St. Paul Saints Home Run Marketing Plan SEYDI BA, JORDYN BLOOMER, MAX CHAPMAN, MATT CHRISTINA, & MADALYN MUELLER WISCONSIN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SPORTS MARKETING 365 NOVEMBER 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY….…………………………………………………….……………3 II. CURRENT BRAND ANALYSIS…………………………………………...…………….…..4 A. Brand Position………………………………………………………………………..……4 B. Target Market……………………………………………………………………….......…4 C. Unique Value Proposition…………………………………………………………………5 D. Current Marketing Efforts…………………………………………………………………5 III. MARKETING TACTICS………………….…….………………………………..…….……7 A. Increase Social Media Presence & Following……………………………………….……7 B. Increase Segmented Email Marketing………………………………………….…………9 C. Utilize Saints App……………………………………………………….…………...……9 D. Add Secondary Target Market……………………………………………………..….…10 IV. KEY METRICS……………..…………………...………………………………………..…12 V. BIBLIOGRAPHY...………..…………………………………………………………………14 2 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY About the St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are an American professional baseball team located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1993, the Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. The team played their first home games in the Midway Stadium downtown in 1993 and began playing at the new CHS Field in Lowertown Saint Paul in 2015 (Jeffers, 2017). St. Paul, Minnesota has a population of 306,604. The community surrounding the stadium shares a passion for baseball and loves any reason to get together, with attendance of 112% capacity per game - the highest in all of minor league baseball (Jeffers, 2017). Focusing on affordable family fun has been the main goal of the Saints organization and that will continue even as they look to expand into a younger market segment (S. Bailey, personal communication, October 31, 2019). SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES ● Unique Value Proposition: “Fun is good!” ● Social media presence & following ● Low prices with unmatched experience ● Focus on outdated advertising techniques ● Strong group & season ticket fan base OPPORTUNITIES THREATS ● Expand secondary target market: ● Deal nights for Minnesota Twins (major millennials/young adults league team located in MPLS) on the ● Utilize Saints app for sales efforts same nights as Saints games ● Use segmented email marketing Marketing Tactics As outlined above, the team has a lot of room for growth as an organization. After researching the St. Paul Saints current marketing efforts and interviewing various members of the Saints Staff, we’ve identified four areas of improvement for the marketing team: ● Increase Social Media Presence & Following ● Increase Segmented Email Marketing ● Utilize Saints App ● Add Secondary Target Market By implementing these marketing tactics, the St. Paul Saints can expect to increase brand awareness and improve brand perceptions by increasing ticket, food & beverage, and merchandise sales within a two-year time frame. 3 II. CURRENT BRAND ANALYSIS A. Brand Position “Fun is good!” is the motto for the St. Paul Saints organization and has been since 1993. A fun and highly entertaining baseball game is how their brand is recognized not only locally, but nationally. The Saints are one of the few organizations that are less focused on the actual game of baseball and more focused on the experience of attending the game. The Saints want to continue this brand perception through affordability, crazy promotions, and fun events before, during, and after each game. Affordable family fun is one of the key aspects of the Saints organization. Located in the heart of St. Paul, MN they need to create an environment that will draw families into the stadium and have them leave wanting to come back. The oversaturation of the sports market in St. Paul allows the St. Paul Saints to be a sporting event that is entirely family-friendly, so much so that the games are less about the game of baseball itself and more about the promotions and stunts that take place between innings and after the game. In addition to maintaining a focus on the entertainment aspect, the pricing of a ticket to a Saints game is far cheaper than the cheapest Major League Baseball ticket, or any other professional sporting event in the St. Paul area. With ticket prices ranging from a $5.00 ticket purchased on the day of the game, to $130.00 for their club seats, these prices make a night at the ballpark affordable for a family of any size or socioeconomic status. The St. Paul Saints pioneered the concept of in-game promotions and stunts. Focusing on the experience of the fans allowed the Saints organization to create an environment that was always pushing the boundaries for what in-game entertainment looks like. They are continuously doing various contests, competitions, skits, stunts, and promotions during the game and between innings to maintain fan engagement and heighten their overall experience. One example of their competitions between innings is the “Dizzy Man Contest” where a few fans are selected to participate, and they spin around with their forehead on a bat one too many times and they are off to the races against each other to a finish line. This is just one of many examples of how a small in-game event between the innings can drive the entertainment value of attendance. Along with their in-game promotions, the Saints organization will often host events after the game is finished as well. These events can range from weekly firework shows on Friday nights to hosting the world’s largest game of Twister in the outfield. With a strong commitment to focusing on the fun of being at the game, this organization continues to host various theme nights, post-game contests, and shows for the fans to enjoy in addition to the game itself. The organization is able to market these events to further promote their brand as being a fun family night out at the ballpark (S. Bailey, personal communication, October 31st, 2019). B. Target Market The primary target market for the Saints organization is females between the ages of 25-54, who presumably have children or a spouse and children. They want to target the moms of families who are potential decision-makers for the family or moms who are able to hear about it and want 4 to plan a fun, family night out at the ballpark. Another reason for targeting females specifically within this age range is because if they are not married or not mothers yet, the chances of them being in a relationship are high so this can also be marketed as a cheap, fun date night. Overall, a majority of their fan base is families, so their primary target market is focused on family dynamics. One secondary target market the team is looking to expand into is the millennial generation and young adults that populate downtown St. Paul and the surrounding area. With 8-10 bars within a few blocks of their ballpark, the Saints organization is looking to expand their marketing efforts to reach this younger generation as a fun, affordable place to start their night and hang out with friends. In addition to the location, their ballpark now includes a craft beer bar, which they are expecting to resonate well with the younger market and drive attraction and attention to the game and raise attendance rates. C. Unique Value Proposition In comparison to the rest of the sports market in the city of St. Paul, the Saints have a very unique offering in terms of the entertainment value brought to the fans. Many of the major league sports organizations that saturate the St. Paul region are all about the game. The players and the game are the main attraction, and the halftime show, or post-game shows are more of an afterthought. Not for the Saints. The motto “Fun is good!” takes the idea of attending a Saints game beyond just watching a baseball game and integrates an experience like no other. The motto “Fun is good” takes attending a Saints game beyond just watching a baseball game and integrates an experience like no other. The Saints create a fun, exciting, and energetic experience every game, all season long. From setting a Guinness world record for the largest game of Twister after the game to “Ushertainers”, whose job it is to dance and sing to entertain the crowd, the Saints put a premium on the fun factor. In addition to a unique game experience unmatched by any major or minor league team around, they are able to provide this experience at an affordable price. As a whole, the St. Paul Saints provide the St. Paul region with a fun, cheap, family night out that no other professional team in the region compares to. D. Current Marketing Efforts The heart of their marketing strategy is currently through radio advertisements. This tactic is cost-efficient and reaches their target markets of females between the ages of 25-54 and older males who, presumably, are listening to the radio in their cars during commuting hours. According to a study done by Statista, approximately 52% of radio listeners fall between the age range of 25-55 (Satista, 2017). This would support the continued use of ads via radio to reach out to their target audience. Typically, they only run a short radio advertisement the day before a game and the day of, so that the game is fresh in the minds of listeners who may be looking for something to do that night. In addition to the radio ads, the Saints also have a smaller marketing budget for advertisement via print and TV commercials. These mediums are far less frequent than their radio advertisements but are still a part of their current marketing strategy. Print ads are their second 5 most successful medium, followed by TV. Their focus is less on TV due to the expensive price in comparison to other forms of advertising. In order to keep up with the changing marketing trends, the organization is starting to increase its budget for digital marketing.