Sports & Entertainment Marketing Operations Research Event

Billerica Memorial High School

Billerica Memorial High School DECA Chapter

35 River St.

Billerica, MA 0821

Thomas Fitzpatrick

Jacqulyn Sardina

April 29, 2011

Table of Contents

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I

II. INTRODUCTION 2

III. RESEARCH METHODS USED IN THE STUDY 6

IV. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY 9

V. PROPOSED STRATEGIC PLAN 14

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY 27

VII. APPENDIX -.- 28

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The importance of social media is to engage with your consumers to find out why theyare your consumer and what will maintain their loyalty. Due to social media outlets companiescan no longer use a “bullhorn” to shout promotions at consumers, consumers now have astronger voice than ever and companies must to listen to it. The Boston Bruins organization doesnot have an adequate social media component in their promotional marketing plan. Currently, theBruins utilize the social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, but social media is more thanjust creating a Facebook or Twitter account and expecting it to manage itself.Research Methods and Findings

Five research methods were conducted that yielded definitive findings. The purpose ofthis research was to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the Bruins current social media platformsand fan unawareness of promotional activities. The research methods conducted were; a Cybearfan survey, a social media fan survey, an executive meeting, game day observation, and aworkshop.

tybear FanSurvey

Social Media •

Fan Survey A‘ Executive

Meeting AA

Game day “Observation

Workshopwith Alan

Belniak

We discovered that many Bruins fans were not aware of promotional giveaways or eventsprior to arriving at the T.D. Garden. From our research, we also concluded that many fans wereunaware of Bruins social media outlets. When presented with the idea fans were enthusiastic atthe thought of interacting with the organization and other fans through social media sites.Proposed Social Media and Promotional Plan

The proposed plan includes an interactive website, managing Facebook, Twitter, andFourSquare accounts, educating staff on social media, and implementing new social mediapromotions. The interactive website is the main focus of the proposed plan and will allow fans tointeract with each other as well as with the organization. Managing Facebook, Twitter, andFourSquare accounts are intended to communicate promotions to fans effectively and give fansanother place to provide feedback to the organization. Employees will need to be trained in usingthese social media platforms in a time efficient marmer and respond to fan feedback. Theproposed social media plan is geared toward improving fan usage of Bruins social media sites.Coals of Social Media and Promotional Plan

There are four main goals of the proposed social media and promotional plan:© Increase ticket sales* Provide a personalized experience to fans© Integrate social media into promotional mix* Improve promotional awareness

Proposed BudgetFollowing the design of the proposed social media plan, we have established a total

budget of $26,050 plus $1 for every #GoBruins hashtag posted during the Facebook and Twitterpromotion. The proposed budget is low cost in comparison to the potential gain in sales, andpromotional effectiveness. As well as strengthening the customer relationship managementtechniques of the marketing staff to improve customer relations.

II. INTRODUCTION

A. Description of the business or organization

Since November 1, 1924 the Boston Bruins have been a professional hockey organization

located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Bruins were the first

American based squad to join the National Hockey League soon

followed by the New York Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Boston Bruins competed in the Boston Arena from 1924-1928,

however, on November 20. 1928 the Bruins played their first game

in the world renowned Boston Garden. While playing in the Boston

Garden the Bruins reached their highest pinnacle, winning a total of

five Stanley Cups. Due to the fact that the Boston Garden was built

mainly for boxing, the ice surface was smaller than league

standards thus creating a faster game play and an atmosphere for

fans that was impossible to recreate. After much controversy the Boston Garden was closed in

September 1995 and the Boston Bruins organization moved next door into the brand new Fleet

Center. The Fleet Center was renamed the T.D. Bank Garden and the Bruins currently play all

home games inside that facility. Fl re I:

Currently, the Boston Banns are owned by

Mr. Jeremy Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs is also the

chairman of the board of N.H.L. governors. The

management of the Boston Bruins revolves around

the ownership and executive branch of the company. Under the ownership and executive branch

the company is divided into four categories; hockey operations, scouting staff coaching staff

and, business operations. (See Figure 1)

Scouting Staffflockey Operations

_

r

Coaching Staff

OwnershipaExecutive

Business Operations

4:2

The Boston Bruins strive to reach out into the community and create a positive image for

the Organization. The Bruins organization hosts many community events such as an annual

pajama drive, the community captain award, and a variety of fan appreciation nights. Many

players from the organization, including Patrice Bergeron, sponsor tickets for sections of the rink

to be donated to different charities and organizations in Massachusetts. The Boston Bruins have

rebuilt their ties with the community and are trying to score the most important goal: to please

the fans.

B. Description of the community

Demographics:

The population of Massachusetts as of 2007 is 6,349,097. The total population of women

in Massachusetts as of 2007 is 3,058,816. The tota’ population of men in Massachusetts as of

2007 is 3,290,281. The age of people in Figure II:

Massachusetts is essential to know because Age Groups in Massachusetts

it assists in determining a target market. 45+ 2,279,922

The ages of children fourteen and younger3544 :;.* L062.995

is approximately 1,259,376. The population25-34 926,788

of young adults ages fifteen to nineteen is404279

20-24415,737, adults of ages twenty to twenty

5-19four is 404,279, adults ages twenty-five to

thirty-four is 926,788, and adults of ages0-14

thirty-five to forty-four is 1,062,995. 0 1,000,000 2,000,000 3.000,000

PopulationLastly, the population of citizens ages

_______________________________________________________

forty-five and over is 2,279,922. (See Figure II)

e

415.737

1,259,376

Geographic:

This Social Media Marketing Plan will primarily focus on Boston, the capital of

Massachusetts. situated on the east coast bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Boston will be focused

on because it is the location of the Boston Bruins’ home rink. Within the T.D. Garden is the

Bruins official

home ice rink.

“The Garden” is

located on the

banks of the

Charles River

and surrounded

by major

roadways such

as 1-93, 1-90,

and Route I. The city is also easily accessible by other means of transportation other than

vehicles. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has both a commuter rail, and subway

station located inside the proximity of the T.D. Garden making travel both convenient and

affordable.

Socioeconomic:

Massachusetts and the greater Boston area are currently in the process of recovering from

the economic recession. Even though residents of Massachusetts are living through a tough

economy, they are yet to allow it to affect their standard of living. Massachusetts residents have

continued to spend approximately 5% of their annual income on entertainment through the

economic recession. Accommodation and food service sales have remained steady at around

Figure 111:$11.8 billion nationwide F

Consumer Spending in Massachusettsthroughout the economic . -

Cash Contributions

recession. (See Figure III) Apparel and ServicesEducation

The city of Boston is a EntertainmentHealth Care

popular destination to host PersonaL Insurance; PensionsFood

many large events at the TranportationHousing

city’s many venues. The0 0 20 30 40

T.D. Garden has hosted Percentage

many upscale events such as commencement ceremonies for Northeastern University and the

Democratic National Convention in 2004.

Economic:

The median household income in Massachusetts is important to know because it shows

that Massachusetts households have a high standard of living. Although Massachusetts is

recovering from an economic recession as of 2008 the median household income in

Massachusetts was S65,304 which was S 13,275 higher than the national average. Even through

the cun-ent economic recession and high unemployment rate in Massachusetts, consumers are

still willing to spend money on entertainment. (See Figure IV)

Figure JV:

SS

Massachusetts Household IncomeOver $200,000

SI 50,000-199,999

e 5100,000-149,999575,000-99,999550,000-74,999$3 5,000-49,999

$25,000-$34,999SI 5,000-24,999

510,001-514,999

0 I 00000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000

Households

III. RESEARCH METHODS USED IN THE STUDY

A. Rationale and description of research methodologies selected to conduct the

research study

The purpose of our research was to determine the weaknesses of the Boston Bruins

Cybear Club and its ineffectiveness to utilize social media as a tool to promote events for the

Boston Bruins. Our goal is to launch an improved social media aspect that will be implemented

to the Cybear Club and promotional campaign. By improving the social media aspect, we will

improve fan activity through promotion and online interaction. To determine the changes

necessary to meet our goal, we utilized both primary and secondary research methods.

The primary methodology used in conducting our research was to build, distribute, and

analyze surveys. Surveys were distributed to Boston Bruins fans at the T.D. Bank Garden. Our

plan was to develop two separate surveys each consisting of eight questions. Each of the surveys

was focused on different aspects of social media. The first survey focused mainly on the Boston

Bruins Cybear Club, its weaknesses

and potential changes to the online

club. The second survey was

focused primarily on social media

and current Boston Bruins

promotions; including questions

geared toward how often people

frequent social media sites, where

they receive most of their sports

news, and their interest in potential

Boston Bruins social networking sites.

6

As a marketing team, we decided to choose surveys and observation as our primary

methods of research. As a team, we felt confident that we would receive results that would be the

most accurate and of the greatest assistance to reach our goal of improving promotions through

social media. Additional benefits of distributing surveys and making observations as our primary

research method are that they are low in cost compared to direct mailings and still provide the

benefit of having direct contact with our prospective target market. Two separate surveys were

designed to make our surveys more convenient for people to complete- By constructing more

convenient and less time consuming surveys, we believe we will receive more accurate answers

that support our research. The reasoning for choosing observation as a research method was to

justify our research findings by comparing survey results with visual findings. (See Figure V)

As a secondary method to collect information about the effectiveness of the Boston

Bruins current promotions we met at the executive office of the Boston Bruins located at the

TM. Garden. Elizabeth d’Entremont, the Marketing Manager for the Boston Bruins agreed to

meet with our marketing team to discuss the organization’s target market, current promotions

Figure VJ:and costs ot implementing social media.

Our team also attended a social

media workshop presented by Alan

Belniak. The workshop provided our

marketing team with many strategies to

implement social media into a

marketing plan. An advantage of the

social media workshop was that our

marketing team also learned how to

track and utilize customer feedback effectively. (See Figure VI)

SecondatyResearch

Goals

7

B. Process of conducting the selected research method(s)

Once we established the objectives of our research, we implemented them into eight steps

each with a plan of action. The plan of action for each step gives a precise description of what

each step entails. The purpose of our research is to develop a plan to improve the Boston Bruins’

current promotions by improving and increasing their use of social media. Our plan consists of

the use of customer surveys, observing the fan base at Bruins home games along with organized

executive meetings with the Boston Bruins organization. Figure VII has been developed to

illustrate our plan.

Figure VII:

Steps executed during the research Plan of Action Dates Executed

process

Researched the Boston Bruiris current social media September 2010

techniques and promotions, as wefl as conducted research

about the community, such as demographics. geographic.

socioeconomics, and economics

Step 2: Identified research problem Researched and analyzed market opportunities provided by October 2010

social media and implement into traditional marketing

stiategies

Step 3: Identified research methods [sed primary and secondary research methods consisting of October2010

to implement two separate surveys, contact with the Boston Bruins

organization through online communications, personal

meetings, and observation at Bruins home games

Step 4: Choose desired research Creation of convenient surveys, selection of games to attend, November 2010

method and Design research process and organized executive meetings

Step 5: Launch research Process Distributed of surveys, attending a Bruins home game, and November

participation in a planned executive meeting December2010

Step 6: Collect and Analyze research Tallied survey results and compared information from our December 20] 0

observation with executive meeting results.

Step 7: Identify strengths and Created a SWOT summary December 2010

weaknesses discovered during the

research process

Step 8: Develop a plan to implement Created a low cost social media element to the Boston January 201

strategies Bruins current promotional agenda I

e

Step I: Conducted backgroundResearch

8

IV. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY

A. Description of the business’s target market

All successful businesses focus on the background of their potential customer base. A

well-defined target market is the first element to a successful marketing strategy for a business.

During an executive meeting with the Boston Bruins, their marketing manager defined their

target market as being males, ages 24-50 years old. The Bruins have established their target

market based on the likelihood of season ticket purchases. Additionally, men ages 24-50 are

chosen because in most cases they have spouses, children, and have a wide variety of ways to

make use of their season tickets such as business and personal uses. Season tickets sales are the

Boston Bruins marketing team’s first priority. Half season, 10-game and 5-game packages are

not as important to the organization as compared to season tickets. Individual game ticket sales

rank lowest in terms of priority, since the Bruins organization must try to sell those seats

continuously all season, re-apply marketing efforts, and additional spending. The Boston Bruins

marketing team follows the philosophy: “Treat the target market like a dartboard”. This

philosophy allows the Bruins to focus their promotional activities on their target market, but they

create the promotions broad enough to attract other potential customers. Even if the Bruins fail to

engage with their target market through a promotion they will likely draw in other consumers for

which the promotion was not initially marketed.

Importance of Season Ticket Holders

® Guaranteed a sold seat for all 4!Regular Season home games

@ Foundation of the Fan Base* Highest likely-hood of concession

and merchandise purchases* High attendance at other Boston

Bruins events & fundraisers

e

Season TicketHolders

Half SeasonTicket Holder

0 Game Plan/5Game Mini PlanHolders

Individual GameTicket Purchases

9

Target Market Dartboard

B. Description of the current promotional activities

The Boston Bruins offer a variety of promotional activities for their fan base to take

advantage of throughout the year, yet the Bruins do not utilize social media platforms to endorse

promotions. The majority of promotions arranged by the Boston Bruins are run through

corporate partnerships with businesses such as Chipotle Mexican Grill. TD. Bank, Ebsco

Publishing, and Tz€/Zs Medical Center.

Bank EBSCOPUBLISH I N G

MedicalU S Center

The Bruins organize their promotional activities to meet the interest of four categories which

consist of adults, children, organizations, and the community.

• BostonBrums

Z Foundation•Grow Hockey

• Community

o CaptainR;MN.License Plates

•Patrice’s Pals•Pajama DriveFaAppreciationDay

10

*-J

“0£N

r• Sam AdamsBru Fests

• Mass LotteryDrawings

• Skate & SkiProgram

•Slice The Ice•8-SpokedSalute

• MilitaryAppreciation

• Season TicketHolderAppreciation

• Heart HealthNightGrocery BagGive Away

w• Youth HéckeyMini 1 on 1

• Hockey dayin NewEngland

• G.O.A.L!•American RedCross BloodDrive

I..—:

The current promotional activities offered by the Bruins focus on four categories of the

fan community, the majority of promotions are geared toward expanding the Boston

Bruins fan base. Fan giveaways are a major portion of the Boston Bruins cunent promotional

activities. Home games that have shown low attendance rates have scheduled giveaways

throughout the season. Giveaways are an incentive for individual ticket sales as well as

encourage season ticket holder attendance. (See Figure VIII) The Bruins neglect the opportunity

to endorse their promotional giveaways through social media platforms that reach thousands of

fans and potential ticket buyers.

Figure VIII:

2010-2011 Promotional Giveaways

___________

Rene RancourtHoliday Lunch Pail

Raneournamenf’ Presented By taPresented By 1.0. l3ank

Bank

March March April c.3,2011 10,2011 I: 9,2011 ri

• Schedule MagnetPresented By iD.

Bank

CotninciorativeLithngraph

Presented By T.D.Bank

October ,e21,2010

• Bruins ReusableGrocery Bag

Presented B LDBank

October28,2010 twti:J

December 4iZ.2,2010 ti:

December20. 2010 W1!

Bruins TradingCard Pack

Presented ByUpper Deck

w w

January17,2011 •

• Brtiins ReusableGrocery BagPresented By

Ebseo Puhlishing

February5,2011

i*C

• St. Patrick’s DayCap Presented By

1. D. Bank

J

Team PosterPresented By T.D.

Bank

J 2

___ ___ ___ ___ ___I

w

C. Effectiveness of the current promotional activities

Current promotional activities run by the Boston Bruins are moderately successful,

though there is adequate space for improvement. Observation time at Boston Bruins home games

has revealed that the current promotions are enjoyed by fans during games, yet most fans are

unaware of the promotions prior to their arrival at the T.D. Garden. The purpose of the Cybear

Club is to inform fans of Bruins news, promotions, and updates. Survey findings conducted by

our marketing team show 69% of Bruins fans are not members of the Boston Bruins Cybear Club

e 11

Only 1% of surveyed Bruins

fans replied they always hear abotLi

60%

Bruins promotions/events through their

30%choice social media sites. When 20%

10%

surveyed 19% of fans replied that they 0%

rarely hear and 15% replied saying they

never hear about Bruins promotions/events through

and 18% of fans never hear about promotions through the Cybear Club. (See Figure IX)

. .. Figure IX:

Bruins fans are interested in

. . . How often do you hear aboutfollowing the Boston Bruins throughpromotions through the

social media sources particularly CyBearCiub?

Facebook. 62% of surveyed BrLlins fans

40%responded that they follow the Bruins 20%

. -I0% .

I -ip

on Facebook and 16% of fans Always Often Rarely Never I am not amember

responded they follow the BruinsFigure X:

official website. (See Figure X)On which social media sites do

The current social media you follow the Boston Bruins?

platforms utilized by Bruins fans lack

50%adequate advertisements concerning 40%

30%

Boston Bruins promotions and events.

0%Research demonstrates that the .

-

d P o‘& J C

followed social media sites are /inadequately utilized by the Bruins

Figure Xi:organization.

How often do you hear aboutBruins promotions/events

through social media sites?

Always Often Rarely Never Do notfollow

social media sites. The majority of surveyed

12

fans accounting to 52% admitted to not following the Boston Bruins through any type of social

media source. This inactiveness offers the Bruins organization the opportunity to attract new

users when implementing a new social media outlet. (See Figure Xl)

D. Conclusions based on the findings

Although the Boston Bruins are currently using social media outlets, their efforts to

communicate promotions and events through social media are ineffective. Many teams, such as

the Bruins, think “We have Twitter and Facebook accounts. so now we’re good.” Simply having

Twitter and Facebook accounts means nothing; a team needs to use it in a way that connects the

organization and the audience by promoting conversation and interaction. To improve the

Bruins social media strategy, major changes need to occur. The organization needs to invest in

employee social media training and an updated social media marketing plan including Facebook,

Twitter, FourSquare, and an interactive website. During research many fans expressed their

discontent and inability to communicate with the organization directly. When implementing the

interactive website. the organization must include a fan feedback portion to allow the

organization and fans to communicate quickly and improve the customer relationship

management strategies of the organization. We have designed a SWOT summary to highlight the

organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. (See Figure XII)

Figure XII:SWOT Summary

-‘ -

•lligh Game LowAnarenessof • IncreaseFanAttendance promotional awareness of teamStrong Corporate acti,ities piomotionslevcntsSponsorships/part Poor CyBear lncrease CyBearnerships Membership Fan IembershipStrong Inadequnte social Utilize sodialProMotional media use media outletsActivities • Non-interactive Provide

d Loyal Fan Ease Websile interactive4&L • lnabilitvto website for fans

quicklyattain and Quicklyattainutilize fan and respond tofeedback fan feedback

— --

-

i..

Threats

• Negative FanfeedbackonSocial mediaoutletsExpensiveMaintenance ofwebsite

• Competing formarket share withother Bostonspoiis teamsChallengingEconomic Climate

13

Strengths Veaknesses Opportunities

V. PROPOSED STRATEGIC PLAN

A. Goals/objectives and rationale

After implementing the proposed social media plan the Boston Bruins will be a front

runner in utilizing social media tools to improve their marketing strategies. The social media

plan we have devised is to improve the Boston Bruins Cybear Club by designing an interactive

“C’yl3earClub” website and linking it to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Bostonbruins.com.

To improve the Boston Bruins’ promotions through a social media plan, our marketing team has

designed and initiated a series of goals and objectives. An expanded and improved social media

platform will provide an inexpensive way to expand the way the Boston Bruins communicate

information to their fan base. A recent survey conducted by Catalyst Public Relations in

conjunction with SportsBusiness Journal shows that 61% of Major League Baseball fans and

55% of National Football League fans consider themselves bigger fans of the respective

leagues since they began following their favorite teams on Facebook, Twitter, and similar

sites. Also nore than halfofMLB ,fdns and 43% ofNFL fins say they spend more lime watching

and jbi/owing their respective leagues than they did prior to their social-media engagement. This

survey shows that social media can be utilized as an effective method to expand and strengthen a

fan base. The Toronto Maples Leafs hockey club is one of the most stable organizations in terms

of sales and profits and currently leads the National Hockey League in social media growth in

terms of users. A secondary goal for the organization is to improve the community’s awareness

about current promotions and events which will advance the organizations financial success. It is

an objective of the organization to design a social media platform that will provide an

opportunity for fan interaction. New social media outlets allow fans the opportunity to interact

with each other. If sports organizations are utilizing social media outlets fans are likely willing to

interact with them.

‘

Social Media Program Goals! Short-Term benefits:

® Integrate social media into promotional mix® Utilize four social media outlets® Provide a personalized experience to fans

A major goal of the Boston Bruins organization is to integrate a social media plan into

their promotional mix. The Bruins can use social media to aid in personal selling, advertising,

public relations, and direct marketing. Our social media plan will utilize four different social

media tools: Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, and our own “CyBearCiub” website. These social

media sites will benefit the Bruins organization primarily through relationship management,

brand awareness, public relations, and increasing sales. To manage the fan-organization

relationship our social media plan will provide a more personalized experience to the customer

and the “GyBearCheb” website will be created to be informational and responsive.

Social Media Program Goals! Long-Term Benefits:

® Heavy continuous traffic to the Bruins homepage and social media site® Improve/expand organizational social media use® Gain season ticket holders* Increase ticket sales* Improve promotional awareness

The goal of our proposed social media plan is to increase sales through the use of social

media to improve the Boston Bruins current promotions. The social media plan that has been

designed will provide the user with a personalized experience, and allow the user to engage in a

fan community where they can share ideas and comments with other fans, as well as the

organization. The primary objective of our social media plan is to gain season ticket holders by

endorsing promotions and attracting fans so that they will continuously use the “GyBearCiub”

website as a way to quickly gain and spread information about the Bruins organization. Another

long term benefit of the “GyBearChib” website is the publicity that can be gained on other social

media websites as people spread ideas and comments on the sites.

‘5

Social Media Summary:

Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate

technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos, and audio. Simply

pitt social media is people having conversations online. Social media is a fundamental shift in the

way we communicate. The old communication was a monologue, and is now a dialogue between

business and consumers.

Social Media Jargon Social Media Facts

Facebook- Social network where users and - 73% of active online users have read a blog,businesses may create personal profiles, add 45% have started their own blogother users as “friends”, and exchange messages.

- 57% of active users have joined a socialAdditionally users may join common interest networkgroups organized by specific characteristics- 55% of active users have uploaded photos

Facebook “Like”- A “like” button provides- 83% of active users have watched video clipsusers the opportunity to “like” businesses,

products. and promotions, thus displaying their - 34% qf online users post opinions aboutpersonal interest products and brands on their blog

- 36% of online users think more positivelyTwitter- Social networking and microbloaainaabout companies that have blogsservice enabling users to send and read messages- 32% of users trust bloggers’ opinions on

Twitter “Tweet”- Text based posts on a users products and servicesprofile, users may subscribe to other users

- 96% ofGeneration Y has joined a social“tweets”- this is known as/bllowing. Users network and they already wield $350 million infrequently “tweet” about business experiences direct spending power

Twitter “Hashtag”- The # symbol, called a - Generation Y spends an average of 16— hourshashtag is used to mark key words or topics in a online per week“tweet”. Hashtags were developed as a means to

- Over 500 billion minutes are spent oncreate “groupings” without having to change the Facebook each monthbasic service- 24 hours of video are uploaded onto YouTube

FourSquare- Social networking site where users every minute‘check-in” at venues, they are then awarded

- An average of 27 million “tweets” on Twitterpoints and badges, as well as have their ‘ocation per dayposted on other social networking sites

I_______________________

16

The new dialogue between businesses and consumers will be transparent, authentic,

vibrant, and consumer-driven rather than a product-driven, controlled monologue. The goal is

not to control the conversation but to enable, inspire, influence, and engage with the consumer.

It is important for the business to create opportunities for consumers to feel ownership of a

brand.

Figure XIII demonstrates new and traditional media sources targeting a prospective

consumer and how- influence is spread. The prospective consumer is informed of new promotions

personally through email, cell phone, and blog. Once the consumer is informed of the promotion,

they carry on the information through human interactions and word-of-mouth to friends, family,

and coworkers. Consumers value infonriation provided to them by people they know. A web user

is more likely to click on a link from a friend’s Twitter or Facebook post, rather than just finding

the link online. If organizations use social media outlets effectively their fans will share

information with their friends. The fan then becomes a spokesperson for the organization,

enhancing the name of the brand.

Figure XIII:

Sphere of Influence

Human Intern CtiDfls

TraditionalMediaNew Media

B. Proposed activities and timelines

Social Media Program Components:

® lmpement an interactive fan website designed by Americaneagle website designand hosting company

® Creation of new promotions using the social media platformo Fan rewards for active social media use

® Greater focus towards social media promotions by marketing team® Player involvement in promotions

The proposed social media program is divided into four separate sections; Interactive

Website, Creation ofNew Promotions, shifting the marketing team ‘sfocus, and player

involvement inproinotions. The social media program designed is low cost, interactive, and can

be achieved using the Boston Bruins current marketing team. The social media program is

designed to encourage thns to be interactive and to be a part of the Boston Bruins family. The

Boston Bruins do lack the proper personnel to create their own social media website; as a result

the Bruins will continue to use Americaneagle for the creation of their website. This interactive

website will serve as a fan community to help the organization receive feedback from fans as

well as to endorse new promotional activities for the organization.

Interactive Website

Create social media fan engagementCreate a “buzz” about Boston Bruins Social MediaCommunicate promotions/events to fans

rtkI_..:

Increased promotional/event awareness

________

Maintained customer loyalty FS

. I1-ugh volumes of traffic to Boston Bruins home page z1

Expanded fan base —. —

on our research, the Indianapolis Colts (NFL) and Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

have implemented similar interactive websites that have become a mainstay for

Purpose _,ut. i.1nIq1 I’T... •

Benefits

Based

organizations

ii4 24-7

r:fzr .i3iwii3

--- -

18

their social media promotions. Interactive websites allow organizations to access more fans

beyond the capacity of the stadium. The proposed interactive website “CyBearCiub” will consist

of the following components: personalized profiles, ticket information, polls and forums,

uploaded digital content, fan feedback, in-game digital media content, team statistics and

daily news, and promotions and giveaways. (See Figure XIV)

The homepage of “C’yBearClub” will include a login box, daily news, and the day’s most

popular uploaded photos and videos. When opening the homepage users will be able to answer a

daily poll, view notable members, and join “CyBearCiub” if not already a member. The

homepage will also include links to the Bruins Proshop, Facebook, FourSquare, and Twitter to

allow fans to make purchases and share ideas via social media sites.

Also featured on the homepage are a variety of drop down menus for users to access.

Drop down menus will include: profiles, ticket

information, “The Penalty Box”, forums, team

statistics, news, and updates. The profile menu

will allow users to access their profile as well

as other users and player profiles. Ticket

information will include ticket availability, 3-D

seat previewing, as well as links to the Bruins

box office. “The Penalty Box” is designed to

be a new threshold for fans to communicate

Figure XIV:

Homepage

Login box j

rPopular videos and

photos4

F Daily polls

[teable members Ito other social

media sites and proshqp

Drop Down Menus

Ticket mrorniation

4S

“The Penalty Box”1

- .

Forums.

Team staHstics

S

Team news and updates

their comments and concerns with the Bruins organization directly. The “Penalty Box” is

intended to open up the lines of communication between consumers and the organization. Users

will be able to like or dislike other user’s comments and concerns. The organization will strive to

answer all fan comments and concerns posted through “The Penalty Box” as a way to increase

19

fan loyalty and improve the organizations image. Forums will provide fans with a way to interact

quickly to share Bruins news and promotional information. Team statistics and news and updates

drop down menus will provide fans with the news and statistics they want in an efficient manner.

Promotional Activities

Purpose

® Improve organizational image® Increase fan engagement on social media sites

Benefits

® Increased ticket sales® Expand fan base* Expand community interest in hockey

The proposed business plan will implement a variety of new promotional activities to the

Boston Bruins current promotional plan. One newly implemented promotional activity is to use

social media to fundraise for the Boston Bruins Foundation. Fans will log on to Twitter or

Facebook and tweet or post the hashtag “#OoBruins.” The promotion will run from an hour

before game time to the end of the third period, for each fan that tweets or posts the hashtag the

Boston Bruins will donate $1 to the Boston Bruins Foundation. This thndraiser will not only

raise money for charity but will also bring awareness to the Boston Bruins social media pages,

and create interest in the organization to attract customers to their site. Figure XV:

Mobile device demonstratingA second social media promotion will involve the website FourSquare. Foursquare badges

FourSquare allows users to share where they are and give comments about a

certain place. When a user reaches a certain destination they can “check-in”

using their mobile device on Foursquare.com and advertise their location to

friends. Each “check-in” earns the user points and once a certain amount of

points are earned a user will earn a badge. (See Figure XV) Once a FourSquare

user earns a Bruins FourSquare badge, the user will be entered to win Bruins prize packages.

4.20

An additional promotional activity to include into each hockey season would be an

annual teddy bear toss taking place at a home game during the holiday season. The way a teddy

bear toss operates is that once the first goal in a hockey game has been scored by either team, all

fans in the arena toss a teddy bear onto the ice. The Bruins organization will then collect the

bears that are thrown and donate them to the Children’s Hospital Boston. Information about the

teddy bear toss will be spread using “CyBearCiub”, the social media website. Using the

interactive website as a way to distribute information to the fans, the organization will then

receive immediate results showing how often the website is viewed and utilized by fans. The

effectiveness of the promotion will be demonstrated by the amount of fans that engage in the

bear toss.

The final added promotional activity will be to include QR codes on game day rosters

distributed to fans at turnstile entrances. A QR code is similar to a bar code and can be created in

a cost efficient manner. When a feature-phone or smart-phone takes a picture of a QR code, it

acts as a URL linking the srnartphone to a specific website. QR codes linking to the

“C’yBearCluh” website will be placed on game day rosters to provide fans with entertainment

during downtime such as intermissions between periods of play. The QR code will link

smartphone users to the “CyBearCiub” website and prompt the user to join the site, as well as

upload videos and photos from the game immediately. (See Figure XVI)

Figure XVI:QR CodeScan with your

Sinariphone

21

cybear—.

t, f!jTqtA I ----A

STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR

© BOSTON BRUINS

Social Media Training

Purpose

® Introduce social media to the marketing plan* Adequately train staff in social media

Benefits

* Mainstay social media outlet* Increased marketing productivity* Educated staff of social media advancements

Because social media is a new component in marketing, the Boston Bru n’s marketing

team does not currently have an expert in social media development or usage. Currently the

Boston Bruins outsource social media design to a variety of companies, such as Fuseideas for

marketing purposes and Turnkey for poli design. The organization does not devote much time

specifically to social media. Our business plan will incorporate an education for the Bruins’

marketing team on social media. The marketing team will participate in webinars and they will

attend a class focused on the implementation of social media into business. The webinars will be

run through Ragcin Communications, who the Bruins currently use for their present media needs.

The one-day social media training program could be taught by Alan Beiniak the Director of

Social Media Marketing at PTC, or an equivalent practitioner in this field. An expanded

knowledge in social media will lead the Bruins’ marketing team to be less reliant on companies

that they are now forced to turn to. The education will provide the employees to be more self

sufficient, more sustainable and, they will have more ability to interact with the social media

website themselves, making it simpler to see what changes need to be made periodically.

r -—

- LrmiTURN-KEY

_fISTflP DUIJON ‘Srfll2I’i C

PTC

22

Player Involvement

Purpose

® Increase community awareness® Improve organizational image

Benefits

® Increase social media traffic® Maintain customer loyalty* Expand fan base/market share

For today’s athlete, coach, or sports executive the stakes have risen considerably, and so

has the scrutiny on every aspect of their lives. Those who excel as communicators distinguish

themselves from the rest. Implementing player involvement will allow the players to make

contributions to the “L’yBearCluh” website as well as speak directly to the fans by means of

social media. Increased player involvement will also be utilized to drive traffic and usage to the

“C’yBearClith” social media site. For example Shaquille O’Neal a Boston Celtics (NBA) player

posts frequent tweets on Twitter on what is going on in his life. O’Neal once posted a tweet

concerning his location and said that the first person who touches him gets two free tickets to

that night’s Celtics game. Player involvement like this makes players more personable to fans,

and creates popularity for the team. By implementing more player involvement the organization

will continue to receive a positive image from the community. All Bruins players are contracted

to par icipate in a set number of organization events, thus creating a third advantage of

implementing more player involvement.

Timeline:

The following tirneline illustrates the implementation of the proposed social media plan.

Beginemployeesocial mediatraining

:.I

Create &launchinteractive

a social media. website

Introducesocial mediaplayerinvolvement

Begin usingmetrics tomeasurewebsite traffic

LaunchPromotionalActivities

.0

Continue8 Metrics Usage

Continue touse metrics

‘ Launch newpromotions

Continueplayer

. involvement

23

C. Proposed budget

The budget desired to implement an improved social media platform to improve

promotions is relatively small when compared to the potential gains in sales and profit. The

interactive social media website is a low-cost way to advertise, promote, and receive customer

feedback immediately as compared to traditional mailings. The social media website will pay for

itself overtime with critical fan feedback, as well as a direct source to advertise promotions.

Advertising space on the social media site can bring in revenue to help offset the initial costs of

acquiring the website. By training the Boston Bruins’ marketing team in social media

implementation and advertising, the staff will become more efficient in social media use and

daily job requirements.

Interactive Website:Website Design $9,000

Website Hosting S7,200

Jhteractive Website Total: $16,200

Promotional Activities:Teddy Bear loss $0

FourSquare Badge Creation $1,500

FourSquare Giveaways $500

Hashtag Fundraiser Donation $Ix

QR Code Design and Implementation

Promotional Activities To!cii: $2. 000+ lx

Social Media Training:Webinars $150

Social Media Workshop $500

Radian6 Membership $7,200

Social Media Training Total: $7,850

Player involvement: SoTotal (1 Year) 526,050 +lx

24

Budget

D. Proposed metrics to measure ROT, sales, customers, traffic, etc.

There are many different metrics to measure ROE, sales, customers, and traffic. The most

important factor in measuring promotional effectiveness is to start with listening. To listen

effectively, the organization should commit to utilizing Radian6, a social media monitoring

company to track comments, tweets, and velocity of posts concerning the Boston Bruins and

other related search terms that matter to the organization. The organization should listen for the

tone of people’s conversations and comments to gauge their pleasure or displeasure. Attention

should be paid to qualitative attributes that concern what people say and what they mean.

Radian6 can also be utilized to show participation through comments coming from across the

Listening Online TicketSales

Social MediaActivity

internet (cx: “Likes” and “tweets”). The badges and point reward system on FourSquare can be

used to again demonstrate fans activities on social media sites concerning the Boston Bruins.

Another advantage to using Figure XVII:

Radianó is the ability to

determine the effectiveness of Seaonti Likes&‘lonesale , Tweets’

events such as the hashtag aPW

Ticket j FourSquarefundtaisei Online ticket sales

rLwb0cj Packages

purchased through I r -

riwviciua IAttention tiokéts r Comments

“CyBecuClub” can be used as a A :..

irtool to measure ROI, sales and ParticipationInvovent

customers on the social mediaQualitativeAttributes

site Online ticket sales stemming

InteractiveWebsite

ProfilesCreated

Polls Answered

___

-J

UploadedContcntj

Forum Usage

-

Conversations i

from “CyflearCiub” can verify that fans are on and actively utilizing the organizations social

media outlets.

25

The proposed interactive website will grant fans the ability to create profiles, upload

content, and communicate with other fans as well as directly with the Bruins organization. (See

Figure XVII) The Bruins will select a group of fans

ranging from season ticket holders to individual game

buyers to be beta testers of the “GyBearCiub” website.

fl

____________

The beta testers will test the website to determine if the

layout is easy to use, appealing to them, promotes a desire

for them to return, and is shareable/extendable onto other social platforms. Feedback from the

beta testers can be utilized to determine the expected traffic volume, accessibility of the website,

and general interest in website content.

Conclusion:

Social media is a straightforward and prompt channel to communicate information as

well as promotions and events to fans. Social media monitoring companies such as Radian6 do

not just track “tweets” and posts, they can tell you where conversations are happening, when, and

how ofien in a cost efficient manner. Monitoring sites also measure the effectiveness of events

and promotions through the tone and content of”tweets” and posts. The Bruins will be able to

carry out several of their current promotional needs through social media outlets. Social media

will be a direct line of communication between the Bruins and thousands of prospective

customers. Promotions and events can be communicated to fans and potential customers

effectively, ticket sales can be pushed online, and fans will have a direct line of communication

with the Bruins organization to express their satisfaction or discontent. Social media will provide

the Bruins with the opportunity to improve sales through promotions by communicating events

and promotions to potential customers. Social media is like a train leaving the station, are you

on it?

26

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Consultants (2):

Mr. John Magliozzi Marketing Teacher, DECA AdvisorMs. Nancy Lydon Accounting teacher, DECA AdvisorPersonal Interviews (3):

Chris DiPierro Director of Marketing Boston BruinsElizabeth d’Entrernont Marketing Manager Boston BruinsAlan Belniak Director of Social Media Marketing at PTCSurveys (2)

Social Media Survey Distributed 11/11/2010 - 12/11/2010CyBear Fan Survey Distributed 11/11/2010 - 12/11/2010Internet Sources (11):

Deca.orgBostonBruins cornNationalrelocation.comlMassachusettsRadian6.comCensus. govFaceBook.comTwittercomSocialMention.cornNationalsportsandentertainment.wordpress.comRagancommunications.comFourSquare.comAmericaneagle.comFuseldeas.comCoylerned ia. cornObservation Time (4):

Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals 9/29/20 10Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens 11/11/2010Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 12/2/2010Boston Bruins vs. Anaheim Ducks 12/20/20 10

27

VII. APPENDIX

Topics discussed in executive meeting with the Boston Bruins Director of MarketingChris DiPierro and Marketing Manager Elizabeth d’Entremont:

® Target marketPromotional activities

® Effectiveness of social media® Effectiveness of promotions® Impact/success of social media

o Sales figureso Ticket saleso Site hitso Cost of social media

@ Likelihood of implementing proposed activitieso QR code implementation

• Beta testingo Launch of new marketing promotion

28

1. What is your age?

a. 12-19

b. 20-24

c. 25-30

d. 31-35

36-40

f. 41-45

g. 46-50

h. 50+

2. In which Massachusetts County do you live?

a. Barnstable e. Franklin

b. Berkshire f. Hampden

c. Bristol g. Hampshire

d. Essex h. Middlesex

i. Norfolk

j. Plymouth

k. Suffolk

I. Worcester

in, Out of state

3, In what

a.

b.

C.

ways do you normally hear about Bruins news/updatesNESN Sports desk d. CyBear News LetterBruins Facebook page e. A mixture of all of the aboveBruins Official Website f. Other

g. I do not hear

about

news/updates

4. Through what means do you receive most of your information?a. Cell phone d. Radio

b. Computer e. Newspaper

c. Television f. Other

5. How often do you use the so

a. Never

b. 1-5 Times a week

c. 6-10 Times per week

urces listed above to learn about Bruins news/updates?

d. 11-15 Times per week

e. 16-20 Times per week

f. 20+ Times Per Week

6. Are you aware of the CyBear Club?

a. Yes, lam aware though I am not a member

b. Yes, I am aware and lam a member

c. No, I am not aware

7. lfyou are a member of the CyBear Club, how informational do you feel it is?a. lam not a member

b. I find them to be very informational

c. I feel that there is room for improvement

d. I am constantly looking for further information on other social media websites

8. What changes would you like to see to the CyBear Club? (Circle all that apply)a. Fan blogs d. Fan profiles (videos, pictures, etc.)b. Point reward system e. Other

________________________

c. Player involvement

29

Boston BruinsSocial Media Fan Survey

1. Whatisyourage?

a. 12-19

b. 20-24

c. 25-30

d. 31-35

e. 36-40

f. 41-45

g. 46-50

h. 50+

2. In which Massachusetts County do you live?

a. Barnstable e. Franklin

b. Berkshire f. Hampden

c. Bristol g. Hampshire

h. Middlesex

i. Norfolk m. Out of state

j. Plymouth

______________

k. Suffolk

I. Worcester

3. Do you currently use any social

a. Facebook

b. Twitter

c. Myspace

media websites? (Circle all that apply)

d. Other

________________

e. I do not use social media websites

4. Do you

a.

b.

follow the Boston Bruins on any of the following social media sites? (Circle all that apply)

Facebook c. Twitter e. None

Tumblr d. Other

5. On the social media sites on which you follow the Boston Bruins how often do you hear about

promotions/events?

a. Often c. Always e. I do not follow the Bruins on any social media sites

b. Rarely d. Never

6. Through what means do you receive most of your information?

a. Cell phone/smartphone d. Radio

b. Computer e. Newspaper

c. Television f. Other

7. How often do you hear about promoti

a. Often c. Always

b. Rarely d. Never

ons/events through the Boston Bruins CyBear Club?

e. I am not a member

8. How interactive would you like a Boston Bruins social

a. The ability to upload videos/pictures

b. The option to create a personal fan profile

c. Links to team store and official website

media website to be? (Circle all that apply)

d. Contribute to blogs

e. Links to team site and store

f. Other

30

Boston BruinsSocial Media Fan Survey

d. Essex