COMM5030 Social Entrepreneurship Practicum
Social Entrepreneurship Practicum
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COMM5030 Social Entrepreneurship Practicum
Project Brief 1
Business name Circle Paints
Business overview Circle Paints is a circular economy social enterprise that began trading in Sydney
in February 2023. Our goal is to divert paint from landfill, thereby reducing carbon
emissions and waste.
Circle Paints collects surplus paint from trade painters that would otherwise go to
landfill through the Paintback scheme and sells it at a 50% discount to new paint
prices. We primarily sell using a click and collect online sales model with pickup
slots available 7 days a week, but we have a retail shopfront in St Peters that is
open to walk-in customers four days per week.
The principal challenge for the enterprise in its first year has been creating
awareness of the option of purchasing paint saved from landfill. Google Ads have
proved unaffordable due to the paint category price-per-click being set by sellers
of new paint, and due to our unavoidably lower conversion rate which is a result
of us not being able to supply the needs of all customers, many of whom want
untainted paint that is seldom donated to Circle Paints.
Our second biggest challenge is building trust in the product: both that the quality
is good and that custom tinting will produce the colour that the customer wants.
Another challenge we cannot immediately address are our limited opening
hours for walk-in trade. We know many people buy paint at very short notice,
and are accustomed to hardware stores being open for extended hours 7 days
a week. We can’t compete with those trading hours at this stage.
Project Customers, marketing and branding strategies for Circle Paints
Project description Conduct market research on potential retail paint customers and propose a
marketing and branding strategy that aligns well with Circle Pants’ values and
target audience.
2
Project deliverables The team should provide the client with responses/ solutions/ recommendations
to the below questions/aspects.
Part A: Market research on potential retail paint customers and promoters
1. Who are the people potentially interested in purchasing second-hand
paint?
2. What are their demographics, preferences, and buying behaviours –
customer segmentation and key drivers?
3. What is the market size and potential growth trajectory for second-
hand paint in Sydney?
4. What turns customers into fans who will promote Circle Paints?
Part B: Marketing and branding strategies
1. What marketing strategy and channels will be most efficient in
targeting people who are likely to become Circle Paints customers?
2. How should we describe and portray the product across platforms
(Facebook, Instagram, website, etc)?
a) How can we overcome the perception that second-hand
paint is inferior to new paint?
b) What keywords can be easily understood and readily
adopted to help establish Circle Paints products as a new
category?
c) Should we use the term Surplus Paint or Rescued Paint or
Diverted Paint or Recycled Paint or another term?
3. Can you propose a branding strategy that communicates the
sustainability and cost-effectiveness of second-hand paint?