Marketing Plan 463c1o

 

   

Marketing  Plan  for  the   Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League   Agency  5       March  28th,  2013                       Nick  Malapanis   Jelena  Kolomejac   Dillon  Lomax   John  Kleinschmidt   Chad  Lindquist   Alec  Kohli   Anthony  Maggio   Jordan  Luers   Roxanne  Lee   Jenna  Losé              

 

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Table  of  Contents   MARKETING  PLAN  FOR  THE  

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FREEDOM  PRO  BASEBALL  LEAGUE  

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EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY  

4  

SITUATION  ANALYSIS  

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SWOT  ANALYSIS   INTERNAL  FORCES   PRODUCT  QUALITY   EXTERNAL  FORCES   SATURATED  MARKETS   WEATHER   COMPETITOR  PROMOTIONS   BENCHMARKING   NATIONAL   LOCAL   DEMOGRAPHICS   MAPPING   PEORIA  SPORTS  COMPLEX   PHOENIX  MUNICIPAL  STADIUM   ROUGH  RIDER  PARK   GOODYEAR  BALLPARK   PRICE  ANALYSIS   FREEDOM  PRO  LEAGUE  PRICES   DIRECT  COMPETITOR  PRICES   INDIRECT  COMPETITOR  PRICES   TARGET  MARKET’S  SPENDING  HABITS   REVENUE  STREAMS  

5   6   6   12   12   13   14   16   16   20   23   25   27   28   29   30   31   31   31   32   34   35  

MARKETING  PLAN  

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TARGET  MARKET   PERSONA  #1:  DAVID  JOHNSON  (FATHER)   PERSONA  #2:  JOHNNY  JOHNSON  (SON)   MARKETING  OBJECTIVE   MARKETING  STRATEGIES  AND  TACTICS   DIGITAL   WEBSITE   SOCIAL  MEDIA   INSTAGRAM   HOOTSUITE   PROMOTIONS   MAILCHIMP   KICKSTARTER   LOCAL  OUTREACH   LOCAL  SCHOOLS   LOCAL  BUSINESSES  

36   37   38   39   40   41   41   43   44   45   46   46   48   49   49   51  

 

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FAMILY  RESTAURANTS   LOCAL  STORES   MOVIE  THEATERS   FREEDOM  LEAGUE  FAN  FEST   VIDEO  CAMPAIGN   COMMERCIAL  TRANSCRIPT   COMMERCIAL  PRICING  AND  DEMOGRAPHICS   CONTINGENCY  PLANNING  

51   52   52   53   55   58   59   65  

IMPLEMENTATION  

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DIGITAL  MEDIA   LOCAL  OUTREACH   TV  COMMERCIAL  

67   67   68  

CONCLUSION  

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WORKS  CITED  

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EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY      

The  Freedom  Pro-­‐Baseball  League  is  new  organization  to  the  already  established   baseball  market  in  Arizona.  Although  the  league  does  not  have  strong  brand  awareness  in  the   community,  this  marketing  plan  proposes  the  steps  the  league  may  take  to  create  a  stronger   social  awareness.  In  the  situation  analysis  section,  a  SWOT  analysis  covers  the  current  situation   of  the  league  internally  and  externally.  A  benchmarking  analysis  is  created  to  compare  the   league  with  its’  direct  and  indirect  competitors.  Consumer  income  and  spending,  as  well  as   revenue  streams  are  analyzed  to  distinguish  the  economic  matters  surrounding  the  baseball   industry.  In  order  to  increase  awareness  of  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  low  cost   entertainment  option  in  Arizona,  the  league  should  incorporate  three  strategies:  digital   marketing,  video  campaign  and  local  outreach.  Tactics  are  incorporated  in  each  strategy  such  as   using  social  media  sites  like  Instagram  and  Kickstarter,  using  a  video  campaign  by  shooting  a   commercial  that  will  target  the  leagues  market  sector  and  local  outreach  which  has  the  use  of   schools,  Fan  Fest  events  and  partnerships  with  local  business.  Through  these  marketing  efforts,   the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  will  be  able  to  increase  brand  awareness,  thereby  increasing   attendance  at  games  and  the  overall  future  success  of  the  league.          

   

 

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SITUATION  ANALYSIS    

SWOT  Analysis   Below  is  a  brief  overview  of  the  strengths,  weaknesses,  opportunities  and  threats   identified  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  The  most  important  factors  in  each   category  will  be  discussed  further  in  the  internal  and  external  forces  sections  directly   following.     Strengths:  

Weaknesses:  

• ion  for  baseball   • Stepping  stone  for  players  (second  chances;   potential  heartwarming  stories)   • Community  access  and  interaction   • No  politics  because  they  are  not  under  MLB  rules   • Nice  facilities   • Access  to  suppliers  (fans,  materials,  players)  to  get   league  established   • Cheap  tickets  &  concession       • Names  and  artwork  for  teams  are  attractive  and   professional   • Team  names  tie  to  Arizona  history     • Extensive  baseball  knowledge  and  experience     • Philanthropy  work-­‐  work  with  100  club,  youth   partnership    

• • • • • • • • •

•

Opportunities:  

Website’s  unprofessional  appearance     Lack  of  awareness     Lack  of  business  knowledge   Quality  of  baseball  play  may  be  considered  low   Not  selling  many  tickets   Empty  stands  during  games  gives  off  wrong   impression   New  to  market   Current  ments     Minimal  budget   No  marketing  staff  

Threats:  

• Entertainment  quality     • Mascots  could  add  more  excitement   • More  possibilities  for  local  outreach   Elementary/High  Schools     Businesses     • Number  of  baseball  fans  and  market     • Responsiveness-­‐  agility,  able  to  get  close  to  customer     • Increase  promotions     • Ticket  packages   • Increase/upgrade  digital  media     • Interaction  with  consumers     • Recruitment  from  major  leagues     • Create  star  players/heroes  for  local  kids  

• • • • • •

Saturated  market   Weather   Night  games  may  interfere  with  kid’s  bedtimes   Indirect  competitors  in  the  entertainment  space   Poor  economy   Competing  promotions  from  competitors   • Declining  popularity  of  baseball    

     

 

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Internal  Forces    

Product  Quality   The  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League’s  inaugural  season  was  last  year,  making  it  relatively   new  to  the  Phoenix  Metropolitan  area.  The  league  consists  of  four  teams,  Arizona  Centennials,   Copper  State  Prospectors,  Montezuma  Federals,  and  Sonoran  Explorers.  The  unique  team   names  tie  to  Arizona’s  culture  and  history  and  are  located  throughout  the  valley,  reaching   several  different  communities.   In  today’s  highly  competitive  entertainment  industry  it  is  crucial  to  establish  a  high   quality  product,  as  customers  are  bombarded  with  more  and  more  substitutes  every  day.    The   Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  (FPBL)  has  successfully  focused  on  improving  the  quality  of  play  in   its  league  to  a  level  comparable  to  A  or  AA  play.    This  positions  them  above  average  on  the   spectrum  of  baseball  quality,  however  this  is  separate  from  the  quality  of  their  entertainment   product.  Quality  of  Play,  especially  when  considering  the  low  ticket  costs,  is  a  strength  of   Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  However,  quality  of  the  entertainment  product  offered  is  not   being  focused  on  to  the  same  extent.  These  two  separate  quality  attributes  drive  different   aspects  of  the  business.  Quality  of  Play  is  a  key  driver  for  increasing  scouting,  stats  and  deeper   fan  involvement,  and  related  activities,  however  it  does  not  directly  drive  profitability  and   subsequently  ticket  sales,  franchising  etc..  Quality  of  Play  acts  as  a  dissatisfier  for  overall   product  quality;  in  that  patrons  expect  a  certain  amount  and  if  it  is  not  present  they  will  be   upset,  but  assuming  the  level  they  demand  is  present,  additional  amounts  do  not  offer  further   utility.  Quality  of  Play  is  only  one  variable  in  the  overall  quality  of  the  entertainment  product   the  league  offers.  Classifying  the  quality  of  the  entertainment  product  is  moot,  because  in    

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 of  entertainment,  increasing  the  quality  of  the  entertainment  offered  will  almost  always   lead  to  an  increase  in  patrons.       Another  strength  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  has  is  its  ability  to  create  Cinderella   stories  for  players  trying  to  break  into  the  Major  League  baseball  circuit.    This  competitive   advantage  is  inherent  to  its  position  between  college  play  and  the  Majors/Minors.  Americans   love  rooting  for  the  underdog  and  for  people  who  fight  uphill  against  adversity  as  seen  in  shows   such  as  American  Idol,  the  Amazing  Race,  or  the  Biggest  Loser.  Capitalizing  on  this  strength  and   using  these  inspirational  stories  is  a  potential  core  competency  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball   league  to  promote  customer  involvement  and  interaction.       An  advantage  of  operating  within  the  saturated  Arizona  market  is  the  expansive  access   to  players,  scouts,  and  baseball  fans.  Being  an  independently  owned  league  is  another  strength   that  differentiates  this  league  from  the  others  in  the  valley,  which  removes  the  issues  of  politics   with  MLB  rules  and  allows  the  teams  to  be  more  involved  in  their  local  communities.  FPBL   currently  works  with  the  100  Club  and  has  a  youth  group  partnership  with  local  little  leagues.     Currently  it  seems  as  though  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  aims  to  compete  through  a   value  oriented  product.  This  suggests  that  FPBL  is  aiming  to  gain  and  retain  customers  through   a  more  favorable  value  proposition  than  its  local  competitors.  However,  it  does  not  seem  that   there  is  currently  a  strong  understanding  of  the  core  customer,  or  what  drives  entertainment   value  for  those  customer  segments.       The  low  number  of  teams  within  the  league  makes  the  scale  of  the  product  offering   limited.  There  are  numerous  direct  competitors  in  the  baseball  market  in  Arizona  and  stealing   market  share  from  competitors  is  an  uphill  battle,  particularly  with  their  lack  of  brand  

 

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awareness.  The  official  league  website  may  be  related  to  their  lack  of  web  presence  and  can  be   improved.  In  addition,  minimal  budget  makes  it  very  difficult  for  the  league  to    against   both  its  direct  and  indirect  competitors,  especially  when  compared  to  Major  League  Baseball.     Facilities   The  Freedom  Professional  Baseball  League  (FPBL)  operates  through  four  facilities;  Peoria   Sports  Complex  for  the  Sonoran  Explorers,  Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium  for  the  Copper  State   Prospectors,  Yavapai  Rough  Rider  Park  for  the  Montezuma  Federals,  and  Goodyear  Ballpark  for   the  Arizona  Centennials.  The  facilities  are  an  overall  strength  for  the  league,  but  there  are   strengths  and  weaknesses  that  accompany  each  venue.  To  start  off,  the  league  has  an   advantage  with  the  use  of  these  four  venues  because  they  are  all  within  “close  proximity  to  one   another  thereby  reducing  travel  costs  to  a  bare  minimum”  (Johnson,  “Freedom  Pro  Baseball”).   Peoria  Sports  Complex  is  one  of  the  easy  venues  to  access  by  highway  and  is  located   right  in  the  heart  of  Arrowhead  Entertainment  District.  There  are  numerous  hotels,  restaurants   and  shopping  centers  in  walking  distance  of  the  stadium,  and  because  of  this,  a  potential   drawback  to  this  area  could  be  high  traffic  congestion.  According  to  the  Peoria  Stadium   website,  the  facility  has  two  clubhouses,  over  400  lockers,  and  fitness  and  training  amenities.   The  seating  capacity  is  11,333  and  there  is  a  parking  capacity  of  2,800,  which  can  be  viewed   both  positively  and  negatively  for  FPBL.  Large  facilities  may  create  the  feeling  of  an  empty   stadium  since  projected  ticket  sales  are  not  even  half  of  the  capacity  of  most  of  the  venues   being  used.  The  facility  also  offers  lawn  seating  and  “large  metal  bleacher  areas  along  both   outfield  lines  in  the  upper  level”  (Hedding,  “Peoria  Stadium”).  Many  Arizona  baseball  stadiums   face  problems  when  dealing  with  the  heat  and  uncovered  seating  during  the  summer,  and  

 

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Peoria  stadium  is  no  exception,  since  all  “lower  level  seats  at  Peoria  Stadium  will  be  in  the  sun   throughout  the  game”  (Hedding,  “Peoria  Stadium”).  Negative  comments  about  the  scoreboard   are  also  an  issue;  with  visitors  claiming  that  it  was  difficult  to  see  in  the  sunlight  due  the  white   and  yellow  colors  of  bulbs  and  it  offered  no  pitch  speed  indicators  and  no  sideline  scoreboard   (Hedding,  “Peoria  Stadium”).    The  Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium  is  located  in  Phoenix  and  is  conveniently  located  less   than  a  mile  away  from  a  light-­‐rail  station.  According  to  the  Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium  website,   the  venue  holds  the  8,775  fans,  with  seating  from  foul  line  to  foul.  A  drawback  to  this  facility  is   there  is  no  lawn  seating,  no  bullpen,  and  aisle  seats  do  not  have  cup  holders.  The  Phoenix   Municipal  Stadium’s  scoreboard  has  the  same  issues  with  the  bulb  color  and  does  not  offer   pitch  speed,  pitch  counts  or  photo  graphics,  and  cannot  be  seen  at  all  from  the  far  right  field   seats  (Hedding,  “Phoenix  Municipal”).  The  stadium  was  remodeled  in  2003  with  a  “new  7,000   sq.  ft.  press  box,  new  dugouts,  better  signage,  and  improved  concourse  areas  with  benches,   shading  and  a  historical  timeline”  (“Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium”).  Sadly,  areas  like  the  first  and   second  row  seating  and  the  bleachers  do  not  receive  any  shade  from  the  intense  summer  heat   (Hedding,  “Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium”).  The  Phoenix  Municipal  is  an  older  stadium  but  offers  a   scenic  mountain  view  of  a  red  rock  formation  from  the  Papago  Park  from  first  base  seating   section  of  the  ballpark  (“Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium  Tips”).  Unfortunately,  the  parking  location   is  equivalent  to  a  few  blocks  walk  and  can  be  lengthy  for  some  fans.  Finally,  this  facility  needs  to   be  noted  for  “the  distinction  as  being  the  first  air  conditioned  stadium”  through  the  use  of  its   exterior  evaporative  coolers  that  cools  through  the  floor  for  the  original  inner  bowl  seating   (“Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium”).  This  venue  last  season  only  did  15  games  vs.  the  45  games  

 

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played  in  Prescott.   “The  Freedom  League  played  more  than  one-­‐third  of  its  120  scheduled  games  at   Roughrider  Park”  in  Prescott  last  season  (Johnson,  “Freedom  Pro  Baseball”).  Roughrider  Park   offers  the  community  an  alternative  entertainment  option,  no  longer  forcing  baseball  fans  to   drive  down  to  the  valley  to  see  a  game.  The  Rough  Rider  Park  is  the  best  available  facility  in  the   area,  but  does  have  the  drawback  of  minimal  lighting  in  the  stadium,  which  can  be  a  major   problem  with  night  games.  According  to  Brad  Clifford,  the  athletic  director  at  the  Yavapai   College,  the  stadium  has  concrete  bleachers  and  holds  roughly  1,000  fans.  Similar  to  the  other   three  venues,  the  stadium  offers  limited  shading  during  the  hot  summers.  One  major  advantage   the  FPBL  has  with  their  Prescott  team  is  the  small-­‐town  community    that  comes  from  its   residents  and  the  possible  expansion  of  this  .  An  obstacle  of  elevation  plays  a  role  in   how  the  baseball  behaves  and  could  be  dealt  with  by  using  “room-­‐sized  humidor  to  lessen  the   impact  of  the  dry  air”  (Johnson,  “Freedom  Pro  Baseball”).  The  article,  “The  Freedom  Pro   Baseball  League  and  its’  Prescott  Dilemma”  offer  suggestions  to  “use  softer,  restricted  flight   baseballs;  change  the  ground  rules  to  make  ball  hits  over  the  fence  from  the  gap  to  foul  line   doubles;  erect  high  screens  beyond  the  left  and  right  field  fences;  and  move  the  fences  back”   (Johnson,  “Freedom  Pro  Baseball”).  So  there  are  multiple  approaches  available  to  address  some   of  the  weaknesses  of  the  facility.  Recently,  the  stadium  got  a  new  look  that  included  “stadium   seating,  concession  stand,  bathrooms,  clubhouse,  umpire  dressing  room,  scoreboard,  and  new   playing  surface”  (“GoRoughriders”).  The  Rough  Rider  Park  is  definitely  one  of  the  more  unique   venues  that  the  FPBL  works  with.   The  Scottsdale  stadium  was  the  former  home  base  of  the  Arizona  Centennials  team  and  

 

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was  lost  due  to  scheduling  conflicts  with  the  Arizona  League.  A  drawback  to  moving  facilities  is   that  the  team  now  has  to  build  team  and  brand  awareness  in  a  new  area.  The  Arizona   Centennials  need  to  re-­‐establish  a  fan-­‐base  since  their  old  fan-­‐base  is  now  over  30  miles  away   from  their  new  location.  The  team’s  new  stadium,  Goodyear  Ballpark,  has  a  statue  about  “60   feet  6  inches  [tall],  the  distance  from  the  pitcher’s  mound  to  home  plate,”  that  depicts  a   stretched  baseball  at  the  front  of  the  entrance  (Hedding,  “The  Ziz”).  The  new  ballpark  won  the   Year  in  Review  award  in  2009,  which  “recognizes  projects  based  on  their  creativity,   craftsmanship,  and  ability  to  create  a  sense  of  place”  (Hedding,  “The  Ziz”).  The  new  venue,   much  like  Peoria  Sports  Complex,  is  positioned  around  hotels,  dining,  shopping,  and  golf   courses  located  only  a  few  miles  away  from  the  Interstate  10.  This  facility  has  “8,000  stadium   seats,  1,500  lawn  seats,  6  luxury  suites,  Terrace  seating  on  the  third  level  behind  home  plate,   and  500  seats  in  the  Right  Field  Pavilion”  (“About  Us”).  The  seats  located  in  the  center  field   berm  “will  have  the  sun  in  their  eyes  for  most  of  the  game”  (Hedding,  “Goodyear  Ballpark”).   The  ballpark  offers  Club  Seating  that  has  shade  coverage  in  sections  106A,  106B,  and  107A  and   partial  shading  in  the  right  field  pavilion  and  upper  rows  of  several  sections  behind  home  plate   (“Facility  Rentals”).  The  venue  offers  some  of  the  best  seating,  with  no  metal  bleachers.  Seats   also  feature  an  “armrest,  cup  holders,  and  are  wider  than  many  stadium  seats  with  adequate   leg-­‐room”  (Hedding,  “Goodyear  Ballpark”).  The  scoreboard  visibility  seems  to  be  a  problem  for   many  venues,  but  Goodyear’s  only  really  has  difficulty  if  one  is  seated  right  under  the  berm   (Hedding,  “Goodyear  Ballpark”).  The  Goodyear  Ballpark  might  be  new  to  the  league,  but  it   definitely  has  some  major  advantages  over  the  other  stadiums.    

 

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External  Forces     Saturated  Markets   As  it  currently  stands  in  Arizona,  there  are  close  to  40  professional  and  collegiate   baseball  teams,  not  including  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  This  assortment  of  teams   stems  from  the  college-­‐level  athletic  departments  in  the  state,  the  Western  Baseball  League,   and  the  Arizona  Fall  and/or  Winter  Leagues.  Before  even  considering  the  list  of  amateur   baseball  or  high  school  baseball  teams  in  the  state,  this  is  a  massive  collection  of  baseball  talent   to  draw  upon.     Due  to  the  mass  influx  of  talent,  the  state  now  is  home  to  elite-­‐level  baseball  programs   in  its  amateur,  high  school,  and  collegiate  levels.  Many  of  the  amateur  teams  provide   sustenance  for  the  high  school  programs  to  offer  additional  training  and  education  for  their   players  once  outside  of  the  school  setting  so  that  skills  can  be  fully  developed.  Furthermore,   many  of  these  players  are  then  poached  to  attend  out-­‐of-­‐state  Division  One  institutions  where   they  will  play  baseball  for  four  years.  At  the  college  level,  both  Arizona  State  University  and   University  of  Arizona  are  hailed  for  their  continued  excellence  in  churning  out  Major  League   Baseball-­‐level  players  and  both  schools  are  highly  regarded  for  their  “baseball  prestige.”     Ultimately,  while  all  of  this  is  great  for  the  overall  well-­‐being  of  Arizona  state  athletics,  it   poses  both  inherent  opportunities  and  threats  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  The  talent   level  thus  s  the  expansion  into  even  more  leagues  and  baseball  competition,  as  many  of   Arizona’s  junior  colleges  and  community  colleges  are  seen  as  feeder  organizations  for  bigger-­‐ name  baseball  playing.  This  is  a  positive  for  the  FPBL  as  it  helps  to  sustain  a  higher  level  of   quality  baseball  than  another  state  might  be  able  to  afford.    

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However,  the  threats  are  notable  in  realizing  the  other  competitive  forces   simultaneously  affording  the  baseball  consumer.  When  one  has  the  option  to  go  see  potential   MLB  players  as  they  practice  their  repetitions  at  first-­‐class  facilities  against  other  elite  players,   one  will  absolutely  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity.  Rather  than  sacrificing  a  few  dollars  to   see  sub-­‐par  play,  it  would  be  expected  that  a  typical  baseball  consumer  would  choose  the   option  of  witnessing  the  best  experience  possible.  Furthermore,  due  to  the  high  supply  of   baseball  quantity  and  quality  within  the  state,  prices  are  consistently  driven  down  to  the  point   that  any  given  organization  at  the  bottom  of  the  ranking  order  in    of  quality  will  be  forced   to  operate  at  subsistence  levels.     How  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  contends  with  the  excess  of  baseball  supply  will   be  the  true  determinant  of  how  well  the  League  is  able  to  succeed  and  continue  its  operations,   as  this  battle  to  negotiate  its  target  market  will  provide  the  League  with  many  challenges  and   tribulations  throughout  its  existence.     Weather   Arizona  is  widely  regarded  as  one  of  the  nation’s  prime  baseball  hotbeds,  as  it  offers  the   baseball  fanatic  the  opportunity  to  play  365  days  a  year,  with  no  snow,  blizzards  or  any  other   type  of  natural  disaster  that  regularly  affects  other  regions  of  our  nation.  In  Arizona  the   weather  is  not  an  issue  or  detriment  to  the  baseball-­‐playing  ability  of  the  willing  slugger,  and   there  is  a  network  in  place  to  ensure  proper  growth  and  development.  With  no  humidity,  great   temperatures  for  nine  months  out  of  the  year,  and  plenty  of  open  space  for  construction  and   real  estate,  facilities  are  plentiful  and  there  is  always  a  baseball  field  to  be  found  in  Arizona.   Each  year,  more  and  more  baseball-­‐crazy  families  are  making  a  Southwestern-­‐bound  exodus,  

 

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where  many  of  the  nation’s  top  coaches,  trainers,  and  development  academies  have  come  to   exist.     Competitor  Promotions   In  order  for  a  team  or  league  to  succeed,  the  management  must  look  beyond  the   playing  field  to  drive  revenue.  As  progress  continues  in  the  sports-­‐business  world,  sporting   events  must  pay  attention  to  the  both  the  team’s  on-­‐field  events  and  the  fan  experience  at  the   ballpark.  Spectators  at  games  attend  to  watch  the  baseball  game,  but  that  is  not  necessarily   their  only  motivation.     Promotions  have  become  a  large  part  of  how  an  organization  attracts  ticket  buyers  and   gets  people  in  the  seats.  Promotions  used  for  major  sporting  events  around  the  valley  include   partnerships  with  youth  sporting  leagues  and  school  districts,  giveaways,  themed  nights,  as  well   as  in  stadium  attractions.  Many  of  these  promotions  require  a  large  budget,  any  area  in  which   the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  cannot  compete.  The  already  established  sports  leagues  in   Arizona  such  as  Major  League  Baseball,  the  National  Basketball  Association  and  National   Football  League  are  able  to  market  themselves  more  easily  due  to  a  prestigious  product  level   and  their  brand  awareness.   Major  League  Baseball  teams  are  a  direct  competitor  of  the  league,  especially  the   Arizona  Diamondbacks.  This  team  offers  many  well-­‐known  promotions  that  fans  are  aware  of   prior  to  purchasing  tickets.  An  example  of  a  known  promotion  that  the  Diamondbacks  have   implemented  would  be  the  firework  shows  the  organization  offers  its  fans  after  every  Friday   night  home  game.  This  is  an  effective  promotion  because  it  adds  additional  value  to  the  ticket.   Firework  shows  are  not  put  on  frequently  outside  of  holidays  so  when  the  team  hosts  fireworks  

 

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after  its  games  it  may  draw  not  only  more  baseball  fans,  but  also  may  attract  non-­‐baseball  fans   who  only  purchase  a  ticket  to  have  a  prime  seat  for  viewing  the  show  after  the  game.                  A  more  affordable  promotion  that  the  Major  League  Baseball  team  hosts  is  a  “70’s   night.”  70’s  night  is  when  team  themes  the  major  parts  of  the  stadium  to  interact  with  the  fans   and  create  a  fun  spin  for  all  involved.  This  promotion  is  cost-­‐effective  because  it  does  not   require  many  major  changes  from  other  nights.  The  changes  that  occur  this  night  would  be  how   the  fans  and  employees  dress,  the  layout  of  the  large  scoreboard  in  centerfield,  and  the  music   played  in  the  stadium.  All  of  the  fluctuations  can  be  changed  inside  the  organization  so   expenses  would  not  be  too  high  since  the  majority  of  team’s  employees  are  paid  on  salary.  If   the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  could  develop  such  a  themed  night  and  integrate  it  into  a   successful  experience,  ticket  sales  would  likely  rise  and  the  league  would  also  be  able  to   penetrate  into  the  market  of  people  who  enjoy  going  to  sporting  event  but  do  not  necessarily   care  about  the  outcome  of  the  game.                  A  fairly  new  promotion  used  by  many  sports  organizations  around  the  United  States  is   the  use  of  female  “cheerleaders.”  The  Arizona  Diamondbacks  were  successful  in  enacting  this   concept.  They  developed  a  team  of  females  with  a  catchy  name  called  the  “RallyBacks.”  The  job   of  the  RallyBacks  is  to  interact  with  fans  through  giveaways,  chant  starting,  and  many  other   requests  a  fan  may  have  to  make  their  experience  at  the  park  better.  The  Rallybacks  can  be   easily  recognized  through  their  uniforms  and  accessories  that  they  wear  on  game  days  and  in   print  or  media  promotions,  strengthening  the  team’s  brand  image.  The  team  of  females  adds   additional  faces  other  than  the  mascot  Baxter  for  fans  to  have  a  good  time  with.  Adding   cheerleaders  to  the  game  experience  really  allows  organizations  to  show  the  fans  that  they  

 

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appreciate  their  service  and  care  about  the  amount  of  entertainment  their  organization   provides.  The  implementation  of  such  a  program  is  also  fairly  inexpensive  and  could  be  put  into   practice  by  the  FPBL  to  enhance  the  value  of  the  product.   Promotions  used  by  larger  and  more  profitable  competitors  to  gain  market  share  of   baseball  fans  can  be  implemented  to  a  smaller  scale  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.   Adding  themes  to  game  nights  or  “cheerleaders”  would  add  value  to  the  ticket  prices  of  the   league  and  encourage  fans  to  attend  games,  not  only  for  the  players  or  teams,  but  also  for  a   great  sport  outing  with  friends,  family,  or  colleagues.       Benchmarking   National   The  American  Association  of  Independent  Pro  Baseball  can  be  considered  a  model  for   success  in  North  American  independent  baseball  as  a  whole.  This  analysis  reviews  similarities   and  differences  between  that  organization  (AA),  and  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.     According  to  americanassociationbaseball.com,  the  AA  is  a  13  team  league  with   franchises  confined  primarily  to  the  central  time  zone  but  stretching  north  to  south  from   Winnipeg  in  Manitoba,  CA  all  the  way  to  Laredo,  TX,  on  the  Mexican  border.  The  current  AA   dates  back  to  October  of  2005,  when  most  of  the  teams  from  the  upper  Midwest  based   Northern  League  merged  with  the  Central  League,  whose  roots  were  mainly  in  Texas  and   Louisiana.  Previously,  the  Northern  League  had  completed  seasons  since  1993.  The  Central   League  had  begun  play  in  1994.  In  2012,  the  AA  averaged  3,512  fans  in  the  639  regular  season   games  played.  There  was  a  noticeable  disparity  in  individual  teams’  attendance,  however,  as   total  attendance  ranged  from  285,263  in  Winnipeg  to  55,627  in  Sioux  City.  The  median  average  

 

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attendance  was  3,354,  meaning  that  while  a  few  more  successful  teams  raised  the  average,  it   was  not  statistically  significant.  As  stated  at  americanassociationbaseball.com,  the  AA  played  9   playoff  games  in  2012,  with  an  average  attendance  of  just  2,903.  Likely,  the  low  playoff   attendance  can  be  attributed  to  postseason  qualifying  cities  like  Winnipeg  and  Fargo-­‐ Moorhead,  where  the  weather  is  often  unfavorable  for  baseball  in  September.  The  average   capacity  in  AA  ballparks  is  6,380,  meaning  on  average,  stadiums  were  55%  full  during  the   regular  season.  Every  team  has  their  own  ticket  pricing,  most  with  single  game,  multi-­‐game  or   season  ticket  options.  While  the  prices  vary  from  team  to  team,  single  game  general  ission   tends  to  run  around  $5,  with  high-­‐end  seat  going  for  between  $12  and  $20.  The  biggest   variances  in  the  AA,  perhaps,  involve  the  markets  in  which  their  franchises  are  located.  Most   teams  play  in  markets  with  a  population  of  100,000  or  more  with  outliers  including  larger   markets  such  as  the  Twin  Cities,  Kansas  City,  and  Winnipeg.  A  bigger  factor  is  the  diversity  in   market  culture,  which  is  easily  witnessed  on  the  individual  official  team  websites.  The  ball  clubs   have  distinct  identities  and  are  marketed  to  their  specific  fan  base.  Independent  baseball   leagues  cannot  be  officially  designated  as  a  certain  traditional  level  of  major  league  d   minor  league  baseball,  but  the  FPBL  is  widely  recognized  as  having  a  AA  level  quality  of  play.   According  to  alexa.com,  the  league  seems  to  be  marketed  toward  a  20-­‐40  year-­‐old   demographic.  The  website  research  tool  seems  to  back  this  up,  although  alexa.com  only  tracks   trends  in  s  on  the  official  league  site.  The  typical  website  visitor  is  a  college  educated  male   without  kids  aged  25-­‐34.    

 

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("Audience  Demographics")    

The  place  where  the  AA  really  stands  out  is  in  its  in-­‐game  promotions.  Even  in  the  

offseason,  most  team  sites  highlight  added  attractions  such  as    concerts  at  the  game.   An  example  is  a  model  independent  franchise,  the  St.  Paul  Saints  who  put  the  “experience”   ahead  of  baseball  in  prominence  on  their  official  website,  www.saintsbaseball.com.  

                                                                                                                                                                             ("Let  Us  Saintify")    

   

As  reported  by  our  client,  the  FPBL  is  currently  a  four  franchise  league  based  entirely  in  

the  Phoenix  valley.  Freedom  Pro  is  in  its  second  year  of  existence  with  teams  headquartered  in  

 

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Phoenix,  Goodyear,  Peoria  and  Prescott.  FPBL  attendance  records  from  its  inaugural  season  are   unofficial,  but  thought  to  be  around  200  per  game  with  118  games  played.  Average  capacity  at   the  four  current  parks  is  roughly  7,800,  with  that  number  brought  down  greatly  by  Prescott’s   relatively  tiny  Roughrider  Park.  All  tickets  will  be  priced  at  $7,  general  ission,  although   some  discounts  are  planned  for  special  community  related  package  promotions.  To  this  point,  it   seems  that  any  advertising  that  the  league  has  done  has  been  devoted  to  promoting  the  league   as  a  whole,  as  even  the  teams  have  monikers  that  are  nods  to  Arizona  rather  than  any  one   community.  Scouts  have  rated  FPBL  to  have  high  Class  A  or  lower  Class  AA  level  play.   Although,  the  AA  and  the  FPBL  league  have  very  different  situations,  they  are  both  in   the  business  of  independent  minor  league  baseball,  and  in  comparing,  we  find  some  valuable   takeaways.  The  primary  lesson  the  AA  can  teach  is  in  promotions.  Fans  are  given  a  night  of   entertainment,  as  promised  in  their  ments  and  social  media.  As  an  established  and   successful  league,  this  has  proved  to  be  paramount.  Though  entertainment  may  be  more   competitive  in  the  greater  Phoenix  area  than  many  of  the  AA  cities,  there  are  few  choices  for  a   full  night  of  entertainment  at  that  price.  It  is  recommended  that  FPBL  squad’s  follows  through   with  consistent  in-­‐game  promotions  and  gimmicks  and  to  include  such  events  in  stadium   specific  advertising.  Realistically,  such  stadium  specific  promoting  will  only  be  able  to  be   accomplished  in  the  short-­‐term  with  individual  team  websites,  or  better  defined  pages  within   the  main  league  website.  Although  the  geography  is  completely  different,  the  AA  has  shown   that  aside  from  quality  baseball  and  fun,  it  is  important  to  build  a  following  for  each  of  the   individual  teams  and  communities.    

 

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Local   The  Phoenix  area  represents  a  saturated  baseball  market,  which  could  be  partially  due   to  the  near  perfect  weather  for  the  sport  year  round.  Local  leagues  include  Cactus  league   Spring  Training,  The  Arizona  League,  and  the  Arizona  Fall  League.  The  following  is  an  analysis   that  examines  these  leagues  in  comparison  with  the  Freedom  Professional  Baseball  League.   Cactus  League  Spring  Training  begins  in  late  February  and  runs  through  the  end  of  March.  The   league  is  consists  of  15  MLB  teams  and  serves  as  preseason  for  Major  League  Baseball.  Games   for  these  15  Cactus  League  teams  are  held  in  Glendale,  Goodyear,  Mesa,  Peoria,  Phoenix,   Scottsdale,  Surprise  and  Tempe.  Ticket  pricing  for  the  Cactus  League  starts  around  $8  for   general  ission  lawn  seating  and  go  up  to  as  much  as  $45  for    seating.  Average   attendance  for  a  spring  training  game  in  2011  was  6,848  per  game  for  the  233  games  played,   which  equates  to  14  to  17  games  per  team  (“Cactus  League  Attendance”).  A  study  conducted   by  Elliott  D.  Pollack  &  Company  “revealed  spring  training  fans  are  getting  older  and  have  a   median  income  higher  than  the  U.S.  average”  (“Cactus  League  Attendee”).  The  study  also  found   that  just  over  half  of  the  attendees  of  Cactus  League  games  are  vacationers  from  either  out  of   state  or  country,  making  tourism  a  huge  factor  in  the  success  of  spring  training  in  Arizona.   Below  is  a  graph  showing  the  composition  of  Cactus  League  attendance.                      

                                                                                                     (“Cactus  League  Attendee“)  

 

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Phoenix  also  hosts  the  Arizona  Fall  League,  which  takes  place  in  October  and  November   of  each  year.  The  league  is  composed  of  six  teams:  the  Scottsdale  Scorpions,  Mesa  Solar  Sox,   Salt  City  Rafters,  Phoenix  Desert  Dogs,  Peoria  Javelinas  and  Surprise  Saguaros.  These  teams   were  created  specifically  for  Arizona,  and  “club  names  were  picked  by  Major  League  Baseball  as   reflective  of  the  Southwestern  desert  traditions  in  the  state”  (Winter  Leagues:  About  the   Arizona  Fall  League).  To  fill  the  teams’  rosters  each  Major  League  Baseball  team  sends  six  of   their  top  prospects  to  play  in  the  league.  Fifty-­‐six  games  are  played  during  the  season,  all  of   which  are  hosted  at  the  same  stadiums  used  for  Spring  Training  by  the  Giants,  Mariners,   Padres,  Cubs,  A’s,  Royals,  Rangers,  Diamondbacks,  and  Rockies.  Ticket  prices  are  set  at  $7  for   adults,  with  senior  and  child  discounts  available  (Arizona  Fall  League  Baseball).  Attendance   records  for  the  Arizona  Fall  League  were  not  recorded.       Another  MLB  d  league  in  the  Phoenix  area  is  the  Arizona  League.  This  league  is   considered  a  rookie  league,  which  is  the  lowest  level  of  Minor  League  Baseball.  The  season   starts  mid-­‐June  and  finishes  at  the  end  of  August.  Thirteen  teams  make  up  the  league.  They   hold  the  games  at  Tempe  Diablo  Stadium,  Angels  Minor  League  Complex,  Papago  Park  Baseball   Complex,  Maryvale  Baseball  Complex,  Fitch  Park,  Salt  River  Fields,  Camelback  Ranch,  Giants   Baseball  Complex  on  Camelback,  Goodyear  Ballpark,  Peoria  Sports  Complex,  and  Surprise   Recreation  Campus  (“Arizona  Rookie  League”).  However,  some  of  these  games  are  played  on   the  practice  fields  at  these  facilities.  No  ission  is  charged  to  attend  the  games  and  no   official  attendance  records  are  kept.  It  is  reported  that  few  fans  actually  go  to  the  games   (Kronheim).   The  Tucson  Padres  AAA  baseball  club  also  serves  as  a  means  of  comparison  for  the  

 

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Freedom  Baseball  League.  Three  different  ticket  options  are  available.  Tickets  are  either   classified  as  general  ission  ($8),  box  seats  ($10),  or    seating  ($15)  (2013  Tucson   Padres  Baseball  vs.  Fresno  Grizzlies  on  4/12/2013  Tickets).  The  72  game  season  begins  in  April   and  ends  in  September.    The  Tucson  Padres  averaged  2,956  fans  for  each  of  their  home  games   (Kronheim,  pg.  41).  The  Padres  play  out  of  the  Kino  Stadium  in  Tucson,  which  was  formerly  used   by  The  Arizona  Diamondback  and  Chicago  White  Sox  for  Spring  Training.   The  facilities  quality  among  these  leagues  is  fairly  uniform.  Most  of  the  baseball  played   is  done  so  in  the  stadiums  used  for  spring  training.  This  is  also  true  for  The  Freedom   Professional  Baseball  League  (FPBL),  with  the  exception  of  the  Rough  Rider  Stadium  in  Prescott,   where  the  playing  field  and  seating  capacity  are  smaller  than  average.  The  FPBL’s  regular   season  does  overlap  with  The  Arizona  League’s  season.  This  makes  it  important  to  provide   superior  quality  entertainment  at  FPBL  games  to  attract  fans  who  want  more  than  just  baseball,   particularly  since  The  Arizona  League  games  are  free  of  charge.  The  $7  general  ission  ticket   price  for  FPBL  seems  appropriate.  The  Arizona  Fall  League  and  Tucson  Padres  both  offer  similar   ticket  pricing  options  and  successfully  attract  people  to  the  games.  The  Cactus  League  has  by   far  the  most  diverse  and  expensive  ticket  options.  It  was  mentioned  earlier  that  just  over  fifty   percent  of  spectators  who  attend  Cactus  League  Spring  Training  games  are  vacationers  (“Cactus   League  Attendance”).   This  means  on  average  3,424  of  the  fans  per  Spring  Training  game  are  local  fans.  If  these   people  are  able  to  afford  spring  training,  they  are  able  to  afford  a  FPBL  game.  It  is  not  realistic   to  think  the  FPBL  will  be  able  to  attract  this  many  spectators  right  away  due  to  the  lower  quality   of  baseball  and  poor  brand  awareness,  but  a  goal  of  about  one  third  of  this  (about  1200)  is  

 

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more  reasonable.  It  will  be  vital  to  the  success  of  the  Freedom  Professional  Baseball  League  to   make  these  local  families  more  aware  of  their  product  and  inform  them  of  value  and   experience  they  will  receive.   Demographics      

Below  is  brief  demographic  information  about  the  Phoenix  Metropolitan  area,  followed  by   geographic  mapping  of  the  stadiums  and  surrounding  schools.  This  information  was  used  when   determining  the  target  market.     Statistics  collected  from:     USA  QuickFacts  from  the  US  Census  Bureau   Population  Demographics  In  Phoenix  Metropolitan  Area   Maricopa  County  QuickFacts  from  the  US  Census  Bureau.   National  Unemployment  Update   “Maricopa  County,  Arizona  (AZ)."     Phoenix  Metropolitan  Area  Demographics:   Maricopa  County  population:  roughly  4  million   Education-­‐    

When  looking  at  the  comparison  of  higher  education  of  Phoenix  vs.  nationally,  we  found  

 

that  Phoenix  had  a  higher  percentage  of  individuals  that  earned  secondary  degrees  than  

 

our  national  average.  Given  this  information  was  based  on  low-­‐poverty  areas  spread  

 

across  the  Phoenix  Metropolitan  area,  40%  of  individuals  in  the  Phoenix  area  in  low-­‐

 

poverty  areas  have  earned  a  bachelor  degree  compared  to  22%  nationally.  

Unemployment-­‐  

 

 

When  comparing  the  unemployment  rate  in  the  Phoenix  area  versus  nationally,  we  

 

found  that  Maricopa  County  does  have  a  slightly  higher  unemployment  rate  than  our  

 

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national  average.  Maricopa  has  an  unemployment  rate  of  9%  whereas  our  national  

 

average  is  at  about  8%.  If  you  were  to  use  Maricopa  as  a  benchmark  for  unemployment,  

 

it  would  be  very  comparable  to  the  natural  rate  of  unemployment  throughout  the  

 

country.  

Average  Household  Income-­‐    

Again,  Maricopa  County  is  comparable  to  our  nation  as  a  whole  when  it  comes  to  

 

measuring  average  household  income.  There  was  only  a  $500  difference  between  the  

 

average  household  incomes  of  Maricopa  County  versus  our  nation.  The  national  average  

 

is  $52,700  and  Maricopa’s  average  is  $53,200.  

Race-­‐    

The  majority  of  the  people  that  make  up  the  population  of  the  Phoenix  Metropolitan  

 

area  are  Caucasian  and  Latino.  Caucasians  make  up  60%  of  all  people  living  in  this  region  

 

and  Latinos  make  up  30%.  The  rest  of  the  breakdown  is  a  mix  between  African  

 

American,  Asians,  and  Native  American  Indians.  They  make  up  4%,  3%,  and  1.5%  

 

respectively.  Finally,  1.5%  makes  up  the  remaining  other  races.  

Age-­‐      

About  62%  of  the  people  living  in  Maricopa  County  are  between  the  ages  of  18  and  64.  

 

The  second  largest  percentage  is  people  under  the  age  of  18,  which  is  at  33%.  People  65  

 

and  older  make  up  12%  of  our  county.  The  average  age  of  a  person  in  Maricopa  County  

 

is  33.  

Gender-­‐    

There  is  an  equal  amount  of  females  to  males  in  Maricopa  County  with  the  breakdown  

 

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being  almost  exactly  a  50-­‐50  split.  

Average  Persons  per  Household-­‐    

Maricopa  County  has  a  comparable  number  of  persons  per  household  when  compared  

 

to  the  national  average.  Maricopa’s  number  was  slightly  higher  at  2.69  compared  to  the  

 

national  average  of  2.6.  

Poverty-­‐      

The  percentage  of  the  population  living  in  poverty  in  Maricopa  County  was  equal  to  the  

 

percentage  of  people  living  in  poverty  in  our  nation.  Both  Maricopa  County  and  our  

 

nation  suffer  from  15%  of  our  population  living  in  poverty;  this  equates  to  600,000  

 

people  locally  and  47  million  people  nationally.   Mapping  

       

 

The  following  maps  are  to  provide  a  geographical  area  of  where  the  stadiums  are  

located.  Each  map  and  the  school  information  was  found  through  Mapquest.  Freedom  Pro-­‐ Baseball  league  has  prioritized  a  strong  presence  in  the  community  and  in  working  with  youth   teams.  The  FPBL  may  be  able  to  further  reach  more  youth  by  developing  partnering  programs   with  the  schools  surrounding  each  of  the  four  stadiums.  The  following  maps  show  the   geographical  location  of  the  ten  closest  schools  to  the  stadiums.  The  tables  beneath  each  graph   details  out  further  information  about  each  school.              

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    FPBL  Stadiums:                                              

 

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Peoria  Sports  Complex      

      #  on  Map   1  

School   Centennial  High  School  

Grades   th

1.68  

th

th

4.25     3.1  

9  –  12    

2  

Cactus  High  School  

9  –  12    

3  

Peoria  High  School  

9th  –  12th    

4  

Paseo  Verde  Elementary  School  

5    

Sunrise  Mountain  High  School  

9th  –  12th    

6  

Arrowhead  Montessori  

Preschool  

7   8  

Desert  Harbor  Elementary  School     Ironwood  High  School  

9    

Apache  Elementary  School  

10  

Deer  Valley  High  School  

Distance  (mi.)  

th

Preschool  –  8th    

0.9   th

Preschool  –  8     th

th

9  –  12    

2.8   5.3  

th

Preschool  –  8     9th  –  12th    

2.1     3.2  

2.4     5.1  

 

 

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Phoenix  Municipal  Stadium      

      #  on  Map   1   2  

School   Coronado  High  School   Supai  Middle  School  

Grades   th

Distance  (mi.)  

th

9  –  12     th

3.4  

th

7  –  8     th

2.6     5.0  

th

3  

Arcadia  High  School  

9  –  12    

4  

Tempe  High  School  

9th  –  12th    

5    

Baisz  School  District  

K  –  12th    

3.0     1.8  

6  

McClintock  High  School  

9th  –  12th    

5.9  

7  

Phoenix  Metro  Islamic  School  

K  –  12th    

2.3  

8   9     10  

Yavapai  Elementary  School   Baisz  School  Center   Brunson-­‐Lee  Elementary  School  

th

K  –  8    

3.7  

th

K  –  8     th

Preschool  –  6    

2.5     2.2  

 

 

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Rough  Rider  Park      

      #  on  Map   1   2  

School   Prescott  High  School   Peak  Alternative  High  School  

Grades  

Distance  (mi.)  

9th  –  12th    

2.20  

th

th

th

th

9  –  12     9  –  12    

0.01     0.3  

3  

Kestrel  High  School  

4  

Skyview  School  

K  –  8th    

5    

Prescott  Mile  High  Middle  School  

6th  –  8th    

0.5     1.4  

6  

Washington  Elementary  School  

K  –  8th    

0.7  

7  

Mountain  Oak  Charter  School  

K  –  12th    

0.4  

8  

Christian  Academy  of  Prescott  

Preschool  –  8th    

1.2  

th

th

9    

Northpoint  Expeditionary  Learning  

9  –  12    

10  

Acron  Montessori  

Preschool  

1.5     1.4  

   

 

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Goodyear  Ballpark      

      #  on  Map   1  

School   Desert  Edge  High  School  

Grades   th

th

9  –  12     th

0.9  

2  

Desert  Star  School  

3  

Aqua  Fria  High  School  

4  

Centerra  Mirage  School  

K  –  8th    

5    

Wildflower  School  

K  –  8th    

1.4     1.9  

6  

Avondale  Middle  School  

7th  –  8th    

1.8  

7   8  

Avondale  Elementary  School   Copper  Trails  School  

9    

Phoenix  Christian  School  

10  

Estrella  High  School  

K  –  8    

Distance  (mi.)  

9th  –  12th    

0.8     3.6  

th

1.8  

th

2.7  

th

2.6     3.4  

K  –  8   K  –  8     K  –  8     9th  –  12th    

 

 

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Price  Analysis      

The  price  analysis  will  begin  by  examining  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League’s  ticket   prices  in  comparison  to  its  direct  and  indirect  competitors.  Next,  households  in  Arizona  will  be   analyzed  based  on  spending  habits  and  purchasing  behavior.  The  analysis  of  this  data  will  serve   as  an  indicator  of  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League’s  competitive  advantage  in    of  overall   pricing  strategy.   Freedom  Pro  League  Prices   The  ticket  prices  for  the  Freedom  Pro  League  are  currently  at  a  general  ission  price   of  $7  per  ticket,  with  first  come  first  serve  seating.  There  is  no  charge  for  parking  at  any  of  the   league’s  stadiums.  As  we  have  already  established  through  our  SWOT  analysis,  the  league’s   main  strength  is  the  value  they  offer  with  this  flat  ticket  rate.  However,  they  face  the  threat  of   multiple  competitors  in  a  very  saturated  market.  

                                                                             

 

Direct  Competitor  Prices   The  Freedom  Pro  League  faces  many  direct  competitors.  Among  them  are  the   Diamondbacks,  The  Suns,  The  Rattlers,  and  the  Coyotes  to  name  a  few.  Between  paying  for   parking  and  buying  merchandise  or  concessions  items,  an  outing  to  one  of  these  sporting   events  is  significantly  more  expensive  than  the  experience  of  a  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League   game.  Furthermore,  solely  analyzing  ticket  prices  further  demonstrates  the  value  of  Freedom   Pro  pricing.  One  ticket  for  a  Diamondbacks  game,  for  example  may  cost  anywhere  from  $10  to  

 

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$120  (Ticketmaster.com).  This  range  in  price  is  due  to  the  varying  desirability  of  seating,  as   some  customers  are  willing  to  spend  more  for  a  higher  quality  experience.  This  pricing   technique  is  consistently  implemented  by  other  direct  competitors,  whose  prices  are  found  as   Ticketmaster,  as  illustrated  in  the  table  below.  Since  these  competitors  are  more  established   and  larger  in  size,  they  are  able  to  offer  additional  ticket  and  pricing  options.  For  instance,   sports  fans  that  attend  games  more  often  have  the  option  of  purchasing  season  tickets  that   may  include  certain  benefits.  For  the    Diamondbacks  season  these  can  range   anywhere  from  $581  to  $9960  which  is  also  contingent  on  the  location  of  the  seats  being   purchased  ("2013  Season  Ticket”).  Similarly,  this  pricing  strategy  is  implemented  by  other  direct   competitors.  While  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  is  not  currently  offering  a  season  ticket   option,  it  is  evident  from  the  single  game  ticket  price  differences  that  the  Freedom  Pro  League   is  a  competitive  alternative  to  the  pricier  options  of  its  competitors.  

                                                               

 

*The  following  are  a  range  of  prices  for  single  game  tickets  found  on  Ticketmaster.  These   prices  vary  greatly  based  on  seating  location,  date,  the  competing  team,  etc.     Indirect  Competitor  Prices  

 

 

The  list  of  indirect  competition  for  the  Freedom  Pro  League  is  vast.  They  are  competing   in  the  category  of  entertainment,  which  during  their  summer  season  of  operation  includes   anything  from  movie  theaters  and  bowling  alleys  to  water  parks  and  roller-­‐skating  rinks.  While  

 

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these  categories  vary  by  interest,  they  appeal  the  same  target  market  the  Freedom  Pro  League   is  looking  to  capture.  Furthermore,  many  of  these  indirect  competitors  offer  competitive  prices   similar  to  those  of  the  league.  For  example,  most  movie  theater  chains  offer  tickets  around  the   price  of  $9  for  adults  and  many  offer  discounts  for  children  and  senior  citizens.  Bowling,   skating,  and  other  similar  activities  tend  to  charge  a  similar  price  with  some  variability   depending  on  the  time  of  day,  the  day  of  the  week,  or  age  range.  Some  of  these  prices  are   illustrated  in  the  table  below.  

  *Prices  referenced  from:  Harkinstheatres.com,  AMF.com,  USA-­‐Skating.com,  &  Phoenixzoo.org      

Based  on  these  figures,  we  can  conclude  that  the  Freedom  Pro  league’s  strongest  

competition  based  on  price  alone  could  be  any  of  these  indirect  competitors.  With  varying   tastes  in  entertainment,  the  families  and  kids  they  are  targeting  must  be  informed  not  only  of   their  value  pricing  but  the  community  involvement  they  engage  in,  which  sets  them  apart  from   other  local  forms  of  entertainment.      

   

 

33  

Target  Market’s  Spending  Habits   In  addition  to  analyzing  prices,  it  is  important  to  note  any  recent  changes  in  consumer   spending  habits  or  any  new  trends  to  successfully  gauge  the  competitiveness  of  their  pricing   strategy.  Recently  the  Commerce  Department  reported  a  .2%  increase  in  consumer  spending  in   January  compared  to  December  ("Consumer  Spending  Rises").  However,  when  analyzing   consumer  spending  on  entertainment  specifically,  there  is  an  overall  decrease.  As  illustrated  in   the  table  below,  consumers  spent  5.6%  of  their  annual  income  on  entertainment  in  2008,   followed  by  5.5%  in  2009,  and  finally  5.2%  in  2010  ("How  Consumers  Spend”).   *Percentage  of  annual  income  allocated  to  various  categories  

(Source:  U.S.  Department  of  Labor,  September  2011)    

While  overall  spending  may  have  increased,  the  fact  that  entertainment  spending  has   experienced  a  decrease  at  all  suggests  that  pricing  may  have  a  significant  impact.  Nonetheless,  

 

34  

with  the  similar  low  prices  of  its  indirect  competition,  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  will   have  to  rely  on  more  than  just  a  price  value  strategy  to  capture  its  target  market.     Revenue  Streams    

Currently,  the  Freedom  Pro  Basbeball  League’s  primary  source  of  income  is  ticket  sales.   Although  they  also  receive  money  from  concessions  and  trading  players,  these  are  not  the  main   sources  of  income  and  are  not  significant  enough  to    the  business.  They  are  using  a   direct  sales  revenue  model  on  a  pay-­‐per  use  system,  since  customers  purchase  tickets  online  or   at  the  ballpark  directly  prior  to  attending  a  game.  The  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  should   focus  on  increasing  ticket  sales  as  the  primary  objective  for  their  revenue  model  and  strategy.      

It  is  important  to  consider  the  value  the  customer  is  paying  for,  and  what  they  are  

willing  to  pay  for.  Attending  a  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  game  provides  value  in  the  form  of   entertainment  by  attending  the  game.  The  existing  market  in    of  baseball  games  as   entertainment  is  pure  competition,  with  many  other  options  available  for  consumers  in  the   same  area,  and  Freedom  Pro  holding  a  very  small  percentage  of  the  market  share.  The  Freedom   Pro  Baseball  League’s  competition  in  this  market  relies  primarily  on  price,  providing  the  best   value  for  the  lowest  price.      

Customers  are  able  to  purchase  tickets  online  or  at  the  field  on  the  day  of  the  game.  

Tickets  are  seven  dollars  each,  regardless  of  when  they  are  purchased  or  where  the  customer   will  sit  in  the  stadium.  Their  pricing  model  is  the  same  for  all  customer  segments  and  is  value   priced  to  be  affordable  to  a  large  population.  Due  to  the  league’s  infancy,  the  cost  of  customer   acquisition  is  high.  There  is  not  much  awareness  and  switching  costs  are  also  high.  This  is  a   large  obstacle  for  the  league,  particularly  when  they  do  not  have  the  funds  to  pay  high    

35  

customer  acquisition  costs.      

To  help  with  customer  acquisition  and  retention,  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  

might  consider  using  their  pricing  model  to  help  eliminate  some  pain  points  associated  with   purchasing  tickets.  By  including  ticket  packages,  such  as  tickets  for  multiple  games  or  packages   that  include  food  and  drinks,  they  can  make  purchasing  easier  and  likely  increase  customer   spending  through  ticket  packages.    

MARKETING  PLAN    

Target  Market      

 

The  target  market  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  is  families,  with  parents  

between  the  ages  of  30-­‐50.  The  marketing  plan  will  target  middle-­‐class  adults  in  their  mid-­‐ thirties  to  mid-­‐forties,  and  their  children.  The  families  will  live  in  the  phoenix  metropolitan  area,   within  a  40-­‐minute  drive  from  the  closest  stadium.  The  families  have  an  average  household   income  of  $50,000-­‐  $65,000  which  means  they  will  be  on  a  budget,  but  should  have  enough   disposable  income  to  take  their  family  to  an  affordable  baseball  game.  The  family  segment  can   be  narrowed  down  further  by  focusing  on  the  father  and  son,  attending  baseball  games  for   entertainment,  bonding  and  to  potentially  feed  the  son’s  dreams  of  a  major  league  future.   Below  are  two  personas,  a  father  and  son,  that  capture  the  demographic,  behavioral  and   lifestyle  information  of  the  target  customers.  These  two  personas  are  related,  in  that  both  the   father  and  son  may  wish  to  attend  games,  or  possibly  just  the  son,  but  regardless,  the  father  

 

36  

will  likely  be  purchasing  the  tickets.  The  games  have  to  appeal  to  both  target  customers,  and   the  target  customers  as  a  unit,  making  them  the  target  market.     Persona  #1:  David  Johnson  (Father)    

“I  love  going  to  ball  games  whenever  I  can.  It’s  a  great  way  to  blow  off  steam  and  spend  some   time  with  the  family;  and  it’s  great  that  it’s  relatively  affordable.  There’s  nothing  like  the   experience  of  being  at  a  good  ballgame.”    General  Persona:   •

David  Johnson  has  very  strong  family  values  

•

He  likes  to  spend  time  giving  back  to  the  community    

How  persona  USES  the  product/service:   How  often:    He  attends  baseball  games  4  or  5  times  a  year   What  for?:  He  likes  to  go  to  baseball  games  because  it  is  good  entertainment  that  revolves  around  sports   along  with  a  good  family  outing.   Specific  features  of  interest  to  persona:    David  likes  to  keep  score  at  the  ball  games  and                                               teach  his  kids  how  to  keep  score   Reliance  (high,  medium,  low):    Medium   Personal  Information:   Age:    35   Profession:    Architect   Home  Life:  Good   Hobbies:  Sports,  fitness,  wood  work   Personality:    Kind,  generous,  assertive,  light  spirited,  direct   Likes/Dislikes:  having  a  cold  beer  after  work,  having  weekends  off/  traffic,  his  wife’s  friends,  doing    

laundry   Interests:    Community  service,  spending  time  with  family  

 

37  

Media  Consumption:    Watches  ESPN,  listens  to  98.7  and  96.9,  subscribes  to  Motor  Trend  magazine   Digital  Interactions:   Computer  Use  (frequency,  experience,  bandwidth,  etc.):    David  is  very  good  with  computers  and   currently  owns  a  MAC.  He  uses  it  constantly,  mostly  for  work   Mobile  Use  (same,  tablet/smartphone):    David  also  uses  his  cell  phone  constantly.  He  is  kind  of  a  nerd   when  it  comes  to  technology.  He  always  buys  the  newest  iPhone.     Hours  Online:  between  30-­‐45  hours  a  week  between  work  and  personal  use   Frequent  Places  Visited:    He  is  always  on  his  email  and  architecture  software  programs.  He  also  manages   his  finances  with  Quickbooks.   Where  Online?:  Amazon,  Barnes  and  Noble,  Facebook,  Twitter,  Instagram,  Home  Depot  

 

Persona  #2:  Johnny  Johnson  (Son)      

“I  love  going  to  baseball  games  with  my  dad.  We  get  to  talk  about  the  different  plays  and  he   even  taught  me  how  to  keep  score.  I  hope  one  of  these  days  I  catch  a  foul  ball.”     General  Persona:     •

Plays  little  league  baseball    

•

Dreams  of  becoming  a  major  league  player  

•

Close  with  his  parents  and  siblings    

How  persona  USES  the  product/service:   How  often:    He  attends  baseball  games  4  or  5  times  a  year  with  his  family   What  for?:    He  enjoys  the  time  spent  with  his  father  and  also  looks  up  to  the  players  as  role  models.     Specific  features  of  interest  to  persona:    Johnny  brings  a  catcher’s  mitt  to  the  games  in  the  hopes  of   catching  a  foul  ball.     Reliance  (high,  medium,  low):    Medium   Personal  Information:   Age:    13  

 

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Profession:  Good  Standing  Student   Home  Life:  Good   Hobbies:  Sports,  video  games,  reading   Personality:  Energetic,  competitive,  light-­‐hearted,  and  imaginative     Likes:    Gym  class,  hanging  out  with  his  friends,  going  on  the  computer,  spending  time  with  his  siblings   Dislikes:  Homework,  fighting  with  siblings,  chores   Interests:  Collecting  baseball  cards,  keeping  up  with  players’  stats.     Media  Consumption:    Watches  ESPN  at  times  with  his  dad,  uses  Facebook,  enjoys  funny  videos  on   YouTube,  listens  to  music  on  Grooveshark.     Digital  Interactions:   Computer  Use  (frequency,  experience,  bandwidth,  etc.):    Adam  grew  up  with  a  computer  in  the  house,   so  he  has  much  experience  with  them.  He  uses  it  mostly  for  video  games,  watching  videos,  going  on   Facebook,  and  occasionally  for  homework.     Mobile  Use  (same,  tablet/smartphone):    He  owns  a  cell  phone.  While  his  dad  likes  to  have  the  latest   technology,  he  only  has  a  traditional  flip  phone.  His  father  doesn’t  believe  his  son  needs  a  smart  phone  at   his  age.     Hours  Online:  About  25  hours  a  week.  Since  he  is  active  he  spends  a  lot  of  his  other  free  time  outside   instead.    

Marketing  Objective    

The  overall  marketing  objective  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  is  to  increase   awareness  and  share  of  mind  as  a  viable,  low  cost  entertainment  option  in  Arizona.  The  league   is  currently  offering  low-­‐cost  entertainment,  but  the  league  lacks  awareness,  and  is  therefore   not  a  part  of  the  target  market’s  consideration  set.    

 

39  

  Marketing  Strategies  and  Tactics      

The  overall  strategy  to  achieve  this  objective  will  incorporate  digital  marketing,  local   outreach,  and  video  promotion.  The  table  below  provides  a  visual  of  the  components  of  the   marketing  plan.  

Objective  

Tactics  

Strategies   Website   Development  

Digital   Marketing    

Social:  Instagram   &  Hootsuite  

Promotions  

Increase   awareness     of  the  FPBL  

Kickstarter  

Local  Outreach  

Local  Schools  

Local  Businesses  

Fan  Fest  

Video  Campaign  

Commercial   Transcript   Promotions  

   

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Digital    

With  a  very  modest  budget,  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  would  benefit  greatly   from  an  improvement  in  its  digital  strategies.  There  are  numerous  benefits  to  implementing   digital  marketing  which  include  enhancing  relationships  with  customers  through  digital   interaction  and  increased  credibility,  the  capability  to  measure  marketing  results  through   numbers  of  followers  or  reach,  low  risk  due  to  the  flexible  nature  of  digital  marketing  and  ease   of  change,  and  a  low  cost  when  it  comes  to  creating  and  maintaining  various  online  networks.   While  there  have  already  been  efforts  to  delve  into  this  area  of  marketing,  such  as  an  existing   website  and  Instagram  ,  a  few  improvements  can  be  made  to  enhance  these  platforms.   With  the  goal  of  creating  awareness,  there  are  a  number  of  changes  that  could  be  made  to   better  reach  their  target  market.  Likewise,  a  few  additions  to  the  league’s  list  of  digital   marketing  tools  and  website  can  be  made  to  make  the  league’s  digital  appeal  more  successful.   With  the  continuing  growth  in  popularity  of  online  searching,  social  media  use,  and  overall   digital  growth,  the  following  suggestions  could  prove  to  be  highly  effective.     Website   The  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  league  currently  has  a  website  which  has  the  opportunity  to   be  a  staple  in  their  digital  marketing.  In  order  to  effectively  communicate  the  league’s  presence   in  the  field  of  sports  entertainment,  this  is  a  very  helpful  and  necessary  tool  for  creating   awareness.  While  there  are  a  number  of  great  aspects  already  featured  on  the  site,  a  few   changes  in  content,  design,  and  ease  of  use  could  boost  the  website’s  overall  appeal.      

The  website  currently  does  a  fair  job  of  offering  potential  customers  a  chance  to  learn  

more  about  the  league  through  some  of  its  content.  However,  there  are  a  few  shortcomings    

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that  decrease  the  effectiveness  of  their  informational  efforts.  While  the  categories  of  the   different  tabs  a  customer  may  click  on  are  appropriate,  the  content  seems  to  be  catered  to   potential  players  rather  than  potential  customers.  The  homepage,  for  instance  features  a  link  to   an  ad  that  a  customer  would  have  to  watch  externally  and  then  is  quickly  followed  by  a   message  to  potential  players  with  details  regarding  an  application  for  their  winter  league.  While   part  of  the  league’s  business  is  to  recruit  players,  this  should  be  made  a  separate  tab  on  the  site   that  comes  secondary  to  news  and  overall  information  for  customers  to  view.  It  is  not  until   further  down  on  the  homepage,  after  some  news  and  announcements,  that  the  fans  are   addressed.  In  order  to  make  the  homepage  seem  more  streamlined  with  less  scrolling,  any   news  and  announcement  could  be  relocated  to  the  news  section  and  application  information   for  potential  players  could  be  placed  under  a  new  tab  entitled  “Recruitment”  or  “Player   Applications.”  A  simple  video  of  their  new  commercial  would  be  best  featured  close  to  the  top   of  the  homepage  before  or  after  a  brief  “About  Us”  section  that  caters  to  customers  that  may   be  visiting  the  site  for  the  first  time.      

A  major  highlight  of  the  website  is  its  “Teams”  tab  which  features  the  logos  of  the  

league’s  four  major  teams.  From  there,  the  individual  team  rosters  can  be  viewed,  which   feature  some  stats  about  each  player.  Since  a  large  part  of  our  media  strategy  involves   highlighting  the  league’s  community  involvement,  an  addition  to  this  part  of  the  site  could  be   linking  each  player’s  personal  twitter  s  so  families  and  other  game  attendees  can  keep   up  with  the  players  and  potentially  chat  with  them.  Since  the  Freedom  Pro  league  is  far  more   flexible  with  communicating  personally  to  its  customers  when  compared  to  major  league   teams,  it  is  important  to  take  advantage  of  this  and  feature  it  prominently  on  the  site.  

 

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In  addition  to  making  the  players  more  accessible  to  customers,  community  

involvement  should  have  its  own  section.  By  adding  a  “Community  Involvement”  tab  or   subcategory  under  the  “News”  tab,  similar  to  the  Rattlers  website,  the  league  could  keep   families  up  to  date  on  its  mentoring  and  coaching  programs,  as  well  as  the  ticket  sales  program   they  have  implemented  with  little  league  teams.      

For  usability,  only  minor  changes  would  need  to  be  made  to  increase  the  functionality  of  

the  site.  Simple  things  like  drop  down  menus  for  longer  tabs  such  as  “News”  would  make  the   site  more  organized  and    friendly.  Likewise,  some  editing  on  images  and  logos  can  be  made   to  ensure  that  the  site’s  visuals  appear  as  they  should.  Finally,  rearranging  some  of  the  pages  to   take  advantage  of  white  space  would  make  it  more  visually  appealing.   Social  Media     Currently  the  FBPL  is  present  on  a  variety  of  social  networking  platforms,  namely   Facebook,  Twitter,  Instagram  and  LinkedIn.  Considering  the  size  of  the  business,  this  is  a  fairly   wide  line  of  platforms,  but  most  are  appropriate  platforms  for  the  league.    It  is  important  to   realize  that  while  social  media  presence  is  important,  over  channel  saturation  can  also  result  in   wasted  time  and  money.  Therefore,  maintaining  these  existing  channels  rather  than  focusing   on  opening  new  ones  should  be  FBPL’s  priority.  Facebook  seems  appropriate  to  have,  because   it  seems  a  business’s  possession  of  a  Facebook  page  is  ubiquitous  with  its  own  existence.   However,  due  to  the  nature  of  FPBL’s  fans  it  seems  that  the  primary  interaction  with  the  page   will  simply  be  to  like  or  add  it,  and  perhaps  look  for  updates,  but  not  communicate  in  a  two-­‐way   manner.  Twitter  offers  better  communication  potential  than  Facebook  for  FPBL,  but  slightly   misses  the  demographic  of  the  average  FBPL  customer.  It  could  easily  be  used  to  allow  players  

 

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to  interact  more  directly  with  fans,  and  build  traffic  by  using  players  to  interact  with  other   player  s  or  the  team.  Again  though,  Twitter  is  not  necessarily  the  ideal  target  for  social   media  growth  for  FBPL.  LinkedIn  is  nice  for  the  players  but  seems  to  completely  miss  the  target   demographic  for  a  communication  channel  for  customers,  so  out  of  the  four  channels  this   seems  to  be  the  weakest.    Finally,  Instagram  offers  some  potential  opportunities  for  growth;   the  nature  of  the  platform  seems  to  be  the  best  fit  out  of  the  current  channels  FBPL   communicates  with.       Instagram   The  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  already  has  an  Instagram  ,  with  over  100   photos,  but  could  benefit  from  this  tool  more  by  focusing  their  use  and  creating  a  strategy  for   the  .  Currently,  many  of  their  photos  feature  scenes  from  games,  player  appearances  in   the  community,  and  children  serving  as  guest  announcers  at  the  games.  These  photos  do  a   good  job  of  representing  the  mission  and  activities  of  the  league,  and  provide  a  unique  point  of   view  to  fans.     In  order  to  optimize  the  Instagram  ,  the  league  should  focus  on  producing  more   interactive  content  for  the  kids  and  teenagers  who  attend  the  games  and  are  ionate  about   baseball.  Instagram  is  an  ideal  tool  to  reach  kids  and  teenagers,  being  the  top  photography  site   among  teens  ages  12  to  17,  with  1  million  teens  visiting  the  site  during  July  2012,  according  to   Nielsen  (Meyers).  Running  Instagram  campaigns  will  allow  the  league  to  connect  more  directly   with  the  younger  demographic  and  involve  them  in  the  experience.     Utilizing  hashtags,  which  tag  pictures  with  specific  phrases  and  help  organize  photos,   allows  them  to  be  more  widely  viewed  and  allows  Instagram  s  to  contribute  pictures  by  

 

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tagging  them  with  the  same  hashtags.  The  league  could  also  take  more  pictures  of  fans  during   the  game  and  tag  any  fans  with  s  by  writing  their  name  in  the  caption.  People  will   want  to  view  the  photos,  which  will  drive  traffic  to  the  page  and  encourage  engagement.   Players  could  also  take  over  the    for  the  day,  depicting  a  day  in  the  life  of  a  baseball   player,  for  kids  aspiring  to  follow  in  their  footsteps.     The  image  sharing  nature  of  Instagram  allows  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  to     the  experience  they  can  provide  for  players,  attendees  and  the  community,  while  engaging  with   fans  on  a  platform  the  fans  use  and  enjoy.     Hootsuite   Hootsuite  is  a  social  media  management  dashboard  that  allows  planning  and  monitoring   of  a  business  or  individual's  social  media  presence.  Although  maintaining  a  presence  on  all   available  social  media  platforms  can  be  tempting,  it  is  important  to  select  the  few  that  will  be   most  effective  for  the  individual  business.  While  focusing  energy  on  creating  content  and   campaigns  on  Instagram,  Hootsuite  will  allow  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  to  manage  all  of   their  other  social  media  s  simultaneously,  as  well  as  track  interactions  through  the   various  platforms.  Hootsuite  will  enable  the  league  to  maintain  a  presence  on  all  sites  but  with   less  effort  and  an  accessible  and  simple  platform.     Utilizing  Hootsuite  will  also  help  the  league  measure  their  social  media  efforts  and   where  they  are  finding  the  most  activity.  By  identifying  the  correct  metrics,  such  as  page  likes,   re-­‐tweets  or  comments,  they  will  be  able  to  track  effectiveness  by    and  assess  their   success  as  they  go.  Having  the  ability  to  look  at  this  data  in  a  unified  manner  will  be  helpful   when  modifying  their  tactics  in  real-­‐time  in  order  to  maximize  impact  and  efficiency.    

 

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Promotions   One  of  the  league’s  biggest  goals  is  to  get  butts  in  seats.  An  easy  and  effective  way  of   doing  this  would  be  to  offer  certain  promotions  with  benefits  for  frequent  ticket  purchasers,  or   for  friends  of  ticket  purchasers,  that  could  potentially  raise  awareness  for  the  league  and  lead   to  a  larger  crowd  in  the  stands.  Potential  promotions  could  include  offering  two  free  items   value  items  from  the  concessions  stand  on  a  randomly  chosen  day  of  the  week  in  exchange  for   purchasing  at  least  two  tickets  for  a  specific  game.  This  way  a  regular  attendee  may  be  more   encouraged  to  convince  a  friend  to  buy  a  ticket,  which  will  increase  awareness  as  well  as  ticket   sales  and  the  extra  enticement  of  the  free  concessions  items  would  create  a  positive  experience   that  could  lead  to  repeat  purchases.  Another  possible  promotional  tactic  could  be  creating  a   rewards  program,  which  may  include  a  punch  card  or  something  similar  in  nature,  that  requires   ticket  purchasers  to  attend  a  designated  number  of  games  such  as  ten  games  out  of  the  season.   Once  that  amount  is  reached  they  may  get  a  free  ticket  to  the  next  game  or  a  free  item  from   the  concessions  stand.  These  promotions  can  easily  be  announced  through  the  website,   Instagram,  or  an  online  mailing  list  ahead  of  time.       Mailchimp     Mailchimp,  an  email  publishing  and  analytics  platform,  can  serve  as  a  great  resource  for   the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  Streamlining  communication  to  a  direct,  loyal  audience  will   help  fans  feel  more  connected  to  the  league,  and  using  a  system  like  Mailchimp  offers  the   ability  to  measure  and  analyze  their  reach  and  success.     Mailchimp  offers  a  free    option  for  up  to  2,000  subscribers,  which  is  a   reasonable  limit  for  the  league  at  this  time.  Mailchimp  will  allow  the  league  to  create  

 

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professional,  organized  email  campaigns  to  send  out  to  fans  throughout  the  season.  Email   collection  would  occur  during  ticket  purchase,  and  individuals  would  have  the  opportunity  to   opt-­‐out  if  they  desire.  The  email  campaigns  would  allow  the  league  to  keep  their  fans  updated   on  the  latest  happenings,  as  well  as  provide  a  platform  to  announce  promotions,  such  as  those   mentioned  above.  After  sending  out  an  email  campaign,  FPBL  would  have  the  ability  to  track   how  many  emails  were  opened,  the  number  of  click-­‐throughs  and  the  reach  of  the  campaign,   among  other  metrics.  Below  is  an  example  of  the  dashboard  Mailchimp  offers  for  each   campaign,  which  can  then  be  compared  to  data  from  Mailchimp  about  other  competitors  in  the   industry.  

  Image  of  a  screenshot  from  Mailchimp.com    

 

The  design  elements  and    Mailchimp  provides  at  no  cost  are  ideal  for  the  FPBL.   Creating  professional  emails  will  increase  their  legitimacy  and  trustworthiness  with  customers,  

 

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and  FPBL  will  be  able  to  judge  how  successful  their  efforts  are,  guaranteeing  they  are  not   wasting  time  or  resources  on  marketing  efforts  that  are  ineffective.     Kickstarter   While  we  believe  a  more  focused  traditional  approach  is  the  most  practical  strategy  for   freedom  pro  baseball  league  in  the  selection  of  its  digital  media  platforms,  its  unique  position   regarding  the  community  opens  up  some  unorthodox  opportunities.    We  believe  that   kickstarter  could  be  one  such  opportunity.    Kickstarter  is  a  crowdfunding  platform  where   consumers  browse  short  descriptions  of  potential  projects  and  businesses,  and  have  the   opportunity  to    them  often  for  first  access  to  the  product.    Often  this  is  used  for   innovative  or  ion  projects  that  have  a  strong  call  to  action  for  customers.    At  first  glance  it   appears  that  a  company  like  freedom  pro  baseball  league  stands  nothing  to  gain  from  a  service   like  kickstarter.    However  we  believe  that  FPBL  could  capitalize  on  the  goodwill  value  of  their   community  positioning  through  such  a  platform.       Currently,  FPBL  is  offering  clinic  and  camp  style  services  for  local  school’s  baseball   teams.    This  in  turn  causes  both  kids  and  parents  to  build  a  relationship  with  the  league.    Rather   than  using  this  as  a  fringe  benefit  of  the  league,  kickstarter  could  allow  FPBL  to  change  this   focus  by  creating  a  new  crowdfunded  nonprofit  after  school  initiative  for  local  valley   schools.    Creating  such  a  program  would  allow  FPBL  to  increase  its  community  focus,  but  with  a   much  more  efficient  revenue  stream  than  its  current  model.    Such  an  after  school  initiative   would  allow  the  league  itself  to  expand  its  fan  base,  and  then  grow  in  a  more  organic   manner.    Shifting  this  focus  would  put  less  pressure  on  ticket  sales  on  the  short  term  horizon,   then  after  building  awareness  and  a  fan  base,  allow  FPBL  to  fill  seats  much  more  efficiently.      

 

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Such  a  program  could  also  partner  with  local  chapters  of  several  other  similarly  focused   national  charities.    Great  examples  could  be  Boys  and  Girls  Club  of  America,  YMCA  etc.    Often   these  types  of  charities  funnel  money  into  such  programs  instead  of  running  them  themselves.       Local  Outreach      

In  order  to  raise  overall  awareness  and  attendance  for  the  Freedom  Professional   Baseball  League  a  local  and  community  outreach  program  has  been  developed.  The  purpose  of   this  program  is  to  engage  the  teams  for  the  FPBL  in  the  surrounding  community,  allowing  them   to  make  connections  with  potential  and  returning  customers  to  establish  a  more  loyal  fan  base.   It  is  essential  to  instill  a  positive  image  of  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  in  the  minds  of  the   communities  surrounding  the  stadiums.  Making  these  emotional  connections  is  a  strong  focus   of  the  local  and  community  outreach  program  and  will  be  done  through  fundraising  with  local   high  school  and  middle  schools,  involvement  of  local  businesses,  and  a  beginning  of  the  season   fan  fest  carnival.     Local  Schools   The  amount  of  local  outreach  and  community  involvement  are  factors  that  will   determine  the  success  of  the  Freedom  Professional  Baseball  League.  These  two  factors  will   contribute  to  raising  brand  awareness  and  helping  to  establish  a  more  loyal  fan  base.  The   Freedom  Professional  Baseball  League  already  has  youth  partnership  programs  that  acts  as   fundraisers  for  little  league  teams,  and  helps  put  fans  in  seats  for  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League   games.  To  increase  attendance  and  overall  awareness  for  FPBL,  the  same  fundraising   partnership  programs  could  be  offered  to  the  surrounding  high  school  and  middle  school   baseball  programs.  Much  like  the  programs  already  in  place,  players  for  these  teams  would  sell    

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the  four  tickets  and  T-­‐shirt  package  to  raise  money  for  their  team.  More  often  than  not,  parents   become  actively  involved  in  youth  sports  fundraising  because  it  ultimately  means  less  money   out  of  their  pocket.  So  not  only  would  the  players  for  these  teams  be  selling  tickets  to  their   classmates  and  peers,  but  the  parents  of  these  players  would  have  the  opportunity  to  assist   their  child  in  their  fundraising  program  by  offering  tickets  to  their  network  as  well.  People  may   be  much  more  inclined  to  purchase  a  ticket  to  a  FPBL  game  if  it  makes  them  feel  charitable.     In  addition  to  involving  high  school  and  middle  school  teams  to  sell  fundraising   packages,  each  team  could  be  invited  to  host  a  50/50  raffle  at  the  ballpark,  for  the  game  which   there  team  was  selling  tickets  for.  The  team  conducting  the  raffle  and  the  FPBL  would  split  the   proceeds,  raising  money  for  both  the  league  and  youth  team.    A  50/50  raffle  like  this  will  help   to  encourage  people  who  bought  tickets  from  the  fundraising  program  to  actually  attend  the   game.  It  provides  them  with  another  incredibly  affordable  way  to    the  team  that  they   already  bought  tickets  from.  It  also  gets  the  various  high  school  and  middle  school  teams  and   families  out  to  the  ballpark,  which  is  the  core  group  of  people  the  FPBL  is  trying  to  attract  to   their  games.  These  fundraising  efforts  will  contribute  to  creating  a  positive  brand  image  in  the   mind  of  consumers  and  ultimately  raise  brand  awareness  for  the  league.     On  a  side  note,  there  can  often  be  intense  rivalries  between  high  school  sports  teams.   Actively  tracking  the  progress  of  each  individual  teams  fundraising  progress  and  posting  it  to   the  league  website  could  be  a  healthy  way  to  use  this  competition  to  stimulate  further   fundraising  efforts.  This  competition  would  need  to  have  a  prize  for  the  winner,  probably  in  the   form  of  FPBL  championship  game  tickets  for  the  winning  team.  This  competition  would  

 

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stimulate  the  sales  of  more  tickets  through  the  fundraising  efforts  and  ultimately  increase   attendance  of  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  games.     Discussed  earlier  was  a  digital  strategy  using  Kickstarter  to  help  fund  youth  baseball   camps  and  after  school  activities  hosted  by  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  These  camps  would   be  run  by  players  and  coaches  of  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  league,  providing  instruction  for  the   high  school  and  middle  school  aged  baseball  players  and  coaches  and  acting  as  positive  role   models  within  the  community.  Not  only  would  these  camps  assist  in  the  refinement  of  their   youth  player’s  and  coaches’  skills,  but  more  importantly  it  would  allow  these  players  to  make   connections  with  the  professional  players  and  coaches  from  around  the  FPBL  league.      Youth   players  would  be  more  inclined  to  have  the  desire  to  attend  the  FPBL  to  watch  their  favorite   player  or  role  models  throughout  the  season.  Parents  would  also  be  more  likely  to    the   Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  knowing  that  it  gives  back  to  the  community,  most  importantly  to   their  children.     Local  Businesses   Although,  the  goal  is  to  promote  fans  throughout  the  state,  the  communities   surrounding  the  stadiums  are  used  as  central  locations  to  begin  with.  By  working  with  local   businesses,  the  league  will  strongly  communicate  to  the  customers  the  sense  of  community.   Proximity  also  helps  create  customer  loyalty.  Since  our  target  audience  is  families,  the   businesses  chosen  are  those  that  families  tend  to  visit  more  frequently;  family  restaurants,  local   stores  and  movie  theaters.   Family  Restaurants   Family  restaurants  are  found  in  all  the  communities  surrounding  each  of  the  stadiums.  A  

 

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family  restaurant  is  a  good  business  to  partner  with  because  many  of  them  use  fundraising   events  to  help  out  the  community.  By  partnering  with  family-­‐owned  restaurants,  Freedom  Pro   Baseball  League  will  help  fundraise  for  charity,  connect  with  the  community  and  create  brand   awareness.   Another  proposal  in  affiliating  with  the  family  restaurants  is  to  create  brand  awareness   by  creating  a  future  meal  discount  with  the  purchase  of  a  baseball  game  ticket.  This  would  be  a   win-­‐win  for  both  businesses  because  the  league  would  be  selling  tickets  and    the  restaurant   would  then  also  have  a  high  rate  of  repeating  customers.   Local  Stores   Local  stores  consist  of  small  boutiques,  sporting  stores,  and  stores  located  in  shopping   centers  and  groceries  stores,  which  all  of  these  different  types  of  local  stores  are  frequently   visited  by  our  target  audience.  We  start  with  small  boutiques  because  many  of  these  stores  are   privately  owned,  which  grants  more  flexibility  when  creating  partnerships.  Smaller  stores  likely   attract  people  who  have  a  stronger  connection  within  the  community  as  well.  There  are  two   sectors  to  our  local  store  proposal:  selling  the  league  merchandise  and  selling  tickets  at  the   stores.  Selling  the  merchandise  at  stores  will  create  a  stronger  brand  presence  and  awareness,   encouraging  the  new  customer  to  also  buy  tickets  at  the  store.     Movie  Theaters   The  last  segment  to  use  business  local  outreach  is  theatres.  Movie  theatres  are  a  popular   entertainment  option  for  our  target  market.  On-­‐screen  advertising  is  offered  at  several   theaters.  Businesses  are  able  to  have  the  screen  print  advertising  repeated  in  a  specific   geographic  area  with  minimal  effort.  Movie  theatres  have  a  captive  audience,  and  with  some  of    

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theatres  switching  between  screen  ads  and  entertainment  features,  the  advertising  will  likely   grab  attention.  On-­‐screen  advertising  can  be  very  affordable  as  well.  Each  theater  has  its  own   pricing,  they  work  with  any  budget  starting  at  $500  and  offer  discounts  with  long  term   contracts,  according  to  Screen  Vision,  the  advertising  agency  for  Harkins  Theaters.   Freedom  League  Fan  Fest   Perhaps  the  biggest  asset  of  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  is  the  ability  and   willingness  of  its  players  and  management  to  reach  out  to  the  community.  One  excellent  way  in   which  to  make  the  most  of  this  advantage  while  creating  new  fans  is  to  introduce  a  series  of   free  family  and  community  friendly  and  very  inexpensive  to  host  Freedom  League  Fan  Fests.   This  will  create  awareness  of  the  product  within  the  respective  communities  that  host  the  FPBL   and  position  the  league  as  a  sports  entertainment  brand  that  is  able  and  eager  to  reach  out  in   order  to  build  a  loyal  fan  base  and  to  ultimately  fill  seats  in  the  local  ballpark.   Freedom  League  Fan  Fests  would  take  place  on  two  consecutive  weekends,  Saturday   and  Sunday,  two  weeks  before  the  beginning  of  the  season.    They  would  be  held  at  Estrella   Vista  North  Park  in  Goodyear,  Rio  Vista  Park  in  Peoria,  Arcadia  Park  in  Phoenix,  and  at  Yavapai   Rough  Rider  Park  in  Prescott,  with  each  hosting  one  day  of  the  festival.  Activities  at  the  festival   will  be  decidedly  kid-­‐friendly  with  a  few  attractions  for  the  parents.  Most  importantly,  this  will   give  the  very  fans,  or  fans-­‐to-­‐be,  the  chance  to  become  aware  of  the  FPBL  with  an  emphasis  on   their  home  team.  We  feel  that  although  it  is  important  to  market  to  the  entire  valley,  building   up  a  local  identity  in  the  community  of  the  stadiums  will  create  an  infectious  following  for  the   respective  teams,  promoting  loyalty  as  well  as  encouraging  rivalries  among  the  clubs.  

 

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The  term  Fan  Fest  has  entered  the  common  lexicon.  Most  major  league  professional   sports  teams  have  some  form  of  a  big  deal  festival,  and  research  shows  that  many  minor  league   organizations  have  followed  suit.  The  purpose  is  to  round  up  as  many  potential  customers  in   one  place  and  create  excitement  for  the  product,  while  building  revenue  by  selling  tickets  and   merchandise.  The  advantage  is  that  you  aree  already  dealing  with  a  group  of  people  that  have   at  least  a  modicum  of  interest  in  the  brand.  The  challenge  is  to  turn  these  potential  fans  into   repeat  customers.  In  a  Fan  Fest  setting,  this  can  be  accomplished  by  making  sure  attendees   have  a  good  time,  while  being  informed  of  the  best  points  of  the  product.  The  possibilities  for   activities  are  endless,  but  the  FPBL,  with  a  minimal  budget,  should  aspire  to  emphasize  the  free   or  most  affordable  form  of  entertainment.     Promotions  can  be  simple  because  we  are  targeting  a  small  area.  Multiple  digital   formats  are  available  and  attractive  flyers  could  be  posted  on  neighborhood  boards.  We  should   also  mobilize  players  and  management  to  circulate  the  area  in  the  days  leading  up  to  the  event,   meeting  people  in  local  restaurants  and  businesses  and  personally  inviting  them  to  come,   maybe  with  their  family,  in  a  sort  of  grassroots  movement.  The  smaller  local  newspapers  shall   be  invited  to  the  event,  providing  for  positive  media  coverage  and  awareness  for  potential  fans   who  did  not  attend  the  event.  The  events  themselves  will  also  rely  heavily  on  the  participation   of  the  league’s  players  and  management.  They  will  come  in  full  uniform  wherever  possible.  The   players  will  be  available  to  play  catch  with  “father  or  son”  as  well  as  taking  turns  at  photo  tables   and  autograph  booths.  The  emphasis  shall  be  on  the  team  that  plays  in  the  community  of  that   particular  area,  and  for  example  the  Sonoran  Explorers,  would  be  the  main  theme  for  the  fair  in   Peoria.    

 

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Reaching  out  to  businesses  that  can  independently  bring  their  own  booths  to  sell  their   wares  could  make  for  a  bigger  event.  Events  such  as  these  are  what  mobile  food  vans  look  for   and  would  be  very  receptive  to  the  idea  of  providing  food  options  at  no  expense  to  the  league.   In  addition,  likely  Baseball  card  dealers  would  be  interested  in  setting  up  a  booth  at  the  Fan   Fest.  While  giving  the  attendees  an  enjoyable  day,  FPBL  representatives  will  work  at  selling   tickets,  not  over-­‐aggressively,  but  with  a  conspicuous  table.  Special  packages  and  promotions   dealt  with  in  another  part  of  the  local  marketing  plan  can  be  featured.  Although  merchandise  is   a  small  revenue  stream  for  the  league,  this  is  another  opportunity  for  some  sales,  especially   since  it  will  be  targeted  mainly  toward  one  franchise  and  there  is  the  opportunity  for  a  swell  of   local  pride.     This  promotion’s  costs  will  be  minimal.  Park  fees  and  permits  and  rentable  tables  and   chairs  will  be  the  main  expenses.  The  biggest  challenge  will  be  in  providing  the  manpower   necessary  to  pull  four  separate  events  off.  However,  if  done  right,  such  labor  can  directly  affect   attendance  when  it  is  time  to  play  ball.   Video  Campaign      

Traditionally,  television  commercials  have  been  a  popular  method  of  advertising   products  and  services.  They  allow  rs  to  effectively  communicate  a  specific  message  to   customers  and  highlight  the  benefits  of  their  products  or  services  for  a  mass  audience  in  one   sequence.  Over  time  advertising  has  undergone  many  changes  and  has  advanced  to  where   rs  now  have  a  variety  of  ways  for  connecting  to  their  target  audience  and  building   their  brand  image.  Reading  further,  one  will  see  that  our  team  intends  to  use  a  commercial   ment  to  communicate  several  themes  and  values  which  accompany  the  experience  of    

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attending  a  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  (FPBL)  event,  and  the  justification  for  why  we  chose   to  display  the  experience  in  that  specific  manner.  This  commercial  will  promote  the  cost   effectiveness  of  a  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  game  and  the  intimacy  that  the  fans  can  expect   to  encounter  at  a  game  by  being  able  to  personally  interact  with  players;  it  will  also  stress  the   importance  of  creating  a  unique  family  environment  at  a  ballgame  by  spending  time  together.    

The  premier  time  for  the  league  to  air  television  commercials  on  local  channels  would  

be  on  weekday  mornings.  Utilizing  several  thirty-­‐second  commercial  spaces  would  strengthen   the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League’s  brand  image,  as  well  as  drive  families  to  attend  games  due   to  what  they  witnessed  on  TV.  The  FPBL  offers  great  value  for  any  family  outing,  and  in  hosting   games  that  allow  several  people  to  attend  at  a  minimized  total  price,  the  League  stands  to   benefit  from  placing  heavy  emphasis  on  the  low  cost  of  attendance.     Weekday  mornings  were  chosen  because  they  promise  great  exposure  to  families.   Whether  it  is  the  morning  news,  traffic  reports,  or  talk  shows,  a  large  amount  of  parents  are   viewing  these  programs.  Morning  television  is  simply  a  large  component  of  a  traditional  family’s   day.  While  the  children  are  getting  ready  for  school,  the  father  may  be  looking  at  a  traffic  report   to  ensure  he  arrives  at  work  in  a  timely  fashion.  He  may  be  updating  his  knowledge  on  the   previous  night’s  events.  The  mother  might  watch  her  favorite  morning  talk  show  to  hear  about   the  recent  pop  culture  affairs  or  trends.  The  children  are  often  susceptible  to  news  by  being  in   the  same  room  as  the  television  set,  or  could  possibly  be  watching  cartoons  before  heading  off   to  school.  This  makes  sure  the  morning  time  slot  is  a    way  to  plant  an  idea  in  the   parents’,  and  the  children’s  minds  for  the  next  family  event  rather  than  forcing  everyone  to   brainstorm  for  something  new  or  different.  

 

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Buying  commercial  space  after  school  has  let  out  for  the  day  is  also  a  great  time  to   broadcast  commercials.  During  this  time,  children  will  be  watching  the  television  and  parents   may  be  able  to  hear  the  background  noise  of  the  set.  With  the  commercial  airing  in  the  morning   the  parents  will  recognize  the  title  of  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  and  may  ask  their  children  if   attending  the  game  would  be  something  they  are  interested  in.  This  would  be  beneficial  to  both   the  parent  and  the  child  even  as  both  view  the  opportunity  differently.  The  kids  would  see  the   commercial  of  beautiful  weather  and  players  interacting  with  fans  such  as  themselves  while  the   parents  would  see  the  opportunity  as  a  cost  effective  outing  with  the  family,  which  could  still   be  a  great  experience  for  their  children.   Advertising  during  the  morning  and  afternoon  segments  is  also  much  cheaper  than   primetime  or  nightly  programs.  Commercials  during  the  daytime  or  midday  are  in  the  price   range  of  $250-­‐$600  for  a  30-­‐second  commercial  as  opposed  to  some  nightly  commercial  space   exceeding  $1,000.  These  lower  prices  would  allow  for  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  to    routinely  throughout  the  week  so  that  potential  customers  do  not  lose  the  thought  of   attending  one  of  the  games.  Potential  customers  would  see  the  ad  at  the  beginning  of  the  week   on  a  Monday,  but  continue  to  view  the  ad  on  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  and  Thursday,  further   cementing  the  likelihood  of  their  attending  a  weekend  game.     Because  of  its  low-­‐price  points  and  current  lack  of  brand  awareness,  the  League  would   be  best  served  to  market  its  games  to  those  in  a  more  financially-­‐strapped  situation  who  might   not  normally  be  able  to  afford  a  $45  Arizona  Diamondbacks  ticket  for  each  of  their  family   .  This  is  expanded  upon  in  our  Target  Market  profile,  as  well  as  our  Personas.   Ultimately,  the  morning  and  afternoon  time  slots  allows  the  league  to  reach  this  demographic  

 

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of  customers.  Lower  income  families  are  viewing  television  more  throughout  the  day  opposed   to  night,  and  placing  the  ment  earlier  in  the  daytime  will  guarantee  that  the  right   customer  will  view  the  ment  and  see  what  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  has  to   offer.     Commercial  Transcript   The  commercial  starts  at  night  with  ten-­‐year  old  Johnny  plopping  down  backwards  onto   his  bed,  because  he  is  exhausted  from  a  long  day  at  the  ballpark.  He  begins  to  reflect  on  all  of   his  experiences  throughout  the  day.  As  the  ad  cuts  to  scene  two,  Johnny  is  walking  into   beautiful  Goodyear  Ballpark  with  his  mother,  father,  younger  brother  and  younger  sister.  After   settling  into  their  seats,  the  family  heads  off  to  the  concession  stand  to  purchase  sustenance  in   the  form  of  food  and  drinks.  Scene  three  plays  out  with  the  family  sitting  back  down  in  their   seats  enjoying  their  treats  when  Dad  suddenly  spills  a  drink  on  Mom;  Dad  has  a  sheepish  look   on  his  face,  realizing  his  mistake,  while  Mom  is  upset  and  flustered.  Meanwhile  the  kids  find  the   transgression  hilarious  and  entertaining.  Scene  four,  still  pre-­‐game,  brings  us  the  climax  of  the   commercial  when  Johnny’s  younger  brother  spots  star  player  Eli  Sonoqui,  the  FPBL  2012  Player   of  the  Year  and  hometown  favorite,  (graduate  of  Cesar  Chavez  High  School)  walking  up  to  greet   the  family.  Eli  signs  gloves  for  the  children  and  tosses  Johnny  a  signed  ball  cap;  Johnny  is   completely  star  struck  and  at  a  loss  of  words.  Mom  has  now  substantially  calmed  down,  with   her  children  placated  and  quieted  from  the  shocking  interaction  with  their  idol  and  hero.  In   scene  five,  we  find  Jonny  on  the  field  post-­‐game,  as  he  leads  a  pack  of  other  children  running   the  bases,  while  Eli  looks  on  bemused.  The  commercial  wraps  up  with  a  closing  still  shot  of   Johnny  laying  on  his  pillow  smiling  with  his  eyes  closed  and  hands  folded  comfortably  behind  

 

58  

his  head.  He  is  completely  satisfied  and  happy  about  his  wonderful  day  at  the  ballgame.     This  commercial  does  an  effective  job  of  communicating  family  values,    interaction,   and  the  cost-­‐efficient  quality  entertainment  of  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  games.  The   commercial  showcases  how  these  events  can  provide  the  family  with  an  affordable  opportunity   to  spend  time  together,  while  also  allowing  the  family  to  interact  with  players  on  a  regular   basis,  and  by  giving  the  kids  an  exciting  and  unique  baseball  game  experience  that  they  cannot   find  anywhere  else  besides  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.   Commercial  Pricing  and  Demographics        

Fox  10  

Time  Slot  

Price  /  per  30-­‐sec  ad  

Daytime  

4:30am  -­‐  10:00am  

$500  

Midday  

12:00pm  -­‐  12:30pm  

$400  

News  

5:00pm  -­‐  6:30pm  

$1,000  

Prime  

9:00pm  -­‐  10:00pm  

$1,800  

  Fox  10  offers  100%  local  advertising  and  news  during  their  daytime  time  slot  and  all  ads  can   be  aired  any  time  between  the  limits.  The  numbers  provided  were  by  a  Fox  10  representative   and  based  off  a  Monday  through  Friday  schedule  for  a  30-­‐second  commercial  showing.  Fox  10   targeted  television  campaign  helps  “grow  customer  awareness  throughout  the  Phoenix  retail   trading  area”  and  “generate  incremental  footsteps  to  increase  sales”  (“Sales  Information”).    

59  

      AZ  Family  

     

Time  Slot  

Price  /  per  30-­‐sec  ad  

News  Programming  

6:00am  -­‐  8:00am  

$750  

Daytime  

9:00am  -­‐  4:00pm  

$350  

High  Profile  Programming  

5:00pm  -­‐  6:30pm  

$3,000  

 

      Arizona  Family  or  3TV  is  “one  of  the  largest  independent  television  stations  in  the   country,  3TV  provides  more  local  news  coverage  than  any  other  station  in  Arizona”  (“FAQ”).   The  local  news  station  is  know  to  be  family  and  community  orientated.  When  advertising  with   this  company,  they  offer  a  customized  advertising  for  a  30-­‐second  ad.  The  pricing  received  from   3TV  representative  was  limited  but  shows  some  insight  on  their  rates  for  a  30-­‐second   commercial  between  Monday  and  Friday.  Weekends  were  said  to  not  have  as  good  as   programming  as  it  does  during  the  weekdays.  Pricing  for  the  weekend  was  cheaper  during  the   day  and  got  a  little  more  costly  during  night  with  shows  like  Once  Upon  a  Time  and  news.  Their   news  programming  is  more  expensive,  but  daytime  advertising  during  shows  like  Dr.  Oz  or  Dr.   Phil  cost  almost  half  the  price.  In  addition,  3TV  offers  high  profile  programming,  such  as  Grey’s   Anatomy  or  American  Idol,  but  is  extremely  expensive.  This  station  demographic  reach  is  age  25   plus  and  is  said  to  have  a  lot  of  car  or  grocery  store  advertising.  Arizona  Family  is  a  good   channel  to  reach  the  mother  of  the  house  during  the  day  when  she  is  picking  out  family  

 

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activities  and  event  for  the  weekend.    

Fox  Sports  AZ  

Time  Slot  

Price  /  per  30-­‐sec  ad  

Diamondbacks  Day  Game  

12:40pm  -­‐  1:10pm  

$1,500  

Diamondbacks  Evening  Game  

4:00pm  –  7:00pm  

$1,800  

  Fox  Sports  Arizona  is  the  regional  sports    of  Fox  Sports  Networks  serving  the   state  of  the  Arizona.  FS  Arizona  broadcasts  the  Arizona  Diamondbacks  Major  League  Baseball   games  throughout  the  spring  /  summer,  while  showing  the  NBA  Phoenix  Suns  and  the  NHL   Phoenix  Coyotes  events  in  the  fall  /  winter  months.  FS  Arizona  also  showcases  all  Arizona  State   collegiate  sports  with  several  Pac-­‐12  events  as  well.  As  part  of  its  broadcast  area,  Fox  Sports   area  covers  New  Mexico,  Utah,  and  parts  of  Southern  Nevada,  giving  it  regional  exposure  to   over  two  million  homes  throughout  the  Southwest.  When  speaking  with  Ed  Olsen,  General   Sales  Manager  for  the  network,  he  advised  for  the  FPBL  to  “  during  the  Dbacks  games,   as  this  is  when  the  most  baseball  sensitive  consumers  would  be  observing,  and  the  station  even   achieves  a  4.0  viewer  rating.”  The  price  rates  are  relatively  similar  on  the  weekends  for   advertising  with  FS  Arizona,  and  though  it  is  clearly  provides  a  target  market  saturated  with   sports-­‐oriented  consumers,  the  prices  listed  come  at  a  higher  rate  than  the  other  alternatives.       ABC  15  

 

Time  Slots  

Price  /  per  30-­‐sec  ad  

61  

Early  Morning  

6:00am  -­‐  7:00am  

$250  -­‐  $300  

Good  Morning  America  

7:00am  -­‐  9:00am  

$300  -­‐  $400  

News  

5:00pm  -­‐  5:30pm  

$600  

National  News  

5:30pm  -­‐  6:00pm  

No  Local  Available  

News  

6:00pm  -­‐  6:30pm  

$600  

Let’s  Ask  America  

6:30pm  -­‐  7:00pm  

$500  

Prime  time  

7:00pm  -­‐  10:00pm  

$2,500  -­‐  $10,000  

  According  to  Tanya  Winscott,  ABC  15’s  local  integrated  media  sales  manager,  “rates   fluctuate  constantly  depending  on  time  of  year,  current  sell  out  levels,  and  demand  on   inventory.”  Ms.  Winscott  provided  the  information  to  create  the  chart  below  for  estimates  on   the  current  pricing  for  local  advertising  of  a  30-­‐second  commercial.  Let’s  Ask  America  is  their   prime  access  slot  in  Arizona  and  prime  time  in  this  state  is  considered  to  run  between  7:00pm  –   10:00pm.  The  price  is  for  one  30-­‐second  ad  and  can  be  played  at  anything  time  between  the   time  slot.            

         

 

62  

Viewership  Information  /  Demographics     Fox  News  Channel:   ages  18-­‐34-­‐  15%   ages  35-­‐54-­‐  34%   male  viewers-­‐  50%   home  owners-­‐  75%   median  household  income-­‐  $53,000   1+  children-­‐  29%     Fox  Sports:     ages  18-­‐34-­‐  24%   ages  35-­‐54-­‐  37%   male  viewers-­‐  72%   home  owners-­‐  74%   median  household  income-­‐  $59,000   1+  children-­‐  31%       FOX  SPORTS   *Unable  to  Provide  Data  for  Ratings        

Time  Slot   M-­‐F  News            6am  –  7am            7am  –  9am   Saturday  News            7am  –  8am            8am  –  9am   Sunday  News            8am  –  9am   M-­‐Sunday  News            5pm  –  5:30pm            5:30pm  –  6pm   M-­‐F  News            6pm  –  6:30pm   M-­‐Sunday  News            9pm  –  10pm  

  AZ  Family:   6AM-­‐8AM:  70-­‐75,000  viewers   9AM-­‐4PM:  20-­‐25,000  viewers   5PM-­‐6:30PM:  60-­‐65,000  viewers     ABC:   ages  18-­‐34-­‐  36%   ages  35-­‐54-­‐  41%   male  viewers-­‐  37%   home  owners-­‐  69%   median  household  income-­‐  $58,000   1+  children-­‐  49%      

Fox  10   Ratings  

Shares  

Impressions  

1.4   1.5  

12   11  

28,401   29,928  

.5   .7  

4   4  

10,401   13,119  

.1  

0  

1,290  

1.3   1.1  

6   4  

26,642   21,844  

1.1  

4  

22,186  

1.7  

5  

35,000  

         

 

63  

Time  Slot   M-­‐F  News            6am  –  7am            7am  –  8am   Saturday  News            7am  –  8am   Sunday  News            7am  –  8pm            8am  –  9am   M-­‐F  News            5pm  –  5:30pm            5:30pm  –  6pm            6pm  –  6:30pm            10pm  –  10:30pm   Saturday  News            5pm  –  5:30pm   Sunday  News            5pm  –  5:30pm  

AZ  Family   Ratings  

Shares  

Impressions  

.4   .7  

4   5  

8,762   14,626  

.4  

3  

7,754  

.7   .9  

6   7  

15,014   19,122  

.6   .6   .6   .5  

3   3   2   2  

12,725   12,313   12,981   10,815  

.3  

1  

6,329  

.3  

1  

5,604  

ABC  15  Arizona   Ratings  

Shares  

Impressions  

.4   .5  

3   4  

7,849   10,099  

.3  

2  

5,615  

.3  

2  

5,148  

1.3  

4  

26,860  

.7   .8  

3   3  

13,498   15,531  

 

   

Time  Slot   M-­‐F  News            6am  –  7am            7am  –  9am   Saturday  News            7am  –  8am   Sunday  News            7am  –  8am   M-­‐Sunday  News            10pm  –  10:30pm   M-­‐F  News            5pm  –  5:30pm            6pm  –  6:30pm    

  Based  on  the  information  from  the  spreadsheet,  we  would  recommend  that  the  FPBL    with  FOX  10  if  we  are  going  to    during  the  morning  or  afternoon  news,   because  their  number  of  viewers  are  much  higher  than  ABC  15  and  AZ  Family.  If  we  are  going  to    

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 during  prime  time,  our  recommendation  is  that  we    with  either  FOX  10  or   ABC  15  because  their  total  number  of  viewers  at  that  time  slot  are  significantly  higher  than  AZ   Family.  If  we  do  want  to    with  AZ  Family  at  all,  our  suggestion  would  be  during  the   evening  news  between  5:30PM-­‐6:30PM.  Ultimately,  the  demographic  offered  by  Fox  10  aligns   very  well  with  our  target  market  of  children  and  their  parents.  As  the  main  viewers  of  Fox  News   are  homeowners  (75%  of  viewers),  and  it  is  also  the  lowest-­‐average  income  bracket  of  the   several  channels  we  researched,  this  would  be  the  preferred  morning  broadcast.  This  is  a  go-­‐to   channel  for  Arizona  local  news,  and  as  the  morning  shows  play,  our  ment  would  spark   thoughts  of  innovation  in  the  mothers’  weekly  planning  while  prompting  her  children  to   exclaim  with  joy  when  realizing  what  a  trip  to  the  ballpark  and  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball   League  may  actually  entail.   Contingency  Planning      

Due  to  FPBL’s  uncertain  financial  situation  careful  monitoring  of  metrics  and  the  ability   to  rapidly  adapt  are  crucial.    Based  on  the  success  of  initial  marketing  tactics,  FPBL  will  need  to   adapt  and  employ  more  or  less  of  various  tactics.    Each  tactic  should  individually  be  monitored   to  ensure  it  is  being  effective.       Two  main  scenarios  are  likely,  with  the  possibility  of  a  grey  area  between  them.    Both   rely  on  the  success  or  failure  of  the  strategies  suggested.    If  the  strategies  do  not  cause  a  major   effect,  or  do  not  change  the  financial  situation  for  the  league  FPBL  will  have  to  continue  to   minimize  costs  and  only  pursue  efforts  that  do  not  require  an  expense.    Alternately,  if  the  

 

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strategies  gain  traction  the  league  should  put  money  into  increasing  the  amount  of  ad   placement,  and  further  pursuing  tactics  that  require  significant  costs.       In  the  negative  scenario,  FPBL  should  be  ready  to  cut  back  on  any  paid  ad  placement   currently  employed.    This  would  include  television,  radio,  SEO  etc.    The  strategy  should  then  be   switched  to  refocus  on  current  tactics  that  do  not  require  additional  funds.   If  the  utilization  of  free  social  media  marketing  schemes  proves  to  be  successful  for  the   Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  then  the  league  should  become  more  aggressive  using  channels   that  reach  a  larger  audience.  To  continue  increasing  revenue  and  attendance  to  the  games  the   league  should  use  radio  and/or  television  advertising  placement  for  its  ads.  Due  to  the  cost   increases  of  applying  these  channels  radio  should  be  implemented  first.  Radio  is  more   expensive  than  social  media,  but  far  less  expensive  than  television  commercials  minimizing  the   risk  of  expenses  exceeding  gains.  Making  use  of  the  radio  will  gain  brand  awareness  and  allow   the  FPBL  to  reach  a  larger  audience  than  what  social  media  can  currently  offer.  If  radio   advertising  proves  to  be  successful  than  the  implementation  of  television  advertising  could   increase  awareness  about  the  league  even  further.  Allocating  a  portion  of  the  marketing  budget   to  television  should  only  be  used  if  the  prior  two  vehicles  (social  media  &  radio)  are  successful   and  the  league  should  only  continue  to    if  the  results  are  proven  to  outweigh  the  costs   and  risks  that  television  advertising  consists  of.    Additionally,  community  based  tactics  that   require  investment  should  be  ramped  up  as  effective.    Monitoring  attendance,  forward  sales,   and  other  relevant  metrics  at  such  events  should  be  employed  in  order  to  choose  which  events   to  invest  in,  and  how  heavily  to  invest.    

 

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IMPLEMENTATION    

Digital  Media      

Through  our  strategy  of  Digital  Media,  the  process  of  execution  and  evaluation  is   fortunately  one  that  is  much  easier  to  identify  and  track.  The  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League   currently  has  a  Website,  Facebook  page,  Twitter  ,  Instagram  ,  and  a  YouTube   .  Because  of  this,  many  of  our  execution  strategies  more  revolve  around  the  continued   effort  to  push  further  with  these  presently  existing  resources.  In  addition,  a  great  benefit  of   utilizing  all  of  these  services  comes  within  the  idea  that  evaluating  the  success  of  the  FPBL  on   the  respective  platforms  is  one  that  can  tangibly  be  seen  by  data.  Websites  commonly  provide   browsing  data,  viewing  numbers,  and  charts  of  trends  to  the  point  that  the  FPBL  can  observe   who  is  actually  looking  at  their  website,  when  these  people  are  doing  it,  and  where  in  the  world   their  fan  base  actually  resides.  Similarly,  Facebook  provides  the  organization  with  just  as  much   detailed  information  concerning  its  “Likes”,  “Views”,  and  “Shares”,  all  data  that  is  crucial  for  a   business  looking  to  build  its  brand  recognition  and  awareness.  As  long  as  the  FPBL  is  cognizant   of  what  information  may  provide  more  use  to  the  company  versus  data  that  is  not  necessarily   as  helpful  or  supplemental,  it  will  be  in  good  shape  to  ensure  the  success  of  its  endeavors  in   digital  media.   Local  Outreach   The  local  outreach  program  was  designed  to  increase  the  brand  awareness  and  image  of   the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League.  In  order  to  accomplish  these  goals  and  strategies  outlined,   the  local  outreach  program  must  be  carefully  executed  and  evaluated.  Time  is  of  the  essence,  

 

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with  the  season  approaching  rapidly  the  league  must  work  diligently  to  carry  to  out  these   community-­‐oriented  campaigns.  The  outreach’s  program  strategies  all  are  designed  to  create   mutually  beneficial  situations  between  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  and  their  partners.  In   order  to  effectively  launch  the  local  outreach  program  a  network  must  be  created.  The  schools,   businesses,  and  other  local  entities  the  FPBL  wishes  to  partner  with  must  be  ed  and   meaningful  connections  made.  Success  is  also  heavily  dependent  on  FPBL  player  appearances.   Management  of  schedules  must  allow  allocate  time  and  availability  for  these  various  events.    

Gauging  the  success  of  these  programs  will  be  accomplished  by  noting  active  

participation  by  the  community.  The  number  of  schools  partaking  in  the  fundraising  and  after   school  camps  as  well  as  patrons  attending  the  local  Freedom  Fan  Fest  should  be  easily   quantifiable.  The  next  step  is  measuring  whether  these  various  activities  actually  influenced   customers  to  show  up  at  league  games.  This  can  be  done  through  the  use  of  coupons.  Handing   out  different  coupons  redeemable  for  a  free  soda,  hotdog,  etc.,  with  the  purchase  of  tickets,  at   the  different  events  will  allow  the  FPBL  to  quantify  the  success  of  each  event  by  the  redemption   rate  of  each  individual  type  of  coupon.   TV  Commercial      

In  implementing  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League’s  television  commercial,  the  

 

organization  must  first  decide  with  which  station(s)  they  would  like  to  partner.  Once  this  has   been  determined,  the  FPBL  must  then    the  station  and  work  hands-­‐on  with  the  sales   manager,  content  editor,  and  advertising  executives  to  ensure  that  the  commercial  crafted  is   one  that  speaks  well  to  the  target  market  and  the  viewer  demographic  for  which  that  channel  

 

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has  the  greatest  exposure.  Because  the  sales  managers  and  advertising  departments  may  have   an  even  greater  variety  of  resources  to  choose  from  and  supplement  its  decisions  with,  there  is   the  possibility  that  further  editing  is  necessary  to  guarantee  the  very  best  of  brand  imaging  in   the  clip.   As  this  process  reveals  itself,  it  will  be  crucial  for  the  FPBL  to  work  hand-­‐in-­‐hand  with  its   broadcasting  network  to  use  metrics  which  will  allow  it  to  best  measure  the  success  of  its   advertising.  One  strategy  promotes  including  a  phone  number  or  website  URL  in  the   ment  that  is  specifically  created  for  the  response  of  consumers  viewing  the  ad.  When   people  utilize  this  method  of  communication,  the  FPBL  will  be  able  to  know  who  actually  saw   this  commercial.     Another  strategy  that  we  feel  will  be  most  effective  is  the  use  of  promotion.  As   previously  mentioned  in  the  Implementation  through  Local  Outreach  section,  promotions  such   as  coupons  can  present  an  ideal  way  to  measure  whether  customers  were  actually  influenced   to  attend  games  based  off  the  advertising,  which  is  our  end  goal.  We  would  highly  suggest   including  a  promotion  offer  within  the  last  few  seconds  of  the  television  ad  in  which  customers   can  then  visit  YouTube,  where  the  thirty-­‐second  video  will  also  be  hosted,  and  share  the  video.   If  they  have  shared  the  commercial  via  Facebook,  they  would  then  be  eligible  to  receive  a  free   hot  dog  and  drink  at  the  game,  a  great  offer  for  something,  which  requires  minimal  effort  on   their  end.  This  is  a  tangible  strategy  that  would  then  allow  the  FPBL  to  definitively  mark  who   from  their  customer  base  actually  saw  the  ment,  but  more  importantly,  who  was   driven  to  attend  a  game  by  the  commercial.    

 

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CONCLUSION    

In  methodically  applying  the  three  marketing  strategies  to  drive  brand  awareness  and   obtain  recognition  within  Arizona,  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  should  be  able  to   substantially  expand.  It  is  our  hope  that  through  incorporating  the  tactics  of  digital  marketing,   local  and  community  outreach  events,  and  a  video  promotion  timeline,  the  FPBL  can  easily   accomplish  its  objective  of  positioning  itself  to  consumers  as  a  cost-­‐efficient  and  valuable   alternative  to  other  entertainment  options.  In  doing  so,  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  can   situate  itself  in  a  promising  and  optimistic  location,  as  the  competitive  market  offers  it  the   chance  to  grow  exponentially  within  the  next  five  years.  By  following  the  agenda  we  have  set   forth,  the  Freedom  Pro  Baseball  League  should  be  a  successful  and  profitable  organization   making  a  substantial  impact  on  the  local  community  and  baseball  market  of  Arizona  citizens  for   years  to  come.        

         

 

   

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