Texas Tech Red Raiders Scout Night

Texas Tech Red Raiders Scout NightKevin PusakPRT 476

Executive Summary

Texas Tech University is a public university located in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Techs athletic teams participate in the Big 12 conference, which is one of the five major conferences in college athletics. The Red Raiders, Texas Techs football team, have been successful on the field for numerous years, often making Bowl Game appearances. The Red Raiders play their home games at Jones AT&T Stadium, which holds a capacity of 60,000+ spectators, and has boasted an average home attendance record of 57,932.The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest non-profit organizations in the nation, providing a quality program to young boys and girls aged 6 through 21. The BSA is broken down into hundreds of councils that serve their geographic region. The South Plains Council serves the greater Lubbock area. The South Plains Council is further broken down into five districts: Chaparral, Comanche Trail, George White, Haynes, and Quanah Parker. The Chaparral District, which is the district that directly serves Lubbock, is home to more than 1,700 youth members, making it prime market for our program.There is already a relationship between the South Plains Council and Texas Tech Athletics, as there have been group tickets offered to the Scouts for Red Raiders basketball games, but there has been no significant event to fully foster a growing partnership. A Scout Night would provide an excellent opportunity to create an enjoyable experience for many youth, creating possible lifelong fans, as well as even future students. Our first strategy in marketing the Red Raiders Scout Night, will be to differentiate this game from all of our other home games to the Scouts. We will position this game as the game to be at. Our Scout Night will provide an opportunity for Scouts to camp on the field at Jones AT&T Stadiums, an opportunity that they will not be able to fulfill anywhere else in the surrounding area. Due to there being no direct competition for sporting events, our Scout Nights greatest competition is our own home games.A few simple tactics that we will use to accomplish this will be to provide all local Scouting Units with flyers promoting the game, an online banner placed on the Texas Tech Athletics and South Plains Council websites, special ticket packages, as well as a limited edition patch for participants. With all of these simple marketing tactics, we will have a cost efficient and effective way of ensuring that our Scout Night is THE game of the year to attend for all of our fans that are a part of the Boy Scouts of America.

Table of Contents

Introduction....4-5Mission Statements and How Our Brands Align..4Background.5Situational Analysis.6-7Internal Factors6External Factors..6-7Competitive Analysis..8Customer Analysis.9-10Section 1..9Section 2...10Marketing Goals..11Marketing Strategy12Marketing Tactics...13-14Implementation and Control..15Action Plan..15Budget....15Evaluation.15References..16Appendix..17-18

Mission Statements and How Our Brands Align

Texas Tech Athletics Mission Statement

To Educate, Serve and Grow Fearless Champions.

Further than the mission statement, Texas Tech Athletics Strategic Plan also includes Guiding Principles, which are used to encourage us in our planning processes, which include:

Do the Right Thing Win Strive for Excellence Promote Teamwork & Positive Relationships Honor Tradition & Embrace Change Work Hard, Have Fun, and Celebrate Success Create Lasting Memories

Boy Scouts of America Mission Statement The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.Scout OathScout Law

On my honor I will do my bestTo do my duty to God and my countryand to obey the Scout Law;To help other people at all times;To keep myself physically strong,mentally awake, and morally straight.A Scout is:Trustworthy ObedientLoyal CheerfulHelpful ThriftyFriendly BraveCourteous CleanKind Reverent

How Our Brands AlignBoth the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Boy Scouts of America both seek to provide a wholesome program that encourages positive morals and the development of success for their participants, whether it be student-athletes or Scouts. This partnership will be mutually beneficial, by providing an outlet for each to promote positive values to their respective markets.

Background

Texas Tech opened its doors to students for the first time in 1923, and began its football program just two years later. The Red Raiders have been generally successful, boasting an overall winning record. The team has been to a bowl game in four of the past 5 seasons, and is continuing their excellence on the field. The Red Raiders have won eleven conference championships, although all of them occurred prior to joining the Big 12 in 1996.

Texas Techs previous marketing efforts have revolved heavily upon sponsorships as well as promotional poster orders. With technology ever evolving, Texas Tech has relied heavily on social media, with sites such as Facebook and Twitter leading the way for innovative marketing tactics. The target market has largely remained the same, which is made up of primarily White males from their teenage years and older.

Situational Analysis

Internal FactorsStrengths: Texas Techs marketing department has a strong presence in social media, which is an innovative new way to reach a large population almost instantly for low cost. The Texas Tech Athletics Twitter account currently has over 53,000 followers, as well as the Texas Tech Football account with over 16,000. Even the Director of Athletics and many of the Promotions and Fan Engagement staff members also have Twitter accounts, which let fans know of any promotions or occurring Red Raiders news. On Facebook, the Texas Tech Athletics Department page has almost 140,000 likes, with the Texas Tech Red Raiders Football Team totaling over 150,000 likes. Also, due to the Red Raiders Basketball team already having a Scout Day, in which group ticket deals are offered, and the Scouts have the opportunity to meet players, there is already an established relationship between both parties. Lastly, Eric Ward, who is an Assistant Director of Promotions and Fan Engagement, is an Eagle Scout and served as Program Director for one of the premier Boy Scout summer camps in the nation. Having a staff member that fully understands both parties needs will provide an excellent boost in establishing this event.Weaknesses: There is no specified Marketing department for Texas Tech Athletics, which means that all marketing must be executed by other departments, such as the Promotions and Fan Engagement, or it must be done by a third party.

External FactorsOpportunities: The largest strength that the Red Raiders posses, is that there is essentially no competition in the surrounding area for college, or even professional football. The nearest college that plays in a major conference in the NCAA is Baylor University, another Big 12 school located in Waco, Texas; 350 miles away. The nearest NFL franchise is the Dallas Cowboys, who are also located over 300 miles away. Simply put, when it comes to football, if you live in the Lubbock area, you are a Texas Tech fan. This also indicates that there is no opportunity for local Scouts to attend an event such as this. If given the opportunity to attend a Texas Tech football game and to camp out on the field as opposed to driving for 5 hours to do so somewhere else, our local Scouts would surely choose us. In the college football season, there are typically only 6 or 7 home games in a season, so there are not many home games for us to differentiate our event from. With the strong use of social media, we should easily be able to establish this as THE game to go to.

Threats: Our only significant threats are our own home games, and that is only applicable to if Scouting families that decide that they will only attend one game of the season, and that this game would not be it. There are not viable options of a similar event for our market to attend.

Examine Product Portfolio and PositioningOur Scout Night would be positioned as the must attend event of the year for Scouts, as well as the must attend game of the year. This would be their only opportunity to sleep out on the field at Jones AT&T Stadium, as well as their only opportunity to sleep on any college and/or NFL field. This will also be the only way for our participants to obtain a limited edition patch for their uniforms, which in the world of Scouting, is a very big deal. Unique Selling Proposition: This is the ONLY opportunity of the season for you to camp out on the field at Jones AT&T Stadium with all of your best friends!Value Proposition: This is a fantastic opportunity to not only enjoy a Texas Tech Red Raiders football game, but get to camp out on the field with your friends and family! You cannot find a better opportunity for fun at such a great price!

Competitive Analysis

Since there is no direct outside competition for our event, we will analyze how other universities, such as Duke University, as well as how our other home games are being marketed.Duke University has had a Scout Night for one home game during each of the past four seasons, and have all been successful. Their marketing tactics have generally been on the minimal side, typically just sending flyers out to troops and posting the registration information on local Boy Scout Council websites. Duke has also designed patches in years past, and allowed for participants to camp out on the field at Wallace-Wade Stadium. The Scout Night that was held in 2014 was also open to Y Guides, which is the YMCA equivalent of Boy Scouts, and overall participation was capped at 800.Texas Techs other home games are marketed in a variety of simple yet effective ways. Social media is a strong factor in marketing games, with extensive use of sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Commercials are played on radio as well as television through Texas Techs radio and TV contracts, as well as when games are televised on major networks such as ESPN. Other homes games deliver exactly what the Red Raiders fan base wants: an entertaining and family friendly football game, and just that.With our Scout Night, we want to build on that and give our fans something more.

Customer AnalysisSection 1Demographics: For demographic numbers, we will base them off of the student population at Texas Tech University. Approximately 64% of students are Caucasian with the other 36% coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Of that 36%, the Hispanic population covers the highest amount with 17.6%, and African-American students cover 5%. The demographics for Lubbock follow a similar pattern. Citizens of Lubbock are 53.7% White, 34.3% Hispanic, 7.7% African-American, and 2% other.

Psychographics: Our customers typically fall in to at least one of two categories: fans or supporters of Texas Tech, or general football fans. As with most collegiate athletics, many supporters are alumni, have family members that attend or have attended that school, or support the school because it is their home town team. Our customers that are not specifically Texas Tech fans, are likely general football fans, or may be fans of an opposing team. Since there is no other college or NFL team to support nearby, will choose to attend our games to fill their needs.

Product Usage: There are different degrees to which customers use our services. From the highest usage to lowest, we have full season ticket holders, mini-plan holders, fans that attend one game a year, and fans that do not attend games.

Product Benefits: Our product benefits align very much with our product usage. For diehard fans, there are options to attend all or multiple home games with season ticket or mini-plan packs. For casual fans, there are single game ticket options as well. Games are broadcasted on TV and radio for fans that are not able to attend home games.

Section 2Our target market will consist of 2 major segments: boys aged 6-18 (the ages of Cub and Boys Scouts) as well as parents of boys aged 6-18.Cub Scouts begin at age 6 and continue up until the boys are in 5th grade, or age 10. They react heavily to events that have a theme, such as space, cowboys, etc. They are still very dependant and influenced by their parents, and are very easily influenced by what their friends are doing. They are more likely to be drawn in by flashy flyers, use of mascots, or given the opportunity to camp with family and friends.Boy Scouts begin when boys are 11 or have completed the 5th grade. Boy Scouts are typically more mature than Cubs, and do not need a central theme to keep them entertained throughout an activity, and it is often seen as gimmicky. They like to think for themselves, but are still heavily influenced by their peers. The older Scouts are more likely to be attracted by the opportunity to attend a football game, have the experience of camping on the field of a large stadium, as well as receive a limited edition patch for doing so.

The group of parents is possibly the most important segment that we need to attract. Parents want value for their dollar, and want the most for their children. They will need to see a well organized event that promises fun and safety for their children. For Cub Scouts, it is required that a parent or guardian attends the game with them, but for Boy Scouts it is not a necessity. Parents and adult leaders will be drawn in by offering a unique program that is fun and not overpriced, easy registration processes, and easily available information.

Marketing Goals

Our goal is to have 750 Scouts and adult leaders/parents attend our Scout Night game, which will easily be measured by ticket sales. With over 1,700 Scouts in Lubbock alone, and a few thousand more in the rest of the South Plains Council, it is a very feasible goal. This also leaves room for growth, and in future years could grow to include the other BSA programs such as Venturing and Explorers, as well as Girl Scouts, or YMCA Y Guides.

In order to achieve this goal we have a few objectives that must be met: Distribute flyers to all local troops and packs Create a registration page online for easy registration Design an online flyer to post on the Texas Tech Athletics pages as well as all South Plains Council webpages Design a banner that will be visible on Texas Tech Athletics sites as well as South Plains Council webpages

Marketing Strategy

Our key strategy for creating our Scout Night is to position it as THE game of the year for Scouts to go to. Our first choice out of the 2015 home games would be Saturday, October 3, 2015 against the Baylor Bears. Baylor is a successful football school, and is brand new to the Big 12. Because Baylor is also the closest Big 12 school to Texas Tech, it will create a natural rivalry, which will further entice crowds to attend. The weekend of October 3 is also the 5th weekend of college football, which will give us ample time to market our event, but also allow for us to hold the event early enough in the season that we do not lose our customers to our other home games. Our second choice would be the weekend of Saturday, October 31, 2015 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This weekend would also allow for us to have a Halloween related theme.Our main selling point for positioning, is that this is the ONLY chance for Scouts to be able to camp out on the field at Jones AT&T Stadium, and that it is also their only chance to sleep on ANY major college or NFL stadiums field. We will position this as not only just a chance to attend a high level of college football, but that this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Marketing Tactics

There are a few key marketing tactics that must occur in order to assure that this event is a success and that will make it worth repeating in the future.Tactic: FlyersCreating flyers is a very simple and cost effective way to spread the word about any type of event, and is especially common in the Scouting world. We will design and print all of our flyers during July, which will ensure that they are ready for distribution by the beginning of August. Most troops and packs operate on a schedule very similar to public schools (August through May), and would ensure that we have the flyers ready for each troop and packs respective first meeting. This way, they can make sure that our Scout Night is on their calendars well in advance, and can plan as a troop or pack whether or not they would like to go and plan around it. Our flyers will include all important information, such as date, time and location of the event, as well as all aspects of the Scout Night listed, so that all potential participants know what is involved. The cost and registration process will also be listed to ensure that participants can register with ease and already know the cost of the event.

Tactic: Online Banners and AdsAt the beginning of September, we will have online banners placed at the header and/or footer of Texas Tech Athletics sites as well as South Plains Council webpages. These banners will also be available for sharing on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, so that they are seen by as many people as possible.

Tactic: Uniform PatchIn the Scouting world, uniform patches are a fascination held by many, and are incredibly popular. Much like how bands make t-shirts to sell at concerts, Scouts enjoy having patches for different events that they attend, to commemorate activities that they participated in as Scouts. We will create patches that will be ready for display online in early September, revealing a different section of the patch each week of the month, until it is fully revealed the day before the event.

Tactic: Social MediaMany of our potential participants are active on social media. Teenagers and adults alike check their Facebook and Twitter account multiple times a day, and constantly share new things with each other. By creating images on the sites, it allows for them to share them with each other, taking care of our marketing efforts for us, and creating a word of mouth effect.

Tactic: Pocket SchedulesIn all pocket schedules distributed at games or other local places, the same flyer that is distributed to Scouts will occupy a page of the pocket schedule. This ensures that other people that are not in our target market will see the information for our event, or for people that may not attend their Scout meetings regularly.

Tactic: Online RegistrationA webpage will be specifically designed for an easy registration process, and will ensure that we have a contact established with every participant attending. The webpage will be open in the beginning of August, but will likely not be visited by attendees until mid-August or late.

Implementation and Control

Action PlanTacticDate StartedDate CompletedDate Available to Public

FlyersJuly 1, 2015July 25, 2015August 1, 2015

Online Banners and AdsJuly 1, 2015July 31, 2015August 15, 2015

Uniform PatchAugust 1, 2015August 30, 2015September 1, 2015

Social MediaJuly 1, 2015July 31, 2015August 15, 2015

Pocket SchedulesJuly 1, 2015July 31, 2015August 1, 2015

Online RegistrationJuly 25, 2015July 31, 2015August 1, 2015

Budget1,000 flyers - $580 (Kinkos)1,000 patches - $1,030 (www.classb.com)Total Cost - $1,610All tickets would have a $5 increase for patches and camping on the field. Our goal of 750 participants will be used as an estimate.750 x $5 charge = $3,750 revenue$2,140 profit

EvaluationThere will be two parts of our evaluation. The fist will be a survey given to all participants immediately upon registering. This survey will ask what they liked or disliked about our flyers and registration process, as well as what they would like to see during the event. The second part will be an exit survey given the morning after as participants are leaving the stadium. This survey will ask participants to rate their experience, and give suggestions as to what worked, and what did not work.Referenceshttp://www.texastech.com/index.htmlhttp://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/mission.aspxhttp://www.southplainscouncil.org/http://www.classb.com/patches/http://www.fedex.com/us/office/flyer-printing.htmlhttp://www.depts.ttu.edu/scc/APA_Internship/Student.phphttp://www.city-data.com/city/Lubbock-Texas.htmlhttp://www.big12sports.com/

Appendix

Appendix cont.

Online Banner

Pocket Schedule page

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