Durham Bulls Marketing Plan
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1 Durham Bulls Marketing Plan PRT 476 By: Michael May & Nicole Szkola 2 DURHAM BULLS MARKETING PLAN Executive Summary The Durham Bulls are the Triple-A affiliate of the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays located in Durham, NC. The team is the most recognized team in the minors not only for the movie Bull Durham, but also for being one of the many sources of entertainment for those in and around the triangle. The Durham Bulls have been known to break records for attendance, and their fan loyalty only grows stronger with every championship ring they receive, including their latest in the 2015 season. The team is driven to make the Durham Bulls Athletic park the leading source of entertainment for the triangle area. The Durham Bulls have been around since 1902 and are currently led by general manager Mike Birling who prides himself on making sure the games provide “affordable family entertainment.” The Durham Bulls pride themselves on their environment and their employees’ work ethic. It is with this mindset that the DBAP is able to fill seats game after game, but in order to do more so they must add more variety. There are several strengths such as the fact that they are a well-known brand, but the Bulls also suffer from weaknesses such as the negative connotation the city of Durham has. There is a lot of room for growth for the Bulls, especially in the social media aspect, but there is also a lot of competition in the surrounding areas. The Durham Bulls are in a great position right now but can continue to make their brand better with the proper marketing techniques. The DBAP is great for continuing traditions, while creating new experiences for everyone. The fan base for the Durham Bulls is so diverse it can be broken down into several different target markets but our marketing plan focuses on three distinct target markets that we believe could be improved. These three target markets are families within the triangle area who have not attended a Bulls game before, college students within the triangle, and white-collar workers in the triangle who also have not attended a Bulls game before. With an overall goal of being the main source of entertainment for the triangle area, we also hope to achieve being the number one choice of entertainment for triangle families, to be a leading inexpensive source of college students’ entertainment, and to offer a high quality opportunity to network. Our overall strategy is to increase season ticket holders by 10% within the next two seasons, but we also hope to increase the sale of family plans, college night tickets, and suite terrace box rentals. To do all of this we plan to create new marketing tactics for each target market that we have identified including perfect attendance awards and revamping Wool E. Bulls’ PR for the triangle families, creating $5 college rush and discounted beer on college nights for a college students, and bundling an advertisement with a suite rental while also running an ad in the Triangle Business Journal for our white-collar target market. We believe with these tactics in place we can continue to grow the Durham Bulls attendance ratings. 3 DURHAM BULLS MARKETING PLAN Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Mission Statement ................................................................................................................................ 5 Background............................................................................................................................................. 5 Situational Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 6 Internal Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 6 External Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 6 Position ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Positioning Statement .......................................................................................................................... 7 Unique Selling Proposition .................................................................................................................. 7 Competitor Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 7 Costumer Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 8 Target Markets ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Marketing Goals ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Value Proposition ................................................................................................................................ 10 Marketing Strategies .............................................................................................................................. 10 Marketing Tactics ................................................................................................................................... 10 Perfect Attendance ............................................................................................................................. 10 Wool E. Bull PR .................................................................................................................................... 10 $5 College Rush ................................................................................................................................... 11 Discounted Beer on College Nights ................................................................................................ 11 Rent a Suite and get a 30-second Ad ............................................................................................. 11 Triangle Business Journal Advertisement ...................................................................................... 12 Implementation and Evaluation ........................................................................................................... 12 4 DURHAM BULLS MARKETING PLAN Action Plan ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Appendix ................................................................................................................................................... 13 References ................................................................................................................................................ 16 5 DURHAM BULLS MARKETING PLAN Introduction Mission Statement To present baseball, The Great American Pastime, as affordable family entertainment with a commitment to customer and community service, ethical business practices and the professional growth of our employees. Background In 1902 Mr. W. G. Bramham secured the Durham club to play in the North Carolina League for four months. On April 24, 1902 the Durham Tobacconists played and won their very first game, only to lose their first game of regular season. After completing the season the Tobacconists were asked to move to New Bern but Brahmam refused and the team did not play in Durham again until 1913 when they joined the newly formed North Carolina State League. Durham came first in the league in 1917 although the season was ended early for World War I. Two years later the Piedmont League was formed and the Bulls joined them. The Bulls grew attention with their crazy antics over the years and in 1932 secured their first MLB affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1933 the Bulls finally had a stadium to call their own but did not play on in it During the Great Depression and four years following it burned to the ground completely. It took only two weeks to rebuild the DAP but the field was used on and off again until the 1980s. In 1987 the movie Bull Durham is filmed and brings a new level of attention to the team. As the new fans kept rolling in the bulls decided to expand and built a new stadium, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park was then opened in 1995. In 1998 the Bulls become affiliated with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and this lasts through to today. In 2001 they set an all-time paid attendance mark of 505,319, which has continually been shattered and as of September 5th 2015 the record is now 554,788 breaking the previous record by over 21,000. Over the year’s managers, leagues, and names have changed, the attendance has continued to grow, and the Bulls have altogether won 17 championships. After being sold to Capitol Broadcasting Company in 1991 the team was practically re-branded. The Bulls marketing team has been very successful with their promotional nights including an almost sold-out Star Wars night in 2015 and a “bark in the park” night that saw over 500 dogs. These and several others including $1 concessions, education