"Pros will soon swing data-collecting racket"

From SportsBusiness Daily

Analysis by Annie Comber in SRM 435 (section 1)

After years of research and planning the historic racket company Babolat, has created the first “plug-in” racket of its kind. This new racket is called the Babolat Play, which allows players to collect data of their performance after playing. The high-tech racket enables players to connect through Bluetooth connection with a Smartphone or from a USB in the handle of the racket and connect to a computer or tablet. Sensors in the handle of the Babolat Play are responsible for collecting information about the player’s game. This racket can measure various performance data such as shot power, ball impact location, number of strokes, spin level, total and effective play time, endurance, techniques, consistency, energy, and rallies. Players can then compare and share either information online through Babolatplay.com and on a Babolat Play app. The racquet has been approved for play by the International Tennis Federation but not until January of 2014. 

From a marketing prospective, the Babolat Play has been slow to launch in the United States however with the use of social media, a famous spokes person and onsite activation, Babolat hopes the top players will be using the racket in the near future. Babolat is a French company that has always launched their rackets in Europe but they have decided to take a new approach and introduce it in the Unites States first because of the strong presence of social media and other wired sports equipment products. Babolat is planning to promote the racquet by traditional advertising in tennis outlets as well as some social media outlets and events. In addition, Rafael Nadal arguably one of the greatest tennis players in the world and is the official spokes person for the Babolat Play racket. Nadal has practiced with this racket and has created a few promotional videos while giving Babolat key feedback. As part of a promotion Nadal used his Facebook page to engage with fans and get them excited for the Babolat Play racket and then chose three fans to speak with him on the phone. Currently ranked number two in the world with over five million twitter followers, Babolat could not have picked a better spokes person for the new racket. In addition, American Express has a two-story, fan suite at the US Open that is the most trafficked on-site activation area at the open. The large space has 6-by-30 foot digital board that lets fans create Art by swinging a racket. There are also full tennis courts for clinics for kids and adults to improve their tennis skills. The Babolat Play racket is not yet incorporated into the American Express Fan Experience but this may be the next step to market the racket. This article relates to our class because it explains how new technologies in sports equipment will be marketed in the future. Babolat show us the effectiveness of marketing in the media via Facebook, Twitter, and videos, while having a famous spokes person promoting the racket as well. Technology in tennis equipment is a new concept for many athletes and fans but with the proper marketing and promotion techniques gathering data about ones’ tennis game will soon become the norm.

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Analysis by Stephanie Nielsen in SRM 435 (section 1)

The world of sports is constantly changing and improving as the years go by. New additions to technology keep appearing and adding more to the athletes and games that we love to watch. The newest phenomenon that is offered for individual athletes is the ability to have devices that can record and track their play during competitions. The Babolat Play Racket is a new addition to the world of tennis and is scheduled to hit the market in January of 2014.

Babolat is a French tennis, badminton and squash equipment company that is best known for its strings and tennis rackets that are used by several top players, such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters and many others. The Play Racket offers many interesting features that will greatly benefit the development of professional and amateur tennis players. The product has sensors integrated into the handle allowing players to have access of information about their game. Shot power and ball impact location along with number of strokes (forehand, backhand, serve, smash), spin level, total and effective play time, endurance, technique, consistency, energy and rallies are all the types of data that are collected through the racket. After the player is finished the information is transmitted through a Bluetooth connection with a smart phone or a USB form. Through a marketing standpoint this individual racket is very pricey for the amateur tennis player. However, knowing the prices of private tennis pro lessons and clinics for this sport, this racket will be able to keep up and have the potential to become a driving force in the development of tennis players. Rafael Nadal is currently the company’s most prominent spokesperson. He is an extremely beneficial aspect to this campaign and product. The Babolat company will need to actively promote this product with social media campaigns to encourage fans to learn about the product. One campaign that Babolat has already done is a Facebook competition where three random fans were selected to have a conversation with Nadal. Another marketing opportunity for this product is for fans that are attending the U.S. Open to be able to test out this product. This will encourage fan involvement while the product is being implemented. The Babolat Play Racket may take a little more time to get off the ground and going but this is an innovative technology product that will open doorways for other individual and team sports to have products developed for their particular sports in the future.

"New Era Plots Aggressive Five-Year Growth Plan"

From SGB Weekly: http://www.sportsonesource.com/news/weekly/sgbweekly/archive/sgbw_1110lo.pdf

Review by Mason Bryan in KIN 435

Thomas J. Ryan’s article, “New Era Plots Aggressive Five-Year Growth Plan,” was a very interesting read that provided insight into the world of marketing and sales. Although the article included points regarding New Era’s sponsorship of the NFL in the 2012 season, I was disappointed with the lack of details about the sponsorship itself. New Era became one of the five official “on-field” sponsors of the National Football League (joining Gatorade, Canon, Nike, and Motorola), yet nothing regarding the price of the deal or the length of the contract is mentioned in the article and I believe that those are key points into educating the reader about the business of sports sponsorship.

Other than the fact that the details of the NFL deal aren’t made known, the article provided a great amount of detail into the world of marketing and sales for an up and coming company in the sports industry. New Era, as many already know, is the official on field cap of Major League Baseball. With annual sales of $500 million, the company is seeking new ways to double their sales by 2015. By doing so they have not only sponsored the NFL and become their official on field cap, but have done the same for the Canadian Football League, and have become the title sponsor of the Pinstripe Bowl, an annual college football bowl game played at Yankee Stadium. The company has also started a women’s apparel line and began their “Fly Your Own Flag” campaign in hopes of reaching new markets. Through the use of marketing and sponsorship, New Era is making its product(s) known to the public on a much larger scale and, in my opinion, will have no troubles doubling their sales within a five-year span.

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Review by Courtney Gannon in KIN 435

“New Era Plots Aggressive Five-year Growth Plan”, written by Thomas J. Ryan, discusses a recent change in the New Era Company and current plans to further expand the company. New Era recently became the NFL’s official on-field headwear licensee. New Era, along with Nike, Gatorade, Canon, and Motorola is a brand that will have exclusive sideline rights starting in the 2012 season. Along with the licensing agreement with NFL, New Era signed a three-year agreement to be the official headwear sponsor of the Canadian Football League. The company has become focused on expanding sales to 1 billion dollars annually within five years. As part of the five-year plan, New Era has had two acquisitions to help further the growth of the company. It acquired 5th and Ocean, a women’s apparel company and MARC4, one of Brazil’s fashion brand management companies. In the “New Era Plots Five-year Growth Plan” article, Chris Koch, CEO of New Era, referred to acquisitions by stating, “It’s definitely part of our growth strategy.” Acquisitions are a large part of the 5-year growth plan and will continue to be used in aiding the expansion of the company. Lastly, “Fly Your Own Flag,” is a campaign that aims to express individuality and show that New Era produces hats that can be used for all types of people and reasons. It consists of print and social media, as well as ambassadors from different industries. New Era wants to reach the 1 billion dollar goal by 2015 and hope to expand into all of the major cities around the world.

The sales and marketing used by New Era have made it possible for the company to become as big as it has and continue to expand. Since New Era focuses on different markets other than sports, it has the ability to expand and have customers from a variety of markets. Also, by becoming the official headwear licensee of NFL, New Era can almost double its market because now there are buyers from both the NFL and the MLB. Acquiring 5th and Ocean and MARC4 has also helped increase sales not only domestically, but internationally as well. New Era is not only focused in one specific market in a certain part of the world, which is beneficial to getting closer to the ultimate goal. Becoming the official licensee of headwear for the NFL, acquiring 5th and Ocean and MARC4, and focusing on markets other than sports, has and will continue to play a crucial role in becoming closer to obtaining the 1 billion dollar status.