Tracktown USA Media Plan 2020 Olympic Trials

Haileigh Farrell, Courtney Alacano, Chase Kellison, Nathan Porter & Mac ’Rourke TABLE OF CONTENTS:

I. Problem Statement II. Internal Factors III. External Factors IV. SWOT Analysis V. Key Publics VI. Current Situation VII. Target Publics VIII. Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Tactics IX. Implementation Timeline X. Implementation Budget XI. Evaluation Plan I. Problem Statement Tracktown USA would like to increase ticket sales for the 2020 Olympic Trials. The problem we face is that the sport of track and field is not popular with younger audiences, and the event is unknown by many locals.

II. Internal Factors Tracktown USA’s mission is to promote the sport of track and field, and all it offers to participants and fans. They want track and field fans to have the same excitement as they did 50 years ago before football and basketball were overwhelmingly the most popular sports. As time proceeds, track and field becomes less popular, but Tracktown USA hopes to change that by promoting the sport and showing people how much fun running can be. The organization’s vision is for everyone to be track and field enthusiasts. The love for the sport has diminished over the years since the NBA and NFL became the dominant sports, but Tracktown USA envisions the sport regaining its podium as one of the dominating sports for attention and coverage. Tracktown USA’s main values are to promote track and field as a whole. Through their community programs and large events, they emphasize a welcoming environment for runners of all types. Tracktown USA is an organization that attempts to reach all types of people, no matter their demographics, as track and field is a sport that everyone can enjoy. On the organizations’ website, the phrase “Home to Athletes Across ” is the first thing you see. The statement exemplifies their passion for athletes, going so far as to say they are the “home” for athletes all over the world. Tracktown USA has had an organizational history as a non-profit for decades. Based in Eugene, it has ties with and Nike. Starting in 1921, Hayward Field held some of the most significant races the sport had ever seen. On top of that, the non-profit organized the “2014 IAAF World Junior Championships, the 2015 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field and the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field” (TrackTown USA, 2019). Through their ability to connect with track and field athletes from across the world, they have successfully hosted these types of events for years. On top of that, Hayward Field is the birthplace of Nike and athletes such as Prefontaine. As the non-profit has grown, it is still based in Eugene but continues to host events and garner national attention, receiving awards such as “The Best Track to Watch a Meet” in 2003, a top 10 fit city in the United States from Fitbit and elected an official RRCA runner-friendly community by the Road Runners Club. With the organization’s history of being such a prominent voice in the track and field community, and continuing to make Eugene a prominent running community, Tracktown USA’s reputation is strong and reliable.

III. External Factors PEST Analysis Political: ● Tracktown USA being a 501-C3 non-profit ● Not affiliated with any democratic party or cause Economic: ● Approximately 1.56 million nonprofits were registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2015, an increase of 10.4 percent from 2005. ● In 2017, total private giving from individuals, foundations, and businesses totaled $410.02 billion (Giving USA Foundation, 2018), an increase of 3 percent from 2016 (after adjusting for inflation). According to Giving USA (2018), total charitable giving rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2017, making 2017 the largest single-year for private charitable giving, even after adjusting for inflation. ● Lane County unemployment rate reaches below 4.5% with 2% job growth rate in 2018 (Register Guard, 2019) ● 550 workers currently helping with the construction of Hayward Field as of Jan. 24, 2020 (University of , 2020) Socio-Cultural: ● According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 19 percent of the U.S. population was engaged in sports and exercise each day in 2017 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). ● According to the Nation Federation of State High School Associations, in the 2018/2019 season, 488.2 thousand girls and 605.3 boys participated in high school track and field in the United States (NFSHA, 2019). ● The 2016 Olympics located in Rio de Janeiro had over 3.5 million people worldwide who watched the Olympics on their televisions (International Olympic Committee, 2016). Technological: ● 94% of residents in Eugene have a computer (US Census, 2019). ● David Hibbitts and Midghalls online survey sent out among the 1,045 people who live in urban areas from Eugene to Seattle ultimately used Facebook as their main social media. 90% of them said that they used Facebook and the age range found that 55 years and older used more than 35 and younger. (Urban Institute, 2018).

Emerging Trends or Issues According to the 2019 U.S. Running Trends Report from Running USA, 18.1 million people registered for a race in 2018. This is a 1% decrease from 2017 where 18.3 million people registered for a race (Running USA, 2019). The peak year in the past decade was in 2013, where 19 million people were registered. Since then there has been a slow decline in the number of people registering for races (Running USA, 2019). Women wake up the majority of runners in the U.S. which is about 60% of the runners registered. The most popular distance ran was the 5k race, which had 8.9 million registrations in 2018 (Running USA, 2019). A decline in running participants could be a potential issue for TrackTown USA in the future. Another emerging issue is that there is a desperate need for state funding to host the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in 2021. Ticket sales and sponsorships will not come close to covering the costs of the event and Travel Oregon has already allocated $20 million from the state lodging tax which was already increased (OPR, 2019). Another $20 million has been requested by the host committee for this event. This has sparked a debate about whether the $40 million spent on this event could have been used for more practical needs in the state of Oregon.

Competing Forces Since TrackTown USA is a non-profit, it is difficult to compete with corporations in the health & fitness industry who have the funding and resources to recruit new members. Trending fitness organizations such as Orange Theory and Star Cycle are more appealing to the millennial generation. Also, the UO Rec Center offers different fitness courses such as Barre, GroupX, Webfoot Crossfit, and F45 Cardio which all target the student demographic. These organizations alone offer convenient and trendy alternatives that take away TrackTown USA’s key audiences. TrackTown USA also has to compete with other non-profit running organizations in the Eugene-Springfield area such as the Oregon Track Club, Eugene Running Company, Track City Track Club and other local running groups (Eugene Cascade Coast, 2019). With such a high demand for running in Eugene, TrackTown USA must find a way to stand apart from its competitors in the health & fitness industry.

Case Study Special Olympics Oregon helps children and their families dealing with intellectual or physical disabilities. The nonprofit organization assists children and their parents through sports, education, and health. Specifically, the local sector of the organization has over 14,000 participants (SOOR, 2019). This is an important nonprofit to the community with important community engagement and relations as residents with intellectual disabilities is the largest disability population in the state of Oregon (SOOR, 2019). Similar to Tracktown, the nonprofit has a number of community programs and events. The nonprofit hosts over 14 Olympic-style competitions. Their Unified Champion Schools is an education program K-12 to build a bridge between students both with and without disabilities. Also similar to Tracktown, Special Olympics Oregon has a number of sponsorships and partnerships. Some include national sponsorships such as Nike and Toyota while there are also a number of local partnerships such as the Portland Timber and the Portland Trailblazers (SOOR, 2019).

IV. SWOT Analysis Strengths: Weaknesses: ● Loyal fanbase ● Small budget as a non-profit ● Strong community engagement ● Small staff ● Have a strong history with hosting ● Rely on cooperation from stakeholders past events ● Solid engagement with social media audience ● Deep local connections to track and field (Go Ducks, 2003) (Eugene Cascades Coast, 2019)

Opportunities: Threats: ● New venue, international audience ● Do not own broadcasting rights ● Large untapped audiences (students, ● People losing interest after the event student-athletes, youth athletes, etc.) ● Rely on local businesses for ● Vast amount of influencers in the local sponsorships community (former Olympic athletes, ● Don’t have control over ticket prices current college athletes) ● Don’t have much control over amenities (food, parking, etc.) ● Trials take place in June, many students will likely have left for the summer

Strengths: ● Tracktown USA has a strong connection to the Eugene community and past track and field events in the area. It is a well recognized non-profit in the local community that engages stakeholders through programs and events. Weaknesses: ● As a non-profit, Tracktown USA has a relatively small budget and relies heavily on partnerships with other companies and local businesses. While the company has been very successful with these partnerships in the past, an event the size of the Olympic Trials will require significantly more coordination than previous community-focused events. Opportunities: ● The Olympic Trials at the newly renovated Hayward Field present the opportunity for Tracktown USA to connect with large, untapped audiences such as the students. Threats: ● The Olympic Trials present many variables that are largely out of Tracktown’s control. The time of year in which the trials take place presents the threat of losing a large audience because they occur at the beginning of summer when many students will likely have left campus or the local area.

V. Key Publics Track and Field Fans Track and field fans are a probable audience to attend the 2020 Olympic Trials. They most likely are older, middle-class adults who heavily follow the sport of track and field perhaps from personal experience or out of passion. They would most likely follow other large track and field events such as the Boston Marathon or participate in ones themselves such as the Eugene Marathon. They may follow running sites such as Runner’s World or Competitor. This audience would expect an exciting, track-oriented environment focusing on the events, meets and athletes. Perhaps because they are invested in the athletes and are more likely to know them than other publics, they would want an experience to meet the athletes competing.

Tracktown Members Tracktown members are another probable audience to attend this event. Most likely, these are adults or parents with children and are local families to Eugene. They would be easy to reach through Tracktown’s email member subscription service which sends out updates, events, and reminders. They may also follow Tracktown on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram making these easy channels for communication. Additionally, members would be accessible through in-person events as they occasionally or often attend community events such as Tracktown Tuesdays. They would expect a family-friendly environment with amenities such as parking access, public transportation or activities for children.

VI. Current Situation Track and Field is a sport that appeals to largely older audiences. Tracktown is trying to find ways to appeal to younger audiences. For example, Gen Z and Millenials are not represented in the population of track and field fans. Without the younger generation participating in track and field, TrackTown USA is missing out on a key audience. In a college town like Eugene, the younger generation (college students) are an influential demographic. Not being able to recruit the next generation of runners could eventually cause the organization to shut down. The older audience will lose the physical ability to participate in track and field. Without a younger audience to fill this hole, TrackTown USA won't have participants. Tracktown has mainly been focused on track and field fans in the past but is wanting to skew focus their direction on people who would most likely not be involved in events such as the Olympic Trials. The largest obstacle is the fact that Tracktown does not have any say in the trials themselves. The trials have already been set and planned and Tracktown can’t decide the timing or schedule of the events, creating potential complications with creating connections to students. Tracktown has strong connections with local stakeholders including the University of Oregon and the city of Eugene, Springfield and Lane County. They also have a large social media following and many current and former athletes they can potentially connect with.

VII. Target Publics College Students University of Oregon students are a possible audience group to attend this event as Hayward is located on campus. The total enrollment of students at the University of Oregon is 22,760 with 19,122 undergraduate students and 3,638 graduate students (Oregon Admissions, 2019). 52% of these students are Oregon residents, 38% are out-of-state students, and 10% are international students (Oregon Admissions, 2019). Underclassmen in this group would most likely be living on campus in university housing, especially freshmen. Upperclassmen and graduate students may be living on campus but could also possibly be living off-campus in popular apartments such as Franklin 2125. A necessity for this group would be inexpensive tickets or a way to win tickets or buy tickets on promotional sales.

Eugene Residents Eugene residents who live within the immediate or surrounding areas such as Springfield are also a possible audience. Specifically for 2019, it was recorded that 156,185 residents were living in Eugene (Suburbanstats, 2020). They would be inclined to go to the event mainly due to their geographic proximity. Although, they may not be thinking about the event as they are not fans of track and field, or perhaps they do not know of the event. Education and awareness will have to be raised to secure their attendance. As well, they may be asking themselves why would this event appeal to them if they do not have an interest in the sport or the athletes competing. This will have to be answered by showing them that there are features of this event that are specifically for them.

VIII. Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Tactics Our goals for Tracktown USA are to create a community event and to increase attendance. Two objectives associated with this goal would be to connect with potential audiences before the event and to encourage new audiences to attend. Strategies associated with these objectives are to increase awareness for the event and to conduct community relations around the city of Eugene or on the University of Oregon campus. may include increasing awareness and conducting community relations. Regarding strategies, there are a few tactics that would help achieve these points. First, Tracktown could secure five famous alumni, former UO student-athletes and/or Olympic athletes to attend the event before May. Also, promotional giveaways through social media before June. Lastly, five partnerships with local businesses could be secured by Memorial Day weekend.

IX. Implementation Timeline The following plan coincides with the tactics, budget and timeline we were given and have created for Tracktown: ● March 16, 2020 ○ Tracktown Social Media: Begin a series of weekly posts promoting the trials on Tracktown’s social media channels. ● March 30, 2020 ○ Celebrity Promotions: Begin promoting trials through partnerships with local athletes through social media. ● May 9, 2020 ○ Ticket Giveaway: Partner with local restaurants and bars to host promotional events with the grand prize being tickets to the Olympic Trials. ● June 5, 2020 ○ Pre-Event Survey: Post a survey promoted on social media to gauge public awareness of the Trials. This can be used to gauge success and make any last changes to the campaign. ● June 19, 2020 ○ Olympic Trials Begin: The 2020 Olympic Trials begin at Hayward Field. The event lasts until June 28. ● June 26, 2020 ○ Post Event Survey: Social media survey to inquire about awareness of the Trials to compare to pre-survey.

X. Implementation Budget For each of the major expense categories used in this campaign, the breakdowns are listed below with possible items/personnel for each: ● Promotional Giveaway Tickets: $1160 ○ 4 pairs of tickets in Zone 1B on Day 10 ● Merchandise: $840 ○ T-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, water bottles and giveaway merchandise such as Nike Gift Cards and AirPods ● Local Business Partnerships: $1000 ○ Prince Pucklers, TrackTown Pizza, Cheba Hut, Rennies Landing and Eugene Running Co ● Celebrity + UO Athlete Appearances: $2000 ○ Ashton Eaton, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Jordan Bell, Marcus Mariota

XI. Evaluation Plan 1. Connect with potential audiences before the event Outputs: Average number of social media posts per week on each platform -Total number of former athletes reached out to -Total number of giveaways -Total number of businesses reached out to for partnerships Outtakes: Average number of social media posts that audiences have interacted with -Total number of accounts reached -Total actions taken from certain posts -Total number of profile visits Outcomes: Increase in awareness measured by a pre and post social media survey. The pre-survey will be posted on Instagram through a story poll one month before the event and within two weeks of the event date. The survey will ask about awareness of the Olympic Trials 2020 and look to see if viewers are aware of the event and if they are going to the event. The first question will ask “Did you know the Olympic Trials are being held at Hayward on XXX?” The second question will ask “Are you going to the Olympic Trials?” with response options such as “You’ll see me there” or “I’ll be there next time.”

2. Encourage new audiences to attend the event Outputs: Total number of local businesses reached out to for partnerships -Total number of giveaways -Total number of ticket sales for target publics Outtakes: Total number of giveaway entries -Total number of reposts or mentions on Instagram stories -Total number of followers gained from contest/giveaways -Total number of local businesses promoting our event Outcomes: Increase in community relations through local business partnerships and sponsorships. These local businesses could host a series of meet and greets with influencers relevant to the running community and promote their event on social media and with posters. Businesses could also use social media to promote our giveaways and use social media insights to see how many people have seen or sent the post. An example could be Taylor’s Bar and Grill to reach students and a giveaway for current Oregon students for an Apple Watch or AirPods. Tracktown USA Crisis Plan Organizational Background and Operating Environment Tracktown USA is a non-profit based in Eugene, Oregon that focuses on setting a standard of excellence in the sports of track and field and running by hosting premier events, creating a supportive environment for elite athletic performances, improving facilities, being a leader in sustainability and inspiring the next generation of track and field athletes and fans. Tracktown is currently involved as a key promoter of the upcoming track and field olympic trials at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon’s campus. Tracktown hopes to utilize the trials as a means to connect a younger generation of fans with the sport of track and field.

Potential Crisis Identification Potential Crisis Identification: Event Related ● Power outage/construction error - Due to the new stadium and this being one of the first events held at Hayward, there is potential for a malfunction to occur at the event that was missed during inspections. ● Natural disaster/weather - An unexpected natural disaster like an earthquake could cause damage to the stadium and/or injury to spectators/athletes. ● Outbreak/spread of illness ● Injury during the event - If a marquee athlete is injured during competition fans may lose interest in the event. ● Terrorism at facility - A planned attack on the event from a certain terrorist organization or a rogue terrorist looking to inflict harm on a large scale ● Bomb scare/shooting - Due to recent statistics of violence on college campuses, this is a potential scene for a bomb scare or shooting to occur.

Potential Crisis Identification: Media Related ● Leak of info - Classified information about the event or the athletes in the event getting released to the media ● Partnership crisis (bankruptcy, fallout) - If a partnership were to fall out of support for the event we could lose sponsorships and necessary donations from partners. ● Lawsuits - If a lawsuit was made outside of the event it could affect the budget for the event. ● Controversial/hurtful statement by athlete/executive - If a controversial or hurtful statement was made by an athlete or executive it could affect the support from the community. ● Affair with athlete/executive (sexual abuse) - An athlete or executive sexual abuse scandal could harm the public perception or trust of attendees. ● Cheating scandal with athlete/executive - One of the athletes cheats or an executive member does something unlawful. ● Death/retirement before the event of athlete/executive- A major supporter of the event dies or retires shortly before the event, preventing us from doing our job.

Potential Crisis Identification Summary A possible crisis that may occur at the event includes a construction malfunction or a natural disaster. In addition, there are also a number of safety threats that could occur at the event including an act of terrorism, a threat of a shooting or a bomb scare. Regarding media related threats that could occur before the event itself includes a leak of information about a negative scandal or incident with an athlete, an employee or executive at Tracktown. These may include a cheating, drug, alcohol or sexual abuse incident that would harm the image of an athlete or Tracktown.

Likely Crisis: Spread of illness This is a timely issue that could hurt the Olympic Trials due to the Coronavirus. It could hurt attendance as the public is less likely to attend the event and could reduce the number of athletes participating in the event. Also, because people will be attending the event from other nations, some potentially impacted by the coronavirus, they may spread the virus at the event.

Crisis Response Plan Framework Type of Crisis: ● External ○ Tracktown is not responsible for this crisis ● Sporadic ○ This event was unpredictable

Stakeholders Affected: ● Fans who were planning on attending the event ● Athletes participating in the trials ● Corporate sponsors of the trials ● The University of Oregon ● City of Eugene and the surrounding community

Media Outlets to Contact: ● Student News outlets: KWVA 88.1; The Daily Emerald ● Local Eugene News Outlets: KEZI 9; KVAL 13; The Register-Guard; KMTR 16 ● National News organizations: CNN; NY Times; Washington Post; Fox News; CBS News

Order of Media Contacts: 1.) KWVA 88.1 2.) The Daily Emerald 3.) The Register-Guard 4.) KEZI 9, KMTR 16, KVAL 13 5.) NY Times, Washington Post 6.) CNN, CBS News, Fox News

Steps to Communicate with Stakeholders: ● Students: Utilize the university’s email system to reach the entire student body. Compose a carefully worded email explaining that this outbreak was not anyone’s fault. In the email include information about the virus, how to prevent it, and where to get help should it continue to spread. ● Community members: Coordinate with local media outlets including KEZI and the Register-Guard to provide information to the surrounding community. Work closely with these outlets to ensure that the information conveyed is accurate and provides details in regards to next-steps being taken. It may be beneficial to craft a news release with this information to distribute to local media outlets. ● Ticket holders for the event: Use contact information that fans provided when purchasing tickets to get in-touch with them and explain the situation. It would be beneficial to reach out using both email and phone calls to demonstrate that Tracktown is doing everything in its power to address the situation. Explain that this is a victim-centered crisis and that the health and safety of fans and athletes is the number one concern. Direct these ticket holders to a contact to discuss potential refunds should the event be canceled or postponed.

Assignment of Communication Roles Within Organization: ● Senior Director, Colleen Wrenn ○ Develop procedures with the director of Marketing to communicate with stakeholders of the event. ○ Identify and prioritize critical support services and systems ● Senior Director Of Marketing, Jessica Gabriel ○ Develop procedures for declaring state of emergency to media outlets and stakeholders ○ Create media advisories for the event ● Organizational Management and Leadership, Jeannine Erving ○ Strategically communicate between department personnel about the crisis ○ Create briefs for meetings with all communication personnel ● Director of Business Operation, John Lucas ○ Allocate funds from the profits made from the event to put towards Coronavirus research and treatment facilities in Eugene ○ Spend a percentage of the budget on posters/pamphlets around the event on ways to avoid getting the virus ○ Spend funds on facemasks, gloves and hand sanitizer around the stadium ● President of University of Oregon, Michael H. Schill ○ Develop a message explaining the current situation to UO students and staff and distribute as soon as possible via email. ● Chief of Police at the University of Oregon Police Department, Matthew Carmichael ○ Develop and Coordinate procedures for mobilizing resources needed for long-term emergencies ● UO Director of Scheduling and Event Services, Rick Haught ○ Coordinate with USA Track and Field in regards to possible alternatives should the trials be postponed or cancelled. ● Executive Director of UO Health Center, Debra Beck ○ Develop a quick and effective plan to contain the outbreak on the UO campus. ○ Provide free flu shots to students and staff ○ Develop procedures for pre-positioning resources and equipment. ● UO Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing, Lauren Miller ○ Compose a news release explaining the situation from the university’s perspectives and what steps are being taken on their part.

Key Messages: ● Emphasize that Tracktown has done everything possible to keep fans, the public and athletes safe but ultimately this event was beyond their control. ● Reiterating that safety is Tracktown’s most important priority for this event as well as their other events. ● Encourage people who have questions to reach out to their health provider or the campus health center or local medical offices. ○ On Tracktown’s email updating the public about the status of the event and the changes they have made, the number for health providers or the CDC should be included. ● A possible key message would include, “We are aware of the spread of the Coronavirus. We have taken serious measures to ensure the safety of the attendees and athletes to foster a healthy environment. In the meantime, avoid physical contact with other individuals to prevent further spread of the virus.”

Status of Current Operation: ● Email community members and ticket holders to inform them of health modifications to the event. ○ Include a medical information tent at the event for the illness ○ Create infographics to be placed in every bathroom and around food venues at the event about how to keep yourself safe ● Continue to monitor the spread of the Coronavirus and send out more direct messages to the public if conditions worsen. ○ Important media channels to use would be student news outlets and local Eugene outlets or broadcasts ● Provide students and Eugene locals information on where they may receive a free flu vaccine. ○ Provide information about the campus health center hours over social media ○ Provide local pharmacies who give free flu shots to community members over email distribution ● Hold a Q and A session at a local healthcenter to answer health related questions community members may have. ○ Potential questions: Where did the virus stem from? How is this illness affecting Oregon? ● Hold a Q and A session at a Tracktown Tuesday session that Olympic Trial goers may have. ○ Potential questions: Have any athletes disclosed they will not be attending? Are tickets refundable for the public? What health precautions is Tracktown taking to prevent the spread?

Next Steps: ● Use messages that show how Tracktown is dedicated to public safety, health and wellbeing. ○ Tracktown could donate a percentage of the profits from ticket sales to research around the Coronavirus ● Work with the University to make modifications to the stadium to provide as many health-related amenities as possible. ● Work with USA Track and Field to ensure that all future venues are adequately prepared to deal with any future disease outbreak in the safest way possible. Citations https://www.statista.com/topics/1749/physical-activity/ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/eugenecityoregon https://www.statista.com/statistics/287966/olympic-games-tv-viewership-worldwide/ https://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/2015/11/social_media_and_the_northwest.html https://nccs.urban.org/publication/nonprofit-sector-brief-2018#the-nonprofit-sector-in-brief-2018 -public-charites-giving-and-volunteering https://gotracktownusa.com/events/past-events/ https://suburbanstats.org/population/oregon/how-many-people-live-in-eugene https://admissions.uoregon.edu/uo-facts https://goducks.com/news/2016/5/25/track-and-field-track-town-usa.aspx https://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/running https://runningusa.org/RUSA/News/2019/Running_USA_Releases_2019_U.S._Running_Trends _Report.aspx https://www.registerguard.com/news/20190102/what-will-lane-countys-economy-bring-in-2019 https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-state-funds-eugene-world-track-championships-2021/ http://www.soor.org https://hayward.uoregon.edu/construction-and-traffic