"Showtime: Turn Playing Surfaces into 3-D Video Boards"

From Athletic Business and Quince Imaging

Analysis by Jessalyn Stone in KIN 501

Quince Imaging is a company that provided a 3D video board display show for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The pregame show they designed for Cleveland was honoring the jersey retirement of Zyndrunas Ilguaskas. To create this “science of display” anywhere from 8-12 projectors are placed throughout the arena and used to project the video. Approximately 60 days before the final product is displayed the arena must be mapped out to figure out the location of the projectors and meet with the media department. A 3D CAD model of the court is built and used to create the video. The content of the video then lined up and rendered to create the final project. A few days before the presentation the projectors are installed and tested. Come show time literally the play button is pressed and all of the work is complete. This kind of technology can be used on basketball courts, ice, grass, turf and even on city buildings. The cost for these applications is based on the image area and ambient conditions.

From a marketing standpoint this kind of technology is the “up and coming” and the “new age” video displays. Having a team or University use this kind of projection for a video is still a new thing that not many places have been able to utilize and enjoy. If the team was given the opportunity to have a project like this displayed that can be used as a huge marketing ploy to their advantage. Because this is something so new and top of the line when it occurs it needs to be capitalized on and used in a manner that “sets the standard” for other teams or programs. Although this kind of program is expensive it is comparable to other special lighting and video projects. As a marketing professional it could even be used in a way that introduces it to your staff in hopes of using it and boosting your team or program. This course teaches us the different aspects of marketing and obviously video boards are just one aspect but it can be a very influential means of advertising. Being aware of new technologies and utilizing this kind of video boards can be very beneficial to a marketing department. In marketing you have to know the market that you are targeting and this kind of video board can be utilized on many different levels within the market. This kind of technology can be used on buildings, for presentations and for sporting events. These videos are relatively new and are created to be very unique to whatever specifically you are marketing and that can be very beneficial to the marketing department.

"The Connected Fan"

From Adweek

Review by Ryan Dixon in SRM 435 (section 1)

“Competing with the couch”, as this article talks mostly about connecting with the fans through social media and ways to get fans attention while at the game there are still some people out there that would rather enjoy watching a game “on the couch.” Stadiums and ballparks are thinking of more creative ways to get the fans engaged not just into the game but into what’s going on around the game. Places like the seats, at the concession lines, or even on the big screen scoreboard. While some stadiums are more technologically advanced than others, they are still trying to rebuild and revamp to get the game day experience more live and exciting.

The way this article ties into this course is that without all the new technology that is being added to the stadiums people wont want to come and watch games in person anymore. They will rather sit at home and be able to get the same experience that they would at the games. That’s why companies are coming together and thinking of ways to get fans to come to the games. With adding new technology to stadiums fans will see that and know they are getting a better experience than they would on their couch. Without fans coming to view the games in person you wont have sales and marketing promotions for other companies and even for your stadium itself. Fans want that wired environment; have free WiFi so their videos or pictures upload quicker onto their social medias. During games you have trivia presented by a certain company that does promotions for the team. While a game is on time out you may have a chance to get and upgrade seat exchange by answering the trivia question right. Its things like this that make fan want to come to the games in person. I feel bad for someone who has never been to an actual stadium to watch a game in person. I know many people say they would rather watch games on a HD TV but I don’t know what is more HD than our own eyes and experiencing everything first hand.

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Review by Cody Fazenbaker in SRM 435 (section 1)

With the emergence of advanced technology, the viewing experience of sporting events is changing drastically. Ten years ago, the action of the game was what drove fans to come watch. Now, with the creation of smartphones and Wi-Fi, it is all about the fan experience. Fans are not as motivated to attend sporting events live as they were years ago because of the convenience of watching multiple games from several angles from the comfort of their own home. Sports organizations are “competing with the couch” and fighting to give fans an irreplaceable fan experience in order to keep fans coming back.

Studies have shown that more than half of sports fans would rather watch a game from their own home than attend the game live. The Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is one example of a venue that is providing that at-home experience. The addition of Wi-Fi, 4G LTE coverage, and the ability to order food from your own seats are just some of the many amenities that give fans a high-tech experience. Because the value of being at the game does not mean as much as it did years ago, sports organizations and marketers must find ways to appeal to our digital generation. Dallas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, installed an HD center-hung scoreboard that measures 72 feet by 160 feet. The Miami Marlins encourage fans to tweet difference team references before and during the game in order to get their tweets up on the scoreboard. Kansas City’s MLS soccer team asks fans to participate in games on their smartphones with incentives being things such as seat upgrades. The ultimate goal of these organizations now is to have fans arrive to the game earlier, stay longer, and spend more. Knowing what your fans want is more important than ever.

This article is relevant to our marketing and advertising class because those two things are more important than ever in the sports business world. In order to keep fans coming back to attend games live rather than have them watch from home, sport marketers and advertisers must be more creative than ever. It is all about connecting with the fan and personalizing their experience.

"BBC's Sochi Ad Will Make You Never Want to Leave the House, Much Less Compete in the Olympics"

From Adweek

Review by Alyssa Hough in SRM 435 (section 2)

There is a commercial that BBC came out with for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The commercial is getting a lot of attention because it is unlike any other Olympic commercial made. It does not have the exciting music playing in the background with pictures of past Olympians celebrating their victory. Instead, it is seen as a much darker, epic commercial with a more intense demeanor to it. The commercial is causing a controversy over whether or not the new approach taken by BBC in producing this commercial was a good decision. Even though the commercial is getting mixed reviews the author of the article praises BBC for trying something new and branching out. The article talks about how you could not go wrong incorporating more about the athletes and events, but the challenges illustrated in the commercial that come with the Winter Olympics evokes interest.

I think from a sport marketing aspect it was a good risk to take because it catches the average viewer off guard, and draws in their interest to something new. It also emphasized how intense the Winter Olympics can be, and all the elements the athletes must face to achieve their dreams. I like how a different approach was taken, and the fact that the commercial is from natures point of view was very cleaver. Most Olympic commercials are inspiring in a different way because they have victorious music playing, and images of the Olympians winning their sport. Although, I still think this commercial by BBC is inspiring because it makes you look at what the athletes have to face to become triumphant, and the new approach was refreshing.

This article relates to our class because its focus is on a marketing commercial for the upcoming Winter Olympics. It shows that in marketing you are constantly wanting to find new ways to present something to the public in a way that will grasp their interest. I think BBC Sports did a great job in doing so because the commercial grabs your attention and gets you thinking. The commercial personally made me even more excited for the Winter Olympics to start. To me it felt like a movie trailer was playing for a movie that I could not wait to come to theaters. Now I am excited to see how the Winter Olympics will play out.

Overall, I think it was well done and a refreshing new way to market the Winter Olympics. It shows that in marketing you cannot be afraid to branch out and try something new. You want to make sure you are not confined to a box of ideas. I think the commercial is very inspiring, and will get the public pumped up for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia this year. There is a lot of anticipation brought by the commercial that makes you want to know how the Olympics are going to go and what the results will be. I think it was a well done invigorating marketing commercial for the Winter Olympics.

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Review by Megan Verpent in SRM 435 (section 2)

In the United States, broadcasting companies and sponsors such as NBC, market the Olympics as must-see, gripping television. Other times, NBC will market the games as feel-good stories, by giving fans an incite to the lives of athletes. Either way, commercials generally have an upbeat tone and feature video clips of athletes in competition. However, around the world, not all broadcasting companies portray the Olympics Games in the same manner. In his article, David Gianatasio discusses the way, which BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is marketing the Olympic Games based on their newest television commercial. He writes about how BBC is promoting the upcoming games in Sochi, Russia as a suspenseful, movie-like scenario rather than a competitive sporting event. Overall, he applauded the controversial commercial, although he mentioned that some critics did not.

BBC decided to market the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics in a different fashion than many fans are familiar with. Through the article, “BBC's Sochi Ad Will Make You Never Want to Leave the House, Much Less Compete in the Olympics Hell freezes over,” David Gianatasio does a good job in discussing how BBC is promoting the games. Rather than marketing the Olympics as just another sporting event, BBC has decided to market the games as an exciting, suspenseful full feature movie, as the commercial acts as the promotional trailer meant to peak fans’ interest. The advertisement contains narration by Charles Dance, who stars in the popular television series, Game of Thrones. By doing this, BBC is able to market the Olympics as a pop-culture like event. BBC also promotes the Olympics through the harsh nature that athletes have to endure. Suspense and nature are the focal points of the Olympics that BBC has promoted through this commercial; the athletes are the supporting cast members.

Marketing is a strategy to promote a product and attract more fans; in the this article and featured commercial, in this article, the Olympic Games are the product being marketed to fans. With the Sochi games only weeks away, we in America are usually only exposed to the Olympics through the way which NBC markets them to us. This article is relevant because it examines how the Olympics can be marketed and promoted in other ways. It is beneficial to be exposed to more than one way of marketing because they can be more effective to certain audiences.

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Review by Alexandra Sullivan in SRM 435 (section 2)

On Wednesday January 15th Adweek posted an article written by David Gianatasio on the controversial ad BBC released for its coverage on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This ad is not traditional, meaning people usually expect commercials for the Olympics to be feel good and inspirational. This ad takes a different approach on the winter games and focuses more on the athletes conquering nature rather than the competition between one another. It over exaggerates the cold, snowy weather portraying the type of environment the athletes have to overcome to be successful in such dangerous conditions. The voiceover in the trailer is dark and powerful, which sets the dramatic tone of the commercial. The ad resembles a movie trailer creating suspense and leaving you wondering what will happen next. Some people did not like this ad because it made them feel numb and they wanted to see something more traditional that is motivational and positive. Other people like the mystery created in the ad and thought it conveyed the unique atmosphere of the Winter Olympics.

I believe this article shows that BBC was willing to take chances and try something new in promoting their coverage for the Winter Olympics. When promoting such a big sporting event such as the Olympics I believe that the ads should go hand in hand with the nature of the event. The Olympics is one of the biggest stages for athletes to compete in, therefore the advertising for the Olympics should also be memorable. BBC sparked conversation and controversy with this ad. They got people’s attention and are getting more publicity because of it. This ad is eccentric, which can be a good thing in sports marketing because it gets people talking and stayed tuned for more. The graphics and the layout of the commercial are intriguing leaving people wanting more and getting them excited for the games.

This article is relevant to Sport Marketing and Sales because it is about promoting, advertising, and gaining publicity, which are three aspects of sport promotion and sales. BBC spent a lot of money creating this ad to gain awareness and to start getting people talking about the upcoming games. The ad is informing people that the Winter Olympics are back and when the games start. I believe this was a successful marketing strategy for BBC to create this type of ad because it does an exceptional job building up the story line for the winter games. After watching this ad I was excited for the Olympics to be back and I cannot wait to see top ranked athletes compete against one another in such dangerous weather circumstances.

"9/11 golf course promotion backfires"

From ESPN.com

Analysis by Trent Cundiff in SRM 435 (section 1)

I reviewed an article done by ESPN.com and Darren Rovell based on the Tumbledown Trails Golf Course’s 9/11 Golf Promotion fail. This golf course located near Madison, Wisconsin tried a very risky marketing promotion that ended up miserably. They offered a special for 18 holes of golf just for $9.11 on September 11, 2013. They believed that they would be honoring the people that were lost on that day but it turned into a major problem once their ad hit social media. The public was disgusted with the golf course trying to take advantage of a tragic day by spinning it off into a marketing promotion. Instead of the management for Tumbledown Trails realizing that a big mistake had been made by them intentionally or unintentionally, they posted on their Facebook that they have done it before and it is only meant for honoring the day. They even went on to say that they were “hurt” by the comments left from the public. This caused more backlashes from the public, including death threats left on the golf course’s voicemail. After the second wave of terrible responses, the management decided to donate the day’s earning to the 9/11 Memorial.

When studying this story the major thought that kept coming to my head was, “How many people did this go through to get approved?” I know a golf course management team is not close to numbers compared to an NBA marketing team but I believe red flags should have been thrown up from the start. They made one of the biggest tragedies in our American history into almost like a car dealership trying to have “An Independence Sale”. The actual idea going from the planning stage to the action stage makes me very confused to how it went through those channels without someone stopping it. Even more confusing to me was how when the promotion became negative, the golf course handled their crisis management very poorly. If you are going to take that big of a risk about doing a promotion based off 9/11, the golf course should have at least had a plan if things went “bad”. Instead of mending the public’s feelings, they became defensive that people had a negative outlook on the promotion. The first thing management should have done is tried to figure how to make this right to the public because their reputation is on the line. They may have been one of the more popular golf courses in their area and now they made national news for having one of “worst advertisements in human history”. I understand management believed they were doing a good thing and they could possibly get more attraction to the course. They saw it as a win-win from doing the promotion. However you have to scale the risk-reward ratio more than they did to see it might not be a win-win. 

The relevance of this story to sports marketing students is that sometimes you and your team or peers might think an idea is good for a marketing promotion but you have look at the glass half-full. If this group would have just weighed out the backlashes it could create, maybe they would have not decided on this promotion. I also believe research should have been done before you try this idea. When I researched 9/11 promotions, other companies had tried similar promotions in other industries and negative thoughts were produced from their promotions. Either way, lessons should be learned from a major mistake done by Tumbledown Trials, which is that don’t do promotions on national tragedies or possible “sour situations”.

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Analysis by Ryan Kilmon in SRM 435 (section 1)

Tumbledown Trails Golf Course royally messed up with this advertising campaign. They ran n advertisement promoting discounted golf on 9/11 that went sour fast. I personally feel that they represented a day of tragedy unfairly and with little remorse. Sure, intentions may have not been negative intentionally, but the way they went about this was totally ignorant. The terrorist attacks on the US will forever be a tragedy to this country and this golf course simply neglected that by promoting and taking action with this marketing plan. From the get go they should have marketed differently.

Proceeds for the day should have been donated upfront before any threats started that the golf course soon received once the advertisement hit social media. Instead, I viewed this act by Tumbledown Trails as brutally selfish. I feel that they used the remembrance of 9/11 as a way to try to make money for the course rather than actually marketing and promoting a day to remember the victims that fell in the attacks. They could have promoted discounted golf in a way that would still draw a crowd, but instead they chose to use an actual price of $9.11 which I feel was unnecessary and crossed the line.

This marketing plan was clearly not thought all the way through before it was launched. National attention was made out of this occurrence and the name and image of the course also became tarnished, especially when the course tried to get defensive to the criticism being thrown at them. Marketing and promoting on a day with such emphasis to this country has advantages and disadvantages. Clearly the way this advertisement was pitched was wrong and should have never been followed through with.

This article relates very strongly to this course. I feel that this is an excellent learning tool to learn what not to do when promoting or marketing for an organization. All stakeholders must be considered within a marketing plan and I feel that Tumbledown Trails Golf Course neglected to take this into consideration. People all over the country reacted to this and I certainly hope this establishment will do a more intensive brainstorming before they launch any more marketing advertisements.

"Tribe seeks to force NFL Redskins name change"

From CNN.com

Analysis by Kyle Linn in SRM 435 (section 2)

This article is pertaining to the fact that a group of Native Americans, the Oneida Nation, is uncomfortable with the Washington Redskins using “Redskins” as their mascot. Both sides bring up valid points as to why they deem it offensive and why it is a cultured history of the Redskins franchise. Supporters of the name change feel that now is the time to change the name because this year marks the 81st year of the franchise since their move from Boston in 1932. Others like Dan Snyder for instance said that, “he will NEVER change his team’s name, even if they lose an ongoing federal trademark lawsuit that would stop the NFL team from exclusively profiting from the Redskins name” (Todd, Steinhauser 2013). 

The article states that two-thirds of Redskins fans in the D.C. area do not want the team to change their name. Although, eight out of ten said that they felt a name change would not matter to them. I value the two-thirds of Redskins fans who do not want the name change. My next question is then if the team name is changed, can you not as a fan wear clothing or other things to the stadium that say “Redskins” on it? I looked up the Oneida Native American Nation, and while the Oneida Native Americans make up about 45,000 of the population, there are only about 1000+ in the actual group from New York that is upset with the name. I greatly appreciate the fact that there is a group offended here, but the name is being used in greatness and jubilee as fans chant, “Hail to the Redskins!” at football games. This in terms of sales and merchandises makes up only a fraction of the entire Washington Redskins nation.

Promotionally is where I feel this is a big area of concern. Supporters of the name change could possibly boycott or continue to slander the Washington Redskin organization for its use of a “racial slur” to some. You could have protests in front of the stadium during game days and it makes for negative attention from the organizations point of view, especially in terms of sponsorships. Then, you have fans who have been fans all their lives and now suddenly, they have to call their team something different because we all now have to be politically correct in our society which hinders free speech and expression, in my opinion. Being a fan, I have never considered the name offensive and many of the Oneida Native Americans do not have a problem with Washington’s mascot. If you do change the name, you then have made a small group of people happy and now your fans can possibly become unhappy, possibly boycott games, and/or protest the name change, all of which again bring about negative publicity to the franchise. Why has it taken 80 years for there to be buzz about the name change now?Dan Snyder has an important decision to make. Either way, he is going to come out winning and losing. This pertains to our class and major because you have an ethical dilemma, a promotional/publicity crisis, and a managerial decision to make. If I were Snyder, I would not change the name (and no not because I am a fan). I think if you look at it from a promotional point of view, you don’t have to stop production and design of now and future Redskins merchandise and memorabilia, ask fans to not wear clothing that says “Redskins” on it, etc. Ethically it should be changed, without question. However, you are always going to have supporters and people who disagree and in this situation with a multi-billion dollar organization on the line, I would not risk upsetting the fan base that is the “lifeblood” of the Washington Redskins versus a group that in terms of geography makes up a small portion of the population. I do stand behind Mr. Snyder and his decision to not (at this point) change the name. 

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Analysis by Steve Mashinski in SRM 435 (section 2)

"I want to say this to Redskins fans. No one blames you for having used a name that was always used as this team. They will only blame you if you continue to use it and if you use it will impunity," I think this was the perfect quote to be placed into the end of this article. It basically says you are either going to have to change your team name or you will have an ongoing battle with the ones you are offending and the media. One of the major problems is some of these Redskins fans have been supporting this organization for potentially 80 years, but the group it is offending is making it known that there is not another option other than to stop using a racial slur to gain revenue for an organization. From a promotions and marketing stand point if the Redskins happened to change their name it would open doors to ultimately give them a fresh start. The Redskins haven’t had a promising season for a while now so maybe a new look will give them that extra push to excite people and make them want to go out and buy the new gear or come to games to be a part of history. The organization would be looked at positively in the media’s eyes for respecting a group of individuals therefore could gain more supporters. Unfortunately, on the other side of the table you will have the long standing supporters of the redskins that will boycott the new name. This will lead to protests to get the Redskins name back and fans that are unwilling to support the new organization. This side of the tables major argument is that they are not putting the name redskins down in any way they are honoring the name and don’t support them for any other reason besides the fact that they are a good football team This topic directly relates to what we have covered in class especially the effect of ticket sales from this major decision. Personally I believe ticket sales will go down because a team being around for 80 years brings in tons of loyal supports and for most of them Washington Redskins football is all they know.

"Flying Squirrels to host scandal night"

From ESPN.com  

Analysis by Forrest Lodge in SRM 435 (section 1)

Chris and I found an article that talked about a certain promotion that our former employer, the Richmond Flying Squirrels, put on during the 2013 season. The article talked about how the promotion was centered on certain celebrity/politician scandals that had occurred over the past few years and they were meant to poke fun at the people who were involved. First was Anthony Weiner, a New York City mayoral candidate who has acknowledged that he had sent lewd photos and messages to women online. The Flying Squirrels decided to have one-dollar hotdogs (Weiners) for the whole night! Another promotion that was going on that night during the game was a Brett Favre Football Toss that involved chosen fans attempting to throw footballs through a circular target. Favre has also had his own lewd photo scandal with a woman who was the Jets’ Gameday Host while Favre was playing for them. Finally, there was a Tiger Woods Closest To The Pin Challenge that also involved the fans as contestants, need I say more. Although involving scandals into the promotional approach as a professional organization can be risky, I believe that the Flying Squirrels chose their activities wisely and didn’t go too far with them whatsoever. Through my work experience with them I was able to see many different types of promotions come through the ballpark and was even able to be a part of a few myself, and there are always guidelines as to what can and cannot happen. I think this is very relevant to this course because we discussed the different types of giveaways and promotions that were most effective at Major League ballparks, as well as the different days of the week that promotions can affect the attendance of a game.

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Analysis by Chris Moffett in SRM 435 (section 1)

On August 1st 2013, the AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giant made ESPN news. The Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Eastern League held a promotion during a Thursday night game to poke fun at former mayoral candidate and controversial politician Anthony Weiner. The promotion included $1 hotdogs all night, and there was also a Twitter contest where fans could win a prize for tweeting a picture of themselves enjoying their hotdogs “in the most creative way”. Along with the Weiner promotion, there were also on the field contests such as the “Brett Favre football throw” and the “Tiger Woods closest to the pin challenge”. Each of those two men was involved with similar cases to which landed Weiner in hot water.

In the ever-changing world of sports, it’s very important to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to reaching fans. Minor League baseball teams are well known for their wacky promotions, premium giveaways, and celebrity appearance nights. This past season, Flying Squirrels had appearances by Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, VCU head coach Shaka Smart, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, WWE wrestling legend Kevin Nash and David “The Bullet” Smith, the Human Cannonball. Promotions also included fireworks nights every Thursday, Princess and Knight Night, and 80s movie night. This season also saw the Squirrels hit new record in attendance, averaging just under 6,500 fans per game.

One may wonder whether the benefits of these promotions exceed the work it takes to put them into place and make sure they run smoothly. The average baseball fan should not be counted on to come to the game for just baseball alone. It’s important to have promotions and nights that will entice fans to come, and remember the entire experience of the game, and not just what the final score was. Flying Squirrels COO Todd “Parney” Parnell says it best – “We’re not in the baseball business, we’re in the memory making business”.

"FOX Sports Girls heading out on FOX Sports 1 road trip"

From FOX Sports West

Analysis by Chris Lee in SRM 435 (section 2)

The article, “FOX Sports Girls Heading Out on Fox Sports 1 Road Trip,” basically summarizes the many marketing and promotional efforts that FOX Sports employed to raise awareness for the launch of their new sports network. FOX Sports 1 is a 24-hours sports network that features various sporting events such as NASCAR, college football, college basketball, UFC, and soccer. It has over 5,000 hours of live events, news, and original programming offered annually and its launch was the largest in sports cable network history.

As a way of gaining exposure about the launch of their new network, FOX Sports 1 had Cleatus, the FOX Sports robot, as well as the FOX Sports girls travel on a cross country bus tour to raise awareness and create hype for the launch which occurred on August 17. The 45-foot FOX Sports 1 bus journeyed throughout the United States, starting in San Diego and eventually ending up at Boston for the Shogun v. Sonnen light heavyweight bout and the long awaited unveiling of their network. Throughout the tour Cleatus and the FOX Sports 1 girls attended several Major and Minor League Baseball games, NFL training camps, the Fort Campbell Army Base, viewing parties, and finally the UFC fight in Boston. Basically, what they did was take pictures with fans, talk about the release of the new network, and hand out FOX Sports 1 gear.

Overall, I thought that FOX Sports 1 was very effective in their marketing strategy. By traveling to different locations throughout the country, they were able to gain a lot exposure and create good brand impressions for potential customers. They also did a good job utilizing social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter (#RoadtoLaunch) to raise awareness about their new programming. Furthermore, they had commercials air during the MLB All-Star game which approximately 11 million viewers were watching at the time.

In my opinion, the one thing that I would have done differently is increase the variety of sporting events that Cleatus and the FOX Sports 1 girls visited. I found the vast majority of stops during the cross country bus tour were at baseball games. I think by doing this, FOX Sports 1 narrowed their target audience to mainly baseball fans, especially considering the airing of the commercials during the MLB All-Star game. I believe that a stronger approach would be to diversify the types of sporting events they attended, thus broadening their target market and hopefully gaining more viewership.

The article is relevant to this class because it is directly related to sport marketing and sales, the very title of the course. The Road to Launch marketing campaign reminded me of the Allstate Ultimate Road Trip Sweepstakes, which similarly had to do with driving cross country and spreading the word about their brand. Overall, the article dealt with the promotional side of sports marketing, making it relevant to the course, and the historical launch of a new sports network that should greatly impact the industry.

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Analysis by Josh Revitch in SRM 435 (section 2)

The article we are discussing in today’s class, “FOX Sports Girls Heading Out on FOX Sports 1 Road Trip”, is about the cross-country promotional tour for the launch of FOX Sports 1. Fox has recently launched a new, 24-hour sports network, which aired on August 17th showing the Red Sox-Yankees game and UFC Fight Night. 

On August 4th, FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports Girls, along with the FOX NFL Sunday robot, Cleatus, went on a cross-country trip, Road to Launch. This trip was created to raise awareness for the launch of the new network. The tour started in San Diego for the Padres game against the New York Yankees. Each day, FOX Sports went to baseball games in different cities to promote the new network. The FOX Sports girls talked about the new network, took pictures with fans, and distributed FOX Sports 1 gear to sports fans across the country. Fans were able to follow the tour bus and the FOX Sports Girls through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by implementing the hashtag, #Roadtolaunch. Also, FOX Sports 1 aired its major promotional video during the MLB All-Star game.

I believe that FOX Sports did a great job promoting the launch of the new network. The target market of this network are sports fans and FOX promoted the network directly to fans by going to different baseball games. By promoting a new sports network at a sporting event, this will most likely increase the number of viewers by spreading awareness. Fans at the different baseball games gained more knowledge of the new sports network and will most likely share that information to friends and family, thus increasing the number of viewers. Also, FOX Sports will probably gain brand loyalty from the fans at the baseball games due to the free FOX Sports 1 items that were distributed. Those who received the free gear might be more willing to tune into FOX Sports 1 because they feel affiliated with the network.

Also, FOX Sports 1 utilized social media to promote and spread the awareness of the new network. By using social media and employing the hashtag, #Roadtolaunch, fans feel like they are a part of the process. Sports fans can learn more about the network and the cross-country tour and join in on the action easier now through the use of social media. By implementing social media, people and sports fans become more involved and will most likely increase the number of viewers because they feel like they have a connection to the network. This article is relevant to this class as it is about the use of promotions to spread awareness of a sports network. FOX Sports implemented many aspects that we discuss in class such as promotions and social media. Using promotions such as free giveaway items can increase the number of fans and viewers of the network. By promoting to sports fans directly, FOX successfully marketed its new sports network.

"Strategies For Boxing Promotions Are Evolving; Mayweather Vs Alvarez Is Proof"

From Sports Networker

Analysis by Zachary Graham in SRM 435 (section 2)

The boxing industry is currently at a crossroads; the golden era of boxing is over. Tyson is gone, Ali is gone, Sugar Ray is gone, and now lightweights and international fighters dominate the sport. With MMA coming on stronger than ever, and with the sports juggernauts like football, basketball, baseball, and even soccer the boxing window may be closing. However this article describes an alternative solution, change the way the sport is seen, and most importantly promoted to the public.

Boxing has always benefited off having superstars, and none may be bigger or better than Mayweather. Mayweather is pound for pound the best fighter in the world, and his record proves that. He also is one of the richest athletes in the world bringing in $41,000,000 for this one fight. However Floyd is getting up there in age at 36 years old, Boxing is realizing that they are going to severely miss the attraction of “Money Mayweather.” Boxing is also putting one of its brightest stars Canelo up against Mayweather, as what could be the passing of a torch.

Boxing is trying new tactics and old ones more effectively to promote this fight unlike any fight in years. One tactic is now that Showtime is owned by CBS they have a great opportunity to market the new commercials during football Sunday. As well you will be seeing a promotion during the big game between Alabama and Texas A&M, hopefully appealing to new fans. They are also trying some old school tactics by running the fight in over 500 AMC theaters. They are trying to promote the idea that watching it in a theater is similar to actually being there. They are also running an eleven city tour that goes to all the major big cities, including Mexico City, appealing to it’s largest demographic. These tours will be open to the public and hopefully will drive up the hype and make fans tune in on fight night. Finally the last thing they are doing is weeks before the fight they are stealing a page out of the NFL’s playbook with a behind the scene look into their training and lives. Similar to Hard knocks of the NFL on HBO, or the Association of the NBA, and even Ultimate Fighter of the UFC; “All Access” is trying to help new fans associate with the real person. This article is relevant to this class because it specifically discusses the ins and outs of marketing for a sport other than the usual juggernauts of the sports industry. Marketing for the NFL is easy, but when trying to keep an aging sport relevant like boxing, marketing can have its challenges. Marketing for boxing requires new creative ideas, as well as re-visiting old ones and improving them. 
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Analysis by Joel Simms in SRM 435 (section 2)

Sports! Sports! Sports! People just love sports so much that the sport industry in generating more and more money every year. This is what you would think that would happen in each sport, but boxing is steadily on the decline in viewer ratings and generating revenue. Why? People believe that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting is more interesting than boxing because MMA is new to the sport industry. As the society evolves and people are prone to like new things, sports have to evolve as well in order to have fans excited about sports. Boxing is trying to use different promotional strategies to target the boxing fans and fighting fans in general who love to see two people go head to head in a ring throwing punches at one another. 

There are several ways that boxing is trying to bring back high television ratings and sales. One way is by having commercials broadcasted during another sporting event such as a football game on Sunday. The advertisements that are aired during football games can allow football fans to become interest in boxing because of the violence or physicality connection between the two sports. They have started using this promotional strategy with the Floyd Mayweather versus Canelo Alvarez title fight. I think from a marketing standpoint that airing commercials during footballs will allow people to maybe be interested in outcome of the fight, but maybe paying to watch the fight on paper view television is too early to say. I think in the long run, if they continue to air fights during football games, in the future more people would want to watch boxing since they are being repeatedly shown the sport.

Another way to promote boxing is by having city tours where the boxers will have a press conference and interact with the fans. These tours seem to be fun especially when the boxers face off one another. Face off in boxing means the two boxers stand face to face looking at one another with very seriously faces. In my opinion I think this is funny because I know some fighters do not be as serious as there face would show, so why would they act so serious? I believe from the marketing standpoint that the boxers are supposed to portray this image of intimidation and anger that allows fans to see how serious of a fight it will be. Having the city tours allow fans to get hype for the upcoming fight and see the seriousness of the fight.

Last, but not least, having televised segments of the boxers is a great way to reach out to people who do not know the accomplishments of the boxers or history. One thing I know is that most people enjoy watching television and since these broadcasted episodes are free with cable, people are able to watch the segments without paying. From a marketing standpoint, I can understand why boxing is trying to use new promotional strategies to attract more fans and that is simple because boxing is competing with other sports. Trying to generate more revenue and sales is hard when your competition is growing in the industry, so in order to compete and stay relevant, business strategies have to change and excite people. The way boxing is changing or evolving in the promotional aspect relates to the class material we learn in class. The change in boxing promotions relates to the topic of sport promotion and sales, and it relates to the journal articles all we have read online. In the Allstate article, they did a Tailgate Tour which is similar the city tours that the boxers do. One article I read was about sports starting to broadcast segments such as “The Journey” which has famous stars, Magic Johnson and Drew Brees on the episodes. Just like that of “The Journey”, boxing is using segments to attract fans and this is related back to the online journal readings. I believe boxing was end up declining at times and increasing at times because it is hard to appeal to the youth when you are competing with Mixed Martial Arts violence. The society has the concept that new is better and boxing is trying to attract fans to watch boxing.

"The Effects of Promotion on Attendance in Professional Baseball"

From The Sport Journal

Review by Rick Reardon in KIN 435 (section 2)

The article that I read was a study on the relationship between promotion at baseball games and the attendance at those games. The article was submitted by Robert Aaron Browning. This article took four Ohio River Area baseball teams and study the effects of promotion as it related to attendance for these baseball teams.

Before the author conducted his own research with these teams he presents some research that helps to form a hypothesis for his research later. Early baseball research said that attendance to baseball games could be placed in four categories economics, demographics, game attractiveness, and other factors. However, later there were changes added to it such as, economics, average income and population. Not until recently did people realize that they could control one of the factors which was promotion, or pre-event marketing. The author noted that there had been a positive increase of 14% at games that offered such promotions at games. However, the biggest increase in attendance happened when teams offered bobble-heads, over “Baseball for a Buck” night by the New York Mets, or opening weekend giveaways by the L.A. Dodgers. Many baseball teams can be victim to “water down” promotions by offering too much price promotions (giving discounts on tickets, food, etc). The results concluded that every team had an increase in attendance whenever there was some sort of promotion. Non price promotion was the most successful because this category showed the most increase in attendance in all three organizations.

I was surprised when I read the results. I would have thought that since we are in such a bad economy people would have wanted discounted tickets, or food instead of entertainment promotions. Promotion is a crucial part of the sports industry right now because that is really what gets people to the game. On the whole people aren't really going to games as sport enthusiasts but more of an entertainment for the day. It is important for organizations to look at this data and try to use it to their advantage for attracting fans to the ball park. Honestly as a fan, I get really tired of seeing all the different promotions that just drag the game on. When I go to a game, I go to watch the sport and not to see all the ads, and other different promotions. However, I can see how many people like the promotions, especially if they have kids. If you take a kid to a baseball game it is going to be hard for them to just sit there and watch a game for two to three hours, so promotions kind of give them a change of something to do. I think it is important to use promotions to draw people to the game because thats obviously something thats getting them there, and they have to compete with people sitting at home and watching the game on their TVs.

KIN 435 (Sport Promotion & Sales) Work JMU's Homecoming Football Game

Students from KIN 435 (Sport Promotion & Sales) assist the Athletics Marketing department during the home football game on October 3, 2011

KIN 435 Students Participate in the 2011 JMU Football Home Opener

Select students from KIN 435 class had a successful JMU football game day experience last weekend.  The students assisted the Athletics Marketing department with setup of the JMU Fan Zone on Godwin Field, game program distribution, and oversight of giveaway items.  A few students were also placed in the Gate A ticket booth to assist the Athletic Ticket Office.