Pitched Unfairly

Harvest FestivalPawnee Parks and Recreation · Marketing plan

One weekend to prove Parks pays its own way.

Pawnee, Indiana · Season 3 · 2011

headliner: 1 tiny horse

01 · The landscape

The shutdown is over. The budget isn't back.

Closed
Three months of government shutdown.
Funded
Existing park maintenance. Nothing new.
Cut
The Harvest Festival, a town tradition, years ago.

Pawnee Parks and Recreation

Room 101

Notice

This office is closed until further notice due to a government shutdown.

Open. Barely.

02 · The goal, in one number

The festival earns more than it costs, or Parks closes.

Ticket, booth and ride revenueRevenue − Everything we can't get donatedCost > The whole target$0

Above $0The department survives, and the town gets its festival back.

Below $0The Parks Department is eliminated. No second festival.

03 · Audience

Three audiences, and one man we've stopped trying to reach.

  • Pawnee families

    WantsA cheap day out that fills a Saturday.

    GetsRides, a corn maze, fair food.

  • Li'l Sebastian fans

    WantsTo see the horse. In person. Once.

    GetsThe headliner, all weekend.

  • Local businesses

    WantsFoot traffic and a little goodwill.

    GetsBooths, and a sponsor credit.

  • Ben Wyatt

    WantsSomeone to explain the horse.

    GetsNothing. Not our segment.

04 · The big idea

The campaign fits on one poster: Li'l Sebastian is coming.

Town buzz

Pawnee loses its mind

Pawnee Harvest Festival

Rides

Corn maze

Fair food

Booths

Live, all weekend

Li'l Sebastian

Plus rides, a corn maze and fair food

05 · Channels

Pawnee's own TV will cover us for free. Paid ads only fill the gaps.

  • Earned Pawnee Today Joan Callamezzo, morning TV
  • Earned The evening news Perd Hapley, local anchor
  • Partner Sponsor storefronts Posters in every donor's window
  • Paid Radio and print ads Only where earned can't reach

20% paid

People who hear about it
Spend, out of the profit

Cheap and loud: the town hears it from Perd.

06 · Program of work

Five workstreams, each with an owner, all landing on one weekend.

  1. Jan 20S3E1 Pitch and terms Auditors approve; profit or close Leslie
  2. Jan 27S3E2 Sponsors Businesses donate; dealers lend cars Leslie, Tom
  3. Feb 10S3E4 Security Police volunteers from the chief Ben
  4. Feb 17S3E5 Media tour Every local show, one week Leslie, Ben, Tom
  5. Feb 24S3E6 Proof point A state commendation for the revival Leslie, Ron
  6. Mar 17S3E7 Festival weekend Gates open Everyone

07 · Budget

4 of 6 budget lines cost us no cash.

The profit target is easier to hit when most of the festival is somebody else's donation.

LineHow we cover itCash
Prizes and booth goods Donated by local businesses $0Donated
Cars Offered by Tom's car-dealer friends $0Donated
Security Police volunteers, by favor $0Volunteered
Publicity Interviews on every local show $0Earned
Headliner Li'l Sebastian, booked Paid
Rides, maze, power Rented for the weekend Paid

08 · KPI scorecard

One night went red. The number that mattered went green.

After

KPITargetResultStatus
Headliner Li'l Sebastian, all weekend Lost on Tom's watch; found in the corn maze Fixed
Coverage Stories about the festival Press ran with a curse story instead Fixed
Power Lights and rides on all weekend Blackout; a borrowed generator brought it back Needed help
Crowd A full opening morning Large crowds when the gates reopened On track
The number Revenue above cost A success. Parks survives. On track

09 · Risks, with owners

Every risk had an owner. The biggest one wasn't on the list.

RiskOwnerMitigationStatus
The headliner wanders off Tom A handler on the lead at all times Owned
Press digs into Ben's past Ben Leslie takes the interviews; back to the festival Owned
The power fails Ben A backup generator on site Owned
Not on the list The grounds: the Wamapoke say their people were killed here Leslie Too late to move. A curse is now the story. A Wamapoke exhibit at the entrance; the curse lifted None Red Resolved

it was red the day before

10 · The decision we need

Approve the festival, and we bet the department on it.

  1. TodayAuditorsApprove the festival, on these terms
  2. Next weekLeslieSponsor pitch to local businesses
  3. Gates openEveryoneRun the scorecard, live
Decision memoParks Dept.
For
The state auditors
Approve
Revive the Pawnee Harvest Festival
Terms
A financial success, or Parks is eliminated
Owner
Leslie Knope, deputy director

go big or go home