I bet I can do this whole chapter by the time my YouTube hour music finishes (AND A FREE T SHIRT WILL GO TO THE FIRST FINISHER!)….. (update: boo took me more than an hour :/ )

Chapters 10 and 11 form a two-parter: promotion in ch10, and public relations in ch11.

PROMOTION is any/all of the following:

• Advertising: paid, nonpersonal, sponsored media message
• Personal selling: face-to-face sales dialogue
• Publicity: form of exposure not paid for by or under control of the beneficiary
• Sales Promotion: performance, displays, trade shows, etc.

To be successful, promotion should follow AIDA:

• Increase Awareness
• Attract Interest
• Arouse Desire
• Initiate Action

Look for these components in order to be effective. Also, Promotion can be unpacked into a lot of the following ideas:

• People, publicity, price, planning, passion
• Relevant, risk, research, reward, reaction
• Opportunity, originality, organization
• Motivation, momentum, money, media
• Outrageous
• Try
• Innovate, initiate, incite, idea, imagination
• Overdeliver
• Never say no!
• Smile, shake it up, service

Ultimately, marketing is all about effective communication. Distortion is a major issue, in that even if the idea is formed and sent correctly, outside factors can change its reception.

A press release is an effective way to fully communicate the strengths of a relationship and define the roles going forward.

The advertising process can be outlined as thus:

• Source: the originator of the message (team, league, etc.)
• Message: the content and the execution of the message
• Channel: the means of the message (radio, tv, etc)
• Receiver: the target audience
• Destination: Other people who receive the message through word of mouth from the target audience

Signage: anything that shows the sponsor information like logo or w/e. It delivers an impression instead of a specific message, that can be activated later

Endorsements can come in several forms:

• Explicit (I endorse this product)
• Implicit (I use this product)
• Imperative (you should use this product)
• Copresent (appears with product)

The first historical endorsement in pro sports was when Honus Wagner gave the J. F. Hillerich & Son Company per mission to use his name on the Louisville Slugger bat in exchange for $75. It caught on quick in pro baseball (Babe Ruth, etc.)

Michael Jordan created his own line, the Jordan Brand, of Nike. Now most top athletes create their own line but Jordan was the first.

Measurement of appeal of personality to consumers can be quantified by the Q score. Jordan has the top Q Score since 1987 (Joe Montana and Tiger Woods have come close).

Lance Armstrong is an example of someone achieving a high Q Score but then it all crumbled and he lost his sponsorships.

Rappers use the same endorsement modes with liquors, including creating their own brands now as well. This also creates a market where the relationship does not even need to be in paper ahead of time, but rather a rapper can rap about a product and then the product will retroactively sponsor the rapper and formalize the relationship.

Retired athletes are a great source of endorsement because they are less likely to flame out and destroy their in-progress career, and their credibility is higher. Still possible for bad things to happen (Dennis Rodman comes to mind)

Dead celebrities can endorse things? Seems like a moral gray area. I guess someone somewhere controls their estate so maybe it works out.

Print media is in decline?? SINCE WHEN? Lol.

Print doesn’t just have to be the newspapers though, it can also be pamphlets, posters, direct mail, and schedules. Print media should consider:

• The headline must be a good hook
• The visuals are essential to complement the text
• Text should be detailed and specific
• The reader should know what the next steps are

Electronic media:

• Radio (still active! and affordable)
  • Spanish language broadcast can be very helpful depending on your market
• Podcasts
• Television
  • $$$$

Electronic media can use structure to help reach the audience better:

• Story line
• Problem and solution
• Chronology
• Special effects
• Testimonial
• Satire
• Spokesperson
• Demonstration
• Suspense
• Slice-of-life
• Analogy
• Fantasy
• Personality

Billboards still work! Can be mounted on blimps or trailers. Needs to stand out to work.

Promotional concepts and practices:

Hallmark Event: a major event (one-time or annual) that enhances appeal, awareness and profitability of a tourist destination

Hallmark events can include the Pan American Games, Super Bowl, training camp for the Cowboys, the sky’s the limit!

International games (like the NFL international series) have the following goals:

• Promote the host organization to the public
• Promote the sponsors and products
• Create unique hospitality opportunities
• Promote and add to the sport
• Revenue-generating opportunity
• Attract significant media coverage
• Promote the destination for tourism and future events

Blogs and other internet writing are valuable for their ease of access

Sales Promotions: giveaways or discounts that stimulate engagement. Easy to get carried away in the spirit of promoting, remember the bottom line! Be prepared for lower attendance once the promotion ends, fans will cherry-pick promotions to their advantage if able to.

Scheduling plays a role in promotion (ability to put meat in seats, eh)

Promotion Components:

• Theme (slogan, etc., be sure there’s not an easy judo move to turn it around)
  • Be careful not to overpromise in your slogan!
• Product Sampling
  • Two weeks free!
• Open House
  • Attract an audience for low-stakes familiarizing! Fitness clubs use this a lot
• Coupons, Vouchers, and Discount Codes
• Contests and Sweepstakes
• Premiums and Giveaways
  • Free T shirts! <3

Ultimate goal: keeping consumers on the escalator and moving them up!

Escalator of nonconsumer to light user up to rabid fan. The more mature a sport organization is, the lower the effect of new consumers is on total attendance or participation figures. This is why retention is so vital!

Staircase vs. Escalator

Escalator model works better because there are many steps for many gradations of light/heavy users and nonusers, and the marketing is the engine that pushes the stairways upwards.

Keep an eye on those defectors!

Putting it all together: an integrated promotional model

• As a marketing platform
  • To establish foundation and brand for future applications
  • To create buzz and conversation
• As a revenue platform
  • To develop sales platform
  • To increase attendance
• As an entertainment platform
  • To create a memorable experience
  • TO deliver new broadcast and internet opportunities