Friday, September 9, 2011

"Marketing, Technology Drive Oklahoma's New Youth Outreach Initiative"

From Athletic Business: http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=3789&zoneid=8

Review by Brittany Clem in KIN 332 (Section 1)

Dominic Carola, President of Orlando, Florida- based Premise Entertainment, drew a cartoon character that looked like Oklahoma Universities mascot in attempt to reach out to young people interested in Oklahoma University Sooner athletics. Oklahoma’s Athletic Director Joe Castiglione describes that Sooner Jr. is “one of the most unique youth outreaches by any college athletics program in the nation.” Sooner Jr. is founded on four educational pillars, the F.A.N.S. system which involves fitness training, academics, nutrition, and sportsmanship. Not only is the Oklahoma University Athletic Department working on helping today’s youth get involved in a healthy lifestyle, they have reached as far as making an IPhone application for the program so that people nationally may become part of the Sooner Jr. program.

From a Marketing standpoint, OU’s AD for marketing, Charlie Taylor, says a six figure sum has been invested into the launch but this figure will change as people become more interested in the program. Tee-shirts, sweatshirts, and other apparel have been created with the Sooner Jr. logo in youth sizes and there is plan for future merchandise such as backpacks and water bottles supporting the healthy lifestyle theme of the Sooner Jr. program. Taylor also describes that there was a very large persuasive research project stating that more than 80 percent of the three and a half million people Oklahoma identified themselves as Sooner fans and of that 80 percent, 67 percent use a Smart Phone and one third an IPhone. This makes it possible for not only people in the state of Oklahoma to enjoy the program but people nationally through this technology. If interest in the Sooner Jr. program grows, technology will make sure that it will spread to rival school athletic programs.

The Sooner Jr. program and this article opened my eyes to not only a new program that benefits today’s youth, but the benefits brought to Oklahoma University’s Athletic Department by creating such a program. I believe that kids should choose their own path as to which college they wish to attend or what athletic department to be involved in but I also am very supportive of children becoming involved in an active healthy lifestyle. I think that it is a genius idea to take a character that is already known and turn that character into a positive influence and good role model as opposed to some of the examples set by today’s mascots or top ranked athletes.

"Water Polo Making a Splash With Young Athletes"

From Athletic Business: http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/lexisnexis.aspx?lnarticleid=1494771534&lntopicid=136030023&h=Area-wide%20water%20polo%20program%20growing%20in%20popularity

Review by Jay Greenhalgh in KIN 332 (Section 1)

The article that I selected is titled “Water Polo Making a Splash with Young Athletes” written by Wendy Leung and it focuses on the Chino Hills Area Water Polo Club, or CHAWP. The program started in 1999 at Ayala High School in Chino Hills but moved to Rancho Cucamonga and Norco high school where it is still located today. CHAWP is a six-week session that teaches kids the fundamentals of water polo as well as swimming techniques and skills to help them get better. Water Polo is a sport rising in popularity in the Inland Valley, especially during the summer because of the harsh heat of California. This is a smart location for CHAWP to start their program because they know that children will be looking for ways to have fun while staying cool. The parents of these children will want their kids to be active during the summer and have fun so water polo satisfies both the children and the parents’ needs. After the six week program is over, the child can choose to not continue with the sport if he or she wants. However, if a child wants to continue they can be signed up for a competitive program.

CHAWP used smart marketing techniques and processes to become a successful water polo club because they were able to identify what the consumers in that geographic location wanted. It gets hot in Southern California in the summer and it was recognized that there needed to be a program that offered recreation for children when they’re all out of school on summer break. The children’s’ parents want their kids to be safe and be well looked after while they’re at work, but they also want their children staying active and having fun. CHAWP is an option for these kids during the summer and the club recognizes that it’s a huge opportunity to maximize business. The target market is kids and the location for CHAWP is optimal because it is offered through high schools where they have their own pools. Community based programs like CHAWP are good for the community to keep kids out of trouble and CHAWP made good business decisions in choosing their program and location.

"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.