Case Study: Campus Calendar

Executive Summary

Collegiate Images (CI) was started by 8 students from Eastern Washington University which is located in Cheney, Washington. The objective of CI is to gain business experience by producing a campus calendar while making enough profit to cover their senior year tuition. Some constraints for their project come from companies who give out calendars for free. Another constraint is that their small start-up capital will not cover the costs of producing and promoting the calendar. They will therefore need to come up with a marketing mix that will show sponsors that their business plan is sound.

CI did phone interviews, focus groups and questionnaires to obtain data on the types of calendars that were successfully sold in the Pacific Northwest along with the type of calendar Eastern Washington students would like. With a student body of 8,200 students there was many options and opinions presented.

After reviewing the data and options that CI has the following marketing mix is suggested. Produce a high quality, small academic calendar with models taken from the football team and cheerleading squad to show school spirit. This calendar will directly target 3 groups; the primary target being male underclassman and the secondary targets being female underclassman and alumni. By having a low price point and using all of the free promotional outlets along with one ad in the weekly newspaper and selling only at the booths they will create a good profit margin. Additionally, all pictures will be taken by a professional photographer so there will be quality photos in the calendar.

Situation Analysis

The Environment

Economic conditions and trends: Currently the economy is in a recession though economists are saying the recession may soon be over.

Culture and social values and trends: Eastern Washington University has a campus culture that is influenced by its surrounding area. The University is in a county which is a metro area with...