Campaign Proposal a Fox Sports Public Relations Campaign

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 diverse 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 increase 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 competitive 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 provide a personalized experience for all of its users by offering live streaming, exclusive content, statistics, 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 content. 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 currently 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 discussing 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 utilize FOX Sports talent more. This was a leading influence in our tactics. GTG incorporated influencers 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 TABLE OF CONTENTS 38 26 25 40 23 22 19 18 9 6 7 Problem Statement Research ●Primary Research Plan Introduction ●SWOT Analysis ●Secondary Situational Analysis Introduction &Background Company Profile News Release ●PSA Template Assignment Sheet● Model A●Research Tools● Appendix Work Cited Evaluation ●Results Tactics ●Budget ●GANNT Chart ●Execution ● Theory &Persuasion Principles ●Messages● Reports S.M.A.R.T Objectives Strategy Goals & Opinion Leaders ●Diversity Plan Primary ●Secondary ●Intervening ●Influencers Target Audience Analysis

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

OUR TEAM Introduction

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 experience. 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 players. 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. Background FOX Sports social media presence is comparable to their competition, they have over 10 million followers on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook combined. Despite this, they still are ranked lower than other sports apps. This could be the result of a variety of factors, but in order to increase the

7 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Introduction

number of downloads, the target demographic was Gen Z and Millenials, more specifically, females between the age of 18-24. The age was decided based on the most prevalent age group on all platforms. While looking at competing sports apps, we noticed a gap in content directed towards women. There was not only a lack of media that catered to female interests, but most apps included nothing related to female professional sports and athletes. These observations were further confirmed after evaluating the FOX Sports app streaming audience, which showed that only 21% of their users were female. Our primary audience for this campaign would be women aged 18-24 across all social media platforms. The idea is to target women who enjoy sports, but may not necessarily engage in sports apps or websites due to their interests. Our secondary audience would be women outside of the specified range. Our main modes of communication would be through social media.The campaign is intended to inspire women to get more involved in the world of sports, by appealing to their emotions and interests. With that said, the primary message we use throughout the campaign is “FOX Speaks Sports.”

8 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Introduction

As an entity under the FOX banner, FOX Sports has spent 26 years build- ing an organization committed to providing sports content that transports the viewers from their screens to the game. In 2018, their sports programming networks were responsible for 88 of the 100 most watched live-plus-same-day programs. In the same year, during the NFL regular season, FOX Sports attracted more than 18 million viewers and reached around 100 million people per weekend when accounting for all of their programs. In 2020, FOX Sports broadcasted some of the biggest sports events of the year, including the Super Bowl and the MLB World Series. Out of the 1,000 staff members employed by FOX Sports, there are ap- proximately 200 combined on-air personalities and executives. Their on-air em- ployees range from individuals like Skip Bayless, Pam Oliver and Chris Brous- sard, who have been in the sports industry for over 30 years, to relatively new reporters and analysts who have been in the sports industry for less than five years, like Charlotte Wilder. Through their on-air personalities, they are able to reach a variety of audiences and keep up with evolving trends in the media. FOX Sports talent is also utilized to create new shows and podcasts. Before the launch of the revamped FOX Sports app, consumers primarily used the ESPN app. ESPN has remained the most popular and has thrived despite the saturation of sports apps. Although FOX Sports has a high social media following, their engagement on their posts is low. This is common on profiles that do not provide content relevant to their viewers needs. With that said, many of the FOX Sports talent’s social media pages, had significantly less followers, but had a much higher engagement ratio. Research showed that users who use these apps, typically rely on one

9 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Introduction place to find their sports related news and are resistant to change. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way individuals consume media has drastically changed. In the annual study done by Ofcom, they found that video figures for video streaming services increased 71% from 2019, and adults spend more than double the amount of time on the internet than they did before the pandemic (Ra- jan, 2020). Even before the pandemic, FOX Sports saw a 20% increase in minutes and videos views across streaming and social and had their best digital year ever in 2019. This can be contributed to a number of things, including technologi- cal advancements and the evolving presence of Gen Z and Millennial consumers on both sides of the market. A common trend seen in Gen Z and Millennial men and women as social media platforms multiply and expand, is the tendency to use these outlets to consume news media. A study conducted by the PEW Research Center showed that on average,18 to 29 year-old online news consumers got their news through social media 47% of the time (Mitchell, Gottfried, Shearer, Lu., 2017). This was an important fact to evaluate to understand consumer behavior with the news because of the automatic association between FOX Sports and FOX News. This was considered a potential threat throughout our research process because it was a big year in politics, and FOX News coverage could negatively impact one’s perception of the FOX Sports app because of their political views. However, because of changes in consumer news media habits, it is less likely that consumers are watching televised news reports. FOX Sports also did their own research to combat this issue, and found that 95% of fans believe that sports bring people together, versus politics which divide people (FOX, 2020).

10 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Introduction

A closer look at social media users, showed a higher percentage of women on all platforms. Women aged 18-24 are the most interactive and prevalent audience on social media (Chen 2020), but only 21% of users who downloaded the FOX Sports app were women. This presented a huge opportunity for an increase in downloads with the proper marketing, especially in an industry dominated by men. FOX Sports can elevate the awareness of their brand and increase app downloads by utilizing their in-house talent to create content directed toward women and attract a more casual fan base.

11 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS • Large platform: Attracts over 100 million people in a single weekend • Ownership and interests in television networks, digital and mobile programming, websites • They create relationships with WEAKNESSES their consumers by working with • FOX has branded themselves as universities, and dontating to a news media outlet and this cre- charities ates a form of bias- “right winged” reputation • Low engagement for the amount of followers they have • Primarily men reporters and ath- OPPORTUNITIES letes featured on social media • High number of viewers and partners presents the opportunity to create a platform unlike any other sports apps • Utilize its relationship with their partners to gain additional insights and promotion THREATS • Social media tab has the potential • Competition from other sports to reach even more users by feau- apps, such as ESPN, Barstool turing a variety of reporters Sports, and Bleacher Report • COVID-19 Pandemic, changing the way people consume sports, as well as impacting the economy negatively

12 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Secondary Research

Before designing our campaign, we needed to understand what drives people to engage in sports content in order to effectively create a campaign that reaches various audiences. We began by researching consumer habits, and evaluating case studies to learn about what worked and what did not in campaigns. Additionally, we wanted to learn more about what drives sports fans towards a particular type of media, whether that is through an app, streaming services, or live television. Our research showed a couple key findings:

• 96% of people aged 18-29 have smartphones, and engage in smartphone applications more than any other age group (Chen, 2020). • Factors that drive consumers to download an app include: design, popularity, accessibility, usability, and environmental influences (Zhang, C., Ha, L., & Liu, X., 2018). • Consumers enjoy being able to customize their notification settings, and will click on an alert more than half of the time. This is a great way to get people to the app and explore what it has to offer (Newman, 2016).

• The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people consume sports • People rely on apps to be able to keep track of numerous games at once • Gen Z and Millennials enjoy content that is humorous, yet informative (Balkhi, 2020).

Due to the significant percentage of people aged 18-29 who have smart-

phones and engage in apps, we gathered data on consumer engagement on their social media platforms and their competition. The chart below was created by evaluating Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

13 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Secondary Research

There is a “X” in the rows of the categories that performed the best overall across the platforms evaluated. OVERALL LEADING IN CATEGORIES

Followers Avg. # of Avg. # of Engage- Shares Per Total Pot. likes comments ment Post Impres- sions FOX X Sports

ESPN X X X X

CBS X Sports

BIG 10 Network

***Full charts with numbers can be found in the Appendix Model A

It was not suprising that ESPN performed the best in most categories because of their following, but FOX Sports total potential impressions on Twitter was by far the highest. This meant that FOX Sports content appeared on over 7 million users timelines, but content was not interacted with (data from October 3, 2020). To attract a more casual fan base among these users, research showed that Gen Z and Millennials look for platforms that provide humorous content (Balkhi, 2020).

After researching, we looked for case studies that showed an increase in consumer engagement and satisfaction with a brand. The P&G 2018 Winter Olym- pics campaign focused on celebrating diversity in sports and the importance of family. The campaign was so successful because of the emotional connection it

14 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Secondary Research

created between the brand and its consumers. This campaign ultimately led to $500 million in global incremental P&G sales, 76 billion global media impressions, over 74 million global views, and over 37 million Twitter interactions (P&G, 2016). Another example of a successful campaign that utilized emotion was the “Dream Crazy” campaign by Nike to show their support to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling. Nike took a risk by taking a social stance on racism and police brutality, but it proved to be the right decision. Not only did Nike see a $6 billion increase in brand value, they also were able to unite people across the world through their campaign. These case studies can be used to help FOX Sports drive Gen Z and Millennial consumers to their app by doing more than just focusing on sports clips. Before providing the content they desire, consumers need to have a reason to be drawn to the app first. By playing on emotion, this would set the FOX Sports app apart from other sports apps and make it a more desirable platform because of the connection it creates with all stakeholders.

15 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Primary Research

For our primary research, we interviewed 15 women within the range of our target audience, the interview details can be found in the appendix (pg 43). The interviews show that football is the most popular sport among the interviewees followed by basketball and baseball. However, the women expressed that they are afraid to use the wrong terms when talking about a sport, not to mention sports that they don’t know. They also tend to keep quiet when people have a team they absolutely support. It is even harder for them to express themselves on social media for the same reasons. Women are more likely to talk about sports when they are companied by their family, friends and boyfriends. We found that women may choose to talk to sports fans during game seasons even if they are strangers to each other. Family and relationships can also make women want to talk about sports. Excitement is the feature of sports that drives people to pay attention to it the most. While ESPN is the most popular sports app they use, apps directly related to certain sports are also popular among our interviewees such as NFL, NBC Sports and the Fantasy Football apps. There is no significant preference over apps and websites to access sports news. Most interviewees feel neutral to the FOX Sports app. Some will relate it to conservative politics and others find FOX Sports app trustworthy because of FOX News. There is also no preferences toward whether to use the app or not before they use it. For those who love the FOX Sports app, they express their praises on its simple and clean visual. However, after using the app, our interviewees’ opinions split. Some think that the app is not as good as ESPN and is still underdeveloped. Others think it is very interactive and engaging. The participants think the app will be better when it includes more sports like small European professional volleyball leagues. They also suggest the app should have more personalized news to gain their attention.

16 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Situational Analysis Primary Research

In addition to interviews, our primary research plan would include: Tests Purpose: We need to find out what changes are good for the app and website.

Focus: We will run A/B testing for both the website and app to see what changes are favored and what elements should be kept.

Distribution: This should stay between the paid participants, researchers, GTG Public Relations and FOX Sports. Surveys Purpose: The survey will help us collect a large quantity of opinions on basic questions we want to know cost-effectively. The survey should be short and easy to fill out.

Focus: We will get a better understanding on what our female users like and dis- like, how much time they spend on each section, their age, race and ethnicity. We also want to know what audience we are not attracting.

Audience: Current FOX Sports app and website users, FOX News users and followers on social media.

Distribution: We will distribute the survey link through emails, social media DM and posts, FOX Sports website and in app popups. Focus groups Purpose: We will use focus groups to test further on how our primary campaign and changes look to our target audience and current female users aged between 18 to 24.

Focus: We will focus on how the changes in the FOX Sports app are liked or dis- liked by interviewees. Group opinions can change apart from individuals.

Notice: Moderators should keep on track with the participants and help them stay on topic.

Distribution: The focus group details should stay between the paid participants, researchers, GTG Public Relations and FOX Sports.

17 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Problem Statement

In a competitive market, Gen Z and Millennial consumers are hesitant to switch to a new platform. By targeting women aged 18-24, FOX Sports would have the opportunity to reach an audience that often feels underrepresented in the sports industry. In order to appeal to these users, the campaign must create an emotional connection by providing content that is relevant to more than just the average sports fan.

18 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Target Audience Analysis Primary Target Audience

The primary target audience we are targeting for this campaign are women ages 18-24. Overall, men make up the majority of FOX’s streaming audience so creating an atmosphere that caters to women will attract more casual sports fans

and engage a more diverse fan base. This demographic was chosen because they are current with social media and understand how to use apps as well. When looking at our research, 45% of sports fans are female yet there is little to attract women to sports other than the games themselves. In an effort to attract women 18-24 to the FOX Sport app and website, creating features that cater to them, which no other sports app has done, will make the FOX Sports app and website unique and open the door for a new audience. Secondary Audience The secondary target audience are females on the younger and older side of 18-24. This demographic also has a solid knowledge of social media and app usage and they have a strong connection to sports whether they were players themselves and/or grew up watching- sports. Intervening Audience The intervening target audience are the relatives of the primary audience. This would include brothers, sisters and parents who do not fall into the 18-24 age group.

19 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

Influencers & Opionion Leaders Fashion Influencers

Social Media influencers and bloggers who have a large following that coin- cide with the target audience can draw attention to the app that can lead to more downloads. These influencers and opinion leaders include those on Twitter and Instagram that have developed a strong community with their followers. What we want our target audience to take away is that high end fashion/looks that players wear pre- and post-game can be obtained for the same price or for less. Some profiles we had in mind were @Style GF, as well as @WeWoreWhat. We also believe that collabing with popular magazines would provide mutual benefits to both brands. This could be something like Women’s Health, a magazine that focuses on overall health, or even Allure, a magazine that focuses on beauty.

20 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Diversity Plan We looked at the data on the breakdown of the population of women and their ethnicities. This information allows us to understand our demographic and target audience in a deeper manner and how we can utilize FOX talent to represent diverse groups in our audience. The first observation we made was that 60% of the female population in the United States is white. Another observation we noticed is that the second largest ethnic group, accounting for 18%, in the United States are Hispanic or Latina. Black or African American females account for 13.8% of the population, Asian females account for 6.1% and American Indian and Alaskan Native females account for 1.3% of the population (Women of Color in the U.S., 2020). Taking all of this into account, we want to include female FOX Sports talent from a multitude of ethnic backgrounds in our campaign so that everyone feels represent- ed and a part of the campaign.

The media is an incredibly powerful resource that has the ability to shape the public’s perception of reality. When an audience consumes media, it is very impact- ful when they see someone that represents their ethnic background on the screen. We looked closely at what our goals are for this campaign and one of our main goals is to drive people to download the FOX Sports app by sharing their personal story with sports. To truly make this campaign personal, having a diverse group of broadcasters and spokespeople directly involved with the campaign is essential. Additionally, women overall are underrepresented in media as subjects as well as producers (Yu, S. S. 2017). By not only incorporating several female talents, but also women of nonwhite heritage in our campaign, we will show our audience that we see all of them and that this campaign is for everyone.

21 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

LONG TERM GOAL To, by April 2023, be the leading sports app used by Gen Z and Mil- lennial fans

SHORT TERM GOAL To, by Decemeber 2021, increase the percentage of female FOX Sports App users by 20%. S.M.A.R.T GOALS S.M.A.R.T

22 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

Strategy

In order to carry out the FOX Sports campaign, we must define our strategies and the direc- tion of the campaign. From our research, we found that the number of men who have downloaded the FOX Sports app significantly outweighs the number of women who have downloaded the app.To encourage women to download the app and use the FOX Sports website, our strategy includes ways to create a virtual environment that is inviting to women and incorporates features that caters to their interests. One common similarity between the women we interviewed was that they feel underrepresented in sports. We took this as an opportunity to come up with strategies that will make women feel more included in sports. The first strategy we thought of was to create a 60 second video that would be posted on FOX Sports’s social media pages of Shannon Spake talking about her story with sports. This is where our #FOXSpeaksSports creates a community of sports lovers and athletes, of all levels, to come together and talk about what sports mean to them. To encourage our audience to share their #FOXSpeaksSports stories, for the first five weeks FOX Sports will pick a winner of the best sports story and send them a #FOXSpeaksSports T-shirt. Additionally, to drive the fact that our audience should download the app, Spake will talk about how for each new app download a $1 donation will go to the Restore to Play initiative which is helping to bring equipment to youth organizations who have been set back by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second strategy we came up with is to create a weekly 2–4-minute video starting Char- lotte Wilder that highlights official calls during in season games. Users can find these videos on Ins- tagram and the under the “Explore” page for the first 4 weeks and after that the videos will be posted exclusively on the app. In our research we found that Gen Z and Millennial sports fans want to see content that is both humorous and informative. We believe that Charlotte Wilder is the perfect talent for the job, and she will also be able to cater to sports fans of all levels. Lastly, we also made a “Let’s Recap” baseball hat that can be purchased on the FOX Sports website and it can be sent to #FOX- peaksSports story winners. From our interviews, we found that overall women feel underrepresented in sports. To support

23 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

Strategy

female athletes, we saw an opportunity to add to the “Players” section on the app that includes some of the top female athletes. This includes, but not limited to, US tennis player Serena Williams and US soccer player Megan Rapinoe. In this section, there will be featured workouts, how the athletes prepare for competition, competition highlights and live scoring. This is also an opportunity to create something on the FOX Sports app that no other sports app has. No other sports app has a section for female athletes so this will also create a one-of-a-kind feature on the FOX Sports app. A month and a half after the first three tactics are launched, the final three features will be un- veiled. In our research, we found that females enjoy dressing up for the games, so we wanted to create something for them on the app that would peak their interest. Each week a #FOXFasion story will be put up on the app’s feature stories and each story will be written by a different FOX Sports talent. Some talent we had in mind are Pam Oliver, Shannon Sharpe and Michael Strahan. The talent will write about the outfits that athletes wear pre- and post-game, and they will link the clothing they are wearing as well alternative options that are similar to the clothing worn by the athletes. Additionally, we want the FOX Talent to post polls of the outfits on their social media as well as FOX Sports social media to make it more interactive. Another way that we want to increase the reach of our audience is to have fashion bloggers such as Style Girlfriend on Twitter as well as Allure Magazine to talk about the app, most importantly the fashion section, so that the more casual sports fan downloads the app to read about athletes’ fashion. This would be a mutual benefit for the bloggers as well as FOX Sports as it opens the doors for both parties to get more followers on their social media and attract another sector of their target audiences. Lastly, as the campaign gains traction, we thought it would be a great idea to partner with Gymshark which is a British sportswear company that focuses on body positivity and athleisure. By teaming up with Gymshark, we can create merch or offer promotions on Gymshark clothing if users download the app. Finally, this will reach more people in our target audience and increase the number of Gen Z and Millennial downloads.

24 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

OBJECTIVE 1 To, by December 2020, present the role women have in the sports industry and how they can assist in increasing downloads OBJECTIVE 2 To, by August 2021, increase overall engagement on social media posts by 1.0%

OBJECTIVE 3 To, by August 2021, increase the percentage of downloads by individuals aged 18-24 by 15% OBJECTIVE 4 To, by April 2023, see an equal male/female split for FOX Sports streaming S.M.A.R.T OBJECTIVES S.M.A.R.T

25 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Theories & Persuasion

Diffusion of Innovations Theory

The primary theory used in our strategic plan is the Diffusion of Innovations theory. This theory is used with public relations and marketing professionals to learn how a population or group of people adopt a new idea or product. It evaluates basic characteristics of people in a population and places them in one of the five adopter categories to determine the most effective way to appeal to that specific audience. While developing this campaign, one of our main goals was to increase the number of female users on the app. We utilized this theory during our research process to effectively understand their consumer habits and how they are persuaded to adopt a new product. Our primary and secondary research showed women are most responsive to advertisements when they feel a connection to the brand, and believe that they will benefit most from relationships that offer something in return. Based on this information, we developed tactics that we believed would create a connection to FOX Sports. Our tactics play on a consumer’s emotions, and present an opportunity to gain something from downloading the app. For example, this can be seen in our campaign release advertisement that features Shannon Spake sharing her story on how her upbringing with sports influenced her to become a reporter for FOX Sports. We play on consumer’s emotion by having viewers reflect on their own sports stories and encourage them to get involved by downloading the app, and in return FOX Sports will donate $1 to the Restore Play initiative to bring back youth sports across the country that have been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Framing Theory We also decided to utilize the Framing Theory, to “frame” the app to our female audiences. The framing theory is used in communications to present a product or an idea in a certain manner to influence the way their consumers process information or make a choice. The Framing Theory is tied closely to the Agenda Setting

26 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Theories & Persuasion

Theory, and is used by journalists frequently to frame the way the media perceives a topic of their work. This theory was proven to be successful in the Lyft “Riding is the New Driv- ing” campaign in 2016. Lyft used this theory to target individuals who are busy, and presented an alternative to help their problems go away. They framed their service by presenting a story of a young woman driving who witnessed all of the inconve- niences that come with driving a car, but as a rider, you do not have to worry about these things. In our primary research, we found that many women our age started watching sports because of their family members and/or boyfriends. We wanted to frame a story of a woman enjoying and celebrating sports by using the app to stay con- nected and informed on scores and players.

27 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR MESSAGES AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

Key Messages

Primary Secondary You do not need to be a sports Sports bring people fanatic in order to be a fan, there is together, and that a place for everyone in the sports should be celebrated world. Slogans

28 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Tactics & Rationale

Tactic 1

Create a 60 second ad campaign that will air on social media about FOX Sports reporter Shannon Spake’s life story with sports. The advertisment will feature her watching sports, up until she is a reporter on the field using the app to keep up with other games.To encourage the audience to download the app, for every new download, $1 will be donated to the “Restore Play” Initiative.

Restore Play background: FOX Sports signs on as official media partner of Restore Play initiative led by national non-profit Good Sports to bring back youth sports across the country amidst COVID-19 impact.

Motivation minor tactic: Encouraging women to post sports related stories and go to the FOX Sports app by:

• Having a weekly theme to encourage people to talk about their sports ex- periences, how they fell in love, or what they do to cheer on their favorite teams. Themes could include: -“What was your first sports experience?” #FOXSpeaksSports -“My best sports day outfit that my friends and family love” #FOX SpeaksSports

• Pick out story of the week to be published as a feature article on the app • #FOXSpeaksSports story winners will be sent a t-shirt

***Full script can be found in appendix

29 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Tactics & Rationale

Tactic 2

Provide exclusive content that is exciting and engaging to every sports fan by extending off of Charlotte Wilder’s already existing weekly video, “Let’s Recap”. The video/podcast would include explanations of plays from games, explanations of basic sports terms, and answers to questions she is tagged in on social media regarding games from the past week. Before moving it just to the app, she would advertise it on her own platforms to make users aware of the upcoming swtich to bring in more viewers.

Specifics: Length: 2-4 minutes -We want this to be super quick and informative. A video someone can quickly learn something new about sports in a fun way

Advertisement: -Self-promotion through her Twitter and Instagram -Create hype by encouraging users to ask questions -Merch: “Let’s Recap” baseball hat

Accessibility: Wilder’s “Let’s Recap” video can be seen on her social media sites, so we want to use this to our advantage by having her en courage her viewers to download the FOX Sports app. -Found under the shows section -Will feature the video as well as a basic vocab of the terms she dis cussed underneath -Twitter thread of responses to other questions she was not able to ad dress in the video

30 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Tactics & Rationale

Tactic 3 Highlight some of the best of the best female athletes, by creating a section just for them. This would separate the FOX Sports app from those such as ESPN and CBS Sports because they do not have sections for female athletes, and would show that FOX Sports is commited to celebrating all athletes.

-Would be found under the players section of the app, or as an added category. -Show their workouts, how they prepare for games, highlights from their games, have live and final scoring.

Tactic 4 FOXSportsXGymshark Create a partnership with a notable company such as Gymshark that is on brand with the app to attract more downloads and long-term users. It would be a mutual exchange for both brands by driving more people to the app and providing busi- ness to Gymshark.

31 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Tactics & Rationale

Tactic 5

Create a weekly run-down feature article within the app that looks at the best fashion that players wore into their games. This would be a weekly feature story with a rotating author to reach a variety of audiences. The hashtag #FOXFashion would be used to spark conversation on athletes outfits and increase engagement.

FOX talent such as Rachel Bonnetta, Pam Oliver, Michael Strahan and Shan- non Sharpe will highlight the most stylish outfits players wore to their games.To make this an interactive segment, polls on Twitter and Instagram can be posted for followers to vote on the best outfits of that week and results would be posted within the article to incite viewers to go to the FOX Sports app to read the article. Additionally, there will be links to look at the clothing brands players wore as well as less expensive look alike options. Tactic 6 Use female bloggers and magazines, such as Style Girlfriend, Allure, and Women’s Health Magazine to promote the app and the #FOXFashion feature article. This would mutually benefit both brands, drive downloads, and help reach more people in our target audience that may not necessarily look for sports content.

32 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR BUDGET Porter at the storage: ~$11/h

1. T-SHIRTS -China and other developing countries in east Asia have relatively cheaper price than in the US. -If the order number is equal or under 500 t-shirts $4.28/ T-shirt -If the order number is higher than 500 t-shirts $4.17/ T-shirt -Shipping fee from China to the US for 500 t-shirt: $308, $0.62/T-shirt -Purchase page: https://m.tb.cn/h.4gvidyl?sm=341f11

2. Cap

-$2.5/cap -Shipping fee from China to the US for 250 caps: $308, $0.31/ cap -purchase page: https://m.tb.cn/h.4g2CjyS?sm=c4a5fd

33 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR 1 2 / 3 1 0 / 9 2 3 / 0 2 1 2 / 9 1 3 6 - - 1 4 b

a s s l c c l i i o t t c c C

C a a S I k T T L N r

: : B a O I h h U h c c T s P

n n A T a s k m G L u u y T E a a # F O X S p e a k s o r t - # F O X S P E A K R T I M L N G R L L G S h a n o p k e V i d

34 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR EXECUTION

When preparing our tactics and strategic plan for this campaign, we did a lot of research on FOX to get a good understanding of the company, its talent and its goals. As stated in the brief, the goal of this campaign is to increase downloads by Gen Z and Millennial sports fans, and it was also emphasized to utilize the FOX Sports talent. Some of our initial steps included coming up with tactics based on our research on female sports fans, FOX Sports as a company and accurately match the FOX Sports talent to our tactics in order to maximize the quality of each tactic. Using social media is going to be key to spread the word of the app and its new features. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sports fans have not been able to go to sporting events nor have student athletes been allowed to play their sports. Social media has become a prominent source of news by the Gen Z and Millenni- al users and it allows users to be more interactive with the accounts they are following. By posting a video of Shannon Spake on FOX Sports social media outlets and using #FOXSpeaksSports will create a community around the FOX Sports app. Additionally, donating to the Restore to Play initiative, which is FOX Sports philanthropic focus for the year, adds to the emotional connection people have to sports while giving back. Furthermore, social media will allow users to provide feedback for the app which can help GTG Public Relations as well as FOX Sports adjust our tactics to cater to users’ needs. In conclusion, the #FOXSpeaksSports campaign parallels nicely with the current FOX Sports talent and FOX Sports long term goals. There is a threat of coming off sexist, however the idea behind this campaign is to celebrate sports and bring people of all sports and levels together.

35 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR EVALUATION

PREPARATION All the research we have collected for this campaign has been thoroughly analyzed and helped us to develop our target audience as well as the tactics we plan to implement to reach the target audience. The information we gathered came from credible and scholarly sources as well as directly from those who fall into the target audience. The content we have chosen to create on social media, weekly videos, feature stories, featuring female athletes, merchandise and collab- orations were creatively curated and developed because of their relevance to the campaign and will reach a wide range of casual sports fans that are a part of the Millennial and Gen Z generations.

IMPLMENTATION Since we have not started our campaign yet, the only information relevant to attracting our target audience to download the FOX Sports app are the tactics we have planned. A social media advertisement and additional app features are planned to encourage women to talk about their sports stories, celebrate their accomplishments and add unique characteristics to the app that no other sports app has. The only data relating to the number of viewers and those who stream FOX Sports comes from the streaming audience infographic sent from the FOX team with numbers and statistics prior to any implementation the campaign and/or tactics.

IMPACT There is no available data for measuring the number of new downloads, number of new users, sports stories shared, behavior or audience engagement.

36 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Results

Although we did not get to implement our campaign yet, we are confident that there will be an increase in downloads. In order to measure the increase in downloads, we will base our numbers off of the streaming audience snapshot chart that FOX Sports sent us. By using this chart, we will be able to see how many more females use FOX Sports streaming and look at the ages of the users. Additionally, we will be able to measure the reach of the campaign by the amount of social media users that use the #FOXSpeaksSports hashtag and share their stories. On December 10, GTG Public Relations presented to FOX Sports and received feedback on our ideas. The FOX Sports team was impressed by the amount of detailed research we did, how we matched FOX Sports talent to our tactics and how our tactics were organized. With the positive feedback we received and how well we were able to understand our target audience as well as FOX Sport talent, we believe that this campaign will be nothing short of a success and it will also be a phenomenal way to celebrate sports and increase the number of FOX Sports app users.

37 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

WORK CITED

Balkhi, S. (2020, May 20). Why you should add humor to your content marketing. Retrieved fromhttps://adage.com/article/industry-insights/why-you-should-add-humor-your-content -marketing/2257586 Baier, S. (2018, September 25). Understanding the female NFL fan: 'Seekers' vs. 'Savors'. Retrieved from https://adage.com/article/taylor/understanding-female-nfl-fan-seekers-savors/315020

Chen, J. (2020, August 21). Social media demographics to inform your brand's strategy in 2020. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/

Farrell, A. (2006). Why women don’t watch women’s sports: A qualitative analysis. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Gough, C. (2014, February 04). Race/ethnic breakdown of NHL TV audience 2013.

Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/290152/distribution-of-nhl-regular-season-tv-audience-e thnicity/

Harper, C., Dunne, F., Pratten, C., Westover, I., Speight, B., & Banoub, S. (2014). The Global Sports Media Consumption Report 2014. Know The Fan, 1-50. Ko, M., Yeo, J., Lee, J., Lee, U., & Jang, Y. J. (2016). What makes sports fans interactive?

Identifying factors affecting chat interactions in online sports viewing. PloS One, 11(2), e0148377. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148377

Mitchell, A., Gottfried, J., Shearer, E., & Lu, K. (2017, February 9). An analysis of individuals’ online news habits over the course of one week. Retrieved from https://www.journalism.org/2017/02/09/part-i-an-analysis-of-individuals-online-news-h bits-over-the-course-of-one-week/ Newman, N. (2016). News Alerts and the Battle for the Lockscreen. University of Oxford. https://images.assets.reuters.com/Web/ReutersNews/%7B3aa82e90-ffb9-4da5-bb34-e77e 94670aa3%7D_news-alerts-and-the-battle-for-the-lock-screen.pdf

NFL. (2020, September 11). NFL launches season-long brand campaign 'It Takes All of Us'.

Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-launches-season-long-brand-campaign-it-takes-all-of-us

O'Dea, P., & 7, S. (2020, September 07). Smartphone ownership in the US by age 2015-2019. Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/489255/percentage-of-us-smartphone-owners-by-age- group/

38 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR

WORK CITED

P&G. (2016). It takes someone strong to make someone strong. Thank you, Mom.

Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdQrwBVRzEg Rajan, A. (2020, August 05). TV watching and online streaming surge during lockdown. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53637305

Trail, G. T., Fink, J. S., & Anderson, D. F. (2003). Sports spectator consumption behavior. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 12(1), 8–17.

Watson, A. (2019, March 07). NASCAR TV audience by ethnicity 2017. Retrieved October 05,

2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/801332/nascar-viewers-ethnicity/ Women of Color in the United States: Quick Take. (2020, March 19). Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-of-color-in-the-united-states/

Whiteside, E., & Hardin, M. (2011). Women (Not) Watching Women: Leisure Time, Television, and Implications for Televised Coverage of Women’s Sports. Communication, Culture & Critique, (1753-9129) Zhang, C., Ha, L., & Liu, X. (2018). The role of regulatory focus in decision making of mobile

app download: A study of Chinese college students. ScienceDirect.

39 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR APPENDIX

ASSIGNMENT SHEET

Tao Chen Gabriella Fournier Grace Gower

• Letter to client • Problem Statement • Executive summary • Primary research • Target Audience Analysis • Introduction • Messages and commu- • Influencer and Opinion • Situational analysis intro- nication strategy Leaders duction • Budget • Diversity Plan • Swot • Research questions • Strategy • Secondary research • Smart goals • Editing • Evaluation • Smart objectives • News Release • Sample Merch Illustra- • Theories and persusion tion • Gantt Chart • Model A • Editing • Formatting

40 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Contact:

Gabriella Fournier

GTG Public Relations

(585) 455-8843

[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 8, 2021

FOX SPORTS APP LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN CELEBRATING SPORTS AND FEMALE ATHLETES

LOS ANGELES— On Tuesday, Feb. 9, FOX Sports will be launching the #FOXSpeaksSports campaign at their Women’s Sports Report conference and on their social media platforms.

The social media campaign will be headlined by NASCAR reporter Shannon Spake who will be featured in a 60 second video talking about her relationship with sports, how she uses the app and how FOX Sports will be giving back. FOX Sports talent, fans and athletes are encouraged to share their #FOXSpeaksSports stories on their social media pages, in turn creating a community around the app and spreading awareness of the app’s features. The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the sports world for both junior and professional athletes. For every new FOX Sports app download, $1 will be donated to the Restore to Play initiative. The initiative’s mission is to provide fitness equipment for youth organizations across the country who have endured setbacks due to the pandemic.

Some of the campaign’s goals are to celebrate sports, reignite love and passion for sports and give back to the sports community which will in turn increase downloads from Gen Z and Millennials. Additional features that will be added are weekly videos of Charlotte Wilder’s “Let’s Recap”, highlights of female athletes and #FOX- Fashion feature stories from a variety of FOX Sports talent.

This campaign was created by GTG Public Relations to target females 18-24. In 2020, the way sports are viewed and played have been changed drastically and the #FOXSpeaksSports campaign will cater to both the female sports fan as well as those who are looking for something more in their sports experience.

To learn more about the FOX Sports app, download it now in the App Store or Google Play and create your own personalized profile and kick off your one-of-a-kind sports experience.

41 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Shannon Spake PSA Template

Title: FOX Speaks Sports

Length: 60 seconds

Video Audio

INT. Pictures of Shannon as a young girl “Sports have always been a big part of my at sports games with her family life. I grew up going to University of Miami games with my family and have created some of my fondest memories around sports. The FOX Sports app has changed the face of sports apps. I can set favorites to keep tabs on my favorite teams, the app makes it so easy to check scores, read the latest sports news and I can even watch live TV on the app.” Shannon comes on the screen wearing a #FOXSpeaksSports shirt “Talking about sports and bringing them into homes worldwide is a passion of mine. Whether I am prepping for NASCAR, NFL or NCAA the FOX Sports app has all of the information I need. Having an app that lays it all out for you and is easy to navigate is a must and FOX Sports has created just that! For every new download, $1 will be donated to the ‘Restore Play’ Initiative to help bring equipment and the love of sports back to those who have been set back by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Show picture of FOX Sports app feature stories “The FOX Sports app is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play”.

42 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Model A Instagram Followers Avg. # of Avg. # of Engagement likes comments

FOX Sports 1.1M 800 10 0.07%

ESPN 17.3M 170,800 1,000 0.97%

CBS Sports 781K 25,054 415 3.26%

BIG 10 Net- 192K 633 4 0.33% work

Twitter

Followers Avg. # of Avg. # of Total Pot. likes comments Impressions

FOX Sports 2M 146 18 6,312,394

ESPN 35.9M 42,016 137 70,025

CBS Sports 1.2M 135 6 2,268,221

BIG 10 Net- 242K 133 2 2,917,700 work

Facebook

Followers Engagement Shares Per Post

FOX Sports 9.6M 0.001% 18.6

ESPN 21.2M 0.064% 1.72K

CBS Sports 3.8M 0.047% 395

BIG 10 Network 600K 0.034% 23.6

43 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR Research Tools Interview Questions

1. In our research we found that 45% of sports fans are women, can you describe your relationship with watching/participating with sports. 2. Is there a particular sport you like to watch? Or multiple? 3. Do you use any sports app? If so for what? If not, why? 4. Do you prefer using apps or websites for sports news? 5. Overall, how do you perceive FOX as a brand? 6. What are your initial reactions to the app? Likes/dislikes? 7. Would you be inclined to use it? 8. How often do you talk about sports? 9. What will make you want to talk about sports? 10. Have you ever worried about using the wrong sports terms? 11. What do you think of FOX Sports app after using it? 12. What kind of content would you like to see on the app?

44 FOX Speaks Sports Campaign Proposal By GTG PR