Fox Sports Casebook

May 3, 2018 CONTENTS 3 Meet the Team 4 Situation Summary 7 The Consumer 8 Key Behaviors 9 Key Attitudes 10 Digital Influencers 11 Media Planning Objectives 13 The Big Idea 14 Events, Contests, Sponsorships 15 Star of the Week 18 GO Tailgate 19 Social Media Audit 27 Goals and Role of Social Media 28 Strategic Recomendation 29 Social Media Tactics 30 Non-Paid Social Media 36 Paid Social Media 37 Creative Plan 38 Display Advertising 40 Online Creative 41 Online Targeting 42 Native Advertising 45 SEM 50 SEO 52 Landing Pages 53 Streaming Video 54 Streaming Audio 55 Apps 55 Media Strategies MEET THE TEAM Molly O’Brien Edie Block Jason Werre Alex Beckman Philip Rudnitzky Martina Sarver 3 SITUATION SUMMARY 4 4 SITUATION SUMMARY THE STATS FOX Sports Wisconsin (FSW) is part of 21st Century Fox @fswisconsin and within that, Fox Sports. This provides Fox Sports Wisconsin with both opportunities and limitations in campaigns. As a multibillion dollar company, there are 71,000 less budget constraints than other local programming networks face. On the other hand, this means there are strict guidelines to be followed surrounding advertising and branding, and a successful campaign must be trans- 48,300 ferable to other markets as well. FOX Sports Wisconsin owns the streaming rights to 3,446 Bucks games, meaning when someone with a local Wisconsin cable package is looking to watch the Bucks, they will more than likely be doing so on FSW. This gives FOX Sports Wisconsin a very large share of the 2,118 audience. They are recognized by name and are active on social media, though their performance is not as good as it could be with quality, interactive content that 463 strives for engagement. With just under 70,000 unique streams so far this season, the Bucks are receiving fewer streams than the Brewers did in their most recent season. In terms of social media, FOX Sports Wisconsin has 71,000 Facebook likes, 48.3 thousand Twitter followers and just over 3,000 Instagram followers. The content is typically the same on Facebook and Twitter, meaning FSW is not catering to the different demographics tuning into one over the other for information. Despite a presence on most major channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube), FSW lacks likes, shares and comments on their content due to low-quality imagery and various other issues. The Pinterest channel is outdated and repetitive. Facebook has too much content for the casual fan to keep up with. Twitter is performing well. Further, we chose not to utilize Snapchat as it is more targeted to younger demographics. A deeper analysis of FSW social media will come later in this casebook. Current season streaming data as of February 2018: 70,000 Unique Streams 6,326 Unique Streamers 30 min. per stream 55% on a connected device 17% on a mobile phone 5 Although FSW owns streaming rights to the Bucks games, there are a few competitors. For one, other networks offer a wider range of games and coverage. ESPN, TNT and NBA TV are all less localized and therefore appeal to fans of the NBA at large. In addition to this, there is competition outside the market, such as other ways to spend the target’s limited leisure time. Lastly, sports fans are likely to have a second screen out while watching sports , and they aren’t always looking at sports information on that second screen. Accord- ing to Mintel, while watching sports, 33 percent of fans check email, 32 percent check social media, 30 percent text or message others, 22 percent surf the internet for non-sports related content, and 13 percent check sports content online. This campaign focuses on the Milwaukee Bucks rather than the Brewers. We chose to do this because the NBA is hot right now. Viewership is up 17 percent since last season and it has the fastest growing ratings of any professional sport in the United States. This growth likely comes from multiple factors: games are fast-paced, players are easily identifiable because they don’t need protective wear, there is less political charge than the NFL, and games tend to be shorter than other sports, where an average basketball game is two hours and fifteen minutes and baseball is closer to three hours and five minutes. Our target is busy, and finding time to watch the game amidst spending time with family is one of the biggest concerns, so the short game time works to FSW’s favor. Some also believe basketball will take over as “America’s Sport” because it is more accessible to all in- come levels. All of these things point toward NBA fans being a more viable, long-term market. When looking at the Bucks more specifically, the team is scheduled to begin next season in their new stadium, which will definitely generate buzz. While this may mean that fans are more likely to attend the game, it is also an opportunity to build on the buzz for those that may not be able to attend due to finances or distance, or if there is an away game. Lastly, despite rumors of the contrary, Giannis Antetokounmpo, this season’s standout player, indicated he has no plans to move to LA after the All-Star game, and really likes the city of Milwaukee. The current FOX Sports GO Bucks consumer is an “avid fan” of the NBA — someone who is younger than 35 and likely does not have a cable subscription. This fan cares about basketball and makes a point of keeping up on game highlights. With current Facebook content such as multiple videos a day and game highlights, this consumer is targeted, and FSW is doing well. 6 Casual Fan > Avid Fan For our strategy, we have decided to target the “casual fan,” rather than the “avid fan.” We came to this decision after realizing that the “avid fans” of the NBA are more likely to be younger people . Although, those avid fans are also less likely to have a cable subscription than the older, casual fan. This could prove problematic, as FOX Sports GO requires users to log in with their cable subscription before watching games. Middle aged men are more likely to have a cable subscription, and in the Mid- west, only 15 percent of men aged 35-54 reported being “very” interested in the NBA while 25 percent reported being either “somewhat” or “a little” inter- Source: Mintel Academic ested. THE CONSUMER Our target is an urban, middle-class male aged between 35-54, living in the Midwest, predom- inantly southwestern Wisconsin, who has kids and is active on social media. He has a steady 9-to-5 work schedule and his leisure time likely takes place after this. His kids likely play sports and are involved in numerous activities and extracurriculars. Because of his commute, job and family obligations, his leisure time is decreasing. He likes sports because they promote his familial and social values such as hard work, teamwork and determination. This is The Midwest Dad. According to Simmons, the “Midwest dad with an interest in the NBA” has a set daily schedule as shown below: HIS DAY 7-7:59 am: the morning commute 8am-12pm: work 12pm: lunch break 1-4:59 pm: work 6 pm: family dinner 7-10:59 pm: leisure time 11 pm: bedtime. We can clearly see that our target has limited leisure time, as he spends a bulk of his day at work. His inclination toward bonding with his family and coworkers alike, though, fixes FOX Sports Wis- consin right into this evening leisure time. Further, his life is rather structured and he follows a routine, giving him limited free time each night. In that time, the target is likely to be inclined to exercise, watch television, spend time with his kids or socialize. FSW needs to break into the time between family dinner and bedtime in order to reach the target. 7 KEY BEHAVIORS • Spend time with family • Fantasy Sports Leagues • Game nights with the kids • Listens to the radio • Nights at home • Uses Social Media • Barbecues • Uses a smartphone • Travels The key behavior of our target is that they prioritize spending their free time with their family . This includes spending the night at home playing card/board games, having a bar- becue, and even traveling. Around 67 percent of our target also prefers spending their nights at home. The Midwestern Dad truly values his children, and he sees them as some of the most important people in his life. He wants to see them succeed. He also engages in sport-minded activities, such as playing basketball or participating in a fantasy league. His purchasing habits are influenced by his favorite teams, as Simmons reports that this target is 60 percent more likely than the American public to agree with the statement “I am more likely to buy products from companies that sponsor sports teams and sports events,” and they are 229 percent more likely than the American public to have pur- chased NBA apparel within the past 12 months. From this, we can see there is a sweet spot FOX Sports Wisconsin can hit through bringing his family and basketball together. He want the best of both worlds and likely uses sports as a more social activity than the avid fan, so using this as leverage is important in integrating FSW into his life. Our target is also inclined to listen to the radio, typically from 6am-10am and 3pm-7pm, corresponding with their commute to and from work.

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