit dmnews.com/ student-awards to view the video portion from last year s winning entry. 1 Research There s no way you ll be able to come up with a well thought out campaign without doing some research. You should be able to answer these questions and more in your write-ups. n What are the benefits of the Sony VAIO over its competitors? n What are the product s weaknesses? n What are the price points of the Sony VAIO vs. competitors? n What promotions are competitors running? n What are competitors doing to market the product? n What media channels are the competitors using? Ads? On campus media? YouTube? Social media? Be sure to research what kinds of media students are accessing. What is their purchase criterion (price, features, reputation etc.)? How do you do this? It could be as simple as running a survey at your school and nearby schools or even seeking information from marketing publications. Ask your professors for help. They may know where you might be able to find this information. Leverage your professors all throughout your process as they are people with answers who can help you develop a strong, professional entry. 2 Find Help n You don t have to be the jack-of-all-trades. Sometimes you need help to perfect the parts where you are not as strong. n If you are not an illustrator or photographer and your idea needs a good piece of art, ask friends and classmates who have these skills to help you. n Work with your marketing professor (or find one) to review your writeup. The stronger your write-up is, the

8 Sponsored by Alloy Media + Marketing 8 5 tips to win a Caples Student Campaign of the Year award A few things to keep in mind when trying to win the Caples Student Competition better the judges will understand your marketing campaign. n Form a team you don t have to do this alone. One of you might be great at layouts while the other great at developing Flash and interactive elements. The first year, two students teamed up and asked their friends for help (visit dmnews.com/student-awards). 3 Don t forget the direct marketing Caples is about creative solutions to tough marketing problems and about direct response. How will people respond to your marketing and how will you track and measure it? That s what makes direct marketing so powerful. Each element is measured by how it performs. Your pieces should have the ability to capture names and contact information, measure sales against each component, and determine the success of the campaign overall. 4 Build a budget Not that we want you to be an accountant, but keep in mind, in broad stokes, what the cost of your campaign will be. If you can, put budget numbers in your write-up. If your campaign costs $100,000 and you project $50,000 in sales, you ll need to rethink your marketing program. 5 Be creative Look at past Caples winners (visit dmnews.com/awards) and see how creative the solutions were. Remember that we are looking for creative solutions to tough marketing problems. Reviewing past winners is an excellent way to also spur your own creativity as well as understand what wins a Caples award.