Family Meals, Inc. is a thriving business in a large metropolitan area of over 500,000 people. The business consists of the preparation and delivery of hot meals to families. Customers must call 24 hours in advance to select meals to be prepared and select a time for the meal to be delivered. Recently, this business has had trouble recruiting drivers to deliver the meals. The four-line advertisements in one of the local newspapers no longer seem to attract the number of drivers they need. In response to this situation, Family Meals has decided to prepare a display advertisement (e.g., one with graphics, a border, etc.) that it will run in the local newspapers.
The following job requirements exist for the driver’s job. Drivers must:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Have their own automobile to use
- Possess a valid driver’s license
- Have auto insurance
- Have a good driving record (having lost no more than three points off their driving record in the last year)
- Be able to read maps and make change
- Be courteous
No previous delivery experience is required. The job is part-time, varying between 10 and 30 hours per week, depending on business needs. Driving occurs between 4:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., seven days a week. The wage is $11.00 per hour plus tips. Tips are highly variable; about 25 percent of customers provide no tip, 50 percent provide some tip, and 25 percent provide tips of 15 percent or more. Drivers are provided with one week of training, after which they must pass a ride-along test conducted by the owner of Family Meals. There is a meal allowance, in which drivers may purchase any item on the menu at 50 percent off the menu price. The company pays for mileage at 80 cents per mile, and it pays for an oil change and lube every 7,000 miles, as well as a car wash every week. A one-week paid vacation is provided to drivers after they have accumulated 1,200 hours of work in a 52-week period. Another benefit is that the drivers often hear of other job opportunities from their customers.
Prepare responses to the following questions. (Because graphic images sometimes do not transfer accurately electronically, you may submit your advertisement to your instructor via fax, at 608-342-1466, or via U.S. mail, if you wish.)
1 - Prepare a display ad (4 inches x 5 inches) for the driver’s job. You may use computer-generated graphics. Assume your ad will run exactly as presented.
2 - Why did you choose the type of message you did (e.g., realistic, employment brand, targeted or combination)?
3 - What other recruiting methods would you suggest as being most effective in this case? Why? For this question, assume you have a modest budget of $1000 and need to recruit 10 new drivers who will remain with the organization for at least 6 months.