"With Hill Holliday's Marketing Support, Boston Will Bid For 2024 Summer Olympic Games"

From MediaPost

Analysis by Margo Savage in KIN 501

Hosting the Olympics is an honor that is bestowed upon only a few select cities. There is certain criteria and many years of planning that go in to make the Olympics a success. Through a meticulous process, Boston has been chosen as the American Olympic bid for the 2024 Olympics. After reading “With Hill Holiday’s Marketing Support, Boston Will Bid For 2024 Summer Olympic Games,” it is easy to see the different layers that are present in the years leading up to the games.

Although Boston has not been chosen as the city for the 2024 Summer Olympics, there is already backlash surrounding the possibility of the city hosting the games. In the article, some of this backlash is addressed: It includes topics such as the cost attached with hosting the games, the security concerns after the recent terrorist attack during the 2013 Boston Marathon, and what the citizens of Boston think about hosting the games. On the flipside, the article also addresses some positive aspects. These positive components include the business that it will bring to the city, the notoriety that Boston will receive, and the perseverance that the city can show from rising from recent tragedy.

From a marketing standpoint, I think that Hill Holiday takes the right angle for Boston 2024. They present, in their “Beacon” video, the idea of patriotism. The video starts out showing a person in an old colonial outfit who passes off the “beacon” to an Olympic horse racer. From there, the beacon travels through the city visiting different athletes in a plethora of sports venues. The idea and theme behind the video is that patriotism is passed on and runs through the veins of the city in all aspects. It shows significant Boston landmarks such as the Charles River and Boylston Street.

I thought that the use of the blue light across the advertising was good for Hill Holiday. It gave different advertisements a sense of uniformity and something that people could easily identify as part of the Olympic brand. I also liked that the icon traveled around the city of Boston to show the highlights of the town. Finally, the aspect that I liked the most from these advertisements was the sense of perseverance and pure grit from the people of Boston. I think that Hill Holiday wanted to capitalize on the face that the people of Boston are “Boston Strong” and that they are determined to continue on, no matter what hardships come their way.

"Emotional Marketing in Budweiser’s Super Bowl Ads"

From Adweek - article 1, article 2

Analysis by Taylor Mickelberry in KIN 501

In 2015, the third advertisement in a loosely connected plotline by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) featuring its famed Clydesdales and a little puppy will air during the Super Bowl. While the puppy didn’t appear in the first edition of the sequence featuring
A-B’s Budweiser brand, he will certainly be the focal point of this year’s ad named “Lost Dog” (Griner, 2015; McMains, 2015)

In the 2013 version and what is considered the first of this plotline, titled “Brotherhood”, a trainer raises up a tiny Clydesdale to become one of the main attractions of the Bud brand. When the trainer returns to see the Clydesdales in Chicago and sees his horse leading the pack, he holds on to some glimmer of hope that the horse will recognize him. When he realizes he is foolish to think so, he returns to his truck, only to find his horse running down a Chicago street to reunite with him in the emotional payoff viewers expected.

In 2014, we find the same trainer (yes, he’s back! And he’ll offer some of the best analysis that could be found later on!), still raising Clydesdales, but this time he’s living near a puppy farm; And one of those pesky puppies keeps getting out to hang out with his friend, a Clydesdale in a stall. Finally, the puppy is getting adopted, but he’s not happy about this. The Clydesdale gang helps to stop the adoption and walks the puppy back to his friend in the epitome of the title of the ad: “Puppy Love.”

Those ads both won the top spot in the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter and “Puppy Love” won an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Commercial (Horovitz, 2014).

And so, that leaves 2015 as the perfect conclusion to the trilogy of stories here (unless A-B goes all Star Wars on this plotline). This year, A-B has put out a few GIF’s and photos and told us the name of the ad early, “Lost Dog,” unlike last year when our little puppy friend stole America’s heart early, garnering 23 million YouTube views by the Friday before the spot actually aired (Judkis, 2014). The GIF’s show the trainer, played by actor Don Jeanes, tacking up a missing dog poster and struggling with a unruly Clydesdale while simultaneously we see photos of a dirty and scared Labrador pup (presumably the one from last year) running around town.

But did they sell beer?

Odds are, they didn’t.

In fact, A-B is trying to bring back the Budweiser brand, which fell to the third-best selling beer since 2001 and has been declining in sales for almost 25 years, mainly thanks to the fact that the younger generations prefer Coors Light and Bud Light (another A-B product)(Brown, 2015).

But it was, nonetheless, a brilliant marketing campaign and still was successful in its secondary function: cementing Budweiser as an All-American company and reminding its consumers that it knows about life and love in America.

Mark Schaeffer sums it up for us in a 2013 St. Louis Times-Dispatch article by Lisa Brown.

"I don't think beer drinkers are going to buy more Budweiser next weekend because of it," Mark Schaeffer, president of the Clayton office of ad agency Hoffman Lewis, said of the Clydesdale spot [the 2013 “Brotherhood” ad]. "But a long-standing brand like Budweiser has to do an ad like that, that reminds customers of its heritage”(Brown, 2013).

So there’s that secondary function playing its role: A-B is reminding the public of the company’s image and that in and of itself can go much farther than selling a few 6-packs in the immediate days after the Super Bowl.

Basis for analysis on the emotions in these advertisements comes from Kelsey Libert and Kristin Tynski’s article from October 2013 in the Harvard Business Review titled “The Emotions that Make Marketing Campaigns Go Viral."

Libert and Tynski highlight multiple key elements in order to leave a lasting impression on consumers. The first they highlight is to leave branding to a minimum as to not come off as “salesy.” Next, they say to take viewers on an emotional roller coaster in order to keep the viewer interested and to ensure that the viewer is never bored. Finally, Libert and Tynski suggest a company should emotionally connect the marketing that you are doing to the position of your brand.

The Budweiser ads are able to do all of these things; The commonalities being that they never indicate they are Budweiser ads until the last few seconds; they usually have a happy feeling until somewhere between half and 75 percent of the way through, in which they jerk the viewer to somewhere not pretty; and finally Budweiser always positions themselves (via a logo or some other type of identification) alongside a happy ending in order to ensure customers that their company can be connected with the same emotions they just felt throughout their commercial.

Additional great analysis comes from Jeanes, the actor who plays the trainer-rancher in A-B’s ads. In a Forbes article from 2014 by Gay Gaddis, Jeanes says “No one wants to be sold to anymore. The American people voted [the Budweiser ad] as their favorite because it touched their emotions. Budweiser found that Super Bowl XLVIII was the perfect opportunity to entertain and meet people’s needs for that emotion (Gaddis, 2014).”

Marc Wayshak of Entrepreneur is able to further this though in his 2014 article as he says that these type of marketing campaigns are more memorable because of the emotion brought up. Wayshak continues by saying that A-B is trying to create an idea that connects more to the life of the consumer, rather than the product you offer.

Creating an emotional appeal, even one that does not heavily feature your brand could help enhance your brand anyway via the good feelings it leaves consumers. This is possible when consumers talk about your marketing campaign and therefore your company in good terms. A positive public image goes very far in selling products, even if the original consumer of that saw the ad doesn’t buy it. It could be his friend, his mother or his spouse that decides to purchase an item based on the positive vibes he felt while watching a marketing campaign.

The positivity behind a brand is such a powerful tool for companies to position themselves in the fast-paced world of tweets, YouTube, viral videos and other digital marketing that is all over the place these days. These emotions help the marketing campaign to stand out over all others.

This is a key topic for this class for two reasons. The first reason is that as sports professionals, we will have to work with these individuals and companies and the positive image could be reflected onto us if we enter into sponsorship agreements with them. Secondly, if we are marketing our own entities, we could use these skills to help forge an emotional connection within our own communities, which could help sell tickets or do whatever our entity’s mission statement is.

Emotional marketing is something that always seems to have successes, and it is no more highlighted than on Super Bowl Sunday, much like it will be this week.

"Atlanta Hawks Thriving Off Court Thanks to Rebranding, Embracing Social Media"

From Bleacher Report

PowerPoint by William Lin and Travis Oyler in SRM 435

"Northwestern Football Puts Personal Touch On Videos Seeking Season-Ticket Renewals"

From SportsBusiness Daily

Analysis by Taylor Tuccito, Alyssa Hall, and Ashley Adams in SRM 435

"Adidas Goes Shopping for 500 Football and Baseball Players"

From Bloomberg Business

Analysis by Jeffrey Hajek and Xavia Gary in SRM 435

"Super Bowl XLIX Ad Chart: Who's Buying Commercials in Super Bowl 2015"

From Advertising Age

Analysis by Maura Gunning and Lindsay Butler in SRM 435

"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.

Sport marketing implications of moving the extra point kick back

From Yahoo! Sports and NBC Sports

Analysis by Ryan Watson in SRM 435 (section 2)

This article is about the NFL moving the extra point (after a touchdown is scored) to the 20-25 yard line. Recently owners voted down the rule of moving the ball to the 25-yard line, but this year during the first two weeks of pre-season they will place the ball on the 20-yard line for PAT's. The reasoning behind this is to make the point attempt more difficult to increase competition. If you look at the field goal attempts in recent years the defense barely take two steps because the point is "guaranteed". An NFL writer said it well when he wrote, "the extra point serves as a bathroom break for fans at games". Another statistic is that around 99.6% of extra points were made last football season.

From a marketing, promotion, and sales perspective there are a lot of different variables. The increased competition could increase interest in the extra point, which in turn can increase fan viewership. I do not necessarily think this will be a deciding factor when purchasing a football ticket, but when watching a game, people would likely pay more attention to an extra point. I personally usually flip the channel on the TV when this play is going on, but this rule would prevent me from doing that. I think a lot of the increased viewership would come into play when people are watching on their tablet, computer, smart phone, or TV. Another thing that I thought about is the marketability of kickers. NFL kickers are not very marketable for products or sponsorships, but I think this rule would help some kickers stand out. For example if a kicker went 100% on his extra points during a season this would be notable. Companies and organizations might try to use the increased awareness in kickers to use them to endorse products. Since kickers are not really known to have these deals, that would mean an opening to a whole new market. One other sales aspect that could come from this is a substantial increase in "kicker" merchandise like jerseys.

With these marketing benefits I think that this rule will eventually get installed in the NFL. There are other negative affects though to think about. This could drastically change outcomes to close games, which might not be favorable to fans. A lot of people would be very mad if their team lost to a missed extra point. A major negative affect would also be the increase of player injuries since both the offense and defense would be trying a lot harder (since there is an actual chance of blocking the kick).

---

Analysis by John Sullivan in SRM 435 (section 2)

The article Ryan and I chose for our class discussion topic is ‘NFL will test longer extra points for two weeks in the preseason. On March 26th, Michael David Smith posted the article on NBC Sports. The article title is a dead give away for what it is about. For the first two weeks of the 2014 preseason the spot where the football is placed for the extra point will be moved back to the 20-yard line. This turns the normal 20-yard distance into a distance of 38 yards. The article suggests that making the kick harder will make the games more interesting to the fans.

How this relates to marketing, promotion, and sales. By moving the extra point back, it will make the kick more difficult to make. By increasing the difficulty of the kick, the margin of error also increases. By increasing the margin of error, the fans will be more willing to pay attention to see the outcome of the kick. Moving the kick back will increase viewership at both the stadium and at home on the couch. It could potentially keep fans better engaged in the game. It could make them stay in their seats at games and maybe even stay tuned it at home through the commercial breaks.

If this rule becomes concrete it could very well lead to increasing popularity in kickers. People may actually start buying jerseys with the kickers name on the back rather than the quarterback or running back. Kids who like football might aspire to become a kicker instead of a quarterback. Moving the kick back will bring the kickers that do not miss the extra point the respect that they deserve.

This rule change can only bring good to the already great game of football. People are going to watch and go to the game no matter what, but it is the excitement of the unforeseeable events that keeps them coming back for more. People want to see kicks get blocked, or missed. It adds excitement to the game. It makes the game more interesting (if it is a close game), and that is what gets people to watch. This rule change will help promote games because it should make the games more competitive.

It is not for certain that this rule will be established in the official rules of the NFL. But for the first two weeks of the preseason the NFL will experiment with the rule in play. It will be interesting to see how the rule affects the game and the fans.

"Manziel puts on pro day show, then Nike capitalizes on Manziel Pro Day Collection"

From NBC Sports

Analysis by Josh Wells in SRM 435 (section 1)

On March 27th college football may have been changed forever with a revolutionary pro day put on in College station by the one and only Johnny Manziel. Pro day gives athletes with a dream to play in the NFL a chance to show their talents to scouts and coaches. In Manziel’s case he had seven head coaches, George H Bush and Barbara Bush, and many scouts. Many first came from this proday such as; Johnny addressed scouts prior to workout, mixtapes playing throughout, and most of all wore shoulder pads and helmet. Manziel put on a show completing 61 passes out of 65 with 2 drops, leaving scouts with their mouths wide open at the end of the day. As soon as Manziel was done working out, Nike was sure to use this as an opportunity to tell everyone they also had the chance to dress and compete in the same gear as Manziel. Johnny football being endorsed by Nike gives them the chance to use him as much as possible and in my opinion is what his pro day was all about. Being criticized is something that Johnny Manziel is used to and learns to embraced, but I feel he is being push into a certain direction by Nike while he should be focused on his career. When asked about his decision on wear shoulder pads and a helmet, he replied “the game isn’t played in shorts and a tshirt.” Perhaps now we have a real answer to the question; because Nike had a helmet to market. While all the endorsement hype surrounds Manziel, his future employers and coaches have been quoted by saying his performance was a “sideshow and “Circus.” Money is important and I will be the first to say this, but being so young and growing up with one dream to play in the NFL, I feel he has been sidetracked by companies who want to use him. From here on out I believe he needs to focus on himself and try to fly under the radar. While also showing teams he can control and maintain focus with many distractions.

---

Analysis by A.J. Scott in SRM 435 (section 1)

They don’t call Johnny Manziel “Johnny Football” for no reason at all. During this past 2013 season, Johnny Manziel was one of the most known, if not the number one, name in college football. Only a 21 year old starting quarterback for Texas A&M, Manziel didn’t waste time showing his talent through his schools football team, completing over 60 passes last season and receiving the Heisman Trophy award.

With all of this recognition, it is no surprise that a high profile athletic brand would want someone like Manziel promoting them. Of course, Nike was the lucky winner. Not only does Manziel wear their brand from head to toe, Nike also took it upon themselves to dedicate a whole ‘Manziel Pro Day Collection’ to him. This collection included all the works you could imagine from the shirt all the way down to the shoes and socks.

Why would Nike want to invest all this money into Johnny Manziel? Well, not only will Manziel more than likely be one of the first 10 that are picked in the NFL draft this year, he will also get a lot of attention once he does get drafted to a team. Manziel left observers speechless at his pro day on March 27th and will only continue to impress America with his talent.

"March Madness Ratings And Revenue Keep Reaching New Heights"

From Forbes.com

Analysis by Jacob Nicely in SRM 435 (section 2)

When you think of the most watched sporting events you may think of the Super Bowl, the World Series, the BCS national championship game, but what you may not realize is that the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament is right behind the BCS national championship game and a few NFL games. When March rolls around, people everywhere fill out their brackets and tune in to stay up to date with how their favorite teams are doing and to keep track of their bracket. In all of this the unthinkable always happens, a cinderella team out of nowhere beats a heavily favored team and makes a run in the tournament highlighting what we all know and love about “March Madness.” Everyday people watch these games from their television, their laptops and tablets, and their phones to try and keep track of their teams, their bracket, or just the overall madness of the tournament. As a result of the madness, more and more people are tuning in to the tournament creating a revenue machine that is raking in over a billion dollars every year.

In 2010, CBS and Turner inked a 14-year deal worth $11 million for the broadcasting rights to the Men’s NCAA tournament. In the regular season, it is extremely rare for a Men’s NCAA Basketball game to reach over 2 million viewers but during the tournament that number skyrockets to an average of 10.7 million viewers a game during the 2013 tournament. Only the Super Bowl, BCS national championship game, and a few NFL games drew in a larger audience than the men’s national championship game with 23.4 million viewers with fans taking in over 1.4 million hours of live streaming during the tournament. To achieve this goal, the two broadcasting companies have devised a scheduling plan that staggers game times and spreads them across 4 channels so that there are more games on television and so that as one game ends another game begins. This is something that marketers can only dream of.

In combination with the television format, there have been numerous mobile applications developed so that fans can live stream the games, get live scores, and keep up with their brackets. With numerous platforms to follow the tournament, it creates more and more places for companies to advertise and spend their money. This has led to companies spending a mind-boggling $1.15 billion on advertisements during the 2013 NCAA tournament and a number that is expected to increase for this year’s tournament. Along with advertising, the NCAA does a phenomenal job segmenting the rounds into their own separate sporting events that everyone can identify with such as the “Sweet 16”, the “Elite Eight”, and the “Final Four.” This creates many options for merchandising and licensing of apparel that many fans buy into every year creating another revenue stream for the NCAA and the schools involved.

All of these numbers are great and show how the NCAA and the broadcasting companies are creating a juggernaut of a sporting event but how do they get people to tune into games that may not normally watch? Well brackets are the answer. Every year fans can go online to various sites and fill out a bracket, where they can predict who will win what game. This creates not only a way to get more fans interested in more games they can watch, but also creates more platforms for advertisers to spend money. With the first-round games which are commonly referred to as “play-in games” reaching all-time high tv ratings, the tournament is only gaining interest year after year.

Turner-Sports and CBS, in combination with the NCAA, have created a fantastic formula from a marketing standpoint. Their TV scheduling and staggering of games encourages fans to watch more than one game, tune into games they may not normally watch, and have more coverage of games causing more people to cut on the television and watch the tournament. In combination with TV broadcasting, the live streaming and mobile applications allow people who normally could not tune in, the ability to watch the games from anywhere, even in school and at work when they are not supposed to. With all of these options to take in the games, the broadcasting companies and the NCAA have allowed themselves to offer diversification of advertising to companies. Now they can reach more target markets, more often, and in locations they normally would not be able to reach them at which is very important because consumers are more likely to buy a product when it is advertised to them when they are in the mindset. Just to give an example, an office supply company can now advertise on live streaming websites and mobile applications because people can tune into to watch the games from their work as opposed to television, which people who are at work cannot normally watch the day games. Also, with more channels and more games it allows for companies to advertise on specific channels to specific demographics based on locations of the teams which they would not have been able to do if only two games were being shown at a time instead of four.

All in all, this time of year can get everyone excited whether you will be rooting for the underdog, cheering on your favorite team, following your bracket closely, or just tuning in to see some great basketball games. The Men’s NCAA basketball tournament will only continue to rise in popularity thus showing that it will only rise in ad revenue as a result. As technology advances, broadcasting companies and the NCAA are keeping up and finding more and more ways to reach viewers every year. This is great news for companies who are looking to market their products and services because they can reach more demographics and specific target markets than they have in the past. From a marketing standpoint, they have created a phenomenal plan to get companies to spend their money as well as keeping up with current trends to keep the companies happy with their investments. As times change and technology develops, we can only sit back and see what the future tournaments will bring.

---

Analysis by Ben Eidle in SRM 435 (section 2)

Our article has to deal with CBS and Turner’s television package for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Last year was a big year for the tournament because it hit a nineteen year high for ratings. Last year’s championship game only trailed some NFL games and the BCS national championship game in viewers as well. When speaking about ratings in college basketball they jump a significant amount during the offseason. This has caught CBS-Turner’s attention and they walked away with a fourteen year television deal that runs through 2024. The tournament has been praised for the way they are showing their games as well. They have the times staggered so that you are able to watch the maximum amounts of basketball games and they are spread across four channels which makes it easy to flip back and forth between. Another thing that has brought in more viewers is the expansion of applications for mobile devices. People are now able to interact and watch in many more ways compared to being stuck to a television. Quicken Loans tried to take advantage of the tournament as well by sponsoring the billion dollar bracket challenge but was overshadowed by Warren Buffet who walked away with most of the attention with people ignoring their name on the contest. Ad space has been bringing in more revenue year after year as well. Last year it brought in $1.15 billion in television ad revenue and it is expected to increase this year as well. It has brought in more money than the NFL which is interesting. The last thing they mentioned in the article was that they are thinking of expanding the tournament by adding another round.

This article deals with marketing in multiple ways. The first thing that really stood out to me was the television ad revenue. It impressed me because of how large the number was. It was very unclear in the article what the figure was actually for because it could have been for other advertising as well but I found in another article that it was just for television alone. The ad revenue is larger than you think. It has gained more ad revenue compared to all of the professional sports leagues in the United States barely beating out the NFL.

I feel that the “First Four” is also a great marketing tactic. They have taken 4 games and created play-in games for the tournament. The NCAA has taken these games though and have called them the first round of the tournament and once the field of sixty-four is set that is now the second round. They have taken these games and have people thinking that they really are first round matchups which is great because it brings greater interest and kind of jumpstarts the tournament. This is great because at the beginning of the tournament the people are limited to the couple of games at the beginning of the week that they are able to watch instead of changing back and forth between multiple games once the “second round” begins.

Finally, the different ways that you can watch the games in the tournament is a great tactic by CBS-Turner. They have taken the games and spread them across four channels which gives one the option of changing between games in case one is bad compared to another. They also give one the opportunity to just keep going to the ending of each game because the games are staggered and don’t have the same start times. Also, for the final four the games will be broadcasted on three different channels. One will be a national broadcast of the game and the other two channels will have broadcasters for each of the two different schools that are playing in the game. And last but not least, they have continued to improve the online experience. The applications have been vastly improved over the years and this year has become more user friendly. One is also able to follow each team through the application and see what people are saying about each team.

Overall, I believe what CBS-Turner has done is great for the tournament. You give viewers the opportunity to catch the magic of the postseason without missing endings to each game. It has given great customer service as well because people have so many new ways in which they are able to follow the tournament instead of just watching the games on television or checking the scores on the internet. Finally, the television ad revenue is ridiculous and the fact that it is supposed to be more than last year’s tournament has to mean that they are doing something right.

"March Madness Twitter Ads Tip Off After Buzzer-Beater"

From Advertising Age

Analysis by Kelsey Holmes in KIN 501

With each new year of March Madness comes new sports marketing plans. The 3–Week long NCAA tournament is attracting businesses to put forth their very best social media marketing plans. All these companies have goals to be the most creative, wittiest, and fastest to tweet. The ad-revenue of March Madness continues to grow year by year and is steadily catching up to major events such as the Super Bowl. Marketers are debuting new ad campaigns and doing everything they can to get their name in the mix.

This year’s biggest trend will be “Real-Time” marketing. “From now through the NCAA's Final Four weekend in early April, brands will attempt to score marketing points after nail-biting games and general basketball-related social media activity.” While some efforts will be real-time reactions to game events others will be pre-planned. All types of brands; food, insurance, and even hotels are all buying in to get a piece of March Madness on Twitter.

There are 4 types of tweets taking place.
Real-Time: As soon as games end, brands are reacting with witty sayings and tweets to become part of the frenzy.

Prepared: Multiple tweets prepared before games and then used based on what’s happening

Promoted: Advertisement on users Timeline promoting a particular brand.

Intentionally Confusing: Tweets about sports and the brand but not necessarily basketball.

Using March Madness to advertise is a smart and efficient move for these companies. A major attractor is the variety of fans that watch march madness. March Madness attracts fans of all ages and sexes as well as the dedicated and leisure fan. Along with variety of fans come a variety of platforms. March Madness can be watched on television, the computer, tablets, and mobile devices. That means there are 4 channels on TV plus their websites and the March Madness website and mobile apps. This is extremely useful because consumers can be reached anywhere and multiple times a day.

This marketing strategy is extremely relevant and useful to this course. Real-Time marketing is an example of how marketers must evolve to stay relevant to the consumer. Companies must continue to adapt to “stay ahead of the game”. The importance of staying relevant is realer now than ever and the window to react is now slimmer than ever. Companies must now hire professionals specifically for Twitter. This person must be creative and witty and always have a pulse on their audience. Because of this need companies now have to rethink their hiring and the experience of their employees. Also, professionals looking for jobs will find it beneficial to have social media experience. Overall, I think that Real-Time marketing will become more common practice and expand outside of sporting events.

"Beyond the Selfie: Is Snapchat the Next Frontier for Sports Franchises?"

From SportTechie

Analysis by Danielle Colassard in SRM 435 (section 2)

Snapchat is a photograph application that was created in July 2011. This application was created so people could not upload pictures they have already taken, but must take pictures of where they currently are. There are approximately 400,000,000 messages sent a day by its 30,000,000 users. However only 55 percent of those users use Snapchat daily. Snapchat became popular among teenagers and young adults within the past year or two, and now brands and franchises are using that information to their advantage. Knowing that teenagers and young adults use social media almost daily, brands and franchises have joined in and made those same social media accounts to get connected with the younger generation. The New Orleans Saints were the first sports franchise to join Snapchat. In December, the Saints had over 17,000 followers. In order to push content via Snapchat, sports franchises and brands must take a picture and post to what Snapchat calls “a story.” The picture they post to their “story” is only visible to their followers for 24 hours before it disappears. After they got their account, it was all word of mouth promotion for the New Orleans Saints. Snapchat does not have a direct link the Saints could post for their fans to see and follow, forcing fans to have to search for the Saints by themselves in order to actually be able to see the content the Saints send via Snapchat.

Sports teams are beginning to utilize Snapchat to appeal to their younger fans. Some teams are using the application to offer discount codes for game day tickets as well as team merchandise. Other teams are using it to announce a big reveal is coming from the team soon. Some teams are using Snapchat to have a new twist on scavenger hunts, or use it as a fun way to involve their team mascot. Where as others are using it to show content that fans would not get to see otherwise.

Using Snapchat to connect with their younger fans is a brilliant idea. With Snapchat being such a big hit with the younger generation, it is a great idea to use the social media younger fans are using. Using Snapchat for discount codes can be rewarding but also risky. As mentioned in class, giving discounts or gifts away may upset season ticket holders, as well as dilute the value of the product. Since Snapchat “stories” are only visible for 24 hours, the code should only be visible to the fans that look at the content daily. For professional teams it may be a little more risky than for a minor league team who are just trying to get fans to attend their games. Having a discount code for a Monday night game may benefit minor league teams in college towns or a town where minor league is the only team around.

Teams using snapchat to announce a big reveal coming soon, will get their fans looking at their content multiple times per day to see what is going to happen with the team. Using Snapchat for that purpose is smart because the team will have a lot of traffic going through their website as well as all of their social media accounts, promoting their name.

Franchises using Snapchat to show behind the scenes content that fans would not normally get to see is also a great idea. Fans love to see their favorite player in the locker room or some place they do not have access to see them. Fans also enjoy seeing their favorite players at the events they were not able to attend because they were stuck at work, college, or were not of age to attend the event. Using Snapchat can show those fans all of what they were missing.

Brands and franchises using Snapchat is relevant to this course because teams are marketing and selling their brand by using this application. They are sending content to their fans via Snapchat, a type of social media that not everyone has. It is a benefit to those that have the application on their phone. The content posted to the Snapchat Story is only available to those with a smartphone that allows them to download Snapchat. This benefits the younger generation because almost everyone has a smartphone, iPod, iPad with Snapchat access. Depending on what the team chooses to send out, they may gain interest of teenagers and young adults to want to work in the sport industry, helping it to grow. If a team sends out pictures or videos of event level of different stadiums or arenas, it may gain interest of students wanting to work in facilities. Snapchat can also be used as a promotional tool, providing contests for fans, giving incentives, as well as showing them when and where they can help with community projects or visit players for autograph sessions. Snapchat also shows what game days are like as well as the game themselves, getting fans to want to come back to the stadium to witness the atmosphere in person. Following other teams that are not necessarily a fan favorite, can show people how other stadiums are and what other teams are like behind the scenes.

As mentioned above, Snapchat is a great tool for marketing and promoting sports brands. Showing fans content they would not normally get to see is priceless. Seeing pictures or videos of their favorite player encourages them to come to games, buy merchandise or keep checking back for more.

---

Analysis by Chelsea Weber in SRM 435 (section 2)

News about sports used to be limited to newspapers and television, but with social media taking the world by storm, there are unlimited outlets for fans to gain access to information about their favorite teams and players. The most recent social media to catch teams and fans attention is Snapchat. The first team to try out the app was the New Orleans Saints and both the fans and the team have found it quite successful. Snapchat is different than most apps in that the picture or video only lasts up to 24 hours. It is a more personal app than most in that the fans get a direct message from the team and only they can see the picture or video, unlike Twitter or Instagram where the text and pictures last forever and can be seen by anyone. Snapchat gives fans an inside and behind the scenes look at the team and players. This could potentially be a very positive and successful marketing tool if the teams use it correctly. Knowing that the app is used primarily by the younger generations, the organizations need to post things that appeal to that age group. Showing locker rooms, pre-game routines, off the field appearances, individual players, bloopers , etc., could gain the attention of potential fans, while keeping the existing fans. Teams can use Snapchat to promote team events, share team news, and even create challenges for the fans to take part in. All in all, Snapchat is another tool for teams and organizations to get their name out there and create more noise about the organization. It is a great way to market the team and could also create more sales, whether it be merchandise or ticket sales. Whether or not Snapchat is going to work or how long it’s going to last, teams should try it out and see what kind of response they get.

"March Madness evokes marketer madness"

From USA Today

Analaysis by Wyatt Johnson in SRM 435 (section 1) 

Our article talked about how big March Madness is and how it is a marketing mix that advertisers try to take advantage of. With the tournament being broadcasted on 4 different networks it gives companies an advantage to promote their products to potential consumers. March Madness is so big companies can reach different audiences through ads, giveaways, concerts, and rebranding hotels. I feel like this is a month that companies definitely look forward to because it’s a whole month of basketball and a whole month fans will see these ads multiple times throughout March. Companies are also using social media to engage fans as well. Companies like Burger King and Pizza Hut are using twitter to promote their special deals. I believe that March Madness is huge marketing mix for companies because they use all 4 phases of promotion which include advertising, publicity, personal contact, and incentives. All of these phases are essential to engaging fans and consumers. Companies are using different marketing strategies to get in touch with potential consumers even through cell phones. Some companies having different apps that people can download on their phones and that helps companies get various ways of promoting their message. This article is relative to the course because March Madness is one of the biggest events in sports and it helps companies display different ways of connecting March Madness with their product to help promote their message to potential consumers. Companies have to go through various marketing steps we talked about in order to be affective in sport promotion and sales.

---

Analysis by Lindsey Tomasz in SRM 435 (section 1)

USA Today's "March Madness Evokes Marketer's Madness" is a short yet great article that focuses on how those in the marketing industry use this three weeklong event to promote their products. It is obvious that although March Madness doesn't exactly have the "heft" of the SuperBowl or the worldwide scope of the Olympics, it certainly is becoming a marketer's dream come true. Over the past few years, this event has brought in more and more ad revenue - more than some professional sports leagues - and the young, desirable audience and the great world of social media are mostly to thank for that. Marketers are doing all they can to take advantage of this; debuting both new ads and apps, hosting concerts, giving away free food, and even rebranding some hotels, just to name a few.

I believe that companies using March Madness to advertise themselves and their products is an extremely smart move. Along with the young audience, the different games throughout the tournament are shown on multiple different channels, which gives marketers more room to work with. It gives them the opportunity to really get out there and spread the word around for what they are trying to sell. There about four stations that are televising games, which also means that there are at least four major websites that can be used for advertising as well. I know from first-hand experience in the past week, that if I miss a game that was on my bracket, I immediately go to the website to see what I missed. I think it is also a great idea to be using former basketball stars in the commercials. Using these stars keeps a relationship between the ad and what the viewer is actually watching it for, and probably holds the viewer's interest more than other, say "regular", people. Although people don't necessarily watch this tournament for the commercials in particular, like they do for the Super Bowl, I think it is still a safe bet to be spending the millions of dollars for that thirty second commercial as long as they keep that "ad to game" relationship going.

This marketing strategy is very relevant to our course because it is a prime example of obviously promotion and sales in the sport industry in relation to a widely social and growing event. To name a few, we are taught about sponsorships, advertising, licensing, different incentives, and what really makes a good sales person/company in a business. Reading about these March Madness marketers has really put a lot of these into perspective and allows me to better understand what all goes into selling a product or service. It has been very interesting for me to watch the games and commercials and be able to go more into depth about how the advertisement was created to better fit the sport and audience and maybe how the certain sponsors/ads fit back into the college basketball aspect. Connecting everything back to the consumers is huge and marketing in this tournament has proven to be all about that, which is why there is no “peak” to be seen at all in the near future of this and it will only become more popular in years to come.

"NBA's All-Star Weekend Tweaks Are Step in Right Direction"

From Bleacher Report

Analysis by Jauan Latney in SRM 435 (section 1)

This article was all about increasing the fan experience in the all-star weekend contest for the NBA. The most anticipated was the new style of the dunk competition which added a freestyle round and is putting three western conference players against 3 eastern conference players. It goes into the changes to other invents like the skills competition being a two-man relay and the three point competition having one full rack of money balls placed wherever the shooter chooses. They also talk on how the young players get a chance to put their names out there during the all-star weekend and possibly get themselves some endorsements.

            The NBA has the best all-star event compared to the rest of the top professional sports. From a marketing standpoint, companies have their names on events that go on involved in all-star Saturday night as well as other events throughout the week. All the fans that are in town for the four day weekend are seeing ads and being involved with these sponsors of the NBA. They came out with a “JAM BAND” for this year at the Jam Session events where you sign in with the bracelet using your information and swipe in at different events. When people swipe in at these events/stations the sponsors of that station can see that and send them mail in the future. The bands can also compare the fans stats to their favorite NBA player in the “Draft Combine” drill. When you’re having events like this, social media is always good to have and you can post to social media with the use of the bands as well. When it comes to sales this was the cheapest all-star game in history to get into but they were also more focused on the whole fan experience this year. With the use of the many performances throughout the weekend and meeting all the players the experience was definitely boosted this year along with the JAM BANDS for Jam Session events.

            This is relevant to the course because it covers getting the experience that all fans crave and the way the NBA gets sponsors involved in their all-star weekend. It also is about reaching out to those fans after the event is over to reach them about sales in the future and to ask about their experiences from the weekend. The NBA all-star weekend is the ultimate example of any all-star event in the top professional sports, even greater than the NFL. They get into the marketing and promotion standpoint to make current and future sales and reaching out to obtain new customers due to their combination of being with the NBA. 

"Marketers Going Mad This March Over NCAA Tournament"

From Athletic Business

Analysis by Kevin Albright in KIN 501

I came across a marketing article Athletic Business Journal that I found really interesting regarding the NCAA Tournament and how big of a stage it is for marketers around the country. The article starts off by saying that the NCAA Tournament is not quite as attractive to marketers as maybe the Super Bowl or the most recent Olympics, however it is pretty close and especially this year is gaining a lot of attention from marketers. The tournament consists of over 60 basketball games which are all broadcasted over four popular TV stations (TBS,CBS,TNT, TruTV). Games go on for nearly 3 weeks and attract many viewers outside of basketball fans because of the size of the event and the instructiveness of filling out a bracket and competing against others for the better bracket. The article talks about the tournament being a marketers dream because of the large coverage as well as the fact that it’s live sports, they describe it as “TiVo proof”.

Last year it was said that the tournament generated over 1 billion dollars in ad revenue and they anticipate exceeding that this year. The growth of social media has helped the marketing of brands also because for three weeks social media is buzzing about everything relating to the NCAA Tournament. Also companies are sponsoring apps, hotels, contests, hosting concerts and running promotions during this time to grab the attention of their views and promote their product. I see it as a great way to market because of the reasons the article mentioned dealing with it being a 3 week event, live TV, tons of social media opportunities and the size of the spectators.

This topic is very relevant to class because determining where you are going to use your marketing resources is one of the most crucial parts to a successful marketing program. I also thought that it would spark and interesting discussion on how valuable some marketing may be and what kind of price tag can you put on it. For example Warren Buffet is teaming up with Quicken Loans to offer 1 billion dollars to anyone who can get a perfect bracket. Quicken Loans is gaining so much publicity from this contest and they are willing to risk a lot of money if someone wins the contest. Now the odds are very slim that someone gets a perfect bracket but it was the decision they had to make as to how valuable is that as a marketing scheme. The importance of studying trends and analyzing numbers and statistics can be critical to devising a strong marketing plan.

"Rays Tout New 'Flex Packs' Ticketing as Unique to MLB"

From Athletic Business

Video link

Analysis by Rick Reardon in KIN 501

The Tampa Bay Rays are unveiling a new marketing campaign that also couples with their new idea of how to sell single game tickets to fans. Their new campaign centers on the phrase “Rays Up”. This phrase is supposed to link the team with the fans by making it a joint effort to turn the season around. Mark Fernandez, senior vice president, said when referring to the new slogan, “Let’s do this thing together.” After finishing last in the MLB in attendance last year, the Rays are using a new ticket plan, called Flex Packs to improve home field attendance. Flex Packs are targeted at single game ticket buyers who usually just buy the one game. With Flex Packs, a fan can buy a three, six, or nine game pack. The fan can then use these Flex Packs to go to any game as long as it is not sold out. This includes marquee games such as the Yankees, Red Socks, or even the season opener with no up-charge on those certain games. The only catch is that they cannot redeem the Flex Pack for sold out games, which makes sense. Tampa Bay has already started their marketing campaign focused around these Flex Packs by displaying billboards all around the city featuring star players and manager Joe Madden that displays their slogan Rays Up. The three game Flex Packs start at $49 and they have already sold 10,000 Flex Packs (of all varieties).

From a marketing stand point I think this is a genius idea. A lot of the problem, I believe, with increasing attendance to home games especially in baseball is getting people to attend multiple games in a season. With the Flex Packs, it could save family money that is just coming in for the weekend and wants to go watch a weekend series or for a fan that lives in the city but is not sure which games they can attend. The only down side I could see with this would be that fans might start buying Flex Packs instead of season tickets. This way the fan could choose which games they want to go to without having to buy all the tickets to the home games. With that being said, I believe a team will still have their regular die-hard fans that will continuously buy season tickets. However for the fans on the fence deciding whether they want season tickets or not, I think this would be a good way to get their foot in the door and hopefully convert them to season ticket holders. If a fan buys the nine game Flex Pack and continually enjoys going to the game then eventually they might think it would save them some money just buying season tickets. Selling tickets is just one part of the equation though. If fans do not enjoy being at the game and are not leaving with a memorable experience then they will not be willing to come back or buy tickets later. So I do not know if the reason Tampa Bay was last in attendance last year was because of ticket prices or plans, or for the game day atmosphere. But both sides of the equation need to be looked at. I still believe that this is a great way to get new fans in the seats and it’s always good to try something fresh and new.

This relates to our course of when we talked about fans and creating fan loyalty. The best way to get a new fan is getting them out the games to watch and creating an identity with the team. With these Flex Packs, the team is getting more on the fence fans that cannot afford season tickets or that only usually come to one game. If you have a fan that usually only comes to one game you can try to push this ticket package on them by saying they can come to three more of their choice without any commitment up front. I think that this is a great way to establish new fans and also expand the loyalty of certain fans.

"Tourism Expected to Pay Off $51B Sochi Investment"

From Athletic Business

Analysis by Rosella Sheehan in KIN 501

In the article, “Tourism Expected to Pay Off $51B Sochi Investment”, author Nancy Armour stated that several previous Winter Olympic cities including Salt Lake City and Vancouver have seen an increase in the amount of tourism revenue since the Olympics left. Russian officials are optimistic that Sochi will also see an increase in tourism in the years to come, especially from Russians and Europeans looking to vacation in the seaside town. Although travelling to Sochi is difficult, it does provide the best of both worlds in terms of snow and sand.

Despite the fact previous host cities have seen an increase in international tourism following the Olympics; I do not believe the same will occur in Sochi. Sochi officials did a great job of keeping the Games safe but the bad publicity the Games received has decreased the appeal of the city to most of the world. Many Westerners are not used to seeing stray dogs running the streets, unfinished hotel rooms or dirty drinking water which will make getting people to go visit this area of the world difficult. One of the biggest challenges Sochi will face trying to draw tourists is the reputation Russia has around the world, which is only becoming worse from its recent aggression towards Ukraine.

On the other hand, I do think that Sochi will draw Russians because Sochi became a source of pride for them during the Winter Games. A major draw this town has is its closeness to not only the sea but also the mountains. Other transformations to the seaside town that will draw Russian tourists is the new theme park “Putin World” and the transformation of Olympic Park into a race track for the Russian Grand Prix later on this year. Finally, the fact that Russia has several new sporting arenas will increase their appeal to host other sporting events in the future.

This article is relevant to this course because it is important to realize that several factors are taken into consideration when tourists decide to travel for a sporting event. Some of these considerations include: travel, accommodations and safety. Whenever an event is put on, organizers must consider these factors since they will affect the appeal of an event and the experience each guest will have. Especially in unappealing locations or with a losing team, organizers must think of creative ways to get people to come to games and events.

"The marketing of Michael Sam"

From ESPN.com

Analysis by Jacob Orpin in SRM 435 (section 2)

The article talks about how Michael Sam coming out gay will affect his marketability. Now a days things like this can benefit your marketability unlike 15 years ago. It use to be to high of a risk for players to come out gay, now the risk reward it so high you can really benefit from it. There is already a ton of people and companies trying to get a deal out of Michael. Michael doesn’t want to sign a ton of deals just wants the usually shoe and apparel deal. The thing that struck me the most after reading the article is the increase in gay sports bars in New York. The article says 15 years ago gay sports bars were failures now they are getting franchised. Michael Sam helps open an entire new market for the NFL that will only help increase the fan base and help the LBGT community.

From a marketing standpoint Michael Sam is a dream come true to many people. Everyone is going to want a piece of the first openly gay NFL player. Being a first can go a long way in the marketing world. Nike has already signed two openly gay athletes in Jason Collins and Brittney Griner. Neither one has done much when it comes to making money. Just coming out gay isn’t enough you still have to perform on the field. The Brooklyn Nets just signed Jason Collins to a 10-day contract. Before that he didn’t have a contact with any team and in turn wasn’t during must in a sales point. Coming out gay will help Michael get opportunities for endorsements but there is still work to do on the field. If Michael Sam performs on the field the endorsements will start rolling out faster than he ever imagined. Whatever team ends up drafting Michael I feel like there sales will go up with they just tapped another fan base. There might be more media coverage around your team but from a sales point I don’t see any ways it could hurt.

Michael coming out gay is very courageous especially doing it before the combine. It took a lot of guts to be able to do that and be able to talk about it in front of the media. Time will tell if this move was smart in terms of being drafted and being marketable. I truly believe Michael will contribute to an NFL team in the next few years. You don’t go from being SEC player of the year to a benchwarmer. The SEC is to good and the last six SEC defensive player of the years were first round picks, he will be the first to not be.

---

Analysis by Will Taylor in SRM 435 (section 2)

Michael Sam could possibly be the most revolutionary athlete in the sports world since Jackie Robinson. As the first NFL draft prospect that has come out as gay, the day he is drafted and steps foot on the field for the first time will be monumental and will be forever remembered in sports history. With this culture change happening in the sports world, Michael Sam’s marketability rises with every interview he gives. This article describes how many companies are all trying to gain entry into the LGBT brand, but are biding their time waiting to see how he performs on the field. The article also discusses how difficult it will be trying to have Michael Sam represent them, as he only wants to sign a couple deals. It also discusses the market as a whole, and how the LGBT community would fit into sports, and how they would be accepted within the sports industry.

Michael Sam has marketing potential without a doubt being the first openly gay NFL draft prospect. However, his true marketing value will be determined with his play on the field. As seen with Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, performance is what drives the market. Because Jason Collins has never had too much on-court success, he hasn’t seen the big marketing deals you would expect. This will also be true for Michael Sam, whose career is in the balance after his poor performance at the combine. The impact on the NFL culture and sports industry in general will be massive; however it would be very difficult to market a player who sits the bench. Another aspect mentioned in the article is the fact that no just any company can use Michael Sam effectively to market their business. Only companies with a strong base in the LGBT community already can effectively reach out to the market that follows Michael Sam.

This article is very relevant to this course because it discusses the marketability of a high profile athlete in a new market to the sports industry. The article discusses how Michael Sam will go about signing deals, and how companies will try and use him to market their business. It discusses how difficult it will be to market to the LGBT community because of how new the market is to the sports world. This is very relevant because this will change the sports world and how sports and athletes are marketed to a new group of sports fans.

"Watch the Spots: Chevrolet Features Gay Couples in Olympic Ads"

From Advertising Age

Analysis by Candynce Boney in KIN 501

During opening night of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Chevrolet aired two commercials featuring gay couples for the first time in both of their television slots. It is important to note Chevy went through with these commercials with the understanding that Sochi had enforced anti-gay laws. All the families in these commercials were real life families that were found through both social media and outreach. Not only does Chevrolet show gay couples there are also multi-racial families shown in these commercials. Chevy’s goal is to explore “what it means to be a family these days.” During the second commercial they show a gay couple celebrating their marriage and an openly gay scientist, Jack Andraka who developed a way to test for pancreatic cancer. Although during the commercials the pictures flash by rather quickly it is still easy to recognize both the mixed race families and the gay couples.

With Chevrolet promoting their new marketing technique, they seem to have placed a large amount of emphasis on slogans. America is starting to become more of a nondiscriminatory country, their slogans does a great job catch the attention of new era Americans. What I mean by new era Americans is, for this current generation everything is about being inclusive and politically correct. Many of the young Americans now are multi-racial and support Same Sex Marriages. Therefore Chevy is reaching a large population of people with opening this new market scheme.

From a marketing standpoint, I was curious as to how Chevy’s older more conservative customers would respond to the new marketing technique. As one would expect the responses to this commercial were not good. People said they would never purchase another car from Chevrolet; some went as far to say they would sale their current Chevrolet vehicles due to these commercials. In my opinion this is still a good marketing technique, as I mentioned before, people are becoming more liberal in their standpoints on relationships.

More specifically for up and coming marketers, the field is constantly evolving with today’s new society roles and trends. We would need to confront some of those old stereotypes, not being afraid of going after something new. In my opinion, as a marketer it is important to understand, not every person will agree with all marketing tool and techniques used, but in order to evolve in the field barriers have to be pushed. It is going to be easier to push these barriers in companies as large as Chevrolet, but even on a college level doing more inclusive things and making everyone feel welcomed may produce better outcomes at different events around campus.

"Michael Sam's marketing power is real—just not until draft day"

From Sporting News

Analysis by Preston Clark in SRM 435 (section 1)

Michael Sam, future NFL player, recently announced that he was gay. Now comes the big question: How and when will companies use him in their future marketing and advertisements? Sam’s new agent, Jason Barkett, has already received numerous calls from companies who want to sign him. However, in order to conduct his training for the combine and upcoming NFL season, Sam has turned down all of the offers so far. He wants to remain focused on his game until he can establish himself as a football player, then he will begin looking into the offers. Some possible companies that may want to sign him include Red Bull, Nike (who have already signed openly gay Brittany Griner and Jason Collins), and Beats by Dre. Sam has already signed several autograph deals with trading card companies, but does not want to go any farther than that because his main goal is to prove that his on-field performance is NFL quality. He knows that the marketing dollars will come after that happens.

Michael Sam is an important factor for companies who are looking for a new marketing scheme. His story and his courage are perfect to market to all walks of life, especially the rarely targeted LGBT community. There will be a lot of people in America who will look up to him for being brave enough to come out as gay to the public, which will cause them to want to purchase some of the merchandise and products that he sponsors. Companies will have to use their creativity to come up with proper ways to market Michael Sam in order to make the most out of their advertisements and not offend people. The smart companies will focus on Sam’s play on the field while keeping their message targeted towards the general consumer, not just the LGBT community.

This article was very relevant to the course because it surrounds a guy who will be the center of a lot of marketing schemes in the near future for various different companies. It will be a test for companies to come up with ways to market Sam to not only the LGBT community, but the rest of America too. It will be interesting from a marketing and promotional standpoint to see what companies sign Michael Sam and how they use the different advertisement methods.

---

Analysis by Kirby Burkholder in SRM 435 (section 1)

Our article was on Michael Sam, who has become the first gay NFL player, seeing that he gets drafted, to openly come out. He played football in college for Missouri, and is prospected to be drafted in the first few rounds. By coming out as an openly gay athlete, his agent says the phones are ringing off the hook for future possible deals signing Sam for endorsements, ads, etc, to promote the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Many companies see him as a great marketing tool for their product.

In the article, a few companies were mentioned as possible endorsements for Michael Sam. The first was Beats By Dre, which is a company that already has a partnership with the NFL. Sam would fit well into their signature commercials with the beats headphones on, blocking out all the distractions around them. Another company that is a probable deal would be Nike. Nike already announced its support of marriage equality, and have a good relationship with the LGBT community. They also have already have done a deal with an openly gay WNBA player, Brittany Griner. The third company mentioned in the article is Red Bull. They already have a history of non-traditional sports marketing. The article says how Sam should pick brands he can easily relate to or uses.

Sam’s marketing opportunities don’t stop here though. All these are deals that he can sign to be endorsed by a company or brand, but there are so many more marketing options that will open up, especially if he does well in the league. In other articles, it says how many talk show hosts would like to talk to him already, and there is talk of possible book or movie (documentary) deals. The marketing options for Michael Sam are endless, and most of it has to do with him simply being gay. Another big point stated in the article is how the main thing Sam needs to be focusing on is his play once he gets in the league. He needs to prove he is a top player, or a lot of the talk of these endorsements and deals might go out the window.