It was more than 900 years ago that the game of lacrosse was born. Through cultures, the game traveled from the natives of the Americas, through early French settlers, and to a refined format played by the upper crest of modern New England. Each of these groups has made its unique contribution to the evolution of the game throughout its history, and as the modern world industrial-ized and commercialized, so too did the game of lacrosse.

With these developments came the surfacing of brand names that made themselves synonymous with the sport such as STX, Cascade, and Brine. These brands sought to sustain this blue-veined period of lacrosses history by perpetuating its current state within the New England elite. It was when these brands became comfortable in their existence that the game was ushered into a new period of its history.

In 1992, the Warrior brand entered the realm of commercialized lacrosse, and with its unheard-of titanium stick shafts, it revolutionized the sport for years to come. Although there were numerous brands of lacrosse equipment available for players to shop, only the Warrior brand stayed so true to the games roots of extremity and the quest for glory and honor not only for the team, but for the individual also.

Warrior did not settle with just changing the game of lacrosse and the way people thought of it, the brand sought to dominate the sport by taking the largest market share of any lacrosse brand, sending its principal competition, Brine, into bankruptcy, and then buying it. Warriors next conquest was the world of hockey, and within a short time the brand has boasted sales that solidify it as one of the top names in the sport.

The Warrior brand is a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of lacrosse and hockey. Users of the brands products are typically loyalists to the Warrior name, and need little to draw them to products that are released. It is this momentum that Warrior is counting on to move into its newest venture, footwear.New Balance acquired the Warrior brand in 2004, and with the shared technology and resources now available, Warrior will release a full-scale footwear line of training and lifestyle shoes: the Shooter, Breaker and Riot.

This campaign seeks to facilitate the launch of their footwear to the public. It hopes to capitalize on the loyalty many hockey and lacrosse players have for the brands products; however, in order for Warrior to see the greatest success, the products must become popular with others who are not already familiar with brand. With this launch, loyalists will be made aware of the product and its potential fit into their lives. In addition, efforts are outlined to expand the awareness of the Warrior brand and lifestyle. These two avenues of activity will lead the brand to a heightened level of success, and expand their market command from lacrosse and hockey to lifestyle and training footwear.

• Since1998Warriorhasbecomeoneofthepremierelacrossebrandsintheworldthrough revolutionary technology and a renegade attitude. Warrior has been able to capture the hopes and dreams of teenage boys. Warrior expanded from lacrosse into the hockey market in 2005, and now will be launching a lifestyle and training footwear line in Q4-2009 and Q1-2010.

• Withthelaunchofthislifestyleandtrainingfootwearline,Warriornowhasagreat opportunity to expand the brand outside of their current niche market. By launching a footwear line they have the opportunity to reach kids who are interested in the brand, in the footwear, and not just athletes who play hockey and lacrosse.

• However,theyalsohavetorememberthecustomerswhohelpedmakethecompanyinto what it is today. By appealing to both Warrior loyalists and new consumers with their renegade mentality, Warrior can become a serious competitor in the Nike dominated lifestyle and training footwear markets that have gone unchallenged with an outlaw brand like Warrior.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

To build on the success with Warrior loyalists by providing them with an off-the-field image that transcends their on-the-field mentality.

To become a serious competitor to all the competing brands in the lifestyle and training footwear market, and make non Warrior boys aware of the new, badass brand on the block.

LAUNCHObjectives

BRAND AWARENESS

FORTHEPUBLICTOBE15%FORLACROSSEANDHOCKEYPLAYERS50%

SALES 1% of our target demographics10% of hockey and lacrosse players

To understand… the Warrior brand essence.

OurPlanofAttack

the ways in which the target market lives the Warrior mentality off the field in their everyday lifestyles.

the target market and media consumption of 12-17 year old boys, and which media channels are best for reaching them.

Warrior is an Outlaw Brand.They have never cared about breaking the rules or the competition.The truth is, you cant care about things that dont exist.

Rules of Communication…• Breaktherules.• Takechances.Thereisnolinetocross.• Backupattitudewithsubstance.• Speaktheirlanguage.• Dominateorgohome.• Engage.Surprise.Entertain.• Havefun.

zach and tyler represent our two target markets; Warrior loyalists and badassadors

Zachisa15year-oldin9thgradewholovestoplaylacrosse.Heisbeenplayingforthepast5years,andherecentlyboughthisfirstWarriorstickusinghisallowancemoney.HegetsallthelatestnewsonhisfavoritelacrosseplayersandteamsthroughESPNandreligiouslyreadingUSALacrosse.Duringclass,hekeepshimselfentertainedwithhisnewiPodTouch.HeisalwaysplayingthenewestgamesandcheckshisMySpaceandFacebook.Healsocarriesaroundhislacrossestickandpadsalldayforpractice after school. On the weekends and after school he hangs with his friends at the movies, playing lacrosse, and chilling with the ladies.

Zach, A Warrior Loyalist

Tyler,AlwaysHavingFunMattisa16year-oldstudentin10thgrade,andisntinvolvedwithhockeyorlacrosse.Hisfavoritethingtodoiskickbackwithhisboys.Heisagoodkidandknowsschoolisimportant,buthedoesntforgethowtohavefun.Hespendshisfreetimewithfriendsgoofingoffandhavingfun,goingtothemallorthemovies,and just chilling out around town. Along with his friends he is always trying to cause a little trouble and bendtherules.Ifcurfewis11,heishomeby12.Helikestolistentomusicandsharehisfavoritebands&songsonMySpace.MattisalwaysplayingwithhisiPodTouch,iPod,and/orcellphone.Whetheritis listening to music or playing games he is always keeping himself occupied. The one thing that matters most to Matt is that he is never left out of the loop with his boys, and that he is always part of the fun.

GUYSLIKEZACHwantourproduct.Theyhavebeenwaitingforafootwear line to come out from Warrior so they can express their Warrior image and mentality off the field. Basketball players wear Jordan, Soccer players wear Adidas, and Golfers wear Titleist, now HockeyandLacrosseplayerscanwearWarrior.TheyloveWarriorand think it gives you a flashy, badass image.

Whether they are playing video games, sports, impressinggirls,orgoofingoff,GUYSLIKEZACHANDTYLERlovetohangoutwiththeirfriendsandHAVEFUN.

KeyUnderstandings

These12-18year-oldboysalwaysstrivetoimpressthegirls, betheman,andliveuptothehype.Posersdontsurvive.

• AWarriorwreakshavocbypushingeverylimit,stealingeveryspotlight, and manning up to any challenge.

Their lives revolve around friendships; cell phones and social networking help them sustain the relationships with their friends that their chaotic and busy lifestyles disrupt.

• Warriorsarentafraidtobendtherules.Theypullpranks,crack jokes, and do the unthinkable to put themselves in the spotlight among their friends.

showcase the product being used in a mischievous way outside of sports.

Magazine ads will portray the idea that the lifestyle of a Warrior applies off-the-field.

These controversial ads will create a buzz around the new footwear line and be so cool that boys will rip them out of the magazine to hang up on their walls.

One of the most popular methods of communication among our target audience is cell phones. Therefore, we need to utilizemobileresourcesinordertoreachthemmosteffectively.Herearethethreeaspectsofourmobilecampaign…

CustomizedPrankPhoneCallsAn application will be made available on the Warrior footwear website that makes it possible for Warriors to prank each other’smobilephones.ByrecordingWarrior’ssponsoredathletesfromthePlayersClub(AlexeiKovalev/MikeMo-dano/NicklasLidstrom/JesseHubbard),therewillbeseveralautomatedmessagesthatcanbesentfromonefriend’sphone number to another’s phone number. Certain parts of the script will have the ability to be customized towards the friend that each user is trying to prank.

WarriorMobilePictureSubmissionAll members of the Warrior Club can take pictures of anyone they see wearing Warrior apparel. They will then send them in with their cell phones for a chance to win a prize. By requesting pictures, we keep Warrior as a top-of-mind brand. To add incentive for people to participate, we plan on providing prizes such as gift certificates for Warrior gear, free pairs of Warrior footwear, and possible Warrior academic scholarships.

WarriorWake-upCalls&TextsWhat’s better than your friend waking up at 4:30 in the morning to their favorite lacrosse or hockey player yelling at themtogetoutofbed?Wewillhaveawake-upcall&textservicethroughthewebsitethatwillallownotonlykids,but also coaches, to utilize wake-ups for their friends and teams.

Gorilla EscapeThe execution will occur over the course of several months. By creating a press release talking about hundreds of escaped gorillas, and posting it on our site, we will encourage kids to be on the lookout for these gorillas.

This nontraditional marketing event will continue on the footwear website through webisodes featuring these gorillas in different environments. They will always be seen with the shoes, and always branded with Warrior. Locations will be high-traffic areas for the targeted consumer segment, such as malls, movie theatres, and high schools. One possible event includes about a hundred people in gorilla costumes milling around somewhere huge, such as Times Square. These gorillas can also be carrying signs with the words: Check out Warriorsports.com for an explanation!

We will be purchasing 30-second commercial spots to show before newly released films at movie theatres across the country. These commercial spots will be breaking news style reports alerting viewers of the gorilla escape that we have planned for cities and locations where the target market is present. These unusual cinema spots will be sure to grab the attention of viewers and add some excitement and humor to their cinema experience. These cinema spots will also allow us to run them before movies that we believe a majority of our target market are going to be at on a given night.

WarriorWreakHavocTournamentTour• Continuedpresenceatyouthlacrosseandhockeytournamentsthroughoutthelaunch.AttheWarriortents/displaysboyswillbeabletodothefollowing:

visit Warrior tent and try on apparel in exchange for discounts and promotional materials on footwear.

takepicturesthatwillbesubmittedtotheWarriorWreakHavocTournament Tour portion of the Warrior Footwear website.

receivebumperstickers/posters/freegiveaways

wreak havoc on the Warrior repel tower by wearing Warrior shoes and dipping them into paint. Kidswillrapeldownthehighwhitetowerleavingwarriorshoeprintsalloverit.Thesetowerswill be left as outdoor advertisements in cities where these tournaments are hosted.

Warrior has prided itself on its presence at youth lacrosse and hockey camps and tournaments. By continuing this tradition with their usual marketing techniques we believe we can continue to cater to these individuals who are drawn in through hockey and lacrosse. By catering to a broader audience, and keeping the Warrior mindset, we think that we can tap into the other consumers in the same age group, increasing Warrior loyalists.

WREAKHAVOC

bumper sticker

rapel wall

SearchBecause Warrior is introducing itself into the footwear market, it’s important that consumers will be able to find this new product. Search will play a key roleinthesuccessofourlaunchcampaign.Keywordsthatwillbeusedinour campaign include: warrior, warrior footwear, shooter, breaker, breakr, riot, training shoes, new shoes, wreak havoc, pranks and dare.

facebook groupSo called union members can join our facebook group to allow easy access to uploading pics, videos and more.

In-Text AdsAs our target user browses the internet to obtain information through various publications, we will be targeting that consumer using in-text ads. We will be purchasing the same words as search, and as the user comes across a site in the network with that in-text ad, they will be able to scroll over and learn more about Warrior Footwear and click through to our site. A valuable feature of in-text ads is that it is a cost-per-click basis, so we only pay for interaction that leads them to our site, but as they scroll over and view the ad and brand, this exposure and heightened brand awareness is free of charge.

Display AdsWe will be targeting teens with our Warrior footwear ads on sites they visit and interact with daily.WreakHavocadswilldisrupttheusersexperiencebyshowingasyncedvideoof someone on the verge of doing something outrageous. Whether it is showing someone passed out in a chair as their friend is tying some firecrackers to their ankle, or showing a flaming brown paper bag getting placed on a door step… the ads video will stop right before the climax, enticing the user to click through to find out what happens next, directing them toourWarriorfootwearsite.Thesynced300x250sand728x90swillbeplacedontheIGNnetwork,theViacomNetworksandthroughthePlatformAnetworkthatwillbespecificallytargeting our consumers both contextually and demographically.

ADS

Warrior Footwear.comOnce arriving at the site, the consumer will immediately notice multiple snapshots of content on the homepage. Some will be still images while others loop video previews. The look and feel of the website is very loud.

WreakHavoconYourShoes!Everyone has their own version of wreaking havoc; so why not let them make their own version of our shoes.Visitorswillbeabletocustomizeeachshoeinaninteractivewaythatnotonlyletsthemsharetheir ideas with their friends, but allow them to customize together, especially if they are designing a shoe for their team. Each custom design will be submitted into a sweepstakes where the winning design is implemented into production for a limited edition Warrior shoe.

Warrior AxisIn the top left corner of the warrior footwear site resides a Warrior Axis, where the visitor can selectwhichstyleofWreakingHavoctheyarefeeling.AstheyselectbetweenDestructive, Comedic, Sexual, etc., the content on the page will actually change and be more relevant to that mood. It will filter both Warrior content and user-submitted content that Warrior has rights to. This will create a totally custom experience for each user and will be updated as new content is aggregated on the site.

Facebook ConnectWarriorFootwear.com will be Facebook Connect enabled, meaning it will play on thefactthatamajorityofthemalesinthe12-18targethaveFacebook.Usingtheir Facebook account, they will be able to register with Warrior Footwear with a one-click access. As they interact with our site, such as sharing content, accessing the prank phone call application and downloading any content, it will be posted on their Facebook wall, showing others how to obtain the content aswellatWarriorFootwear.com.Forcustomapplications,suchasthePrankCallfeature and using Facebook Connect, the user will be able to pull information from their friends Facebook profile to use in the application. This information will include pictures, music comments and names of other friends to provide a more unique experience.

Gorilla SightingsUpdates on the gorilla sightings will live on the Warrior Footwear website and will implement the sightings that are submitted via users cellphones.Visitorswillbeabletoseeallthe pictures and videos that have been sent in from their mobile phones.

GalleryofHavocWreakedAs users continue to show Warrior their best ex-amplesofWreakingHavoc,thatthey’vedoneorsomeone they know has done, an entire gallery will be dedicated to all this user-generated content. The website will filter out the most witty and out-rageousexamples.Visitorstothesitewillthenbeable to share them with their friends and family via Facebook, email and MySpace. The best pieces will be featured as part of the mobile content, and perhapsanimatedand/orfilmedforfutureuseinWarrior highlighted videos.

POPPINGCHERRIES

At retailers we hope to include a Warrior ID card with each pair of shoes. Whenever someone buys a pair of shoes, they will be given a special code that they can enter on Warriors website in order to redeem their ID. By filling out a fewlinesofinformationaboutthemselves(location,favoritemusic,favoritesports,favoritesportsteam,IWREAKHAVOCinthe(Riots,Breakrs,Shooters),anduploadingaphotoofthemselves, they can get an ID card authorizing them to WreakHavoc.

By doing this, we will gain valuable information as to exactly who is purchasing our shoes, whether they are mostly hockey players, lacrosse players or new customers. This information can be used in future marketing campaigns to more successfully target communications.

This card will also entitle them to specific discounts in participating stores when purchasing more Warrior equipment, in turn opening up the typical consumer to the possibility of buying more Warrior gear. In focus groups, we found that Warrior is one of the most-wanted brands, but also one of the more expensive. If we included this discount, a potential new hockey or lacrosse player might be more inclined to try it out.