1. Rochester College Visa
Integrated Marketing Plan for Rochester College Visa
presented by Chief Financial Credit Union

2. 1.0 Executive Summary
2.0 Creative Brief
3.0 SWOT Analysis
4.0 Objectives
6.0 Strategy
7.0 Segmentation
8.0 Schedule
9.0 Recommendations
10.0 Evaluation
11.0 Appendix
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3. 1.0 Executive Summary
This integrated marketing communications plan will outline the plan to launch the Rochester
College credit card along with Chief Financial Credit Union. Chief Financial is the official credit
union of Rochester College. The credit card will benefit the RC scholarship fund, giving back a
portion of every dollar spent to the students.
This plan outlines objectives, strategy, segmentation, target audiences, advertising, plans for
the future and public relations strategies. It will also include schedules for the launch of the
credit card both now and moving forward.
The target audiences are students, alumni, friends of the college and faculty/staff. The overall
goal for this plan is to create awareness and adoption of the credit card in the immediate time of
launch and planning for the next two years.
2.0 Creative Brief
The RC Visa along with Chief Financial Credit Union will seek to adhere to some of each
institution’s brand guidelines.
Publications that will go out for the RC Visa will be mostly white backgroud, with the exception
of some photo backgrounds. The only colors to be used are white, black and the RC Crimson
which is CMYK C:23 M: 100 Y: 100 K: 18.
The heading and subheading text will be in Bebas Neue while most of the copy text will be in
Museo. Smaller body text will be in Minion Pro if a body text is needed.
Moving forward, the campaign will adhere to these guidelines in all things that are created for
the RC Visa.
3.0 SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
● Strong alumni and friend base with an
affinity for Rochester College
● Benefits to students and scholarship
fund
● Backed by Chief Financial Credit
Union
Weaknesses
● Better credit card deals exist with
greater benefits to the consumer
● Small group of target audiences
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4. Opportunity
● New students come to RC and new
alumni are created each year
● Target markets will only increase
● Events coming like Partnership
Dinner, Flinsky Golf Classic and
graduation to promote the card
Threats
● Predicted spike in credit rates after
Donald Trump takes office in January
● Other credit card companies can take
away potential consumers
4.0 Segmentation
Under 30
This group of under 30 will be made up mostly of students and alumni of less than 10 years.
This group will be marketed to mostly through social media and online ads. The Rochester
College Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages will have ads for each platform to reach this
audience. Social media pushes will most likely be the most effective with the link to apply easy
to find.
This group will include the majority of students as well and will receive our first postcard through
the mail as an introduction.
This group will sign up for the card heavily because of how the card affects them and how it can
benefit them.
30-50
This age group will be more defined in their careers and many will have a family to consider.
This group could include students, alumni, friends or staff/faculty. They will often be at the
earning peak of their life as well.
This subset uses the internet and social media, but not as frequently as the under 30s. To
market most successfully to them there should be a combination of traditional marketing
alongside the online marketing.
The postcard will reach many in this group and will be the first thing they will see about the card.
Past that, there will be online and social media advertisements to keep the card in front of
people. The Northstar advertisement will reach many people in this target age.
This group will likely sign up for the card because of the benefit to the students currently at the
school or future students. Therefore, that should be the biggest push to them.
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5. Over 50
This group will consist mostly of friends, alumni and a few students. They will rely mostly on
traditional means of marketing with some online and social media posts mixed in. They highly
value community and face to face interaction.
The first push to this group will be the postcard, followed by the advertisement in the Northstar.
Some of this group will likely see online ads, but they are less likely to respond to those. The
best option with this group is keeping it in front of them at events. When they attend events like
Homecoming or Partnership dinner there will be flyers and ads for them to see.
They will also respond to face to face interaction well. If Chief has a booth at various events with
information about the card, this will be a time for them to ask questions and learn more.
Talking points:
● $25 will be donated to the scholarship fund for every approved application of the RC
Visa.
● Explain the benefit to current and future students of RC. For each dollar you spend,
Chief will donate a portion back to the scholarship fund
● How Chief, the official credit union of RC, has helped- presenting sponsor of Lake
Norcentra Park, ATMs on campus, providing “Chief Connects” financial seminars on
campus.
● Show your RC Warrior pride!
● Discussing benefits of a Chief Financial Credit Union Credit card
● Use student testimonials/quotes as selling points
4.0 Target Audiences
This IMC plan will identify four main target markets. There is also room for growth into the
Rochester community and many marketing opportunities.
4.1.​ ​Students
Students are at the center of what Rochester College does. This market includes traditional
students, students from the Center of Extended Learning and Graduate students. There are 960
students altogether in this group.
Traditional students average 19.6 in age. They typically live on campus, with family or in
inexpensive off campus housing. This group will have the smallest incomes of all target groups.
There are 583 students in this group.
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6. This group also includes students from the Center of Extended Learning with an average age of
34. They are most likely established in jobs and some will have families. There are 342 students
in this group.
Lastly, it will include graduate students. This is the smallest subset of students. It includes ages
from 22-30. There are 19 students in this group that live all across the country.
4.2.​ ​Alumni
Alumni are graduates that completed a minimum of 30 credit hours during their time at RC. This
subset is about 8,000 in size. This group is most engaged in on-campus activities and some of
the best partners the school has. There is also great room for growth into this group. THey are
likely to be the first early adopter of the Visa and we hope for great engagement with them.
4.3. Staff and Faculty
This group includes full-time staff, part-time staff, professors and adjunct professors. This group
includes 283 staff and faculty. They often have a great love for RC, as many are former
students of the college. Staff and faculty that are alumni are likely to be our greatest target as an
early adopter of the RC Visa.
4.4 Friends
This group interacts with RC financially, but were not alumni or employees. Most are from the
greater Rochester community, but also includes out of state friends of the college. This subset
has a great affinity for RC through their support of various initiatives around campus.
5.0 Objectives
The overall objective for this IMC plan is to create awareness in the target audiences and gain
applications for the RC Visa.
5.1 Objective 1
Within the first year of launch we aim for around less than a 1% response rate in applications.
The first marketing push will go out to 14,000 people and we aim for 100 applications.
5.2 Objective 2
Increase awareness of the RC Visa and keep it in front of people over the first year through
social media posts, ads and flyers around campus. Within the first year, we aim for 100
applications.
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7. 6.0 Strategy
The objectives outline that awareness will be the greatest benefit to the RC Visa. Awareness will
lead to application and adoption of the card. This objective will be accomplished through
advertising, events and word of mouth. This section will be broken up into different means of
marketing.
6.1 Print
Postcard
The first marketing launch was a postcard, in homes the week of October 17. It included basic
information of what the card is as an introduction, Homecoming information, a “Thank You” to
Chief Financial for their help on RC’s campus and a call to action to apply.
This will be mailed to 14,500 people including all target audiences. We can hope to expect a 1%
response rate or around 100 applications.
Magazine Advertisement
The Northstar is a magazine for alumni and friends of RC, will begin to run advertisements in its
print publication starting in Spring 2017. These advertisements will continue to run in each issue
for at least the next three years.
Partnership Dinner Ad
Partnership dinner is an annual event that takes place every April and generates revenue for
student scholarships. An ad will run in the program and in the slideshow during the event. This
will reach 600-650 people.
Take-Aways
Created by Chief, the take-aways will be placed in Chief locations and around RC’s campus as
well as at RC events. They will also eventually be placed in bags at the campus store on RC’s
campus, so every time someone makes a purchase they will be reminded of another way they
can help RC.
Flyers
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8. Flyers will be on campus at RC, on location at Chief Financial Credit Union locations and at
various RC events. They will include general information about the card and how it helps the
students of RC as well as a call to action to apply.
6.2 Digital
Social Media/Online Advertisements
These advertisements will be for RC’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and website. They will
begin to be posted in November 2016 and will continue to run periodically over the next two
years.
This will reach a varying range of audiences including all target audiences. They will continue to
be reposted in order to keep the card in front of people and to find new people as the college
gains followers.
Email
An email was sent out at the beginning of November 2016 introducing the card and another
email is drafted to be sent out in January 2017. Headers for both of these emails were created
and can be used in the future as more emails are required.
6.3 Public Relations
Press Release
The press release announces the partnership between RC and CFCU and officially explains the
launch of the RC Visa. It will be available on CFCU and RC’s websites.
6.4 Signage
Pop-Up Sign
The pop-up sign will be created for indoor advertisement of the card and to be displayed in
CFCU locations if they desire and at RC events, such as graduation.
Banner
The banner will be created for portable use at various events such as Ice Cream Olympics,
partnership dinner, Homecoming, Warrior Adventures the new arena opening and so on. It can
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9. be used both inside and outside by RC and Chief. It will also be displayed outside of Chief’s
main location in Rochester Hills.
8.0 Schedule
● October 2016: Postcard and launch of card
● November 2016: First email blast and social media post
● December 2016: Card was announced in eNews for the first time
● January 2017: Second email blast
● March 2017: Social media ad
● April 2017: Graduation and partnership dinner advertisements
● May 2017: Social media ad and potential email blast
● August 2017: Social media ad and Ice Cream Olympics
● October 2017: Social media ad, Northstar Ad and Homecoming
9.0 Recommendations
If the RC Visa does not reach 50% of its goal by May 2017, another major push will be needed
to remind people to apply for the card. The first recommendation would be another email blast
out to RC’s full email list. The second recommendation would be another mailer.
10.1 Evaluation
Evaluation for this plan will happen moving forward as the card is adopted. Evaluation will be
done through the number of applications after every big advertising push or event.
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10. 11.0 Appendix
11.1 Student Testimonials
Amber Joseph, senior Mass Communication Public Relations major, “When I began looking for
colleges, I didn’t have any idea where I wanted to go. Coming from a small Christian high school
in Missouri, I knew I wanted a private or Christian university. I came to visit RC on a whim, after
visiting many other private schools across the country. RC offered me the best scholarship
package out of any school I visited and ultimately made my decision to move to Michigan and
attend RC. I couldn’t have attended RC and gotten the Christian education I wanted without my
scholarships.”
Samantha DeVries, junior Theatre major, “The scholarship I received was really the deciding
factor in whether or not I would be attending Rochester College. Without the scholarship I would
not be financially able to afford this education. I live in Canada so it was very important to know
that there would be people at this school who were willing to help me out with all of the
paperwork and financial hurdles. Because of the scholarships I am receiving the education and
experience I need, and for that I am very grateful.”
Dimitrios Pappas, senior Accounting and Business Management major, “The scholarship I
received from RC for academics and for basketball has helped me to get a step closer to my
goals, Without this scholarship I would not be able to come to the US for a better future.”
11.2 Print
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11. Postcard
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12. Magazine Advertisements
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13. Partnership Dinner Advertisement
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14. Take-aways
11. 3 Digital
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15. Social Media/Online Advertisements
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16. 15

17. 16

18. 17

19. Email Headers
Email Text
“When I began looking for colleges, I didn’t have any idea where I wanted to go. Coming from a
small Christian high school in Missouri, I knew I wanted a private or Christian university. I came
to visit RC on a whim, after visiting many other private schools across the country.
RC offered me the best scholarship package out of any school I visited and ultimately made my
decision to move to Michigan and attend RC. I couldn’t have attended RC and gotten the
Christian education I wanted without my scholarships.” Amber Joseph, senior Mass
Communication- Public Relations major.
Introducing the Rochester College Visa, presented by Chief Financial Credit Union, the official
credit union of RC. The RC Visa will help students by contributing to the scholarship fund. The
RC Visa has many benefits including helping future and current students of RC.
● Earn cardholder reward points​1
● $25 will be donated to the scholarship fund for every approved application
● For every dollar you spend on your card, Chief Financial will donate a portion back to the
scholarship fund​1
For more information and to apply visit rc.edu/visa
1Share the Rewards Program:
Chief Financial Federal Credit Union (“Chief Financial”) will donate to Rochester College Student Scholarship Fund (“Scholarship Fund”) a percentage of the new net retail purchase transaction
volume (“net purchases”) charged to the Rochester College card (“card”) during each periodic billing cycle. Net purchases may begin qualifying for donation calculation on the date the card
and the card agreement is received by the cardholder. Donations are made by Chief Financial in accordance with agreements with Rochester College and not on behalf of the cardholder. The
donations are not eligible for tax deduction by the cardholder or any agent other than Chief Financial. Chief Financial reserves the right to award bonus donations in association with select
cardholders’ net retail purchases. Chief Financial reserves the right to disqualify any cardholder from participation in the program. The Share the Rewards program is void where prohibited by
federal, state or local law. Chief Financial reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the Share the Rewards program. Eligibility in the program is restricted to individuals who
have a billing address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.
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20. “The scholarship I received from RC for academics and for basketball has helped me to get a
step closer to my goals, Without this scholarship I would not be able to come to the US for a
better future” -Dimitrios Pappas, senior
Apply for your Rochester College Visa, presented by Chief Financial Credit Union, the official
credit union of RC. The RC Visa will help students by contributing to the scholarship fund. The
RC Visa has many benefits including helping future and current students of RC.
● Earn cardholder reward points​1
● $25 will be donated to the scholarship fund for every approved application
● For every dollar you spend on your card, Chief Financial will donate a portion back to the
scholarship fund​1
Help current and future students at RC today!
For more information and to apply visit rc.edu/visa
1Share the Rewards Program:
Chief Financial Federal Credit Union (“Chief Financial”) will donate to Rochester College Student Scholarship Fund (“Scholarship Fund”) a percentage of the new net retail purchase transaction
volume (“net purchases”) charged to the Rochester College card (“card”) during each periodic billing cycle. Net purchases may begin qualifying for donation calculation on the date the card
and the card agreement is received by the cardholder. Donations are made by Chief Financial in accordance with agreements with Rochester College and not on behalf of the cardholder. The
donations are not eligible for tax deduction by the cardholder or any agent other than Chief Financial. Chief Financial reserves the right to award bonus donations in association with select
cardholders’ net retail purchases. Chief Financial reserves the right to disqualify any cardholder from participation in the program. The Share the Rewards program is void where prohibited by
federal, state or local law. Chief Financial reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the Share the Rewards program. Eligibility in the program is restricted to individuals who
have a billing address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.
11.4 Public Relations
Press Release
Rochester College announce the launch of the RC Visa alongside Chief Financial Credit Union,
the official credit union of RC.
Chief Financial is also the presenting sponsor of Lake Norcentra Park, located on the campus of
RC. They seek partnerships within the Rochester community and foster relationships with
neighbors like RC.
The goal of the RC Visa is to give people opportunity to show Warrior pride, while also
contributing to the scholarship fund at RC. Every dollar you spend on your RC Visa will increase
Chief Financial’s donation to the scholarship fund.
11.4 Signage
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21. Banner
Pull-Up
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22. 11.5 Disclaimer Language
Rewards! Program:
Cardholders will earn Rewards! (“points”) for purchases of all eligible goods and services using the
participating Chief Financial Federal Credit Union’s (“Chief Financial”) credit card (“card”). Accrual of points
may begin on the date the card and the card agreement is received by the cardholder. Point earnings are
based on the new net retail purchase transaction volume charged to the card during each periodic billing
cycle (“billing cycle”) by the cardholder(s) (“net purchase(s)”). Points may not be combined with any other
loyalty/frequency reward program. Points will not be earned or accumulated for cash advances, convenience
checks, traveler’s check purchases, finance charges, balance transfers, late fees, annual fees, over-limit
fees, transaction fees, returned check fees, ATM transactions and fees or PIN transactions. Chief Financial
reserves the right to award bonus points to selected cardholders. The Rewards! program is a service
provided through Augeo Consumer Engagement Services, LLC, and Chief Financial Credit Union. In the
event of fraud, abuse of program privileges or violation of the program rules (including any attempt to sell,
exchange, or transfer points or the instrument exchangeable for points), Chief Financial Credit Union
reserves the right to cancel cardholder’s membership in the Rewards! program. The Rewards! program is
void where prohibited by federal, state, or local law. Chief Financial reserves the right to change the terms
and conditions of the Rewards! program. Eligibility in the program is restricted to individuals who have a
billing address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Visit ​www.manage-my-rewards.com
for the full Terms and Conditions of the Rewards! program.
Share the Rewards Program:
Chief Financial Federal Credit Union (“Chief Financial”) will donate to Rochester College Student
Scholarship Fund (“Scholarship Fund”) a percentage of the new net retail purchase transaction volume (“net
purchases”) charged to the Rochester College card (“card”) during each periodic billing cycle. Net purchases
may begin qualifying for donation calculation on the date the card and the card agreement is received by the
cardholder. Donations are made by Chief Financial in accordance with agreements with Rochester College
and not on behalf of the cardholder. The donations are not eligible for tax deduction by the cardholder or any
agent other than Chief Financial. Chief Financial reserves the right to award bonus donations in association
with select cardholders’ net retail purchases. Chief Financial reserves the right to disqualify any cardholder
from participation in the program. The Share the Rewards program is void where prohibited by federal, state
or local law. Chief Financial reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the Share the Rewards
program. Eligibility in the program is restricted to individuals who have a billing address within the 50 United
States or the District of Columbia.
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