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THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO RICHARD IVEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS BUSINESS 1220E MARKETING MANAGEMENT REPORT ASSIGNED: Monday, November 21, 2011 DUE: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 CAMP WAHANOWIN Assignment: As Bruce Nashman, owner and director of Camp Wahanowin, do whatever analysis you deem necessary and develop a comprehensive marketing plan for Camp Wahanowin. RULES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL MARKETING REPORT 2011-2012 1. All reports, including text and exhibits, must be completed individually. 2. Maximum report length: 8 pages, plus a maximum of 3 pages of exhibits.
All pages in the report should be formatted with one-inch margins on all sides, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font. The report should be written in concise and complete sentences, and may include bullets and headings. ? Page Penalty: Ten (10) marks (out of 100) per page will be deducted from the final report grade for any pages exceeding the stated page limit. If the report is not formatted according to the guidelines, instructors may choose to reformat the report and/or apply the appropriate deduction. 3. Reports should include a one-page executive summary, which will not be included in the stated page limit.
This summary should also be formatted with one-inch margins on all sides, Times New Roman, 12 pt font. The executive summary may be single-spaced. This summary should appear at the beginning of the report and should include a complete statement of the major issue(s) in the case and a summary of major recommendations from the report. 4. All reports must be typewritten. Lecturers reserve the right to request an electronic copy of the report. The preferred software for all soft copies requested is MS Word. The student name, student number, instructor name and section number must be clearly indicated on the front of he report. The title page will not be included in the stated page limit. 5. BRESCIA AND KING’S STUDENTS: Students at Brescia University College and King’s University College: CONSULT YOUR INSTRUCTOR FOR REQUIRED SUBMISSION TIMES, LOCATION AND APPLICABLE PENALTIES. STUDENTS AT MAIN CAMPUS (SOMERVILLE HOUSE) AND HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE: The hard copy of the report must be deposited in the “Report Box” inside Room 2313, Somerville House by 5:00 p. m. EST, Wednesday, December 7. Any hard copy received after 5:00 p. m. EST will be penalized.
Five per cent will be deducted from the final report mark for any hard copy received between 5:00 p. m. and 6:00 p. m. , Wednesday, December 7. Ten per cent of the final report mark will be deducted for any hard copy received after 6:00 p. m. , Wednesday, December 7 and before 5:00 p. m. , Thursday, December 8, 2011. Another ten marks will be deducted for each additional 24-hour period. 6. Turnitin. com –Each student must submit one electronic copy of the report to turnitin. com by midnight, Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Any reports submitted after this time will be penalized.
Please see submission instructions on WebCT. Both the hard copy and the turnitin. com copy must be submitted to receive a mark for the Marketing report. 7. Plagiarism is the submission of work that is in whole or in part someone else’s work, which you claim as your own. Students must write their marketing reports in their own words and use their own exhibits. Whenever students take an idea or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by using proper references such as footnotes or citations.
Plagiarism is a major academic offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar). Refer to the Business 1220E Course Outline for a definition of plagiarism and the course plagiarism policy. Students may not pay for consultation or advice in the preparation of the Marketing report. 8. This case contains all the information that the principals are willing or able to disclose. For the purposes of this report, DO NOT CONTACT ANY PERSONS RELATED TO THE CASE OR INVOLVED WITH THE COMPANY FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
THIS WILL BE CONSIDERED AN ACADEMIC OFFENSE. Page 1 * CAMP WAHANOWIN It was early September 2010, and Bruce Nashman, owner of Orillia’s Camp Wahanowin in Ontario, Canada, sat down and reflected on the past summer’s activities at his summer camp for children. Although the summer had been a success overall, Nashman wanted to increase the number of campers for next summer. Early registration for next summer’s July and August sessions was approaching quickly; in fact, by the end of October, over half of Wahanowin’s total applications for the upcoming season would be processed.
Nashman was eager to develop a marketing plan targeting campers for the entire summer season with a specific focus on the camp’s August session. He was prepared to consider a new session focused on a specific target market and/or the development of new promotional techniques in order to increase Wahanowin’s enrolment for summer 2011 and beyond. CAMP WAHANOWIN History In 1955, Harold Nashman and his mother, Bubby Nash, established Camp Wahanowin in Orillia, Ontario, as a residential summer camp for children (see Exhibit 1). Wahanowin began as a “junior camp,” catering to campers between six and 11 years of age.
While committed to never losing sight of its roots, Wahanowin evolved into a camp offering programs for campers up to 16 years of age. Over the course of the past 50 years, the camp had grown in nearly every aspect. Wahanowin had expanded in numbers of campers, physical size of property and variety of facilities. It had become an accredited member of the Ontario Camping Association (OCA) 1 and was recognized as one of the premium camping facilities in Ontario. Wahanowin had enjoyed steady financial success over its history. Since its inception in the 1950s, it had ended every fiscal year turning a profit.
A significant portion of these profits was reinvested back into the camp’s facilities and activities at the end of each season. 1 The Ontario Camping Association ensures that members adhere to the highest standards of safety, supervision and quality programming. To achieve and maintain OCA accreditation, summer camps must follow a stringent set of rules and regulations in health service, food care, transportation, facilities, equipment and management. Page 2 * Mission Wahanowin had never strayed from its mission statement ? “providing an opportunity to create friendships and memories to last a lifetime. Camp owners and staff were committed to the tradition of “giving children the opportunity to establish lifelong friendships, learn new skills, gain an appreciation for the outdoors, achieve independence and be a contributing member of a camp community. “2 The Property Wahanowin’s 150-acre campsite was located one-and-a-half hours (car drive) north of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada’s largest city. Although not far from Toronto, the camp was secluded from urban noise and pollution, creating a true cottage country atmosphere.
The campsite included woodlots and spacious open fields — an ideal environment for the numerous activities available to campers and staff members. Located on the shore of Lake Couchiching, Wahanowin also provided an abundance of land and water activities. Campsite facilities included a fully-functioning theatre, numerous recreation halls, arts and crafts studios, a flying trapeze, tennis courts, basketball courts, a nine-hole golf course and a complete waterfront for water-skiing, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and swimming.
Some activities, such as scuba diving, trapeze flying and riflery, were unique in the Canadian residential camp category. The number of activities offered made Wahanowin an industry leader. All living quarters at Wahanowin were rustic cabins equipped with bunk beds, electricity and indoor plumbing. Each cabin housed eight to twelve campers, in addition to four staff members, at one time. In total, Wahanowin could accommodate up to 450 campers and 200 staff per session (see Exhibit 2 for age groups, session dates and fees). Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) was paid on all fees listed in Exhibit 2.
Nashman intended to exclude HST from his analysis of all marketing options. Camp Programs Every day at camp was different but most days followed the same general format (see Exhibit 3). The typical Wahanowin camp day gave children opportunities to participate in both assigned and choice-based activities. Although each day was full of scheduled programming, campers were also given time to relax and socialize with others around camp. Campers who registered for the full summer session (July and August) were also given the option to participate in one of the camp’s weekly musical-theatre performances.
Off-Season Usage In order to combat some of the seasonality associated with running a summer camp during the months of July and August, Nashman and his partner rented their property and facilities during the spring and fall seasons. Wahanowin earned significant additional revenue from these rental groups (mainly schools). As well, the National Music Camp, a two-week camping experience for music students, had rented Wahanowin as its home for over 40 years. 2 www. wahanowin. com. Page 3 * THE MANAGEMENT TEAM Bruce Nashman Bruce Nashman, son of Wahanowin’s founder, Harold Nashman, grew up at Wahanowin.
Wahanowin had always been a Nashman tradition and various members of the family had been involved in directing the camp. Growing up as a part of a camp family, Nashman experienced all aspects of camp life as a camper, staff member, head staff member and, most recently, as owner and full-time director. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Toronto’s York University, Nashman made the commitment to continue the family tradition and chose a career with Wahanowin. Over the years, Nashman held a vast array of positions at camp, giving him an n-depth understanding of every facet of running a camp. Nashman’s own family continued the family-camp tradition. His wife, Patti, and their three children called Wahanowin their home during the summer months and were immersed in the camp year-round. Upon completion of his second degree, a Master of Science degree in leisure studies and services at the University of Oregon, Nashman assumed the role of full-time Camp Director and had held this position for over 25 years. Clientele valued Nashman’s experience and his ability to keep Wahanowin a Nashman family tradition.
Patti Nashman Patti Nashman had never been a camper or staff member at Wahanowin; however, she played a major role in ensuring that every summer at camp was a success. Her experience and education in social work was a valuable asset when dealing with issues of bullying, homesickness and parent-correspondence each summer. Her position at the camp allowed to her act as a surrogate mother for all campers during their stay at Wahanowin. Peter Thistlethwaite Peter Thistlethwaite was Wahanowin’s second director. Thistlethwaite started working at Wahanowin in his twenties after earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo. By the early 1990s, Thistlethwaite had completed teacher’s college at Queen’s University, and then accepted a teaching position. Every summer, Thistlethwaite returned to Wahanowin as a member of the camp’s head staff team. After more than a decade of dedicating his summers to Wahanowin, Thistlethwaite decided to join Wahanowin as a full-time director in 2000. He had been an integral part of Wahanowin ever since.
Tan Robertson Thistlethwaite’s wife, Tan Robertson, had also started her camp career as a staff member at Wahanowin. In 1991, in the midst of completing her undergraduate degree at The University of Western Ontario, Robertson joined Wahanowin to work in the camp office. In 1994, she joined the Wahanowin team on a full-time basis. Over the years, her duties had expanded, and she was currently the office manager (year round) and the off-season Programs and Food Services coordinator. The couple lived on camp property for six months every year.
While they were busiest during the hectic summer session, they were also responsible for managing everything for all rental groups during the spring and fall seasons. 3 Thistlethwaite had decision-making power and most staff members reported directly to him. He was second in command, reporting only to Bruce Nashman. Page 4 * THE STAFF In addition to the team of full-time directors, Wahanowin employed roughly 200 staff members every summer. Many of these people grew up as Wahanowin campers. Wahanowin strove to establish a blend of both new and veteran staff each summer.
Wahanowin’s counsellors4 and activity instructors had to be at least 17 years old; however, many members of the team were in their mid- to late-twenties. While the majority of Wahanowin staff returned year after year, with more than 200 staff on site, turnover was inevitable. All staff members were interviewed by a director during the off-season and were hired based on their camping background and sincere interest in children. Activity instructors were either qualified professionals or high school and university students with specific camp skills.
The majority of Wahanowin’s staff lived in cabins with the camper groups. On average, a total of four staff members (two counsellors and two activity instructors) were assigned to each camper group. CAMP CLIENTELE The vast majority of Wahanowin’s campers were from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA); along with a smaller number of international campers from the United States, Mexico, Israel, France and England. While Wahanowin was not a religious camp, a significant portion of campers were Jewish, observing several Jewish customs and traditions.
Parents sending their children to a summer camp such as Wahanowin had above-average incomes. As a result, Wahanowin charged a premium price for its camp offerings. Consumers considered a number of factors when deciding which camp was the right one. These factors included tangible factors such as location, quality of the facility and its equipment, and the extent of camp programming. While these variables were highly important, there were other variables that were far less measurable, such as a personal connection with a camp5 and social pressure to attend the camp with friends.
Many consumers were introduced to Wahanowin through traditional advertising, but the most important determinant was the camp’s reputation. Word-of-mouth reputation was, by far, the most important factor in the camping industry. Nashman had to consider how best to create positive brand recognition in any future marketing plans. If the camp’s target market was spreading positive messages about Wahanowin, he had no doubt he would meet his overall objective of increased enrolment for the 2011 summer and beyond. Many of Wahanowin’s clientele were returning customers.
It was Wahanowin’s goal that, once a camper spent a summer at its camp, the camper would return every year and eventually move on to become a member of Wahanowin’s staff team. Wahanowin’s marketing initiatives targeted primarily young campers between the ages of six and nine years because these campers represented the most potential revenue since they had many more summers to attend camp as paying customers, rather than as paid staff members. Nashman wondered whether marketing plans should target the campers, who physically spent (or would spend) their summers at camp, or their parents.
Although the parents paid for their children to attend summer camp, Nashman knew that the campers themselves often influenced how and where they spent their summers. Parents could be easily influenced by their children’s preferences and often enrolled their children in the summer program of their choice. Nashman planned to target the same consumers, but he believed his marketing plan should cater to either parents or their children, rather than attempt to attract both groups. 4 Counsellors lived with a designated cabin group of campers and travelled to various activities each day with their assigned cabin group. Many families chose summer camps based on their own family history and personal association. A notable percentage of campers attended the same summer camp that their parents had attended as children. Page 5 * COMPETITION Residential Summer Camps Parents sending their children to residential summer camps had above-average incomes. There were several direct competitors who charged a premium price for their camp offerings in Southern Ontario (see Exhibit 4). Most competitors were located within a two-hour car drive of Wahanowin, were situated on similar plots of land and all were located on lakes.
Because the residential camping market in Ontario was highly saturated, it was difficult to highlight each competitor’s unique advantages or disadvantages; consequently, decisions were based on a camp’s reputation, how its offerings were perceived and, most importantly, on word-of-mouth “advertising. ” It was often hard for parents and children to distinguish which camp was most suitable. Day Camps Day camps operated similarly to residential camps without overnight stays (campers went home at the end of each day). Day camps were approximately half the cost of residential camps.
Transportation to and from day camps was included in day camp fees. Day camps had increased in popularity due to a growing number of “helicopter” parents6 who preferred spending some time with their children during the summer months. Although many of these camps had excellent facilities and similar programming to their residential counterparts, it was well known that stronger friendships and bonds were created when children lived together at overnight camps. Most day camps offered a wide range of activities and programs, while others, known as specialty camps, focused on one main theme.
While most day camps offered basic swimming as an activity, none were located on a lake, limiting the ability to offer intense water-based activities. Sports camps, theatre camps, arts camps and science camps were becoming increasingly popular across Canada. Partnerships In recent years, many residential summer camps had developed partnerships with day camps. In general, day camps catered to younger campers (typically, between two and eight years of age), while overnight camps were more attractive to slightly older children. For this reason, Wahanowin maintained a close relationship with its “sister camp,” Green Acres Day Camp.
Throughout each summer, campers from Green Acres would travel to Wahanowin to get a “taste” of what it was like to spend the summer at a residential camp. 7 As these campers grew up, many decided to attend Wahanowin. This partnership was mutually beneficial because Green Acres was able to offer optional overnight camping experiences to its campers, while Wahanowin received excellent exposure to many potential future customers. Summer Travel Other businesses offered travelling experiences to young teenagers during their summer school breaks.
Fees for these trips ranged from $4,000 for a two-week experience to $10,000 for seven-week adventures. Trips ranged from camping in the wilderness across Canada and the United States to more upscale trips to California, Europe and Australia. Highly priced, these trips catered to even more affluent customers than the already upscale camping clientele. Nashman knew that, although the above-mentioned competitors posed the most direct threat to Wahanowin’s success, there were many other ways for children and their parents to spend their summer vacations. Was he 6
The term “helicopter” parent was commonly used in the camping world to describe overly-protective parents who were highly involved in every aspect of their children’s lives. 7 They would stay at Wahanowin overnight for the length of a work week. Page 6 * overlooking other key competitors? If so, how could Wahanowin combat any advantages they might offer to customers? THE AUGUST SESSION Wahanowin’s August session had seen a slight decrease in numbers over the past two years. While Wahanowin’s July session had operated at 95 per cent capacity this past summer season, August enrolment had hovered roughly around 60 per cent.
Nashman believed this drop was due to an increase in the number of opportunities available to children (and their parents), the recent economic recession and a growing number of helicopter parents who wanted to spend some time with their children over the summer. Although enrolment might remedy itself in coming summers, Nashman wanted a proactive approach taken with the goal to bring August’s enrolment level up to July’s enrolment level. PROMOTION IDEAS Website Overhaul Wahanowin had a functioning website (see Exhibit 5), but it had been last updated ten years ago.
While some aspects of the website were acceptable by today’s standards, overall, the site was outdated, aesthetically unappealing and “juvenile” in nature. Online presence was quickly becoming an extremely important tool for businesses and a resource for their clientele. Nashman knew that Wahanowin’s weak website and lack of socialnetworking presence was “losing the battle” online. Nashman thought that making small changes to the already existing website was not the right decision; instead, a complete overhaul would be the best option.
After consulting with Wahanowin alumnus and website designer Ryan Sax, Nashman learned that a brand new state-of-the-art website could be created for $5,500 to $8,000. 8 This new website would be highly interactive and aesthetically appealing. Photo sharing and video sharing would be flawless, and blogging9 capabilities would be endless. Nashman wanted the new website to make visitors feel as though they were experiencing camp from the comfort of their own homes. The creation of this new website would be a long and tedious process, likely spanning five to seven months.
To ensure that the website would be completed prior to the opening of the 2011 summer season, work would have to begin immediately. Nashman knew this was the most pressing decision at this time. He also had to consider whether other marketing initiatives should be set up to encourage use of the website. He knew that many parents would enjoy viewing photos of their children while they were at camp, but could he “increase traffic” to the website even further? Would word-of-mouth advertising associated with the creation of the new website be sufficient?
Or would additional tactics be needed to draw more website visits? Waha TV Nashman was considering another exciting online idea. For the past seven summers, Wahanowin had hired a camp videographer who filmed and edited a “video yearbook. ” The video yearbook was a selection of the highlights of the summer, professionally edited to a one-hour DVD that was mailed to all Wahanowin families (campers and their parents). While this was an excellent promotional tool for attracting repeat campers, people who had yet to experience a summer at Wahanowin rarely ever saw the video yearbooks.
Also, while some parents enjoyed watching the video yearbooks with their children, for the most part, it was the campers themselves who watched the DVDs more regularly. Nashman knew that, depending on his marketing plan for the upcoming season, video yearbooks could be misaligned with his target clientele. 8 9 All future hosting, domain rental and site maintenance fees would be identical to those associated with the current website. Blogging referred to making entries in on-line journals, which would be accessible to all Internet users. Page 7 *
Waha TV was a new idea that Nashman had recently dreamed up. His vision was to have daily videos uploaded online during the summer season. Each video would have different themes and would highlight various activities, events and camper groups at camp. Waha TV would be targeted primarily to parents who could enjoy the videos while their children were at camp; however, Nashman anticipated that, upon the completion of the summer season, campers could watch the entire video catalogue during the off-season as a replacement to the traditional video yearbook. To provide Wahanowin families ith a video yearbook, the camp had hired one videographer to do all of the taping and editing at a cost of $3,500. If they switched to the Waha TV concept, Nashman wanted to continue with producing excellent quality videos and to ensure daily uploads, so one or two more videographers would need to be hired at similar salaries. The production10 of the video yearbooks cost Wahanowin $450 annually and shipping costs were an additional $2 per household. 11 These savings would offset some of the increased videographer costs. Waha TV would also require a subscription to Vimeo Plus12 at a cost of $60 per year.
This subscription would allow Wahanowin to upload unlimited HD video and embed HD videos to its own website; moreover, Vimeo Plus enabled its users to track very detailed viewer statistics (e. g. , the number of views of each video per day and the location of the computers where each video was viewed). This data information would make it easier to track the success of this promotional tool. All the video cameras and cinematography equipment needed was already owned by Wahanowin’s current videographer, so the camp would not incur other additional investment costs.
Nashman wondered whether Waha TV would make sense with the creation of a new website. Would the increased videographer cost be worth the public reception? How and why would non-Wahanowin families tune in to watch the daily videos? Most importantly, would Waha TV be a welcomed replacement for the video yearbooks that many campers looked forward to receiving and watching? Traditional Advertising It was clear that word-of-mouth advertising and client-to-client referrals were the most important to Wahanowin; however, Nashman was unsure whether some form of traditional advertising would still be necessary during the 2011 off-season.
For previous summers, Wahanowin had advertised in the Toronto-based Post Magazine (Post). Post targeted Toronto’s most affluent residents. Each month, 175,000 copies of the magazine were delivered to the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). 13 Advertising in the Post was not cheap but it was affordable (see Exhibit 5) in comparison to advertising in other nationwide publications. Although not opposed to continuing to advertise in the Post, Nashman needed to consider carefully whether it made a real difference.
Without any background in advertising, he would also need to put considerable thought into what the camp’s advertisements should say and which aspects of the camping experience should be highlighted. Nashman was prepared to spend a maximum of $2,000 advertising in this magazine. Social Networking and Alumni Newsletter Though Nashman was not familiar with social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, he knew that marketing through these networks could be a feasible option. While many parents were not highly active on social networking websites, their children certainly were.
A Wahanowin Facebook page and Twitter account could be created for free and could be ideal when targeting new campers. Since young parents often sent their children to the summer camp that they had attended, Nashman was also considering setting up a Wahanowin Alumni Facebook page where former campers and staff could reminisce 10 Production included the purchase of blank DVDs, burning copies for each family and creating and printing the cases holding the DVDs. 11 On average, 250 households received Wahanowin’s video yearbook each year. 12 Vimeo was a video streaming website similar to YouTube. 3 Post City Magazines, “About Our Readers,” http://www. postcity. com/Post-City-Magazines/Advertise/About-Our-Readers/. Page 8 * about their days at camp, share pictures and discuss memories. This would keep Wahanowin in the forefront of former campers’ minds many years after they had attended the camp. To strengthen this connection with Wahanowin alumni, Nashman was considering developing an alumni newsletter delivered by mail to hundreds of the camp’s former campers and staff. The newsletter would be produced and written by Nashman, Patti Nashman, Thistlethwaite, Robertson and existing full-time administrative staff.
Costs for printing would be $0. 40 and shipping costs would be $0. 55 per letter. 14 Three separate newsletters would be created during the 2011 offseason, with one additional distribution during the 2011 summer session. TPS Partnership In recent years, no major changes had been made to Wahanowin’s overall summer offerings. Nashman wondered if it was the right time to add a new option for the month of August. More high school students were taking private summer school courses and this trend had created new competition for summer camps.
While Nashman considered this competition to be indirect (the offering was very different from traditional summer camp programs), he wondered whether there was a way for Wahanowin to capitalize on the trend. Nashman’s oldest daughter attended Toronto Prep School (TPS) during the regular school year, and Nashman had developed a strong relationship with the school’s owner and principal. In recent weeks, Nashman had developed a program to offer school credits at Wahanowin. The structure of the program would be quite different from Wahanowin’s current programs.
Rather than participating in camp activities, students who enrolled in this session would spend their days working in a traditional school environment on Wahanowin property. They would live at camp in traditional cabins and could spend their free time participating in a variety of camp activities. While the possibilities surrounding this option were numerous, and room for growth was substantial, Nashman thought it would be best to start with a Grade 12 English credit for the summer of 2011. Only 17-year-old customers entering their final year of high school would be eligible.
If this program was a success, more courses could be offered each summer to a wider audience of students in Grades 10 and 11. The final piece for this venture was a pricing strategy. The fee would have to include room and board,15 access to the camp’s facilities and a teacher’s salary. Nashman calculated the average cost that Wahanowin would incur for the TPS program would be $1,750 per student. To get this venture up and running, Nashman was prepared to make a margin 10 per cent lower than Wahanowin’s weighted average margins for the camp’s Full Season session, July session and August session.
The International Market Nashman and Thistlethwaite were of the opinion that the base of Wahanowin campers should remain Torontonians due to convenience and accessibility, but that targeting more international campers would be an attractive option. Admittedly, both directors were unfamiliar with how to tap into new markets abroad. Consequently, representatives for Wahanowin could be hired to recruit new young families to the camp. These representatives could be hired on a part-time basis and would be compensated by having their own children attend Full Season camp at no cost.
Nashman projected that each of these representatives would have, on average, three children who would spend their summers at camp. Potential countries believed to fit best with Wahanowin’s current clientele were Mexico and Israel. While attracting new groups of campers from other markets had significant potential, it was impossible to predict whether this initiative would result in success. Nashman would have to decide whether the risk was worth the potential reward. 14 15 Wahanowin had a database of roughly 750 alumni households.
Room and board referred to physical living accommodation and three meals per day. Page 9 * THE FUTURE Nashman knew that some new marketing initiatives would be necessary to keep Wahanowin competitive in both the short term and in the foreseeable future. Which options should be implemented immediately? Would a change to Wahanowin’s fees be appropriate in the current environment? Should Wahanowin direct its focus to attracting campers, or to their parents? Which promotional tactics would result in the largest increase in consumers?
Were there any other creative options that he had not yet considered? While not restricting himself to a specific marketing budget, Nashman was only prepared to put effort into new initiatives that would have a tangible impact on the business. He had a meeting with the rest of the director team in one week. By then, Nashman wanted a finalized marketing plan for the 2011 season. Page 10 * Exhibit 1 WAHANOWIN LOGO Source: Camp Wahanowin, www. wahanowin. com. Exhibit 2 WAHANOWIN CAMP FEE Session
Full Season July Session August Session CIT Session July + 11 Days 2+2 11-Day Special Super Summer Sleepover Awesome August Adventures Age Group Campers 6 – 15 Campers 6 – 15 Campers 6 – 15 Campers turning 16 in 2011 All ages Grade 4 or younger Grade 4 or younger SK or grade 1 All ages Dates June 30 – August 19 June 30 – July 27 July 27 – August 19 June 29 – August 19 June 30 – August 7 June 30 – July 14 July 27 – August 7 August 14 – August 17 August 7 – August 19 Fee $8,5001 $5,450 $4,475 $8,600 $7,450 $2,825 $2,550 $350 $2,5502,3
Source: Camp Wahanowin, www. wahanowin. com. 1 2 3 Fees include the 13 per cent Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). Margins for the Full Season, July Session, and August Session were 35 per cent, 25 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. In total, 30 per cent of Wahanowin’s customers registered for the full season, 50 per cent for the July session, and 20 per cent for the August session. Page 11 * Exhibit 3 A TYPICAL DAY SCHEDULE AT CAMP TYPICAL DAY AND MENU “The not so typical, typical day” Time Activity 7:45 am Wake up 8:20 am Flagpole – O, Canada! :30 am Breakfast – Pancakes 9:00 am Cabin Clean-up 9:40 am – 10:40 am Period #1 10:50 am – 11:50 am Period #2 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Period #3 1:10 pm Lunch – Chicken Nuggets and Fries 1:50 pm – 2:50 pm Rest Hour 2:50 pm – 3:50 pm Period #4 3:50 pm – 4:00 pm Afternoon Snack 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Period #5 5:10 pm – 6:00 pm General Swim – Open Activities 6:10 pm Dinner – Make your own Subs 7:00 pm – 7:45 pm Free Play – Sports and Games 7:45 pm Evening Program – Wild Events 9:00 pm Bedtime 10:00 pm O. D. a watchful eye) checks on Source: Camp Wahanowin, www. wahanowin. com. Exhibit 4 COMPETITORS’ FEES1 COMPETITOR PRICING July Session August Session $4,825 $3,960 $5,350 $4,500 $4,375 $3,150 $5,350 $4,200 $3,625 $2,750 $4,750 $3,450 $4,950 $3,150 $4,575 $5,180 $4,680 Camp Wahanowin White Pine Tamarack Manitou Northland New Moon Walden Tamakwa Arowhon Full Season $7,525 $8,250 $6,275 $8,115 $5,675 $7,350 $7,350 $7,975 $8,225 Source: www. wahanowin. com, http://www. camptamarack. info/, http://www. campwhitepine. com/, http://www. anitoucamp. com/, http://www. campnbb. com/, http://www. campnewmoon. ca/, http://www. campwalden. ca/, http://tamakwa. com/, http://www. camparowhon. com/ 1 Fees do not include 13 per cent HST. Page 12 * Exhibit 5 POST-MAGAZINE ADVERTISING FEES One Month Rate WORD AD $148 per issue $144 per issue For a maximum of 25 words BOX AD $224 per issue $218 per issue $208 per issue $134 per issue 6 Month Rate 12 Month Rate No word limit. Logos and graphics can be included. BOX & A HALF AD $274 per issue $268 per issue $254 per issue
No word limit. Logos and graphics can be included. Artwork can be supplied camera ready. DOUBLE BOX AD $328 per issue $318 per issue $308 per issue No word limit. Logos and graphics can be included. Artwork can be supplied camera ready or our art department can create your ad for you. Source: http://www. postcity. com/Post-City-Magazines/Advertise/About-Our-Readers, accessed September 1, 2011. Page 13 * Exhibit 6 WAHANOWIN’S EXISTING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE Source: Camp Wahanowin, www. wahanowin. com.