For my reflection blog, I decided to read and critique Lacey Elick’s blog about her final paper. She had decided to do her paper over the travel and tourism industry which is something that really interests me. However, she is primarily focusing on how they are striving to keep customers and stay alive during these tough economic times. Companies, families, and people are cutting back and a nice summer vacation to Mexico is one of the first things to go. Lacey is also looking at how luxury resorts are going to maintain their exclusive status on a smaller budget while still attracting their customers who want the prestige luxury.
One of the first things Lacey mentions that is dependable for the travel industry are corporations hosting company retreats. While many companies may still plan on having a yearly retreat, I believe they will decide to stay in house to do so. I think that all companies are having to watch their costs at this time and an overnight or weekend retreat would be the first thing that would cut. Instead, most companies are bringing in leadership groups and key speakers into the company buildings and just setting a Friday aside to do these activities. It is key for marketing communications representatives at these travel retreat hot spots to stay well connected to their loyal corporate customers. I also agree with Lacey on that these travel retreats should try to create a great package specifically designed for the companies for the retreats. By providing transportation, catering, entertainment, and any other retreat needs, companies will feel better about spending their money on a well planned and beneficial retreat.
Another target market Lacey mentions that travel destinations should focus on is upper class retirees. I think the research and information she found backs this up entirely. Retirees want comfort and ease in a vacation along with relaxation and pampering. This is a perfect segment for travel destinations to target on instead of the usual young family with two kids. Retirees are also not going to pay for extravagant activities such as white water rafting or snow skiing so the luxury vacation hot spots need to aim their marketing at this group. However, this market segment are professionals at traveling and vacations by now and will want things to run smoothly and exactly their way. This means that customer service needs to be top notch so that these people can plan and enjoy their vacation hassle free. For instance, my parents have not retired yet, but will in the next 2-5 years so are pretty close to this market segment. They are planning a vacation for this summer to go on a cruise through the Mediterranean and Greek Islands. My parents have been on multiple cruises and vacations so have the system down and are ultimately looking for great customer service and help with planning and booking this trip. My dad faced problems when buying plane tickets which caused him to almost cancel the cruise all-together and settle for a vacation at the Fredricksburg Bred & Breakfast instead. These travel destinations need to focus in on this market and make their vacation enjoyable so they will keep coming back year after year no matter what the economic condition may be.
Overall, I thought this blog was researched very well and I think it will turn into a great paper. I know in the past my family has had to downgrade certain vacations to lower ones but no matter what we always have a wonderful time. This industry is developing facing a difficult time in this economy and therefore, should focus on a particular market segment. With a good marketing team, they will be able to have their destination packed by summer!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Outline
I have a few concerns with my thesis, I know it may need to change and I'm still trying to figure out a better way to restate it for the conclusion paragraph. After further research and writing I will be able to reword it so it sums up my paper nicely. Also, the areas where I have quotations is the research I have done on the certain topic so far and what I really liked and want to go off of. I hope this is okay. I would love love love any feedback though because my writing skills and overall paper organization talent is not up to par. Thanks so much!
I. Introduction
A. Thesis- College sports marketing is comprised of three marketing objectives that the University of Texas Athletics captures in each Longhorn fan using various marketing techniques that vary among the men’s and women’s sports.
I. The three sports marketing objectives and how each relates to University of Texas Athletics.
II. Customer experiences based on each particular fan at sporting events: students, alumni, families, and corporate sponsors.
III. Men’s college sports marketing compared to women’s college sports marketing within the University of Texas Athletics Department.
IV. My recommendations and insights for overall college sports marketing at the University of Texas Athletics.
Body:
I. The three sports marketing objectives.
"Texas, long a marketing dynamo, is exploring its own TV network. A first for an individual school, it would fill a statewide cable channel and various Internet outlets with UT football, basketball and other sports."
"Since the beginning of 2007, a total of 37 schools have guaranteed themselves more than a combined $1.7 billion by bundling and selling their multimedia rights. On the other side, rights-holders such as IMG work to recoup their investment by making as many corporate sponsorship deals as allowed by the schools."
A. Marketing sports as entertainment. (1)
"Host Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bull Run Corporation and major player in the collegiate sports marketplace for 26 years, announced its line up of on- and off-campus marketing initiatives designed to promote college football in cities across the U.S. during the football season. Host produces, distributes and oversees advertising sales for these broadcasts. These four `kick off` games were broadcast to approximately 150 stations across the U.S., although more than 300 stations are expected to be on the network by the end of college football season."
"Our company remains dedicated to the college football fan and to delivering the best possible game `over the airwaves`. Our audience is those who hold a unique affinity for a particular school, and we’re committed to providing them with the highest quality of programming." (James Host, CEO of Host Communications, Inc.)
B. Building sport participation. (2)
"For college football fans who prefer to learn about their favorite team or NCAA Football over the Internet, Host has recently redesigned NCAA Football’s home web site, http://www.ncaafootball.net/, where students, fans and alumni can access the latest information about any of these national initiatives and site visits. "It’s second nature for us to want to better our collegiate initiatives year after year to reach as many people as possible. "We anticipate looking back at the end of the 2000-01 college football season feeling great about the programs we produced to bring more exposure to collegiate athletics and more fans to the games." (Host)
C. Marketing products and services through sports. (3)
“The NCAA insists college players not be used as sales tools, though the task force further recommends guidelines governing the use of their names and likenesses be loosened as long as it ‘does not portray the student-athlete in a manner as promoting or endorsing the sale or use of a commercial produce or service.’”
“The NCAA cleared the campaign, explaining it's not a Pontiac promotion but rather a big-play promotion that happens to be sponsored by Pontiac.”
“Video games are another concern. EA Sports' NCAA Football 09, for one, is licensed by the NCAA and prohibited from using current college players' names. But critics such as attorney Pete Rush maintain that stars' identities are scarcely hidden.”
He points to Florida's Tim Tebow, a senior-to-be who won football's Heisman Trophy in 2007 and helped the Gators to last season's national title. In the video game, Rush says, "The quarterback for the Florida Gators is left-handed (as Tebow is) and wears Tim Tebow's number ... and runs many of the same plays that Tim Tebow runs."
(However, I plan to alter this to describe how Vince Young was on the cover of video games after our Championship game.)
"Players, he says, already are sensitive to entrepreneurs co-opting their images for unlicensed T-shirts and posters, . He says he senses less concern about how far schools and the NCAA might take things and even opens the door to pulling athletes further into their commercial efforts. For a price, that is.” (Rush & Morgan)
II. Customer experiences based on identified market segment (various fans and attendees).
“Schools can't continue to raise ticket prices, particularly as fan and alumni bases are feeling their own economic pinch. Donors are squeezed, too. And universities are reluctant to further underwrite athletics when endowments and state appropriations are shrinking and overall budgets are being slashed.”
So programs have turned to emerging revenue sources such as stadium and arena signage, naming rights, trademark and licensing fees and digital media rights and advertising. “Brand first endorsed a more aggressive commercial approach three years ago and has made the issue a priority for the NCAA and schools. Sports is business, he says, and making money is part of it.” (NCAA President, Myles Brand)
A. Customer experiences for a Longhorn student or athlete.
“Part of the appeal of college sports (that's different) from the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA is the fact that the players are students in college. It draws a different kind of interest, a different kind of fan support.” (Morgan, Steve)
B. Customer experiences for Longhorn alumni
C. Customer experiences for families
D. Customer experiences for Corporate sponsors
"It's a contentious debate within the NCAA and its more than 300 Division I schools:
How far should the NCAA and its members go to boost revenue at a time when the nation's fiscal crisis is weighing on college athletics? “Many schools, with the blessing of NCAA President Myles Brand, are courting an increasingly varied array of sponsors and advertisers and creating some discomfort in the process.”
III. Women’s college sports marketing compared to Men’s college sports marketing.
A. Men’s marketing strategies
B. Women’s marketing strategies
C. Recommendations for improving/expanding current Longhorn women’s sports marketing.
IV. Recommendations and my insights for college sports marketing for the University of Texas Athletics.
Conclusion:
- Restate thesis: College sports marketing is comprised of three marketing objectives that the University of Texas Athletics captures in each Longhorn fan using various marketing techniques that vary among the men’s and women’s sports.
A. Learnings from this study
B. Re-examine my insights and recommendations
C. Application of overall customer insights with sports marketing at the University of Texas.
I. Introduction
A. Thesis- College sports marketing is comprised of three marketing objectives that the University of Texas Athletics captures in each Longhorn fan using various marketing techniques that vary among the men’s and women’s sports.
I. The three sports marketing objectives and how each relates to University of Texas Athletics.
II. Customer experiences based on each particular fan at sporting events: students, alumni, families, and corporate sponsors.
III. Men’s college sports marketing compared to women’s college sports marketing within the University of Texas Athletics Department.
IV. My recommendations and insights for overall college sports marketing at the University of Texas Athletics.
Body:
I. The three sports marketing objectives.
"Texas, long a marketing dynamo, is exploring its own TV network. A first for an individual school, it would fill a statewide cable channel and various Internet outlets with UT football, basketball and other sports."
"Since the beginning of 2007, a total of 37 schools have guaranteed themselves more than a combined $1.7 billion by bundling and selling their multimedia rights. On the other side, rights-holders such as IMG work to recoup their investment by making as many corporate sponsorship deals as allowed by the schools."
A. Marketing sports as entertainment. (1)
"Host Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bull Run Corporation and major player in the collegiate sports marketplace for 26 years, announced its line up of on- and off-campus marketing initiatives designed to promote college football in cities across the U.S. during the football season. Host produces, distributes and oversees advertising sales for these broadcasts. These four `kick off` games were broadcast to approximately 150 stations across the U.S., although more than 300 stations are expected to be on the network by the end of college football season."
"Our company remains dedicated to the college football fan and to delivering the best possible game `over the airwaves`. Our audience is those who hold a unique affinity for a particular school, and we’re committed to providing them with the highest quality of programming." (James Host, CEO of Host Communications, Inc.)
B. Building sport participation. (2)
"For college football fans who prefer to learn about their favorite team or NCAA Football over the Internet, Host has recently redesigned NCAA Football’s home web site, http://www.ncaafootball.net/, where students, fans and alumni can access the latest information about any of these national initiatives and site visits. "It’s second nature for us to want to better our collegiate initiatives year after year to reach as many people as possible. "We anticipate looking back at the end of the 2000-01 college football season feeling great about the programs we produced to bring more exposure to collegiate athletics and more fans to the games." (Host)
C. Marketing products and services through sports. (3)
“The NCAA insists college players not be used as sales tools, though the task force further recommends guidelines governing the use of their names and likenesses be loosened as long as it ‘does not portray the student-athlete in a manner as promoting or endorsing the sale or use of a commercial produce or service.’”
“The NCAA cleared the campaign, explaining it's not a Pontiac promotion but rather a big-play promotion that happens to be sponsored by Pontiac.”
“Video games are another concern. EA Sports' NCAA Football 09, for one, is licensed by the NCAA and prohibited from using current college players' names. But critics such as attorney Pete Rush maintain that stars' identities are scarcely hidden.”
He points to Florida's Tim Tebow, a senior-to-be who won football's Heisman Trophy in 2007 and helped the Gators to last season's national title. In the video game, Rush says, "The quarterback for the Florida Gators is left-handed (as Tebow is) and wears Tim Tebow's number ... and runs many of the same plays that Tim Tebow runs."
(However, I plan to alter this to describe how Vince Young was on the cover of video games after our Championship game.)
"Players, he says, already are sensitive to entrepreneurs co-opting their images for unlicensed T-shirts and posters, . He says he senses less concern about how far schools and the NCAA might take things and even opens the door to pulling athletes further into their commercial efforts. For a price, that is.” (Rush & Morgan)
II. Customer experiences based on identified market segment (various fans and attendees).
“Schools can't continue to raise ticket prices, particularly as fan and alumni bases are feeling their own economic pinch. Donors are squeezed, too. And universities are reluctant to further underwrite athletics when endowments and state appropriations are shrinking and overall budgets are being slashed.”
So programs have turned to emerging revenue sources such as stadium and arena signage, naming rights, trademark and licensing fees and digital media rights and advertising. “Brand first endorsed a more aggressive commercial approach three years ago and has made the issue a priority for the NCAA and schools. Sports is business, he says, and making money is part of it.” (NCAA President, Myles Brand)
A. Customer experiences for a Longhorn student or athlete.
“Part of the appeal of college sports (that's different) from the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA is the fact that the players are students in college. It draws a different kind of interest, a different kind of fan support.” (Morgan, Steve)
B. Customer experiences for Longhorn alumni
C. Customer experiences for families
D. Customer experiences for Corporate sponsors
"It's a contentious debate within the NCAA and its more than 300 Division I schools:
How far should the NCAA and its members go to boost revenue at a time when the nation's fiscal crisis is weighing on college athletics? “Many schools, with the blessing of NCAA President Myles Brand, are courting an increasingly varied array of sponsors and advertisers and creating some discomfort in the process.”
III. Women’s college sports marketing compared to Men’s college sports marketing.
A. Men’s marketing strategies
B. Women’s marketing strategies
C. Recommendations for improving/expanding current Longhorn women’s sports marketing.
IV. Recommendations and my insights for college sports marketing for the University of Texas Athletics.
Conclusion:
- Restate thesis: College sports marketing is comprised of three marketing objectives that the University of Texas Athletics captures in each Longhorn fan using various marketing techniques that vary among the men’s and women’s sports.
A. Learnings from this study
B. Re-examine my insights and recommendations
C. Application of overall customer insights with sports marketing at the University of Texas.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Political "Customer" Experiences
I’ve been interested in politics since I was a little kid. My parents are pretty involved and we would have fundraisers at our house or they would take me to meet our various representatives at their offices once elected. When I graduated high school, I moved to Washington DC for the summer to work as an intern for my US Congressman and became even more in love with the political scene. It is fast pace, lively, and at times very intimidating but I enjoyed every second of it. Once I came to Texas that fall, I tried to stay up with the current events of campaigns but in your first year of college it can be difficult. A year later, I got an internship in downtown Austin for a political fundraising, marketing, and consulting firm. I have worked there for almost two years now and this has shown me what I really love about politics: the marketing, “getting in the consumer’s mind” part of it.
This political marketing reminded of the film, The Persuaders we watched for our last blog. There was a whole chapter in the film focused on how people’s minds/perceptions change based on just certain words and how politicians have now targeted in on this strategy. I thought the study Michael did was so interesting when he had participants sit in a room and listen to a political speech. Participants were told to turn a dial based on their likeness/dislikeness of certain parts in a speech. With this experiment, Michael was able to capture the key words that participants really liked and even particular words that they disliked. This is key for politicians!
We especially saw how important it was to use key words to grasp the minds of people in this last presidential election. Even those who were not Obama supporters knew he had a talent for giving incredible, insightful speeches, ones that truly captured minds of young and old. This can make all the difference to politicians and therefore have taken on Michael as a consultant. He found the way to target in on what words or phrases people really like and then those that politicians may think sounded good but really made no difference to people. A strategy that will most likely be used more and more in upcoming political campaigns.
I would love to do something more like this at my job. While we do offer consulting (I do not as an intern), we do not do anything as in dept as this. We work with many candidates ranging from US Representatives to State Senators to even a potential Governor candidate. This new strategy is something that is becoming more and more popular but still a lot of candidates have not caught on to and therefore can still be very effective. Voters (consumers) love a candidate when they hear what they want to hear and if you can get into what exactly it is that they want, the rest is fairly simple. President Obama did just this in his campaign. He knew what people wanted to hear and told them, thus beginning his super star image.
We also work with public policy groups, non-profit organizations, lobbyists and coporate PACS (political action committees). With these groups, we coordinate their annual conventions and plan all the operations from registration and hotel logistics, to speakers and meal options. Many of these groups are suprisingly very different and so therefore need different arrangements. For example, one of our clients has a small organization of about 100 people, with the youngest being in his late sixties. These people need hard copies of every agenda, respond better by telephone and want their dinner to be over by 8:00pm. However, another group we have holds conventions with over 1000 people and many of the attendees bring their spouses and families. For a group like this we must book a large hotel, communicate via email, and offer a variety of meal options always with an open bar. A lot of times with groups like this we also plan various excursions in that particular city as an afternoon or latenight activity. This is just another way of how politics can relate to customer insights and experiences in which you have to know exactly what they want and how to deliver it to them.
This political marketing reminded of the film, The Persuaders we watched for our last blog. There was a whole chapter in the film focused on how people’s minds/perceptions change based on just certain words and how politicians have now targeted in on this strategy. I thought the study Michael did was so interesting when he had participants sit in a room and listen to a political speech. Participants were told to turn a dial based on their likeness/dislikeness of certain parts in a speech. With this experiment, Michael was able to capture the key words that participants really liked and even particular words that they disliked. This is key for politicians!
We especially saw how important it was to use key words to grasp the minds of people in this last presidential election. Even those who were not Obama supporters knew he had a talent for giving incredible, insightful speeches, ones that truly captured minds of young and old. This can make all the difference to politicians and therefore have taken on Michael as a consultant. He found the way to target in on what words or phrases people really like and then those that politicians may think sounded good but really made no difference to people. A strategy that will most likely be used more and more in upcoming political campaigns.
I would love to do something more like this at my job. While we do offer consulting (I do not as an intern), we do not do anything as in dept as this. We work with many candidates ranging from US Representatives to State Senators to even a potential Governor candidate. This new strategy is something that is becoming more and more popular but still a lot of candidates have not caught on to and therefore can still be very effective. Voters (consumers) love a candidate when they hear what they want to hear and if you can get into what exactly it is that they want, the rest is fairly simple. President Obama did just this in his campaign. He knew what people wanted to hear and told them, thus beginning his super star image.
We also work with public policy groups, non-profit organizations, lobbyists and coporate PACS (political action committees). With these groups, we coordinate their annual conventions and plan all the operations from registration and hotel logistics, to speakers and meal options. Many of these groups are suprisingly very different and so therefore need different arrangements. For example, one of our clients has a small organization of about 100 people, with the youngest being in his late sixties. These people need hard copies of every agenda, respond better by telephone and want their dinner to be over by 8:00pm. However, another group we have holds conventions with over 1000 people and many of the attendees bring their spouses and families. For a group like this we must book a large hotel, communicate via email, and offer a variety of meal options always with an open bar. A lot of times with groups like this we also plan various excursions in that particular city as an afternoon or latenight activity. This is just another way of how politics can relate to customer insights and experiences in which you have to know exactly what they want and how to deliver it to them.
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