1. Recommendation to invest in marketing items to increase audience member attendance for The
Plastic Shatners
Prepared for
Natalie Wilson, Director of the Plastic Shatners
Prepared By
Alex Heckman, Team member and performer
April 28, 2015

2. 1
Recommendation to invest in marketing items to increase audience member attendance at for
The Plastic Shatners
Introduction-The Plastic Shatners have been providing the students of Bowling Green State
University with free improv comedy for the past 15 years. The Shatners are BGSU’s premier
short-form improv team on campus, playing a variety of improvised games based on one-word
suggestions given by the audience. Those suggestions are then turned into scenes, songs, or
characters based on the nature of the particular game being performed. This past year’s team
consisted of 12 members, all BGSU students, and performed a total of 16 shows. Practices are
held twice a week in Olscamp Hall for the entire semester. Every show has been performed at
6:00 P.M. on Friday; we have performed in both the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, and
room115 in the Education building, which has become the preferred weekly performance space,
as seen in Figure 1 (“Classroom Maps”). Our primary methods of attracting students to shows
are flyers for the week’s show, advertising in campus update, and occasionally writing
advertisements on campus sidewalks. The team performed at the Chicago College Improv
Tournament, The Tides improv festival at The Ohio State University, and Lake Effect improv
festival at Case Western University during the 2014-2015 school year. Every week students
come to shows to put away their woes for a little while and laugh for the entire hour-long show.
The team’s overall goals are to branch out in the statewide and national improv community as
well as become a mainstream weekly event on the BGSU campus. We want to be recognized by
the university as a staple campus organization with a long line of history on campus, as well as a
group of funny, talented individuals who stand out among the rest of BGSU students for our
comedic presence on campus.
Problem-The overwhelming majority of students on the BGSU campus do not know who the
Plastic Shatners are or the free service they provide for said students. The team has existed for 15
years and despite its long history, it still does not have much of a presence on campus. The
students that do come to our shows consistently have a wonderful experience judging by the
amount of laughter and the fact that 82% of our audience comes to shows regularly, as seen in
Figure 2 (Heckman). However, our audiences have stagnated in size and our performance space
provides more seats than we usually fill, as seen in Figure 3. Week after week the same audience
members show up, but there are hardly ever any new faces with fresh suggestions and energy to
feed off of when performing. Because of our lack of recognition by the majority of the student
body, the student budget committee also does not know about the organization, thus crippling
our ability to fund our endeavors with financial backing from the university. They assume our
shows are low quality and therefore not worth funding; however, this is not the case, as this past
year we have added lighting cues, musical cues, a preshow playlist, projected title cards for each
game, recorded and live musical accompaniment, and added just about as much technical ability
as our performance space will allow us. As a well-trained group of improvisers performing
weekly for our student body, which consistently comes back once they see a show, we are so
much more than what we are seen as by the majority of the student body. With an increased
budget, we can take more trips, meet more teams, and even bring in professional improvisers for
workshops to refine our craft and put on better and better shows. None of this will be a reality
without getting new students in seats to fill our unused performance space to spread the word
that the Shatners exist and are worth every penny that was never spent on the show.

3. 2
Solution- The team needs to invest in marketing items to hand out and sell to the student body at
shows and around campus to put the Shatner logo out into the public eye to help increase our
overall budget. The products invested in should feature a variety of Shatner insignias, as seen in
figure 1 of the addenda, on a large selection of items such as stickers, buttons, wristbands, or
really anything within next year’s budget to give away or sell to those students. Ideally they will
in turn use, wear, and show off these items to their friends. In addition to whatever budget is
awarded by the Student Budget Committee at the beginning of the year, each member should be
required to pay dues for the year for the various trips and activities planned. Using a fraction of
these dues will ensure that these items can be purchased without making the director pay for
them out of pocket, which has happened in the past. Some of these items can be sold at shows to
help reduce costs for other items that will be given away freely. There is an online service known
as Redbubble where a free e-shop can be created, allowing any willing student to shop for more
elaborate products with our submitted Plastic Shatner logo on them without incurring any direct
costs to the team. The store sells everything from phone cases to leggings. If an audience
member should wish to buy a designed item from Redbubble, the company will produce the item
and ship it to them without any cost to the team (“Retail & Base Prices”). By implementing these
solutions, there will be both short-term and long-term benefits for the team.
Benefits- First and foremost, investing in these marketing items and selling them enables the
team to have a workable budget. This will allow the team to fulfill its goals of travelling,
bringing in professional improvisers for workshops and lessons, and pushing our marketing even
further. Travel experiences provide excellent opportunities for team bonding and lasting college
memories that team members can take with them for the rest of their lives. Performing at more
competitions and festivals will be invaluable networking opportunities for the team to meet other
teams, share tips and tricks of the trade, and make possible partnerships and friendships with
people they would never meet otherwise. The Plastic Shatners will put Bowling Green on the
improv comedy map. Bringing in professionals is an invaluable asset because they carry with
them knowledge and insight that amateur improvisers simply would not have under any other
circumstances. Not only will the team improve and put on better shows, but it could be an
excellent opportunity to attract other teams from around the Midwest to the university should the
Shatners ever wish to put on their own festival or workshop day. Most importantly though,
investing in marketing items at all will make the Plastic Shatners notable among the group of
people most important to the team: the students of BGSU. With the students on board with going
to shows, the team can become an integral part of every student’s Friday night on campus and
even a proud tradition upheld by the university for many years to come. Alumni will come to
campus reminiscing of the many laughs they shared at Shatner shows and be glad to see the team
going stronger than ever. Instead of the visibly half empty room the team has become
accustomed to performing for, the room will be packed with standing room only and laughter
erupting loud enough to be heard from outside the Education building.

4. 3
Proposed Course of Implementation- Starting at the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic
year, the team can begin to put its marketing strategy into action. First, the team’s director must
fill out all administrative paperwork to present to the student budget committee to try to receive
as much funding as possible. Next, after that year’s team has finished casting all new members,
dues should be allocated to the rest of the funding. Required dues of $35 per team member for
the whole year on top of whatever funding received by the committee will ensure a financially
sound pool of money to allocate to all of our marketing endeavors. Next, the team needs to create
a Redbubble e-shop to advertise merchandise for sale during the first few shows. After the
setting up our e-shop, select physical items, such as stickers should be ordered to sell at the
shows. All other items not provided by Redbubble should be purchased through other online
retailers, such as 24hourwristbands.com. Once all marketing items come in, signage can be
created for each item. Before every show, two selected team members can set up a table outside
the performance space to hand out free items and advertise the new for-sale merchandise both in
physical form and on the e-shop. In addition, shows should be advertised in the Bowen
Thompson Student Union once per week to hand out free items and information regarding that
week’s show. With proper implementation, students will be wearing our merchandise all
throughout campus, spreading our name and attracting the attention of new students. Selling
items will help cover some costs that will go into purchasing these items, or create revenue that
can go directly back into the team’s funds for future use.
Required Materials and Equipment-To maximize our items to give away or sell, and minimize
our overall costs, many of these items are small tokens for our audience to remember the show
by. Most items can be worn so that our logo can be carried with the student and be visible
everywhere they go to other students. The specific items that would be most fit for purchase are
as follows:
 Buttons- metal pinned buttons measuring 1½ inch in diameter featuring one of the three
logos found in figure 4 of the addenda to give out to students so they may wear them
around campus (“1 ½ Inch Round Custom Buttons”).
 Stickers- waterproof vinyl stickers with dimensions of 75x100mm/ 3”x 4” intended for
use on smooth surfaces such as laptops, tablets, or phones.
 Rubber Bracelets- ½ inch wide printed rubber wrist bands with “The Plastic Shatners”
written on the outside in Bladerubber font and an inside message reading “Short Form
Improv Comedy,” as seen in figure 5 of the addenda (“Printed Wristbands”).
 Temporary Tattoos- 1.5X1.5 inch customized temporary tattoos made of Eco Ink
featuring a Plastic Shatner logo from figure 4 of the addenda with the intention to be
worn both during and after the show as audience members go about their Friday night
business (“1.5 X 1.5 Custom Tattoos”).
 Laptop to be set up at merchandise table to display the Redbubble e-shop
 Signs to depict what each item is and the price associated
 Jars/Baskets to hold and display items on the merchandise table

5. 4
Cost Analysis-The most important factor to consider with this push in marketing is what overall
costs the team will incur. Despite the limited nature of the team’s overall budget, with money
coming in from dues in addition to the approved amount from next year’s budget, funds can be
allocated as follows:
With required dues of $35 from each member, without even considering a budget approval, and a
total of 10 members after graduating members leave and a few members take their place, starting
budget would be $350. If every item were sold, total profit to would equal $21, which nearly
replaces costs for stickers, or entirely replaces costs of buttons. Total costs for the year in this
case would be $128.87. If items were to only breakeven, total costs would equal $154.75. The
remaining amount of money can be allocated towards funding trips completed this past year
without any budget at all.
Conclusion- Marketing is the answer to the team’s attendance problem. Marketing is the key to
reaching out to new potential audience members in an effort to become better known on campus.
In turn, greater recognition from the student body will result in greater recognition by the student
budget committee, thus solving part of the budget issue as well. Our currently half-empty room
will be full of excited students ready to see an amazing improv show and laugh their troubles
away. After putting in effort for marketing and performing for more students, the team will
become a well-known organization on campus and receive more recognition from the university.
This will result in more money to pursue its more grandiose goals of travel and hiring
professionals for workshops. With these workshops and travel opportunities and the team will
undoubtedly attract the attention of the statewide and national improv community. The Plastic
Shatners will be able to host their own improv festival where teams from all over will want to
come see the campus of Bowling Green State University, share their love of improv, and
together create a lasting tradition for all future Shatners another fifteen years down the line. The
act of giving out a few logoed items may seem so simple, but it is a large and much needed step
in the right direction to accomplish all of these larger goals set out by the team. The ultimate
answer lies in the marketing. We can no longer wait for more students to just wander in to our
shows. It is time to take an active role in securing a future for our beloved improv team for many
years to come.
Item Quantity
Cost Per
Item
Total Cost Sold For
Breakeven
Quantity
Button 50 $0.37 $18.37 Free N/A
Sticker 25 $1.00 $25 $1.50 17
Temporary
Tattoo
600 $0.09 $66 Free N/A
Wristband 50 $0.81 $45.38 $1.00 46

6. 5
Addenda
Figure 1. Education Building Room 115
Figure 2. Relevant Responses from The Plastic Shatners Survey
How did you hear about today’s show?
Answer Choices– Responses–
Facebook Event Page
17.65%
3
Came with Friends
23.53%
4
Campus Flyers
11.76%
2
Campus Update
35.29%
6
Chalking
0.00%
0
Previous Show
41.18%
7
Word of Mouth/Recommendation
35.29%
6
Wandered in by accident
11.76%
2

7. 6
Where did you FIRST hear about The Plastic Shatners?
Answer Choices– Responses–
Facebook Event Page
0.00%
0
Came to a show with Friends
5.88%
1
Campus Flyers
0.00%
0
Campus Update
17.65%
3
Chalking
0.00%
0
Word of mouth/Recommendation
64.71%
11
Wandered in by accident
11.76%
2
Total 17
Would you consider yourself a “Regular Attender” (every week, two weeks tops)
Answer Choices– Responses–
Yes
82.35%
14
No
17.65%
3
Total 17
Figure 3.
Observed Audience Counts for The Plastic Shatners
Show Date # of Audience Members
3/20 64
3/27 71
4/4 52
4/17 72
4/24 89
Average # of attendees 69.6
Capacity of Education 115 225

8. 7
Figure 4. Insignias for The Plastic Shatners
Figure 5. Wristband Design for The Plastic Shatners
Outside
Inside

9. 8
Works Cited
"1 1/2 Inch Round Custom Buttons." 1 1/2 Inch Round Custom Buttons. 24 Hour Wristbands,
n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
"1.5 X 1.5 Custom Tattoos." 1.5 X 1.5 Custom Tattoos. 24 Hour Wristbands, n.d. Web. 27 Apr.
2015.
"Classroom Maps." Bgsu.edu. Bowling Green State University, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Heckman, Alex M. "Plastic Shatners Survey." SurveyMonkey. N.p., 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Apr.
2015.
"Printed Wristbands | Custom Silicone Wristbands - 24HourWristbands.Com." Printed
Wristbands | Custom Silicone Wristbands. 24 Hour Wristbands, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
"Retail & Base Prices." Redbubble. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.