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Table of Contents
Executive Summary: 2
Company History: 3-4
Media Objectives: 5
Competitive Analysis: 6-7
The Target Audience: 8
Media Selections: 9-13
Radio: 9-11
Newspaper: 12
Television: 13
The Plan
Media Plan: 14
Budget: 15-16
Timeline: 17
Evaluation: 18

Executive Summary
Our team has developed a media plan to help Community Main Street promote their Downtown Upstairs event.
This plan is anticipated to reach the target market of this event, those with an interest in continual downtown
success and improvement. The mediums will primarily be in radio and newspaper advertising. The main
competition for this event lies in the activities of the College Hill Partnership and downtown Waterloo.
Invitations to this event will be sent out to the CMS VIP list. This media plan seeks to help promote the event to
an audience beyond this list to create new donor partnerships through the purchase tickets and experience of the
event.

Company History
Community Main Street was created in 1987 by citizens who wanted to preserve the
architecture of the Cedar Falls central business district and revitalize the economy in
downtown. The basis of the CMS approach is in the preservation of the physical
environment and human resources in downtown Cedar Falls. The CMS approach takes on
four-points: business improvement, design, organization & development, and promotion.
All four points are integrated together in a management strategy. The approach creates
change in the economic base of downtown.
CMS is a non-profit organization that depends on sponsorships and volunteers.
The vision of CMS is to lead efforts to strengthen the role and reputation of downtown
Cedar Falls as a place Where Good Friends Meet. A key to this effort involves keeping
downtowns image as an arts and entertainment destination through preserving and celebrating the communitys
history. CMS will accomplish this vision through:
a strong retail and professional environment
recreational opportunities
tourism amenities and attractions
an image of vitality and growth
a creative, exciting and appropriate mix of stores, offices, housing, and public facilities
a friendly service atmosphere
an attractive streetscape
a clean and safe environment
an image of Cedar Falls as a great place to call home, return home, and make a new home
CMS also has the vision to be an organization that leads in private development and public partnership through
a mix of membership development, marketing, design, and business retention efforts. To accomplish this part of
the vision CMS will be seen as an organization that has:
Visionary leadership
A broad base of volunteers
A reputation for integrity
A leadership role in defining the local quality of life
An appreciation for history
An image as the primary source for information about downtown
A friendly, welcoming atmosphere
An understanding of the power of technology
Accountability
A recognized role in community betterment
Growing financial support

In April 2002 the national Trust for Historic Preservation awarded Cedar Falls the Iowa Great American
Main Street Award. This award recognizes the nations best efforts in downtown revitalization through historic
preservation. Downtown Cedar Falls is also a certified cultural district by the state of Iowa. Only a limited
number of cities in the U.S. are official cultural districts. To become a cultural district the area must meet
certain qualifications and once a cultural district many benefits and incentives are available. In 2010 downtown
Cedar Falls was awarded one of the 2010 Distinctive Destination. This award is given by the National Trust for
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Historic Preservation to communities across the country that offers distinctive cultural and recreational
experiences. Most recently, CMS became a certified Blue Zones organization in the summer of 2013. To
receive this certification organizations work through a healthy choice checklist and get 25 percent of their
organization members to take the personal pledge.

Media Objectives

To draw attention to the unique aspects of downtown Cedar Falls, specifically the residence/businesses
on the upper half of the buildings.
To increase awareness of the Upstairs Downtown event and the Community Main Street Organization as
a whole.
To utilize traditional and social media sources to help promote and advertise the Upstairs Downtown
event
Increase support for Community Main Street to continue throughout the year of 2014.
To maintain awareness of Community Main Street events in the remainder of the year.

Media Strategy

To inform and invite members of the community, including local VIPs, to attend the 2014 Upstairs
Downtown event.
To create and distribute invitations and tickets for attendees.
To focus on radio and newspaper as the primary mediums to create awareness for the target audience.
To utilize pre-existing digital sources (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Community Main Street Website,
E-Newsletter) to promote the event and increase organizational support.
To create additional digital platforms (YouTube page, blog) to increase viewership and generate further
awareness.

Other Media Considered. Will be utilized only if additional ticket sales are needed.

Television

Email blast

Direct Mail

Competitive Analysis
The College Hill Partnership was founded in April of 2008, with the
intent to bring the businesses, landlords, neighborhood residents, students
and the University of Northern Iowa together, and to revitalize the College
Hill neighborhood. College Hill Partnership (CHP) is a non-profit
organization located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Their mission is to serve as the
leader in revitalization and promotion of the College Hill area, an urban
neighborhood community. The scope of its mission includes promoting
healthy neighborhood businesses and housing enhancement, strengthening
collaboration and pride, developing public/private partnerships and serving
as an advocate for addressing area concerns (collegehillpartnership.org).
Still in the earlier years of development, the CHP has already found success in a variety of initiatives
and events. Some of their biggest accomplishments include: establishing a Tax Increment Financing zone in
2001, creating the College Hill Urban Revitalization Plan in 2010 and receiving annual Faade grants.
The CHP is also working to establish annual events including: Hill Yes! Auction in April, the College
Hill Arts Festival in July, the Neighborhood Picnic in August, the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in
December and a variety of festivals in Pettersen Plaza. Some businesses are also working to create events of
their own such as Mohair Pears successful Pear Fair D.I.Y Craft and Design Event and their Zombie Walk.

Main Street Waterloo

(MSW) was established in 1996 as an

affiliate of the Main Street Iowa program to revitalize the decaying
importance of the Downtown experience. MSW is an umbrella of the
former single entities of Cedar Skyline Co., the UpDowntowners,
Waterloo Downtown Council and the Waterloo Redevelopment
Authority. Being one of 33 Iowa downtowns currently working to
improve their Main Street in order to create social and economic health,
the program is based on the traditional downtown assets of personal
service, local ownership, unique architecture and a sense of community (mainstreetwaterloo.org).
MSW is funded solely on donations, building rents, grants, sponsorships and the revenue from the
events they hold. Their mission is to revitalize the Waterloo downtown through the implementation of the
Main Street Approach; this includes the four steps of design, economic restructuring, marketing and
promotions and organization.
In less than twenty years, MSW has created a positive economic impact with over 150 new businesses,
relocations and expansions, over 200 new jobs created, over 240 building renovations and over 40,000
volunteer hours as of the end of 2013. Some of their upcoming events include FridayLoo in May, My
Waterloo Days in June, BBQLoo ad Blues Too! in July, and the Mayors Fun Run in September.

Snap Shot
Age: 21+
Race: Any
Gender: Male or Female
Income: any amount that allows
for discretionary income
Marital Status: Single or
Married
Geographic Distribution:
Cedar Valley Area
Lifestyle Habits: cares about
improving the world, specifically
the local community

Target Audience
The primary target audience of Community Main Streets event Upstairs Downtown is very broad. They target
people more for their psychographics rather than their demographics. Upstairs Downtown targets local
community members who have an interest in viewing the upper spaces of downtown Cedar Falls, exploring the
architecture, design, and remodeling of the spaces, and have a desire to continue to see growth and development
in the downtown area.
The members of this audience can range from ages 21 years and up, can be male or female, of any race, single
or married, but are from the local Cedar Valley area and they live a life focused on improving the world,
specifically the local community. The money people spend to attend this event goes directly towards funding
for CMS, therefore the target audience is those who have money to spare, and who are interested in seeing
downtown Cedar Falls continue to flourish.

Media Selections
Radio
A younger audience often turns to Satellite radio, MP3 players or online sources like Pandora or Spotify for
music. However, there is still a good majority of our target demographic that tunes in and the older generation
especially, continues to be avid radio connoisseurs. Utilizing radio advertising for our Upstairs Downtown event
is advantageous and is an easy way to reach our target audience during their daily commute; therefore, radio
will be our major emphasis. 30-60 second spots will be purchased on local AM and FM stations, as well as the
University of Northern Iowas broadcast to ensure that all audience segments are reached. Community Main
Street has partnered with a few stations in the past and they will receive higher frequency.

Q92.3
501 Sycamore Street, Suite 300
Waterloo, IA 50703
319-833-4800
aaron.santini@waterloobroadcasting.com

KBBG-FM 88.1 Radio Station

918 Newell Street
Waterloo, IA 50703
319-235-1515
realmanagement@kbbg.org

Iowa Public Radio

322 Communication Arts Center
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0359
1-800-861-8000
events@iowapublicradio.org

KULT Radio
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
319-273-5858
kult.promotions@gmail.com

93.5 KCVM-FM
721 Shirley Street
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319-277-1918
themix@935themix.com
97.7 KCCR
501 Sycamore Street Ste 300
Waterloo, IA 50703
319-833-4800
kcrr@kcrr.com

KCNZ 1650
PO Box 248
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
1-800-913-9479
jesse@1650thefan.com
KWAY 1450
110 29th Ave SW
Waverly, IA 50677
319-352-3550
news@kwayradio.com
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Newspapers
For any members of our audience who do not tune in to broadcasts or use digital technologies,
we will be able to reach them via print materials, such as local newspapers. The main periodical
in the Cedar Valley is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Its circulation is approximately 39,470
daily and 42,239 on Sundays. Secondary audiences also read the WCF Courier and the UNIs
newspaper, Northern Iowan, as both newspapers can be found in waiting rooms and at
businesses throughout the community. We also intend to use the Waverly newspaper to expand
our reach even further.

Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

100 E 4th St
Waterloo, IA
(319) 291-1400
newsroom@wcfcourier.com

Northern Iowan
Mauker Union, University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
319-273-2157
northern-iowan@uni.edu

Waverly Democrat
311 W Bremer Ave
Waverly, IA 50677
(319) 352-3334
news@waverlynewspapers.com

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TV Stations
Due to the fact that the Upstairs Downtown event has an attendance limit, television will only be used as a
backup if additional tickets need to be sold. Most households have a television and because our audience tends
to tune in to the local news, we will be sure to have a spot on KWWL and on UNI TV, for the college
community. Even more religious television viewers watch cable. That being said, we will also choose a small
cable package through Cedar Falls Utilities if needed.

KWWL TV
500 E 4th St #100
Waterloo, IA
(319) 234-5995
comments@kwwl.com

UNI TV
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Uni-tv@uni.edu

Cedar Falls Utilities

PO Box 769
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319-268-5221
support@cfu.net

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Media Plan
Our campaign will primarily be using radio as our means of spreading word about the event. We selected radio
because of an existing partnership with 93.5 FM The Mix. Radio has worked well in the past for Community
Main Street and continues to be a good medium of communication with our local target audience. By using
Iowa Public Radio, the message will also reach target audience members in the surrounding Northeast Iowa
communities.
Our secondary media will be newspaper. Newspaper advertising is another mode of reaching our local target
audience and the surrounding area. We are not using it as heavily as radio because print advertisements are
easily overlooked by readers.
Finally, our last resort will be using television advertising to promote the event if there are a lot of unpurchased
tickets 1-2 weeks before the event. Television advertising is very expensive and it reaches around the same
number of people that radio and newspaper reach.

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Budget
Radio (2 week time period)
36 messages @ $25 per spot on Q92.3 FM...$900
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $15 per spot on KBBG FM 88.1......$540
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $30 per spot on Iowa Public Radio....$1080
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $16 per spot on KULT Radio...$936
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $28 per spot on 93.5 FM The Mix......$1008
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $23 per spot on 97.7 FM..$828
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $20 per spot on KCNZ.$720
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)
36 messages @ $18 per spot on KWAY...$648
(14 messages/week; 2 messages/day)

Newspaper
2 day 3 x 4 b&w ad in Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier @ $150 per day........$300
2 day 3 x 4 b&w ad in Northern Iowa @ $100 per day.$200
2 day 3 x 4 b&w ad in Waverly Democrat @70 per day...$140

Television (only if there are unsold tickets two weeks prior to event)
1- 30 second ad on KWWL @ $300 per air....$300
4- 30 second ads on UNI TV @ $15 per air......$60
4- 30 second ads on Cedar Falls Utilities @ $25 per air.$100
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Timeline
o Purchase all radio ads by August 15, 2014.
o Purchase all newspaper ads by August 15, 2014.
o Reserve all television ads by August 1, 2014
o Radio ads begin airing September 1, 2014.
o Newspaper ads begins September 1, 2014.
o Newspaper ads ceases September 7, 2014.
o Radio ads cease airing September 14, 2014.
o Television ads begin airing September 22, 2014
o Television ads cease September 24, 2014

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Evaluation
The number of attendees to the event will be tracked. The number of listeners will be measured for each radio spot. The
number of viewers will be measured for each television spot, if utilized. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to share
how they learned of the event upon leaving. Since the organizations goal is not for profit, a cost/profit ratio analysis is not
relevant.

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