FLORIDA TREND × USF · ACADEMIC CLIENT PROJECT
Understanding the executive audience for business news.
As part of a four-person USF team, I helped develop a marketing plan for Florida Trend grounded in ten executive interviews. We connected audience research to a brand review, competitive analysis, segmentation, and recommendations presented to the executive team.
My role: Team contributor; research, recommendations, and presentation
Period: Fall 2023
Tools: Executive interviews · Market research · Personas · PowerPoint
10
executive interviews, team-wide
4
members of the USF project team
Full plan
research through recommendations
01 / PROJECT CONTEXT
How could Florida Trend reach more C-suite readers?
The assignment was to develop a marketing approach for Florida Trend’s executive audience. That required understanding how business leaders discovered information, which sources they trusted, and how different formats fit into their reading and viewing habits.
Our plan combined a brand overview, publishing-market review, brand and product competitor analysis, SWOT, target-market segmentation, and primary research. The interview work helped connect that broader analysis to the behavior of actual readers.
02 / MY WORK
Primary research informed the recommendations.
01
Executive conversations
The team completed ten interviews with executives, including CEOs, CFOs, vice presidents, and shareholders. Questions covered news consumption, digital media, trusted sources, and awareness of Florida Trend.
02
Audience interpretation
I helped develop personas and campaign recommendations and supported the executive interviews.
03
A complete marketing plan
We combined the interview research with the market and competitor review, segmentation, objectives, and a proposed marketing strategy. I contributed to the work and presented recommendations to Florida Trend’s executive team.
Ten interviews, conducted in two formats
Our four-person USF team used in-depth interviews to explore executives’ business-news habits. The report records seven in-person conversations and three virtual interviews.
Both bars use the full ten-interview sample as their scale. These are team totals, not my individual interview count. The interviews were qualitative research, not a representative survey of executives.
Recordings and transcripts supported the analysis
The team recorded and transcribed the interviews so responses could be revisited while developing the marketing strategy. The conversations explored news sources, digital-media habits, and familiarity with Florida Trend.
Source: Marketing Report for Florida Trend, USF team project, Fall 2023, “Primary Research Results,” p. 32.
Research findings and proposed directions
Our four-person team combined ten executive interviews with market and competitor research. The rows below connect interview findings with proposals from the marketing plan.
News discovery
Research finding: Participants described using phones and tablets to consume media and consulting more than one source of business news.
Proposed direction: Professional social channels, video, and email to introduce Florida Trend’s reporting.
Trust & credibility
Research finding: Interviewees described checking information themselves, including news first encountered through workplace conversations.
Contribution to the plan: Audience personas and a clearer view of how readers assessed business news.
Reader engagement
Research topic: Reading and viewing habits and awareness of Florida Trend.
Proposed direction: A stronger digital presence alongside more frequent executive roundtables.
I supported the interviews, helped develop personas and recommendations, and presented with the team. The final plan was delivered for the client’s consideration.
Source: Marketing Report for Florida Trend, USF team project, Fall 2023, “Primary Research Results,” pp. 32–33.
03 / DELIVERABLES
Marketing plan and executive presentation
The team delivered a marketing report with supporting interview material and an executive presentation. Its scope extended from market and competitor research to primary interviews, audience definition, and a proposed marketing approach.