What Has Been Achieved So Far

Facebook

Before we started our campaign Cupcakes by Jo already had a Facebook account set up.  This is how they generate the business and is the only way people can order cupcakes by finding Jo's e-mail on the page or posting directly on the page.  Without this page Jo stated that her business would not be able to exist.  Facebook has allowed her to reach a mass audience and with our help we have now increased her likes from 1,500 to 1,740 all in the space of one week.  This is extremely impressive for her business as it is only a small stall in the Market which is not very well known.  

As discussed previously, we are now all administrators of the Facebook page and below are photos of what we can view.

Twitter

When we started our campaign Cupcakes by Jo was a stranger to Twitter,  by setting up another social media tool we are now reaching an even wider range of people.  The Twitter is updated daily about the cupcakes for sale that day and some general information about the business.  We currently have 136 followers on Twitter.  This was achieved within one week and everyday we are continuing to get new followers.

We have been relatively successful already on Twitter, with Original FM (a leading radio station in Aberdeen) telling their followers to follow Cupcakes By Jo by using the 'follow friday' hash tag.  They have 1,933 followers at the moment which means many more people will be aware of the small business.

Campaign Success So Far


We had a meeting with Jo on Monday 5th March.  She was overly impressed of how much interest her business has recieved in the past week thanks our work.  She stated that she sold out of cupcakes at her shop for the first time ever on Saturday, and has had a high demand for her newest cupcake trial, the Creme Egg cupcake, which was only promoted through her Twitter account by us. 

Radio 1

On the 9th March at 7.35am Cupcakes By Jo was shouted out on the Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1.  This is an amazing achievement as Radio 1 is the biggest radio station in the UK, and the Chris Moyles Breakfast Show is one of the most popular shows on radio.  This is very exciting and we hope to achieve more things like this.

History of the Cupcake Market

The cupcake market boomed in 2000 when an episode of Sex and the City showed Miranda and Carrie indulging in cupcakes outside New York's Magnolia Bakery.  Now, there are fan pages for cupcakes all over the internet, from Facebook pages with thousands of 'likes' to Twitter accounts with thousands of followers.  Blogs, YouTube channels and much more tools are being used by businesses and fans alike, adding to the massive growth in popularity for the tasty treats.

YouTube

There are thousands of videos on YouTube relating to cupcakes.  These include stop motions, recipes, 'how to' videos and much more.  At the moment, if you search 'cupcakes' on YouTube there are over 33,200 videos, some having millions of views.  This shows the extent of their popularity and the vast amount of interest people have in this market.  

Why are cupcakes so popular?

What makes cupcakes so popular? Are they really the perfect dessert? The answer may be in their individual size; small enough to eat by yourself but big enough to satisfy a craving for something sweet. Is it their decoration? They can be plain or fancy, casual or formal, crazy colored or pristine white. Is it because they bring back memories of childhood? The delight of having a cake small enough to fit in tiny hands and not having to share…the peeling off of the wrapper like a little present.  Perhaps it is the versatility of a plate of cupcakes. Suitable for a midmorning coffee break, afternoon tea or even a wedding reception, cupcakes are always welcome. They can be decorated for specific events or seasons, making them current and exciting. Everyone loves a cupcake.

Cupcakes are also very popular with celebrities, which obviously is why they are seen as trendy and fashionable.  Even Kim Kardashian has launched her very own cupcake!

Statistics


In 2011 cupcakes sales rocketed by 11% and they account for 9.9% of all cake sales worldwide.  The cupcake market is growing year-by-year despite the recession, and shows no sign of slowing down.


According to www.nationalcupcakeweek.co.uk total cupcake consumption occasions (in home/carried out/out-of-home), excluding homemade, reached 44 million, up 11% year-on-year; this rises to 65 million occasions if you include home-baked cupcakes, up 52%.  These figures show that there's still a massive, growing demand for cupcakes. It's craft bakeries, coffee shops and independent cake decorators that are behind the growth - data shows they are by far outperforming the supermarkets, which struggle to match them on skill and creativity.

Viral Videos

When creating a marketing project such as this, a vital aspect to consider is the concept of 'Viral Videos'.

These are videos that are created and shared through your business website, blogs, emails and other media sharing websites such as Youtube. These are passed on via emails and social networking sites such as Facebook at a fast rate to many more people, which makes it “viral”. The main reason these videos are passed on are because they contain humour or content that is meaningful to the person. These videos are an important promotional tool as when a video goes viral it can increase business and awareness of your product/service vastly. These videos are also a great way of advertising your business as they are low cost and easily shared unlike other methods such as television or radio.

An example of a successful viral video use can be seen with the now world famous "Charlie bit me" video. This video now has over 400million hits on YouTube and has gained world wide "viral" status simply by being passed on via emails and social networking sites.

By creating videos such as this for Cupcakes by Jo we believe this could generate even more business, particularly as there are holidays such as Mothers Day and Easter coming up in the near future. Videos could be themed around these events, possibly using characters such as 'The Easter Bunny' to add some humour, and therefore making the video more likely to be passed on and become viral.

Website

We decided to create a website for Cupcakes by Jo because it creates a professional image of the business. Also, older customers are more likely to search for a website to place an order rather than using social media. The website will allow us to showcase a gallery of her products to potential customers a stylish and effective way.  We will use DSLR cameras to take high-quality photographs of the cupcakes which will persuade people to purchase them.


The website is a perfect opportunity to give a more descriptive view of the business. As it does not have a limiting word count like Twitter we can include lots of information on specific cupcake flavours, contact details, location, events and promotions.

The website will allow for information access 24 hours a day, which is essential with the busy lives of people today.


A key aspect of the website will be that it helps create and promote a strong brand image by linking all our social media together. There will be links provided to both our Facebook and Twitter pages. and YouTube channel. Without a website we could potentially miss a large range of customers that use websites rather than social networking sites.

Facebook

Cupcakes By Jo's current focus is Facebook, which is already a big success and reaches a large number of people.  Facebook allows us to share both images and posts about products, promotions and events.  People who "like" the Facebook page will be able to view all the updates and this will encourage them to become loyal customers. In addition, Facebook users will have the opportunity to ask questions and order from the business.  By updating daily this allows fans of the page to view new products and be aware of upcoming promotions and events.

To allow us to monitor Cupcakes by Jo's Facebook page we have been given the opportunity to be administrators. This gives us full access to the page itself and all followers of the page. By having this means of control it allows us to regularly update and edit existing information.  We are able to monitor success through the 'Insights' tab on the page, which shows us 'likes', reach, check-ins, people talking about the business and information on the fans, e.g. gender, age, location, etc. 

An advantage of Facebook is that it is a more persuasive tool than advertising as people are more likely to trust what their friends and family are talking about. Facebook is also free and easy to use. A wide range of ages use Facebook as a means of social media which will allow us to reach our target audiences easily.

In addition, as some of our competitors do not use Facebook or are not very active on their accounts and this gives us a big advantage as our target market will not be overwhelmed by similar competing pages. 

Target Market

The target market for Cupcakes By Jo is everyone within the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire areas.  The cupcake market is so diverse and appeals to everyone, so we have to ensure we target everyone within this project.

Our promotional activities, competitions, events and social media have to appeal to all ages and both genders.

Children

Cupcakes are a fun and tasty treat for young children.  The bright colours and decorative designs are especially appealing to this age range.  The cookie monster cupcake is a perfect example of this as it is brightly coloured and is decorated as a children's television character. 

Teenagers

Cupcakes are becoming very trendy and fashionable in society today, and teenagers are always trying to be 'cool'.  Cupcakes are also becoming very popular for birthdays for teenagers, replacing actual birthday cakes, particularly for milestone birthdays e.g. 18th.  

Adults (mainly women)

Cupcakes are very popular for occasions such as engagement parties, hen nights, mother's day, birthdays, weddings and even for Ann Summer's parties.  As previously stated, they are fashionable and becoming more and more popular.  Also, the majority of cupcake designs are very feminine, with flowers, glitter and pastel colours.  Therefore there will be a very strong focus on this market as they are the most likely to purchase the products out of all the other target markets.  Men will still be targeted to some extent as they may be purchasing cupcakes as gifts for females. 

Cupcakes By Jo will target a variety of markets within Aberdeen and the surrounding areas as cupcakes are seen as a special treat for all.  By effectively targeting our activity to these markets, we will massively increase awareness and eventually increase sales.

Communication

A Facebook mail has been set up between team members. This will allow us to interact with eachother at any time and overall improve communication within the team. Problems can be addressed, meetings can be arranged and general information about the project can be shared. This will increase the effectiveness of our work and allow us to work very well as a team. As we all live in different areas of Aberdeen, and have different schedules of classes and acvitivities outside of University, this allows us to keep in constant contact with ease.

We also have contstant communication with Jo herself, through phonecalls, Facebook and regular meetings.  We will keep her up-to-date with how the project is going, recieve feedback from her and discuss all project activity to ensure she is happy with what we are doing.