Strategic Communication Plan for Global Organization
see attached "instruction".
textbook also attached.
This is a continuous assignment. The number of total assignments is 4. This is the second. You have written the first assignment last week.
Northeastern University's Experiential Network team is thrilled to formally introduce the Signode Canada Group (10 students, that are us) of PBR 6135 (that is course: Public Relations Planning & Strategy) to Jon Fowkes of Signode Canada ULC to collaborate on a short-term XN partnership! The project description is below.
Strategic Communication Plan for Global Organization
Description:
A Canadian organization is a global manufacturer of steel and plastic strapping, stretch film, pressure sensitive carton sealing tape and the application equipment and accessory products for each. The organization seeks support to create increased B2B awareness and better communicate with the target audience and decision makers. Organizational leaders currently maintain a limited web and social media presence and desire a collaboration with students to increase brand awareness by increasing digital reach.
Final Deliverable:
The desired outcome of this collaboration is a strategic communication plan to increase the current digital footprint and better reach key stakeholders/decision makers. The deliverable will include platforms to participate on, website content recommendations, cost analysis and perceived benefits of the investment.
Assignment:
Strategy and messaging are the foundational components of a strategic public relations plan, hence the word “strategic” used with the plan. This lays out the overarching manner in how you will accomplish your plan with the core messages you wish to communicate to your stakeholders. SMART Objectives help you formulate what your strategy should be to achieve the desired outcomes. It is most effective to base the strategic communications plan's evaluation metrics from its SMART objectives.
For this assignment, formulate the strategy and messaging and include at least three SMART objectives. Back these up with information gleaned from the Week 1 SWOT analysis (last assignment you wrote: see attached). Use this assignment to inform the next Week: tactics, budget and timeline assignment.
Strategy and Messaging
Author's Name
The Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Assignment Due Date
Strategy and Messaging
Introduction
Signode Canada is a global manufacturer of industrial packaging. It has been one of the market leaders since 1913 CITATION Sig18 \l 1033 (Signode Industrial Group, 2018). Signode Canada emphasizes using innovative solutions to meet customers' expectations and demands. In this day and age, the market is becoming more competitive. With threats from other competitors and an increase in technological advancements, Signode Canada will have strengths and opportunities at its disposal to help gain a competitive edge. In addition to goals, they need an effective strategy to help achieve these goals.
Marketing Strategic Plan
Marketing Analysis
Using the SWOT analysis, we have identified that Signode Canada has a critical weakness. The lack of digital presence constricts them from using traditional marketing and production channels. Fortunately for Signode Canada, they have a strong brand presence. They can use this as an opportunity and turn this weakness around.
The packaging industry is a mature market saturated with strong competitors, such as Samuel Packaging System and the Maillis Group. Signode Canada has already acquired a big chunk of the market share; however, increasing market saturation is a tedious task with market saturation. The profitability is stable, but the rate of growing the market potential is almost zero. With technological advancements decreasing the barriers of entry, new competitors will emerge (Middleton, 2015). Signode Canada needs to overcome any weakness to stay in the running. To focus their strategies, Signode Canada will set objectives.
SMART Objectives
The SMART objectives work as per the principle of "management by objectives". It aims to motivate employees by providing immediate and achievable goals CITATION Luk18 \l 1033 (Luttrell, 2018). The objectives help them allocate resources efficiently to achieve these goals. They communicate the expectations and goals in a straightforward manner CITATION Kat20 \l 1033 (Boogaard, 2020). It allows the top management to align their perspectives with the employees effectively.
SMART Objective 1
"Create a digital presence for customer engagement and increase the customer base by 5-15% in the next fiscal year."
One of the most significant weaknesses of Signode Canada is its lack of digital presence. Signode Canada can use this as an opportunity to expand its customer base. This objective is specific as it focuses on increasing the customer base. Signode Canada would aim to increase its overall digital presence to increase customer engagement to achieve this. The goal is measurable as it depends on the number of new customers acquired by the company. Signode Canada is a market leader in the packaging industry and is has an ever-growing customer base. The online presence will help open new channels for customer acquisitions, so the goal is attainable. Expecting only 5% to 15% is also realistic due to Signode Canada's position as a market leader. The goal is to achieve the desired increase in customers within one fiscal year, which constitutes 12 months.
SMART Objective 2
"Achieve a 2% to 3% increase in sales within the next 6-8 months by setting an online order platform due to Covid-19."
The second objective will focus on increasing sales by creating a new platform for customers to use. Like the first objective, we will Signode that Canada will utilize digital space to create an opportunity for themselves and their customers. The goal focuses explicitly on increasing sales using an online ordering system. It is measurable as it aims to achieve a quantifiable %2 or 3% increase. The sales and finance department can monitor this increase. The goal is achievable as a 2 to 3% increase is reasonable and attainable within the given time frame of 6 to 8 months. The time frame provides ample opportunity for customers to try and review this service. It is a realistic goal. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, there is an increasing trend of online purchases CITATION Bea20 \l 1033 (Estay, 2020).
SMART Objective 3
"Allocating 50% of the research and development budget to design sustainable and eco-friendly packaging products within two years."
The final SMART objective for Signode Canada is regarding its resource allocation. Signode Canada has a developed and robust research and development department. By shifting capital allocation, the company can become more environmentally conscious and responsible. The goal is specific as it focuses on a budget of a particular department and states its reason. It is measurable as a quantifiable amount is being reallocated. The company already uses its resources for research and development, so it is realistic to not alter its entire budget and financial reports. The majority of research and development activities take time, especially with experimentations, prototypes, and testing. A 2-year time frame is enough for the research and development department to conduct all operations thoroughly.
Segmentation and Positioning
Segmentation and Targeting
Signode, Canada is an industrial packaging manufacturer. The majority of their clients are other businesses. Signode Canada can segment them using a mixture of two techniques. Using firmographics, Signode Canada can segment their current and potential customers, depending on their operations' industry. The majority of sales of Signode Canada are derived from the following industries CITATION Dav20 \l 1033 (Roberge, 2020):
* Metal Industry (Primary metals and metal services)
* Paper industry
* Synthetic fibers and cotton
* Building industry
* Transport Industry
Secondly, Signode Canada can differentiate tier...