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“The New State of Soccer”

PRT 476 (001) Marketing Plan North Carolina Courage Anna Hood, Emily Tharington, Harli Hubbard

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Executive Summary

The NC Courage is the newest team to North Carolina; this women’s professional soccer team joins the National Women’s Soccer League in hopes to grow the sport overall. With the advantage of having famous National Team members, there is a great possibility for success. Being a new team in North Carolina the NC Courage will focus on growing the game of soccer. With an overarching goal of brand awareness. The marketing team has created an outline of ideas that will broaden the brand awareness for the NC Courage. Starting with increasing the advertising presence in the Triangle, there will be several promotional style tactics catching people's attention to increase brand awareness. Next, with a small budget and having a small staff, the team will work on social media and increase the followers by 25% on Facebook and Instagram. Lastly, the NC Courage will organize unique experiences with “meet and greet” session with the players. Being a first year team the Courage will face many challenges, one major threat is a lack of knowledge that the team even exists. A strength that outweighs this negative is the fact that the team had nearly sold out their kick-off game for this year. Due to the strong fan base that the organization currently has, the challenge will be keeping up attendance. This marketing plan goes into detail of the tactics that we will take in order to grow the current fan base, increase brand awareness and grow the game of soccer.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary………………………………………………………..………………….2

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..4

Situational Analysis………...…………………………………………..……………………..5

SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………..……………….....5

Product Portfolio and Positioning……………………………….……………...... 6

Competitive Analysis………………………………………………………..………………...7

Customer Analysis…………………………………………………………..………………...8

Marketing Goals……………………………………………………………..……..………….9

Marketing Strategy………………………………………………………….……………….10

Marketing Tactics………………………………………………………………………...10-12

Implementation and Control……………………………………………………..………...13

Action Plan…………………………………………………………………………13-15

Budget……………………………………………………………………….…....……16

Evaluation……………………………………………………………………………..17

Appendix A: Tactic Examples……………………………………………………..……18-23

Appendix B: References……………………………………………………………………...24

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Introduction

Our chosen organization is the new professional women’s soccer team in the Triangle area: The North Carolina Courage. On January 9th, owner of the NCFC Steve Malik officially announced in a press conference the establishment of the first National Women’s Soccer League in North Carolina. The inaugural season home opener was Saturday, April 22nd with a roster containing multiple international team players as well as high college draft picks. Their season will go into the summer as it aligns with their brother team, the North Carolina Football Club. Since their announcement in January, they have been focusing on Awareness in their marketing efforts which is what we will be tackling in our Marketing Plan. The newness of the team creates dozens of opportunities for creative tactics in order to reach their desired target markets and build their reputation in the world of women’s soccer. Because they are a brand-new organization, they have no previous marketing statistics or targets to go off of, making awareness their number one goal as of now.

Mission Statement

“Achieving the highest level of soccer in North Carolina for NWSL. Build the pipeline of youth to pro soccer in North Carolina. To perpetuate and grow the game of soccer in North Carolina.”

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Situational Analysis

The current marketing situation for the North Carolina Courage, as previously mentioned, is highlighted by its very recent establishment. In their position, there are many strengths they can play to achieve their overall goal of brand awareness, but there are also weaknesses that must be addressed. According to Zach Bradt, the head of the marketing department for both the Courage and the NCFC, the SWOT analysis is as follows:

NOTE: his remarks are coded in red. Strengths Opportunities

Only professional women’s soccer team Brand new program in area LGBTQ Community Women’s soccer is associated with o Changing bathroom sign winning and empowerment (U.S W. o Initiatives: National Team) ▪ Out Raleigh Well organized fan perception Facilities: concessions, field, stadium, equipment Staff has grown from 12 to 26 adding new departments o Graphic design and video o Corporate partnerships o Ticketing

Weaknesses Threats

Not as established as NCFC NCFC Women’s team Other professional/college teams Owner set objectives that are not in area always followed through (make sure How they are linked to the Men’s people can see that we back up what team (people do not care as much we say) about men's team)

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Product Position

Based on the SWOT analysis we’ve compiled, the Courage marketing department is seeking to drive attention from a national standpoint, drive professional capacity, and serve as a catalyst to achieve mission statement which is to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. and NC. They are at their inaugural year in the market position-wise, so everything they do must intentionally re-iterate their goal of brand awareness. The key elements of the analysis that contribute to the current position are as follows:

Strengths: new team, international players, facilities Weaknesses: follow-through Opportunities: LGBTQ community Threats: how they are linked to the NCFC

USP “New State of Soccer”

Not only is a North Carolina Courage game day a new experience overall for people in the Triangle, according to Zach, they set themselves apart from their competitors with their tailgating and concession experience. He says the high- quality food and beer, as well as the family friendly atmosphere they’ve created have played a major role in the popularity of the games so far. The family zone inside the stadium allows for kids to get their faces painted, and the cleanliness and quality of the concessions make WakeMed soccer park a place where parents feel comfortable bringing their children.

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Competitive Analysis

NCSU, UNC, and Duke women’s soccer programs are competitors because they are also elite women's soccer teams in the area. They each have their own promotions and marketing plans focusing on soccer families and millennials, which are also a target markets of the NC Courage. Many college students are attracted to college games because of the student ticket prices along with alma mater pride. Given the fact that the ACC is dominant in women’s soccer, many of their fans are loyal to the University. Also, the men’s NCFC team is a direct competitor, because of the simple fact that they share some consumers. Some fans may choose to watch the men’s game over the women’s and vise versa. Due to the teams having a similar fan base, it forces the fans to decide on one game over the other, because both seasons are during the same period. They also share a stadium, therefore making this a very similar experience. Their target market is slightly different, because their main target market is not females, their focus more on males. The other NWSL teams are also considered direct competitors, being that they are offering the same product as the NC Courage just with different players. The most direct competitor would be the Washington D.C. Spirit team because they are closest in location to the Courage. However, the Spirit has less recognizable players and not nearly as nice facilities as the NC Courage. Their strengths include being an already established team and finishing second in the league last year. The numerous amount of summer concerts performed in the triangle are non- direct competitors because of how they also market to the local families and millennials. Some concerts even target the LGBTQ community which is also a target market of the NC Courage. These concerts are all during the soccer season and most are Saturday nights, which directly interferes with Courage game days. Concerts are usually positioned as social events which could draw customers away from women’s soccer games. These two events are also alike in that they both serve alcohol and that is a big selling point for both. Most people attend a concert for a “for experience,” the NC Courage will have to make their experience unique to compete with these events. Also, all the minor-league baseball teams in the area such as the Carolina Mudcats are non-direct competitors. They have many different theme nights and promotions to reach families and sports fans around the Triangle. With the many new opportunities arising in the area from arena football to new developments in baseball, it is challenging the soccer fan base, making it another non-direct competitor of the NC Courage.

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Customer Analysis

The customers the Courage serves very much align so far with their target markets, which are: “youth girls, mothers, families, LGBTQ community, and millennials” (-Zach Bradt, head of NC Courage Marketing). However, the Courage is not limited to these markets alone when it comes to their customer base. Though the ticketing stats are currently unavailable to the public, Zach informed us that the first home game they hosted was almost sold out. The stadium was comprised mostly of their target markets, but also other customers such as elderly people with grandchildren, middle aged couples, and a wide array of economic backgrounds. The current demographics that influence soccer participation/consumption (women's soccer is not a category listed) found on the SBR net are: gender, geographic location, and race. When asking fellow classmates for the Sport Consumer Assignment, the common answer for why they love watching a sport is because they played it or participated in it at some point in their life. Their “why”, then relates to love, their psychographic is the desire and aspiration to watch sports. Most children in America start off by playing Soccer at a very young age, which leads to the attachment of the sport, and the attraction to attend professional soccer events. Pro Women’s Soccer leaves its fans with a nostalgic feeling, this desire to stay tuned in the sport from keeping track of how a team is doing to physically attending games to support. The Courage can be “consumed” on multiple levels as far as product usage goes. Fans looking to support from afar have the option of purchasing merchandise from their website, following them on social media, and tuning into their games via their website as well. Individual tickets are available which give the fan the typical stadium experience, while season tickets are also available, providing more of a personal customer service touch with premier seating and parking. All forms of product the Courage provides are important at this point, to drive their overall goal of brand awareness. The benefits the customers reap from the Courage vary according to consumption and the customer. Parents and children who come to the stadium benefit from the family-friendly atmosphere with activities and products designed to encourage participation of both youths and adults. Avid soccer fans benefit from being connected and supporting a team that boasts world cup champion players. The residents of the Triangle in general benefit from the opportunity to see soccer played at the highest level, women’s soccer in particular. These are just a few examples of the dozens, if not, over a hundred benefits we could compile from our analysis of the Courage.

Target Markets This marketing plan focuses on 3 target markets. They are youth soccer players, families, and millennials. Youth soccer players are an important segment to target because they are the future of this sport. They bring excitement to the fan

9 base and are usually some of the most dedicated fans. SBRnet states that there were 52.2 million children in the United States between the ages of 7-17 playing soccer. Obviously, making it a fairly large target market. This market already loves the game of soccer. Our job is then to keep them involved and excited. With the focus on youth soccer players, we must also target their families, most importantly their parents. If the kid’s are wanting to attend the games, then we have to create an atmosphere that is enjoyable to the older generation as well as their siblings that may not play soccer. In hopes that this will grow the game of soccer even more in the coming years. With the basis of youth soccer it is important to target and reach out to the families to increase brand awareness that will lead to attending NC Courage games. Our last target market is the millennial generation. Most people define millennials as people born between 1977-2000. Millennials make up about 25% of the United States population. Again, making this a very large target market. This demographic loves to be entertained, which makes them a great market to target for a exciting new professional soccer team. Millennials also generally like to travel, meaning they may come from farther locations then the normal fan base.

Marketing Goals

The main marketing goal for the NC Courage is brand awareness. Being a brand new team they need to get their name out to the public. The product is proven to sell and do well, it just has to be known about. Soccer is a growing sport in North Carolina and the NC Courage is committed to helping that trend continue. The youth are the future of this sport and this fan base; keeping them involved is also a major goal. The Courage marketing team described one of their organizational goals as “Building the pipeline of youth to pro soccer in North Carolina.” This marketing plan very much so aligns with that goal as well.

Value Proposition:

Points of difference: 1.) Only women’s pro soccer team in the state/surrounding states 2.) Brand new team 3.) Attached to a big “brand name” organization (NC Football Club) 4.) World-class roster

“We will provide our fans with a new, high quality soccer experience that will promote the growing soccer interest in North Carolina. The NC Courage will be the first women’s professional team in the state. We’re excited to start a new tradition in the Raleigh area that will enhance the local family sport environment and deliver a high quality game experience.”

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Marketing Strategy

After consulting with the head of the marketing department for the Courage and performing a SWOT analysis of the positioning and current situation for the organization, we decided the most appropriate strategies for achieving the overall goal of brand awareness would be:

1. To solidify our advertising presence in the Triangle with a goal of at least 200 promotion-style advertisements of different varieties in the public space one month before the season opener. 2. Increase social media following on Instagram and Facebook by 25% by the start of next season (March 2018). 3. Organize and plan three fan “meet and greet” events during the current season (present- October 2017), with a goal of 1,000 total fans in attendance all together.

Marketing Tactics (numbers correspond with numbered strategies above)

1.a) The first tactic lines up with our advertising strategy. The concept is to have half size soccer balls with Courage logo and @TheNCCourage Twitter and Instagram handle, located at local restaurant windows and doors. They will be located at all the Bojangles in the Triangle area. This tactic will reach all 3 of our target markets. Youth soccer players will immediately be drawn to the ball because it is a sport they play. Families and millennials will see them because they will be places at local restaurants that attract those demographics. This tactic would fall under the promotions category.

1.b) The second tactic also lines up with our advertising strategy. The concept is to have a small merchandise section set up at six Dick’s Sporting Goods locations in the Triangle. The section would include a small selection of their t-shirts (mens, women’s cut, and youth sizes), their Courage logo scarves, and the car magnets. It would be located near the entrance of the store to catch the eye of people walking in, and sales of the items could be tracked through the store manager and retail team. This tactic will mostly reach families and youth soccer players who frequent Dick’s for equipment and fitness apparel needs. It would fall under the product category.

1.c) The third tactic is our last for our advertising strategy. The concept is to purchase five billboard spaces on 440, Capital Boulevard, Western Boulevard, I 40, and Glenwood Avenue. Each billboard would feature different players, all social

11 media handles, and an advertising for their tickets and website. They would also include the following saying: “The Courage to start, the drive to finish. #NCCourageInauguralSeason”. This would target families and millennials who frequent these roads on their commute or on their way to school. It would fall under the promotions category.

2.a) Our fourth tactic deals with social media and helps accomplish our second strategy. The campaign would be to have fans post with “#IHaveCourage…” with a picture or them doing something they love. An example of this would be “#IHaveCourage because I want to pass along the passion of soccer to the next generation of girls.” This tactic will focus on women’s empowerment and equality in sport. The winner will receive VIP game experience for family or guests. It will target youth soccer players and their families, while also helping increase the NC Courage social media following.

2.b) The NC Courage will host a Live video on both Facebook and Instagram, when they play FC Kansas City. On July 1st fans will tune into the game where we will pick a random fan that watches the game from kick-off to the end buzzer, to win a prize pack filled with Independence Day themed NC Courage merchandise. The target market will be millennials and youth soccer kids that have social media accounts. Since millennials and youth have a tendency to spread the word through social media of what they are doing in that very moment, there will be a huge increase of social media and brand awareness during this game. Given the nature of this prize pack, being free of charge, this tactic will fall under the price category.

2.c) Our next tactic is a Citywide Scavenger Hunt, fans of all ages will have the opportunity to go out on the town and search for different NC Courage prizes. Throughout the day starting at 8am there will be a post on Facebook and Instagram that has a riddle that will lead you to the different prizes. The prizes will start small, with a signed Shirt hidden in plain sight. Then another post will go out giving you a clue to the next prize. The grand prize is a golden soccer ball that will be the hardest to find but have the biggest reward. Not only will you be able to keep the golden soccer ball you will get a V.I.P tour of the the Courage Stadium. This tactic will target families, millennials, and youth soccer players. This will be a family fun activity that can get the kids out of the house and moving. When a prize is found the fans will get a picture taken of them by our staff and posted on social media with the hashtag, #FoundCourage. This would be a promotion and price tactic.

3.a) Come watch “The Big Green” on the green! This tactic will target all three target markets, youth, families, and millennials. All are welcome to a movie night on the field where there will be a big screen showing of “The Big Green”, a classic

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Disney movie from the 90’s. The fans will have an opportunity to bring the whole family to the pitch, to enjoy a throwback kid-friendly movie. This tactic will bring the whole family together, and people of all ages due to the fact that the movie will be a throwback. Parents will be able to reminisce in their good old days, while the kids get to broaden their horizons with a classic movie. Not only will all target markets be able to enjoy this movie out on the Courages home turf, but they will be able to do a “meet and greet” with the players. Since the movie will be taking place at their field this would fall under a place tactic.

3.b) This eighth tactic will also focus on the third strategy. It is a promotion that is also goes into the public relations area. There will be a team appearances at the Durham Bulls game May 30th. There will be three different “activities” involving courage players during the game. The first activity will be Lynn Williams (a U.S. National team player) throwing out the first pitch. The second activity will be 2 players kicking out Courage signed soccer balls to fans in between the even numbered innings. The third in-game activity will be during the 7th inning stretch. It will be a handless kickball game in which the Courage players can show off their soccer skills . This tactic will focus on welcoming the NC Courage to the area as another local sports team and increase fan awareness.

3.c) Our ninth and final tactic lines up with our “meet and greet” strategy. The concept is to have a “Night Out” with the players after their game against the Kansas City FC on Saturday, June 3rd. Following the game, assuming it will end around 7, players wanting to participate will ride the “Red and Blue Express” (Courage fan bus) to Raleigh Beer Garden to socialize with of-age fans. The venue will be rented out and it will be advertised ahead of time to encourage millennials to purchase tickets to games, because fans will have to show a ticket to any of the Courage games to get in (or a confirmation email for a future game). This tactic will target the millennial market, by choosing a trendy downtown bar and also having the drinking age minimum to participate. It would fall under the public relations category.

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Action Plan

1.a)

-Soccer ball stickers ordered and designed through local graphics company by February 1st

-Distributed at Bojangles and the following restaurants by February 14th

-Mellow Mushroom, Peace St.

-Village Draft House, Cameron Village

-Carolina Ale House, Glenwood Ave.

-Trophy Brewing Company, W. Morgan St.

-Remove ball stickers by September 30th

1.b)

-Deliver select merchandise to Dick’s locations on May 10th

-Re-stock as needed throughout season

-Have section available through last regular season game on September 30th

1.c)

-Have billboard spaces purchased and cleared by February 1st

-Local advertising company to install graphics on February 5th

-Billboards rented through September 30th

2.a)

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-Announce contest via Facebook and Instagram on May 5th

-Pick winner on May 28th

-VIP game experience set for the family or friends for Saturday, June 3rd

2.b)

~Announce contest via Facebook and Instagram on June 23rd

~Continue to promote throughout the week

~Announce winner immediately after the game July 1st

2.c)

~Announce scavenger hunt idea via Facebook and Instagram, July 10th

~Promotion video with team sent out on Facebook and Instagram explaining the scavenger hunt, July 19th

~Hold scavenger hunt events, July 22nd

~Release announcement of Golden Ball winner on social media immediately after ball is found on July 22nd

3.a)

~Secure field date for event, July 31st

~Announcement of event via Facebook and Instagram, August 6th

~Reminder announcement on Social Media, August 11th

~Movie night on the Green is held, August 12th

3.b)

~ Durham Bulls contacted February 20th

~Announce game day events via Social Media, May 20th

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~First pitch 7:00pm, May 30th

3.c)

-Raleigh Beer Garden contacted on May 4th

-Announcements going out via Facebook and Instagram on May 10th

-Red and Blue Express leaving Wake Med soccer park at 7:30 on June 3rd with players aboard

-Venue rented out from 7:30pm to 11:00pm on June 3rd

Gantt Chart

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Tactic Start Duration End Date (days) Date

1.a) Soccer Ball Signs 1-Mar 184 1-Sep

1.b) Dicks Mechandise Section 10-May Year Round N/A

1.c) Billboards 1-Feb 213 1-Sep

2.a) #IHaveCourage 1-May 31 31-May

2.b) Live Video 1-Jul 1 1-Jul

2.c) Scavenger Hunt 22-Jul 1 22-Jul

3.a) Big Green on the green 12-Aug 1 12-Aug

3.b) Durham Bulls Appearance 30-May 1 30-May

3.c) Raleigh Beer Garden 3-Jun 1 3-Jun Appearance

Budget

Tactic Cost 1.a) Soccer Ball Signs $400 1.b) Dicks Mechandise Section $3,000 1.c) Billboards $105,000 2.a) #IHaveCourage 0 2.b) Live Video 15% 2.c) Scavenger Hunt $15 3.a) Big Green on the green $300

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3.b) Durham Bulls Appearance $550 3.c) Raleigh Beer Garden Appearance $2,100

Evaluation

Our nine tactics we created are very strategic in achieving our overall goal of brand awareness for the Courage. Measuring our advertising efforts and their connection with brand awareness can be traced through studying increases in social media following and event attendance as well as tune-ins to live streams for games. Increases in social media activity and attendance correlates with an increase in awareness. In other words, people wouldn’t consider themselves “unaware” of the team if they follow them on social media or attend their games and events. The same could be said for the social media strategy, we would observe the following on Facebook and Instagram and calculate the increases for each by the beginning of the 2018 season. Our final brand awareness strategy that utilizes the “meet and greet” method of public relations can be measured in attendance of fans for all three events. To re-iterate, because our overall goal is brand awareness in general, our successes can be measured in any increases of ticket sales, attendances, social media followings, etc. going along with the idea that people who are “aware” of the Courage will be doing these things. After each tactic is complete, we plan to hold a marketing meeting to discuss how successful it was, and how we can improve for future tactics. A post season meeting will be held on October 5th to discuss the overall plan and how well it served us in the season, and if adjustments should be made for the next one.

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Appendix A: Tactic Examples

Soccer Signs:

Billboards:

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The Big Green on the Green:

Independence Day Live on Social Media:

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Merchandise:

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Hashtag Contest:

@asidhood:

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“#IHaveCourage because I want to pass along the passion of soccer to the next generation of girls”

“Night Out with the Courage”

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Appendix B: References http://www.outdoorbillboard.com/billboards/798321-raleigh-billboard-for-rent-in-raleigh-nc http://www.millennialmarketing.com/who-are-millennials/ http://www.sportsmarketanalytics.com/Sports/Soccer.aspx http://www.nwslsoccer.com/standings?season=6h6nnk413zmldxiesd6nxoovd https://www.google.com/search?q=american+flag http://washingtonspirit.com

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https://www.google.com/search?q=instagram+live https://store.northcarolinafc.com/collections/frontpage/Courage https://www.nctriangledining.com/blog/2015/07/raleigh-beer-garden-food-menu-nc-first/ https://www.google.com/search?q=Movie+night+on+the+soccer+field