Final IMC campaign (graphic, strategy)

Tools: Photoshop, Word

Company Analysis

About BARC:

Bay Area Running Club (BARC) is a social and competitive running club located in Houston, Texas. It was founded in the 1970’s by NASA employees from the Clear Lake community who had seen other running clubs receiving awards at local races. Inspired, this small group of runners researched the regulations put in place by the Houston Area Road Runners Association (HARRA), which required all clubs to have a minimum of 25 members and pay annual dues. After recruiting enough like-minded men and women to reach the minimum 25, BARC was born in 1975.

Ideals of BARC:

As in the early days, BARC is still a social organization that emphasizes “camaraderie through running”. The club enters many team events and attempts to establish itself as a competitive force among the running clubs in the Houston area, routinely placing among the top 3 Houston clubs within HARRA. Membership has increased from the original 25 to approximately 400.

New communication strategy for BARC:

While the core ideals of BARC have not changed from 1975 to the present, it is time their communication campaigns change to reflect the larger membership numbers, broader community demographic, and social emphasis of the club. The two target audiences for BARC, are 1) its current members, and 2) local Houston runners interested in BARC races and/or joining BARC.

Two challenges BARC faces, are keeping up-to-date race information available to members and community runners, and volunteer staffing. BARC’s current website lacks a user-friendly interface, making it difficult to locate race logistics (such as dates, registration links, etc), and volunteer registration. Social media and printed promotional information will both be key in this new communication strategy.

More social media presence is necessary to get time-sensitive race information (such as race pricing increases) out to runners in real-time. Access to this information in printed form can be handed out in race swag bags to help reach Houston’s running demographic, increase club membership / bring in more annual dues, increase volunteer staffing, and therefore allow BARC to continue hosting community runs for years to come.

Logo

Current logos:

The previous logos did not quite support the club’s ideal of providing “camaraderie through running”. The old font featuring distracting images embedded within the open-lettering was removed and updated with solid block lettering in the signature BARC blue. The runner icon in the letter B was obvious, as it is a running club. But the reason for the bird in the old logo’s letter C was not immediately apparent, nor could I find the reason in my research of the club, so it was also removed.

Logo redesign:

The redesigned logo maintains the signature BARC blue and promotes the social aspect of the club by focusing on 2 people running together. The oval shape hints back to the shape of a track lap. I also selected an oval for continuity from the historical club members, to the modern and future club members. The color theory of blue is associated with depth, stability, and trust. I wanted to maintain the shade of blue because it is the signature color of this long-standing running club that people can expect to see at races, and can trust to produce high-quality runners. Blue is also considered beneficial to mind and body, which works well for runners. So for all purposes, blue is perfect here. A B/W version was also created.

It seems from talking to current club members as well as researching the club’s website, that if BARC had previously had a tagline, it would have been “camaraderie through running” or “socialization and victory”. The updated tagline combines and embodies both these ideals: Run together. Win together.

Print Promotions

Postcards and Promotional flyers:

Postcards will be mailed to club members, and promotional flyers will be distributed to the following locations: local running stores, local race officials, and local high school track coaches. By distributing to Running stores, the target demographic or runners and those interested in volunteering for races will both be reached.

Pocket Folders:

The target audience for the pocket folders are those who have volunteered at BARC races in the past. The folders will be sent to inform previous volunteers of new ways to help, printed registration forms, course maps, and race director contact information will be included in the folders so previous volunteers can easily make plans to volunteer again.

Social Media

The social media campaign will continue to promote successful communication from BARC to its runners and volunteers. The target audience is current and potential members of BARC, and potential volunteers. The social media campaign will showcase images of both racers and volunteers having a successful and positive racing experience. These images work together to provide local racing awareness on the internet. In addition to Facebook, I also recommend having a Snapchat presence. This will appeal to the younger demographic of runners, a lot of whom need volunteer hours for the local high school volunteering initiative. BARC should post updated race information for runners and volunteers to see. BARC should post monthly at each meeting.

The campaign slogan for the racing aspect is Run together. Win together. And because most volunteers are also runners themselves, the volunteer tagline is Run some. Give some.

3 Facebook cover photos: