Task summary

This assessment task requires you, in the role of Marketing Officer of Broad Shire Council, to conduct research and prepare briefing report and an action plan for the proposed marketing communications to promote Plastic Free July.

This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment at ECA College.

Required

• Access to textbooks/other learning materials
• Computer with Microsoft Office and internet access
• Briefing Report Template
• Action Plan Template
• Legislation Report Template
• Email Template

Timing

Your assessor will advise you of the due date of these submissions.

Submit

• Email with the following attached:
• Briefing Report
• Action Plan
• Legislation Report
• Email summarising the improvements

Assessment criteria

For your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task, you must satisfactorily address all of the assessment criteria. If part of this task is not satisfactorily completed, you will be asked to complete further assessment to demonstrate competence.

Assessment Task 2 Instructions

Carefully read the following:

You are the Marketing Officer for Broad Shire Council. The Council runs a number of campaigns throughout the year aimed at changing residents' behaviour.

This year, the Council is keen on raising awareness about the problems of single use plastic and to encourage residents not to use single use plastic in July, as well as on an ongoing basis. This relates to a national initiative called Plastic Free July as detailed in:

http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/(Links to an external site.)

The Council has indicated that it wishes to promote Plastic Fee July to local residents, schools and businesses. Specifically, discussions with senior management indicate that its objectives for the campaign are:

• To create amongst local business, schools and residents about the problems associated with single use plastic.
• To encourage local business, schools and residents to get involved in the challenge to attempt not to use any single-use plastic during July.

The council understands that it needs to compete with a range of numerous environmental initiatives, so they would like to ensure that marketing communication is innovative and creative to capture the attention of the target groups.

The Council's overall communication and marketing strategy indicates that, generally, a combination of advertising, editorial, digital and social media are to be used for all marketing campaigns, along with targeted community engagement activities as relevant i.e. one event or more must be conducted.

There is a small budget attached to the campaign, $5,000. Essentially it is expected that the budget may cover an event or series of events during Plastic Free July and that marketing communications need to focus on low cost marketing communications options.

Assume that it is April and you have approximately 12 weeks to plan and implement the campaign.

Complete the following activities:

1. Research marketing communication tools

Research marketing communications options for Broad Shire Council, using the Plastic Free July web site as your main resource. You will be required to prepare report and action plan for senior management that will need to be approved prior to developing and implementing marketing communications (Assessment Task 3), using the briefing report and action plan templates provided to you.

Using the Plastic Free July web site and any other resources you choose, research possible marketing communication options to achieve the stated marketing communication objectives of raising awareness and encouraging behavioural change, as well as to meet the budget allocated.

Review at least six options for marketing communications, ensuring that you identify and evaluate a mix of marketing communication options in accordance with the Council's overall communication and marketing strategy as indicated in the scenario. Your report will need to explain traditional marketing communication techniques and their relevance to Council's requirements, as well as how such techniques can be integrated with digital and social media marketing to form an effective integrated marketing communication campaign. As the customer is the key in integrated marketing communication, you should also explain the importance of customer-centric marketing.

2. Write briefing report for marketing communication

Develop a briefing report that includes:

• A purpose statement to clearly identify the purpose of marketing communication for Broad Shire Council for Plastic Free July.
• The objectives of the marketing communication for Plastic Free July, as well as the target groups to whom the marketing communication is directed.
• Key messages to convey to the target groups and that will be consistent across all marketing communication. Use the Plastic Free web site to come up with your own ideas about logos/slogans that can be used across all marketing communication to create the key message. Explain how these key messages are important for an effective integrated marketing communication campaign.
• An evaluation of each of the six marketing communication options and how these take into account the marketing communication objectives of the Council. As indicated above, your report should address a mix of marketing communications, including both traditional marketing communication methods, as well as digital marketing, as well as how the identified marketing communication options integrate to create effective integrated marketing communication. Your report should also explain the importance of customer-centric marketing.
• Recommended marketing communication options.

Use the Briefing Report Template to guide your work.

Upload your completed briefing report.

3. Develop an action plan for identified marketing communication options

Develop a Marketing Communications Action Plan that shows how the marketing communications that you have identified will be actioned leading up to Plastic Free July, as well as during Plastic Free July.

Use the Action Plan Template to guide your work.

Upload your completed action plan.

4. Review and report on legislation, regulations and policies

The final part of this assessment requires you to develop a brief report to send to your assessor about legislation, regulations and polices that can impact on marketing communication. The Council insists that this is considered when carrying out all marketing communication.

Your report should address each of the following headings and be a maximum of 2 pages

• Consumer legislation that protects consumers and ensures fair trading. You should include the name of the Act, as well as an outline of the key areas that impact on marketing.
• Legislation relating to spam, including the name of the legislation and the three main rules that message senders must comply with, as well as spam exemptions.
• Legislation relating to privacy and implications for direct marketing, as well as required inclusion for privacy policies under the Australian Privacy Principles.
• The role of the Advertising Standards Board and Bureau and voluntary advertising regulations, including advertising in accordance with the AANA Code of Ethics.

Use the Legislation Report Template to guide your work.

Upload your completed review and report on legislation

5. Send an email to Senior Management (your assessor).

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment.

Use the email template to draft the email.

In the email draft, refer to the documents which you have uploaded

Your briefing report

Your action plan

Your legislation report

Upload your email draft for your assessor.

6. The General manager of the Council is concerned that with the development and use of new media such as direct SMS and Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) the current Anti-Spam policy needs to be reviewed and updated

Following your review of current legislation, you have been directed to review the Anti-Spam policy and suggest where it could be improved to provide greater clarity for the users who are required to communicate with council residents and other stakeholders.

Draft an email to the general manager, identify a minimum of 3 areas where the current policy could be improved and what the improvements should be.

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

Upload your email to Canvas

Anti-Spam Policy

Spam is unsolicited email, often of a commercial nature, sent indiscriminately to various mailing lists, individuals or newsgroups. Broad Shire Council has a strict policy against spamming; prohibiting the use of the website and services in any method associated with the distribution, circulation or delivery of any unsolicited bulk or commercial e-mail.

Broad Shire Council does not authorize others in using the website's services to gather or acquire any information about its customers or subscribers, including but not limited to subscriber e-mail addresses.

Broad Shire Council does not permit or authorize any attempt to use its services in a manner that could damage and harm any aspect of any of the services, or that could hinder with other party's use and enjoyment of Broad Shire Council services.

OPT-IN AND OPT-OUT POLICY

Opt-in email is an online marketing term for promotional email that recipients have previously subscribed by signing up via Broad Shire Council website or special ad banner. Ideally, web users are invited to sign up for promotional information about one or more product/service categories. Those who signed up have thus "opted in."

If at any instance that the subscriber requests to be removed from the records, they may do so by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email or by clicking an "Optout Button"

Opt-out email is an online marketing term for promotional email that recipients have not requested to sign up. We do not practice Opt-out email marketing.

Unauthorized use of any Broad Shire Council's services in connection with the broadcasting of unsolicited e-mails, including the transmission of e-mail in violation of this policy, may result in civil, criminal, or administrative penalties against the sender and those assisting the sender. Broad Shire Council will instantly delete or suspend any account on any service which is determined to be transmitting or is otherwise connected with any e-mail that violates this policy.

REPORTING ABUSE

Please report any abuse or practice contrary to this Anti-Spam policy to n..m@broadsc.vic.gov.au

Signed

General Manager