David WalshRyan KaikaNick BurnsIMC Campaign Part II: Improving the Image of the NFL

1.)The goal of our enhanced marketing campaign for the National

Football League is to restore faith in leadership by committing to stronger business ethics. As mentioned in our prior piece, the NFL has been undergoing much scrutiny from the media over many ethical issues, especially when it comes to domestic violence. We have determined that the best way to tackle this issue is to utilize four elements of the IMC mix. The four that we have chosen are television, print, social media, and public relations. With the NFL being such a large and powerful entity, we have determined that these four sources of media will work best in cleaning up the image of the league. First off, the NFL will launch a brand new social media campaign through Twitter and Facebook that will directly support the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). Through these social media sites, the NFL will announce a partnership with this organization and set up a way that NFL fans can donate to the cause, as well as track the dollar total that has been donated. Considering the large portion of NFL fans who use social media, we believe this will be a successful technique as individuals can see how the NFL is drastically changing there stance on this issue. Next, we look at print media. This partnership between the NCADV and the NFL will be further spread throughout print media, especially placed in magazines that attract women aged 16-40. This age group is part of the NFL’s target market and need to be reassured that the NFL is doing something to show that they care about women.

Next, we look at the power of Television ads. The obvious choice in terms of television advertising for the NFL would be to place ads on major networks that display games. The most appropriate times would be during timeouts and half time. Along with these times, the NFL will prepare a commercial, showcasing superstars, as well as the commissioner Roger Goodell, in which Roger Goodell acknowledges the faults of the NFL, before making a promise to strengthen the ethics of the league. Similar to the strategy Dominos Pizza used in it’s improved recipe ad campaign, the NFL will use a two-sided message with Goodell that will be effective in surprising listeners and allowing them to instill more trust in the NFL. The NFL has recently aired a commercial and an online campaign that has gone viral, a campaign that is exactly what our IMC plan centers around. The commercial is 60 seconds in length and features a variety of players and coaches, both current and retired. The idea of the commercial is “No More”, with regards to domestic violence. For our Super Bowl commercial, it will be an extension of this idea, except headlines by the Roger Goodell. We believe, that the best way for the NFL to regain its credibility from those losing interest over the ethical issues, is to admit wrongdoing and show that ethics remain a priority.

This will be climaxed by a live statement from Roger Goodell at half time of the Super Bowl, prior to the half time performance by Katy Perry. The viewing numbers will be extremely high at this time, especially for those interested more in Katy Perry than the game, which is a market that the NFL must convince. Before introducing Katy Perry, Commissioner Goodell will take the stage and make a public address about the lack of ethics in the NFL and how they are making strives everyday to improve the holistic value of the individuals representing the league. This public relations act will cap off a successful campaign that includes a partnership with the NCADV, followed by a campaign of the NFL admitting guilt and showcasing strides in the right direction.

Another point that the NFL needs to focus on, and another aspect of our IMC campaign, is player safety. The NFL has had a huge issue in the past with the safety of its players and the ethical concerns around rules regarding player safety. The elements of the IMC mix we would use to tackle this subject would be TV and social media. The campaign would educate the viewer on the technological advances of protective equipment in the NFL. The TV ad would double as an online video, featured during primetime NFL games on major networks as well as virally on Facebook and Twitter. The ad would be one play of a football game, starting from the old days of the NFL where the pads and helmet were leather, and the play would develop. As it went on, the protective equipment (helmets, pads) would become more technologically advanced according to the years of advancements. The leather would turn to hardened plastic, the helmets would turn to fiberglass, facemasks and advanced cleats would appear, and by the end of the play the player featured with the changing equipment will be in the end zone and he would be fully modernized with the most up to date protective gear. The end of the commercial would touch upon the ever continuing technological innovations of protective gear and the partners that the NFL is teaming with to make it happen. The online video could have a link from the description that leads the viewer to the NFL website, a place where they can have more details about the technological improvements of the protective gear.

2.)As we plan on using public relations, television, print, and social

media to launch our rebranding of the NFL we must consider the positives and negatives to each form of media. First we look at television, as this will be the main proponent of our campaign. While television advertising brings about many strengths, only some are relatable to the type of campaign we wish to launch. Some of these positives include the intrusion value that is brought to the viewer, the ability to reach the viewer on a personal level, as well as the ability to achieve impact. The type of advertisements we wish to use will be very strong in each of these aspects, which is why we believe it will bring about success. Unfortunately, with rapidly expanding costs, especially on major networks and during the Super Bowl, this will come at a high cost for the NFL. While it may be expensive, this will definitely be the

best way to reach fans as well as those losing faith in the NFL. The social media aspect of our campaign will bring success as it will allow fans to voice there opinions as well as creating value for them as they will be able to see how much money has been donated to the NCADV. This will have gain back respect for the league as people will be able to see first hand how the NFL is giving back to a cause that it once neglected. A negative of this marketing will be the fact the social media is filled with clutter, which may filter out the affect of this part of the campaign. Next we look at print, which we believe will help us gain females fans back. The strength of this medium is that we can tap directly into our target market, and go right to the source. On the other hand, magazines are filled with advertisements, which may mean that less people actually look at the ad and connect it to the NFL. Finally, the public relations aspect of the campaign is in a sense the finishing touch. With Roger Goodell speaking directly to the public, this will allow the NFL to bring down its armor and connect with fans on a personal level. There are really no weaknesses to this strategy considering the Super Bowl is an NFL event so it won’t cost a penny to have the commissioner speak to the public at half time. Overall, we believe there to be minimal weaknesses regarding our media used to rebrand the image of the NFL.

3.)The NFL’s competitors have similar but contrasting ways of

promoting their brand and business. The NFL has a foothold in the American Sports ratings, boasting ratings that way surpass the other powerhouses, the NBA, MLB, and NHL. For example, in 2013, the NFL brought in 31.7 million viewers for the Thanksgiving Day game, whereas game 6 of the MLB World Series between the Cardinals and Red Sox only saw 19.2 million viewers. This domination of the market is due to many things, but the fact that the NFL has only 17 regular season games plus playoffs keeps people attracted. The MLB (162 games), NBA (82 games), and NHL (82 games) all have too many games for most viewers to pay attention to. The NFL is partnered with many brands, the same way other major sports are. They allow companies to be the “official _____ of the NFL.” The NFL even allows for advertising to go on the field of play sometimes, but one thing the NFL does not do is allow for advertising to go directly on the uniforms of the players, something Soccer leagues and NASCAR allows. This gives the NFL a competitive advantage because it allows for each team to develop its own brand, further building brand equity for the NFL as a whole. For example, if certain teams started having McDonalds logos on their uniforms, it would take away from the team name and brand, pulling attention from the NFL itself. Our promotional efforts will give the NFL a unique angle because of the circumstances it is in. No other sports organization has been under such scrutiny for its ethics and for the NFL to use a two-sided message to turn its image from a sketchy untrustworthy organization to a transparent, honest business.

4.) Although we have multiple elements as well as multiple separate

topics we are touching upon in our advertising, we are confident that our promotional elements are integrated to achieve a cohesive message for the target audience. Our mix of television, print, social media, and public relations will help us hit all corners of our target audience and ensure that the message of the NFL’s “ethical turnaround” is heard loud and clear. The important thing for our campaign is that we seek the viewers and fans of the NFL not as targets but as partners, seeking a lasting and trusting relationship. Another important aspect of our campaign is to coordinate all of our elements of our IMC mix to speak one clear voice. We will achieve this by keeping our points concise and clear, all focused on the importance of ethics in the NFL. The point is for every ad to send the message that the NFL is as safe, ethical, and trustworthy as it is exciting. A way we will achieve this is to add a hashtag at the end of most of the ads. The hashtag will be #OurNFL. It being put at the end or in the lower corner of TV, online videos, and print ads will allow us to keep the ads that may be different in theme consistent to the message of “the NFL is a family friendly, trustworthy organization focused on a ethical behavior.” In conclusion, we believe that if each of our elements of our IMC mix are delivered through the correct channels and vehicles, we will have a great chance at delivering a campaign to our audience that will influence their thoughts on the leadership of the NFL as well as its stance and behavior regarding some of the biggest ethical concerns surrounding the organization today.