I. Introduction
Because of the intent of its purpose, this Advertising Strategy Brief will focus upon the salubrious qualities of the Muslim community, in terms of their sympathetic feelings towards Paris after the terror attacks of the city in November of 2015. The forthcoming details of this brief hopes to create an effective planning model and campaign, to mitigate the bad influence which is growing against Muslim society. Changing the perception of this group, under the task authorized by the Government, calls for a marketing strategy to address the negative media directed at Muslims perceived by the general public.
Background / Overview
First of all, the creative advertising and marketing team must realize the serious nature of the news reports, before attempting to respond to the assignment to interject an effective strategy to change perceptions of an underperforming – or disdained – sector of society. At the outset, any approach to propose advertising objectives to soften sentiments towards Muslims raises a great deal of emotional difficulties for those who love Paris, and all things French in terms of culture, food, wine, and fun. A news report in The New Yorker Schwartz (2015) writes that a “thirty-three-year-old” Parisian resident was enjoying food at a restaurant when suddenly “a man jumped out, firing a Kalashnikov,” and shortly thereafter it was reported that “three suicide bombers had blown themselves up outside the Stade de France” during the French-German soccer match (“Letter from Paris”). Just as the events of what came to be known as ‘9/11’ on September 11, 2001 in the New York City terrorist attacks forever changed a city and nation, the senseless violence in Paris caused a similar reaction.
Clear, Cogent Analysis of Situation/Environment
Since rumors and threats, only days earlier with ISIS threatening to do something bad in Paris, people understandably held angry feelings towards those of the Muslim religion, Islam. To help the Muslim people who mean no harm gain a better reputation, in the eyes of the general public, the Government has commissioned an assignment in the form of a brief, to strategize a campaign of change by infusing new ideas and approaches, provide fresh innovation, by also including a formula to propose potential budget requirements for the initial campaign. The two choices given allowed the campaign creators to use the brief to address positive perceptions of the Muslim either through a perspective focused on the hated group themselves, or to concentrate on the general public. Researchers Douglas and Craig (2011) discuss the usefulness of how a plethora of markets are beginning to converge, thus recognizing the value of international strategic marketing (p. 82). In agreement with the basic premise and concept of this journal article, the advertising plan-proposal brief will target the general public of society, thus applying the following. Supportive and accompanying research, interpretations, and positioning will make a sincere effort to alter negative views or perceptions about the Muslim in the collective mind’s eye of the general public.
Obviously, marketing and advertising can be a tricky and surprising business. When public opinion and the horrific loss of lives are at stake, people want answers. They need assurances. One Islamic man, Naseeha in a social media video, gave a response that Muslims broke the mandate and protocol of keeping a contract whilst “living among the disbelievers” (“How Muslims should react”). His response to the problem neither comforts the general public, nor endears any Muslim well-meaning to those coping with deaths of their loved ones. So many mixed emotions confuse the situation. Young Muslim men on the streets of Paris, in one televised interview, condemned the violence and said that Muslims would not – or should not commit these murderous attacks. One of the young men said he himself was scared. Reading through all the commentary on YouTube, achievement of the advertising objectives will not be easy. However, this is the decision for the campaign slogan or motto: ‘What the Eiffel Tower Means to Me’ Campaign – or the word ‘Paris’ instead of Eiffel Tower.
II. Proposed Advertising Objectives
The foremost objective reminder in this brief, is not to be vague. While it is true the Governmental powers assigning the task gave generalized instructions, the ad objectives conceive very specific aims. The long-term goal is to accomplish a reduction of animosity towards the Muslim resulting from the Paris attacks. Proposed objectives guide their drives in hope of achieving concrete attainments. Therefore, the first preparatory implementation to evaluation the objectives, is distribution of a random survey to the citizens of Paris and France. The purpose is to measure attitudes about the Muslim in the post-attacks environment as accurately as possible. In the business world, organizational marketing strategies involve academics, theory, and economy-related discussions. For example, Băcanu (2015) argues business management entities is the majority population concerned with marketing strategies. But social-political peacefulness is important to strive for.
Strategy must fit the situation. Strategy objectives must aim towards a customized performance, as Zeriti et al. (2014) suggest by building on “the contingent theory” by molding a development model that can be sustainable under the circumstances (p. 44). The advertising objectives for the ‘What-the-Eiffel-Tower-Means-to-Me’ campaign are as follows:
- Decrease the incidents of Parisians making rude remarks to the Muslim who puts flowers
- Create effective social media video, and photo, snapshot interview/responses from them
- Solicit a testimony from a Muslim who lost family, or loved ones, in the Paris attack
- Develop a series of Muslim photo montages of wife, husband, and children
- Create snippets of visual/multi-media video vignettes to let the Muslim tell of love for Paris
- Deliver, via social media and TV commercials, how ISIS has killed more Muslims overall
- Recruit a psychological consultant to formulate the best logical and emotional approach
- Hire a music composer for the background of the Muslim portraits, and testimonies.
The accumulative end goal from the concrete objectives, is a reduction of perception of bad influence of the Muslim.
III. Overarching Advertising Strategy of Factors
This section will address in general the key strategies in respect of: target audience, positioning, statement, message strategy, media strategy, and budget plan proposal. The target audience is the general public. We are talking to them and trying to alter perceptions of the Muslim as a bad influence on society. The real idea of the target audience profile is to reach them and gauge how they feel, and how they think and behave. They are both men and women, but to be more precise, statistical data findings will help determine their ages, locations of parts of the city (Paris) and lifestyle information. Ethnicities and household income information will be gathered to try and assign attitudes to varied aspects of the Parisian populace. Although people from other countries will see the social media campaign, the subject of the brief model-plan is addressed toward the general public in Paris, France. It will be important to understand the percentage of whites and non-white ethnicities’ opinions. The reason why is because many Muslim feel they have been treated with prejudice in Paris. This factor is also critical to assess, although some native French feel all Muslims should leave the country. The strategy is a combination of before-and-after combined with empathy.
The positioning statement must be flexible and creative. Learning by examining input from other scholars helps diagnose how to proceed. Blair (2008) builds a discussion of marketing around a younger demographic, up to the age of mid-twenties, citing the importance of grabbing attention from competing social media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, and iPods. According to one of the best universities in the world, the University of California, marketing orientation involves positioning in terms of “conveying meaningful differences that distinguish your product” (“Overview – 6Ps”). Having already decided the target audience, positioning has a built-in guaranteed uniqueness in striving to make people feel more sympathetic toward Muslims who intend no harm to others outside of their religion. The setting for positioning primarily will be in the social media forum, where the idea for persuasion is promoted. Thus, the positioning statement is quite clear.
The essence of the brief’s message strategy is inextricably linked to the plan using social media and television to deliver the dynamic presentation. The channel of the field of communications can be a far-ranging, very wide path. The basic idea is to influx the message with fresh insight, deep human emotion, in a fact-filled public relations effort. According to an article on the topic strategic communications exists for the purpose of conveying the best message, that prompts people to be convinced about something – like changing their attitudes (“What is strategic communications,” 2012). Of course, a finalized strategy about message placement on the chosen TV stations and social media must coincide with budget constraints in the final analysis.
Media strategy speaks for itself. Part of the importance in dealing with contracts is making sure the press does not misunderstand the message. Staying clear on all points shows that the method, and intent, of the brief is reaching for new approaches to improving relations between the Muslim and prejudicial perceptions of the general public in Paris – and ultimately around the world. Therefore, the basic media strategy focuses on Paris outlets and social media to encourage duplication and going viral. Advertising/marketing strategy always involves consumer behavior and psychology. Think about the following images and how the silent messages might be resolved. *{Photo images courtesy of Google Images online}.
Our job in the brief is to foster that Muslims do not all believe in the extremity of the image on the left.
IV. In-Depth Discussion Areas
Target Audience
Given the reality of the news-reported deaths during the Paris attacks, the tragic deaths and worldwide response of hatred toward Muslims the campaign must strictly adhere to the motto. The slogan, ‘What-the-Eiffel-Tower-Means-to-Me’ is a general mood to be delivered to the audience. As mentioned previously, the target audience will be researched very carefully and approached as befitting. According to world statistical data 2014 estimates puts the Paris population at an estimated total of 2.34 million in the city proper, with surrounding suburbs of an additional 10 million (“Paris Population”). The bustling romance destination and cosmopolitan guides 7 million visitors to the Eiffel Tower annually. This is the chief audience the brief wishes to reach, as the people are diverse. However in light of the attacks, it had been noted by Taylor (2015) in The Washington Post that one Pew report put Muslim populace at 4.7 million placing France’s Islamic immigrant size at 31 percent (“Map: France’s Growing”). Given the threat of ISIS violence, one can hardly blame white, Jewish, or non-Muslim Parisians feeling nervous although the Muslim complains about prejudice, and racism.
Therefore, we wish the target audience of Paris first, then an overflow of the world, to be as diverse as its population. The idea is to include all sectors or citizens as stakeholders, and approach them in very short sound-video bytes. We are not only talking to whites, but everyone, using a variety of people in the advertising campaign. The before-and-after strategy hits the audience showing a family working hard, helping to feed the poor in the city for example. In other words, show powerful positive images using empathy letting a Muslim explain what Paris (or the Eiffel Tower) meant on their wedding day or honeymoon.
Positioning Statement
In positioning the short, high-impact video segments we will try to include the niche features which makes Paris so special. Although the marketing campaign advertising strategy has a mass-market strength, it needs to position to the citizens as human beings and people on a personal level. Food, for example, and the cuisine/wine culture in Paris is world-famous. As such, the positioning must exploit this. Medium and small neighborhood restaurants, both in the city, and among the arrondisements or suburbs could be highlighted by people telling how they meet their husband, wife, girlfriend, or classmate there for a favorite meal.
The positioning strategy will cover myriad people in Paris from the visitor, to the long-time citizen, to the immigrant – young, and old alike. The idea is not to dispel these kinds of disturbing images, but rather to help to begin to heal them.
Message and Media Strategy
Once these painful images are confronted, the healing process and human empathy can begin to slowly unveil. The spirit of the ad campaign is an attitude of outreach, but not forcing to try and convince people that the Muslim is not an animalistic degenerate murderer who all agree with ISIS. Once the target audience and positioning have been established, coordination and professionalism must come into play. Communications style must offer facts, but be presented from the personal stories of the people in the short videos. When focusing on the message, whichever video is being featured, should be a powerful visual image such as helping an elderly native-Parisian woman get up and cross the street after she almost fell down. Sometimes the most important thing that needs to be said, is unspoken. Keep it simple. Keep it short. Most of all the important aim of the message is to keep it open-ended, and deeply emotional to connect the humanity of everyone.
The popularity of social media has proven that music, emotional drive, psychology, and potent visual presentations in video form have a persuasive quality and value. The message must not be overly emotional. The target audience should not feel manipulated in any way, which is part of the reason why the ‘message’ must feel and indeed be open-ended. All advertisers and marketing executives know that cognitive forces are at work when people see, or hear any type of messages directed at them. The impact instills an instant identification or reaction. If it were not true, the entire social media explosion would not be so important to corporations all over the world. Becheur et al. (2007) studied the appeal of negative emotions like fear, guilt, and shame in targeted advertising audiences and found that in using the style to persuade against alcohol abuse, has a great impact on persuasive tactics. The message can be tailored as the series of video clips develops and focuses on different individuals, mostly young but older should be included as well. Learning from research work in universities in Zimbabwe’s educational system, Nkala et al. (2014) realized that the emotional marketing framework was comprised of reliability, assurance, empathy, responsiveness, and tangibles.
An example of a short hard-impact hitting video or television commercial, with subtle yet profoundly moving music could be as follows. A mother is taking her young child to a site in Paris, to light a candle and say a prayer for the dead. The media strategy will have a marketing mix of YouTube videos, television commercials, and newspaper ads in Paris. There should be a consist thread of media strategy aligned with each and every message. For example, that might be to pose a question at the end of every short image. The question could be as simple as: Why? Obviously, there is no actual product being marketed for monetary profit, however engaging the participation of a few chosen clothing stores would make a greater impact. The retail stores would feature a photo of an image of someone who was featured in one of the short videos. Another idea, to be innovative would be to feature the question slogan, ‘why’ or a nice sign proclaiming the campaign motto: ‘What-the-Eiffel-Tower-Means-to-Me.’ Ordinary citizens could be invited to upload their one or two minute video on YouTube, filmed in Paris, and give their short, heartfelt demonstration explaining how significant Paris (or the Eiffel Tower) symbolizes a special love for them.
The applications for video story-photo shorts from the public, would need to be screened. Of course, there need be a suitable budget proposal for the campaign. There really is not any competition to speak of. But distribution of market placement and financial estimates of expected expenses must be considered. Whether retailers displaying slogans will expect to be paid will be determined after further research. Yet, just to cover the possible costs, the budget needs to figure out an estimate of who needs to be hired in terms of a public relations team and video and still photographers in the streets of Paris.
Budget Plan Proposal
- Technical Equipment
- Technical Expertise Professionals
- Writers and Editors
- Advertising Television time
- General Reserves
- Promotional Department Creative People
- Public Relations staff
- Statistical Accounting staff
- Office Location leasing
=========================== Estimated Total: $3.5 million USD
Report Sum-Up and Simple Portfolio: “What the Eiffel Tower Means to Me” Campaign
The video that went viral of a Muslim man hugging people after the Paris Attacks
BACKGROUND: Serious nature of terrorist attacks in Paris, sparking elevated distrust and hatred of the Muslim internationally.
ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENT: Different opinions in social media from Muslim people help others to understand their feelings, and disagreement with the murderous act.
PROPOSED ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES: Before-and-After Strategy, comparing the past negative image with emerging positive influence, with gradual healing. Combines with Empathy Strategy, to make target audience to feel humanely sympathetic toward the Muslim.
MAIN ADVERTISING MESSAGE FORMATS: Short, impactful, video clips of variety of Parisian people telling what the Eiffel Tower means to them using potent visual images. Music that is softly powerful may be chosen.
ESTIMATED BUDGET: Approximately $3.5 million USD
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