Marketing and Sponsorship for Events and Sports - Essay Example

? Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign December 14, I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Middlesex in its quest to raise awareness on the benefits of sports, will host a Sports Open Day on February 2, 2013. This event dubbed as “Rearing Champions: A Sports Open Day” will showcase a variety of sports being played within the university, and engage the teams that compete in the British Universities & Colleges Sports Events. This will be a one-day activity which aims to bring together the city’s top players and have an exhibition game which will showcase their sports prowess. To enable the organizers to do this, invitations for targeted individuals to be tapped as team players shall be sent. The teams will be composed of players from various universities, an all-star game of sorts. Having these players participate in the game will increase the interest of the target audience. Amateurs may draw inspirations from these games, and eventually apply the techniques in their own fields. Part of the organizer’s marketing plans is to do radio advertisements two weeks before the event. Utilizing above-the-line media will expand the organizer’s reach and will definitely elicit interest among listeners. Below-the-line media such as posters and flyers will also be used. To support the marketing budget, sponsorships with media and consumer groups shall be initiated. This will result in support in terms of budget and promotions. At the end of the event, the organizers targets for the audience to have increased interest in sports, consequently increasing inquiries in sports-related courses and programs. II. TARGET MARKET III. SWOT a. Strengths – Middlesex University in London is known for its support to Sports Activities. In fact, its involvement in sports activities goes to the extent of encouraging its students to participate and volunteer in sports-related activities. Further, as stated in its website, picking which sports to participate in is a student’s second major decision after selecting the course to take (Middlesex University London 2012). Its expertise and participation in sports activities in the city is a good work ground in implementing this Sports Open Day. Another factor that may considered as strength is the Londoners’ obvious love for sports, which was probably fueled by the city’s hosting of the 2012 Olympics. The clamor for sports activities is still lingering, and the youth are the best group that considers sports-related activities a one of their priorities. b. Weakness – Activity-related funds are still being built up, with great dependence on sponsorships. Though a lot of organizations and companies have the capacity to pledge support for the program, the university’s challenge is to be able to get the needed funds to ensure success of the event. Further, the organizers should be able to come up with the needed funds within a span of less than two months, a feat that is achievable, but would entail hard work for the marketing committee team. c. Opportunity – The city government of London has promised to put in more support in sports-based activities through the mayor’s legacy projects (Increasing opportunities to play sports 2012). Middlesex Universities’ Sports Event is aligned to this goal, and as such, the situation provides a great opportunity for the marketing and promotions with the support of the local government. Having this kind of supporting environment strengthens opportunities to the event organizers. d. Threats – No known major threat has been identified, though probably, the presence of sports-related campaigns that are more commercial in value lessens the attractiveness of this endeavor. The organizers however would still want to capitalize on this threat and use it to the event’s advantage by not antagonizing mainstream efforts. Bringing in sponsors from the mainstream group will address this threat as having consumer companies participate in the Sports Open Day would mean opening doors to a wider market reach. IV. OBJECTIVES The Sports Open Day has the following objectives: 1. To raise awareness of the University sports among Middlesex University students, faculty and non-faculty staff. 2. To inspire the local youth to get more involved in sports, both on competitive and recreational level. 3. To create new connections between the university and local secondary schools and colleges in order to expand its potential future customer base. 4. To create positive image of the university to the media. V. KEY MESSAGE The Sports Open Day is both a celebration and an effort to raise student awareness on sports activities. Organizers aim to instill in the students the value of sports, and enhancing self-discipline and focus to emerge as champions, not only in terms of sports-related activities but also in terms of life as a whole. VI. STRATEGIES 1. Radio Ad Placements Radio Ads in a top radio station will help the organizers convey their key message and invitation to the target audience. Radio ads are still one of the most popular modes of advertising, and since the target audience are the young age groups who are still very much into radio listening, this will be highly effective in communicating with public. 2. Below-the-line materials Poster and flyers will be distributed in key areas and nearby universities. Posters and flyers contain essential and detailed information on the event which will further fuel the interest of the target audience. 3. Internet Marketing Internet Marketing has become popular because Internet access is becoming more widely available and used. Well over one-third of consumers who have Internet access at home report to using the Internet to make purchases (What is Internet marketing 2004). Moreover, statistics show that Internet users increase at a rapid rate that in five years’ time, it is predicted that 80% of United Kingdom’s population will have a computer with Internet access at home (Advertising 2007). Since the event’s target audience is young men and women who, most likely have internet access, it chooses to primarily utilize internet marketing to promote its products. The organizers shall create a website from one of the free website hosting sites such as webs.com. This website contains pertinent details regarding the event and the schedules. 4. Word-of-Web Marketing This is actually a modified version of Word of Mouth Marketing, in which information is passed through verbal means. Word of mouth is typically considered a face-to-face spoken communication, although phone conversations, text messages and web dialogue, such as online profile pages, blog posts, message board threads, instant messages, chat exchanges and emails are also considered word of mouth. This might be informal, and non-quantifiable, but it is also a personal means by which information can be endorsed from one satisfied customer to a potential customer. Social media pages such as Facebook and Twitter will be useful tools in marketing the event to the target audience. A Facebook fan page and Twitter Accounts would allow organizers to communicate with the target audience and give them a chance to exchange conversations with people even outside of London. Students are now heavy on social media networking and maximizing this channel will ensure the success of the endeavor. VII. BUDGET AND TIMELINE BUDGET ALLOCATION PLAN Unit Cost Qty/ Frequency Sub Total Notes Radio Advertisements ?500.00 1 500 5 spots per day, everyday for two weeks prior to event* 1 - With Audio-on board announcements Flyers ?700.00 - Packaged cost for 10,000 pieces Posters - A2 size ?14.00 100 1,400   Total ?1,900.00 The radio advertisement is discounted, with an ex-deal allowing the radio station to do exclusive live coverage of the event and have known sports personality-guests to be interviewed and advertise in one of the radio programs. The radio partnership will provide a long-term support not only to the event but to other sports-related activities in the future. Current budget is ? 800. The remaining ? 1,100 shall be acquired from sponsorships and tie up from consumer companies such as Coca Cola and Unilever, and mobile telephone companies as well. In exchange of sponsorships, the companies to agree on the terms and conditions will be allowed to set up merchandising materials and do marketing during the event proper. Though this is a non-profit organization, the presence of these companies would provide more support to this event. TIMELINES Event Date February 2, 2013 Start Date End Date Planning 15-Dec-12 11-Jan-13 Negotiations with Sponsors 1-Jan-13 15-Jan-13 Production of Flyers and Posters 7-Jan-13 18-Jan-13 Radio Ad Placements 21-Jan-13 2-Feb-13 VIII. EVALUATION METHOD A post event analysis shall be conducted right after the whole-day activity. On the day itself, at the registration area, people coming in will be asked where they were able to obtain the information on the event. This will be one of the tools to gauge the effectiveness of the marketing tools used. The survey will be in the form of an additional column to the registration form. Other columns include name, age and university/ office if applicable. It will be very simple as not to hold the registration line. The number of attendees versus the projections shall also be measured. Basing on the registration statistics, we would be able to segregate age groups and find out which group was enticed the most. Player-participants shall also be randomly interviewed to get inputs on the strengths and weaknesses of the event. Post event analysis shall measure not only the effectiveness of the marketing methods, but the coordination and management of the event as a whole. Part of the evaluation will include vendor and supplier management, to determine if the same group shall be tapped for future events. The organizing team shall also determine the group’s strengths and weaknesses as guiding points for the next projects. Reference List Benefits of an online marketing approach. Nextsbd.com. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from http://www.nextsbd.com/imarketing/benefits-of-online-marketing.php Increasing Opportunities to Play Sports. Retrieved December 14, 2012 from http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/london-2012/increasing-opportunities-play-sport Middlesex University London. Retrieved December 14, 2012 from http://www.mdx.ac.uk/facilities/sport/index.aspx United Kingdom Internet Usage and Broadband. Internet World Stats. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from http://www.internetworldstats.com/eu/uk.htm Read More