USAB Marketing Plan - WordPress.com · USA Baseball NTC Marketing Plan 2 | Page Executive Summary...

2015 Marketing Plan By: Niles Clark & Kelsey Hernandez

USA Baseball NTC Marketing Plan

2 | Page

Executive Summary

The Research Triangle, commonly referred to as simply "The Triangle", is a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina, anchored by North Carolina State University, Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the towns of Cary and Chapel Hill. Right smack dab in the middle of these three lively cities in Cary is our nation’s premier facility that houses USA Baseball (USAB)—the National Training Complex (NTC). The staff at the facility strives everyday achieve their mission of enriching the lives of citizens by creating an exceptional environment and providing exemplary services that enable the community to thrive and prosper.

In 2003 when Cary won the bid to house Team USA, the Town of Cary and USA Baseball built a partnership that would fuel the new, state-of-the-art facility for years to come. Paul V. Seiler assumed the duties of Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball in October 2000 and running the complex alongside him is the COO, David Perkins, and the Assistant Director of Operations, James Vick. Both Seiler and Vick were part of a five-person relocation committee that selected North Carolina's Triangle-area as the new home for USA Baseball.

The USA Baseball National Training Complex at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, NC, opened its doors in 2007 and since then, numerous baseball tournaments and events held at the complex each year contribute to the local economy as well as provide spectator and competitive play opportunity for baseball enthusiasts. In addition, the Complex offers training and recreational play opportunities through camps and clinic for the sport of baseball as well as facility rental opportunities for participants to utilize field space for practice or play. The NTC services those avid and casual baseball fans living in the Triangle area that are looking for fun and affordable entertainment. The main target markets for the NTC are families with children that live within the Triangle and college students who attend one of the large universities in the area.

With being located in the Triangle, the complex experiences some pretty large direct competitors from various Minor League Teams in the area, a National Hockey League team, and four Division I collegiate baseball teams. USA Baseball strives to differentiate their sport product from the others in the area by providing a family-oriented and exciting atmosphere. The NTC has seen some of their largest crowds during international friendlies games and for the professional and collegiate teams, however there is so much potential for the complex to bring in even larger crowds for the popular games and the not so popular games. Being located in the Triangle, the complex should be a huge hot spot for current residents, but most people don’t even know that the home for USA Baseball is even in NC. We have put together a marketing plan for USA Baseball’s National Training Complex to improve attendance rates and increase brand awareness in the area both by 20% while also increasing in-store retail sales by 10%.


3 | Page

Table of Contents Introduction 4 Situational Analysis 7 Competitive Analysis 11 Customer Analysis 13 Marketing Goals 20 Marketing Strategy 21 Marketing Tactics 22 Implementation & Control 25 Appendix 27


4 | Page

Introduction Mission Statement The mission of USA Baseball is to enable athletes and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence, develop character, support the sport of baseball, and promote and grow the sport on a grassroots level, both nationally and internationally. The responsibility of USA Baseball is not only to produce Olympic athletes, but also to oversee and govern every aspect as the commissioner for amateur baseball. The mission statement of the NTC staff is to provide a world-class baseball facility to teams, individuals and spectators from around the world. The Complex will compete at the national level for elite level baseball tournaments and events, while at the same time providing programming opportunities for the local community.

o Enhance the success and reputation of a professional tenant by working together to promote the team’s events as memorable experiences for the spectators, coaches, and players.

o Foster relationships with local athletic organizations such that the complex is an integral part of the organizations’ operations.

o Attract, recruit and retain national marquee baseball events that showcase the USA Baseball Complex as a premier sports destination.


5 | Page

Background

Since 1978 USA Baseball has been the national governing body for amateur baseball. It represents the sport in the United States as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and internationally as a member federation of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Nearly every major national amateur baseball organization in America is united as a USA Baseball national member organization. As a result, USA Baseball governs more than 12 million amateur players in ballparks and playgrounds across the country.

In May 2001, USA Baseball, the governing body for amateur baseball in the United States, sent out requests for proposals to relocate their offices and official training site through the National Association of Sports Commissions. From those proposals they received 100 contacts or communities that showed interest in bringing their organization to their community. From these 100 communities, USA Baseball received 10 proposals in November 2001, of which they narrowed down to 5 possible sites. USA Baseball then formed a committee to visit the 5 finalists: Atlanta, Georgia; Kissimee, Florida; Cary, North Carolina; Jupiter, Florida and Aberdeen, Maryland. Hill Carrow, with the Triangle Sports Commission was instrumental in bringing USA Baseball to Cary, as he made the initial contacts with the town staff and Paul Seiler (CEO of USA Baseball), and he also put the formal bid together.

The Town of Cary strives to enhance the quality of life for its citizens by building unique facilities, such as the Cary Tennis Park or the Koka Booth Amphitheatre, and a world-class baseball facility fit very well into this vision. Land was already allocated for athletic facilities in Thomas Brooks Park master construction plan including: multi-use athletic fields for low impact turf sports and volleyball courts. Town leaders chose to re-direct the park’s master plan once the opportunity arose to build the National Training Baseball Complex in partnership with USA Baseball.

The Town and USA Baseball signed a memorandum of understanding outlining general terms to be included in a 20-year agreement between the two organizations once Cary was selected in 2002. The Town of Cary spent $10,024,691 to complete the construction of the facility and upon the decision of choosing Cary, the Town and USA Baseball selected Heery International as the architects for the project. A design team consisting of representatives from PRCR, Public Works, Engineering, and USA Baseball worked with Heery to design the complex and the master plan was approved in August of 2003. The total construction cost for the facility was $11,024,691 of which $1 million was


6 | Page

provided by USA Baseball securing a fund coming from the Wake County Occupancy and Prepared Food/Beverage tax, which was allocated for seating, lighting and irrigation.

The 26-acre facility is located in Western Cary off of Green Hope School Road. Located within the 220 acre Thomas Brooks Park, the NTC is highlighted with beautiful landscaping and convenient amenities, including restroom facilities, concession buildings, training room, press box and a merchandise shop; making it one of the most developing and most aesthetic baseball facilities in the southeast.

The NTC consists of 4 major league spec baseball fields. The stadium field is maintained at Major League Baseball standards, while the training fields’ maintenance standards are lower than the stadium field. The signature baseball field includes permanent seating for 1,754 with supplemental grass seating for approximately 1,800 people bring the total capacity to 3,500. The stadium field is equipped with a press box that includes, 2 suites, official scorer’s room, sound room and press row. The 3 training fields each have individual scorekeeper/announcer shelters, and spectator seating for 120 people. There are 631 parking spaces adjacent to the NTC and parking for the entire park consists of 1,071 parking spaces.

Since 2005, Cary has not disappointed as the house for Team USA. Each year the four field complex houses the country’s best youth, collegiate, and professional baseball. The following USA Baseball clubs all utilize the facility for training purposes: World Baseball Classic (Professional), Olympic Games (Professional), national collegiate team, 18U junior national team, 16U youth national team, 16 and over women’s national team, and the USA Baseball 14U National Team. The NTC previous target markets included three distinct segments: baseball teams/leagues, spectator based events, and participatory based events. In order to reach all three market segments, the facility have had past marketing efforts of developing baseball programs and services that cater to the needs of both the youth and adult baseball community. Other than outstanding customer service at the NTC and holding USA Baseball events to attract customers—mostly families of the players—there are no current marketing efforts that target Triangle residents.


7 | Page

Situational Analysis Internal Analysis Strengths

1. Facil ity Design: A huge strength USA Baseball’s complex is simply the facility in itself. The complex consists of patron amenities such as restrooms, concessions, press facilities, and tournament administrative space. It is a very modern day structure that appeals to everyone as soon as they walk through the entrance gates. The maintenance of the facility is well funded and staffed by USA Baseball and the Town of Cary, so the complex is always in great shape.

2. 4 Major League Fields: USA Baseball strives to differentiate their sport product from others in the area and having 4 Major League Fields is what sets it apart from any other. The ability to host an event and have 4 games occurring at once for teams that play 90ft. bases and 60’6” mound is a huge advantage for the complex.

3. Fields that are designed for spectator viewing: Even though the amount of spectator seats are a weakness, the fields were designed above the field of play in order to give spectators optimal and easier viewing.

4. Location: Another huge strength for the NTC is the location within the Triangle—the complex is in the middle of 3 prominent and thriving cities. Surrounded by family communities, restaurants, and large businesses, this leaves the NTC as a prime possible location for affordable and fun entertainment while enjoying America’s favorite pastime.

5. USA Baseball Brand- Because USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the US and fosters Olympic athletes as part of the US Olympic Committee, the nationally-recognized brand definitely creates more attraction for the complex.

Weaknesses

1. Number of spectator events: Many events are hosted at the NTC, however they are not always USA Baseball events. In the past, it has been tough for USA Baseball and the Town of Cary to coordinate


8 | Page

schedules and field availability as USA Baseball has an unknown schedule until a few months out. By increasing the number of USA Baseball hosted events at the NTC, this will attract the surrounding baseball community more because it is a nationally recognized entity.

2. Lack of knowledge: A rather large weakness is simply that not many people know about this world-class facility that is less than 20 minutes from their home. Some of the world’s best baseball players play and have played/were bred out of the NTC and most Triangle residents have no idea.

3. Town of Cary l imitations: While the partnership with the Town of Cary helps make the facility what it is today, there can be sensitive times between the Town and USA Baseball. The Town is very sensitive to field over-usage and that ultimately hinders USA Baseball from using the complex and impacts their ability to meet selection and identification responsibilities.

4. Fields & Physical Structures: Although the complex is extremely modern, innovative, and accommodating, there is a lack of a clubhouse, umpire room, and USA Baseball office and storage space. There is also very limited seating on the backfields as their seated capacity is only for 150 people. The NTC is the training complex for the nation’s best players and at the complex they have all the field and baseball equipment needed, however, there is no weight room, showers, or laundry facilities to accommodate these players even more.

External Environmental Analysis Opportunities

1. Facil ity Amenities/Structures: As the nation’s training facility for USA players, there is a lot of opportunity to become one of the best training facilities ever for the sport. There is land available and maybe within the next few years funding will become available to add the following to the facility: a fully equipped weight room and player locker rooms with showers. The facility also has opportunity to improve concessions and stray away from only conventional concession food.

2. NCAA Championship City: Being situated in the Triangle and around well-known universities, the NTC has the potential to be chosen as the host for NCAA Championship games.


9 | Page

3. Hall of Fame Project: While designing the facility back in 2002, USA Baseball and Heery had the vision of including a Hall of Fame at the complex. Due to not enough funding, the design committee cut it from the plan. However, there is still room for this project and if funding becomes available, this project could add a lot to the NTC.

4. ACC Preseason College tournament: Having 3 huge ACC baseball competitors within 30 miles of the NTC creates great potential. While it would take a lot of planning and coordinating, hosting an ACC preseason tournament would be a win-win situation for everyone.

5. Permanent USA Baseball Home: Right now, the NTC is still a temporary home for USA Baseball, however, there is enough land/space to build and expand and make it the permanent home. There are housing communities behind the parking lot and if the NTC becomes permanent in Cary, then USA Baseball could buy out those families/houses, which would allow for another entrance and more parking.

Threats

1. Full Schedule: The miscommunication and over-sensitivity between the Town of Cary and USA Baseball poses a potential threat of the Town filling the NTC schedule so much that USA Baseball cannot get an event in if there are sudden schedule changes. As the national governing body for USA Baseball, they have a lot of responsibility to uphold. In the past Town of Cary has gotten in the way of USA Baseball fulfilling their requirements by hosting too many non-USA Baseball events.

2. Other sport products in area: The Durham Bulls and the Carolina Mudcats pose the biggest direct threat for the NTC and USA Baseball, as they are Minor League Teams that have been around longer in the area. Additionally, the three-powerhouse colleges in the area attract the same target markets as the NTC and their sporting events are more popular among Triangle families because they are avid fans. The last big competitor is the Carolina Hurricanes, a National Hockey League team.

3. Political changes/support: There is always a chance that when political positions change, so does the support for the NTC. Also, if Town of Cary changes their administrative positions, they could potentially be swayed by outside groups other than USA Baseball to host events at the NTC.


10 | Page

4. Hotel Proximity: Unfortunately, the surrounding area of the NTC offers very limited hotel options for out of town visitors.

Positioning

Unfortunately, it is difficult to compare the NTC to minor league stadiums, such as the Carolina Mudcats and the Durham Bulls because it was built primarily for training purposes for USA Baseball national teams. Additionally, the stadium field at the NTC was constructed with the intent to host events of 2,500 spectators or less while both of the local minor league teams are equipeed for almost 10,000 occupants. Nonetheless, concessions and buildings can be compared to the local minor league stadiums by means of product and price for events. Based on the SWOT analysis, the NTC remains as a unique sport product in the Triangle area. Direct competitors such as the Bulls, Mudcats, Division I sporting events in the Triangle, and PNC sporting events will continue to be threats for the NTC, however, because of the USA Baseball nationally recognized branding of the facility, the NTC is distinct compared to the other sport products in the area.

With regards to bidding on tournaments, it is important to note there are several other baseball facilities in the Southeast that are capable of competing with the USA Baseball NTC. The East Cobb Baseball Complex, in Georgia, Cal Ripkin Complex in Myrtle Beach and Aberdeen, MD are a few of the most notable facilities.

The NTC proves to be a world-class facility, but with very successful direct competitors in close proximity, USA Baseball needs to take advantage of the potential opportunities to make the NTC an even better experience for the customers. Positioning Statement

Currently, the marketplace does not offer any comparable baseball facilities. The USA Baseball NTC is unique in the fact that it has 4 fields that meet major league specifications. There are numerous four-field complexes in the region, but none that are geared for just groups that play 90 ft bases and 60’6” mound. Field space is always in high demand and the NTC can offer that to many teams and leagues at an affordable price. Unique Sell ing Proposition Come take your swing this way!


11 | Page

Competitive Analysis Directly and indirectly, the NTC competes with many local businesses and other sport products in the area. The most relevant competitors all offer services and products to the same target market in the Triangle area. The biggest direct threat to the NTC is the Durham Bulls, located only 20 minutes from each other. As mentioned before, it is hard to compare the NTC to a minor league stadium such as the Durham Bulls Athletic Park because it is fully equipped for almost four times as much capacity as the NTC. The Durham Bulls pose the biggest threat as they have a huge amount of avid fans that have been fans ever since the establishment of the park in 1995. They have a huge customer market from really all ages. They have avid young fans that attend almost every game with their parents and they have avid senior fans that have been attending games as a tradition for almost twenty years. While it is hard to compare to their size capacity and committed fan base, the NTC offers the same atmosphere at a little more affordable price. However, the large variety of options for concessions including gourmet foods and craft beers really outweighs what is offered at the NTC. Current promotional strategies for the Durham Bulls include: “Bark in the Park,” “Camp out Night,” and “Swim Night.” Another direct threat to the NTC is all of the large universities in the Raleigh/Durham area: NC State University, The University of North Carolina, and Duke University. All of these colleges have teams that have an avid fan base for all sports. The three universities are powerhouses in the ACC for baseball and loyal fans live and breathe baseball at each of their respectable school. The Carolina Mudcats are another minor league team that posses a threat to the NTC. They are located in Zebulon, NC, which is within 30 miles of Cary. They have the same target as the NTC because offer the same product to families at an affordable price. Current Promotional Strategies include: “Weiner Wednesday” and “Thirsty Thursday”. There are several other baseball facilities in the Southeast that are capable of competing with the USA Baseball NTC such as: the East Cobb Baseball


12 | Page

Complex, in Georgia, Cal Ripken Complex in Myrtle Beach and Aberdeen, MD are a few of the most notable facilities with the same training capacity. Another competitor to mention is the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are a NHL Team located in Raleigh, NC. They play their home games at PNC Arena, which is the same arena that the NC State Men’s basketball team plays in. Current promotional strategies include: “Toy Drive” and “Canes College Select Night.” An additional indirect threat would be the great entertainment options that are offered in Cary and immediate area. Crossroads plaza has a multitude of shopping options, restaurants, and movie theaters. Also, the Cary Mall, Southpoint Mall, and Crabtree mall are all indirect threats because we are fighting for the same disposable income from families in the area.


13 | Page

Customer Analysis Section 1

The main customer base for the USA Baseball NTC is broken down into three distinct markets: baseball teams/leagues, spectators, and tournaments/events. Baseball teams/leagues are the primary customers for the NTC as they need field space on which to conduct team practices and league play. Many teams from around surroundings area are looking for quality field at a reasonable price for practice and play and the NTC is able to provide that service; teams in this market has included local high schools such as Green Hope High School and Panther Creek High School. While the complex brings in a lot of different teams and leagues from across the nation, crowds of spectators come as well. The complex draws a large range of spectators from local to regional to international demographics. The third segment, tournaments and events, is similar to the baseball league segment as they also need field space. Many tournaments and events require sanctioning by a district, state or national governing body, others require a bid process and may be awarded in one or two year increments. Some tournaments can be run as unsanctioned in certain circumstances, thus opportunities in this market segment are more limited than the first segment.

The baseball team/leagues segment covers the local community, but also from surrounding communities. The spectators segment varies the most and, depending on the focus of the event, may draw from an area as small as the local community residents or as large as internationally. The same goes for the tournaments/events segment, if it is a Town of Cary tournament or event, most of the teams will be coming in locally. However, if it is a USA Baseball tournament or event, then one will see local, regional, and international support. After analyzing these three segments we have drawn that current customers consist of Town of Cary youth baseball leagues, local middle schools, high schools, college, adult wood bat leagues, sanctioned tournament spectators, and USA Baseball affiliated customers. USA Baseball in the past has focused on a very specific local target market when they are not focusing on baseball teams and leagues to use the facility. In order to achieve our goal of increasing attendance, brand awareness, and retail sales, we are expanding our focus to Triangle residents—not the previous specific market of only Town of Cary residents.


14 | Page

*The map below shows current customers of the NTC—Town of Cary residents that are within a 5-mile radius of the complex*


15 | Page

*The following sections are based on the current market of the USA Baseball NTC* Demographics The demographics that are shown above are according to the 2012 American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau.

A few of the notable statistics include Cary’s percentage of women is 3.4 percentage points higher than the male population; Cary’s Asian population percentage is nearly double the national percentage while the Hispanic or Latino population percentage is less than half the national percentage; and Cary’s population has achieved high school graduation and bachelor’s degrees


16 | Page

at a much higher rate than the national average and Cary’s residents are significantly above the national average in terms of income.

According to the Town of Cary 2013 Housing and Population Trend Report, Cary has experienced a steady population growth since 2001. For our marketing plan, we have noted that while the Town of Cary population increases, the Triangle resident population is rising as well. These cities continue to grow and thrive and this will only benefit the USA Baseball NTC for years to come. Psychographics Despite the differences in demographics between the NTC local customers and USA Baseball nation-wide customers, the psychographics are very similar. What makes USA Baseball’s market so great is the feeling of nationalism that comes with being a committed fan. As an Olympic sport that yields some of the best athletes, fans are proud to support the organization as they are supporting our country at the same time. This sense of nationalism produces avid fans who are all for the Americana, traditional feeling. Our customers tend to be fans of Major League Teams who have former USA Baseball players who play for them. For example, we see our customers who support former USA


17 | Page

Baseball players and their current MLB teams, such as Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs and Bryce Harper with the Washington Nationals. Our customers are avid baseball fans who follow the sport extremely close through out the season and the off-season. Product Usage/Benefits Providing customers with the very best possible services and products is the primary objective of the NTC. This will be achieved by providing our citizens the best programs, clinics, and events while providing highly motivated and trained staff. In order to meet the needs of the entire baseball playing population, a wide variety of programs and services should be offered. This section briefly describes each of the products and services currently offered at the NTC.

o USA Baseball Camps and Clinics: USA Baseball provides several camps and clinics at the complex. The major focus of these camps and clinics is to promote the game of baseball through instruction and knowledge and players of all ages benefit from the best baseball coaches in the nation.

o Town of Cary Camps and Clinics: The Town runs numerous camps and clinics at the complex. Some of which may be co-sponsored with USA Baseball. The town wide clinics are focused on teaching the basic fundamentals of the game to participants and coaches.

o Town of Cary Programs: The USA Baseball Complex is utilized by a few of the Town of Cary’s youth baseball programs ages 15 and older. The goal of these leagues is to provide recreational opportunities to TOC citizens. Sportsmanship, skill development, participation and fun is the focus of the Town of Cary youth sports program.

o Field Rentals: Youth and adult teams/organizations utilize the facility year round for practices, games and tournaments. Teams have the option to also rent the roll out batting cages for on field batting practice. Teams benefit by being able to utilize our facility equipped with all of the best training instruments.

o Concessions: NTC concession services are provided by contracted services through Barham Enterprises. Providing the opportunity for teams and spectators to purchase food and beverages before and after play is an additional benefit for consumers.


18 | Page

o Merchandise Shop: An onsite merchandise store is located at the entrance to the main stadium. The store is operated and managed by USA Baseball; customers benefit from the on-site retail store by being able to purchase official USA Baseball merchandise during any event.


19 | Page

Section 2 USA Baseball has been the national governing body for baseball in the US since 1978. Huge athletes’ careers began with USA Baseball, the USA Team has won the Baseball World Cup 4 times, and the national team is currently ranked second in the world. The organization continues to successfully build and expand every year and we believe it’s time for the NTC to be recognized at the same level as USA Baseball. Unless Triangle residents are directly involved in amateur baseball or sports in the area, they have most likely not heard about the NTC that is only within 30 minutes from their home. In order to get the NTC and USA Baseball the attention it deserves locally, the market that should be the primary focus are Triangle families within a 30-mile radius of the facility. The Triangle region is defined as a 13-county area with a long tradition of growth and change. According to a recent US Census Bureau report in 2014, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Chapel Hill have all seen at least a 2% growth in population over just the past year. With an always-rising population and new residents moving to the Triangle every day, the NTC needs to take advantage of those people and show them why they want our product. The Triangle is home to a diverse population; in the region 40% of the residents are people of color. The largest racial/ethnic group in the region is White, followed by African American, Latino, and then Asian. In the 2014 Census report, it put the population at 2,037,430, making it the second largest metropolitan area in NC behind Charlotte. The regions largest populations by age are adults between the ages 20-54 years, making up over half of the total population. The second largest age group makes up 23% of the total population and it is people between the ages 5-19 years. Females make up for more than half of the population in the Triangle area. Of the total population in the region, a little less than half have achieved their Bachelor’s Degree. The Triangle area has a higher median family income than all other metro areas in NC. The region’s median family income surpasses the next highest region—Charlotte—by 15 percent at $77,914. After analyzing the demographics of the Triangle area we have come up with a customer profile for our desired target markets. We chose to tailor our marketing efforts towards middle to upper class families of all racial demographics in the Triangle region. Because USA Baseball hosts international events and teams, we strive to have a diverse experience for everyone. Triangle families are made up of working parents who are always trying to find the most bang for their buck. In order to attract Triangle families, we have tailored our marketing efforts to provide entertainment for the children.


20 | Page

Marketing Goals Long Term & Short Term Goals

. To create and execute a management and operating philosophy which is consistent with the mission statement of USA Baseball and Town of Cary

. Increase attendance and ticket sales by 20%

. Increase brand awareness in the Triangle by 20%

. Increase retail sales by 10%

. Promote the facility and baseball services in such a manner that enhances the reputation of the Town of Cary

. Continue to create an environment where athletes and coaches can be competitive to develop into elite baseball players and coaches by having a state of the art facility that has produced the nations best pro and collegiate athletes.

. Become recognized as the permanent home for USA Baseball Value Proposition Statement USA Baseball National Training Complex offers a memorable atmosphere to the fans while experiencing the nation’s favorite pastime: the present and the future. We provide our fans with enjoyable, family-oriented events with promotional features such as discounted family ticket packages, free memorabilia giveaways, and activities throughout the venue for the children. We will gain our fan’s trust by upholding USA Baseball’s legacy in kick starting a successful professional opportunity similar to Bryce Harper’s and Kris Bryant’s careers.


21 | Page

Marketing Strategy USA Baseball has had a rich history with its former players and the millions who have invested their time and effort into this organization. There are always certain aspects that each company can focus and improve on. We think that the USA Baseball NTC could improve in a couple of ways and our marketing plan has three marketing strategies to help. Strategy #1 is to increase attendance and ticket sales by 20%. We believe that the attendance at the NTC is inconsistent as there are games and events where the fan support is not present. We want increase ticket sales because that will hopefully lead to more loyal customers and an overall increase in revenue. Strategy #2 is to increase retail sales by 10%. USA Baseball has a superb retail store on site at the NTC that offers a multitude of hats, jerseys, shirts, shorts and other official USA Baseball memorabilia. Strategy #3 is to increase brand awareness by 20%. USA Baseball luckily has a great brand that is recognizable with a number of baseball fans nationally, but we want to make sure the average citizen in the Triangle areas as well as the immediate Cary area knows the brand.


22 | Page

Marketing Tactics 4 Subs 4 Stubs Our first marketing tactic to achieve our marketing strategy of increasing game attendance and ticket sales is something we call 4 Subs 4 Stubs. This is a great promotion to get the entire family out to one of our tournaments or single games hosted at the NTC. This promotion will be offered every Saturday throughout the duration of the summer and we are targeting the average family of 4 size. We chose to have this promotion on Saturdays to ensure that the entire family is available. The promotion goes like the following: the family will buy their tickets for entrance into the game or tournament and then they will receive one voucher that can be redeemable at the concession stand for 4 subs catered by Subway. We understand that there are a lot of families that are larger than 4 members and when those families do come, we will accommodate to each additional member. With this promotion, we hope to create a summer tradition in the Triangle for families—who doesn’t love free food while enjoying America’s favorite pastime! See Appendix for sample ticket stubs/sub vouchers Alumni Game Another tactic that we have come up with in order to increase game attendance would be to hold an USA Baseball Alumni Game. We will contact around a lot of players until about 50 former players commit to coming to Cary to play in one game. The former players will available before and after the event to talk to various teams and leagues in the area. After the game, the fans will be able to ask get autographs and pictures with the players. In order to create the most competitive environment, why not bring in the most competitive individuals that have played on the very same field. When you promote a game like this, it not only brings the fans of USA Baseball to the to the complex, but also brings local fans of the MLB teams each respective player plays for. See Appendix for sample flyers and Alumni jerseys


23 | Page

Batting With Batman Our final tactic that will help us reach our strategic goal of increasing attendance by 20% is a promotion we call Batting With Batman. This promotion will be very attractive to Triangle families because kids love superheroes. We will encourage children of all ages who attend the game to dress up in their very best batman costume. The kids will have the chance before the USA Baseball game to go out on the field and hit a ball from Batman himself. We will be giving out t-shirts to the children who participate. We thought this was an excellent promotional idea because of the Batman vs Superman movie that comes out March 25, 2016. We will use the momentum from the movie to inspire a great night out to watch some baseball. See Appendix for sample flyers and USA Baseball Batman t-shirts Tasty Triangle Thursday Our first marketing tactic to increase the brand awareness by 20% is our idea of bringing in vendors to create an atmosphere where you can try some of the best eateries in Raleigh. We are going to bring in 4 restaurants to cater and two breweries every Thursday. In the lawn in front of the main gate entrance, the restaurants and breweries will be set up underneath tents. When customers buy entrance tickets to the game for that night, they will be able to show that ticket three times to get a beer or food platters. The people working with their respective restaurant or brewery will then punch a hole in the ticket. With this event we hope to create a Thursday night tradition out at the complex—this is a great way for the people of Cary and the Triangle to get out of the house with the kids and have incredible food with yummy local craft beers. We believe this can help increase our brand awareness in the Triangle by 20%. See Appendix for sample flyers Free Frank Friday Our second marketing tactic to increase the brand awareness in the Triangle is called Free Frank Friday. At this event we will offer free hotdogs at the concession stand to anyone who buys an entrance ticket for the game that


24 | Page

night. You are required to buy a ticket to receive your free hotdog. We believe this tactic will help drive in a crowd on Friday because it is not a school night and the whole family can have a free hot dog. We hope to create a Friday night tradition for families during the summer. See Appendix for sample flyers Family Retail Discount USA Baseball is known for holding great events at the NTC and we know that everyone loves to leave sporting events with some new apparel. We understand that the gear at the retail store can be expensive at times and on top of traveling for tournaments it adds up for families. USA Baseball has always given teams and their players who come to the complex to play gift bags. The gift bags are included in the tournament entry fee and in the bag is an official USA Baseball hat and shirt. We have created a family discount program that can be used at the on-site retail store. When the players receive their gift bags there will also be a ticket inside that is for 15% off the total price at the register. The family will only be able to use this ticket once, but we hope that this can help families afford a little more while also encouraging everyone to stop by the store on their way out. We believe that this discount program will increase our retail sales by 10% from last year’s numbers. See Appendix for sample discount ticket


25 | Page

Implementation & Control Action Plan

Budget Promotional Items Total Cost Number of Items Customized 4 Subs 4 Stubs vouchers

$1,000.00 1,000

Subway Catering $1,800.00 15 45 portion orders Family Discount Vouchers $200.00 2,000 Catering for Tasty Triangle Thursday

$2,500.00 Two Breweries and Four restaurants

Free Frank Vouchers $200.00 2,000 Concessions $500.00 Hot dog supplies Alumni Game & Batting with Batman Flyers

$25.00 1,000

Alumni Jerseys $2,500.00 50 T-Shirts for Batman $10.00 200

7-Nov27-Dec15-Feb6-Apr26-May15-Jul3-Sep23-Oct

Family Retail Discount

Batting with Batman

Tasty Triangle Thursday

Free Frank Friday

4 Stubs 4 Subs

Alumni Game

Duration


26 | Page

Evaluation USA Baseball has been a successful entity for over 30 years. The evaluation process is something that they take seriously every year to become a better organization over time. Our evaluation plan is going to be used to determine if our strategies were effective. In order to determine if our plan is effective we will look at the ticket sales from the previous year and this will help us to determine if our efforts helped to increase them by 20%. We will use Social media numbers to get feedback and monitor the amount of followers before and after our plan is implemented. USA Baseball has a twitter and Instagram account to mentor what fans have opinions on and cater to them as best they can. USA Baseball uses its website just as much as any organization, as this is vital to be successful in this day and age when just about everything is done online. We will look at retail sales numbers from previous years and determine if our tactics geared toward increasing in-store and online purchases worked. Another strategy that we came up with to determine if our plan was effective is to create a fan survey to determine if our customers in the local area are satisfied after an event. If our overall ticket sales increase by 20% and retail sales by 10% from the previous year, then our plan has done its job. If numbers are lower than expected, we will go back to the beginning and find what appeals to our target market even better. We think that if the USA Baseball NTC uses all of our ideas, increasing attendance, awareness, and retail sales will be easily attainable.


27 | Page

Appendix


28 | Page


29 | Page


30 | Page


31 | Page


32 | Page

Resources https://www.townofcary.org/Assets/Planning+Department/Planning+Department+PDFs/populationreport.pdf https://www.townofcary.org/Assets/Planning+Department/Planning+Department+PDFs/populationreport.pdf http://www.policylink.org/sites/default/files/Triangle_J_Profile_Final_31March2015.pdf

USAB Marketing Plan - WordPress.com · USA Baseball NTC Marketing Plan 2 | Page Executive Summary...

Documents

Transcript of USAB Marketing Plan - WordPress.com · USA Baseball NTC Marketing Plan 2 | Page Executive Summary...