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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2
COMPANY OVERVIEW.3
DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS......3
CURRENT SALES PROMOTIONS/MARKETING/TACTICS....6
CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION......................................7
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS......9
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW......9
CURRENT PRICES.10
POSSIBLE COMPETITORS...11
SWOT ANALYSIS....13
STRENGTHS..14
WEAKNESSES..15
OPPORTUNITIES...16
THREATS....17
CUSTOMERS....17
COMPETITION....19
OUR PITCH........21
GOALS FOR EVENT...21
PROMOTIONS.....23
AVERTISING OULETS & COSTS ASSOCIATED.....24
RELEVANCE OF CURRENT TARGET MARKET.....30
BUDGET ALLOCATION.31
WHY WILL OUT PLAN WORK..33
WORKS SITED..35

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EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
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The United States National Whitewater Center located in Charlotte, North Carolina

holds an annual event featuring the Wild Vine 5k and Half Marathon and Uncorked Wine
Tasting and music festival. The event roughly yielded $34,605 in the year 2014 and $18,475
in the year 2015, our goal for the year of 2016 is to exceed the previous years sales by
reaching $43,640. We will reach this goal by implementing a multi-media promotional plan
that will create attraction, interest, desire, and action. By utilizing two dierent promotional
plans that provide incentives to attend the event, and several dierent advertising tactics
such as billboards, broadcast TV, cable TV, magazine, newspaper and radio
advertisements, we plan to reach the varying interests of our target markets. In presenting
this comprehensive marketing plan outlined on the following pages, we hope to provide a
detailed representation of the analysis, goals, strategies, spending and timeline for the 2016
Wild Vine Race and Uncorked event held at the National Whitewater Center.

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DESCRIPTION OF EVENT(S)

Uncorked is a popular event that really has something for everyone. Whether youre a

wine enthusiast, avid outdoors person, festival goer or race runner there is an aspect of this
event that will meet your needs. Uncorked has taken place for three years, with the 2016 event
already scheduled, and has no intentions of stopping this annual tradition. Typically taking place
in September, at the U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC), Uncorked is a popular all day
event beginning with the Wild Vine 5k and Half Marathon, followed by wine tasting taking place
from 1:00pm until 6:00 pm and finally, attendees will receive live entertainment performances
throughout the evening on the USNWC main stage. The U.S. National Whitewater Center is a
North Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located on 700 acres of on the Catawba River

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(U.S. National Whitewater Center). Opening in 2006,the USNWC has dedicated itself to foster a
close knit relationship among the community and families by providing recreational activities
that promote an active and healthy lifestyle while developing environmental stewardship (U.S.
National Whitewater Center). When attending Uncorked there are numerous options of how to
spend your time, which is not any different from how a normal day at the Whitewater Center is.
Its tagline, Play | Relax | Learn, encompasses all aspects of this unique center. The play
portion is very self explanatory as, activities open to the public include but are not limited to:
whitewater rafting and kayaking, flat water kayaking, paddle boarding, mountain biking, rock
climbing, zip lines, a canopy tour, rope courses and various team building activities (U.S.
National Whitewater Center). Moving to relax, consider the wine tasting portion of the
Uncorked event- no wild physical skill is necessary to enjoy the wide selection of vendors who
supply their beverages. Additionally, as previously stated, there is a selection of musical
performances during Uncorked which can also be enjoyed during The River Jam concert series
takes place every Thursday and Saturday evening throughout the summer months (U.S.
National Whitewater Center). Finally, the learn portion is utilized through the availability of skill
development programs that offer certification, summer camps for children and teenagers as
well as development courses that build leadership and communication skills (U.S. National
Whitewater Center). In 2015 the featured wine contributors were, Canyon Road Winery,
Columbia Winery, Dark Horse Wine, La Puerta Alta, Rodney Strong Vineyards, OneHope Wine,

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Stags Leap, Meridian Vineyards, Shelton Vineyards, Tamaya Wines Wente Vineyards William
Hill Estate Winery, and Parducci (UNCORKED). In
regards to the 2015 event, the wine tasting (after
the Wild Vine 5k and marathon) began at one pm,
which is also when the first musical group
performed. A second band, David Wax Museum,
followed at three pm, Morningsiders at five pm,
tasting ended at six pm and a final band, Anderson
East, showcased at eight pm (UNCORKED).
Though typically the event showcases the wine,
music and running race; the last event 2015
started with the hosting of the SUP Stream
Catawba River Race on the same morning. The
SUP Stream race is, ideal flatwater event for new
paddlers or elite racers alike. Friends and family
can compete together or against each other in the
4-mile race (UNCORKED). With the latest
additions, water lovers have an outlet for fun at
Uncorked as well. Diversity and variation amongst

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activities make Uncorked a great events for families and friends, and the venue alone is a
massive attraction.

CURRENT SALES PROMOTIONS/ CURRENT

MARKETING/ADVERTISING TACTICS

When interviewing Adam Bratton, a Sponsorship and Events executive for the

Whitewater Center, he was adamant that Whitewater Center does not sell on price, but the fact
that they are notorious for hosting great events at a fair price. With that in mind, they do not
offer promotions nor do they intend on introducing promotions in the years to come. Prices can
be set at a reasonable rate because marketing and advertising costs are kept at a minimum by
implementing predominantly internal marketing channels. As of late, they have greatly reduced
media buys for specific events, such as Uncorked, and have turned to social media, email
blasts and website notifications over the traditional outlets of radio, billboard or digital ads. Mr.
Bratton reported that they have altered advertising tactics based upon results from the latest
2015 Uncorked. They have found that the email blasts are most successful because they are
received by all subscribers, meaning over 90,000 email addresses get notified of their
announcement and have access to additional and easy to find information regarding the event.
The email blast that subscribers receive are simple, attractive and straight to the point,
announcing information on upcoming events. Because Uncorked includes several events

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throughout the day, each one was highlighted on the email with uniquely designed segment
and when clicked,brought viewers to its individual information page.
The interview with USNWC made it very clear that Mr. Bratton and other employees fully
believe in the service they are delivering and feel no need to use promotion or costly
advertisement methods to attract clientele or moderate cost of admission. The Whitewater
center feels confident in the fact that their prices are extremely fair, the events they host are
worth the value of entrance ticket, and they have a large following through email subscriptions
and social media which allows for invaluable advertising at minuscule prices. *Despite interview
with Mr. Bratton, later in proposal we will include several promotions that we feel Uncorked can
benefit from.

CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

The Uncorked annual event held at the United States National Whitewater Center caters to a
diverse demographic. Due to the vast opportunities for participant involvement, the events
target markets are made up of a variety of consumers. When speaking with Adam Bratton, who
oversees the event, he mentioned that due to their facility-wide options for the event ranging
from beer, wine, food, non-alcoholic options and even a music festival which brings in those
who come to the event just for the music portion, the event finds several varieties of target
markets that visit throughout the day even if they have no interest in the wine portion (Personal
communication, November 11,2015). So the event targets several different markets where

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consumers are attracted to the event through interests of wine, beer, running, food, and/or
music.
In terms of age and gender, in recent years the Uncorked event has attracted different
demographics for the varying types of smaller events held throughout the day. The Race itself
typically attracts young, active professionals between the ages of 20-45 with an equal ratio of
male to female participants. The wine sampling that follows the race, often brings in a larger
amount of women with a ratio of 75/25 for female/male with an age group roughly around
25-55. The music festival is the most varying demographically in attendance, that often
depends on heavily on the style of music and bands playing that year (Bratton, personal
communication, November 11, 2015). Geographically the U.S National Whitewater center is
located on 700 acres in Charlotte, North Carolina right off the Catawba River bringing in visitors
from the surrounding areas and across the country, providing offsite programs throughout the
country for those who arent local to the area (usnwc.org).
The multiple features and opportunities for involvement that the Uncorked event provides to
guests, attracts visitors of all different backgrounds and demographics from those who love to
run, eat, and drink delicious wine, to those who simply just enjoy jamming out to some cool
tunes occasionally.

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INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
Just because the United States National White Water Rafting industry is rather small, due to
the fact that the USNWC is the only one, doesnt mean that it doesnt participate in an industry,
contrary the USNWC is involved in several different industries, such as the racing industry, the
wine industry and the music industry.
There are many different spaces and events in the greater Charlotte area that cater to the
interests of those who enjoy racing, wine or music. There are already 28 races that range from
5ks to half marathons and beyond planned for the year 2016 and that wont even be the final
number since it has yet to go past September according to the Charlotte Running Company
(Charlotterunning.com). There industry for racing is a vast one, wine isnt too far behind,
localwineevents.com features multiple wine events held throughout and around Charlotte
catering to those interested in wine, with 11 events just in December of 2015 alone
(Localwineevents.com). In terms of music there are several local spaces where music events
are hosted on a weekly basis such as the NC Music Factory(NCmusicfactory.com/events/)
The overall event industry in Charlotte is booming, just searching indeed.com a job locating
website, there are roughly 2,425 job opportunities in the event industry around the Charlotte
area (Indeed.com). The successful event industry of Charlotte leaves room for some tough
competition for the National Whitewater Center, yet the event held by the center is the only one
that offers it all, running, wine, music.

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CURRENT PRICES FOR EVENT

In terms of the cost of hosting the event, internal figures were hard to come across, however,
the cost for attendance to the U.S. National Whitewater Center is much clearer. The USNWC
pricing structure does not charge visitors to enter the facility, aside from a small parking fee, but
rather they sell admissions tickets based on what activities the visitors would like to partake in.
This same structure is applied to the Uncorked Event, the center charges those who want to
participate in the varying elements and activities of the day, such as race registrations, pass
purchases, wine samples, food, etc (Adam Bratton, personal communication, November
11,2015).

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The Uncorked wine tasting event has been held in the recent years of 2012, 2014, and
2015. The wine sample ticket sales for 2014 reached roughly 725 tickets at $30 per ticket,
which included twelve 2oz. samples (Adam Bratton, personal communication, November
11,2015). The current years pricing is of the most recent year, 2015 where the wine sample
tickets were a bit different including only four 2oz. samples, however, they were only sold at
$10 a ticket and the center sold about 350 tickets overall for the year 2015, keeping in mind,
that the majority of the people on site did not purchase wine sampling tickets (Adam Bratton,
personal communication, November 11,2015).

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POSSIBLE COMPETITORS

When asking Adam Bratton if he felt, there were any competition in the area he state,

Depends on how you define competitionraces/wine sampling/music, yes, somewhat

because there are so many different events of each nature going on in and around
Charlotte (Adam Bratton, personal communication, November 11, 2015). The U.S National
Whitewater centers tactic in rising above the local competition is to find the centers
competitive advantage in all of the different sections held during the Uncorked event. As seen in
the industry overview, there are several different events, races and spaces that can compete
against the Uncorked event providing similar opportunities to those interested. Brattons opinion
regarding the competition can be clearly seen when he stated, to be honest, we try to focus
on what we can control and not worry about what the competition is doing. With that being
said, we are sure to keep an eye out for industry trends and exploit it (Adam Bratton, personal
communication, November 11,2015). All of the different wine events that are listed by the
localwineevents.com can be seen as a form of competition pulling the attention of potential
consumers away from the Uncorked event, as well as the various races held throughout the
Charlotte area, and the music events held at the NC Music Factory, however, the advantage the
Uncorked event has over all of its competitors is the fact that it is essentially 3 in 1, providing
their diverse demographic multiple different activities such as running, wine tasting, and music
all in one day

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The Wild Vine Races that take place before the wine tasting has a different admissions cost,
including the option of pre-registration which is slightly less costly than if an attendee chooses
to register on the day of the event. In 2015, pre-registration admissions tickets cost $30 per
person for the 5k distance with 218 people that registered and $50 for those who want to run
the half marathon distance with 137 registrations . Race day registration cost $37 for the 5k
distance with 23 registrations and is $60 per person with 13 people who registered for the half
marathon. After the runners cross the finish line, they can grab some wine samples to taste if
they purchase their wine sampling tickets (usnwc.org).

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SWOT ANALYSIS

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STRENGTHS
One of the greatest assets of the Uncorked Festival is the staff.
They are devoted assisting customers and to the events that
are happening throughout the day. This ensures that guests
will be assisted with whatever needs they may have. When
customers are happy, they are more likely to return the following
year. The United States National Whitewater Center has been
very successful in making their visitors happy which helps to
attract repeat customers. A good reputation ensures a positive
outlook in the eyes of the community. This is vital for the
success of the Uncorked Festival because so much of its
promotion is done by word of mouth. The festival also uses
email as a promotional tool. They are able to access the
90,000+ contacts from the USNWC database. This ensures
that they are reaching an audience that they know fits their
target audience and who are already established customers.
Additional strengths of the Uncorked Festival include their
preexisting relationships with their suppliers. This means that
they will receive the best possible deals on their supplies which

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reduces overhead costs. And if they were ever to order in excess, the USNWC would be able
to allocate those extra materials throughout the year in their normal activities. This means that
no money will be wasted on unused materials.

WEAKNESSES
Since there are so many activities going on in the same day,
staff members may find that they are being spread too thin.
When too much going on, it means that the staff is not able to
devote all their attention to one event because there are so
many other events going on. In addition, a weakness in the
Uncorked Festival is the lack of information gathered from the
attendees. This makes it nearly impossible to track customers
and better understand their observations of the festival. If they
understood this, they could use it to better track their growth,
which they are currently not doing. They are also not tracking
what their competitors are doing. Their philosophy is that if
they focus on inner operations, they will always beat out their
competitors. However, customers may decide to go to
festivals that are closer than 15 miles from the center of
Charlotte. This distance could be seen as a potential

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weakness of the festival.

OPPORTUNITIES
Although the Uncorked Festival has access to such a large pre
existing customer database, relying only on email and word of
mouth promotion leaves for deficiency in reaching all potential
customers. Using only those methods to advertise the festival does
not leave for a lot of possible growth. It leaves out a lot of
communication channels that could attract new attendees. Lack of
individual attendee information from year to year also leaves a lot of
room for missed potential growth. Since no information is taken, it
is hard to determine the rate of returning attendees and how to
better reach both new and returning customers. This information
could also help to determine the kind of sponsorships that would
benefit from this festival. In addition, it could be used to better
advertise and promote the festival. The target audience could be
better reached if this data was collected. Research to see how
other similar events around Charlotte attract their audiences could
also be used draw potential customers that may not already be
involved with the USNWC. There has been a steady population

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growth in the Charlotte area in the past few years and all of these new residents can be looked
at as new potential customers. Not all of these citizens may be interested all of the events that
take place during the festival, but just one of the events could be enough to attract them to the
festival.

THREATS
The biggest threat to the Uncorked Festival is the weather. This has a huge impact on the
number of attendees. The number of attendees seems to drastically decrease when it is
raining. We can see this in the numbers of wine purchases made in 2015, 350, versus 2014,
725. Potential customers may decide to go to a different event that is indoors rather than this
outdoor event. These competing indoor events have the potential to divert a great deal of
possible attendees. Any competing event has the potential to divert possible attendees.
Although other similar festivals may not be held on the same weekend, they could be held in a
close enough date proximity which could also have the effect of distracting customers. They
may decide to go to a different wine event that is held the following weekend rather than
Uncorked. These competitors may be spending more on their advertising which also
influences potential customers.

CUSTOMERS

The customers for USNWCs Uncorked Festival include young, active members of the

Charlotte community. The Paddle Board and Road Races typically attract 20-45 years olds

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who are active professionals and tend to be about half male and half female. The wine
sampling portion of the festival seems to be more of the 25-55 age range and skews greatly
towards the female population at about 75/25. The music portion of the festival seems to vary
heavily on the type of music being played and the band. The population of 15-54 years of age
in the Charlotte area accounts for 44.9% of the population (Data for Charlotte, Mecklenburg
County, & North Carolina, n.d.). In this age demographic, about half of them are men, and half
are women (Charlotte (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau, n.d.). Based on the
2010 population of 735,758, there are roughly
165,178 males and females between the ages of
15-54 (Charlotte (city) QuickFacts from the US
Census Bureau, n.d.). That is a far greater number
than the current total race participants of roughly 500
people and 350 wine sampling tickets sold. The
median household income for the area is $52,375
(Charlotte (city) QuickFacts from the US Census
Bureau, n.d.). The average percentage of income
that is typically spent on entertainment for that
household income is 5.6%, or $2,933 (Wesley, n.d.).
This leaves the free admissions to the event and

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optional extras at a very reasonable price for the average Charlotte area. However, people of
higher income are more likely to participate in similar festivals. Most of the present individuals
also participate in an active lifestyle and work for a living. The festival sets to attract these kinds
of individuals around the Charlotte area. Being that the average time to work for these
individuals is 24.3 minutes and the drive from the center of the city to the USNWC is 21
minutes, the distance should not cause a problem for these individuals (Charlotte (city)
QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau, n.d.).

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COMPETITION

Since Charlotte is such a big city, there are various other events in the area that are

similar to the Uncorked Festival. A lot of these events are geared towards the same active,
young professionals. The website, localwineevents.com, gives a list of similar wine related
events that are going on in the state. These can all be seen as competition since they would all
attract the same types of customers. One of these events is the Ciao Italia event. It is held in
October in the middle of downtown Charlotte off Tryon Street and costs $3 for entry (Ciao,
Italia Italian Festival Oct 10th, n.d.). The Uncorked Festival is free entry however tasting
tickets for four samples can be purchased for $10. Food is also an additional charge. Entry to
the Ciao Italia event includes entertainment, cultural exhibits, wine tastings, Italian vendors, and
food at an additional cost (Ciao, Italia Italian Festival Oct 10th, n.d.). This event has good
overall reviews but it does not seem to be highly promoted. I noticed that the event was listed

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on Charlotte Happenings, Yelp, Italian Club Charlotte, MeetUp, and Facebook as well as
mentions on various local news outlets. Other similar wine events in the Charlotte area in the
Fall includes Sip and Stroll, which is held over two days in September and geared towards
active, creative families. They sell one day admission tickets that include ten wine samples for
$29 (5th Annual Sip and Stroll: Art, Wine, & Music Festival, n.d.). Another similar festival is the
Great Grapes! Wine and Food Festival that is held in October and is $29 for unlimited wine
sampling (Great Grapes! Wine, Art, & Music Festival, n.d.). The major difference between
these events and the Uncorked Festival is the race portion. A similar road race event that
happens in Charlotte in September is the Growler Gallup 5K. It is geared towards family fun
and $32 pre-entry to the race includes entry to the concert (Growler Gallop Olde Mecklenburg, n.d.).
Another similar road race is the National Beer Mile. This race is geared more towards adult fun than it is an actual
race. Entry to this race is $30 and includes an all day party afterwards (National Beer Mile Charlotte, n.d.).
Both of these races are advertised on various online media sites such as Carolina Runner, Event Brite, and
Charlotte Active. To participate in the Wild Vine 5k that is associated with the Uncorked Festival, the cost is $30 for
a pre-purchased entry. Both of these races provide an active component, an adult beverage component, and a
social component, just like the Uncorked Festival and are also similarly priced.

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2014

GOALS FOR EVENT

OVERALL ESTIMATED
SALES: $34,605
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2015

GOALS FOR EVENT

OVERALL ESTIMATED
SALES: $18,475
A successful event will come from setting goals and striving to meet those goals; especially
since 2016 will be the fourth year for Wild Vine & Uncorked. While the 2014 Uncorked event
sold more tickets, the 2015 Wild Vine had more registrations. Overall, the 2014 event was more
successful as far as sales are concerned. A big part of this is because the weather during the
2015 event was less than ideal. At the very least, we strive to meet the numbers of 2014, but

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we want to push it even further for the 2016 event. We will be working with the following goals
for the 2016 Uncorked & Wild Vine Trail Race events:

EXCEED THE 2014 UNCORKED TICKET SALES BY 150; SELLING

APPROXIMATELY 875 TICKETS AT $30 EACH.

EXCEED THE 2015 WILD VINE PRE-REGISTRATIONS BY 50

PEOPLE FOR BOTH EVENTS; SELLING APPROXIMATELY 268 5K
TICKETS AT $30 EACH AND 187 HALF-MARATHON TICKETS AT $50
EACH.

If we meet these goals in 2016; the sales will be an estimated $43,640 for Uncorked & Wild
Vine Trail Race.

PROMOTIONS

There are several types of promotions that can be offered for the event. The significance

of a promotion is to make consumers feel like they are getting a great deal and to create hype
about the event. Keeping the AIDA model in mind will help to create a successful promotion.
First, the promotion must create attraction (awareness) of the event. This is a vital step because
we are grabbing attention of potential consumers. Next, the promotion must generate interest
in the event. We have caught their attention, now we need to hold it. Then, the promotion must
create desire for the event. We want consumers to want to attend Uncorked & Wild Vine. And

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last, the promotion must bring action. This is the call-to-action step that ensures consumers will
participate in the promotion and/or purchase a ticket to the event (Bryant, 2015). We have
designed the following promotions for the event that will increase social media participation and
ticket sales:
Promotion #1: Like & Share Contest

For this promotion, USNWC will set up a contest on Facebook that encourages users to like
and share the USNWC page from their personal Facebook account. Once a person likes
and shares the page, they will be entered into a drawing where the winner will receive 20% off
a ticket purchase for the event. This promotion will run once a month, for several months prior
to the event, until the USNWC page builds up more followers and fans.

Promotion #2: Early-bird ticket special

For this promotion, USNWC will advertise an early-bird special on social media. Customers
will be able to purchase an Uncorked ticket for 20% off of what the normal price would be. The
promotion will run for 1 week, and it will run 1 month prior to when tickets go on sale.

ADVERTISING OUTLETS & COSTS ASSOCIATED

Billboard: Lamar Advertising Company is the nations leading Out-of-Home advertising provider.
They were founded in 1902 and provide roughly 315,000 displays across the U.S., Canada,
and Puerto Rico. They offer several options for out-of-home advertising, but the bulletin/
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billboard is one of the most popular. A bulletin offers maximum exposure on busy highways,
expressways, and primary arteries. They are generally 672 square feet and can be threedimensional, have moving parts, and extensions as well. They are printed on vinyl so they hold
up well in all types of weather conditions. They are also recyclable when they are no longer
being used. For a bulletin/billboard on Interstate 85, about 10 miles away from the USNWC, the
prices are as follows:

Broadcast TV: WSOC TV, also known as Channel 9 Eyewitness News is a property of Cox
Media Group. They are an ABC affiliate and they cover everyday news, weather, traffic, 9
Investigates, sports, entertainment, family, etc. WSOC has been around for nearly 60 years

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and is recognized for Covering the Carolinas. November 2014 was the 35th consecutive
month that Charlotte Cox Media Group station/ABC affiliate won every local morning, evening,
and late newscast (Cox Media Group: Charlotte, 2015). Advertising prices are as follows:

Cable TV: ViaMedia is the leading independent cable television advertising organization in the
U.S. They have been operating for nearly fourteen years and have a very strong market in
Charlotte. The Charlotte market information is as follows:

Total Estimated Subscriber Count: 17,050

Percentage of adult viewership (ages 25-54): 42.81

Average Household Income: $96,916

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DMA Rank: 22
Local Market Representation: MI Connection

Advertising prices for CNN, ESPN, Food Network, and Travel Channel are as follows:

Magazine: Charlotte Magazine includes topics such as Food & Drink, Arts & Culture, Health,
Real Estate, Travel, Home & Garden, Style, etc. They are a well-known print in Charlotte and
surrounding areas. They have been around since 1968 and currently have a readership of
127,000. The magazine demographic is 65% female and 35% male, mainly reaching readers
between the ages of 25 and 45. Targeted distribution for Charlotte magazine includes paid
subscribers, newsstands, waiting rooms, select hotels, and relocation packets. Regarding
newsstands, Charlotte magazine can be found in Target Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Publix,

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Barnes & Noble, Earth Fare, Park Road Books, BiLo, Food Lion, Fresh Market, and Charlotte
Douglas International Airport. The advertising prices for Charlotte Magazine are as follows:

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Newspaper: The Charlotte Observer, first known as the Charlotte Daily Chronicle, was founded
in 1886. They serve the people of Charlotte and surrounding areas, and have the largest reach
of any newspaper in North Carolina and South Carolina. They were privately owned until 1954
when the Knights bought them for $7.225 million. In 1974 Knight and Rider merged, and then

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in 2006 McClatchy purchased Knight-Rider (About Us). They have a special rate card for nonprofit organizations, so long as they are a 501(c)3. The U.S. National Whitewater Center was
formed as a 501(c)3, so the following rates per column inch would apply:

Radio: Kiss 95.1 is a local Charlotte radio station. They are known as WNKS, which is part of
the Beasley Media Group. The demographics for this station are 57.6% female listeners and
42.4% male listeners. The majority of listeners between the ages of 18-34 are female, but the
listeners between the ages of 35-54 are a fairly equal mix of male/female listeners. The station
covers the following NC counties: Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chester, Chesterfield,
Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lancaster, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanley, Union, and York.
Advertising prices for a :60 commercial are as follows:

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RELEVANCE OF CURRENT TARGET MARKET

As it stands, the current target market tends to vary. Because the event is filled with so

many different activities throughout the day, we want to ensure that we remain inclusive. That
being said, the general demographic for the race is evenly split between males/females
between the ages of 20-45. The wine sampling demographic is mostly females between the
ages of 25-55. For all other events during the day (music, food, non-alcoholic beverages, etc.)
the target is people of all ages. It can be tricky narrowing down a target market for an event

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that has many different activities, but ensuring that advertisements and promotions are
designed with all consumers in mind is key in making sure that no possible consumer gets left
out when trying to reach an audience. We want to appeal to the over-21 female demographic
for the wine-tasting portion of the event, but we also want to include families with children for
the food/music portion of the event. We will keep targeting the demographics listed above for
the athletic/wine portions of the event, while still including people of all ages for the rest of the
event. It is important that we stick with our current target market because past events have
been successful and we want to keep pushing returning customers as well as new visitors.

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BUDGET ALLOCATION & SUGGESTION OF
ADVERTISING OUTLETS/PROMOTIONS

It is important that we stay on track as far as budget allocation for advertising and sales

promotions. Generally, the advertising-to-sales ratio is 8-10% of projected sales (Fisher, 2013).
It is important to keep our number one goal in mind; to exceed the sales of the 2014 Uncorked
and 2015 Wild Vine. This means that in order to exceed those numbers, we must budget for
8-10% of the projected sales, and not the actual sales. We cant budget for the 2014/2015
sales and expect to exceed those sales. With a bit more money spent on advertising and sales
promotions, we will expect to see a bigger return, resulting in more revenue and success. Since
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our projected sales for 2016 are $43,640, we will work with 10% of that for our advertising
budget; which is an estimated $4,364. This is a solid advertising budget that will help us
achieve our goals, considering the majority of current advertising is done through social media
and email blasts, which are mainly free or very inexpensive.

When considering how to allocate the advertising budget, we have decided that cable

television and radio is the best way to go. We feel that we can reach a good amount of
viewers/listeners while still staying on track with the budget. Unfortunately, billboard, broadcast
television, and magazine are out of our budget for what we wish to accomplish. Newspaper is
within budget, but we feel that cable television and radio have a better reach to our target
audience. We have created a 4-week plan that reaches early morning news viewers, evening
sports viewers, evening leisure television viewers, and weekend evening radio listeners.

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COST FOR OVERALL ADVERTISING: $4,360

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WHY OUR PLAN WILL WORK/ROI

The success of Wild Vine & Uncorked shows in the numbers. Even with unexpected

weather conditions in 2015, the event was still a huge success. 2016 will be the fourth year for
the event and people are starting to become more familiar with it. If we simply stuck with the
previous advertising budget, we could still call the event a success. But setting goals to exceed

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the sales of previous years will set this event apart from others and let consumers know the
USNWC is the place to be for amazing events. If we spent $4,360 on new forms of advertising
we can expect to see sales jump from $26,540 (average sales of 2014 & 2015) to $43,640. As
previously stated, we need to spend a bit more money to see a bigger return each year. The
2016 Wild Vine Trail Race & Uncorked is expected to be the biggest, most successful year yet.

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WORKS CITED
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2015 Media Kit. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from file:///C:/Users/Autumn/
Downloads/2015_MediaKit.pdf

5th Annual Sip and Stroll: Art, Wine, & Music Festival. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2015,
from http://www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual-sip-and-stroll-art-wine-music-festivaltickets-12294841201

About | U.S. National Whitewater Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2015, from http://
usnwc.org/about/

About Us. (n.d.).

Retrieved November 25, 2015, from http://www.charlotteobserver.com/customer-service/

about-us/

BMGI Media Kit. (2015).

Retrieved November 25, 2015, from file:///C:/Users/Autumn/Downloads/BMGI%20Media

%20Kit%20(1).pdf

Bratton, A. (2015, November 11). Uncorked Info [E-mail interview].

Bryant, B. (2015). How to

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Use AIDA Model in Business. Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://
smallbusiness.chron.com/use-aida-model-business-3.html

Charlotte (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29,
2015, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/3712000.html

Charlotte Observer Retail

Rates: 2015. (1 January, 2015). Retrieved November 25, 2015, from file:///C:/Users/Autumn/
Downloads/2015%20Retail%20Rate%20Brochure%202-5-2015.pdf

Charlotte Running Company | Race Calendar. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from
http://www.charlotterunning.com/racecalendar.html

Ciao, Italia Italian Festival Oct 10th. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2015, from http://
www.charlottehappening.com/ciao-italia-italian-festival-oct-10th/

Cox Media Group:

Charlotte. (2015). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.coxmediagroup.com/

charlotte/

Data for Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, & North Carolina. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29,
2015, from https://www.cpcc.edu/planning/files/fact-book-2011-2012-1/Data%20for
%20Charlotte-%20Mecklenburg%20County-%20-%20North%20Carolina.pdf

Events jobs in Charlotte, NC. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://
www.indeed.com/q-Events-l-Charlotte,-NC-jobs.html

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Festivals- UNCORKED | U.S. National Whitewater Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27,
2015, from http://usnwc.org/relax/festivals/uncorked/

Fisher, M. (17 October

2013). Ready, Fire, Aim! Are You Spending Too Much Money On Marketing?

Retrieved November 25, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2013/10/17/

ready-fire-aim-are-you-spending-too-much-on-marketing/

Great Grapes! Wine, Art, & Music Festival. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2015, from http://
www.uncorkthefun.com/charlotte-north-carolina/site-info

Growler Gallop Olde Mecklenburg. (n.d.). Retrieved

November 29, 2015, from http://triviumracing.com/event/oldemeck/

Lamar Advertising Company.

(2014). Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://www.lamar.com/Asheville/Products/

Bulletins

National Beer Mile -Charlotte. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2015, from https://
secure.nationalbeermile.com/event/Charlotte

NC Music Factory. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://ncmusicfactory.com/

events/

ViaMedia: Charlotte, North Carolina. (2015).

Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://viamediatv.com/market_Charlotte_NC

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Wesley, D. (n.d.). How Much the Average American Spends on Entertainment. Retrieved
November 29, 2015, from http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/average-americanspends-on-entertainment/

Wild Vine Trail Race | U.S. National Whitewater Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://usnwc.org/play/whitewater-race-series/upcoming/wild-vine-trail-race/

Wine & Food Events for Charlotte. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://
www.localwineevents.com/events/listing/show/20

WSOC TV. Advertise With Us. (2015). Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://
www.wsoctv.com/form/contact-us/

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