Gold Coast Suns Case Study

Imagine you are the marketing manager of the Gold Coast Suns. What strategies would you develop to engage fans using psychological, personal and environmental factors?

Psychological

As the marketing manager for the Gold Coast Suns, I would make the psychological factors of marketing to the public include the sense of family for member of the club. Making the public want to be a part of the club because of the connection between club members and the athletes. Implementing the modern social media into the marketing plans with possibility of member competitions like tagging their photos for a chance to win product. The marketing team would update the social media outlets with live posts showing what is happening with the club and showing people what they could be a part of.

Personal

Being a new club, The Gold Coast Suns are not pre established in a certain way which gives the opportunity to market in different ways. The Gold Coast Suns should market to every demographical group and not focus on a small group. Looking into trying to get a variety of different ethnicities and demographic groups from all over should be their main priority instead of focusing on the local communities.

Environmental

The environmental factors of marketing for the Gold Coast Suns will be a very important aspect of a marketing campaign because the Gold Coast is home to a very marketable geographical makeup. Taking advantage of this would be a very smart way to market the Gold Coast Suns because the aesthetically pleasing scenery and laid back lifestyle the Gold Coast offers.

Apart from being more competitive on the field, how can the Gold Coast Suns improve their crowd and member numbers?

The Gold Coast Suns can improve their crowd and member numbers by using a system in which bulk ticket purchases are encouraged. Using this system will encourage people to invite friends and family in order to get discounted ticket prices. Membership loyalty programs will also prove to improve member numbers. Using a system where members can recommend people to become members in order to get rewards will help improve membership numbers. Implementing a way that new members can say who referred them to give that person some sort of reward is a good way to give members incentive to get their friends and family to sign up.

Are the psychological, personal and environmental factors the same in choosing to attend a Gold Coast Suns game instead of attending a Gold Coast Titans game? If not, what are the key differences?

The choice between the two event posses similar factors because the environment is the same because both teams are based out of the Gold Coast. Many people would be attending either event because they seek some form of entertainment in the sports but the different rules and goals between the sport is a factor for people who are more in depth spectators. People may enjoy one sport more than the other which would be a difficult factor to over come but for the spectators who enjoy attending sporting events can be swayed either way by the energy that the sporting events can provide. 

Nike Free Case Study

Explain how Nike researches and develops new products. 

Nike uses their state of the art research facility in Portland, Oregon in USA called Nike Sports Research Laboratory (NRSL). This is where they use athletes to testy their products and they can record result of the performance in the aspects such as athletes movements, breathing patterns, wear and tear of the human body and thermal scanning while the athletes are participating in particular sporting activities. They also use video recordings in high quality video with slow motion on multiple video angles. Nike also takes feedback from their athletes to make sure that the consumer using their products are getting everything they could possibly ask for in a product when purchasing Nike products. Once all the research is conducted, they relay the information to the “Nike Kitchen” in order to produce a prototype product in which they then bring back to the testing facilities until the product is at the highest level of performance possible.

Develop a flow diagram to illustrate the research undertaken using athletes and high-tech instruments by Nike's Kitchen to develop Nike Free.

Identify the methods used by Nike to test Nike Free.

Nike began testing their new Nike Free product by undertaking very in depth independent testing. A large group of 110 everyday runners consisting of elite athletes and some general public conducted a six month testing trial. The large group was broken into 2 smaller groups with one group wearing their regular running shoe and the other wearing the Nike Frees. Both groups were tested at the beginning of the trial period and at the end to test their qualities like speed, development, coordination and optimal speed. At the end of the period, the group that used their normal running shoes collectively showed slight improvements in some qualities but the group that used the Nike free shoes showed improvements in every aspect with a significant 10-20 percent. Nike referred to the Frees as a “gym for your feet”.

You are a sales assistant in a Niketown store. Discuss the internet-based training you underwent to ensure that you fully understand all the features of Nike products, especially Nike Free. 

As a Nike sales assistant in a Niketown store, I would have undergone ashore online training course called “Nike Sports Knowledge Underground” in which a flash media is designed to inform employees on the nike products including Nike Free. At the end of the course, a test is set in place to evaluate the employees knowledge of the product as well as a sheet of the detailed specs on the product.

Discuss the look and feel of the Nike Free website and identify how this, and the content of the website, complements Nike's overall mission.

The mission that the whole brand of Nike is “ To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. This mission statement is portrayed in the Nike Free portion of the website by showing that the Nike Free shoe can be used by any form of athlete and can cater to each any every persons likes and needs. The wide variety of colors and designs provide anyones taste to be converted into their running shoe. They also make the website simple to navigate by having all the designs in large boxes in the center of the page where the user can click the design they want to explore which then opens up to a more in depth explanation of each design.

Assume you are making a presentation on Nike Free to the local sporting club. Illustrate the benefits that runners will gain when using Nike Free for training. 

The benefits that an athlete can gain when using Nike Free shoes are exactly what any athlete would need. The weight of the shoe is at the lightest end of the running shoe market alone with a higher durability. The Nike Free is proven that it enhances the strength in the users ankle and feet while having a larger range of flexibility.

Nike Free is a shoe designed to give runners the feeling and benefits of running in bare feet. However, the idea of running in bare feet could be seen as a contradiction to the foundation stone of Nike, the world's leading athletic shoe company. You are the Marketing Manager of Nike. Explain how a 'barefoot' shoe will complement Nike's shoe range. What are the benefits the shoe gives runners?

Although running barefoot is not ideal for a runner it is something that could be considered the most comfortable way to run if done on a soft surface. The Nike Free gives the comfort that barefoot running can give while improving strength and performance of the runners ankles and feet.

Examine Nike's website. Study how the site is set out and each link within the site.

a) Look at the use of colours and images used in the website. What is the image that these colours and images seek to promote?

The image that the variety of colors and images seek to promote is the fact that there is a nike shoe for everyone in the world. No matter someones preference in shoes, Nike is able to make a product that is customized to the preference of the consumer with little downtime. 

b) How is the Nike swoosh logo used?

The Nike swoosh logo is used to personalise the company into a lifestyle. It is used to make every aspect of the Nike consumer relationship to be a part of a joint lifestyle that anyone who uses the product or has any association with the company is a part of. 

c) What is the difference between marketing and advertising?

Marketing is used to associate the product of the company to a lifestyle and what things are possible when the company’s products are present. It promotes the opportunities involved with the products or services and explores what the consumer is interested in. Advertising is used to connect the consumers with the product directly and how it will improve the consumers life. 

d) Give examples of how Nike uses its website for marketing and advertising.

The Nike Kobe Bryant and Lebron James shoes are forms of marketing to the public by using professional athletes to show that their product is the best there is. The consumer would see that if the shoe is worthy of Kobe or Lebron to wear that it might make them play basketball a little bit more like them. 

Nike uses this photo as a way to advertise to the consumer showing that their shoe is able to perform in any sort of terrain, which a golfer would look for in a golf shoe.

A few Defenitions

Perishability:  Examines that services cannot be produced and stockpiled but they are only available at the time of production.

Heterogeneity:  The characteristic of a service that is unique to the producer of the service. This means that unlike a product, services cannot be reproduced the same 100% of the time.

Intangibility:  The characteristic of a service that refers to that fact that it lacks physical  form.

Inseparability:  Requires the customer to interact with the services producer in order to receive its benefits. The service has characteristics that make the service inseparable from its producer.

Sponsorship: The form of marketing typically done for promotional purposes where two or more parties will benefit from the act. Done through funding financially and providing of product and services to an event, activity, person, or organization

Patronage:  This is referring to the act of giving assistance to one another. Often in the form of funding, backing or sponsorship.

Charity:  Can be either a business or operation that is et in place to help a specific cause or can be the voluntary giving of help often times in financial form

Case Study : The future of the sport place: Build it and they will come.

Comment on how the variable ‘facility planning’ and ‘physical evidence’ apply to the different sections of this case study.

When participating in facility planning for a large event one of the major aspects of consideration is costs and funding. For a big event, the facilities must be able to fit the amount of spectators comfortably and must be in association with the expected attendance numbers. When applying this to the Sydney Olympic Games, deciding on a facility for a smaller, less attended sport, the person planning must compensate by using a smaller venue to consider the amount of people attending. If they were to use a venue too big, it would cost more and they would most likely not sell all the the seats available and have a loss of revenue. Sporting venues are also now considering adding extra things that could produce revenue such as bars, nightclubs, hotel rooms, office spaces, arcades, retail stores and restaurants. 

The physical evidence of a sporting stadium is important for the “awe” factor of making events. The architecture of the stadiums can be used as a tool to separate a stadium from the majority by using more aesthetically pleasing stadiums designs. This is also a good way to make the stadium more functional for attendees. Good views of the sporting action is important and should include television screens, good seating and possibly some sort of in-seat interaction for the people attending.

Comment on how the variables ‘people’ and ‘process’ apply to the different sections of this case study.

The amount of people attending these sporting events have been on the incline with more people becoming more aware of different sports.   The Sydney Olympic park authority is aiming to increase the number of people visiting the site from 2000 to 10000 per day, with the redevelopment.  The amount of people can also represent the delivery of good staff and the quality of customer service the staff provides.

          The process in which the arena needs to deliver good quality and services.  This will keep the customer satisfied and hopefully want to return to the arena.  They do mention that the facilities are much better now, they offer more than just a game.

Can you think of other standards that may replace ‘cost per seat’ as a better means to account for facility construction costs? justify your answer.

        The cost structure of building a new stadium is usually based on ‘cost per seat’.  Another standard to replace this would be not just thinking about one sport played during the week, but getting other sporting organisations to play there during the week.  They need other games their and facilities that can make a stadium money.

Given the different distribution channels presented in figure 7.5, can you argue the most likely (future) distributing channel for spectator sport? You may want to consider the strategic distribution principle of ‘vertical integration’.

          Looking at alll tables i feel that table B is the most appropriate for spectator sports.  The distribution of using both television stations and facility owners are a good means to deliver the product to customers.  The need for vertical intregation is used to reduce costs and improve efficency.  In context to spectators sports, they need to use this distribution to satisfy customers needs and wants, by reducing costs and improving efficency, the sport will become more attractive in thier eyes.

BIRGing and CORFing

BIRGing
The act of BIRGing is an acronym for the statement “basking in reflected glory” and is an act done by someone who is affiliated with someone who has been successful. This is done in a sporting sense when a fan of a team or athlete uses the success of the team or athlete to improve their esteem and social identity. The person that is participating in the act of BIRGing will pride themselves in being affiliated with the success of the team or athlete such as a fan painting themselves in a teams colors or wearing the teams paraphernalia.

Anaheim Ducks fans dress in Ducks colors for the game.

These fans dress like pro golfer Ricky Fowler to show support.

CORFing

CORFing is an acronym for “cutting off reflective failure” and is done in sport when a person wants to distance themselves as far as possible from the loosing team or athlete. Fans can CORF when the team that they are following is loosing so they will not affiliate themselves with the team until they are winning again. Fans can also use a teams win to boost their social identity. For example, if a 49ers fan is watching a game and the 49ers have won, they will often refer to the win as “We won and they lost” as a form of CORFing

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in Sport

Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs to show and explain his statement that motivation is a result of an individual’s attempts to satisfy needs. Maslow’s theory consists of five different levels in which are applied to create highly motivated athletes.

1. Physiological :

This is the base of producing a highly motivated athlete. This level consists of the basic needs for any human to be at the highest level of productivity. Included in this level is the need for food, water, sleep, rest and standard health maintenance for the human body. In order for athletes to be motivated and perform at their best the must be eating right and getting enough sleep. He also says that even at the highest level of performance, athletes need rest. Lack of a break and rest will result in stress which could eventually lead to depression and athletes performance declining.

2. Safety :

This portion of the pyramid is focused on the necessity for an athletes security and stability. In order for an athlete to be most motivated he/she must not be focused on worrying about income and security in order to focus on their training and sport.

3. Social :

When examining the athletes social needs in this section, Maslow explains that athletes need a sense of love and belonging with their teammates, coaches and other parties like friends and significant others. This feeling with encourage athletes to perform at their highest level and if in a team sport for the team member to work effectively together improving each athletes strengths.

4. Esteem:

As an athlete, a major contribution to motivation and success is their need for respect, admiration and recognition. This means that within their team and audience they must feel as if they are respected and admired to improve motivation. Athletes also need to be rewarded for their accomplishments by both monetary and non monetary rewards sometimes with something as simple as a “thank you” or “good job”.

5. Self actualization:

This is the tip of the pyramid and self actualization means that athletes need to constantly fulfill, grow and us their abilities to the fullest extent. Athletes must be given opportunities to hone their skills and a chance to participate in competition in order to reach their goals and dreams.

A New Program : Active Ageing

After reading the case, and thinking back to the ‘Marketing Myopia’ article by Levitt last week, do you think this case study suggests another possible industry that sport could position itself within?

  Another possible industry that sport could position itself within could be the use of ‘public education’.  As discussed in the case study, people need to have more knowledge on the active aging population in Queensland.  The four bodies Lisa talks about and their member organisations would plan and Implement active ageing.  Therefore, training and educating in sporting organisation bodies.

 The case gives us a general situation analysis, what are your first impressions of who the target markets might be? Why?

  My first impressions are the target markets is the whole sector of the sporting industry.  It is trying to target every sporting organisation to get more of the older population to actively grow.  They want more of the older population to be active as it is proven you live a longer life when you exercise and be active.  

 We have already been given some objectives, what are your first impressions of the strategies that can be used to meet these objectives?

  It was noted that organisation resources were limited, and staff and funds were committed to other projects.  I feel that the strategies to meet the objectivities would be to target the government funds.  To get the resources, time and funds they need the governments help.  They also need more volunteers in the industry to distribute more time between themselves.  This will enable more productivity and educating people about the ‘Active Ageing’ in Queensland.