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.

Better for Business - Two Champs or One?

 

Concluding what is considered to be one of WWE’s top four pay-per-views of the year, last Sunday’s Survivor Series received a lackluster reception by the WWE Universe. The only buzz worthy news from the event was what transpired at the end of the night. WWE Champion, Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena staring each other down in the center of the ring, planting the seed for a potential champion versus champion match in the near future. The following night at Monday Night Raw it was made official, the match will take place less than three weeks away at Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC). The news of the top two titles entering into one championship match has drawn a variety of emotions from fans including and not limited to excitement, anger and confusion. With the WWE seriously considering unifying its top two titles into one, many questions need to be answered regarding the scheduling of the roster for televised shows, live events and pay-per-views.

From a business standpoint there are two sides to the title unification argument.  On the positive side, combining the WWE and World Heavyweight belts would tighten up storylines; make the title picture more concise and the single championship would be considered the highest achievement in professional wrestling. The WWE roster is quite large at the moment, but realistically has only four legitimate title contenders. The two current champions, Randy Orton, John Cena along with Indy beloveds Daniel Bryan and CM Punk at this point are the only qualified superstars with the experience and ability to successfully carry the main strap as the face of the company. It is believed that younger, mid card talent would find themselves in much more fruitful, entertaining and clear-cut feuds with equal caliber competitors.  This would create a major divide in WWE’s large roster between the mid-card and main event.  Furthermore, by stiffening the competition we could expect to see more exciting matches between the younger talent hoping to get a push to the next level.

 Even though the unification of the two titles has been talked about over the past decade, the main reason why WWE executives haven’t moved forward on this concept is because of WWE’s traveling schedule. Due to the fact of there being two separate World Champions, WWE has been able to promote two separate tours at all times. Therefore, if the WWE Champ isn’t in the building you can bet on the World Heavyweight Champion being there. Ratings may improve for Raw, Smackdown and buy rates may improve for PPV’s, but an important financial obstacle the WWE will encounter with only one champion is ticket sales for smaller house shows. Due to WWE’s intense travel schedule the company will lose out on sales for non-televised events as the WWE champion will not be able to appear at every single show. A constant flow of ticket and merchandise sales from these smaller shows have been a guarantee for the WWE, but without a champion at a show, ticket sales can be sure to decline.

Even if this unification does happen, it will unlikely happen at TLC. There will possibly be a bait and switch of some type, with Cena leaving as WWE champ, while Orton takes the World Heavyweight Championship home.  We are just over four months out from WrestleMania, WWE’s biggest event of the year. WrestleMania grossed over $72 million last year from Giants Stadium and odds are that sales will exceed that number next April at the 30^th edition of WrestleMania in New Orleans. Don’t be surprised if WWE teases us by building anticipation over the next few months leading up to WrestleMania as to who will finally be the best in the business. 

Would you like to see one Champion for the entire brand or keep the titles separate?