Digital marketing strategy for a new pet food product (or new product or line extension at your employer or future employer.) Introduction Digital marketing and social media have completely changed the face of marketing. It is not that the older tools and models no longer work (they do!) but, rather, that these tools and models need to be applied in di?erent ways. Digital marketing activities are performed while customers are connected to networks through various mobile devices. Among the many things that make digital marketing unique is the trigger of communication. Customers may target the business (pull communication) or the business may target the digital consumer (push communication). Digital marketing can take place through a variety of modalities including email, text, apps, and any other means by which a customer can communicate on a mobile device. Social media takes the marketer into the world of “views,” “clicks,” and “likes” as a means of ascertaining product appeal to the potential market. Digital marketing has changed the landscape of marketing activities. When measuring the results of social media and digital marketing, we have to measure outcomes to determine the e?ectiveness of a general approach or campaign. If we cannot determine e?ectiveness, how can we possibly know if this is something we want to do again or not? In this assessment, you will gain insight on some approaches to measuring social media and digital marketing e?ectiveness. Unlike other areas of business operations (for example, ?nance), the measurements here are still evolving. However, you need to have at least a foundation for thinking about this very important aspect of marketing. Introduction This portfolio work project, a digital marketing plan with a social media strategy, will help you demonstrate competency in digital marketing planning and measurement. Scenario The Vice President of Marketing at MSH Brands (or at your employer or future employer company) was impressed with your marketing plan and brand presentation submitted in Assessments 1 and 2. They have now asked you to develop a Digital Marketing Strategy based on this work. Your Role You are a Brand Manager at MSH Brands (or at your employer or future employer company). You are being asked to develop a digital marketing strategy for a new pet food product (or new product or line extension at your employer or future employer.) Requirements Building on your prior work this term, develop a digital marketing plan using the SOSTAC© model. Your plan must address each of the SOSTAC© elements, including: 1. Situational Analysis Analyze the current situation in terms of customers, intermediaries, and competencies. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis and identify what your competitors are doing in terms of Web presence and social media presence. 2. Objectives Develop specific measurable objectives for a digital marketing strategy. Where do you want your company to be? 3. Strategy Articulate short- (< 1 year), medium- (1 to 3 years), and long-term (> 3 years) digital marketing strategies. How do you achieve your objectives within these terms? 4. Tactics Differentiate various techniques (for example, website, social media, advertising, pay-per-click, events, press releases, sponsorships) to use for implementing strategies. How will you build your sales funnel? 5. Actions Develop a project plan for executing each tactic. The plan is to briefly capture your execution of the tactics. 6. Controls Develop specific metrics to monitor tactics. How do you know things are going as planned? How often will you monitor the metrics? Deliverable Format Requirements: The digital marketing plan must be at least 8 10 pages in length, in addition to the title and reference pages. Related company standards: The digital marketing plan is a professional document and should therefore follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines (available in the MBA Program Resources), including single-spaced paragraphs. Use at least five scholarly or academic sources, formatted per APA. Evaluation By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria: Competency 1: Apply marketing theories and models to develop marketing strategies. Analyze the current situation in terms of customers, intermediaries, and competencies. Competency 2: Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing strategies and methods. Develop specific measurable objectives. Articulate short-, medium-, and long-term digital marketing strategies. Competency 3: Use data to support evidence-based marketing decisions. Differentiate various techniques to use for implementing strategies. Competency 4: Analyze the role of technology and social media in effective marketing strategies. Develop a project plan for executing each tactic. Develop specific metrics to monitor tactics. Competency 5: Communicate marketing needs, opportunities, and strategies with multiple stakeholders. Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a business professional.

Assignment 1: System Development Life Cycle: Phases I & II – Planning and AnalysisRead the details of the Larson Property Management Company case scenario attached. The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Larson, and the Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Johnson, would like to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the HR functions, as well as reduce overall HR costs. Mr. Larson and Ms. Johnson would like you, the HR Director, to serve as the change agent of the project. In this assignment, you will develop a plan and analysis (planning and analysis phases of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)) of the current business based on the details of the scenario.Instructions:Write a two to three-page proposal, in which you:Introduction and Plan1. Detail the current situation for the company, focusing on the issues that the organization is currently facing from using a legacy HRIS. Explain your plan for moving forward to address these issues.Needs Analysis2. Based on the issues the organization is currently facing, identify the new system needs. Identify change team members who will help identify system need and specify their role and responsibilities.Interview, Questionnaire, Observation, or Focus Group3. Determine how additional data will be collected regarding system needs. Determine how change management team will collect data during the exploration phase. Specify if team members will use interviews, questionnaires, observations and/or focus groups to collect data from end users. Provide at least five essential questions that will be asked of end users via interview, questionnaire, observation, or focus group.Conclusion4. Explain two to three reasons why the company would benefit from adopting an HRIS. Focus on how the HRIS would address the current HR needs of the organization.Resources5. Use at least two quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.Additional Information - This may be helpfulIndustry Brief: Jeffrey D. Miller, Deloitte ConsultingThe world of human resource information systems (HRIS) has shifted over the past decade. Now more than ever, organizations are driving changes in human resources (HR) and their associated system based on business needs. All industries are witnessing increased global competition, which is increasing the need to manage talent and costs of HR services. An increase in generational expansion in the workforce is driving the needs to increase focus on employee engagement. These challenges are disruptions. HR has a clear opportunity to lead through the disruptions by focusing its strategy on resolving these issues. Transitions in HR operating models, alignment of policies, and business processes are the key for HR to resolve the HR challenges facing its business.Through all of the disruption, technology is HR’s enabler. Organizations must remember this principle. Whether the organization is investing in a custom portal and related technology, enhancing an existing infrastructure, or implementing a cloud-based solution, the same rule applies: Technology is the enabler, not the solution to the business challenges. Using new technology to drive a poorly designed policy or process will result in a bad process, employee experience, and unmet executive-level expectations.Organizations are changing their HR service delivery model to enable a greater impact in all industries. The focus: Adapt the operating model to attend to business issues and movements in the market. This shift requires HR to look at how it operates across many facets including recruiting, career management, acquisition and divestiture management, and how its technology enables the business needs.The same global competition in the market is propelling changes in talent management. To remain competitive, there is a dramatic shift in the focus on understanding their talent base and aligning the skill growth to expansions and shifts in the market. The right process changes driven by the right information to make decisions related to recruiting, succession planning, and learning are critical to this effort.The generational shift cannot be ignored. Many organizations are seeing up to four distinct generations resident in their workforces. Each generation has different needs and ways of working professionally and personally. This creates a need for HR and management to be sensitive and adapt the methods of employee engagement in day to day work, performance, provisions for career trajectory and learning. This area is especially sensitive to being overly burdened with technology—relying on exchanges and messaging through technology rather than employing the technology to concentrate and foster conversations.Selecting the right technical solution for the HR needs is significant. Most applications offered meet the majority of any organization’s requirements. The real difference is in how the applications fit in driving the HR objectives and business needs of the organization. The selection, and ongoing monitoring, is becoming more closely aligned with strategy in many organizations. The selection is not a one-time decision. It is something that has to be closely managed. Innovation in HR technology is moving at a staggering pace. This pace will continue. The world of HR technology offers multiple options and investments levels. For HR to lead through business disruptions, the monitoring and review of technology’s fit with HR business objectives must be an ongoing and formalized role in the organization structure.In summary, to have the greatest impact, HR must focus on understanding the true business and market direction of its organization, adapt its processes and policies to contribute to meeting the business needs and then implement the model and technical solutions, which enables the right level of information to enable decisions, employee engagement, cost management, and ease of maintenance.

CompetencyIn this assignment, you will demonstrate mastery of the following competency:Align needs of various audiences with stakeholder requirements to craft messages that meet project goalsScenarioYou work for a communications consulting firm, Consulting Comm, and your manager, Juanita Markson, has asked for your help on an upcoming project. Two companies, Acadia Park Equipment Co. and Java Been, have approached your firm for assistance with creating a communications strategy. You will choose one of these companies and create a proposed communication strategy outline for your boss.It is important that you consider the communications goal of the company that you choose. The message that you create will be based on the successful achievement of that communications goal. Each company has provided you with a brief summary including company history, vision, target audience, and communications goal. This information will be valuable when creating a message to meet the needs of both audiences and stakeholders. The companies are as follows:Acadia Park Equipment Co.Company History: Acadia Park Equipment Co. was founded by a brother and sister who were inspired by their love of the outdoors. They decided to start Acadia Outdoor Equipment Co. in response to all of the overpriced outdoor camping, hiking, and other recreational products in the big-box retail stores and sought to create high-quality products at a price anyone can afford. The company’s mission is to spread the love and appreciation of the outdoors to all of its customers and beyond.Vision: As Acadia Park Equipment Co. moves toward its goal of making it affordable for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy nature, we will support organizations whose main efforts involve research to continue environmental preservation efforts. We regularly encourage employees to engage in preservation and clean-up efforts to help the environment.Target Audience: The target audience is adventure-seeking adults ages 18 to 40.Communications Goal: Acadia Park Equipment Co. would like to expand its advertising to appeal to active adults over 40 years old.Java BeenCompany History: Founded just under three years ago, Java Been is now a bustling café. With its high ceilings and “found space” appeal, the café has come to host exhibitions, meetings, and local bands. It has become an integral part of the arts revival community that has taken root in the old factory mill buildings along the river.Vision: The owners take pride in their community, striving to provide a creative space with gourmet coffee, tantalizing baked goods, and music to inspire the artist's soul.Target Audience: Throughout the day, self-employed and remote workers enjoy a focused space away from home to get in a few productive hours. At night, the space comes alive with artists, student study groups, and everyday people just looking to enjoy a cultured night on the town.Communications Goal: Java Been is planning a grand opening of a second location and needs help advertising this event.DirectionsStakeholders Analysis: Consider who the internal and external stakeholders are for the company, and answer the questions that follow. Internal Stakeholders include owners, employees, and investors. Imagine if you owned, worked for, or invested in either Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been. How would your needs or interests impact or influence the organization’s communications goal? How would you want to receive communication about the organization’s communications goal?External Stakeholders include customers, suppliers, and the community. Imagine if you were a customer of, supplier for, or community member of either Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been. How would your needs or interests impact or influence the organization’s communications goal? How would you want to receive communication about the organization’s communications goal?Target Audience Analysis: Both Acadia Park Equipment Co. and Java Been have provided you with a summary of their target audience(s). Be sure to consider who the target audience is for the company you chose, and describe their needs in relation to the communications goal. In this section, be sure to consider why a member of the target audience might be more likely to choose either Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been over one of their competitors. In other words, what gives the organization a competitive edge for that particular target audience?Messaging: Once you have analyzed the stakeholders and target audiences, Juanita would like you to propose one message that will meet the needs of both groups. You will need to address the message type, content, and measurement. More specifically, include the following: Message Type: This could be any message type, such as an email, flyer, poster, Tweet, advertisement, text message, and so on. You do not need to create the actual message, but you should propose the method you plan to use to communicate the message based on the communication goals of Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been.Message Content: Describe the message content. For instance, if you are planning to use images and visuals, you can describe them rather than create them. All message text should be included and geared toward the stakeholders and audience.Measurement: Discuss how you will measure the success of your proposed message. For example, will you determine the success based on the number of customers acquired or the number of shares on a social media website?Rationale: At the end of your communication strategy outline, include a brief rationale that explains why you selected each message type, content, and measurement. Explain how your understanding of stakeholders and audiences informed your message creation.What to SubmitEvery project has a deliverable or deliverables, which are the files that must be submitted before your project can be assessed. For this project, you must submit the following:Communication Strategy OutlineYou will submit one completed communication strategy outline for the company that you chose. The focus of the outline will be on stakeholder needs, audience needs, and messaging. There will be a brief rationale at the end of the outline that summarizes why you selected each message type, content, and measurement. The outline should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length. Reference List For each source that you cite, you need to include the author’s name, the publication year, the title of the source, and the location of the source in a References section at the end of your work. Cite all sources appropriately.