Eat, Sleep, Conquer Sports Marketing.. Repeat.

When it comes to marketing in sports, there is no better example of sports a brand that markets their product on every level than WWE. The sports entertainment company ranked a perfect 99 Klout rating and is ranked in the top 6 of the most influential social media brands in the world. For the past two years, WWE’s flagship show Raw has consecutively been ranked as the top 5 most socially active primetime shows, with almost 1.5 million social mentions per week.

Aside from John Cena’s presence on Twitter, Facebook and WWE’s dominance in social media, there are many further elements that make this sports marketing juggernaut such a force to be reckoned with, both in entertainment and sports. The majority of the mainstream social interactivity results from not only the athletic, smack talking entertainment, but also the company’s ability to market its product in no other way a sports or Entertainment Company has been able to master at this level.

More than any other sports entity, WWE markets at every local level and competes in more than 200 live shows worldwide annually, with no off-season. Programs, pay-per-view events, and WWE’s 24/7 streaming network is broadcasted in 170 countries and in over 10 languages. All WWE branded merchandise is sold at live events and WWE’s website based shop zone.

The company is set to release its highly anticipated trailer tomorrow of its digitally advanced WWE 2K15 video game, set for release this November. The sports entertainment company even found a way to make fans go bananas for its downloadable action-packed, collectable card game app that was downloaded over 1.5 million times with in its first week of release, less than a month ago.

David K. Stotlar defines Sports Marketing as “the process of designing and implementing activities for the production, pricing, promotion, and distribution of a sport or sport business product to satisfy the needs or desires of consumers and to achieve the company’s objectives.”

WWE has designed activities in a non-conventional way, based on highly athletic performances, great storytelling and female drama. According to the target audience interests, that is exactly what is needed to satisfy the needs of the WWE Universe’s needs and desires. WWE has become one of the most recognizable brands in all of marketing and media and it all begins with their fan affinity and ability to adapt to the digitally evolving social climate.

Marketing, Sales & WWE Network

The WWE Network is hoping to pin one million subscribers by the end of 2014. At 700,000 U.S. based subscribers, the company hopes to increase its buy-rates with recent distribution availability to international consumers. The network is now accessible in over 170 countries and chief marketing officer, Michelle Wilson believes that its break-even point will be reached at a quicker rate than anticipated with its widespread influence.

With WWE’s PPV caliber exceeding previous events with main attractions including headline performers John Cena and Brock Lesnar, the company is well on track to gather interest from casual fans to purchase WWE’s service. Compared to UFC and professional boxing PPV’s, WWE is offering fans a more cost efficient form of entertainment considering the company’s $9.99 subscription price.

The company has ventured into its newest form of digital content as a near flawless over the top streaming service. Another way to put it, the network has executed everything it had promised with an extremely sound and efficient strategy. In WWE’s latest press release, the company stated that the network is the “fastest-growing digital subscription service” and “on track to 1 million subscribers”. 

A possible issue that could arise when considering this particular strategy is the potential frustration that can be experienced when customers are greeted by another bill added to their bank statement. To expedite purchases for WWE Network services, the company could potentially see buy-rates at a higher speed if they incorporate some unconventional sports marketing and sponsorship techniques that have not been introduced up to this point. By incorporating offers and promotions to customers who are already paying for WWE’s product, the company can find itself at a break-even point of one million subscribers earlier than expected.

The company could utilize fans that are already spending by incorporating a three-month subscription into a WWE shop zone purchase or incorporating the service into a ticket sale for a live event. Fans like the idea of shopping at sites such as Amazon, where their purchase is a one-time transaction for a DVD or other merchandise. The company could better market its service to fans by offering discounts to WWE memorabilia or even the cost for the network.

The selling push should revolve around one of the four-major PPV’s and help create a unique and new brand image. Opportunities can include sponsor deals to movies, fast food coupons, clothing and memorabilia discounts. A juicer attraction can include a live event ticket promotion that includes the cost of the network subscription with the live event cost.

WWE will reach its viewer potential with its digital streaming product, but the company still has untapped resources to make the network a success. Instead of advertising the $9.99 price, WWE can gain more purchases by personalizing and rewarding the die-hard fan.

A Collection of Lawsuits in Sports & Entertainment.

Throughout my education at Full Sail, I have been developing an Internet sports and entertainment network called Buckley Stone’s Network or BSNetwork. It is important to consider the legal liabilities that are associated with a business of this magnitude. BSNetwork will need to be cautious of copyright infringement, protection of the network through its employees, network personalities and protecting its potential sales through merchandising and marketing. Below are three recent examples of legal controversies regarding distribution sales, presentations and endorsements regarding sports and entertainment. 

Much of BSNetwork’s content will include rebroadcasting and analysis of films, sporting events and popular culture. It is important for the network to clear rights with owners prior to material being aired through the network.  This past week Lionsgate films took legal action against individuals who shared online copy of the unreleased Expendables 3 film. The film is set for an August 15^th release date but has been available to download in high definition, at 720p and AAC stereo sound through sites like limetorrents.com and billionuploads.com. According to Eriq Gardner of Hollywood Esq. Expendables 3 has been downloaded 2.1 million times worldwide. Lionsgate was granted a restraining order to prevent the sites to reproduce, sell or distribute the film as it is considered copyright infringement. Even with the restraining order in effect, Lionsgate doesn’t feel that such a charge is sufficient because the film company is also concerned about their relationships with theatrical exhibitors. The California judge presiding in this case has given Lionsgate permission to contact banks and advertisers to freeze accounts related to these infringing sites.

A blow like this to a film, entertainment or sports company and their original content can be extremely damaging to projects. As a result, any representations of films, sporting events and live events will not be available through BSNetwork until cleared properly by the rightful owners. 

Image Source: sportsentertainmentattorney.com

BSNetwork will need to make efforts to protect network personalities and fans and their Right of Publicity in the sale of commercial products. Therefore other competitors will not be allowed to use names, likeness, and voice of network figures for another company’s financial gain. An example that relates to protecting an entity and its performers is the O’Bannon v. NCAA case. The NCAA was trying to limit what division 1 athletes can receive for playing sports. The District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled against NCAA by stating that restraining or withholding how much players can receive is a violation of anti trust laws.  Even though students may be able to receive more money from the schools now, Wilken did reject O’Bannon’s proposal to allow student athletes to make money from endorsements. The judge concluded that products being endorsed by collegiate athletes would undermine the school’s reputation and the NCAA as a whole. It will be important that BSNetwork has the best interests of its performers as a priority while trying to find success for the network without being greedy.

Image Source: wwe.com

In the marketing and merchandising efforts of BSNetwork, it will be important for the network to reduce or completely eliminate counterfeit or inferior goods to be sold by bootleggers. In April of this year leading up to WWE’s biggest annual show WrestleMania, Vince McMahon and company attempted to obtain a restraining order to prevent their fans being sold counterfeit products from bootleggers within 5 miles of the New Orleans Superdome where the event was to take place. WWE projected 19 million dollars would be sold in merchandise sales going into the weekend extravaganza. Over the past decade, WWE and concert promoters have successfully filed restraining orders against the sale of unlicensed goods and products. The U.S. District judge ruled against McMahon and WWE, stating that WWE’s request was not directed at a specific individual defendant, person or entity. In order for WWE to successfully obtain this restraining order they needed to provide specific characteristics of the actual defendant within “broad geographic and temporal limits”. To ensure the protection of merchandise sales, BSNetwork will need to research competitors who could potentially distribute inferior goods related to the product. By distinguishing where this counterfeit sale is taking place and identifying who the individual or the group is, BSNetwork hopes to eliminate sales of illegally reproduced merchandise.

Marketing Reflections Journal

I entered Digital Marketing hoping to learn how to develop, polish and expand my online presence both as an individual and as a business. My expectations were to learn how push the concept of my brand out to an audience with similar interests through a digital marketing campaign. Specifically, I wanted to get some tips on how to get my digital content a higher Google ranking. My thoughts were that this class would assist me in building awareness for my current business plan and help with future marketing campaigns that I plan to be a part of.

To this point, I've learned a great deal about the importance of keywords and long tail phrases that will help improve my search engine ranking. I've also learned that paid searches, or pay-per-clicks, is a budget friendly way of marketing my concept faster than organic Search Engine Optimization efforts.

The most important and difficult aspect of digital marketing that I've discovered is the creation of a “Unique Selling Proposition” (USP).  Constructing a convincing USP is a challenge, which requires a significant amount of original thought. Through continuous research and use of the resource tools provided, I hope to find what value my business or product offers that my competitors don't. I will emphasize our differences to distinguish myself and pursue my potential audience.

Display Advertisements are another way of increasing brand awareness and marketing a business. When properly targeted, display ads inform and remind consumers of products and services. Through the use of Google Adwords or similar resource tools, a business can find placements through websites, categories or keywords and long tail phrases.

Placement of advertising is crucial for successful digital marketing when examining Affiliate Marketing. Chris Brogan, CEO of Human Business Works clearly illustrates this in his latest blog post; Sponsored Posts Would Work Better if You Improved Context. Chris believes that sponsorships have potential for quality business, but paid advertisement has to be relevant to the content of the publishing site. Therefore, it is important when working with a sponsor company that both parties have similar interests and goals or else the partnership doesn't make sense.

I plan to use all of the marketing channels that are reviewed in this course in my future digital marketing efforts. The channel most beneficial for my brand awareness, audience and potential business partners is Affiliate Marketing. A strong business relationship will benefit my publisher monetarily and give my concept maximum exposure. Coupon codes and special trial offers for my products and services running through relative sites are a good starting point in getting conversions for my company.

Brogan, C. (2014, July 14). Sponsored Posts Would Work Better If You Improved Context [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.chrisbrogan.com/sponsored-posts-would-work-better-if-you-improved-context/

Fan Engagement Essential to WWE's Digital Marketing Success.

A company’s relationship with its target audience is the most important tool in building a successful digital marketing campaign. A good model for an entertainment business to follow would be WWE and their social media strategy. WWE trends worldwide weekly on Twitter, has over 360 million social media followers and has increased its viewership by 120 percent in the past year. Looking at the level of success WWE has had, it can attribute much of its achievements to a strong understanding of its fans and the ability to adapt virally to a progressive digital climate.

Fan engagement is the main component of WWE’s business model and is of the utmost importance for continuous success in the digital realm of entertainment. The company’s constant involvement in social media, specifically Twitter and Facebook, has helped WWE reach more consumers than Taco Bell, Target, Pepsi and the NHL.

WWE uses its Superstars like the highly followed John Cena to create social media mobs through Twitter. When Cena’s original hash-tags are re-tweeted by his followers, the audience for the product multiplies exponentially, depending how big the viewer’s social circles are. The digital marketing push has helped drive consumers to WWE’s weekly television broadcasts, pay-per-views, their online shop store and lastly the company’s 24/7 internet subscription based network.

The best example of WWE’s understanding of its target audience is the company’s use of digital marketing to let the fans know their voice is being heard. Wrestling fans are passionate and are not afraid to let upper management know how they feel about the current product.

Earlier this year one of WWE’s top stars, CM Punk went on an unexpected hiatus from the company. Punk had been advertised by WWE to be present at months of upcoming shows and this proved to be a problem when Raw was to return to Chicago, Punk’s hometown. Frustrated fans began a twitter movement that trended worldwide leading up to the Chicago show titled #HijakRaw. The fans arrived to the United Center presenting distasteful signs and began defiant chants that would throw the whole production out of synch, or so the fans thought. 

Image Credit: http://stillrealtous.com

Instead of fighting with the voices that needed to be heard, WWE embraced the concept of the hijacking by incorporating the social media movement into the storyline. WWE showed its media savvy intelligence by inserting its most popular Superstar, Daniel Bryan at the top of the show rallying the fans for what was called “Occupy Raw”. The fans left the arena feeling valued and appreciated.  #HijakRaw and #RawChicago trended worldwide 7 times that night.

The key to WWE’s success in digital marketing has been through their relationship to their consumers. By offering viewers new material weekly, engaging with fans through social media, continuously updating its apps, viral media outlets and even by incorporating fan movements into weekly programming, WWE has found the secret to successful digital marketing. By listening to the voices and opinions through all digital media platforms, entertainment businesses have the opportunity to make viewers and fans happier consumers than ever before.

  

There are several legal liabilities that are associated with my business plan that need to be cleared prior to the launch of Buckley Stone’s Totally Awesome Network! to avoid any legal confusion. The network I intend to launch is a 24/7 network that consists of professional wrestling, sports, action packed films, new programming including sketch comedy, highlight analysis and raw material featuring celebrities, athletes, models and WWE superstars. It is extremely important for the network to clear any legal and/or copyright controversies before the initial launch.

An example of this occurred with WWE’s recent network launch. A major concern, which may end in legal controversies, is the undetermined status of WWE superstar compensation. It is still unclear as to how wrestlers will be paid for appearances in events formerly called Pay-Per-Views. This includes compensation for top names and mid carders for PPV caliber events that are now part of the network price package. This complication could have been avoided and would have been far easier to negotiate if it had been worked out prior to the actual launch.

In the marketing and promotion of a new network, the company will need to utilize social media and make sure that it isn’t broadcasting content that is owned or copyrighted under intellectual property. In a recent article titled Copyright Issues for Social Media, it is stated that when reposting or repining news by giving credit to the original owner of material will not protect another user from copyright infringement. Anything that the organization posts or makes available as its product is considered “User Content.” This means, the publisher of preexisting content is legally responsible for the user content that is posted through the particular social media platform.

The main issue of producing and airing existing content on a new network is the potential of legal controversies regarding copyright infringement. This means that reproducing someone else’s content without permission may be considered infringement. Buckley Stone’s Totally Awesome Network! Plans to use previously produced work from its partners and associates, but clearly understands that through hypertext links, framing and internet patents, partners of the network need to give written permission for the network to display such information through the website. The network knows and understands that all of its affiliates are protected under copyright, ownership and Internet law and the network will not reproduce any existing content without clearance from its potential associate organization.

WWE Research

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYFvbOEdrrM

Sports Management and Operations Reflection Post

In this week’s blog post I will reflect on the information that I have acquired over the past month of my Sports Management and Operations course. The course provided material that I was curious about and had not had the chance to research in depth over the course of my program to this point. Through course materials and industry professionals, I have gained valuable information about fan loyalty programs, facility management, the impact of social media and some pointers on how to land a career in sports.

The two most important topics that I will take away from the class are social media’s influence in sports through fan engagement and how to obtain employment with a sports organization. In terms of social media, I found it interesting how sports clubs are using social media outlets to increase fan loyalty. By humanizing and personalizing athletes and teams, social media has given fans access to communicate with their idols on a more personal level. Furthermore, social media has made the behind the scenes world of trades, travel and day to day events more available to fans who keep up to date through tweets, posts and YouTube video clips. The idea of making the fan a co-creator for their favorite franchise appears to be the biggest game changer. Teams requesting for fans to submit pictures, ideas and comments to official team websites gives the spectator a true sense of involvement in the organization’s current status, future and community.

I have developed a new understanding of how to begin to search for a career in the sports industry. This course has given me insight on what I need to look for and what I have to be willing to do to achieve my objective. Mark Tudi, Executive Search Consultant for Sport Search states there are a few principles that one must follow to differentiate themselves from their competition. Being new to the business the individual must be open to starting in a sector that might not be very glamorous. This also means that the individual should be willing to work at a low compensation level at first. The candidate also needs to know what they do best, not where they see themselves, but what they can actually bring to an organization in terms of their particular skill set. Mr. Tudi concluded, “we get hired for what we know, we get fired for who we are”. The bottom line is good people go to the top!

I have gained valuable tools throughout the course and plan to use them in preparation for a career in the sports industry. I need to be open, available and ready for any opportunity that comes across my plate. I understand that more opportunities may arise for myself if I can perform and complete more responsibilities efficiently on a minor league level. This course gave me a better understanding of where I could possibly fit in an organization and what qualities will help me sell myself more effectively. I understand the sacrifices that come with a career in sports and feel that I am now well equipped after gaining the valuable information of Sports Management and Operations.

Social Media Analysis of Florida Panthers

Fan Loyalty in Sports.

Executive Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bill Wickett believes that Loyalty and Rewards for season ticket holder was the top priority for the Lightning following the NHL’s 2012 lockout (Wuco, 2013). In looking at fan loyalty programs, it is imperative that the organization goes straight to its top paying customers, i.e.- the season ticket holder. Loyalty programs in the four major sport platforms focus on season tickets, because they account for the majority of a franchise’s revenue. Loyalty and reward programs are created for constant customers who remain faithful regardless of their team’s current state or position in rankings.

Fan loyalty is crucial for the success of a team. Like any business, the sports industry depends on its consumers. Researchers define fan loyalty as the level of interest, involvement and passion a fan exhibits to their particular favorite league, organization, and athlete (Desarbo, 2009). These sports fans are the target customers because they are eager consumers of various products associated with the sport. Passionate fans are notorious for spending considerable money, time, and effort on sports-related activities and goods for their particular team of interest.

Currently, teams are offering benefits, and pricing discounts for buying tickets in advance to show fan loyalty. An example of fan Loyalty is the Miami Dolphins support group named the ‘Fin Club’. The concept is for the club to assign fan points for any Dolphins-related activity, such as following the team on Facebook and Twitter, visiting the team website and/or purchasing tickets and merchandise before the casual local fan. Points for special perks then can be redeemed that would not be available for general purchase. Examples are included but not limited to interviewing a player, a chance to run out the Dolphin flag during player introductions at a home game, or hosting a business meeting in the team’s locker room (Fisher, 2012).

I found the Pittsburgh Penguins reward program, PensPoints, to be a unique and entertaining system to offer fans, in terms of rewards and loyalty. PensPoints provides Penguin fans and attendees of all types the opportunity to accumulate points that can be redeemed for rewards. A participant does not need to be a season-ticket holder, but attending Penguins games is what counts to receive accolades (http://fansof.com/earn-penspoints, 2013).

Schools and Universities have lead the revolution of loyalty by engaging fans for live and post game events. When Oklahoma University scans basketball tickets at home games, the ticket holder will be transferred from the Paciolan ticketing software to Row27 and added to the fan’s rewards points. The team encourages fans to show up an hour before tipoff to receive bonus points (Smith, 2013). In return, credits can be redeemed for rewards that include experiences, such as team run outs, dinner with a coach, or concession credits.

Boston College rewards students for their attendance record at games and pep rallies. Students that have a solid attendance record for these events are rewarded with better access to high-demand games in their area of fan interest (Smith, 2013).

Thanks to social media, teams are finding a way to reward their fans appropriately through the digital environment. The communication barrier between fans and athletes has been dismantled, due to fan communities and tweet-ups hosted by organizations and athletes. The concept of fan loyalty and involvement is a lucrative and positive element that has been added to professional and amateur sports that must be recognized.