FALL 2020 CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL A FOX SPORTS PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN Proposed by: GTG Public Relations Gabriella Fournier Grace Gower Chen Tao Letter to the Client Dear Cati and Kristen, GTG Public Relations is proud to present FOX Sports with the #FOXSpeaksSports campaign aiming to attract female sports fans and engage a younger, more diverse fan base to download and use the new FOX Sports app and website. We conducted in-depth primary research on our target audience and through secondary research we were able to set a solid foundation for our campaign. Since it is ideal to maximize the use of FOX Sports talents and minimize costs, we looked deeply into the talent and created detailed tactics based off our meticulous findings. Our campaign is centered around strong and diverse talent such as Shannon Spake, Pam Oliver, Michael Strahan, Charlotte Wilder and Shannon Sharpe. Including a di- verse group of FOX Sports talent will help to bring casual fans over to FOX Sports on social media platforms and the FOX Sports app. The global pandemic has led to an in- crease in internet streaming and app use, especially with sporting events because fans have not been able to play sports or attend games. In our campaign, we touch on an advertisement, video content, blogs, social engagement, sports fashion, merchandise, cooperation, philanthropy and great female athletes to form an engaging and competi- tive campaign. Thank you very much for your time and for considering our proposal. We understand that 2020 is an unprecedented year, but we look forward to working with FOX Sports to create a one-of-a-kind campaign. The GTG Public Relations team, Gabriella Fournier, Grace Gower, Tao Chen EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction On July 25, 2020, FOX Sports released their new and improved app. The app was redesigned to pro- vide a personalized experience for all of its users by offering live streaming, exclusive content, statis- tics, and stories. FOX Sports received an abundance of positive feedback, but realized that they had an opportunity to reach a larger population by targeting Gen Z and Millennials. GTG Public Relations designed a campaign that would make users excited to download and use the app. Research Our first step was to gain a basic understanding of how Gen Z and Millennials consume media con- tent. We found that 96% of people aged 18-29 have smartphones, and overall had the largest percent of people on all social media platforms, with the exception of LinkedIn (Chen, 2020) . FOX Sports cur- rently reaches millions of people by providing timely, entertaining, and informative content. Their most prominent following being on Facebook with over 9 million followers, Twitter with 2 million, Instagram with 1 million, YouTube with 900 thousand, and TikTok with 70 thousand followers. GTG and the FOX Sports team decided that because of the social media following, it was clear that this would be the most efficient and effective way to advertise the campaign and reach audience members aged 18-24. Research in this age group also showed a significant response to visual content, such as an aesthet- ically pleasing design, personalization, and usability. Gen Z and Millennial consumers look for these features in an app and rely on environmental influences, like popularity, before deciding to download it. We recognized that in order to be successful, we would need to incorporate these features in the campaign. Our next step was to look at case studies of campaigns that received positive and negative feedback. A common thread we saw in successful campaigns, was their ability to connect with their consumers. This was done by creating an emotional response from content that addressed all of their audiences. When brands did not thoroughly understand the needs and desires of their consumers, the result was a poor executed campaign. Our primary research showed similar results in regards to content. Our interviewees expressed an interest in applications that were easy to maneuver around and showed a positive response to the FOX Sports app’s overall design. However, when we interviewed 15 women aged 18-24 we realized there was a gap in content directed toward women and diverse audiences. Women felt unrepresent- ed on sports apps because of the lack of media directed toward them. Additionally, they often felt uncomfortable when discussing sports because they worried about saying the wrong thing and em- barrassing themselves. GTG recognized the opportunity to grow in this category and decided to make women aged 18-24 their target audience. Opportunity Our research showed that FOX Sports had the opportunity to compete with other sports applications 3 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY by providing unique content directed toward women and diverse audiences. However, after discuss- ing with the FOX Sports team, we came to the conclusion that this had to be done in a way that did not come across as sexist. We wanted to present the campaign in a way that celebrated everyone by encouraging users to be engaged in the world of sports by downloading the app. To inspire women to download and use the app, we designed strategies that create a virtual environment that is inviting to women while catering to their interests. Tactics Our primary slogan used throughout the campaign is, “FOX Speaks Sports.” The idea behind this slogan is to celebrate sports, their accomplishments, and give back to the community and therefore drive them to download the app and get back into the world of sports. If FOX Sports chooses to use this idea, the campaign would be promoted with an advertisement featuring sports reporter Shan- non Spake. The ad would be aired on social media platforms to reduce marketing costs, and would show Spake talking about how her family and friends influenced her love for sports. GTG hopes that through this advertisement, an emotional connection will be formed between the users and the brand. Throughout the developmental process of the campaign, FOX Sports emphasized their desire to uti- lize FOX Sports talent more. This was a leading influence in our tactics. GTG incorporated influenc- ers who are newer to the FOX Sports team, such as Charlotte Wilder, as well as reporters who have been with the team for a while, such as Pam Oliver. We hope that by utilizing more women from FOX Sports, it will diminish the intimidation that many of our interviewees expressed. • #FoxSpeaksSports Social Media campaign featuring Shannon Spake • Exclusive “Let’s Recap” with Charlotte Wilder content that briefly explains plays, sports terms, and rules • #FOXFashion, a weekly feature article that looks at what athletes wear to their games • A section on the app that looks at the best of the best in women’s sports • Gymshark collab Conclusion With proper implementation of the plan, GTG Public Relations believes that FOX Sports would see an increase in downloads from Gen Z and Millennial men and women. The idea behind the campaign is to celebrate sports, and to remind consumers where their love began. 4 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR 6 Company Profile Introduction & Background 7 Situational Analysis 9 Introduction ● SWOT Analysis ● Secondary Research ● Primary Research Plan 18 Problem Statement Target Audience Analysis 19 Primary ● Secondary ● Intervening ● Influencers & Opinion Leaders ● Diversity Plan 22 Goals 23 Strategy S.M.A.R.T Objectives 25 Reports Theory & Persuasion Principles ● Messages● 26 Tactics ● Budget ● GANNT Chart ● Execution ● Evaluation ● Results 38 Work Cited 40 Appendix Assignment Sheet● Model A ● Research Tools● News Release ● PSA Template TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OUR TEAM Gabriella Fournier Tao Chen [email protected] [email protected] (585) 455-8843 (814) 826-8517 Grace Gower [email protected] (513) 392-1447 6 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Introduction OUR TEAM Since 1996, FOX Sports has remained one of the most prominent broadcasting networks in the sports industry. As a branch of the FOX Corporation, they are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a weekend. Their success can be credited to the wide array of content they provide to their consumers through mobile programming, apps, websites and television. This year, they launched their revamped FOX Sports app and website to offer a new and improved sports ex- perience. The app features high-quality videos, stories, statistics, and live streaming. The app also includes areas of personalization, so that consumers can easily access their desired teams and play- ers. The biggest problems FOX Sports is currently facing, are competing with other sports apps and driving younger sports fans to switch to their app. Over the past couple of years, ESPN has been the leading sports app because they have catered toward the desires of a variety of age groups. FOX Sports has the opportunity to compete and lead the industry, but many sports fans are unaware of the new and improved app, which replaced FOX Sports GO. Gen Z and Millennial consumers have the highest social media presence across all platforms, this makes them relatively easy to reach. How- ever, research shows that environmental influences are vital to their perception of the new app, and most require some form of motivation to draw them from one app to another. Gen Z and Millennial viewers also prioritize content that is outside of the game, they want humorous videos that engage them and challenge the way they may perceive a play. The change in the way viewers consume media has led to a transformation in sports that makes it about so much more than just the game itself and it’s important that FOX Sports continues to adapt to consumer behavior to remain a primary source for sports content.