Brit Rasberry

Pages for Pizza: Healthy Heads on Healthy Kids

PR Plan By:
Brit Rasberry

I HAVE ABIDED BY THE UNCG Academic Integrity Policy ON THIS ASSIGNMENT.

Students Signature Brit

Rasberry

Brit Rasberry

Abstract

I would like to thank you for taking the time to review this Public Relations Plan for
Mellow Mushroom. This plan is designed so that the Mellow Mushroom name will be
better known in the community, bringing in new guest and keeping them.
The first section of this plan shows research based on the clients. It is in this section
that you will find the goals and strength of Mellow Mushroom. You will also see a list
of target and client publics, accompanied by a strategic research design. The
second section is for strategic planning, where you will find information in regards to
a spokesperson and spokes entity. There is also a message and communication
objective that will allow Mellow Mushroom to communicate with their public target.
In the third section you will find various communication tactics such as a press
release and pitch letter. There are also media contacts and publicity plans. This
third section also shows the event timeline.
Overall this plan is meant to be a tool in bridging the gap between mellow
Mushroom and its public target, allowing for benefits for both the local community
and the business itself. I thank you again for your time in reviewing this plan. I look
forward to working with you soon.

Brit Rasberry
Table of Contents

Section One: Situational Analysis

...0
Contact
Information
1
Days and Hours of
Operation....1
Description of
Service....
1
Mission
Statement
1
Administrative
Staff1
Short Term
Goals.
.2
Long Term Goals
..2
Strengths of Organization
..3
Challenges of Organization
...3
Existing Competitors
...4
Government and Regulatory Agencies
.4
Reference Publications
..5
Channels of Communication
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Brit Rasberry

Exhausted Ranked List of Client

Publics...6
Opportunity
Statement7
Target Public Description and
Defense8
Target Public
Demographic.8
Target Public Psychographics.
8
Defense of
Psychographics..9
Strategic Research
Design....9
Budget
Information
.9
Section Two: Strategic Planning
10
Communication
Objective..11
Message
11
Spokesperson
...11
Spokes Entity.
.....12
Section Three: Communication
Tactics......13

Brit Rasberry

Event
Description....1
4
Event
Rationale.1
4
Event Time
Line....15
Event Day Time
Line.16
Partners
.17
Partners
Rationale......17
Publicity
.18
Public
..18
Budget
18
Feedback
...18
Sample Feedback
Questions.18
Media
Contacts..1
9
News/Press
Release..20
Pitch
Letter..
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Appendix
...23

Brit Rasberry

Section One:
Situational Analysis

Brit Rasberry

Contact Information
Mellow Mushroom
609 South Elm Street, Greensboro 27406
(336) 235-2840
info@mellowmushroom.com
mellowmushroom.com & facebook.com/mellowmushroom
Hours and Days of Operation
Sunday -Thursday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 11:00pm
Description of Service
Pizza Bakers
Opened in 2009, Mellow Mushroom is a pizza baker in Greensboro, NC. It strives to
create a fun environment that is as unique as the menu items they create.
Mission Statement
To serve deliciously unparalleled pizza and a cold craft beer in an unforgettable
environment.
mellowmushroom.com
Administrative Staff
Margret Waters
Owner
Phone: (336) 288-1987
Email: Mjwaters@mellowmushroom.com
Crystal Bopp
General Manager
Phone:(336) 944-5631
Email: crbopp@mellowmushroom.com
Lindsey Nichols
Front of House manager
Phone:(336)978-3715
Email: lmnichols@mellowmushroom.com

Short Term Goals

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Brit Rasberry

To target new guest in the Greensboro community

To realize a %10 versus the usual %15 drop in sales
Long Term Goals
To make regulars out of these new guest that are bring in
To continue the trend of rising sales in the warmer months, make it a summer hot
spot

Brit Rasberry

Strengths of Organization
Mellow Mushroom strives to maintain a very unique and fun atmosphere, as well as
menu. Their pizzas are made from a special wheat blend, hand tossed and then baked
in a stone oven. This in combination with the creative topping designs sets their pizzas
apart from other pizza places. The open layout allows for guest to watch as their pizza
is tossed in the air, pressed, topped and put in the oven. The menu is able to cater to a
large target market, specifically in that it is very kid friendly, yet offers an amazing beer
selection for adults.
They also encourage their staff to be just as individual as the restaurant itself, this
resulting in the staff being very happy, making them just as much as a reason to return
as the food.
There is also a beautiful patio located in the back of the restaurant that is perfect for
summer outdoor dining.
Challenges of Organization
Mellow Mushrooms location and a marketing practice, limited only to Grupon, has
caused it to slip into the background of the Greensboro restaurant scene. There has
been a decline in sales over the last two years of about 10% overall. This is especially
true during the warmer months (May through August), when there is an average 15%
drop in sales as compared to the rest of the year. Mellow Mushroom has put much of
its energy into itself internally, but has done little to continue to bring in new guest to
keep coming back.

Brit Rasberry

Existing Competitors
Brixx Pizza
1424 Westover Terrace,
Greenboro NC 27408
(336) 235-2749
www.Brixpizza.com
Elizabeth's Pizza2116 Lawndale Drive,
Greensboro NC 27408
(336) 370-0800
www.elizabethspizza.com
Sticks and Stones
2200 Walker Ave,
Greensboro, NC 27403
(336) 275-0220
Sticksandstonesclayoven.com
Government and Regulatory Agencies
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (state)
4905 Kroger Boulevard
Greensboro, 27407
(336) 574-6024
www.irs.gov/uac/Serives-Provided-Greensboro-NC
North Carolina Department of Agricultural and Consumer Service
1001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1001
Phone (919) 707-3000
Website: Http://www.ncagr.gov/
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (Federal)
P.O. Box 931000
Louisville, KY 40293-100
Phone: 1-800-829-4833
Website: http//www.irs.gov

Reference Publications
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Brit Rasberry
Pizza Today
908 S. 8th St., Suite 200
Louisville, KY 40203
(502) 736-9500

Website: pizzatoday.com

Channels of Communication
Facebook
Twitter
Local News Station
Word of Mouth
Greensboro Public Library
Print Media

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Brit Rasberry

Exhausted Ranked List of Client Publics:

Rank
Public
1.
Customers
2.
Future Guest
3.
Administration
4.
Staff
5.
Event Planner
6.
Venders
7.
Media
8.
Competitors

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Resource
Reason to exist
Reason to exist
Guidance
Workforce
Referral
Supply food
Inform/Awareness
Motivation

I/E
E
E
I
I
I
I
E
E

Brit Rasberry

Opportunity Statement
Since opening in 2009, Mellow Mushroom has been successful in liveing up to their
mission statement promising delicious pizza and beer in an unforgettable environment.
Their menu items can be found on no other table, and the craft beer selection is one of
the best in Greensboro, offering an impressive and ever changing selection. Staff is
kept happy with caring management, and encouragement and freedom to be their
unique selves at work. This has greatly contributed to the unforgettable environment
promised. This was evident in the fact that for the first three years the restaurant saw at
least a 5% increase in sales each year.
Unfortunately this internal focus has overrun the external portion of business, like
marketing in the community, bringing in less people to see their hard work. The
location of the business and the lack of its visibility in the community has brought a drop
in sales over the last two years. The food and atmosphere are in high demand; it is the
presence of the restaurant itself that needs to be made known. This dip is sales was
first noticed after the local news falsely reported that the restaurant had been closed by
the health department because of a hole in the roof. Those that do come into the
restaurant are repeat guest, but there is a need for more of them to get sales back up.
The opportunity exists to make the restaurant more known and thus bring in more
guests, so that the company can make regulars out of them, over the next year. Mellow
Mushroom is dedicated to bringing a fun dining experience to its guest, so it is important
to recapture and strengthen a relationship with its community.

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Target Public Description and Defense

Mellow Mushrooms target public will be caregivers of children, ages 5 to 11 attending
one of the selected elementary schools. These children will be of elementary school
age. There are four elementary schools that are close to the restaurant that we will
focus on. This means about 2,000 children. Mellow Mushroom has a very kid friendly
environment and menu, but can be just as good for parents with the good prices, good
beer selection and environment that entertain children. Despite these factors Mellow
Mushroom does not see many families as guest. This is a public that we would like to
introduce to the restaurant, in order to raise sales.
Target Public Demographic
Mellow Mushroom will be targeting 1000 families that have children that attend one of
the four surrounding Elementary schools in Greensboro, N. Guilford Elementary school,
Moorehead Elementary, Sternburger Elementary, and Brooks Global. These families
have a varying in background, occupation and education, but all have in common their
children, ages 5 to11 in age.

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Brit Rasberry

Target Public Psychographics

Achievers
Motivated by the desire for achievement, Achievers have goal orientated lifestyles and a
deep commitment to their career and family. Their social lives reflect this focus and are
structured around family, their place of worship and work.
Their favorite things are recognition and rewards, Peer group acceptance, material
possessions and rules following that lead to success. Image is very important to
Achievers; they favor established, prestige products and services that demonstrate
success to their peers.
http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes.shtml
Defense of Psychographics
The Achievers psychographics for these targeted families is perfect as families
lifestyles revolve much around their families, and as this a very important stage in
development in children lives, often their success and growth in school is very
important. Children very much so respond to recognition and reward as a stimulus for
progress, and enjoy demonstrating their achievements to and with their peers.
Strategic Research Design
The first research to be done will be secondary and quanative. This involves looking at
sales over the past from the restaurant and results from surveys that the restaurant
already gives out. These quanative surveys are printed on checks, and guest fill them
out online in order to receive five dollars off their next visit. This will give us an idea
about where we are starting. We will also go to PTA meetings at the targeted schools
and hand out surveys to parents. Besides asking about the about the overall visit, the
survey will ask about the how the guest knows about Mellow Mushroom, their age, if
they come with their family (with children), and if they will bring them back.
The results from this gathered information will be used to narrow the focus to better
understand the needs and developmental goals for Mellow Mushroom.
Budget Information
The budget for this plan will be $700

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Brit Rasberry

Section Two:
Strategic Planning Detail

Communication Objective
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To promote community awareness and business by 5%, when there is usually a 15%
drop. The Primary goal is behavioral as it encourages awareness of Mellow Mushroom,
desired behavior of repeat visit should follow. This should take place over the next year,
starting in January 2015.
By promoting the business to an underrepresented market, Mellow Mushroom will be
able to bring its expertise to new clientele, building a bigger client base. Once this goal
has been fulfilled, Mellow Mushroom will be able to continue to grasp its long term goals
of building a relationship with these new guest, brining sales up.
To do this Mellow mushroom will look at quanitive information gathered in surveys and
take into consideration sales numbers over the past few summers. As the yearlong
program comes to a close these sales numbers will be compared to new numbers, as
well as the information on the surveys to determine a change is community awareness.
The goal will be to see a 5% increase in the months May through August and at least a
10% participation from local families, targeted in schools.

Message
Pages for Pizza: Healthy Heads on Healthy Kids
This message appeals to my target market, the Achievers as it suggest a reward for
doing something. These individuals strive to demonstrate success, and achieve goals
they set for themselves. The alliteration is also capturing for children, as is the mention
of pizza. It also still captures the fun, laidback spirit that is Mellow Mushroom.
Spokesperson
The spokesperson for this will be Brit Rasberry. She is a communication major at
UNCG and has been a dedicated employee at Mellow Mushroom for two years. She
has also done PR and Marketing work with previous restaurants in the past. Her inside
knowledge of both the restaurants business practices and operations will prove helpful,
in addition to her experience and education. Brit has also done a lot of volunteer work
in the community with children, much to do with reading. Her passion for PR and
children makes her a strong force to put behind the campaign and connecting to our
target market.

Spokes Entity
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Brit Rasberry

This is the best entity for Mellow Mushroom because it connects the target public with
the message. The art is appealing to kids, and the mushroom and the book pull in the
message. It cast a happy positive light on reading, one that I think will be successful in
encouraging kids to do so and participate in the program and want to share in this
accomplishment of enjoying a book. It is this feeling of accomplishment that is geared
towards our target psychographics, the Achievers.

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Section Three:
Communication Tactics

Event Description:

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Mellow Mushroom staff and administration will host a Kids Night to kick off the new
reading program being done with the targeted schools and local public library. This will
be held on Monday June 5th 2015, from 5 pm to 9 pm. Kids night will include face
painting, a coloring station, games and the Mellow Mushroom mascot Mel walking
around to shake hands with kids and hand out flyers about the new reading program.
Mellow Mushroom will have their employees provide all of these services. All kids
meals will also be free with the purchase of an adult entre.
Before this event occurs Brit Rasberry will address a staff meeting explaining how the
program works and the importance of it to the future of the company. Along with this
information she will review the proper steps of service that servers should be using in
order to insure great service and return guest out of the newcomers that come in. An
info graph of these steps is included.
A press release will first be sent to the targeted schools involved in the program, to
insure that those children are there. A press kit and pitch letter will also be sent to the
local television news stations as well as print media. Information will also be available
on the company Facebook page.

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Brit Rasberry

Event Rationale:
The main purpose of this event is to get the word out and people excited to get involved
with a reading program that Mellow Mushroom has set up with the schools (target
public). The program has a dual purpose as it helps connect Mellow Mushroom with its
community more, in a positive way, and helps to bring in new guest to turn in to
regulars. This event and program gives the company a chance to impact children in a
positive, by encouraging them to read more, and build a stronger connection with their
surrounding community and client base. This event will be aimed at the Achievers, as it
is a very family orientated event, concerned with the success of the children, as is this
group of people.
Achievers are very goal orientated and strive to accomplish them, one after another.
Their worlds revolve around the family and obtaining success. These people will benefit
from this program because it lays out goals for children to meet, with a reward at the
completion of each book read. Achievers would very dedicated to this program as well,
wanting to complete and success their challenge to collect their prize. (The prize being
a free kids meal.)
Mellow Mushroom is the perfect place to host such an event as the atmosphere is a
great selling point of the restaurant. It is fun for kids, and parents will be able to see the
wonderful craft beer selection too. This will also give the staff a chance to show off their
fabulous costumer service.

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Brit Rasberry

Event Time Line:

March 1, 2015

Call schools and Public Library to inform and offer program

April, 1 2015

Confirm participating schools

April 30, 2015

Announce event and program to staff

May 1, 2015

Send out brochures to participating schools about program and

event.

May 15, 2015

Confirm staff working event and what responsibilities they will hold

May 16 2015

Update Facebook page about upcoming event

May 28, 2015

Send Press release to local news station, Fox 8

June 5, 2015

Day of Event! Mellow Mushroom Kids Night Kick off!

June 2, 2015

Resend press kits to local television news station, Fox 8

June 6, 2015

Send pitch letter and press lease to The Record

June 6, 2015

Review sales and participants of the event to compare next year

EVENT DAY TIMELINE:

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Brit Rasberry

3:30 PM

Staff arrive to set up

4:00 PM

Event spokesperson, Brit Rasberry, speaks on the event organization,

and purpose.

5:00 PM

Kids Night event begins

9:00 PM

Kids Night event ends

10:00

Sales are collected at the end of the night

Partners
Partners in this event will be the schools that we are working with. They will be working
with Mellow Mushroom in the program and event by allowing their students to be aware
of the program and participate.
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Partner Rationale
Mellow Mushroom will partner with these chosen local schools as it is a way to connect
with their target public, which is the children and their families of the community.

Publicity:
Controlled

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Verbal announcement made to employees

Electronic announcement (posted pre-event) on Mellow Mushroom Facebook
page
Printed brochures

Uncontrolled

Press release
Word of mouth
News coverage

Budget:
The budget for this event will be $700 dollars. $200 will be to pay staff, $200 for food,
$200 to rent the Mellow Mushroom Mascot and the remaining $100 will be for supplies
for the kids activities.
Feedback:
A questionnaire will be used to gauge the knowledge and opinion of Mellow Mushroom
before the event takes place. These will be given to parents at a PTA meeting at all
targeted schools. We will also ask for verbal feedback from parents that come in with
kids, throughout the programs run.
Sample Feedback Questions:
Pre event:
1. Did you know of Mellow Mushroom before this event?
2. How many times would you say you have visited
3. Why or why not to you return
Post event:
1. Did you notice a change in your childs motivation to read?
2. Did you and your child enjoy the program
3. What have you liked or disliked about your experience with Mellow Mushroom?
4. Will you return after the reading programs conclusion?

Media Contacts:
Marquita Brown
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Brit Rasberry

K-12 School Reporter

The News-Record
200 East Market Street
Greensboro NC, 27401
(336) 373-7002
Fox 8 News
2005 Francis Street
High Point, NC 27263
News Tips: (336) 841-6397

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Brit Rasberry

609 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401

NEWS RELEASE
May 28, 20015
FOR IMMEDIANT RELASE
Contact information:
Brit Rasberry
Public Relations Director
Office: (919)896-4047
blrasber@mellowmushorrom.com
MELLOW MUSHROOM FOR A BETTER READ COMMUNITY
Restaurant Launches New Reading Program for Kids
Greensboro NC- On June 1st 2015 Mellow Mushroom will be kicking off the start
of its new reading program for kids: Pages for Pizza. Complete with games,
face painting, pictures with the Mellow Mascot and free food for kids. This
reading program, is when kids get pizza in exchange for the pages they have
read. Each book completed, earns them a pie.
The purpose of this event and program is to build a stronger bond
between Mellow and its surrounding community, to give back and have a positive
impact on the children in it.
We are excited to do more than just provide pizza to the people of
Greensboro, we have a wonderful positive system within us as a company and
are ready to share that support with children of our community. Explains General
Manager Crystal Bopp
Long term employee Philburdt Right states We have been feeding
mouths with pizza for five years now, its time we feed some heads!
For more information about this program, please contact Brit Rasberry,
program director at (919)-896-4047
Opened in 2009, Mellow Mushroom is a Pizza baker in Greensboro NC. It
strives to create a fun environment that is unique as the menu items they create.

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Brit Rasberry

June 6, 2015
Contact Information
Brit Rasberry
(919) 896-4047
blrasber@uncg.edu
Marquita Brown
K-12 School Reporter
The News- Record
200 east Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
Dear Marquita,
On June 1, 2015 Mellow Mushroom in Greensboro, held an event to launch their new
reading program for kids: Pages for Pizza.
Employees spent the evening celebrating with guest families, offering face painting,
games for kids, the Mellow Mushroom Mascot Mel, and free food for kids.
After being part of the Greensboro community for five years, they decided it was time to
get more involved in their community and have a positive effect on the children in it.
The program is set up with a few local elementary schools, so that children receive
pizza for every book they complete, offering them encouragement to read more.
I hope you are able to inform the Greensboro community as well as the local school
community about this event so that we can see it can help put more books in childrens
hands.
As the public relations director, I would love to invite you to interview with the GM
Crystal Bopp who can give you more information on the program, as well as pictures. If
you require any more information, or would like to set up an interview, please feel free to
contact me at 919-896-4047 or by email blrasber@mellowmushroom.com
Thank you for your time,
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Brit Rasberry

Appendix
B, Crystal (2015, March 23) Interview with Crystal Bopp. General Manger of Mellow
Mushroom
Mellow Mushroom Facebook Page (2015) retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/MellowMushroomGreensboro

Strategic Business Insights. VALS (2015) retrieved from

http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes.shtml

Guilford County Elementary School information. (2015) Retrieved from

http://www.gcsnc.com/pages/gcsnc

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