So I'm on one of the last parts of the assignment: Execution.
The Syllabus indicates that Professor Nordhielm wants to see us clearly define the product with key points of interest. In my case, does this mean.. clearly defining the different communication methods I've thought about using. I.e. Radio advertisement - defining what will be communicated in the advertisement etc.
OR does this mean clearly defining the Building that IACS proposes to build. (Both can be considered a product in their own way). I'm thinking I will clearly define both, out of confusion.
Comments would be appreciated!
- Sherwin
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
5- Box Revisited
I don't know about you guys, but as this deadline approaches, I'm beginning to find a lot more flaws in some of the work I did previously. Just trying to Iron these things out. I redid my 5-box positioning statement. Curious to see what you all think...
Friday, April 23, 2010
Customer Benefits Exercise
Hey guys, This was from my presentation to Professor Nordhielm. I was a little stuck on some of the operation metrics. Maybe you guys have some good insight?
Feature Benefit Value Map
Hey All,
I created this map during class, and I think I have too many linkages, and I could probably add a few more benefits and features. But this is what I'm tinkering with right now. Comments would be appreciated!
- Sherwin
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
5 Box Exercise
After Monday's class, I realized I had to go back and revise my 5-Box positioning statement. I think mine was too complicated and wordy. This is much more simple. Lemme know what you guys think....
Monday, April 19, 2010
MV and Customer Definition
Main variable
The Main Variable, also called the category definition, is supposed to be something that the organization is already the category leader in.
Therefore this is what I think...
Main Variable: Nonprofit Iranian-American Cultural Organizations who host year long events which promote, encourage, and foster the charitable and educational interests of the Persian community.
I might still be confused about this but, I think I'm on the right track. On the other hand, I'm still quite confused about the dynamic variable.
CUSTOMER DEFINITION
Ali is a 45 year old software engineer who drops his children off to school in the morning every day on the way to work. Ali is an American-raised Iranian who works long hours and has little time to spend with his children. He wishes he could spend more time teaching them Farsi and the Iranian culture. Ali's wife, Mozhdeh works full time and calls home (Iran) about once a month to talk to her family. Neither have much time to cook or to learn how to cook Persian dishes. Ali knows a few Iranians in the area, but does not spend more than an afternoon with them in a months time. Ali's family attends the annual Norouz celebration hosted by the local University. Ali's son, Reza, is having a hard time adjusting in school, as he struggles with his cultural identity.
More to Come Soon....
The Main Variable, also called the category definition, is supposed to be something that the organization is already the category leader in.
Therefore this is what I think...
Main Variable: Nonprofit Iranian-American Cultural Organizations who host year long events which promote, encourage, and foster the charitable and educational interests of the Persian community.
I might still be confused about this but, I think I'm on the right track. On the other hand, I'm still quite confused about the dynamic variable.
CUSTOMER DEFINITION
Ali is a 45 year old software engineer who drops his children off to school in the morning every day on the way to work. Ali is an American-raised Iranian who works long hours and has little time to spend with his children. He wishes he could spend more time teaching them Farsi and the Iranian culture. Ali's wife, Mozhdeh works full time and calls home (Iran) about once a month to talk to her family. Neither have much time to cook or to learn how to cook Persian dishes. Ali knows a few Iranians in the area, but does not spend more than an afternoon with them in a months time. Ali's family attends the annual Norouz celebration hosted by the local University. Ali's son, Reza, is having a hard time adjusting in school, as he struggles with his cultural identity.
More to Come Soon....
Thursday, April 15, 2010
More Thoughts
With regards to the Customer Attidunal stance, I would have to say that the target customer is definitely a HEART loyal. Again Persians are a very prideful group. Our country is in shambles, the US media portrays us negatively, the events in MD and the cultural importance strikes a major chord among constituents. It's almost, all they have going on, to remind them of the true value of their culture.
Honestly, I'm not sure if the whole heart, head, hand loyal thing really applies here. There aren't any other Iranian cultural NPs in the area. There is no other place where they can donate to Iranian related purposes than the IACS. But if we were to really force the framework to this context, then it would look something like this.
Head loyals, choose between IACS sponsored events and University sponsored events (for major events). (Although University events don't ask for donations ever). Heart loyals: See this is difficult. The Iranians in the area, support many of our groups (IACS, Universities, etc.). They go to IACS events, and University events. They only compete on the major cultural events. The only distinction really, is on how often some people attend events / donate, and those who don't come at all(whom I would categorize as hand loyals). So lets force the framework:
Heart loyals: Frequent attenders who donate
Head loyals: Attenders of major cultural events, usually non donors
Hand loyals, once in a blue moon attenders / non attenders
Again, my target audience are frequent attenders who donate occassionally, but I want
them to donate major.
Honestly, I'm not sure if the whole heart, head, hand loyal thing really applies here. There aren't any other Iranian cultural NPs in the area. There is no other place where they can donate to Iranian related purposes than the IACS. But if we were to really force the framework to this context, then it would look something like this.
Head loyals, choose between IACS sponsored events and University sponsored events (for major events). (Although University events don't ask for donations ever). Heart loyals: See this is difficult. The Iranians in the area, support many of our groups (IACS, Universities, etc.). They go to IACS events, and University events. They only compete on the major cultural events. The only distinction really, is on how often some people attend events / donate, and those who don't come at all(whom I would categorize as hand loyals). So lets force the framework:
Heart loyals: Frequent attenders who donate
Head loyals: Attenders of major cultural events, usually non donors
Hand loyals, once in a blue moon attenders / non attenders
Again, my target audience are frequent attenders who donate occassionally, but I want
them to donate major.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Marketing Objective: Stimulate Demand / Retention -
Basically, to get the appropriate amount of funding for this building we need our constituents/members to donate more money. We can't rely on the govt to give us a grant, most likely that won't go through (in my opinion). At this late stage, it would be too late to acquire new members and get them committed enough to dish out sufficient money (therefore acquisition stimulate demand doesn't make sense). In the state of MD, there is only one Iranian American Cultural Society. There are University clubs, which host major events, but they don't sponsor year long events (i.e. farsi school, islam school, poetry nights, etc. etc.) They also aren't asking for donations for anything. Therefore, earn share marketing objectives also don't make sense in this context.
We need more frequent and larger donations. Persians are a very prideful people. It is not saying, that other cultures aren't as prideful, but this general assumption lays the ground for my reasoning on why I think it is feasible to fulfill the marketing objective of earning larger and more frequent donations. The largest donor so far, has given $1500. However, if you look at the distribution of donations after this, the others aren't that far off between $700 and $1000. The Treasurer of IACS wants to put down a sizable down payments, to reduce interest and payment installments in the future. She is aiming to put down atleast $40,000. They currently have roughly $15,000. My aim is to devise a plan which will help get them over $40,000 in a years time.
Since the standard deviation of donations appears to be relatively small (among large donors), and the fact that the IACS has been targetting major donors for such a long time, I think it would be strategically advantageous to focus on occassional donors, and work towards converting them into major donors.
Well, That's all for now, I might post some more thoughts tonight.
And here is the LINK for anyone who's interested:
http://www.iacs-md.org/
- Sherwin
Basically, to get the appropriate amount of funding for this building we need our constituents/members to donate more money. We can't rely on the govt to give us a grant, most likely that won't go through (in my opinion). At this late stage, it would be too late to acquire new members and get them committed enough to dish out sufficient money (therefore acquisition stimulate demand doesn't make sense). In the state of MD, there is only one Iranian American Cultural Society. There are University clubs, which host major events, but they don't sponsor year long events (i.e. farsi school, islam school, poetry nights, etc. etc.) They also aren't asking for donations for anything. Therefore, earn share marketing objectives also don't make sense in this context.
We need more frequent and larger donations. Persians are a very prideful people. It is not saying, that other cultures aren't as prideful, but this general assumption lays the ground for my reasoning on why I think it is feasible to fulfill the marketing objective of earning larger and more frequent donations. The largest donor so far, has given $1500. However, if you look at the distribution of donations after this, the others aren't that far off between $700 and $1000. The Treasurer of IACS wants to put down a sizable down payments, to reduce interest and payment installments in the future. She is aiming to put down atleast $40,000. They currently have roughly $15,000. My aim is to devise a plan which will help get them over $40,000 in a years time.
Since the standard deviation of donations appears to be relatively small (among large donors), and the fact that the IACS has been targetting major donors for such a long time, I think it would be strategically advantageous to focus on occassional donors, and work towards converting them into major donors.
Well, That's all for now, I might post some more thoughts tonight.
And here is the LINK for anyone who's interested:
http://www.iacs-md.org/
- Sherwin
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Beginnings of the Plan
Hey all,
Here is the beginning. I still have to add a lot more. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some more time.
IRANIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY OF MARYLAND
I. Organizational Objective:
a. Fundamental Entity – The Iranian American Cultural Society of Maryland promotes, encourages and fosters the charitable and educational interests of the Persian community and interested individuals by organizing seasonal and traditional events such as Nowruz, Mehregan, Chahar-Shanbeh-Suri and Sizdah-bedar Celebrations, and Yalda Party.
b. Personal Core Competence –
• My personal competence that I can offer the IACS-MD is my deep network and strong integration within the Persian community in Maryland. I was the President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Persian Student Association, and was able to build the club from scratch into an award winning cultural group. Our first event was 90 people. By the time I left we drew crowds over 500. I know many of the people in the community on a personal level, not just an e-mail relationship. I also have connections to Persians across the state from my parent’s Real Estate business.
• Inspiring Vision. I used to work at IACS-MD and they know my influential style, which is why they designated me to give speeches for some of their events. The speeches helped inspire people to give donations.
c. IACS-MD Core Competence : They have been around for a long time, have a huge e-mail list, are well known, and have connections with Voice of America (an international multimedia broadcasting service).
d. Beneficiaries: The main beneficiaries would be the local Persians in the Baltimore metropolitan area. However, the tangential beneficiaries would be all those who take an interest in the Persian culture (non-Persians included). They would be benefitted with a centralized building that would host events of various sizes, and educational services. Other beneficiaries would be the local University Persian Clubs (i.e. Johns Hopkins PSA, UMBC PSA, UMCP PSA, and UTowson PSA). The building could serve as a hub for all of their activities. It could also serve as a platform to promote greater coordination and cohesiveness between the clubs and their events.
e. Goal: The goal is to earn donations from the community for the proposed building, therefore the key metric would have to be total $ pledged, and # of donors. We could also look at Avg. $ donated / donor. Other interesting metrics to look at would be: monthly increases in IACS membership (either through e-mail lists, or official members); and attendance #s for IACS sponsored events.
f. Time Frame: Within a month I would like to complete this marketing plan to give to the IACS board. If the board approves the plan, I would like to see Total $ donated to increase by 20% within a month. Of course the long term goal of attaining the building, I would like to see that happen within 1.5 years.
II. Strategic Quadrant
a. 4 B’s Analysis
• BODIES: Target Community – Donors – Persians who have the ability to donate money, City of Baltimore (Petitioning for necessary $); Tangential Community – Donors – Non-Persians who are in solidarity with the vision of IACS and able to donate; Beneficiaries (as listed above)
• BELIEFS: I want the end-goal of all of this to clear up myths about the Iranian culture. We are not violent or radical. The message propagated by the media is, indeed, skewed and self-serving. I want the organization to further its educational component of the Iranian culture to better serve the community and its perception of Iranians. Iranians are prideful, have a rich history, loving, family oriented, and passionate. Iran is not an Arab country. Iranians are not terrorists and do not believe in violent acts. The Islamic regime does not reflect the interests of the people.
• BEHAVIORS: I want more Persians and Non-Persians to join the IACS. I want the University PSA’s to adjoin and pool their resources to throw larger and more impactful events. I want to see annual cultural events that attract over 10,000 people, and I want to know that people are hearing the voices of Iranians. I want events to make the news.
• BENEFITS: I would like to see increased donations to the IACS so that the IACS can increase its operational capacity. I would also like to see more solidarity between Persian cultural groups in the area. Most importantly, I want to see perceptions about Iranians shifting because of these events and messages.
Here is the beginning. I still have to add a lot more. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some more time.
IRANIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY OF MARYLAND
I. Organizational Objective:
a. Fundamental Entity – The Iranian American Cultural Society of Maryland promotes, encourages and fosters the charitable and educational interests of the Persian community and interested individuals by organizing seasonal and traditional events such as Nowruz, Mehregan, Chahar-Shanbeh-Suri and Sizdah-bedar Celebrations, and Yalda Party.
b. Personal Core Competence –
• My personal competence that I can offer the IACS-MD is my deep network and strong integration within the Persian community in Maryland. I was the President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Persian Student Association, and was able to build the club from scratch into an award winning cultural group. Our first event was 90 people. By the time I left we drew crowds over 500. I know many of the people in the community on a personal level, not just an e-mail relationship. I also have connections to Persians across the state from my parent’s Real Estate business.
• Inspiring Vision. I used to work at IACS-MD and they know my influential style, which is why they designated me to give speeches for some of their events. The speeches helped inspire people to give donations.
c. IACS-MD Core Competence : They have been around for a long time, have a huge e-mail list, are well known, and have connections with Voice of America (an international multimedia broadcasting service).
d. Beneficiaries: The main beneficiaries would be the local Persians in the Baltimore metropolitan area. However, the tangential beneficiaries would be all those who take an interest in the Persian culture (non-Persians included). They would be benefitted with a centralized building that would host events of various sizes, and educational services. Other beneficiaries would be the local University Persian Clubs (i.e. Johns Hopkins PSA, UMBC PSA, UMCP PSA, and UTowson PSA). The building could serve as a hub for all of their activities. It could also serve as a platform to promote greater coordination and cohesiveness between the clubs and their events.
e. Goal: The goal is to earn donations from the community for the proposed building, therefore the key metric would have to be total $ pledged, and # of donors. We could also look at Avg. $ donated / donor. Other interesting metrics to look at would be: monthly increases in IACS membership (either through e-mail lists, or official members); and attendance #s for IACS sponsored events.
f. Time Frame: Within a month I would like to complete this marketing plan to give to the IACS board. If the board approves the plan, I would like to see Total $ donated to increase by 20% within a month. Of course the long term goal of attaining the building, I would like to see that happen within 1.5 years.
II. Strategic Quadrant
a. 4 B’s Analysis
• BODIES: Target Community – Donors – Persians who have the ability to donate money, City of Baltimore (Petitioning for necessary $); Tangential Community – Donors – Non-Persians who are in solidarity with the vision of IACS and able to donate; Beneficiaries (as listed above)
• BELIEFS: I want the end-goal of all of this to clear up myths about the Iranian culture. We are not violent or radical. The message propagated by the media is, indeed, skewed and self-serving. I want the organization to further its educational component of the Iranian culture to better serve the community and its perception of Iranians. Iranians are prideful, have a rich history, loving, family oriented, and passionate. Iran is not an Arab country. Iranians are not terrorists and do not believe in violent acts. The Islamic regime does not reflect the interests of the people.
• BEHAVIORS: I want more Persians and Non-Persians to join the IACS. I want the University PSA’s to adjoin and pool their resources to throw larger and more impactful events. I want to see annual cultural events that attract over 10,000 people, and I want to know that people are hearing the voices of Iranians. I want events to make the news.
• BENEFITS: I would like to see increased donations to the IACS so that the IACS can increase its operational capacity. I would also like to see more solidarity between Persian cultural groups in the area. Most importantly, I want to see perceptions about Iranians shifting because of these events and messages.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Iranian-American Cultural Society of Maryland
Iranian–American Cultural Society of Maryland
Hello all, this is my first blog. Finally got my ctools issue sorted out. Well my idea is largely founded on my connection to the Iranian culture and my desire to promote cultural activities.
The Iranian-American Cultural Society of Maryland is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote, encourage and foster the charitable and educational interests of the Persian community and interested individuals by organizing seasonal and traditional events such as Nowruz, Mehregan, Chahar-Shanbeh-Suri and Sizdah-bedar Celebrations, and Yalda Party.
Currently they are in need of donations from the community to put a bid on a building in Baltimore which would serve as the hub for the majority of their activities. This building would allow the organization to host events on site, offer educational services, and hold meetings. This would be particularly useful for the University Persian Clubs in the area.
I’m hoping to get a hold of the President this week to get a better idea about what he wants from a marketing stand point (besides ways to attract donors).
Thank you,
- Sherwin
Hello all, this is my first blog. Finally got my ctools issue sorted out. Well my idea is largely founded on my connection to the Iranian culture and my desire to promote cultural activities.
The Iranian-American Cultural Society of Maryland is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote, encourage and foster the charitable and educational interests of the Persian community and interested individuals by organizing seasonal and traditional events such as Nowruz, Mehregan, Chahar-Shanbeh-Suri and Sizdah-bedar Celebrations, and Yalda Party.
Currently they are in need of donations from the community to put a bid on a building in Baltimore which would serve as the hub for the majority of their activities. This building would allow the organization to host events on site, offer educational services, and hold meetings. This would be particularly useful for the University Persian Clubs in the area.
I’m hoping to get a hold of the President this week to get a better idea about what he wants from a marketing stand point (besides ways to attract donors).
Thank you,
- Sherwin
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