4. Marketing Plan
4.4. Positioning by Cultural Symbols
the students as they progress through the years aging and developing as they do.
These characters will behave like a where’s Waldo, but ours will be a where to Waldo that also tells you where to go and what is going on. These characters will appear occasionally in different places in different formats either boldly or subtly. They will appear in the curriculum, part of our advertisement schemes, and have their own little segments like on our web pages.
These characters will be developed into mascots and will have the capability to interact with people. The point is to give these characters a purpose for people to identify with. These characters are designed to add value to the brand by increasing customer buy-in through customer appeal, relativeness, and attractiveness.
4.4. Positioning by Cultural Symbols
Abraham Academic Academy believes that it should be positioned and aligned with cultural symbols and by cultural symbol we mean anything that symbolizes a group. Our basic group will consist one of five following types: local, foreign, western, international and specific.
Within these groups we extend the definition to encompass significant and recognized things and sets of things that range from the abstract to the concrete like decor, colors, artifacts, and stories to memorials, landmarks, people, animals, items, and food. Academically speaking, the purpose of this is to provide a basic framework of the world for our students for identification purposes. Additionally, this simplified reference system aids foreign teachers by facilitating the teaching of concepts faster and easier. However, the following focuses on the marketing advantages gained through embracing these notions.
We believe that this marketing approach will truly resonate with each of our segments. As a foreign, western, rooted company positioned as an institution we want to pull symbolism from a walk of life that reinforces the image we are selling. This symbolism can be positively accepted by our host nation, because our western way of life, in terms of standards of living and educational standards, is held in high regard and considered to be superior in many ways.
Therefore, we want to use western cultural symbols that reinforce these elements of our schools and their practices. Consequently, by coming to our school our customers are in
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requires a 3 part process: internationalization, bridge, and localization. This process in essence is creating a bridge that brings these worlds together in a way to balance our image respectably in the minds of our customers.4.4.1. Internationalization (International Ground/Usage)
First and foremost, we are a foreign institution, an international institution that has come here from abroad. Our institution has schools operating under it based on these systems and those international schools are grounded in our ideals. Therefore, the symbolism that we bring must adhere to a foreign, western archetype. The international symbols chosen will be rooted in North American culture; however will include a strong international sentiment through Canadian, Australian, British, and European inclusions. For example, focusing on the North American culture, the school background and backdrop (things not utilized by students) should be decorated according to certain colors and motifs:
For example, colors and motifs to be used that are based on our origins and roots.
Colors & Motifs:
National/Flag: Red, White and Blue
Affluent/Educated: Copper, Oak, Mahogany
Nature/Humble: Brown, Green
Some American namesake items will be chosen to be used by the children in specific everyday formats. For example, naming the children’s classes or specific classrooms.
Bilingual Class Names: (Money)
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Some exemplar rooms around the school could be named:
The office The White House
The lunchroom The Ice Cream Parlor or Mc Donald's
The sleeping room Camp Nap-Nap
The dance or music rooms Broadway or Hollywood
The science room. NASA HQ (headquarters)
Some mascots are important for using in the curriculum (worksheets and text books), which then can be used in a retail capacity (stationary goods, notebooks, uniforms, stuffed animals).
Mascots:
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common things and ideals.American Landmarks, Trademarks and Food:
I-HOP, Applebee’s, Denny’s and 7-11
Costco and Wall-Mart
The Great Outdoors & Mother Nature
Plead the Fifth
Uncle Sam
4.4.2. Bridge (Middle Ground/Understanding)
A key to the success of this symbolism technique will depend on our ability to minimize any negative effects by having our schools act as a bridge between our two worlds. This will be done by exposing the relationship between the strong western and international elements
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made to ensure that we do not seem too distant from and unapproachable by our customers.Improper use of our strong foreign symbolism risks alienating our customers. So, if the symbolism chosen reflects the school as a foreign institution, we want to ensure that host country inhabitants understand that we have brought the best from our western culture in hopes of building a better host nation (Taiwan) through the development of Abraham Academic Academy students. A second problem to watch out for and overcome is that we do not want to come across the wrong way--snobbish and arrogant. To facilitate our success with symbolic positioning Abraham Academic Academy will specifically apply the symbolism in 3 ways to aid in our embrace of our school’s local and national environment:
• To focus on highlighting symbolic similarities (not differences) and avoid conflicts of interest between our cultures, segments and classes.
• To place the symbolism in the back drop of the school. To let our customers take what they want, not being too obtrusive so as offend customers by forcing our ideals down their throats.
• To forge positive and strong foreign-local relationships. To have the customers see the positive relationships and ideals that we choose to emphasize: employment practices, cooperation between local and foreign teachers and community involvement.
Abraham Academic Academy believes that crossing the cultural divide is more than the bricks and mortar of language, but pragmatic understanding. Most schools focus on the vocabulary and grammar without context. This aspect is not understood or embraced by many other schools. Through this specific application, we try to appeal to those who have picked up on the symbolism; know, like and recognize these details; have these expectations of a western school; or are looking to embrace certain aspects of foreign culture.
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symbolisms. This will ensure Abraham Academic Academy’s genuine admiration for the people and their country. These symbols will be chosen in one of two ways: physical intrigue or in-depth meaning:• Cultural symbolism chosen that intrigues or mystifies people: Ideas for physical symbols to use should be ones that are rare, unique, beautiful, or resonate with the host nation's people or can serve as conversation pieces.
• Cultural symbolism chosen regarding its specific meaning: Good wholesome symbols should represent family, people or country. Good mental symbols chosen should facilitate national pride, diverse artistic expression, intellectual or educational enlightenment. Good ESL symbols should represent a student’s struggle with foreign language acquisition. Good ESL symbols should represent culturally complex phenomenon, change, adaption or acculturation.
Since the first schools will be founded in Taiwan let’s use it as an example. Some examples of local Taiwanese cultural symbolism that can be used are as follows:
1. Cultural Formats taken from Taiwan’s Heritage:
象形文字 (Xiang Xing Wen Zi) ancient character
成語 (Cheng Yu) 4-character idiom
春聯 (Chun Lian)
合書 or 合文 Chinese Ligature
2. Focus on the Map of Taiwan (the 15 states and special things about them like):
Food
Aboriginal Communities
Landmarks and Attractions
Historical Sites
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musicians, athletes Wang Jian Ming 王建民), Objects (sky lanterns 天燈, dragon boat 龍舟, red envelopes 紅包)
5. Ideas to Use for Names of Classes:
The name of the Chinese Zodiac (十二生肖) character for the root year of the class (12 animals)
Ho-Yi(后羿) Archer that shoots the 9 suns
Qu-Yuan(屈原) from dragon boat festival
Chang-Er(嫦娥) and the Jade Rabbit(玉兔) on the moon
Niu-Lang(牛郎) & Zhi-Nu(織女) Chinese Valentine 7th month, 7th day, Magpie(喜鵲)
New Year monster(年獸)
Complex Notion & Tacit Understanding:
The first thing that people ask after reading this section is, “Is this necessary?” There are 2 amusing antidotes that will be shared to explain its importance and tacit nature. First, the Simpsons sitcom phenomenon can be used to explain how these complicated devices can be used with school aged children. Local symbolism will be understood by local people. Parents can choose to elaborate on the things that they deem important, which will further enrich a child's education through familial participation. By the same token parents can choose to overlook any element based on their own system of value and appropriateness without harm
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international symbolism, understood or not, people will seek out answers to questions that are interesting to them and take away from an experience what is satisfying. All we have to do is encase the symbolism in a package designed with amusing and lite-hearted overtones and then let the people decide what they want to learn from it.Looking at these complicated devices from the vantage point of grammar development gives another perspective. The daily exposure of these elements to children will give them a tacit understanding of many important cultural aspects that we never actually had to invest time in teaching, but through association will provide an intuitive and pragmatic cultural understanding of the language and the way we think. Most native language speakers are not aware of the grammar they use, or think about if they are using it correctly. Yet, this fact does not detract from the wealth of knowledge that the individual has amassed. The symbols and metaphors we choose to imprint on the children are an invaluable part of their international rearing.