Bloomington Normal Home Show IMC Plan

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan
Allie Bray
Lisa Hipelius
Alex Larson
Emma Vierck

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preliminary Pages
Team Biographies (Team)......................................................................................................................3
Executive Summary (Vierck).................................................................................................................4
Section I - Situation Analysis
Background on Situation (Hipelius)...................................................................................................7
Product/Service Offerings (Hipelius).............................................................................................11
Industry/Best Practices/Competition and Barriers (Vierck)...............................................17
Analysis of Past Advertising/IMC & Financial Picture (Larson).........................................25
Legal/Regulatory Environment (Larson).....................................................................................41
Section II - Target Audience Profile and Campaign Objectives
Selection and Justification of Target Audience Profile (Bray)..............................................45
Target Audience Proposed for Campaign (Team).....................................................................47
Creative Platform and Campaign Objectives (Team)...............................................................51
Section III - Creative Strategy
IMC Plan Overview (Vierck)................................................................................................................58
Presentation of Layouts & Analytical Critiques (Hipelius)....................................................59
Section IV - Media Strategy
Selection of Media Vehicles (Bray/Larson)..................................................................................72
IMC Schedule (Bray/Larson)..............................................................................................................77
Justification of Media Strategy (Bray/Larson)............................................................................87
Section V - Support Strategy
Strategies to Be Used and Justification (Vierck)........................................................................91
Section VI – Campaign Tracking
Proposed Method (Hipelius)………………………………………………………………………………94
Appendices
Appendix A - In-Depth Interview Method and Results (Vierck).........................................97
Appendix B - Copy Test Method and Results (Vierck)..........................................................102

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TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
Allie Bray
is a senior at ISU majoring in Marketing with a focus in Integrated Marketing
Communication. This past summer she interned with News America Marketing
in the digital area where she worked with a team to offer digital marketing
solutions to numerous clients. She currently serves as an Account Executive
Intern for pii in Bloomington, IL working on the AbbVie account team. In the
past, Allie has served as a Sales Intern for COTG-Xerox and worked as a Senior
Account Executive and Team Leader at The Vidette where she sold a wide
portfolio of services including newsprint and digital advertisements.
Lisa Hipelius
is a senior Integrated Marketing Communication major at Illinois State
University. She has previously interned with GMR Marketing promoting HBO on
Campus and with Crossroads Handcrafts of the World as a Social Media
Manager. Most recently, she interned on the Experiential Team at Geometry
Global.
Alex Larson
is a senior at Illinois State University majoring in the Professional Sales
Sequence in Marketing. Alex’s experience with marketing includes a variety of
sales roles as well as IMC roles. Previously, Alex has worked for C.H. Robinson
Worldwide, Inc., COTG - A Xerox Company, and News America Marketing as a
sales intern. Additionally, Alex worked as an Account Executive for The Vidette
selling newsprint, digital, and mobile application advertisements. In IMC roles,
Alex is currently a Marketing Assistant for the Department of Campus
Recreation and a Marketing Intern for the College of Business.
Emma Vierck
is currently a senior at Illinois State University majoring in marketing. Emma
interned this past summer at an advertising agency called Geometry Global as a
Strategic Planner. At her internship, Emma helped to seek insights in order to
drive effective advertising campaigns.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Our team of marketing students at Illinois State University has created an Integrated Marketing
Communications (IMC) plan for the Bloomington-Normal Area Home Builders Association (BNAHBA) Home
Show.
The BNAHBA Home Show is a weekend-long event in March in which vendors ranging from contractors,
electricians, roofers, home furnishing, and lawn care set up booths to share their products and services with
potential customers. People from the community looking to conduct some type of home renovation project
attend the Home Show to meet with the vendors and receive estimates.
Currently, the BNAHBA Home Show’s social media platforms (specifically the Facebook page and website) do
not show a clear distinction between the Home Show and other events that the BNAHBA has to offer. The
main idea of this campaign is to give the Home Show its own brand identity that is tied to the BNAHBA. Later
on, you will see that we have decided to take the direction of branding the Home Show by giving it the
new name of “BNAHBA Home Show” and designing a new logo strictly for the Home Show. In order to
maintain ties with the BNAHBA, we included them in all of our copy by using the statement, “Sponsored by
the Bloomington-Normal Area Home Builders Association.”
The proposed primary target audiences for this campaign are millennial homeowners, age 20-34, who reside
in the Bloomington-Normal Area. Our proposed secondary target audience is generation X or late baby
boomers, ages 35-50, who also live in the Bloomington-Normal area.
The objectives of this campaign are to achieve top of the mind awareness within the target audiences,
increase awareness of the show, create a perception of the show as a community-friendly home improvement
event, increase traffic to the Home Show, and increase engagement on the BNAHBA Home Show social media
pages. These objectives will be achieved by informative, persuasive, and engaging advertisements.
Copy testing of two potential social media advertisements revealed that visuals including a more family-
oriented atmosphere helped to showcase that the Home Show event had offerings for the entire family. It
also helped distinguish the event from an advertisement for a realty company. Results from our copy test
suggested that the event name and dates need to be the most eye-catching aspect of the ad in order to leave
an impression.
These objectives will be achieved by using the following media platforms:
● The Pantagraph newsprint advertising
● Local radio ads
● Pandora online radio ads
● Billboards
● Banner on Center Street in Downtown Bloomington
● Facebook targeted ads
● Google search ads
● Improving the Home Show tab on the BNAHBA website
● The Pantagraph website takeovers
● The Pantagraph email listserv blasts

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All elements of the IMC plan will include what the attendee will gain by going to the event as well as clearly
stating when and where the event will take place. We hope to increase traffic at the BNAHBA Home Show by
25% and increase awareness of the event by 50%.

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SECTION I:
SITUATION ANALYSIS

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BACKGROUND ON SITUATION
Currently, the main goal of the BNAHBA Home Show is to increase attendance at the event.
Specifically, we are aiming to engage both Millennial and Generation X/ Late Baby Boomer
homeowners involved in the show. This will ultimately foster home renovation for the
current homeowners and give them ideas on how to begin.
A major challenge the BNAHBA Home Show faces is a lack of awareness among
Bloomington-Normal homeowners. Based on our findings, none of the homeowners
thought of the BNAHBA Home Show as local Bloomington-Normal community-wide home
improvement event in their top of mind awareness. Although the most recent event had
8,200 people in attendance, those who did not attend did not have the show in their evoked
set [1]. Likewise, none of the home owners we spoke with listed the BNAHBA Home Show
as a resource they would use in renovations based on top of mind awareness. Without
residents’ knowledge of the show, the option to attend the event will not be in their evoked
set and ultimately attendance cannot be increased.
Similarly, there is a lack of clarity and consistency among the website. For a Bloomington-
Normal homeowner looking for more information on the show, it is challenging to find
basic information of the event such as what, where, and when. The website feels generic
and makes the show difficult to imagine due to lack of visual elements and photos. There
are no links between the website to the BNAHBA’s social media pages. There is also very
little distinction between the BNAHBA and the BNAHBA Home Show on the website. For
example, the BNAHBA Home Show does not have its own website, but instead, actually
lives on the BNAHBA site. This makes it is hard to understand that the BNAHBA is a group
of people and the Home Show is an event that they put on. There is currently no option to
buy tickets ahead of time and no website to buy tickets electronically. This is problematic,
because this could potentially result in losing attendees.
Social media accounts of the BNAHBA Home Show are also areas that could be improved
upon to increase attendance. There is very minimum presence on social media in general,
as Facebook is the only social platform currently being utilized. To maximize reach on
social media, it may be beneficial to enter other platforms such as Instagram. Additionally,
Facebook could be better utilized to show a clear distinction between the BNAHBA and the
BNAHBA Home Show. Furthermore, the Facebook presence could be dramatically
enhanced by adding visual elements such as photos, videos, and clarifying directions on
posts [2]. By adding photos of past years of the BNAHBA Home Show, potential new
attendees can get a true feel for the experience they will have at the event.

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Beyond the lack of BNAHBA Home Show accounts on social media channels to create
organic buzz about the show, there is also a lack of advertising on social media channels.
For example, sponsored ads were only minimally utilized on social media platforms. This
could be a great option for a creative way to catch the attention of millennial homeowners.
The Peoria Home Show is a major competitor of the BNAHBA Home Show. The two home
shows often have many of the same vendors at both shows, making it too repetitive for a
homeowner to attend both shows. Because the two events are not only close in proximity,
but also close in time of year, it is crucial to gain as much market share as possible. Based
on our findings, the Peoria Home Show is significantly more well-known than the BNAHBA
Home Show. The Peoria Home Show also has a number of advantages to the BNAHBA
Home Show. First, the Peoria show is actually held a week before the BNAHBA, having the
first opportunity for homeowners in the area to come and meet with vendors. Second, due
to the Gentleman’s Agreements for Advertising, Peoria’s “territory” for is advertising
includes I-74, Morton, and East Peoria.
Both Angie’s List and Home Advisor are two direct competitors to the BNAHBA Home
Show. For millennials who immediately go to the web for all of the home renovation needs,
it is going to be particularly challenging to get this Home Show into their evoked set. An
advantage that these sites have is that they can be accessed any time over the course of the
year whereas the BNAHBA Home Show takes place for one weekend. However, the Home
Show allows homeowners to meet the vendors in person and get face-to-face interaction
with the professionals who can complete all of their renovation needs, in one place.
Major strengths of this event are the quality and wide range of vendors that the show
brings in. Because of the quality in vendors, there are a large amount of repeat attendees.
Once the typical homeowner gets in the door, they will gather plenty of information and
renovation opportunities through meeting with vendors, entering themselves in raffles,
sitting in on do-it-yourself workshops, etc. Our findings show that home owners who had
attended the event, would be interested in attending again [3].
Weaknesses of the event include lack of awareness and lack of clarity regarding what takes
place at the event. Increasing the BNAHBA Home Show presence in the community is going
to be necessary to get the word out which would then improve attendance. Having the
details easily accessible is vital to ensure those who are interested will make plans to
attend. Community awareness of when the show takes place and what they can expect can
be improved via online platforms such as the website, Facebook pages, and other social
mediums.

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The BNAHBA Home Show has huge potential to increasing success. By testing out new
channels for promoting the event and strategically getting the message to the right target
audience, it is not out of your reach. This may include looking at millennials’ and
Generation X/Late Baby Boomers’ day to day activities and finding chances to move into
their evoked set. For example, as millennials are known as social media gurus, it would be
beneficial to reach them on their favored platforms.
The main threat to the BNAHBA Home Show is the Peoria Home Show as it is so similar in
nature. As a result, it is important to demonstrate the attributes that the BNAHBA Home
Show has to offer. Angie’s List and Home Advisor are also threats considering the fact that
millennial homeowners turn directly to online platforms when in search of ideas, advice, or
suggestions.
Our analysis of the BNAHBA Home Show’s current situation highlights that the campaign’s
focus will need to grab the attention of both the millennial and Generation X/ Late Baby
Boomer generations through the most effective channels. It will be vital to showcase all of
the great attributes of the show and promote it as a one-stop-shop family-friendly
experience for home renovation projects.

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Background on Situation References
[1] "Upcoming Events." Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association. N.p., 2015.
Web. 6 Oct 2015.
https://www.bnhomebuilders.com/upcoming-events
[2] “Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Assoc. Homeshow.” Bloomington Normal
Area Home Builders Association Facebook Page. N.p, 2015. Web. 5 Oct 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/Bloomington-Normal-Area-Home-Builders-Assoc-Homeshow-
337892102142/
[3] “Attendee Feedback Survey” ISU COB Marketing Research, N.p., 2015. 7 Oct. 2015.<
https://reggienet.illinoisstate.edu/access/content/group/194bdb74-5361-4c9d-ba24-
3c1b6c6a2204/Client%20Materials/Client%20Feedback%20Attendee%20Survey%20for
%20Home%20Show%20Spring%202015%20030315%20A-1.pdf>

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PRODUCT/SERVICE OFFERINGS
About
The Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association (BNAHBA) Home Show is an
annual event in Bloomington, IL where homeowners attend to meet a wide range of
vendors and gather ideas for home renovation projects. The show is held every first full
weekend of March, annually. This year, the home show will be held at the Interstate Center
on Friday March 4th from 5:00-9:00pm, Saturday March 5th from 10:00am-6:00pm and
Sunday March 6th from 10:00am- 4:00pm [1]. The cost of admission to the BNAHBA Home
Show is $6.00 for adults, free for all children under the age of seventeen, and $4.00 for
seniors on Saturday and Sunday [2]. On Friday tickets are “Buy One, Get One Free.” Parking
is free throughout the entire event [1]. This home show has many different services offered
through all of the vendors in attendance (refer to Exhibit 1 for a view of the vendor
variety).
Quality
The show’s variety and number of vendors is a great indicator of the high level of quality.
The purpose of the event is to match the homeowner with the right vendor, based on their
renovation needs. With over 214 vendors, it is truly a “one-stop-shop” for all renovation
needs such as landscaping, kitchen and bath remodeling, heating/ air conditioning, roofing,
flooring, window treatments, etc. [3]. The BNAHBA works months in advance to
strategically coordinate all of the different vendors into one, smooth-running event, for
homeowners to enjoy. The extent of planning is very clear, as attendees generally have
positive feedback on the event.
Exhibit 1: Wide range of vendors
Source: The Pantagraph
https://reggienet.illinoisstate.edu/access/content/group/194bdb74-5361-4c9d-
ba243c1b6c6a2204/Client%20Materials/2015HomeShowIMC/PFPADThursday03052015VendorListFcropped.jpg

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Activities Offered
The BNAHBA Home Show offers a variety of vendors, Do-It-Yourself tutorials, concessions
for sale, and raffles, all within a family-friendly environment. For the average attendee, this
event would come prior to (often well in advance of) the beginning of a renovation process.
The Home Depot gives workshops in a variety of projects at the event. Past prizes for
raffles and contests have included free services such as a new roof [2]. Another contest
offers the chance for two winners to each get a $250 shopping spree (refer to Exhibit 2 for
the entry form). Concessions are reasonably-priced and great for families who are making a
day out of the event.
Exhibit 2: Home Show Drawing Entry Form
Source:
https://www.bnhomebuilders.com/upload/files/HomeShowShoppingSpreeCoupon.pdf
Distinct Design Feature or Attributes
When asked what ways homeowners go about finding a home improvement professional in
our depth interviews, most answered with the following: speaking with friends, discussing
with family, surfing social media, conducting online searches, shopping at Home Depot, or
referencing DIY websites and TV shows (refer to Appendix A for depth interview results).

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The competitors of the BNAHBA Home Show include the Peoria Home Show, Angie’s List
and Home Advisor. Based on our findings, a majority of millennial consumers were familiar
with Angie’s List and Home Advisor, but did not frequent them due to membership costs or
the limited number of vendors available on these sites.
Intangible, Symbolic, Aesthetic or Experiential Aspects
The BNAHBA Home Show allows homeowners to experience an atmosphere filled with
creative ideas for their home while being in a family-friendly space. Attendees of this show
value their place of residence and look for ways to make their house a home. The BNAHBA
Home Show provides them with an abundance of resources and vendors to match the
project need with the professional to complete it. Attendees will experience a day full of
home project ideas through the vendors, symbolic of community-oriented values.
Uses/Usage Situation
The BNAHBA Home Show’s target audience is millennials and Generation X/Late Baby
Boomers. Within these two groups we are focusing our efforts on homeowners but the
event is open to all ages. Millennials may tend to use this event as more of an opportunity
for ideas for home renovation projects and to learn how to do some projects on their own.
For example, they may get an idea from the show and attend a workshop on how to do it
themselves. Millennials may use this event as a low-cost way to get access to some of the
latest trends in home renovation.
Typically Generation X/Late Baby Boomers use this show to get ideas for their next home
renovation projects, find a wide range of vendors to help them complete those projects,
meet with these vendors in person, and to spend a day in a family-friendly environment.
This market may use the opportunity to find ways to increase their property value through
renovations, especially if they are nearing the retirement age and/or considering a move.
Seasonal Fluctuations
The BNAHBA Home Show begins to fill vendor spaces months prior to the event in August.
Coupons can be accessible online prior to the day of the event. Tickets are then sold at the
door the day of the event. This indicates sales only occur over one weekend, annually.
The majority of all marketing is done during January, February, and March. Within the
“down” months, (March-August) planning is taken very seriously to ensure a great show for
the following year. Additionally, this is when marketing tactics’ success is reviewed and
new advertising plans are formed for the following year.

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Market Constraints
The “gentlemen’s agreement” in place with the Peoria Home Show is a constraint on
BNAHBA’s market because it allows Peoria to promote in a larger territory, therefore
reaching more consumers, than the BNAHBA Home Show. The BNAHBA Home Show is
restricted to a certain physical area, limiting the amount of consumers who may consider
the event in their evoked set. Similarly, because this event is in March, the March Madness
Basketball Tournament could potentially limit homeowners attending the Home Show.
Depending on what the March weather looks like this year, snow or extremely cold
temperatures could also deter homeowners from attending.
Perceived Strengths & Weaknesses
The top strengths of this event are the quality, value, and wide range of vendors at the
show, demonstrated by the repeat attendees. Homeowners view this event as a place that
has plenty of fun, family-friendly, activities and opportunities including meeting with
vendors, raffles, Do-It-Yourself workshops, etc. In comparison to the Peoria Home Show,
the BNABHA Home Show charges attendees less than Peoria attendees [4]. This shapes
homeowners’ impressions of the BNAHBA Home Show as an event providing more value
than the alternative’s value. Based on our findings, attendees of previous years were
satisfied with the Home Show, overall. Compared to the Peoria Home Show, it is very
similar in amount/ type of vendors.
A few of the most prominent weaknesses of the BNAHBA Home are the lack of clarity in
details about the event and the number of vendors who participate. In comparison to
Angie’s List and Home Advisor, the BNAHBA Home Show details are very difficult to find on
the website. A homeowner may quickly choose a competitor if they have too difficult of a
time finding the details of the event. Having the details easily accessible is vital to ensure
those who are interested, will be able to attend. With over 400 spaces for vendors at the
Peoria show, the BNAHBA Home Show’s weakness is the number of resources available to
offer to homeowners [4]. This may make consumers view BNAHBA Home Show as below
par in options, because the primary competitor has more vendors. The BNAHBA Home
Show has great potential and can absolutely overcome these weak areas.
Channel of Distribution
The BNAHBA Home Show is currently held at the Interstate Center located at 1106
Interstate Dr., Bloomington, IL 61705 [1]. Since it is offered on three different dates/times,
there is an opportunity for every homeowner to attend. This family-friendly environment is
perfect for families since homeowners look for renovation ideas and opportunities. The
vendor services are delivered to the attendees on an individual basis, to allow the
homeowner to find the professional right for the project they need done. A valuable service

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provided by the Home Depot is the Do It Yourself workshops for specific projects [5]. The
current venue, the Interstate Center, is complete with complimentary parking for all
attendees and that is a drastic improvement from past venues. Since the event is currently
held annually, there are three event days to the entire year. Currently, holding the event
annually seems very effective. A potential future option for increasing attendance, could be
to consider holding the event semi-annually.
Implications for IMC
Based on our findings from our depth interviews, the majority of the millennials we spoke
with required a reasonable price and desired a high quality show. The major reasons this
audience would attend a home show would be to get new inspiration for their home,
discuss ideas with a vendor, or to receive an estimate/discount from a contractor. These
findings serve as fuel for a campaign tailored to bringing millennials to the BNAHBA Home
Show by displaying all of the fun activities the event has to offer. Our findings show that it
is necessary to engage millennials in a more modern way. Furthermore, it will be a priority
to keep Generation X/ Late Baby Boomers engaged in the campaign. It will be important to
play on the strengths of the show such as low ticket prices and a wide range of vendors as
we work to improve in areas such as communicating the event details. Altering current
communication of event details will also be a huge opportunity for growth and increased
attendance.

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Product/Service Offering References
[1] "Upcoming Events." Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association. N.p., 2015.
Web. 6 Oct 2015. https://www.bnhomebuilders.com/upcoming-events
[2] Kohn, Lisa. Executive Officer. BNAHBA Home Show. Class Visit. 3 Sept. 2015.
[3] “Vendor Map.” Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association. N.p., 2015. Web. 1
Oct 2015. https://www.bnhomebuilders.com/home-show/vendor-map
[4] “Official Spring Home Show.” Peoria Official Spring Home Show. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Oct
2015. http://www.peoriahomeshow.com/
[5] “Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Assoc. Homeshow.” Bloomington Normal
Area Home Builders Association Facebook Page. N.p, 2015. Web. 5 Oct 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/Bloomington-Normal-Area-Home-Builders-Assoc-Homeshow-
337892102142/

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INDUSTRY BEST
PRACTICES/COMPETITION/BARRIERS
The Bloomington-Normal Area Home Builder Association (BNAHBA) Home Show can be
categorized as part of the trade show industry. A trade show, according to IBIS World is,
“an industry-specific exhibition designed to showcase and demonstrate the respective
trade's latest products, services, studies or activities” [1]. This $13.4 billion industry is in a
mature life cycle but still retains a 3.6% annual growth [1]. Since the trade show industry is
mature, this means that rivalry is very high due to the large number of established
competition. Competitors are typically small operators, on average one trade show per
county, which leads to few internal rivals since geographic locations are far apart from one
another. The main competition comes externally where customers can go directly to the
vendor instead of going the a 3rd party trade show to seek a vendor. External factors are
expected to have a larger impact with the increase of internet search capabilities now
making it easier to connect virtually with vendors.
Best Practices
Although trade shows can range from craft shows, automobile expos, flower shows, etc. we
are specifically analyzing trade shows that create an event atmosphere that attracts
attendees who desire a time saving event that houses inspiration and fun under one roof.
Some of the best conventions achieve success because they give their customers more than
just a room full of vendors, they create an occasion that is talked about and remembered as
an annual community event. Since the largest threat to the trade show industry is emerging
competitors coming from online resources, we will discuss in-depth how our best in
practice examples are combating this new threat.
Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America held annually at the
McCormick Place in Chicago [2]. This particular show is top of mind to many in the
Chicagoland area due to their extensive traditional and digital marketing. The Auto Show
has been a leader in the trade show industry by capitalizing on social media to help
promote this event through their own Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Chicago
Auto Show blog with incorporated YouTube videos. By utilizing these media, this show has
been able to attract a wide variety of audiences. Social media posts will even call out
specific target age groups, organizations, etc. and provide incentives to come to the show.
Refer to Exhibit 3. Social media posts also showcase the fun activities that go on at the
show such as celebrity appearances, delicious food, admiring classic cars or being one of
the first to be exposed to a concept car. Most importantly, the Chicago Auto Show’s

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advertising is interactive which helps to generate excitement for their event. Due to these
efforts, the Chicago Auto Show has combatted competition from online threats by having an
effective digital presence.
Exhibit 3: Chicago Auto Show Facebook Post
Source [3]: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoAutoShow
Although the Auto Show offers different products and services than a home show, it is a
good example of a successful trade show because they give their attendees more than just a
car expo; they give their attendees an experience. Attendees are likely to return each year
because of the exciting energy that the Auto Show brings to Chicago.
Minneapolis Home and Garden Show
The Minneapolis Home and Garden Show is held the weekends of February 26-28th and
March 4-6th at the Minneapolis Convention Center [4]. It is interesting that they have two
separate, nonconsecutive weekends to allow more windows of opportunity for their target
audience to attend. In our in-depth interviews one of the most common factors for not
attending the Home Show was because of the date. It is inevitable that another activity may
take precedent to attending a home show such as; a family function, children’s sporting
game, concert, vacation, etc. (refer to Appendix A for a summary of the method and results
of the depth interviews). Giving attendees an option of two different weekends to attend

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may allow more flexibility in attendee’s schedule, thus making it more likely for them to
attend.
The Minneapolis Show’s advertising also highlights the most important information and
benefits of attending their show. The campaign’s slogan is, “Get Inspired. Get Started”
which shows that the true benefit of going to the show is to get ideas for projects that the
attendees may have never even thought of. Inspiration is a huge benefit that our in-depth
interviewers shared as being a reason to attend. Inspiration for this show is also found
prior to attending through the Show’s Pinterest page and blog. Refer to Exhibit 4. The
Show’s pins on Pinterest give an appealing visual representation of what will be offered at
the Home Show and also bring potential attendees to the webpage by clicking on a pin. The
Home and Garden blog has articles about renovations and nudges the reader that may be
thinking about a renovation to get started at the Home Show.
Exhibit 4: Home + Garden Blog
Source [5]: http://www.homeandgardenblog.com Show
Major Competitors
The two main competitors for this industry are other trade show within close proximity
and online alternatives. This section will examine the biggest threats to the BNAHBA Home
Show that fall into these two categories. We have identified the direct competitors to be the
Home Builder Association of Greater Peoria (HBAGP) Home Show, Angie's List, and Home
Advisor. Our target audience is aware of these competitors and has identified them in our
team’s in-depth interviews as being alternatives to the BNAHBA Home Show. These

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competitors offer the same service as the BNAHBA Home Show as a way for consumers to
connect with vendors for home improvement services. These outlets also provide
reputable vendors, time savings, and inspiration to their users. In order to find how to
differentiate from these competitors we have outlined a brief summary of each competitor
along with the strengths and weaknesses of each home improvement rival.
The market shares of each competitor that we have identified are shown in Figure 1. As
you can see, Home Advisor is currently leading by capturing the largest amount of the
home improvement market. Although it is difficult to break down exactly their reach in
only the Bloomington-Normal area this large market presence cannot be ignored at any
level.
Figure 1: Total Market Share
*Market share above is taken from class visit from BNAHBA [Kohn, Lisa. Executive Officer.
BNAHBA Home Show. Class Visit. 3 Sept. 2015.], email from contact at Peoria Home Show
[Scott, Lisa. Executive Officer. Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria Home Show.
Email. 5 Oct. 2015.], Angie's List website [http://www.angieslist.com/how-it-works.htm],
and Home Advisors website [http://www.homeadvisor.com/].
Home Builder Association of Greater Peoria Home Show
The Home Builder Association of Greater Peoria (HBAGP) Home Show is the weekend
before the BNAHBA Home Show and is held at the Peoria Civic Center. The cost to attend is
$7 for adults, half price for senior citizens, and free for those 18 and under [10]. The HBAGP
Home Show is the closest geographic competitor that to the BNAHBA Home Show and it
runs the risk of losing attendees directly to this show.

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Strengths:
One strength of the HBAGP Home Show is that their advertising is very informative to the
target audience. Based on the high large number of target audience members interviewed
having heard of the Peoria Show, their marketing must be effective. They have created a
separate website and Facebook page specifically for the Home Show so that consumers will
not get confused by information only relevant to members of the Home Builders
Association. The webpage also generates excitement for the event by having a running
count down and has a slideshow of pictures of the event from previous years. Additionally,
in their traditional advertising they showcase other forms of entertainment at the show
such as Flippenout Products and The Chinese Acrobat performances. The wide variety of
activities at the show as well as having a high diversity in vendors is what attendees said
they liked most about the show. The Peoria Home Show does a really great job of offering
many different ways to be entertained at the show and portrays this well in their
advertising efforts.
Weaknesses:
Although the HBAGP Home Show’s traditional advertising does a good job of grabbing the
attention of future attendees, ads may be misleading at first glance what it is truly
advertising. At first glance someone may think it is an acrobatic show because the largest
amount of the advertising space in some pieces is pictures of performers that will be at the
show. This confusing advertising seems to be consistent with the feedback we received
from those who attended the Home Show. Attendees said that it was hard to navigate
throughout the show due to a busy layout. Although it is good to have other attractions
aside from vendors that draw people to the show, too much activity may be a downfall as
well.
Angie’s List
Angie's List is a paid online database of local contractors. The search engine finds local
service providers that range from plumbers, handymen, house cleaning, etc. The website
also hosts reviews about contractors and claims that only well rated companies can offer
services through Angie's List. The website also gives exclusive discounts to members of
Angie's List [8].
Strengths:
Angie’s List seemed to have the best reach with the millennials that participated in our in-
depth interviews. This is mostly due to their very broad advertising mostly done through
television advertising. Most of interviewees could tell us that it was an easy way to find
local vendors online but very few had actually used the service. The website claims that
they have a certified data collection so that companies cannot post positive reviews about
themselves, the reviews must come from actual people who have used the provider's

22
service. Another positive to using Angie's List is that consumers do not have to leave their
home to find vendors and they can search vendors at any time of the day or night of the
year. The flexibility of searching for providers at any time is a lot less limiting than waiting
for one weekend of the year to meet with vendors.
Weaknesses:
When we asked for feedback from those who were aware of Angie's List the majority said
that they did not want to pay for this service. Angie's List charges either $3.25 per month or
$29 yearly fee plus a $5 startup fee making it difficult for a one-time user to use Angie's
List. Other interviewees said that sometime search results came up with non-local vendors
making the process of using the website quite frustrating. Another downfall is that
members are not meeting the vendors face to face, instead they are trusting reviews posted
on the website in the hopes that they are truthful.
Home Advisor
Home Advisor is another online outlet that connects contractors to consumers. This service
is provided at no cost to the consumer. The website offers contractor reviews, a true cost
guide and a gallery of inspiring pictures that can be saved to show vendors [9].
Strengths: Home advisor is the only competitor that is completely free. The website is also
very easy to interact with making it simple to find the information that the consumer is
looking for whether it be a quote from a contractor or finding reviews on a local vendor.
Home Advisor’s True Cost Guide is also a perk to using this outlet because it increases the
customer’s knowledge to know when they are getting a good price or not. The True Cost,
ProFinder, and Pro Reviews features all help the customer to feel that they are being
referred to a reputable contractor. Since there is no sign up cost, there is very little reason
why a consumer would have difficulty using this service. Consumers not only have the
convenience of searching whenever they would like for a reputable contractor, but they
have do not have to pay any fees to find contractors.
Weakness: Although consumers may love the free cost, that cost must be paid by someone
so the cost is absorbed by the vendors. Vendors pay per lead so they may be less likely to
utilize Home Advisor when they are paying for leads. Fewer vendors are a negative for
those trying to find contractors through Home Advisor since most consumers want to be
given a variety to choose from. Additionally, Home Advisor has less credibility to regarding
providing reputable vendors than Angie’s List because they do not have a verification
process as extensive as their online competitor.

23
Since the target audience for this campaign is millennials in the Bloomington-Normal area
there are a few things to keep in mind about this demographic. First, millennials are drawn
to socially oriented events meaning the Home Show must provide an entertainment factor
at the show. Second, millennials have grown up using the internet and are much more
comfortable finding information through the internet than any other generation. Simply
put, if our marketing efforts are not digital then we may miss out on this target audience
completely.
The first advantage that the BNAHBA Home Show can capitalize on is that it is local and not
virtual. Online websites do not give the same personalized experienced that a local home
show can offer. Additionally, a virtual website cannot give the same experience that an in
person show can bring to life. Our target market has expressed that they would like to
utilize the home show to discuss ideas face to face with a vendor and get an estimate which
is much more difficult to do via a website. This one on one experience is something that our
marketing efforts should capitalize on in order to compete with online competitors.
Additionally, we need to create more awareness through digital outlets in order for our
target market’s awareness of the show to increase. Marketing through media that
millennials currently use to research home improvement offerings such as Pinterest, DIY
blogs, and other social media outlets is a great way for the BNAHBA to capture their
attention. Not only creating awareness for the personalized experience that the Home
Show provides but also communicating the fun and engaging event atmosphere is what will
draw our target audience to the event. In order to really give future attendees a reason to
come, we would recommend offering another form of entertainment at the show that will
create a lasting memory for the show. This will also help the BNAHBA Home Show be more
competitive with other home shows offered in the area.
Overall, in order to increase BNAHBA Home Show attendees from the millennial generation
we will need to advertise more heavily through the digital realm. We would like the Home
Show to offer entertainment at the event that will be the “cherry on top” in creating a
weekend event for our community to attend. We will communicate the one-on-one
experience with vendors that can only be received by going to the show, the exciting
aspects that can be enjoyed at the event, and also informing our audience as to when and
where the event will take place. All of these aspects will help to increase awareness and
attendance at the BNAHBA Home Show from our target demographic.

24
Industry Best Practices/Competition/Barriers References
[1] “Trade Show and Conference Planning in the US.” IBIS World. N.p., 2015. 4 Oct. 2015.
<http://clients1.ibisworld.com.libproxy.lib.ilstu.edu/reports/us/industry/default.aspx?ent
id=1502>.
[2] “Chicago Auto show.” McCormick Place. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.mccormickplace.com/events.php>.
[3] “Drive Safe Chicago.” Facebook.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoAutoShow.
[4] “Mark Your Calendars!” Home and Garden Shows. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.homeandgardenshow.com/MHGS/EventsHome.aspx>.
[5] “Home Décor + DIY.” Home and Garden Blog. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.homeandgardenblog.com/>.
[7] Scott, Lisa. Executive Officer. Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria Home Show.
Email. 5 Oct. 2015.
[8] “How it Works.” Angie's List. n.p., 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.angieslist.com/how-it-works.htm>.
[9] “Find Trusted Home Improvement Pros.” Home Advisor. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.homeadvisor.com/>.
[10] “Official Spring Home Show.” Peoria Home Show. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.peoriahomeshow.com/>.

25
ANALYSIS OF PAST ADVERTISING/
IMC & FINANCIAL PICTURE
In order to create an integrated marketing plan for the BNAHBA Home Show, we first
reviewed their advertising efforts for the past year. In addition, for us to more thoroughly
understand the competitive landscape we reviewed competitors’ marketing strategies. We
have included an overview for not only the BNAHBA Home Show but also the Peoria Home
Show, angieslist.com, and homeadvisor.com. Finally, we summarize the implications for the
BNAHBA Home Show’s integrated marketing communication plan.
BNAHBA Home Show Past Advertising
Previous Positioning
The BNAHBA Home Show has previously been positioned as a home show with a large
variety of vendors that can help participants make their dreams for home improvement a
reality. In the past, the BNAHBA Home Show has used both traditional and nontraditional
media to reach its target audience. They have used numerous platforms to market their
event and increase attendance:
● Print (Newspaper and flyers)
● Billboard
● Radio
● Digital (website and 3rd party website)
● Social Media
● Email blast [1]
Across these different platforms, the BNAHBA Home Show has integrated a simple tagline
that communicates exactly what they want consumers to believe. The tagline “They can
help you change your dreams into reality” says that they have a large quantity of vendors
who can use their capabilities to take care of the audience’s home improvement needs.
Print
The BNAHBA Home Show utilized the print platform through using flyers and the local
newspaper: The Pantagraph. The flyer was meant to be distributed to employees of State
Farm Bank. It aimed to draw the employees by offering a $2.00 off admission price for
employees by simply showing their employee badge. The ads that ran in The Pantagraph
were full page and banner ads that ran on February 23 as well as March 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
(refer to Exhibits 5-7). The ad included the positioning statement as well as a list of all of

26
the vendors that were to be present at the event. The list was meant to emphasize how
many vendors there were so that the target audience would feel that there would be plenty
of opportunities for them to find a vendor that could take care of their needs. Finally, the
newspaper ads included a coupon that offered “Buy one entry ticket, get one free for
Friday, March 6.
Exhibit 5: Full Page Ad in The Pantagraph
Source [1]: Materials provided by Lisa Kohn

27
Exhibit 6: Full Page Ad in The Pantagraph
Exhibit 7: Banner ad in the Pantagraph

28
Billboard
The BNAHBA Home Show utilized a digital billboard in Bloomington that ran from
February 6 through March 6 (Refer to Exhibit 8). The billboard did not include the
positioning statement and only included general information about the event.
Exhibit 8: Digital Billboard Example
Radio
The BNAHBA Home Show used the radio to promote their event by running ads from
1/31/15 through 2/28/15. The radio stations that the ads ran on included WJEZ, WJBC,
WBWN, WBNQ and B104.
Digital
For digital advertising, the BNAHBA Home Show promoted the event on their website and
utilized a package deal with The Pantagraph to be promoted on their website as well. The
BNAHBA Home Show website only includes a headline on the front page for the home show
with a bulleted list of links to find information about the event (refer to Exhibit 9). The
Pantagraph digital display ad includes the positioning statement as well as information in
regards to admission, show times, and location (refer to Exhibits 10&11). Additionally the
ad has a click through link embedded in it that led the target audience to the BNAHBA
website.

29
Exhibit 9: BNAHBA Website Ad Example
Source [2]: https://www.bnhomebuilders.com/home-show
Exhibit 10: The Pantagraph Website Takeover

30
Exhibit 11: Pantagraph Website Takeover Side Banner
Social Media
From a social media standpoint, the BNAHBA Home Show was only present on Facebook.
The Facebook page for the home show has a follower base of 326 and has 2 reviews of the
event on it. Additionally the cover photo and profile picture for the page do not include the
home show’s logo or pictures from the home show (refer to Exhibit 12). From the
Facebook efforts, the home show used several different tactics in writing posts. One tactic
that the home show used was to promote the event by appealing to the audience’s home
building needs. Another tactic used by the home show was posts that provided incentives
to engage with the posts and spread the word about the event. Finally, the home show

31
made posts throughout the duration of the show to display for the audience what was
going on at the home show (refer to Exhibits 12-15).
Exhibit 12: Facebook Page Example
Source [3]: facebook.com/Bloomington-Normal-Area-Home-Builders-Assoc-Homeshow-
337892102142/timeline/
Exhibit 13: Facebook Post to Promote the Home Show
337892102142/timeline/

32
Exhibit 14: Facebook Post with Incentive to Engage
337892102142/timeline/
Exhibit 15: Facebook Post about happenings at the Home Show
337892102142/timeline/

33
Email Blast
The BNAHBA Home Show additionally sent out an email blast to The Pantagraph email
LISTSERV to promote the event. This promotion was included in their entire partnership
package with The Pantagraph.
Peoria Home Show’s Past Advertising
The Peoria Home Show uses a marketing mix that isn’t all that different from the BNAHBA
Home show. The Peoria Home Show is also known as the “Official Spring Home Show” and
has positioned itself with the tagline: “The Best for Your Nest”. This tagline is effective
because it ties the word “nest” to their iconic bird logo as it duly refers to a home. The
Peoria Home Show’s mix includes the following platforms:
 Print
 Radio
 Television
 Online
 Billboard [4]
Print
On Peoria Home Show’s print materials, they include their bird logo, tagline, alternative
name, and information regarding the home show. Additionally, they partnered with CEFCU
to offer coupons to audience members (refer to Exhibit 16). Finally, they have promoted
one of their key events including Chinese acrobats in order to emphasize their fun
environment.
Exhibit 16: Peoria Home Flyer
Source [4]: Materials provided by Lisa Scott

34
Social Media
The Peoria Home Show has a large follower base of 1,153 on Facebook and uses this
platform to promote their event (refer to Exhibit 17 for the Peoria Home Show Facebook
Page). They have a review average of 4.2 with only 5 reviews. Additionally, they use
marketing spend to promote their posts on Facebook by using the “Boost” feature. This
allows them to target and push their posts to the specific audience they want to reach.
Exhibit 17: Peoria Home Show Facebook Page
Source [7]: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSpringHomeShow?fref=ts
Angie’s List’s Past Advertising
Angie’s List is an online competitor of the BNAHBA Home Show as it serves as a place for
consumers to find contractors from the comfort of their home. Angie’s List has a large
membership base with millions of users. Since Angie’s List has many resources, they are
able to be more flexible with their advertising. The marketing mix that Angie’s List uses
includes the following platforms:
● Print
● Radio
● Television
● Online [5]

35
Social Media
Angie’s List utilizes Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to promote their brand.
Angie’s List has a large follower base of 190,472 on Facebook and 34,500 on Twitter. On
their Facebook page, they provide links to all of their other social media pages so that
followers can follow them on all of their pages (refer to Exhibit 18). Currently, Angie’s List
is running a dream vacation sweepstakes contest and has integrated that with both their
Facebook and Twitter pages (refer to Exhibit 19).
Exhibit 18: Angie’s List Facebook Page
Source [8]: facebook.com/angieslist

36
Exhibit 19: Angie’s List Twitter Page
Source [9]: twitter.com/AngiesList
Home Advisor’s Past Advertising
Similarly to Angie’s List, Home Advisor is an online resource for consumers to find
contractors and vendors to take care of their home improvement needs from the comfort of
their home. Home Advisor is also a very large company that has plentiful resources to take
care of its marketing needs. Home Advisor’s marketing mix includes:
 Print
 Radio
 Television
 Online [6]
Social Media
Home Advisor utilizes the Facebook and Twitter platforms to promote its brand. The
follower base for Home Advisor is not as large as Angie’s List but is still significant (refer to
Exhibit 19 for the Home Advisor Facebook Page). There are 79,507 followers on Facebook
and 23,600 followers on Twitter. Home Advisor has seamlessly integrated their Facebook
and Twitter pages by using their logo and the same cover photo including their positioning
statement: “Plan Projects. Find Pros. Book Now” (refer to Exhibits 20&21)

37
Exhibit 20: Home Advisor Facebook Page
Source [10]:facebook.com/HomeAdvisor
Exhibit 21: Home Advisor Twitter Page
Source [11]:twitter.com/HomeAdvisor

38
Overview of Advertising Expenditures
Last year, the BNAHBA Home Show spent approximately $18,400 on IMC and this year the
advertising budget is no more than $19,000. Please refer to Table 1 for a brief outline of
the BNAHBA Home Show projected spending in terms of advertising, along with the
advertising dollars spent by its competitors.
According to Lisa, the two platforms using the greatest portion of the advertising budget
will most likely come from both print and radio efforts [1]. The total price will be
determined by size, location, time, and length of the campaign along with the rates of each
provider.
Table 1: Total Advertising Budget - BNAHBA Home Show & Competitors
Budget Print Radio Television Online Billboard Email
BNAHBA Home
Show
$19,000 $7,712 $8,198 n/a $1,500 $500 $500
Peoria Home
Show
unknown 30% 30% 30% 2% 8% n/a
Angie’s List $87,386 x x x x n/a n/a
Home Advisor unknown x x x x n/a n/a
Source [4]: Materials provided by Lisa Scott
Source [5]: Angieslist.com
Source [6]: HomeAdvisor.com
The BNAHBA Home Show’s budget is certainly smaller than Angie’s List, one of their
competitors. However, we are unsure of the Peoria Home Show’s budget or Home
Advisor’s budget. Angie’s List’s immense budget allows them to accurately target hundreds
of thousands of people from various locations around the country, so it makes sense that
their budget would be significantly larger than the BNAHBA Home Show. Because of the
size of the Bloomington-Normal community, a $19,000 budget has the power to develop a
great amount of exposure if the advertising dollars are allocated properly. By offering a
portion of the budget to various additional platforms, the chances of tailoring their
advertising messages to each target audience is much more probable.
Based on the previous advertising expenditures for the campaign, we can gather than the
BNAHBA Home Show is generally properly allocating their IMC advertising budget to grab

39
the attention from their target audiences. By incorporating both traditional and social
media techniques for the campaign, the Home Show will most likely better target their
primary audience: millennial homeowners, as well as their secondary target audience:
Generation X/Late Baby Boomers. We suggest that they do allocate more of their dollars
towards billboard advertisements in a more heavily-populated area of the Bloomington-
Normal community. Also, social media will play a very important role in the success of
reaching the targeted attendance. From our depth-interviews we gathered that the
community recommends a greater social media presence in order to better promote the
Home Show. Better utilization of their social media pages is not only a free form of
advertising, but it also allows the BNAHBA to maintain a more steady communication
channel with community members participating in the event. We would also recommend
that the BNAHBA Home Show allocate more of their advertising budget towards social
media in order to utilize the “Boost” function in Facebook. By utilizing this function, the
home show will be able to push its posts to the proper target audiences in order to increase
awareness and attract more attendance. Finally, we believe that the BNAHBA Home Show
should allocate more of its funds to promoting the event on local television. From our
target audience analysis, we found that Generation X spends a significant amount of time
watching television [12]. Since Generation X is in our target audience, this would be an
effective way to target them.

40
References: Analysis of Past Advertising/IMC & Financial Picture
[2] Bloomington Normal Home Builders Association. bnhomebuilders.com. Web. 1 Oct.
2015. <https://www.bnhomebuilders.com/home-show>
[3] Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association Home Show. Web log posts.
Facebook.com. Web. 01. Oct . 2015. <https://www.facebook.com/Bloomington-Normal-
Area-Home-Builders-Assoc-Homeshow-337892102142/timeline/>
[4] Scott, Lisa. Executive Officer. Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria Home Show.
Email. 5 Oct. 2015.
[5] Angie’s List. Angieslist.com. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
<http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/AMDA-LKYTL/830267969x818499/7ED20D9-
1F1B-4505-AE59-CF85CFDA83CC/201410-KANGI.pdf>
[6] Home Advisor. ir.iac.com. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
<http://ir.iac.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=891103-15-4&CIK=891103>
[7] Peoria Home Show. Web log posts. Facebook.com. Web. 01. Oct . 2015.
<facebook.com/OfficialSpringHomeShow>
[8] Angie’s List. Web log posts. Facebook.com. Web. 01. Oct . 2015.
<facebook.com/angieslist>
[9] Angie’s List. Web log posts. Twitter.com. Web. 01. Oct . 2015. <twitter.com/AngiesList>
[10] Home Advisor. Web log posts. Facebook.com. Web. 01. Oct . 2015.
<facebook.com/HomeAdvisor>
[11] Home Advisor. Web log posts. Twitter.com. Web. 01. Oct . 2015.
<twitter.com/HomeAdvisor>
[12] “Most Popular Leisure Activities among Millennials in the U.S. 2013.” Statista, N.p.,
2013. Oct. 2015. <http://www.statista.com/statistics/382634/most-popular-leisure-
activities-among-millennials-us/>

41
LEGAL/REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
Overview
The legal constraint that the BNAHBA Home Show faces is a no-advertising agreement with
the Peoria Home Show. The details of the agreement state that neither show is allowed to
advertise their home show in the other show’s territory. This means that the BNAHBA
Home Show is strictly prohibited to advertise within a certain distance of the Peoria Home
Show and vice versa. This agreement was brought about so that each show would not steal
attendees from the other [1]. Distribution of all marketing materials will not conflict with
this agreement.
Usage of Logo on Products
The updated BNAHBA Home Show logo is incorporated in nearly all of their advertising
platforms ranging from Facebook ads to billboards. Their color scheme consists of navy
blue and white which is what we incorporated throughout the campaign in order to
maintain consistency. Within our marketing materials we have created a separate logo for
the Home Show that will allow us to brand it separately. We will always utilize the same
logo across all platforms and include variances of white and blue coloring as well as sizing.
Since we are not incorporating the Bloomington-Normal Home Show logo, we have
included a statement in our layouts that reads: “Sponsored by the Bloomington-Normal
Area Home Builder’s Association.”
Guidelines for Local Advertising
In order for The BNAHBA Home Show to utilize the banner advertisement in Downtown
Bloomington on Center Street, we will have to go through the Parks and Recreation
Department to reserve the spot. Reservations are made January-December of the current
year so it is in the Home Show’s Best interest to reserve the spot first thing in January to
ensure that the space is available. Additionally a business can only have the space reserved
for 1 week at a time. Lastly, for a banner to be hung during its reserved times, it must meet
the specifications in Figure 2 .
In addition,
● Banners must have 1/2" eyelets every 3 feet along both the top and bottom of the
banner. These eyelets should be placed as close to the rope as possible. Half-moons
should be slit into the banner every 7 - 8 feet. Consider waiting until after painting
the banner to install the slits. If the slits can be placed between words, it makes the
banner more readable when hung.

42
● The banner must be constructed out of .1010 oz. acrylic painted canvas or 10 oz.
vinyl. The 3/8" ropes threaded through the top and bottom of the banner must be
50 feet long, preferably nylon.
● The rope and the banner should be sewn together at each corner. This prevents the
banner from sliding toward the middle of the rope [2].
Figure 2: Specifications for Center Street Banner
Source [2]: Materials provided by Tricia Stiller
Additionally, the Home Show is required to insert their name 5 times on the back of the
banner in specific positions. The reason for this regulation is because identifying banners is
cumbersome for the Parks and Recreation Department due to having to ravel and unravel
50’ banners on a regular basis. The back of the banner should look like Figure 3 below [2].
Figure 3: Back of Center Street Banner
Source [2]: Materials provided by Tricia Stiller

43
References of Legal/Regulatory Environment
[2] Stiller, Tricia. Executive Director. Downtown Bloomington Association. Email. 17 Nov.
2015.

44
SECTION II:
TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE AND
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

45
SELECTION AND JUSTIFICATION
OF TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE
Segmentation Analysis
Population Area
The BNAHBA Home Show target audience is drawn from the Bloomington-Normal area
population made up of approximately 129,107 [1]. Our primary target audience is made up
of millennial homeowners since this is the target Lisa was hoping to target first.
Additionally, the millennial generation is made up of individuals who are eager to buy
homes before marriage and purchase homes with the intent of selling them after a short
amount of time. [1][2]. Please refer Table 2 for a summary of the Bloomington-Normal
population totals in regards to millennial homeowners.
Table 2: Local Millennial Residents
Town Number of Millennial Residents
Bloomington 18,315
Normal 19,958
Total 38,273
Source [1],[2]: U.S. Census Bureau
Our secondary target audience is Generation X and Late Baby Boomers residing in the
Bloomington-Normal community. We hope to encourage these generations to attend by
offering a campaign capturing the importance of renovating your home. Table 3 includes a
summary of the Bloomington-Normal population totals with regard to Generation X and
Baby Boomers.
Table 3: Local Generation X/Baby Boomer Residents
Town Number of Generation X and Baby Boomer
Residents
Bloomington 21,524
Normal 9,820
TOTAL 31,344
Source [1],[2]: U.S. Census Bureau

46
Types of People
An exit survey which was conducted following the 2015 BNAHBA Home Show indicated the
age ranges of attendees. This data helps to better prepare for this year’s show in terms of
appropriate marketing strategies, marketing messages, locations for those messages, and
so on. Based on the reported responses, it was clear that the median age of attendees was
51-60 years old (30.6%) [3].The attendance of those falling within our primary target age
range, however, was reported to be about 20% [3]. From this information we concluded
that an innovative campaign incorporating the millennial generation needs to be
implemented.
According to the exit survey, a majority of those in attendance at the 2015 BNAHBA Home
Show (40%) had intentions of gathering ideas for kitchen and bath remodels [3]. The
runner up in the “primary reasons for attending the Home Show” category on the survey
was for information regarding landscaping or windows/doors remodeling strategies. In
order to better market these opportunities to millennial homeowners in the Bloomington-
Normal community, an increase in social media marketing would be beneficial. Based on
the reports in the survey, only 8.6% of those surveyed reported to have heard about the
Home Show through social media while 55.2% heard about the show via the newspapers
[3]. By finding a balance between the both, the opportunity to target our primary and
secondary target markets are much more probable.
Motivation of Buyers
The motivation of members in the Bloomington-Normal community to purchase tickets for
the BNAHBA Home Show stems from the idea that this event serves as a one-stop-shop for
all of your home remodeling needs. Additionally, the event gives attendees the opportunity
to speak face-to-face with vendors regarding their renovation needs and have the
advantage of speaking directly in person rather than communicating with vendors over the
phone or via e-mail. Aside from the communication incentive, the Home Show is described
as a family-friendly event offering concessions and opportunities for the children to stay
occupied while their parents roam around the show [4].
“Non-users”
Primary research from our in-depth interviews, millennials, families, and individuals who
are single in the Bloomington-Normal area reported to participate in community events on
the weekends. However, when mentioning the 2016 BNAHBA Home Show, only 1 of the 12
interviewed was aware of the event. (Refer to Appendix A for a summary of the in-depth
interview method and results). The “non-users” who will absolutely benefit from the
campaign for the Home Show are the millennial [homeowner] generation. The event will
appeal to this generation because it is an opportunity to speak to a wide-variety of vendors
who can offer advice and guidance to those who may have just recently purchased a home.

47
Because the percentage of millennial attendees last year was only about 20%, this is a huge
opportunity for a show bringing in approximately 8,200 attendees [3] [4].
Target Audience Proposed for Campaign
Based on our situation analysis, we are proposing that the BNAHBA Home Show target
millennial homeowners and Generation X/Late Baby Boomers. Refer to Table 4 for a
summary of the target audience profile.
Table 4: Target Audience Profile
Demographics Psychographics
Primary:
 Millennial homeowners
 Reside in the Bloomington-Normal area
o Bloomington: 18,315 [1]
o Normal: 19,958 [2]
 Age ranging from 20-34
 Male or Female
 Single or Married
 All Ethnicities
Primary:
 Participate in family events
 Participate in community events
 Traveling
 Social Media
 Eco-friendly
 Budget conscious
 Buy houses before marriage
 Want to own houses for a short period
Secondary:
 Generation X or Late Baby Boomers
 Reside in the Bloomington-Normal area
 Bloomington: 31,663 [1]
o Normal: 17,993 [2]
o Age ranging from 35-50
 Male or Female
 Married
 All Ethnicities
Secondary:
 Engage in a work/life balance
 Participate in social events
 Participate in family events
 Participate in community service events
 Financially able to invest in their home
 Looking for quality products and services
Primary Target Audience Demographics
The BNAHBA Home Show is an event on the first full weekend of March organized to serve
as a “one-stop shop” for those in the Bloomington-Normal community. Ultimately,
attendees attend this event in an effort to gain insight on home renovations. The
Bloomington-Normal Home Show strives to provide a community-wide, family friendly
atmosphere in which people of many ages can benefit from interaction with a variety of
vendors. The event is made up of hundreds of vendors ranging from carpenters to
landscapers offering products and services for the home. Because of this, our primary
target audience is millennial homeowners (with ages ranging from 20-34). We feel that
this generation can benefit immensely from the home show because they have most likely

48
made a recent home purchase that could use renovations or they are considering home
ownership or building a home. Even if they don’t, however, it is still an insightful event
where both males and females ranging from all ethnicities can gather important knowledge
through their attendance. The BNAHBA Home Show is available to the Bloomington-
Normal community which is why our target audience is tailored towards one of the major
demographics within the community: millennials. The number of people in this
community falling in the “millennial homeowner” demographic is 38,273 [1][2]. As of 2013,
the median household income for Bloomington was $61,664 [5] and for Normal was
$53,720 [6]. Lastly, according to an exit survey at the 2015 show, the majority of our
attendees were married so our target includes both married couples and singles [3].
Primary Target Audience Psychographics
The audience we have determined as our primary target enjoys participating in
family/community events such as dinners, festivals, concerts, movies, or any other social
event allowing them to get out of the house [7]. Millennials are also known for purchasing
houses before marriage rather than waiting until being well established with a significant
other. After purchasing a home, millennials also tend to stay in a home for a short period of
time before reselling. Additionally, this generation is concerned about being eco-friendly
[7]. By participating in an event such as the BNAHBA Home Show where there are
hundreds of vendors in one spot, they are avoiding having to travel from location to
location to meet their home-building needs.
Secondary Target Audience Demographics
For our secondary target audience, we are still looking to focus on a large chunk of the
Bloomington-Normal community. Our secondary target is made up of Generation X/Late
Baby Boomers within Bloomington-Normal. The number of people in the community
falling into the age group of 35-50 is 49,656. [2]. Within this grouping we are strictly
targeting married couples because those with ages ranging from 35-50 are most likely
married and possibly looking to renovate before selling. Lastly, the Home Show is
applicable for both males and females of all ethnicities.
Secondary Target Audience Psychographics
Adults with ages ranging from 35-50 are more likely to be renovating their homes with the
intent to sell it and move to a different location. This age group is heavily focused on work-
life balance and they enjoy participating in family-fun events that are available in their
community. These events may involving enjoying the outdoors, exploring tourist areas
such as museums, or attending community fairs. One of the most applicable
psychographics of Generation X/Late Baby Boomers is their willingness to invest in their
home. The BNAHBA Home Show is the perfect opportunity for this demographic to become
more absorbed in the appropriate methods for completing these tasks. Also, they will be

49
exposed to a wide-variety of vendors to consider and choose from. Lastly, the Generation
X/Late Baby Boomer grouping is constantly looking for quality products and services.
Because the Home Show serves as a one-stop shop for any and every home renovation
need, taking advantage of this opportunity is in their favor.

50
Target Audience References
[1] “Bloomington, IL Population.” American Fact Finder-Community Facts U.S Census Bureau,
N.p., 2010. 7 Oct. 2015. <
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF>.
[2] “Normal, IL Population” American Fact Finder-Community Facts U.S Census Bureau, N.p.,
2010. 7 Oct. 2015. <
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF>.
[3] “Attendee Feedback Survey” ISU COB Marketing Research, N.p., 2015. 7 Oct. 2015.<
https://reggienet.illinoisstate.edu/access/content/group/194bdb74-5361-4c9d-ba24-
3c1b6c6a2204/Client%20Materials/Client%20Feedback%20Attendee%20Survey%20for
%20Home%20Show%20Spring%202015%20030315%20A-1.pdf>
[5] “Bloomington, IL Median Household Income.” American Fact Finder-Community Facts
U.S Census Bureau, N.p., 2013. 7 Oct. 2015. <
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml>.
[6] “Normal, IL Median Household Income.” American Fact Finder-Community Facts U.S
Census Bureau, N.p., 2013. 7 Oct. 2015. <
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#none>.
[7] “Most Popular Leisure Activities among Millennials in the U.S. 2013.” Statista, N.p.,
2013. Oct. 2015. <
http://www.statista.com/statistics/382634/most-popular-leisure-activities-among-
millennials-us/

51
CREATIVE PLATFORM AND CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
Statement of Campaign Objectives
From our situation analysis, our team proposed the following demographic and
psychographic characteristics for Bloomington Normal Home Builders Association Home
Show’s target audience:
Demographics:
Primary: Millennial Homeowners
● Location: Bloomington Normal area
● Bloomington Households: 31,663 [1]
● Normal Households: 17,993 [2]
● Age:20-34
○ Bloomington sample: 18,315 [1]
○ Normal sample: 19,958 [2]
○ Total: 38,273
● Gender: Male and Female
● Marital Status: Single and Married
● Ethnicity: All
Secondary: Generation X and Late Baby Boomers
● Location: Bloomington Normal area
● Bloomington Households: 31,663 [1]
● Normal Households: 17,993 [2]
● Age: 35-50
○ Bloomington Sample: 21,524 [1]
○ Normal Sample: 9,820 [2]
○ Total: 31,344
● Gender: Male and Female
● Marital Status: Married
● Ethnicity: All
Psychographics:
Primary: Millennial Homeowners
● Activities
○ Participate in social events
○ Participate in family events
○ Participate in community events
○ Traveling

52
○ Furthering education
● Interests
○ Facebook, Pinterest
○ DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects
○ Tech Savvy
○ Do their research online through consumer reviews and bloggers
○ Do not plan for the future (solves problems as they arise as opposed to
preventative methods)
● Opinions
○ Eco-friendly
○ Budget conscious
○ Buy houses before marriage
○ Want to own houses for a shorter amount of time
○ Buy houses with the intent of improving and selling → profit
Secondary: Generation X [3]
● Activities
○ Engage in a work/life balance
○ Participate in social events
○ Participate in family events
○ Participate in community events
○ Spend their free time watching TV/Reading
● Interests
○ Fun kid-friendly activities for their children
○ Looking for quality products and services
● Opinions
○ Financially able to invest in their home
○ High expectations for their children’s future
○ Religious beliefs
Reference Groups:
Primary:
● Neighbors, Friends, Family, Colleagues, “Friends” on social media, Radio, Local TV,
Church Groups, Community Groups, Internet
Secondary:
● Family, Friends, Neighbors, Church groups, Community groups, Radio, Local TV,
Newspaper

53
Creative Platform
Our primary goal for this campaign is to increase awareness of the BNAHBA Home Show
amongst the millennial homeowner audience. Our secondary goal is to achieve top-of-mind
awareness of the BNAHBA Home Show when asking our target audience about their
knowledge of home improvement resources in the Bloomington- Normal area.
In order to achieve the goals highlighted in our campaign, we hope to effectively
communicate the date, location, and the differentiating qualities of the show in our
advertising messages. This will be done by emphasizing the event as a one stop shop with
the large number of vendors in attendance. Additionally, the BNAHBA Home Show acts as a
well-rounded experience that offer a variety audience of benefits to attendees that cannot
be found anywhere else in the Bloomington-Normal area. From the in-depth interviews we
conducted we found that our target audiences believe the most important factors in
attending the show are meeting with experienced contractors, time saving associated with
a one stop shop, and seeking inspiring ideas for home renovations (refer to Appendix A for
a summary of the method and results of the depth interviews). We plan to outline the
benefits of reputation, time saving, and idea generation in our advertising campaign. We
plan to achieve our goals by placing advertising in effective locations through traditional,
digital and social platforms.
Message Tone and Appeal
The tone of our campaign will be informative, persuasive and engaging. Because our
interview results indicated that our target audience is lacking awareness of the Home
Show, we aim to alter this by communicating basic information about the Home Show.
Additionally, we plan to inform our target audience(s) about the family-friendly
atmosphere the show offers which is a crucial element in gathering the attention from both
our primary and secondary audiences. The campaign will persuade our audience to attend
the Home Show giving them the opportunity to meet with vendors who can potentially
complete their home renovation needs.
Quantitative Benchmarks
Communication Objectives
1. Achieve top of the mind awareness of the Home Show
● None of the 12 interviewees thought of the BNAHBA Home show as a community
home improvement event.
● We hope to increase top of mind awareness to 25%
2. Increase Awareness of the BNAHBA Home Show

54
● Only 25% of the respondents in our interviews said that they were aware of the
BNAHBA Home Show [SL5]
● Our campaign goal is to increase awareness at least 75%
3. Create perception of the Home Show as a community-friendly home improvement event
● Currently our target audience has minimal perceptions of the Home Show offerings
● In campaign tracking we hope that at least 50% of respondents will describe the
Home Show as a community-friendly home improvement event.
Behavioral Objectives
1. Increase traffic at the BNAHBA Home Show
● From the 2015 Home Show Exit Survey,
● The percentage of attendees at the 2015 Home Show with ages ranging between 21-
30 was 6.6%, and the percentage of attendees with ages ranging between 31-50 was
33.2%
● In campaign tracking we hope to see
● (a) An increase in total show traffic from 8,200 to 10,250, and
● (b) At least 50% of that traffic from the 21-50 age groups.
2. Increase engagement on the BNAHBA Home Show social media pages
● 8of the 12 interviewees suggested the BNAHBA Home Show increase their social
media presence in order to better promote the event.
● Last year the client briefly utilized Facebook and relied more on the advertising
facilitated through The Pantagraph and local radio stations.
● In campaign tracking we hope to see
● (a) At least 25% report having seen or heard about the Home Show on social media,
and
● (b) At least 20 Likes, 10 comments, and 50 shares OR mentions.
Measurement Tracking and Timeline
In order to adequately measure the success of the behavioral objectives for traditional
marketing stated within our campaign, we will recommend administering a Home Show
exit-survey as well counting the number of tickets sold or free tickets redeemed. Based on
this information we can gather analytics regarding the attendance of target demographic
and to count the overall number of attendees. In terms of tracking our digital initiatives,
we recommend using Google Analytics which is a free service that can track and report
traffic to your specific website. It can help facilitate the measurement of click-through rates
and engagement on the webpage. Google Analytics should be monitored on a bi-weekly
basis during the campaign so that advertising adjustments can be made before the event.
Additionally, effectiveness of using social media platforms can be tracked based on “likes”,
comments, shares, or mentions.

55
In order to adjust the campaign to achieve communication objectives there should be a
survey of the target audience one month into the campaign. This would help in seeing if the
campaign has effectively achieved top of the mind awareness, overall awareness, and
created positive perceptions of the show. Tracking both the traditional and digital metrics
will help indicate to the BNAHBA where adjustmentsto the campaign need to be made.
After implementing our suggestions, we hope this tracking can help us adequately
determine if the overall campaign goals have been met.

56
Creative Platform Campaign Objectives References
[1] “Community Facts”. American Fact Finder. N.p., 2010. Web. 9 Sep. 2015.
<http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.x
html?src=CF>.
<http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF>.
<http://www.statista.com/statistics/383896/most-popular-leisure-activities-among-
generation-x-us/>.

57
SECTION III:
CREATIVE STRATEGY

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IMC OVERVIEW
While creating the IMC campaign we identified vehicles that our primary and secondary
audience would be most receptive to. Each element of the campaign helps to achieve an
overall awareness of the show in the community, gives informative information about the
event, and gives reasons to attend the event. The channels that are included in our IMC
campaign are Facebook targeted ads, an enhanced Home Show tab on BNAHBA website,
advertisements in The Pantagraph, Pandora online radio advertising, two billboards, and a
banner in downtown Bloomington, and Google search ads (for a complete overview of the
campaign, please refer to Table 5).
Facebook targeted ads would help to reach a larger audience than current followers of the
BNAHBA Home Show Facebook page. It would also achieve increasing customer interaction
through social media because the ads would drive the user to either go to the Show’s
Facebook page or website for more information. By enhancing the Home Show tab, those
seeking more information would only be exposed to information pertaining to the Home
Show. Information would be clearly laid out to show time, location, and benefits of the
show to ensure that the user could easily access this information in a simple web search.
Since The Pantagraph has been the most effective way for attendees to find out about the
Home Show in previous years, we decided to keep this aspect of the previous campaign.
Advertising in the local newspaper is the best way to reach our target audience since the
newspaper is only distributed to the local community. Pandora online radio advertising
helps to reach our primary, millennial, target audience since this is a more common way
millennial listen to music. Pandora also offers geolocation filters that specifically target the
intended audience and conserves the advertising budget. Adding a second billboard to the
budget reaches the entire community, instead of just those who commonly drive on the
north side of town. The banner in downtown Bloomington is a very cost effective and eye
catching platform that we decided to include. Last, Google search ads help to be a part of
the first step in the consumers search for home renovations. Typically, those looking to do
a home renovation will start their search with a Google search, so having the BNAHBA
Home Show be listed at the top of the list would greatly increase traffic to the show.
When distributing the budget to each tactic, we allocated money to be spent based on the
reach that the platform has as well as how effective the vehicle would be in reaching our
intended audience. We have laid out a conservative budget while also using the most
effective platforms that will help to achieve our campaign objectives.

59
PRESENTATION OF LAYOUTS
& ANALYTICAL CRITIQUES
Creative Platform
The goal of our Integrated Marketing Communications campaign is to position the
Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association as a One-Stop-Shop for all home
renovation needs. We want to showcase the family-friendly atmosphere the show
encompasses, as it really is welcoming to all ages. It is equally important that we
demonstrate the opportunity for renovation inspiration, to all homeowners who may be
considering attending. Throughout all of our media, we will raise awareness of this event
and the details an attendee needs to know.
Elements/Tools
Our integrated campaign brings all of our advertisements together to ultimately
accomplish our objectives. This series of ads will increase awareness of the BNAHBA Home
Show and all of the positive resources it has to offer. Throughout all media channels, the
advertisements will remain consistent with a friendly, inviting, enthusiastic, and
informative tone. All eight of our tactics truly come together to reach both millennials and
baby boomers.

60
Table 5: Overview of IMC Campaign
Layout Purpose Theme Placement Schedule
The
Pantagraph
Provide information regarding
the family-friendly, one-stop
shop BN event made up of
countless vendors
Informative
enthusiastic
inviting
Distributed through
multiple locations in
Bloomington-Normal
area/Online
Daily, February 5th-
March 4th
Pandora Spread awareness of event &
inform about the specific details
Informative, fun, &
inviting
Online Radio targeting
millennials
Daily, February 5th-
March 5th
Local Radio Spread awareness of event to
BN area & inform about the
specific details
Informative, fun, &
inviting
WJEZ Cumulus
Bloomington Radio
Station
February 22nd -
March 5th
Billboards Give reasons to attend &
increase awareness to
community
Compelling,
informative,
simple, attention
grabbing
Outdoors (North and
South ends of Veterans
Pkwy in Bloomington)
January 1st - March
6th
Banner Inform current & future
homeowners of the BN Home
Show details
Project inspiration,
fun, inviting to all
Banner space above
Center St. (one-way
traffic) in downtown
February 29th -
March 6th
Facebook
targeted
ads
Increase awareness of the BN
Home Show in the social media
communities & increase
audience engagement prior to
start of event
Fun, enthusiastic
family friendly,
simple, useful
Facebook targeted ads
to both millennials &
baby boomers
February - March
Google
Search Ads
Increase awareness of BN
Home Show amongst
consumers searching for home
improvement offerings on
internet
Fun, enthusiastic,
family friendly,
simple, useful
Geo-targeted
(Bloomington-Normal
Area) Google search ads
based on keywords
As soon as possible
prior to the start of the
event
BNAHBA
Website
Tab
Generate awareness of BN
Home Show within online
community and to give an
opportunity to showcase
previous years’ events
Layout & color
scheme integrated
with current
website
capabilities
Internet (BNAHBA
website) targeting both
millennials and baby
boomers
As soon as possible
prior to the start of the
event
E-Mail Blast Increase awareness of the
Home Show to those residing in
the Bloomington-Normal
community who have opted in to
The Pantagraph’s email list
Inviting,
informative,
attention grabbing
The Pantagraph’s email
blast database of
20,000+ users
February 26th
,
March 1st

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Analytical Critiques and Presentation of Layouts
The layouts include a newspaper print ad, both digital and local radio, an electronic
billboard, an outdoor banner, social media ads, Google AdWords, and a web page update.
Logo
Instead of using the BNAHBA logo, we gave the home show its own logo. We sharpened the
name down to “Bloomington-Normal Home Show”. Refer to Exhibit 22 for the new logo.
Our reasoning for this, is that the full name, “Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders
Association,” was not recalled by anyone in our copy test (see appendix B). We feel that it is
important to give the home show its own identity, while still staying strongly connected to
BNAHBA. Furthermore, we were sure to maintain this connection by adding “sponsored by
the Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association” under the logo, almost as a
positioning statement. This will be a competitive advantage, in comparison to Peoria’s logo.
The new home show logo our team designed purposefully incorporated the same colors in
order to be consistent with the brand image, while refreshing the look and feel. We used a
sans serif font to keep the logo type easy to read and add to the overall simplicity of the
logo. Our logo form, the outline of a house that takes the place of the “O” in “Home” is also
consistent with the current brand image, in a more modern way. Knowing that we will be
utilizing this logo in a variety of media, at all different sizes, we made sure it is versatile.
Exhibit 22: Logo

62
The Pantagraph Print Advertisement
This ad really encompassed all of our creative platform messages. We communicated the
family-friendly atmosphere by inviting attendees to bring their families. Our “One-Stop-
Shop” tagline communicates the wide range of the resources available, all underneath one
roof. Our consistent positioning statement, “your inspiration for renovation” drives home
the high level of inspiration for home improvements found at the show. Refer to Exhibit 23
for The Pantagraph layout.
We used a background photo of a family in front of their home to communicate the family-
friendly atmosphere. Particularly, we chose young parents, as they are potentially
millennials, to connect with our primary audience. By making the logo the heading of the
ad, we not only grabbed the attention of readers, but also stamped the logo again. The
reason for this is to get potential attendees familiar with this new logo/look and feel to
eventually result in brand recognition. We continued to use a sans serif font for all of the
copy and bolded key words to really drive home our main messages.
We wanted to give this entire look a fresh feeling, which we accomplished in keeping all of
the copy left-aligned. Additionally, we use the same sans serif, black font throughout the
entire ad, to look cohesive. To stay consistently modern, we named the sponsors section
“Must See Vendors”. The bottom fourth of the ad was devoted to sponsors’ logos, in an
effort to highlight the companies that are helping promote the Home Show. We utilized
isolation by placing these logos on a white background.

63
Exhibit 23: The Pantagraph Print Advertisement

64
Pandora Ad
Script:
“Looking for a fun, family-friendly event this winter? The BNAHBA Home Show is March
fourth through sixth at the Interstate Center! We have a wide variety of vendors such as
(Partner 1, Partner 2, and Partner 3). Let us be your inspiration for renovation. Click the
banner for details”
Advertisement Layout:
In this particular form of media, it is vital to be clear and concise because consumers have
all the further details easily accessible to them. To achieve this, we really sharpened our
copy to cut out any clutter and showcase the most important details of the event. Our
header is the new Home Show logo, in an effort to be completely integrated with all of the
other media channels. Our logo, along with the rest of the ad, is displayed in bright colors.
We used reverse type to create a striking appearance in order to emphasize the date and
location of the event. Having the button that reads “Click For Details” is an important call-
to-action. By positioning it at the bottom of the ad, it is not only a convenient space, but also
really grabs the attention of the reader due to the bright color.
We kept the messages just as straightforward. Having the photo of a family in front of their
home connects to the family-friendly element of our creative platform message. Having the
tagline “We are your inspiration for renovation” in both the digital layout and spoken in the
audio really connects the message that there is plenty of resources at the home show to
inspire. Refer to Exhibit 24 for the Pandora Advertisement.
Exhibit 24: Pandora Advertisement

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Local Radio
Script:
“Looking for a fun, family-friendly event this winter? The Bloomington Normal Area Home
Builders Association Home Show is March 4th through 6th at the Interstate Center! At our
one stop shop, we can help you take care of all your home improvement needs. We have a
wide variety of vendors such as (Partner 1, Partner 2, and Partner 3). Let us be your
inspiration for renovation!”
Similar to the Pandora advertisement, this short blurb will increase awareness of the home
show. We touched on the family-friendly environment position it as an event for all ages.
Our tagline, “We are your inspiration for renovation” really stamps our message that this is
a great place to get ideas for your home. Collectively, this short ad gets our messages across
effectively.
Billboard
In an effort to grab the attention of both millennial homeowners, as well as baby boomer
homeowners in the Bloomington-Normal Area, it is vital to have clear, easy to read outdoor
ad space. For this campaign, we will utilize two electronic billboards on Veterans Parkway
at high traffic intersections. Both billboards will display the same ad, in an effort to be
consistent with the BNAHBA Home Show brand image.
Exhibit 25: Billboards

66
This billboard is purposefully simple with an eye-catching image of a home. We used a sans
serif font for an incredibly simple look and feel. Throughout the entire ad, we only use two
fonts to keep the ad simple and easy to read. In order to really stamp the new brand logo
into consumer’s minds, we made the logo into the header of the ad. It was important to us
that the link to the Bloomington-Normal Area Home Builders Association was not lost, so
we put in a sub header to note that the association sponsors this home show. The tag line
“Your inspiration for renovation” strongly ties into our creative platform message,
positioning the home show as the best place to get ideas and inspiration for home
improvement projects. At the bottom of the ad the dates and location have been sharpened
to make the details short and memorable. Refer to Exhibit 25.
Outdoor Banner
Utilizing outdoor advertising space in the Bloomington-Normal community is vital to
grabbing the attention of homeowners. The most effective space to do so is on a banner
above Center St. in Downtown Bloomington. To any potential home show attendees driving
down the one-way street, the banner ad hanging above is hard to miss. Because drivers are
continuously moving, it is important that this particular layout is very simple and easy to
read, as they pass.
We utilized the bright, crisp blue Home Show logo as the header, to make brand recognition
a possibility for consumers in the Bloomington-Normal area. Due to the space available, we
chose to keep this layout copy-only, as too many visual graphics may be distracting. “Your
inspiration for renovation” reminds consumers that this event is a great place to get ideas
for their home projects. It communicates the event details to ultimately increase awareness
of the event. The bottom bar of the ad, display the date and location in reverse type to
leave a memorable impression. Refer to Exhibit 26.
Exhibit 26: Outdoor Banners

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Facebook Ad
Communicating a family-friendly atmosphere, where all ages are welcomed was an
important objective in our creative platform. Consequently, we aimed these Facebook ads
at both baby boomers and millennials.
The first Facebook post, displaying a picture of a finished home, is aimed at baby boomers
because they are currently renovating their homes. Refer to Exhibit 27. Through our copy
test results we found that 83% of those copy tested preferred a picture of a family in front
of a home as opposed to a picture of just a home. (Refer to Appendix B) The copy
“Looking to sell your home? Let us help you get it ready” is a great attention getter for the
baby boomers generation. We then placed a subheading at the bottom of the picture that
includes our home show logo (in white on a blue background) and the event details (in blue
on a white background), to complement each other. “Looking to do a renovation? We can
make your dreams a reality this March” really enforces the timing of the event and puts this
event into the consumer's’ evoked set. For a further call to action, we lastly have the
“contact us” button so that they can easily get more details.
In the second Facebook ad we used a picture of a young, joyful family in front of a home
because we wanted to really connect with young adults (millennials) who are buying and
renovating homes. Refer to Exhibit 28.
In regard to our creative platform messages, or goal was for the immediate reaction to this
ad to be a sense of family-friendly environment. The heading, “Finding help for home
improvement projects in Bloomington can be tough” really shows a sense of empathy to
homeowners, that will ultimately lead to them placing their trust in the home show. As the
reader continues, “bring your family to our home show for all of your renovation needs”
really expresses the one-stop-shop message. Similar to the other Facebook ad, the home
show logo (in white on a blue background) and the event details (in blue on a white
background) really work well together and catch your attention. Overall, these event
details will increase awareness of the event, which will ultimately lead to more attendees at
the show.
It will also be important to engage with potential home show attendees organically via
Facebook. This will be done by creating a Facebook event page where the BNAHBA can
invite individuals to join the page for updates on event details. This would be the perfect
platform to post about any contests or raffles for free tickets. To encourage further buzz, a
potential post could be “Share this post for the chance to win two free tickets to the
Bloomington Normal Area Home Builders Association”.

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Exhibit 27: Facebook Advertisement Targeting Generation X/Baby Boomers

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Exhibit 28: Facebook Advertisement Targeting Millennials
Google AdWords
Based on the exit survey the top reasons for attending the BNAHBA Home Show were to
gather ideas for kitchen, bathroom and landscaping renovations. Our goal is to make sure
the BNAHBA Home Show message is in front of consumers as they are searching online for
help improving their homes in these areas. By linking the BNAHBA Home Show to a specific
set of words and targeting the geographical area of the Bloomington-Normal, IL, we are
able to increase overall awareness. Through last year’s Home Show exit survey, it was
concluded that “kitchen,” ”bathroom,” and ” landscaping” were the most popular
renovation needs of homeowners. As a result, those would be the most appropriate Google
AdWords to utilize. Additionally, “renovation” and “Home Improvement” are very much
searched and could also be linked to the home show. Because so much home improvement

70
research is done online, Google AdWords will really aid the BNAHBA Home Show in
increasing awareness.
Webpage
Similar to creating a new Home Show-specific logo, with a strong connection to the current
BNAHBA logo, it is really important that the Home Show’s space on the BNAHBA website
looks appealing. Once a potential home show attendee clicks on the “home show” tab, they
will see a vibrant array of home show details. Refer to Exhibit 29 for the new web page
layout. At the top of the webpage, there will be a slideshow of photos of all of the sponsors,
inviting consumers to visit them at the show. Under that, we place the white background of
our new logo to keep the look and feel integrated with all other media. We made this logo
very large so that users could not miss it. Under that, we conveniently placed a bar of tabs
to further explore details such as the Vendor List, Floor Map, Special Offers, etc. Just beyond
that, we have a variety of visuals to give the potential attendee an idea of what the event
will look and feel like. To the far right, we have a column stating dates, times and
admissions costs of the show. In re-designing this webpage, we really made it user friendly
so that anyone will be able to access the information they need.
Exhibit 29: Webpage

Bloomington Normal Home Show IMC Plan

Bloomington Normal Home Show IMC Plan

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