"YouTube, Fox Sports Team Up for Online Video Ad Sales"

From Ad Age

Click here to see FOX Sports on YouTube

Analysis by Melissa Kniceley in SRM 435 (section 2)

The prevalence of social media and ease of information searching has made the internet more relevant than ever before. Each year, advertising tactics and ways to reach the consumer are becoming more and more creative. Marketers are constantly looking for new ways to make their company stand out from the overflow of advertisements individuals are presented on every site. 

Burger King has found a unique way to target their customers that could pave the way for future companies. Burger King has teamed up with Fox Sports to be the sole sponsor of their “Inside Fantasy” section on their YouTube channel. The branding opportunities for Burger King are virtually limitless- they are featured on the channel’s banners, advertisement videos that pop-up before the videos, and finally within the video itself. This channel of advertising has not been utilized before and will likely become more popular in the coming year because of the immense traffic YouTube’s site gets each day. 

Many of the exact details of the deal between Burger King, Fox Sports, and YouTube are not disclosed. What is public knowledge is that Burger King “made an upfront spending commitment in exchange for a guaranteed number of video views and ad impressions.” The number of video views and ad impressions Burger King is guaranteed from the deal is unclear. The ad revenue split between YouTube and Fox Sports was also never disclosed. Typically, YouTube takes 45% of the ad revenue but they have been known to work out smaller percentages with some companies.

From a marketing standpoint, utilizing YouTube as a promotional tool to increase brand awareness is very smart. The number of site visits and video views YouTube gets each day are exponentially increasing so it is beneficial for any company to piggyback on their traffic. Being able to partner with specific channels makes marketing on YouTube ideal because companies can more efficiently reach their target market. The guaranteed number of video views and ad impressions is also a plus that other forms of advertising cannot offer. For example, a company may choose to send out an email to their database but the majority of bulk emails sent out are never opened because they are not sought after; in comparison, placing a video advertisement before a video that the individual clearly wants to view requires them to spend time acknowledging the brand whether they want to or not.

In conclusion, internet marketing as a whole is on the rise so it was smart for Burger King to utilize a new channel to reach their target market. The amount of branding they are getting out of their deal with Fox Sports is enormous and has the potential to increase their sales drastically. Because the campaign just recently launched there has not been any concrete results as to whether they will see a return on their investment or not, but I personally can envision a great return for the company.

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Analysis by Matt Dumblauskas in SRM 435 (section 2)

The focus of the article concentrates on Fox Sports and YouTube partnering to sell advertisements on Fox Sports’ YouTube channel in which Burger King has been chosen to be the initial sponsor. This campaign is being used throughout Fox Sports’ “Inside Fantasy” segment on their YouTube channel. A Burger King advertisement can be found throughout the channel and the logo is even found during in the actual videos. Although the Fox Sports YouTube channel does not have nearly as many subscribers as the sport media industry giants, it still receives a good amount of internet traffic and is continuing to grow. The specific amount of money that Burger King is spending is undisclosed. 

Fox Sports is one of the first sport media channels to jointly sell ads with YouTube. This theory of sponsoring YouTube channels is fairly new and I believe it is a trend that will continue to grow. From a promotional standpoint, it is smart to pair this advertising with the “Inside Fantasy” segment because the show will bring repeat viewers to the channel. It is also a good idea for them to use Burger King as their preroll advertisements on the actual videos because I am unsure how many people watch videos by going to the actual channel rather than searching for the single video they want to see. Having a different look and feel than other YouTube channels is a good way for the Fox Sports channel to attract extra attention. Aesthetics are an important factor in gaining and retaining the consumer’s attention. In the future, I can see companies related to sports take a similar approach and advertise on different YouTube channels that coincide with their mission and have the same idea as them.

This is relevant to this course because the sports industry is always looking for new ways to market and advertise to their customers. This is a great example of how marketing strategies change and adapt to the consumer. With the increase of social media, more and more companies are finding different ways to tap into the market. This also shows how a brand that has nothing to do with sports uses sports as a platform to advertise because of the sheer numbers that it appeals to.

"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.