G YRO M ARKETING P LAN

M AJOR I SSUES Gyro has an aging and declining membership base Friendship as a concept is difficult to sell Gyro hasn’t embraced social media Gyro’s branding lacks consistency

How can Gyro adapt to appeal to the next generation of retirees – baby boomers?

Opportunities Baby boomers are retiring Recession means men need to network for business Diversity Green movement (Gyro Parks) Threats Competition for leisure time High degree of rivalry Rising cost of living Membership numbers for civic organizations of most varieties are down E XTERNAL A NALYSIS

T ARGET M ARKET : B ABY B OOMERS Born between 1946 and 1965 The next generation of retirees Represent 29.6% of District IV’s membership

Strengths History Established membership base Fun Friendship Weaknesses Declining membership base Online presence Friendship as a selling proposition Branding consistency I NTERNAL A NALYSIS

G YRO B RANDING A Fraternity of Friendship. Gyro has 17+ slogans, two mission statements, and two logos.

G YRO O NLINE P RESENCE Gyro.ws has room for improvement in terms of aesthetics and breadth of features. Many individual clubs have their own websites, but few are kept up-to-date. Gyro International recently formed a Social Media Committee. Currently on Facebook, Gyro International has a modest 32 ‘likes’ and District IV’s group has 66 ‘members’.

D ISTRICT IV A GE D ISTRIBUTION The average District IV member is 69 years old:

M EMBERSHIP S URVEY When asked about their level of satisfaction with club events, District IV members returned a rating of 4.51:

M EMBERSHIP S URVEY 77.1% of members have invited two-or-fewer people to Gyro in the past two years:

M EMBERSHIP S URVEY 28.0% of respondents currently use social media:

R ED H AT S OCIETY (RHS) The Red Hat Society is a Women’s social organization with a similar purpose to Gyro. RHS strives for fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment, and fitness for members. RHS had two chapters in 1997; over 47,000 chapters today. – Compared to Gyro’s 99 clubs.

RHS has grown by word-of-mouth, facilitated by their easily identifiable red hats. They have a visually appealing website, rich with information and features. 11,000+ ‘likes’ on Facebook 2,400+ ‘followers’ on Twitter

M ARKETING S TRATEGY Align all Gyro’s activities towards fun Target baby boomers by increasing Gyro’s online presence and offering fun club events

If you put a group of men together under the pretence of friendship, they might not necessarily have fun. But if you provide fun for a group of men, they will likely become friends by sharing mutually positive experiences.

N ANAIMO C LUB Founded in Currently has 85 members:

V ANCOUVER, WA C LUB Founded in Currently has 66 members:

V ERNON C LUB Founded in Currently has 25 members:

FUN! Branding Member Benefits Social Media Social Gatherings WebsiteCulture Community and Charity Gyroscope Friendship

B RANDING Promote fun. Adopt a new slogan: “Committed to Fun.” Select a single mission statement.

M EMBER B ENEFITS Gyro has the opportunity to leverage its large membership base to offer discounts: – Travel – Insurance – Tourist attractions – More Turn-key solutions are available through organizations like CARP/AARP. Alternatively, Gyro could also develop its own affiliate card program to offer benefits.

S OCIAL M EDIA Promote Gyro’s Facebook page at the International Convention. Educate members on social media in the Gyroscope. Plan to launch Twitter and LinkedIn accounts at the next International Interim.

S OCIAL G ATHERINGS Conventions: – Offer the opportunity to attend conventions to those who might not be able to afford to-do-so by running contests or having fundraisers. Club Events: – Offer events which appeal to baby boomers and older generations alike: sports, drinking, mixed dances, gambling, travel, etc.

W EBSITE Launch new version of Gyro International’s website at Gyro.org. Optimize Gyro’s website for search engine results. Include more interactive features: – Blog from Executive – Members only forum – Buttons linking to Gyro’s social media accounts

C ULTURE Improve club diversity under the mandate of fun. Adopt the term Gyro Ladies in lieu of Gyrettes. Adopt an easily identifiable wearable symbol:

C OMMUNITY AND C HARITY Gyro should partner with an international charity promoting fun and friendship. Promote friendly fundraising competition amongst clubs. Encourage clubs wishing to help in their community to take on tasks to create fun.

G YROSCOPE Infuse the Gyroscope with fun, including puzzles, contests, and NHL/NFL pools. Run contests for best costume, joke, or poem. Highlight community and charitable efforts.

I MPLEMENTATION P LAN

“M ONDAY M ORNING ” Introduce the “Committed to fun” message to your clubs. Begin getting member feedback to take to the International Convention. Form action plan committees to oversee the implementation of the plan.

How can Gyro adapt to appeal to the next generation of retirees – baby boomers?

M AJOR I SSUES Gyro has an aging and declining membership base Friendship as a concept is difficult to sell Gyro hasn’t embraced social media Gyro’s branding lacks consistency

R ESOLUTION

T HANK Y OU ! Q UESTIONS ? To ease navigating the marketing plan, please see: Table of Contents, Page 2 Table of Figures, Page 6 Summary of Recommendations, Page 44