DOAK CREATIVE ENTERPRISES:UNITED STATES WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

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INTRODUCTION

• Doak Creative Enterprises

• Event: USWNT Soccer vs. England

• When: Sunday July 6, 2015 @ 6:00 pm

• Marketing Challenges? • Is there a market for soccer in Tallahassee? • How do we attract fans with students away for the summer? • What is a fair pricing structure for an event people might be unfamiliar with? • How can we incorporate FSU Athletics to help boost the publicity and recognition of this event? • How do we sell out an 82,000 seat stadium?

STRENGTHS• Historic Stadium

• Doak can create feelings of nostalgia

• Showcasing a unique and high-profile game between two rivals

• We, as a team, have a great deal of knowledge of the surrounding area, businesses, and various other publics

• An already popular FSU women’s soccer team to align with

WEAKNESSES• Our lack of experience in

the field of women’s soccer

• Doak Campbell has never hosted an international soccer match

• Is there a soccer market in Florida?

• No US players local to the Tallahassee or North Florida markets

OPPORTUNITIES

• Summer C Freshmen: New semester means an influx of incoming freshmen on campus and can boost attendance

• Fan Support: The American Outlaws, a large fan group, travel in large numbers to support USWNT. We are hoping this will attract other soccer-oriented fan groups.

• New MLS Team: Orlando City SC Lions, a new MLS team just 4 hours away, can be used as a cross-promotion tool. Their venue is within a relatively close proximity to the Tallahassee area.

• Parking: Large parking lots line the outskirts of Doak. This provides an opportunity for tailgating prior to the game.

THREATS

• Filling the Stadium: Largest crowd is about 80,000 at 2012 Olympics. Doak holds 82,300. Big challenge considering Tallahassee is not a large metro area.

• Flights: Very few direct flights to area. Also, cost is very prohibitive to fly for average fan.

• Distance: Tallahassee is several hours away from closest major cities (ATL, JAX, Orlando, New Orleans).

• Other matches: Two other matches are scheduled for mid-June in Canada. Fans from other parts of country may travel to other matches.

• Summer in a college town: Many current students are away working or at home.

• Football City: Tallahassee sport market share is dominated by FSU football, making a lack of interest in soccer a possibility.

• Traffic Woes: Terrible post-game traffic and lack of efficient public transportation. Lack of familiarity with city worse for tourists.

MARKET SEGMENTATION• Demographics: Females 18-34, 35-45• 1999 7.3M females ages 6 or older participated in

soccer• 2001 47.2% of MLS fans were women • Conclusions: Women are an important demographic

that can mean the difference between a sellout or empty seats; families with children (particularly girls who play soccer) will also be a key audience

• Behavioral: those who participate in local Tallahassee soccer recreation leagues (kids and adults), those who watch the MLS (on TV and through the MLS’s streaming service), those who “like” or “tweet” soccer-related pages on social media • “Women might be a fan of women’s sports to

promote women” (Women’s Pro. Soccer League)

MARKET SEGMENTATION, CONT’D…

• Psychographic: Young adults (particularly females) with an interest in soccer • Motive to help advance the women’s soccer

movement• Motive to gain recognition for the USWNT equal to

that of the USMNT • Appealing to parents who are supporting their

daughter’s participation in youth soccer

MARKETING MIX: PRODUCT• We are selling a service (US v.

England Women’s Soccer)

• Why we are unique? • The first ever international

soccer match in a football stadium

• Niche market: women’s soccer fans

• Historic rivalry • We are also selling a product • Merchandise• Concessions• Tickets• Broadcast rights

• Positioning• Through FIFA’s worldwide

recognition of name and brand • The soccer fans of America

MARKETING MIX: PLACE• Location: Doak Campbell Stadium

• Expected crowd: 80,000• Aim: Draw the 2nd largest crowd ever to watch the

US National Team • (Rose Bowl 1999: 90,185 in attendance)

• Seating options will include general admission as well as exclusive club suites

• Playing an international soccer friendly in one of the nation’s well-known college football stadiums is a spectacle that doesn’t come around often • The soccer match is a spectacle in itself, and when

intertwined with Doak’s outstanding reputation, we expect an event the public holds in high regard

MARKETING MIX: PRICE

• The rivalry between the US (2nd) and England (6th), we expect the notoriety of this matchup to directly affect ticket pricing

• Dynamic pricing: factors that will have an effect on pricing: • consumer demand• seat location• climate conditions

• Price comparison: USA vs. New Zealand (Busch Stadium – St. Louis, MO) • Prices ranging from $50 to $400

• Main Demographic: Females• economically sound pricing model

MARKETING MIX: PROMOTION & PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Sponsorship: Women’s National Team’s Sponsors (ESPN W, Women’s Sport Foundation), Tallahassee Soccer Association, Dick’s Sporting Goods

• Ways to advertise: • print advertisements in local and campus newspaper• flyers in local businesses and around FSU’s campus • word-of-mouth

• The historic rivalry between the two nations, in addition to stirring feelings of nationalistic pride, will be a main focus

• Raffle event intertwined with the purchase of a ticket • 25 winners invited to “Meet & Greet” scheduled

with the coaching staff and athletes of the team prior to the game

• Avoid cheap advertising

OVERVIEW OF THE BRAND – BRAND EQUITY RESULTS

U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM

Team success 5.67 Brand mark 5.39

Organizational attributes 5.13

Team history 5.06 Commitment 4.87

Team play 4.18 Rivalry 3.32

Non-player personnel 2.69 Social interaction 2.62

Concessions 2.48 Stadium community 2.24Brand Associations 3.97

Brand Awareness 5.17

Brand Equity 4.57

BRAND EQUITY ANALYSIS • What We Like: • Team Success =

5.67/7.00• Brand Mark = 5.39/7.0• Brand Awareness =

5.17/7.00• TOTAL BRAND EQUITY =

4.57

• According to these results: • The USA Soccer Brand is

well recognized • The success of the

Women’s team is noticed • People are aware of the US

team’s presence and success • Where we need to improve:

• What organizations are associated with our brand?

• Who are our coaches, trainers, organizers, etc…?

• Are there supporters clubs? • i.e. same as the men or

different

SPONSORSHIPS & PARTNERSHIPS

Existing• ESPN W• Women’s Sport

Foundation• Publix • SunTrust Bank• AT&T• Anheuser-

Busch• Nike

Potential• Tallahassee

Soccer Foundation

• Dick’s Sporting Goods

• Chil-fil-A• Starbucks• Orlando City

SC• North

American Soccer League

HOW WILL WE USE OUR SPONSORS?

• Existing sponsors such as IMG College (affiliated with Doak Campbell Stadium) and AT&T (affiliated with US Soccer) can help to spread word of our event nationwide

• Orlando City SC provides a unique opportunity: • Cross-Promotion between Orlando City games and the

upcoming women’s soccer game in Tallahassee• Reach a wider range of soccer fanatics • Offer incentives to attend the women’s game (i.e. half price

for Orlando City tickets or food vouchers) • The North American Soccer League • Another opportunity for cross-promotion with the Ft.

Lauderdale Strikers• Possibility for ambush marketing (i.e. promote at FTL events)

CONCLUSION

• The female demographic of ages 18-34 and 35-45 will be key to bringing fans to our event • This demographic includes college students as well as

single women and women with families • Using the prestige of the surrounding Tallahassee area will be

a key asset to our marketing efforts • Sponsorships, as well as our positioning efforts with FIFA, will

help to create nationwide recognition and ignite the passions of fans within the Tallahassee-North Florida area

• We will keep pricing fair for the event, while also trying to leverage our concessions/merchandise sales once people are in the stadium

• Aim: Sell out our arena by drawing fans to the historic soccer match between the US v. England