Introduction
When branding a company, a well-designed and planned marketing campaign is an essential element of the overall process of making the company a full-scape participant in the respective market. The selection of marketing approaches for reaching the target audience should be based on the results of accurate research of the company’s specialization, uniqueness, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as the particularities of the market. In particular, the investigation of the potential consumers’ buying behaviors at present and in the future might help plan marketing campaigns. The company under investigation within the scope of this paper is an online food delivery organization. This marketing campaign paper is designed to overview the company, identify its target audience, and outline the methods of reaching the population of consumers via proper marketing approaches.
Company Overview
The currently presented marketing campaign is designed to brand a hypothetical organization specializing in online food delivery named Company X. The organization is a medium-sized company that had evolved based on a small start-up in the times of COVID-19 when the rapid development of the online delivery industry was observed (Hong et al., 2021). Within three years of its performance, the company has grown into a 70-employee enterprise with a developed smartphone application and a network of delivery routes and specialists. The company seeks to increase its customer base under the circumstances of the growing competition in the industry due to the ongoing increase in the number of companies engaging in food and other product delivery worldwide (Chai & Yat, 2019). The company’s primary target population includes youth and young adults aged 16-35 with active online engagement and social media presence. When developing a marketing campaign, the organization expects to identify effective promotion and advertising opportunities to market its services to a broader range of potential customers.
Target Population of the Company Relevant to the Marketing Campaign
Company X currently targets predominantly the population of young people, which is validated by the indicators of online food delivery industry users. Indeed, as indicated by researchers, young people living in urban areas and working full-time are more likely to order food delivery for the reasons of time-saving, budget-saving, convenience, and ease of application use (Chai &Yat, 2019; Hong et al., 2021; Ray et al., 2019). However, the company might broaden the scope of its target population by expanding the age of individuals interested in consuming online delivery services. It is validated by evidence provided by Ray et al. (2019) on the prevalence of fast food consumption and food delivery use in the population aged 18-40. Moreover, with the rapid popularization of digital devices and the omnipresence of smartphone use by older generations, the age factor might be broadened further to include individuals aged 18-50. Indeed, as stated by Li et al. (2020), “the e-commerce market has experienced strong growth over the past decade, as customers increasingly move online,” which validates the targeting of a wider range of potential customers (p. 2). Thus, the broadening of the target audience might enhance sales.
Another particularity of the demographics of the target population is the characteristics of the household composition. Indeed, research shows that the number of individuals in a household predetermines the likelihood of people using online food delivery services. In particular, Cho et al. (2019) found that single-person households have different priorities for food delivery than multiple-person households. The growing number of single-person households due to economic advancements suggests that individuals residing alone are more prone to order online food delivery and are more concerned with the trustworthiness of the brand and the quality of food (Cho et al., 2019). However, multiple-person households value trustworthiness alongside the multiple choices of food (Cho et al., 2019). These demographic particularities attributed to consumer behavior are important in the construction of the marketing campaign when reaching the audiences by meeting their respective needs.
Furthermore, the audience targeted by the marketing campaign should include individuals who value sustainable development at large and prioritize their contribution to environmental protection. According to Li et al. (2020), the reshaping of technological functions in the food production industry and the minimization of food waste and water use benefit the sustainability of the industry. Furthermore, the overall improved capacity of customer service by restaurants due to the lack of the necessity to serve them in person in a facility positively impacts the environmental outcomes in a long-term perspective (Li et al., 2020). Therefore, individuals with an active pro-environmental position and sustainability values might be considered a potential target population for Company X.
Pathways to Reaching the Target Consumers
When attracting the identified target population, the organization should launch advertising and promotion campaigns on platforms that are most frequently used by potential consumers. Since individuals within the age range of 18 to 50 might use TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms, it is reasonable to initiate advertising campaigns on these resources (Hong et al., 2021; Ray et al., 2019). In addition, it might be particularly effective to launch brand pages on social media websites to connect with the customers and allow for direct engagement. Furthermore, Company X might partner with food producers and restaurants online to increase the pool of potential customers by proposing the services of delivering food from their favorite cafes or restaurants.
In addition to the online presence, the company might invest in a survey of potential consumers to identify their food delivery needs depending on their household composition and other demographic particularities. The obtainment of such information will allow for diversifying the marketing approaches and service particularities according to consumers’ needs (Cho et al., 2019). For example, the identification of the needs of the delivery system to be trustworthy for the population of single-person households might shape targeted advertising for this population (Cho et al., 2019). Company X might emphasize trustworthiness as its ultimate value and include the feedback and reviews of real customers to convince the target population of the reliability of the service.
When attempting to maximize the number of consumers and ensure their long-term loyalty to the brand, Company X might consider improving its application. Indeed, the ease of use and convenience of the app predetermine the likelihood of the target audience using the food delivery services from a given company (Hong et al., 2021). For that matter, the organization should ensure that its application is affordable, accessible, and intuitive in use to ensure that the consumers will adhere to it when choosing among competitors. Overall, the integration of the age, behavioral, demographic, and social media use patterns of the target population and the development of the brand’s trustworthiness and application’s ease of use will help market Company X’s services.
Conclusion
In summation, the presented marketing campaign allows the company owners to focus on the primary sources of marketing success. These sources include the demographics of the potential consumers, the target audience’s behavioral patterns and needs, and the promotional messages that would satisfy their expectations and yield higher buying rates. In particular, the proposed marketing campaign includes expanding the company’s social media presence, including websites specific to younger and older generations. Furthermore, the collection of demographic data will allow for diversifying the advertising and promotion of services, as well as meeting the needs of different population groups. Finally, targeting individuals who value environmental protection might be integrated into the marketing campaign; the improvement of the smartphone application will ensure ease of use and the likelihood of users remaining loyal to Company X.
References
Chai, L. T., & Yat, D. N. C. (2019). Online food delivery services: Making food delivery the new normal. Journal of Marketing Advances and Practices, 1(1), 62-77. Web.
Cho, M., Bonn, M. A., & Li, J. J. (2019). Differences in perceptions about food delivery apps between single-person and multi-person households. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, 108-116. Web.
Hong, C., Choi, H. H., Choi, E. K. C., & Joung, H. W. D. (2021). Factors affecting customer intention to use online food delivery services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, 509-518. Web.
Li, C., Mirosa, M., & Bremer, P. (2020). Review of online food delivery platforms and their impacts on sustainability. Sustainability, 12(14), 1-17. Web.
Ray, A., Dhir, A., Bala, P. K., & Kaur, P. (2019). Why do people use food delivery apps (FDA)? A uses and gratification theory perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 221-230. Web.