North Carolina State University Varsity Swimming & Diving Team Marketing Plan 2011 Kevin Woodhull-Smith
Download 4.87 Mb.
|
1 2
- Navigate this page:
- External Analysis Opportunities
- Competitive Analysis
- Customer Analysis
- Marketing Goals and Objectives
- Marketing Strategy
- Marketing Tactics
- Implementation and Control Action Plan
- NC State v. UNC Saturday February 4, 2012 at 11:00 am Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center Come support the Wolfpack Swim Team
|
Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC Situational Analysis Internal Analysis Strengths The NC State athletic department’s website, www.gopack.com, has a link for the swim team. This website is very useful and contains the current season schedule and results. It also has team history and top times on it. There are news stories posted on the website multiple times per week. The schedule is posted so people know when to come watch the meets. Also, it is convenient to have results of past meets in the same location. The website is a definite asset of the swim team. Customer loyalty is relatively high with the NC State swim team. The alumni are very proud to have been a part of the NC State swim team. This strong bond makes it more likely that alumni will come back to attend meets and continue to support the swim team. The overall number of fans that attend meets is fairly low right now, but the fans that do come often attend most of the home dual meets. The challenge lies in attracting new and different fans to the team and to the sport of swimming. The overall image of the NC State Athletic Department is changing because of the beliefs of Debbie Yow, the new Athletic Director. NC State has always had an excellent reputation of greatness in many different sports. The continual success of sports teams should warrant updates and improvements to the athletic facilities. There is construction going on near the softball field, a proposed new entrance to the natatorium, a new athletics logo and motto, and much more. Debbie Yow is making things happen within the NC State athletic department. Under her leadership, the sports teams at NC State should continue to succeed or improve. Weaknesses Currently the swim team has a poster and a media guide every season. The poster has the schedule for the current season and pictures of the seniors on it. The posters are often available at swim meets for fans to pick up. If a person attends one swim meet, they are likely to attend more than one. Conversely, the poster cannot spread the news about the swim team to people who do not attend swim meets. If it were available in more places around campus or in local stores, then more people would know about the swim team. The poster is hung on the wall of a few local businesses, but it is not available for people to take home. A weakness of the team that is out of its control is the aquatic facility. The aquatic facility at NC State is over fifty years old! It is unacceptable to have an aquatic facility that is over thirty years old, let alone fifty. The facility should have been significantly upgraded or replaced during or after the success of the team in the 1970s and 1980s. There have been some minor improvements to the facility in the past year. However, most of them were necessary to keep the facility operating properly. It is not surprising that a facility that is over a half-century-old would need significant upkeep. State of the art facilities such as Georgia Tech’s, which played host to the 1996 Olympic Games, and Maryland’s are a huge selling point to fans, recruits, and students. It is up to the athletic department to address this serious issue. External Analysis Opportunities The Wolfpack Club, the chief financial supporter of NC State student-athletes, sends members of the Student Wolfpack Club to one or two home dual meets per season. This is a great way to put more fans in the stands. This season the Student Wolfpack Club attended the UNC v. NC State dual meet and made an incredible amount of noise. If the Wolfpack Club could send people to more home dual meets it would help the team out immensely. The atmosphere of the UNC v. NC State dual meet reminded me of the old stories from alumni and former coaches. The more people who are cheering for the team the better the team will swim. The swim team itself cannot build a new pool or vastly improve the current pool. These decisions are left to the athletic department at NC State. The athletic department has the opportunity to greatly enhance the training and recruiting abilities of the NC State swim. It is hard to say whether the success of the swim team will convince the athletic department to build a new aquatic facility, but it will almost certainly not hurt. The current facility can hold approximately 500 spectators. The facilities at other ACC schools can hold many more spectators. A few examples are: UNC – 2,000 Georgia Tech – 1,950 Maryland – 1,200 Virginia Tech – 1,100 (This facility was just completed in 2009) On the sponsorship side of the business the team has a deal with Speedo, Under Armour, and Adidas. The team used to be sponsored by TYR, but problems with swimsuits forced the team to switch to Speedo. There are always opportunities to expand on current sponsors as well as bring in new sponsors to the team. Speedo covers most of the swimming and equipment needs of the team, but there are other opportunities for sponsors. A company could sponsor a dual meet and give out t-shirts with their logo and NC State swimming on them. A company could sponsor certain lanes and have a permanent sign up around the pool deck. As a nonrevenue sport it is hard for the swim team to bring in a lot of money for the school. Sponsorships could help promote both the companies involved and the swim team. Threats The most frightening and serious threat to the NC State swim team is the threat of being cut. The Clemson University men’s and women’s swim teams will no longer exist after the 2012 season. Men’s programs are more likely to be cut than women’s programs because of the Title IX legislation. However, both the men’s and women’s teams are still in jeopardy. The main reason that the Clemson teams are being cut is the lack of a 50-meter pool. NC State has a 50-meter pool, but if the athletic department is not willing to build a new facility, the team could be in danger. The tough economic times of the past few years have put the kibosh on any possible budget increases for the swim team. As a non-revenue generating sport, the swim team does not have a very large budget to begin with. This season was the first season in many years that the team did not travel to Florida for its annual training trip. The team usually goes down to Florida for ten days over winter break and trains hard. The team had to stay in Raleigh this year because of budget restraints. Competitive Analysis In the sporting world there are always threats from competing teams and competing sports. The sport of swimming is no different. NC State swimming must compete with other sports for fans and financial support. The swim team’s dual meet season runs from October to February. This overlaps with much of the football and basketball seasons. It is hard to convince a college student to attend a swim meet rather than a football or basketball game. For that reason, the marketing efforts cannot be solely directed at the NC State student body. Parents of current team members, alumni of the swim team, and swimming fans in the community are more likely to come watch a swim meet for free than go through the traffic and hassle of a football or basketball game. The NC State student body and alumni are the target markets of all sports teams at NC State. They are also the target market of other local sports teams. The swim team has to convince some of these people to come watch a swim meet instead of another sporting event. Everyone is not a football or basketball fan, but those people are a lot more common than swimming fans. Other sports teams are positioned better because their sports are more mainstream. UVA, UNC, and FSU, the top teams in the conference, often draw in larger crowds and get more financial support because of their reputation. UVA and UNC have won 22 of the last 24 Men’s ACC Championships. UVA had a streak of eight in a row in the early 2000’s and UNC won six in a row in the 1990’s. The UVA and UNC women’s teams enjoyed similar success winning 18 of the last 21 ACC Championships. They obviously do many things well to sustain their winning ways. While these schools are not directly competing for people in our target market, they are still compared to the NC State swim team. Customer Analysis The customers that the NC State swim team serve are: Current NC State students The parents of current team members Alumni of the team Potential recruits All fans of swimming Each of these groups is a vital part in the success of the team. The current NC State students should want to come out and support their college’s swim team. The parents of current team members also support the swimmers and the team as a whole. The recruits that the team are going after are extremely important to the future of the team. The alumni are also primary supporters of the team and must be treated with respect. Former club swimmers, high school swimmers, or just fans of fast swimming can come watch NC State battle another school in a dual meet. The current NC State student body, which is currently over 34,000, has many avid sports fans and many people who are proud to be a part of the Wolfpack family. This is a great combination for the NC State swim team. Students can come watch an exciting swim meet and support the Wolfpack at no cost. The Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center is located on campus and holds up to 500 spectators. Swim meets would be a lot more exhilarating with a sea of red in the stands. Majority between ages 18 and 24. Generally little to no income. 55% male, 45% female. White: 73%, Black: 8%, International: 8%, Asian: 5%, Hispanic: 3%, N/A: 3%. The parents of current team members often have years of experience in being a swimmer parent. They understand how much their children sacrifice for the sport of swimming. Parents often travel to away meets to support the team and most parents attend home dual meets. Parents are often the people who cheer the most during the dual meets because their own children are swimming. It is great to have a strong cheering section at home dual meets. The parents of collegiate athletes are often well off. The majority of swimmers and swimmer parents are Caucasian. Most of the swimmer parents live on the east coast with a few being on the west coast or abroad. The team heavily recruits from the state of North Carolina and its neighboring states. The recruits often have an interest in the academic programs offered at NC State and a desire to continue their swimming careers to the collegiate level. If a recruit comes to watch NC State win a dual meet and swim fast, they will be more likely to want to be a part of the swim team. Even younger swimmers who come to watch can strive to be like the collegiate level swimmers in the future. Ages range from 16 to 19, i.e. seniors in high school. Dedicated to swimming and academics. Mostly Caucasian. Most have middle to upper class family income. The alumni of the team are very special to the team. Once you are a member of the NC State swim team, you are always a member of the team. The alumni from the period of success during the 1970s and 1980s are very proud of the tradition of excellence they left behind. With the struggles of the past few years, the alumni are looking to get more involved in helping the team. Former members of the NC State swim team. Ages vary depending on when they were on the team. Many alumni are in the upper-middle class. Mostly Caucasian. Many are still very passionate about the swim team. The target markets of the swim team are the NC State student body, the alumni of the swim team, and the fans of swimming in the Raleigh area. The demographics of the current customers have been listed above. The target market is not an entirely new market, rather an increase in the number of people attending from each current market. The majority of these people are located in the Raleigh area and are connected by their love for NC State University. A few examples of ideal people to target are: Young to middle-aged married couple that like to swim for exercise and used to swim in high school. One or both attended NC State and they live in Raleigh. NC State student who lives on campus and swam in high school. NC State alumni of the swim team who recently moved back to Raleigh. Family with a potential recruit for the swim team who live in the Raleigh/Durham area. Also, sibling or parent who attends or attended NC State. Other potential markets were not chosen because they would have little interest in attending an NC State swim meet. UNC or Duke students, fans, or alumni would not be interested in watching an NC State v. ECU dual meet. The team cannot target everyone in the community or all of the students at NC State. A focus on people with swimming connections or students that live on campus is necessary. Most of the general public outside of the Raleigh area is also not likely to attend swim meets held at NC State. Marketing Goals and Objectives The swim team has to market itself to current NC State students, alumni, the NC State athletic department, sponsor companies, and many other people and organizations. The swim team used to attract a lot of national attention and bring in many, many fans to watch swim meets. Recently, however, the Wolfpack has lost its national prowess and fewer fans turn out for meets. It is hard to draw a large crowd when the current team is not as successful as teams in the past. The main goal of the marketing plan is to bring in larger crowds to the swim team dual meets. The alumni of the program are trying to come together and provide much needed upgrades to the aquatic facility at NC State. The incredible teams of the seventies and eighties swam in the exact same pool that is still used today. The swimming and diving program is in dire need of a new facility, or at least a major overhaul of the current facility. The best teams in the nation have top of the line natatoriums, offices, and weight room facilities. The athletic department has control over the facilities and the budget for the swim team, so it is important to maintain success to prove that the facilities are worth upgrading. The specific goals of this project are: Increase the number of fans that attend each home swim meet Increase awareness of the swim team in the Raleigh area Prove to the alumni, athletic department, NC State students, and the community that the swim team is worth watching and supporting Improve the swim team’s less than stellar public image The current position of the swim team is not very strong. The perception of the team is not what it needs to be. The team must work hard to change the negative perception held by the majority of people. The current motto of “Red, Legend, Pride” is more of an inside motto for the team. A new motto could be: “The NC State swim team is the most exciting thing you’ve seen in water since Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals.” It sort of plays on the stereotype that swimming is only popular every four years, i.e. during the Olympics. It should make people more interested in the swim team and increase attendance at home dual meets. Sports fans want to attend something exciting and interesting. NC State students can support their swim team and watch some thrilling races. Marketing Strategy 1. The swim team needs to differentiate itself from other sports teams without alienating them. NC State wants to draw in large crowds for all of its athletic events. A good strategy for the athletic department would be to form a system where sports teams attend other sports team’s events. This would benefit all of the sports teams by putting more fans in the stands. Many athletes are friends with athletes who participate in another sport; so a few athletes from other sports team often attend swim meets. However, if an entire sports team was there to support the swim team that would be 20 to 30 more fans. The swim team, which has about 50 members, could also go support that sports team at one of their home games. The athletic department could provide an “NC State Student-Athlete” section at home sporting events so the team that comes to cheer on their fellow student-athletes can sit together. 2. A public relations campaign needs to be undertake by the swim team. The relatively weak positioning of the swim team can be strengthened if the swim team does some charitable work in the community. This will also raise awareness of the team to the people who are unaware. Getting the team out of the pool and doing activities that bring them closer together will also help the team chemistry. The swimmers are very close-knit group, but spending time outside of the pool is almost as important as the time spent in the pool. Generating public awareness and changing the somewhat negative image of the swim team should increase attendance to swim meets. 3. The swim team can also implement more conventional advertising techniques to raise awareness and increase attendance. The lack of attendance at swim meets can be partially attributed to the lack of knowledge that there is a swim meet or apathy on the part of the public. Members of the general public need some coaxing to attend a swim meet. They also need to be made aware of the team and the when the team will be competing. As stated in the “Strengths” section, the NC State athletic website has the swim team’s schedule on it. However, some people like to have physical and visual reminders. This is where the swim team’s poster and media guide come in. These items give people a constant reminder of when each home swim meet will take place. A newspaper advertisement in the Technician, the student newspaper at NC State, can be taken out as another way to increase awareness. Marketing Tactics 1. The NC State athletic department’s new slogan is “Wolfpack Unlimited: Refuse to accept the status quo”. This is an appropriate motto because many of the athletic teams at NC State are average. The football and basketball teams have had near .500 records for multiple years, with the exception of the 2010 football team. The saying is supposed to encourage the teams to improve and not just stay the same every year. The athletic department could help each sports team by providing more fans at their events. Each sports team could be assigned to go to a home event for another sports team. For example, the swim team could attend a gymnastics meet and the gymnastics team could attend a swim meet. If tickets are necessary for an event, then the athletic department could provide them. There could also be complimentary concessions, if available, given to the sports team that is supporting its Wolfpack brethren. The supporting sports team could be given a special seating section. The athletic department would have sports teams who are out of season come in and support sports teams who are in season. If there is a scheduling conflict, then another sports team should be available as a backup. This will bring in more fans to support all of the Wolfpack athletic teams. The student-athletes attending the event can appreciate the time and energy put in by the student-athletes who are competing because they are putting in similar time and energy. 2. The swim team should do two or three community based events each year. There would be a “Swim with the NC State Swim Team” day when children of all ages could come in for a few hours and learn some lessons from the members of the team. The children could also challenge a team member to a race or watch two team members race. The event would be free to all people and would last from 10 am to 2 pm on a Saturday. The event should be held in late September each year, leading up to the dual meet season. This event would increase awareness of the team in the community and improve the image of the swim team. The team and the community will both benefit from this event, so there is no downside. Another way to increase awareness in the community would be to have a swim team car wash. The team would set up a car wash in the parking lot outside the pool on a weekend in August. The team would take donations and could wear swimsuits during the car wash. It could raise a small amount of money and attract positive attention for the team. It is a simple and easy way for the swim team to get their name out in the community. There should be car wash signs up on Western Blvd and Avent Ferry Rd. directing people to the car wash. Also, posters will be given away at the car wash. 3. The swim team should take out an eighth-page ad in the Technician. This ad would run during October, November, January, and February. An example ad is shown in the “Appendix” section. Many of the students at NC State read the Technician on a daily basis and would notice the ad for the swim team. There are 11,500 copies of the Technician printed daily. These are distributed throughout the NC State campus and in several local businesses near campus. This would help reach new people who are not aware of the swim team at all. The athletic department should rent a billboard for a few months on I-40. The billboard would feature the sports teams from the fall sports in August through October, winter sports in December through February, and springs sports in March through May. The billboard will draw attention to all the sports teams at NC State. I have seen a similar billboard in Chapel Hill featuring UNC athletic teams on it. A giant sign on the side of a major highway definitely draws attention. The sign should have a lot of red on it and be on I-40 near the exit for NC State University. Another way the team can spread it image is to put the team poster in local businesses. The posters are available for free at home dual meets. The posters need to be out in local businesses before the season starts so people can be aware of the team’s schedule. The poster traditionally has action shots of the seniors on the team. The team also has a media guide each season. The media guide should be on sale during swim meets. There is a lot of historical information and current team member’s bios in the media guide. Implementation and Control Action Plan 
Budget The budget for this project is not very extensive. The public relations campaign will not cost any money. The athletic department will pay for the billboard, if they approve of the idea. The posters are already provided to the team each year, so the only thing that has to change is the placement of the posters. The only thing that will cost money is the newspaper advertisements. The advertisements in the Technician cost $123.75 per month. The ad would run in October, November, January, and February. That cost would equal $495. A budget of $1000 would be plenty to cover the cost of the newspaper advertisements and would allow for money to be spent elsewhere if necessary. Evaluation The marketing plan will be evaluated based on future attendance numbers and the number of people who attend the “Swim with the Swim Team” day and the car wash. Other factors such as a new aquatic facility and future success of the swim team are also indicators of the plan’s success. A survey can also be sent out to NC State students and alumni to gather more information. The survey would include the following questions: Do you know that NC State has a swim team? (Y/N) Have you seen the recent advertisements in the Technician or the posters in local businesses for the NC State swim team? (Y/N) Did you know about the NC State swim team before viewing these advertisements? If you answered yes to question 2, did the advertisements or posters make you want to attend a swim meet? (Y/N) If you answered yes to question 2, did the advertisements or posters provide you with information that you did not already know? (Y/N) Appendix Example of a newspaper advertisement: 
NC State v. UNC Saturday February 4, 2012 at 11:00 am Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center Come support the Wolfpack Swim Team The following link will take you to the 2010-2011 Yearbook. http://www.gopack.com/ot/10-11-ncst-yearbooks/10-11-swim-yearbook/2.html The following pages have links to a few specific pages from the Yearbook. This link will take you to the “Red Legend Pride” section. http://www.gopack.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncst/sports/c-swim/auto_pdf/rlp This link will take you to the “Olympians” section. http://www.gopack.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncst/sports/c-swim/auto_pdf/olympians This link will take you to the “National Champion” and “All-American” section. http://www.gopack.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncst/sports/c-swim/auto_pdf/champsalla Sources http://www.crc.gatech.edu/aquatics/plugins/content/index.php?id=21 (Ga. Tech – 1,950) http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/enrollmentdata/history/ethnicity1976-present.htm http://www.crs.umd.edu/cms/Aquatics/Natatorium.aspx (Maryland – 1,200) http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/facilities/unc-koury-natatorium.html (UNC - 2,000) http://www.hokiesports.com/swimming/warmemorial.html (Va. Tech - 1,100) http://www.gopack.com/sports/c-swim/ncst-c-swim-body.html http://ncsu.edu/sma/advertising/ Directory: 2012 2012 -> The Case Against the nypd’s Quota-Driven ‘Broken Windows’ Policing What Is It? 2012 -> Annual InStructional unit plan 2012 -> University of Hawai‘i Maui College dental assisting program review october 21, 2013 2012 -> Committee on the rights of the child the rights of all children in the context of international migration 2012 -> Background on the Haitian Earthquake 2012 -> The Collected Wisdom of Science Olympiad Coaches 2012 -> Federal Communications Commission fcc 12-81 Before the Federal Communications Commission 2012 -> Aa and na members Dying from Tobacco 2012 -> [Baby Crying] 01: 04 [Ching Download 4.87 Mb. Share with your friends:
|
1 2