Scenario: Antonioni's Social Media Challenge Mike Antonioni, an entrepreneur in Vermont, is starting a new ice cream company. He has not selected a name yet. His business idea is to create an Italian-style gelato ice cream that will be the top choice for discriminating customers who demand the original Italian taste of gelato. His plan is to use local ingredients from organic, small farmers in Vermont. Initially, he wants to focus on the local markets and expand and offer his ice cream through major retailers such as Whole Foods. His target market comprises upper-income, college-educated, health-conscious people in their late 20s to mid-forties who also care about green business practices. He is facing an uphill battle as he has to compete against top brands such as Ben, Gerry's, and Haagen Dazs. His company is new and practically unknown, and his budget for promotion is very small. He has financed his company by using loans from local banks (70% of total financing) and his own savings (30% of financing). Given the level of quality he wants to achieve and the high costs of the ingredients, he has estimated that to make money, his prices will have to be way above the prices of his competitors. He is expecting to charge around $6.50 a pint. In addition, he needs to generate some presence very quickly in the market, to generate revenue to repay some of the interest that will be due in 6 months, as well as to raise more capital for the expansion of the company. He wants to organize a successful grand opening and then use the momentum to attract customers and expand the business. Question: - What metrics (both in terms of web analytics and non-web metrics) should you use to assess:

o The success of the grand opening

o The effectiveness of your website and social media marketing should Antonioni use

o His online and social media marketing strategies