TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 

SITUATION ANALYSIS 4 
Background 4 
Market Environment 4 

ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES 5 

MEDIA OBJECTIVES 6 
Overall Strategy 6 
Specific Objectives 6 

SCHEDULING 7 

TARGET AUDIENCE 8 
Geographic Target Area 8 
Demographics 9 
Psychographics 9 
Media Habits 9 
Entertainment Habits 9 
Key Insights 9 
Target Persona 10 

OVERALL MEDIA STRATEGY 12 

$15,000 BUDGET MEDIA PLAN 13 

Media Mix and Budget Breakdown 13 
Schedule 15 

$100,000 BUDGET MEDIA PLAN 16 

Media Mix & Budget Breakdown 16 
Schedule 18 

SUMMARY 20 

REFERENCES 21 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 2 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park is a privately-owned dog park and spa located in Ada, Michigan. 
The park wishes to establish themselves as the best experience for dog owners and their 
pets in the greater Grand Rapids area. This media plan discusses the media strategy and 
objectives, desired target audience, and two media plans (based on $15,000 and 
$100,000 dollar budgets), to effectively reach that target audience. The plan uses a mix 
of digital and traditional media throughout the calendar year to reach the audience at the 
right place and the right time. 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 3 
 
SITUATION ANALYSIS 
 
Background 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park is a 20-acre dog park and spa located in Ada, a small village 
outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The park is privately owned and offers membership 
opportunities for dog-owners to enjoy facilities like a jogging trail, dog pond, coffee bar 
and deck, and dog washing area.  
 
Ada offers a quaint, small-town feel in comparison to the bustling city life of Grand 
Rapids. They pride themselves on their “great neighborhoods, abundant recreational 
activities and thriving businesses.” Though Ada is located outside of the Grand Rapids 
city limits, it still attracts visitors and residents who commute between the two locations.  
 
Since the park requires customers to travel to the place of business, the primary 
geographic trading area for Shaggy Pines Dog Park is the greater Grand Rapids area. 
This includes Kent and Ottawa Counties. 
 
Market Environment 
Competition 
Area public dog parks like Hillcrest Dog Park, Covell Dog Park, Wyoming Dog Park, and 
Grand Ravines South are all in direct competition with Shaggy Pines. These parks may 
have an advantage over Shaggy Pines because of their convenience in cost or location. 
However, Shaggy Pines is superior to the majority of these parks because it offers a 
larger park acreage, enhanced experiences for dogs and their owners, and a more 
natural, wooded environment that urban dog parks can’t easily replicate. 
 
Current Media Usage 
Currently, Shaggy Pines Dog Park primarily uses digital media (Website, Facebook, 
Instagram, YouTube, Email Newsletter), transit media (Shaggy Shuttle dog bus), and print 
media (park signage). 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 4 
ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES 
 
The advertising in this media plan will appeal to the audience’s feelings of attachment 
and sense of family with their dogs. They will establish Shaggy Pines Dog Park as the 
best experience for dogs and their owners in the greater Grand Rapids area. 
 
The advertisements will increase awareness of Shaggy Pines Dog Park among the target 
audience by 30% within 1 year of the start of the campaign.   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 5 
MEDIA OBJECTIVES 
 
Overall Strategy 
To reach 30 - 45 year old active women dog owners in the Greater Grand Rapids area, 
this plan uses a mix of magazines (REVUE West Michigan, Grand Rapids Magazine), 
out-of-home (billboards) dog-friendly events (world’s largest dog wash), and digital 
(Facebook, Instagram, AdWords). 
 
Specific Objectives 
 
If implemented, the following media plans should achieve these objectives. 
 
$15,000 Media Plan 
● Reach: 104,000 
● Frequency: 25 
● Total Audience Impressions: 1,184,000 
 
$100,000 Media Plan 
● Reach: 209,000 
● Frequency: 46 
● Total Audience Impressions: 1,561,000 
 
 
 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 6 
SCHEDULING 
 
Pulsing Schedule 
To most effectively reach the target audience, Shaggy Pines should use a pulsing 
scheduling strategy, with an increase in media purchasing in the summer months. 
Although the park is open and maintained throughout the winter months spring, summer, 
and fall are more common for dog park visits. 
 
In terms of time of day, the target audience is most accessible in the evenings and on 
weekends, since they work during the day and have after-school activities with their kids 
in the afternoon.  
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 7 
TARGET AUDIENCE 
 
Geographic Target Area 
Since Shaggy Pines’ services require customers to visit the actual location of the 
business, the geographic target area for this media plan is the greater Grand Rapids 
area. This includes Ada, Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Allendale, Rockford, 
and Kentwood.  
 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 8 
Demographics 
Women pet owners aged 30-45 living in the greater Grand Rapids area. They have an 
annual household income of $95,000-150,000, are usually married with children, and 
have a college education. 
 
Psychographics 
This audience is interested in experiences where they can take their kids and their pets. 
They live an active, healthy lifestyle and wish the same for their family. When it comes to 
pet-related retailers and services, they value variety, economy and convenience (Chen, 
Hung, & Peng, 2012).  
 
Media Habits 
This audience is gaining influence in the digital realm. Though they aren’t as 
technologically savvy as their younger counterparts, they still consume message through 
social media like Facebook and Pinterest on their mobile devices. Additionally, they read 
blogs like Grand Rapids Kids that inform them of kid-friendly classes, activities, and 
events going on in their area. Since they live an on-the-go lifestyle, they interact with 
print materials like local guides, magazines, and flyers on a daily basis.  
 
Entertainment Habits 
This audience gets its daily entertainment through social media channels like Facebook. 
They enjoy attending kid and pet-friendly events. They also enjoy bringing their children 
to the movies on the weekends. 
 
Key Insights 
The primary key insight is that this audience actively searches for relevant information 
using the internet and print media (Chen, Hung, & Peng, 2012). This provides direction on 
the types of media to focus on for Shaggy Pines Dog Park. 
 
Secondly, 91 percent of pet owners consider their pets a member of the family (Harris, 
2011) and will spend money on them as such. This suggests that messages placed in 
family and/or lifestyle-oriented media will be effective in reaching the target audience. 
 
These two key insights will drive the media choices throughout the plan. 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 9 
Target Persona

 
 
Allison Crane is a 32-year old female who lives on Reeds Lake Drive in East Grand 
Rapids. She and her husband Paul have been married for nine years and have two 
children (Audrey, 7 and Carter, 4). They also have a seven month-old siberian husky 
rescue named Otis, who Allison considers her third child. Allison grew up in Grand 
Rapids, moved to East Lansing to study Sport Leadership. After graduation, Allison found 
herself back in the Grand Rapids area, working first as the Assistant Athletic Director 
before becoming the Head Athletic Director for East Grand Rapids Public Schools. 
  
Allison and her husband make a combined household income of $170,000 yearly. They 
use their higher income primarily to enroll their children in extracurricular activities and 
plan summer vacations. With her relationship with and passion for sports, it’s no surprise 
that Allison strives to stay active and healthy despite her busy life. She purchases 
top-grade food (even dog food for Otis) and loves to cook from home.  
 
When Allison has to attend after-school sporting events, she typically takes Audrey, 
Carter, and Otis along with her. Once the games are over and the players clear out, she 
and the kids like to play fetch with Otis on the fields. 
 
Allison loves the warmer weather, and spends most of her time off in the summer taking 
her kids to parks to play games, picnic, hike, and take Otis for walks. Even though she 
grew up in larger cities, Allison loves to unwind in nature.  
  

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 10 
Allison is very connected to her phone. Not only does her work require it, but she also 
has a desire for staying connected with her extended family and learning about events 
she can bring her kids and dog to. She typically uses Facebook after she gets back from 
work (anywhere from 5-7:00 p.m.) to catch up on news, post pictures of her dog, and 
share the game scores of East GRPS sports from that night. 
 
Allison visits a lot of blogs. She enjoys the narrative format and personal touch the 
authors give, because she feels like she can trust them like she would a long-time friend. 
When reading blogs, Allison likes to read anything from healthy recipes to kid and 
pet-friendly weekend trip ideas. She especially enjoys finding events and spaces where 
her kids can be active and learning while having fun. 
 
When Allison takes her kids downtown for errands, she keeps an eye out for guides, 
flyers, brochures, and posters about local events and businesses that she may be 
interested in visiting.  
 
Since Allison is part of Generation X, she still enjoys watching her favorite TV shows like 
Modern Family, but usually records them to watch later due to her busy schedule. She 
and her husband Paul usually catch up and watch the local news every night after the 
kids are asleep.  
 
The most effective way to reach Allison is to get her when she is either walking around 
downtown area, in neighborhood parks, scrolling through her Facebook feed, or reading 
blogs. Digital tactics such as sponsored posts targeted at dog owners/lovers living in the 
Grand Rapids area would reach Allison when she’s thinking about her dog (posting 
pictures, sharing videos, etc.) Contextual ads placed in dog-related/friendly blog posts 
would also be an excellent way to reach Allison at the right time.  
 
In terms of traditional media, flyers in local shops or listings in family guides/brochures 
are promising. Commercials aired during the nightly news would reach Allison after the 
kids have gone to bed and her attention can be more focused on the television.  

   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 11 
OVERALL MEDIA STRATEGY 
 
Based off of the key insights previously identified, this media plan will focus on two 
primary media: digital and print. However, some out-of-home/event based media will also 
be used. Specific digital vehicles used in this plan include promoted social media posts 
(Facebook and Pinterest), banner ads, and Google AdWords. Print vehicles include local 
magazines. Out-of-home and event vehicles include billboards and dog-related events in 
Grand Rapids.  
 
In addition to these paid media, Shaggy Pines’ owned media channels (website, social 
media sites, transit, etc.) will also be leveraged for optimal reach at little to no cost. 
 
 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 12 
$15,000 BUDGET MEDIA PLAN 
 
Media Mix and Budget Breakdown 
Traditional (paid) 
● Grand Rapids Magazine (Print) 
○ Grand Rapids Magazine is a general interest publication with a total 
circulation of 13,618. It celebrates dining, art & entertainment, culture, and 
businesses in Grand Rapids and West Michigan area. According to the 
editorial calendar, the April issue features “People and Pets.” This plan 
allocates 3 months of ⅙ page, color advertisements running in April, May, 
and June 2019. 
○ The rate per advertisement for a horizontal ⅙ page color ad in Grand Rapids 
Magazine is $690. This brings the total cost of this tactic to $2,070. 
● REVUE West Michigan (Print) 
○ REVUE West Michigan is a consumer magazine focused on the music, arts, 
and entertainment world of West Michigan with a circulation of 15,000. 
However, the April issue features a special advertising section on pet care 
that contains pet-related advertorials and advertisements. This plan calls 
for a ¼ page color ad for the April 2019 issue. 
○ The rate of a single ¼ page color ad for REVUE West Michigan is $455.  
● Gilda’s Club World’s Largest Dog Wash (Event) 
○ This annual event takes place in late June. This plan recommends a “Woof 
and Wag” sponsorship, which includes logo or name placement on signage 
and website, a vendor booth and logo placement on volunteer t-shirts. 
○ The cost of the Woof and Wag sponsorship tier is $500. 
● Pre-movie commercial 
○ A 30 second commercial for Shaggy Pines could be produced by a video 
production team at GVSU for a modest price and submitted to run twice 
daily Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, before a kid’s film at Celebration! 
Cinema North for four weeks in April 2019. 
○ A video production will cost around $2,000. A $250 charge takes place for 
each ad delivery. This brings the total cost of this tactic to $5,000. 
 
Digital (paid) 
● Facebook advertisement (Social Media) 
○ Sponsored Facebook ads targeted with a defined target of Grand Rapids 
women dog owners aged 25-45 would run year round, with a larger daily 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 13 
 budget in March through August. This ad would reach about 77,000 users 
in the target audience. 
○ The cost of a targeted ad running March-August with a $20 daily budget is 
$3,520. The same ad running the other six months of the year with a $10 
daily budget is $1,760. The total budget for the Facebook ads is $5,280. 
 
Traditional (owned) 
● Shaggy shuttle (transit) 
○ The shaggy shuttle is a service provided to members and non-members of 
the dog park. The shuttle runs year round to pick up and drop off dogs 
throughout the Grand Rapids area, and has messaging about Shaggy Pines 
on all sides. 
Digital (owned) 
● Facebook and Instagram (social media) 
○ Social media is a great way to show off the dog park and showcase happy 
customers (both human and dog). The best time to post on these platforms 
is after 6:00 p.m. since the target audience is returning from work and after 
school activities. These platforms should be updated almost daily, and 
year-round.  
● Website 
○ The website has multiple touchpoints for visitors, including directions, 
membership information, photos, videos, and park features. One way to 
increase the web traffic and improve Shaggy Pines’ web presence is to 
keep a regularly updated blog with topics that are relevant and useful to 
the target audience. 
● E-newsletter (email) 
○ E-newsletters are a great way to keep an established customer base 
engaged. The email list could be grown by having people sign up for the 
email list at the various events listed in the media plan.  
 
Digital (earned) 
● “Dirty Dog” social media competition 
○ Leverage social media to encourages users to share photos of their dog for 
a contest. The giveaway would be a free dog wash and park day pass. This 
would be a bi-monthly giveaway. 
○ The total value of this contest over 6 months is $162. 
 
Total Expenditures for this plan: $13,467 
 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 14 
Schedule 
Traditional media 
$15,000 Traditional Media Schedule 
  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb 
GR Magazine    x  x  x                 
REVUE    x                     
Dog Wash        x                 
Shaggy 
Shuttle  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Pre-movie ad    x                     

Digital media 
$15,000 Digital Media Schedule 
  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb 
Facebook Ad  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Photo contest  x    x    x    x    x    x   
Social Media  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Website  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
E-Newsletter  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
     
Paid, Owned, Earned media 
$15,000 Paid, Earned, and Owned 
  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb 
Paid  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Earned  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Owned  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 15 
$100,000 BUDGET MEDIA PLAN 
 
Media Mix & Budget Breakdown 
Traditional (paid) 
● Grand Rapids Magazine  
○ Grand Rapids Magazine is a general interest publication with a total 
circulation of 13,618. It celebrates dining, art & entertainment, culture, and 
businesses in Grand Rapids and West Michigan area. According to the 
editorial calendar, the April issue features “People and Pets.” This plan 
allocates 1 month of a two-page spread in April, and 6 months of ½ page, 
color advertisements running monthly from May through October. 
○ The rate per advertisement for a horizontal ½ page color ad in Grand 
Rapids Magazine is $1,710 and the rate for a two-page spread is $4,930. 
This brings the total cost of this tactic to $15,190. 
 
● REVUE West Michigan 
○ REVUE West Michigan is a consumer magazine focused on the music, arts, 
and entertainment world of West Michigan with a circulation of 15,000. 
However, the April issue features a special advertising section on pet care 
that contains pet-related advertorials and advertisements. This plan calls 
for a full-page color ad for the April 2019 issue. 
○ The rate of a single full page color ad for REVUE West Michigan is $1,000.  
 
● Gilda’s Club World’s Largest Dog Wash (event)  
○ This annual event takes place in late June. This plan recommends a 
“BowWow” sponsorship, which includes “logo or name placement on 
signage and website with hyperlink to your website, a vendor booth and 
premier logo placement on volunteer t-shirts.” In addition to the 
sponsorship, this plan includes a giveaway (Shaggy Pines bandana) for 
each of the three dog contest prizes. 
○ The cost of the BowWow sponsorship tier and three bandanas for the 
giveaway is $1018. 
 
● People & Pets (Pre-Laughfest event) 
○ This annual event takes place in late March before LaughFest. There are 
over 200 Grand Rapids community members and their pets that attend. 
This plan recommends a vendor table and four giveaways (Shaggy Pines 
bandana) for contest goody bags. 
 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 16 
 ○ The cost of the vendor table with four bandana giveaways is $68. 
 
● Billboards on US 131 (Out of Home) 
○ Shaggy Pines can advertise on US 131 near downtown Grand Rapids exits. 
This would reach the busy, on-the-go mothers defined in the target 
audience. This plan recommends a two billboard advertisement to run from 
March through September.. 
○ The cost for a single large billboard is $3,000 per month, making the total 
expenditure for six months $38,000. 
Digital (paid) 
● Facebook advertisement (Social Media) 
○ Sponsored Facebook ads targeted with a defined target of Grand Rapids 
women dog owners aged 25-45 would run year round, with a larger daily 
budget in March through August. This ad would reach about 77,000 users 
in the target audience. 
○ The cost of a targeted ad running March-August with a $40 daily budget is 
$7,040. The same ad running the other six months of the year with a $20 
daily budget is $3,520. The total budget for the Facebook ads is $10,560 
 
● GR Kids banner ads/sponsored posts (blog) 
○ GR Kids focuses on family-friendly happenings in the Grand Rapids area. 
The website is highly influential with West Michigan mothers and features 
local guides, lists, events, and sponsored/organic feature articles. This plan 
recommends a top banner ad focused on the kid-friendly nature of Shaggy 
Pines to run year-round, and three sponsored posts about shaggy pines as 
a dog-owning family destination.  
○ A top banner advertisement on the GR Kids costs $200 per month and a 
sponsored post is $150, bringing the total for this tactic to $2,850. 
 
● Google AdWords (Search engine ads) 
○ Shaggy Pines can pay for keywords on Google so the park will appear at 
the top of search results and drive traffic to their website. The average 
monthly expenditure for small businesses on AdWords is $8,000. The 
AdWords campaign would run for 6 months (March-August) for a total of 
$48,000.  
 
● Specific Google Search Words/Phrases: 
○ Dog park Grand Rapids 
○ Dog daycare Grand Rapids 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 17 
 ○ Large dog park near me 
○ Dog wash Grand Rapids 
○ Dog spa Grand Rapids 
 
 
Total Expenditures for this plan: $93,780 
 
Schedule 
Traditional media 
$100,000 Traditional Media Schedule 
  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb 
GR 
Magazine    x  x  x  x  x  x  x         
REVUE    x                     
Dog Wash        x                 
People & 
Pets  x                       
Shaggy 
Shuttle  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Billboard  x  x  x  x  x  x  x           
 
Digital media 
$100,000 Digital Media Schedule 
  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb 
Facebook 
Ad  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Social 
Media  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Website  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Email 
Newsletter  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
AdWords  x  x  x  x  x  x             
Blog 
posts/ads  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
 
 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 18 
Paid, Owned, Earned media 
$100,000 Paid, Earned, and Owned 
  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb 
Paid  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Earned  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
Owned  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x  x 
 
   

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 19 
SUMMARY 
 
By implementing this media plan, Shaggy Pines Dog Park will increase awareness of their 
business among key target audience members and connect with them on values that 
matter to them. Through the use of digital, print, and event-based media, the park can 
establish and impactful relationship with members of the greater Grand Rapids 
communities and prove to them that they provide the best dog/owner experience in the 
area. 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 20 
 REFERENCES 
 
Advertise. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://grkids.com/advertising/ 
 
Chen, A., Hung, K., & Peng, N. (2012). A cluster analysis examination of pet owners' 
consumption values and behavior - segmenting owners strategically.​ Journal of 
Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, 20(​ 2), 117-132. 
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/jt.2012.10 
 
Facebook Ads. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads

Grand Rapids Magazine. (2018, April 20). Retrieved from http://www.grmag.com/magazine/ 

 
​ etrieved from 
Harris: Pets really members of the family. (2011). ​Entertainment Close - Up, R
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/871736503?accountid=39473 
 
How Much Does Google AdWords Cost? (n.d.). Retrieved from 
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/05/21/how-much-does-adwords-cost 
 
National Cinemedia REGIONAL ADVERTISING. (2018, April 25). Retrieved from 
http://adspecs.ncm.com/regional-advertising 
 
Our Community. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://adamichigan.org/community 
 
Revue West Michigan. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://revuewm.com/advertise 
 
World’s Largest Dog Wash. (n.d.). Retrieved from 
http://www.gildasclubgr.org/event/worlds-largest-dog-wash/ 
 

 
 
Shaggy Pines Dog Park Media Plan 21