Table of Contents:

Executive Summary………………………3 Situation Analysis…………………………4 Product and Service Analysis……………...5-6 Target Market Analysis……………………7 Distribution Network Analysis…………….8 Competitive Analysis……………………...9-10 Current Financial Situation………………..11 Historical Results………………………...12 Macroenvironment……………………….13 SWOT……………………………………14 Objectives & Critical Issues…………..…...15 Target Market…………………………….16-17 Positioning………………………………..18 Marketing Mix…………………………….19 Marketing Research……………………….20 Creative Strategy & Brief…………………..21 Overall Marketing Communications Strategy..22 Promotional Strategy & Tactics……………..23 PR Strategy & Tactics………………………24 Digital Strategy & Tactics…………………..25 Advertising Strategy & Tactics……………...26 Measurement/Evaluation…………………..27 Conclusion…………………………………28 Works Cited………………………………..29-30

2 Klimek Consulting- Executive Summary

The Rochester Red Wings are extremely successful in making their organization well known to the Rochester community. While the Red Wings currently pride themselves on being a family oriented place, there are ways that other target markets could be reached in order to maximize profit and brand experience. The goal will be to reach socially active men and women in the Rochester area within the 18-25 age range. The way the RRW will reach this market will take different forms of marketing and advertising than it currently uses to reach families. Specifically, there will have to be an increase in the use of digital media and special events. The many promotions and special events as well as advertising will be relevant to this target market to optimize the potential of a market that currently feels indifferent about the Red Wings. By making promotions and special events that appeal to this demographic, the experience they have at the games will be recognized as a more positive experience and will lead to more repeat sales. The Red Wings are a team that needs to be around in the Rochester area for generations to come. The Red Wings must capitalize on opportunities that are available to them so that more people can get joy out of watching a great team. If the Red Wings can capture the 18-25 age range they will be more likely to bring their families there so that their kids can get the same happiness out of the games. This marketing campaign, in years to come, will make a difference in the amount of families that come to games as well as the increase in sales from a totally different and new target market.

The Rochester Red Wings field during an evening game. Source: www.redwingsbaseball.com

3 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Situation Analysis

The Rochester Red Wings are the only professional team in the Rochester area. The RRW are the Triple-A affiliate of the . They are well known in Rochester, according to CEO Naomi Silver, “Everyone knows who we are” (DiVeronica). However, the attendance and atmosphere of the RRW games have struggled. According to the Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, in 2005 Rochester was named the best minor-league sports city, and in 2009 it moved down to ninth (DiVeronica). Out of the past three seasons the RRW had only one season that ranked in the top ten annual seasons for attendance and that was their 2008 season that ranked third. There has not been a top ten crowd for attendance at since a game during the 2007 season (“The History of Professional”). While advertising was at a high last year, for the 2011 season the RRW have raised the price of a ticket by $1.00 if a customer buys a ticket on the day of the game. According to Chuck Hinkel, “Since moving from Silver to Frontier Field in 1997 the RWW have had three 50 cent increases in box office ticket prices” (Hinkel). Current ticket prices are listed below.

Ticket prices for the 2011 season Prior to Game Day Day of Game Premium Box Seat $10.50 $11.50 Upper Box $9.00 $10.00 Reserved Seat $6.50 $7.50

4 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Product and Service Analysis

Product Mix o The RRW currently sell single game tickets, multiple game ticket packages, and season tickets to customers. If bought in advance, single game tickets start at $6.50 for a reserved seat and a premium box seat costs $10.50 (“Rochester Red Wings Tickets”). o Merchandise store located within Frontier Field and online store (www.RedWingsBaseball.com) that sells apparel, caps, novelties, jerseys, , trading cards, and collectibles. Prices vary from $0.75 for a Red Wings pencil to $109.99 for a premier team jacket (“Rochester Red Wings Official Store”). o Accommodations for groups including picnic options, suite options, the “Fan Zone couch section”, birthday parties, and boy scout options, as well as group ticket prices for groups of 20 of more (“Group Outings”). o Variety of concession options such as fried dough, ice cream, Dippin’ Dots, Starbucks, many different hot dog and burger options, Philly Cheesteak, Italian Sausage, nachos, peanuts, gluten free and dairy free products as well as a variety of soft drinks and alcoholic drinks (“Ballpark Dining Choices”).

Customer Need The RRW meet the need of entertainment for customers. For sports fans, the RRW provides professional, local, live entertainment. For families the RRW provide a safe, entertaining time for children at an affordable price. The RRW also provide accommodations for large group outings. The concessions available at games satisfy the hunger and thirst of customers, as well as provide for convenience of a meal or snack.

This map of inside Frontier Field shows where concessions are sold around the baseball field. The concessions are widely accessibly due to their convenient locations. Source: www.redwingsbaseball.com

The team store is located right near the Main Gates so people can stop in on their way in, during their game or the way out. 5 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Product and Service Analysis (Continued)

Strengths & Weaknesses (Compared to Competition)

Strengths: o Affordable price o Ability to socialize, unlike sitting quietly in a movie theater o Attracts a wide range of ages o Concessions available o Professional sporting entertainment o Outside stadium o Well known in the Rochester area

Weaknesses: o Outside stadium when weather is not ideal o High concession prices o Costs money, unlike enjoying outside weather at a park for free o Those that are not interested in sports may not want to come to a game o Not a major league team

Features & Benefits:

o The outside stadium so that people can spend their time outside on nice days. o Variation of game times and game days so that people can fit in a game whenever their schedule allows them. o Professional sports team allows for local professional entertainment that is competitive and exciting to watch. o The affordable price allows for large families and other people that are on a low budget to still be able to enjoy a day out of entertainment and not feel like they are spending a fortune. o The concessions that the Red Wings offer to fans is a feature to many families and fans. People can come to the game and do not have to worry about cooking dinner before hand; they can enjoy a meal or a cold beer while watching a professional sporting event so that they can relax.

6 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Target Market Analysis

Dan Mason, the General Manager, reported that the RRW advertisements and promotions are aimed at families, rather than sports fans. He explained that sports fans do not need an extra push to go to the game, if they are a Red Wings fan and like baseball they will come (Dan Mason, personal communication, October 2009). However it is the families that the RRW push for, and try to promote the game as family entertainment. He also explained that ten years ago their target would have been sports fans but due to marketing research they have developed their marketing differently now. Families come to games because it is a good night or afternoon out for safe family fun. These families that attend games are active and like that they can bond at the game and afford it since the tickets are reasonably priced. The families that attend the games are middle class families. The household income for 63% of RRW attendees are $50,000+, only 20% have a household income of $100,000 (Scarborough Sports Marketing [7]). The parents are looking for entertainment for themselves as well as kids of all ages. The RRW attendees are also families on the run, 54% have been to a quick service restaurant 5+ times a month (Scarborough Sports Marketing [14]).Mason described that the RRW aim to a local market, they aim towards the Rochester area, however they have sold merchandise in 11 different countries and every state. He believes that their logo is essential to this, by picking a logo that is widely recognized by kids across the country since many Little League teams are named the Red Wings. (Dan Mason, personal communication, October 2009)

Families are the main target market. Kids are pictured here with Red Wings merchandise, excited to be at the game and pose with the statue of the Spikes. Source: www.flickr.com 7 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Distribution Network Analysis

Customers can currently purchase tickets from the box office at Frontier Field located at One Way, Rochester NY 14608. They can order tickets by telephone with a credit card by calling (585) 423- WING. Customers may also order tickets on-line by going to the team website www.RedWingsBaseball.com. Lastly, tickets can be purchased by mailing a letter with a check and date of the game they would like to attend. The customer would need to mail the box office and include $2.00 for a return mailing fee.

An example of what a RRW ticket looks like.

Source: www.flickr.com

8 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Competitive Analysis: Movie Theaters

The movie theaters around Rochester are a form of competition for the RRW. There are eleven theaters in Rochester and the surrounding towns. Most of the movie theaters show at least ten different movies which means there is usually a variety of movies to view. Therefore, movie theaters are more likely to be closer to a family’s house than the stadium. Regal Entertainment Group’s ticket prices are $9.50 for an adult ticket and $7.50 for a child’s ticket (Regal Entertainment Group). The promotions that are currently taking place is a sweepstakes where customers have a chance at winning American Idol tickets when buying a large soda, and there is also a special price for candy when purchasing a combo (Regal Entertainment Group). They also have promotions offered on certain days of the week; Monday’s they offer a special price on Candy, and Tuesday’s there is a special price on Popcorn. The Regal Entertainment Group offers a customer loyalty program where customers can put points on their Regal Crown cards each time they purchase a ticket or concession. The customers can receive free movie tickets and concession stand items when they accumulate to certain point levels. Tickets for the Regal movies may be purchased at the theater or online at www.fandango.com.

Strengths Weaknesses o Variety of movies o Indoors which is a weakness when weather is pleasant o Concessions available o High ticket prices and concession prices o Customer loyalty program o Hard for a large group to all agree on a movie to o Indoors which is a strength when weather is unfavorable see o Cannot talk during the show o Relaxing o Customers might not be pleased with the o Promotions/sweepstakes showing they went to see and might be discouraged to spend money to see other movies in the theater.

An example of a popular Regal movie theater in Rochester, the Eastview Mall Regal.

Source: www.fandango.com

9 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Competitive Analysis:

The Rochester Rhinos are the a professional soccer team in Rochester, N.Y. The Rhinos are part of the U.S. Soccer Federation Division 2 Pro League (USSF D-2). The Rhinos play in in their stadium called . In the 2010 season, the Rhinos finished with a winning season (16W - 8L - 6T) and a home attendance of 96,677 (Adirondack Sports Club, LLC.). The Rhinos offer many promotions to families but also towards the younger demographic. The Coors Light Zone is a promotion running for the 2011 season where those ages 21+ can purchase a ticket in the 100 End Game section for $15 and will receive 2 Coors Light beverages (Adirondack Sports Club, LLC.). The Rhinos also offer value pack tickets in single tickets of packs of 5 of 15 and group packages as well. An individual reserved ticket sells for $10. Tickets can be purchased at the box office the stadium, online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone 585-454-KICK. The Rhinos are a family fun event for those in the Rochester area, they advertise for their Birthday Packages and sell family four packs. The Rhinos are also a host for sports fans that would like to see live, local, professional soccer.

Strengths: Weaknesses o Incorporating many social media tools (YouTube, o High concession prices Flickr, Facebook and Twitter) o Not in a central downtown area o Affordable ticket prices and value packs o Division 2 team, people may think they are not o Professional sports team worth going to o Safe, family fun o Have not been around as long as other professional sports teams in Rochester, like the o Concessions available Red Wings. Not as much brand awareness o Outside stadium, when the weather is favorable o Higher ticket prices than the movies or the Red o Dance team, for more entertainment Wings

A view of the Rochester Rhinos stadium 10 Klimek ConsultingSource:- Rochester www.insidemnsoccer.com Red Wings Current Financial Situation

The Rochester Red Wings are operated by the Rochester Community Baseball Inc., who also operate the of the -Penn League. For the 2010 season, the Rochester Community Baseball Inc. had a net income of $129,689 in 2010. The Red Wings brought in an income of $221,686 in 2010, while the Muckdogs had a deficit (Thomas).

Advertising The Rochester Red Wings generated $1.4 million in advertising revenue in 2010. This is the second-highest amount since moving to Frontier Field, the highest was in 2008 when the team had $1.5 million. However, last year was the first year in many that the Red Wings had sold all of their advertising signs before opening day (Thomas).

Tickets Dan Mason says that group sales are up from last year as well as ticket packages. Chuck Hinkel, the director of media relations says, "The recession might've helped us a little bit because we were an affordable option for people who might not have gone on a trip out of town, they stayed and found things to do” (Thomas). The RRW averaged 6,600 people per game last season, in a stadium that fits about 11,000. For the 2011 season, the ticket prices were raised by $1.00, if bought on the day of the game.

11 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Historical Results

Weekly Promotions Currently the Rochester Red Wings have numerous ongoing and one night only promotions. One promotion that is frequently highlighted is the post-game fireworks that take place on Friday and Saturdays of home games. On Monday-Saturday there are concession stand promotions. Each Sunday fans have the opportunity to receive $1 off a ticket when they present a publication from any church, house of worship, civic, or nonprofit group.

Giveaways At various games (about half of them) there are giveaways for the first so many fans (depending on the giveaway). The giveaways vary each game from RRW magnets, carnations (Mother’s Day), kids eat free, pillow cases, baseballs, drawstring backpacks. Most of the giveaways are geared towards kids and are only for the first so many kids that enter the stadium.

In-Game Charity Promotions Businesses in Rochester such as Urology Associates of Rochester, Advantage Federal Credit Union, Road Runner High Speed Online, pair up with charities like Prostate Cancer Awareness, Muscular Dystrophy Association/ALS Division, Autism Speaks Rochester. These businesses make a donation to charities based on things that happen during the baseball game such as when a player steals a base at home or strikes out a player.

Social Media The RRW are currently using Twitter, and Facebook to interact with fans. There is not a lot of action on the Facebook page, however the Twitter page is frequently used.

12 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Macroenvironment

o Economic Forces: Professional baseball players are getting more expensive to contract; therefore less money is available for the Minor League. Minimum wage is increasing leading to an increase in employee costs.

o Natural forces: The environment, such as potentially global warming, is a factor. When there are scorching temperatures people will not want to attend a game, same with if it is rainy or cold.

o Demographics: Family house size is low, therefore there are not as many large families attending games which could lead to a decrease in attendance. Employment is low so people do not have the funds to go to games. The population of Rochester is also decreasing, which could lead to a decrease in attendance because some of their fans might have moved out of the area.

o Technological Forces: People are spending more money and time on new technology therefore people may not be as likely to have the funds to attend multiple games.

o Cultural forces: According to an interview in October 2009 with the RWW marketing executive, Dan Mason, a problem is that people are too busy with their schedules to come to a game, or as often as they used to (Dan Mason, personal communication, October 2009). People are busier during this generation, they do not have as many free weekend nights because of longer hours at work or more kid commitments such as little league, dance etc.

13 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings SWOT Analysis

Strengths: Opportunities: -Reasonable price -Interest/loyalty -Strong brand awareness -Interest to socialize -Frequent promotions/ incentives/ -Interest to try something new giveaways -Groups -Concessions available -Co-workers -Convenient game times

Weaknesses: Threats: -Not appealing or interesting for some -Other professional sports teams in people Rochester SWOT-Expensive Analysis concessions -Other forms of entertainment -Costs money to come to a game -Busy schedules -Losing team -Weather -Does not target many markets -Social media/new media

SWOT Action Plan: Make new target aware of the benefits of coming to a Red Wings game rather than spending money at other places. Also make the Red Wings games seem very appealing to all people to go to by special events, promotions, and incentives.

14 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Financial Objectives

o Increase sales to young adults by 20% within one year. o Increase repeat customers in target market by 20% within one year.

Marketing Objectives

o Increase customer satisfaction of target market by 20% within one year. o Increase brand interaction by 25% within one year.

Critical Issues

o Low staff o People in both target markets may have negative feelings about the Red Wings games o Weather o Busy schedules o Low economy o Losing team

15 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Target Market

The target market will be active, young adults ages 18-25 in the Rochester area. This new target market where people have not yet started a family of their own, or have just recently married is a market that needs to be captured in Rochester. The target market will be young professionals that are looking for something fun to do on their weekends off. They do not have to necessarily be sports fans, just like to enjoy going out with friends. These people will be those that want to relax at a baseball game after a day of work as well as those that will not be ending their night after the game. The target market will be socially active and enjoy doing things around the city, not just staying in and watching a movie by themselves. They will be outgoing, fun, positive people that are looking to have fun, be social, and enjoy being outside in the summer. These consumers will come from middle class families and will have spending money for weekends from their jobs but will not have an excessive amount of cash flow. The target will be white and black people because of the demographics in the Rochester area.

Some members of this age group will be in college and will be looking for fun activities to do during their summer home from school. Some might attend one of the local colleges which will be targeted in April and May when school is in session. Others in this age range will be entering the workforce and just graduating college. These people will be going through a transitioning stage in their life. They will be used to their busy social life at school and whether moving into their own apartment or back in with their parents they will be looking for weekend and evening activities. There will also be those in the later end of the target market that may already have established careers and are looking for places to go with co-workers.

Trends: o More young adults are living back home with their parents. The amount of adults who live alone in 2009 decreased since 2007. Only 7.3 adults (18-29) live alone in 2009, “The proportion of adults who live alone has risen more or less steadily since 1950, with the most rapid growth occurring roughly between 1950-1980” (Wang and Morin).

o Borrowing more money. More graduates now have borrowed more money for college. In 2008, 60% did compared to 52% in 1996. Therefore they do not have as much money of their own to spend on entertainment (Fry).

16 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Consumer Profiles

My name is Mary Smith, I am a 22 year-old, white female from Greece, NY. I was born and raised Catholic, and go to church once a month with my dad. I graduated from SUNY Geneseo last year with a bachelor’s degree in education. I am now taking graduate classes part time at Nazareth College and subbing within school districts in the Rochester area. I currently live in the park avenue area, in a small house with three of my friends from high school. I am now single after breaking up with my long term college boyfriend. I have a couple close girlfriends from high school that I spend time with, as well as a couple friends from Geneseo. We like to go downtown about once a weekend. We usually go to the bars The Pig or Murphy’s Law. Sometimes we go out to dinner at a local restaurant Jines, and other times we go directly downtown around 10p.m. When I am not busy doing homework or working, I like to go shopping or to the movie’s. I love going out to eat and I also love working out. I belong to the YMCA of Greece and my friend Shannon and I attend Zumba every Tuesday and Thursday night. I have a Blackberry that I use to BBM and check my Facebook and Twitter accounts, I like to always feel connected to people. I do not watch a lot of television. I like to read magazines such as Glamour or Cosmopolitan. I listen to KISS 106.7 or THE DRIVE 100.5 when I cruise around in my Chevy Cobalt that my parents bought me as a graduation present. My family has an above ground pool in our backyard, so in the summertime my friends and I will go over to enjoy the nice weather and have a drink. My favorite drink in the summer is an ice cold Bud Light, however I do enjoy a margarita every once in a while with the girls.

17 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Positioning

Young people will want to spend a couple dollars to attend the games because the RRW games will be the place to be on a weekend evening or afternoon. Their friends will be there to socialize with and the variety of food and drinks available for fans will also help people enjoy themselves. The atmosphere of the RWW will be fun and engaging for young people. While the baseball will serve as entertainment, not only sports fans will enjoy the games. The ballpark will be the ideal atmosphere for young people to have fun.

Turn areas of the stadium into “hot spots” for young people around Rochester.

Source: www.redwingsbaseball.com

18 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Marketing Mix

o Products: The strategic vision behind the RRW’s is that the organization provides a fun day or night out for people. It gives people something to do with others, while being outside. The atmosphere of an exciting, positive ballpark will be reinforced. Elements that are important for strategic success is prices, incentives, and promotions that are appealing to people within the proposed target market to get them to come to the game.

o Pricing: Adjustments of the ticket pricing will be made when incorporating promotions and incentives into ticket prices, the price of a ticket without a promotion will not change. The price needs to be affordable and low because of the target market. The target market does not have an abundance of money. The price also needs to remain low so that it is more of a value than a competitor such as the movie theater. The price will contribute to the overall strategy because it will be evidence that the game is affordable, and a deal compared to other competitors. Since the price will be inexpensive, cost will not be the factor that stops people from coming.

o Promotions: There will be many promotions implemented to reach the target markets. While the RRW already have many promotions, the promotions will be more relevant to the new target market. This campaign will incorporate new media, special events, as well as public relations. More details to follow in the Marketing Communications Strategies and Tactics section.

o Distribution/Place: There will be another place added that people can purchase tickets, which will be application for a smart phone. All of the current distribution methods will remain the same.

92% of RRW attendees own a wireless phone, and 12% own a smartphone (Scarborough Sports Marketing [17]). Since the amount of smartphone users is increasing rapidly, the RRW should incorporate this new media into their product distribution. Source: www.iphonefootprint.com

19 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Marketing Research

Through a survey posted to Survey Monkey on January 11, 2011 and the link for it put on Facebook, as of March 23 there were 33 responses as of from people within the new target market age range. The key findings found from the survey are listed below. This summer there will be more research done such as conducting in depth interviews with people in this age range as well as doing a focus group of people in the target market to find out about what incentives and special events would most likely bring them to a game.

Key Findings:

o 62% of people attend one game a year, and 29% attend 2-4 games a year.

o The RWW Facebook is barely used to keep up with team information, schedules, promotions, and statistics.

o July is the most popularly attended month for a RRW game.

o The atmosphere and promotional entertainment are mostly either average or below average, compared to other professional sporting events.

o 85% would be interested in attending a bar pre-party.

o 58% would be interested in coming if their work organization was coming.

o 80% hear about events in Rochester through friends.

20 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Creative Strategy

To make the new target market think that Red Wings games are the place to be and that they are a fun, social, place to go because of the party like atmosphere that will be exciting for everyone.

Creative Brief

To whom are we talking? Young adults (18-25) who are socially active, like doing things with their friends and enjoy being outside.

What do they currently think? They would rather do something else around Rochester such as going to a movie or bar. They think that attending Red Wings games are boring or for sports fans and families.

What would we like them to think? That Red Wings are fun to attend and a great source of affordable entertainment for themselves and their friends to go.

What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey? Red Wings games are more than just a baseball game they are fun, exciting, and engaging and are set in a positive party like atmosphere.

Why should they believe it? The new target market should believe this because there are lots of other components of attending the Red Wings games, such as food and drink as well as promotions and special events.

21 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Overall Marketing Communications Strategy

To reach the new target market, the RRW will focus on attracting more young people to the games as well increasing more brand interaction with the new target market. This campaign will focus on making young people more aware and exposed to the fact that the Red Wings games are more than just a baseball game. While the Red Wings have normally focused their efforts on reaching the families, the RRW will see that their new target market realizes that the games are fun, affordable and exciting to go to through the use of new media, special events, and promotions. Along with the use of Geurilla advertising, the RWW will be more relevant to the new target market.

22 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Promotional Strategies and Tactics

To incorporate relevant promotions advertising through traditional media and new media to the target markets based on trends, that will serve as an incentive for people to attend a game.

o Price discounts: Those that are within the target market and come with a group of 4 or more people can save .50¢ per person. This will be to get groups of friends to come to the games so that they can enjoy each others company and the discount will make coming to the game even more affordable for those that are concerned about money.

o Coupons : For those purchasing tickets to more than one game. This will be to increase repeat customers. There will be coupons for “Save $1 on an individual ticket, when you buy tickets for more than one game.” This coupon will be advertised mostly through new media so that it reaches more of the target market.

o Contest: There will be a video contest held through April and March where fans between the target market age range can make a video about what they like about the RRW. The winner of this contest will win a pair of season tickets to the rest of the seasons games. All of the videos will get posted to the Facebook site to promote interaction and to help make the games seem appealing to potential customers.

23 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings PR Strategies and Tactics

To get coverage on special events and the blog to make more potential customers aware of the fun that takes place at Red Wings games besides the baseball.

o Bar Crawl: The RRW will partner with local bars before a game to give customers a package deal for the evening ,which would allow fans to interact with each other. This event will provide (at a low cost to each customer) one drink at each bar, a t-shirt as well as a discounted ticket to the RRW game. This will spread the word that the Red Wings games are an extremely fun atmosphere to potential consumers, and get the hype up.

o Grill Out: A tailgate party aimed at those in the target market that will take place every Friday that there is a home game during the months of July and August. There will be music, food, drinks and will allow everyone to “let go” after the work week and have fun with friends and fans before the game starts.

o Festivals: The RRW will sponsor popular festivals that young people attend in Rochester such as the Park Ave festival and will give away prizes of tickets and RRW gear to increase target market attendance.

The Park Avenue Festival is one of the oldest festivals in Rochester. It attracts over 250,000 people each year.

Source: www.park-avenue.org

24 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Digital Strategies and Tactics

To capitalize on the growing use of technology that the target markets are using and use digital media to get the most interaction possible from fans.

o Mobile: An application for people to purchase their tickets for the games on their smartphone. Also, an application for people to get score updates so that if they are not at the game they can still follow the team. There will also be text messages sent out informing people of upcoming promotions and events.

o Foursquare: When users become a Mayor of the RRW, they can earn 10% off of a purchase in the RRW retail store inside the stadium. When users check-in all of their friends on Facebook will see that they are there and will be interested to go with them to a future game. This will also increase merchandise purchases and will get people to wear RRW gear around Rochester.

o Facebook: Use Facebook on a daily basis. There will be more ways to interact on the Facebook page such as polls, status updates that provoke conversation, videos, and more pictures posted. This page should let fans be able to get all the information they need about an upcoming game or promotion from the Facebook page.

o Flickr: Create a Flickr page where fans can share their pictures of the game to help increase fan interaction.

As of January 24, 2011, Foursquare had over 6 million registered users. Over 381,576,305 checkins were made in 2010. The growth of Foursquare in 2010 was 3400% (Indvik). This is a growing trend that the Red Wings should take advantage of.

The Foursquare application for a BlackBerry is shown to the right. Source: www.intomobile.com

25 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Advertising Strategies and Tactics

By using less traditional print advertising and more out of home and Geurilla advertising we will more easily reach the target markets in a relevant way.

o Bus stops: There will be advertisements placed within the shelters of downtown bus stops in areas where a younger population lives. There will be a schedule of upcoming events and promotions as well as pictures of young people having a great time at the event.

o Advertising on pizza boxes. The RRW will buy pizza boxes, put their advertising on them (through the company Mangia Media) and distribute the boxes to local pizza places in the downtown area where younger people live (Park Ave).

o The mascot “Spikes” will ride a bicycle around the downtown Rochester business areas on Fridays of home game weekends. The mascot will hand out information about promotions, events, and hand out some free tickets during the lunch hour when people are eating outside their work buildings. This will capture the young professionals market and will promote talk among co- workers about attending a game.

According to Mangia Media the best size box to target young professionals is on 10 inch boxes in metropolitan regions will work best. Source: www.mangiamedia .com

26 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Measurement/Evaluation

Increase sales to young adults by 20% within one year. o Track attendance, see how many promotional coupons are used that are targeted towards young adults, work with the sales and finance team to analyze monthly reports from them.

Increase repeat customers in target market by 20% within one year. o Have customers take a survey at the end of season, distributed by mail and email to customer base, use software to analyze how many times credit cards by the same people were used.

Increase customer satisfaction of target market by 20% within one year. o Measuring feedback from posts on social media, emails, phone calls regarding customer service, as well as interaction with fans.

Increase brand interaction by 25% within one year. o Measure website hits using Google Analytics, measure of tweets targeted at the RRW, re- tweets, and hash tags featuring the Red Wings, use Facebook Insights to see increase number of friends and interactions.

27 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Conclusion

The Rochester Red Wings are a great asset to the Rochester community. The Red Wings are able to bring people closer together than many other forms of entertainment. This plan gives the RRW an opportunity to bring a completely different market closer together. When bringing this new market to the games, the sales will increase, and so will the Red Wings reputation among that new market. While marketing towards the families have worked, there should still be some of that but the Wings have been at a standstill and this is an opportunity to capitalize on something new.

28 Klimek Consulting- Rochester Red Wings Works Cited

Adirondack Sports Club, LLC. Rochester Rhinos. Spinning Webs, 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. .

“Ballpark Dining Choices.” Red Wings Baseball. , 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .

DiVeronica, Jeff. “Rochester’s Pro Sports Teams are Losing at the Box Office. .” [Rochester] 12 Sept. 2010: n. pag. Democrat and Chronicle. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .

Fry, Richard. “College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge.” Pew Social & Demographic Trends. Pew Research Center, 24 Nov. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. .

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