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Alex HurdlePRT 507Edenton Steamers Marketing Plan

Executive SummaryThe Edenton Steamers are a team in the Coastal Plain League, which is a collegiate, all wood bat summer league. The team is located in the town of Edenton, N.C. The town boasts many historical attractions that attract numerous tourists each year.

The organization strives to provide high customer service and a highly competitive team every summer. The organization focuses mostly on the actual game being played.

The organization has many different strengths, including location, lack of sport competition, and the investment the town has in the team. The organization does present a couple weaknesses, including a small operating budget and only one full time staff member. While there are weaknesses, many opportunities are present to the team, including growth in population and prime location to attract community members to games. The non-sport competition is a threat to the organization though. Local golf courses, fishing excursions, historical attractions, and the Norfolk Tides threaten to take some of the fans away from the organization.

The team can offer a strong value proposition to fans. It offers an old time stadium for fans to come enjoy games at. The prices are also very low to attend these games. The value that fans receive greatly exceeds that amount of money that they pay.

While the Edenton Steamers strive to serve everyone in the community, the organization must pick three segments that are most likely to attend games. There were three markets that were chosen that were the most important. The target markets are households earning more than $50,000 per year combined, senior adults and families. These are the three biggest markets and were most likely to attend games based on research.

The organization has two goals that it strives to accomplish every year. It strives to attract new customers and to increase revenue. Three strategies will help to accomplish these goals. The organization is going to focus on generating awareness amongst the target markets, increase ticket sales and corporate sponsorships by 5%, and differentiating the organization from the competition.

Numerous tactics have been developed to reach these strategies. All of these strategies are low budget since the team can’t afford a big marketing budget. To increase awareness and increase ticket sales, the organization is going to pass out fliers at local events, have a competition on social media, do mascot appearances, a publicity stunt, and sponsor a little league baseball team. To differentiate the organization from the competition, the team is going to promote its old style ballpark, free give-a-ways, and the price. Some of these tactics will help to accomplish more than one strategy.

Since most of these tactics are going to be performed before the season starts, the organization is going to hand out a survey at random home games to determine the effectiveness of each tactic. After that evaluation, the organization will decide which tactics to continue and which ones to change or discontinue.

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Table of ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................3

Mission Statement...................................................................................................................................3

Background..............................................................................................................................................3

Situational Analysis......................................................................................................................................4

Internal Analysis......................................................................................................................................4

External Environmental Factors...............................................................................................................6

Product Positioning.................................................................................................................................7

Value Proposition....................................................................................................................................8

Competitive Analysis...................................................................................................................................9

Customer Analysis.....................................................................................................................................10

Target Markets......................................................................................................................................12

Marketing Goals........................................................................................................................................13

Marketing Strategies.................................................................................................................................14

Marketing Tactics......................................................................................................................................15

Implementation and Control.....................................................................................................................18

Action Plan.............................................................................................................................................18

Budget...................................................................................................................................................19

Evaluation..............................................................................................................................................20

Appendix...................................................................................................................................................21

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Introduction

Mission StatementThe Edenton Steamers mission is to provide a safe, family friendly environment for fans

of all ages to come and enjoy America’s Greatest Pastime. We will strive to provide the best customer experience, no matter what the win-loss record is.

BackgroundThe Edenton Steamers joined the Coastal Plain League in 1997, and played in their first

season during the summer of 1998. In the 1940s, the Steamers were named the Colonials. During this time, the team was part of the Albemarle League, which was part of the minor league system. The Steamers have experienced recent success; they won the Pettit Cup in 2004 and 2005, they have won 5 straight North Division Titles, which is a Coastal Plain League Record, and have players in the Major League and Minor League systems.

In the past, the Edenton Steamers have focused on only two target markets. The two markets that they have focused on were middle aged adults and senior adults. The organization targets this age group because the organization relies on families to house the players for the summer and this group is more likely to do this than any other. Last year, about 75% of the host families fell into this age group. The organization also has focused on senior citizens that are in the town of Edenton. While these are two very important target markets, the organization is at a stage where it should try to reach out to other segments.

The Edenton Steamers do not market their product many ways, at this point in time. As a result of having a small operating budget, marketing has not seen as a priority. There is no marketing plan in place for the organization at this point in time. Currently, the Steamers hand out pocket schedules, posters with the game schedule on it, magnet schedules, and have generic radio announcements on two local radio stations. This is all the organization does at this time to promote the team. The organization pays for these marketing efforts through trade-outs sponsorship agreements. There is currently no money allocated for marketing.

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Situational Analysis

Internal AnalysisStrengths

The organization exhibits many different strengths that would help it in marketing efforts. The team has been very successful in recent history. The success of the team should be a main marketing theme in the organization because it is something that is easy to promote. Fans love to come see a team that is successful. The team has also had some of the best hitters in the Coastal Plain League in recent history. The Steamers led the league in home runs last year. Fans love to see home runs when they go to games, so the Steamers could use this to market the organization. The Steamers also led the league in runs scored. This provides a lot of action for fans.

Another strength of the organization is that the team is owned and managed by the Town of Edenton. A Board of Directors oversees all of the managerial actions, so the community is very involved with the team. This creates a connection between the team and the community because the fans have a voice in the decision making process. This helps to bring fans to the stadium because they see it as THEIR team, so they want to support it.

The location of the stadium is also strength of the organization. There are no other baseball teams within a 100 mile radius. The Edenton Steamers are the only choice for most fans to attend games, unless they want to travel a little ways. There are seven surrounding counties that the Steamers have exclusive access to market to. The stadium is located in the heart of downtown Edenton, so it is accessible to most residents.

Weaknesses

The organization does have a couple of weaknesses. One weakness of the organization is its budget. The Edenton Steamers do not operate solely to turn a profit. The team usually only makes enough to cover operating costs, with a little bit left over to make improvements to the ballpark for the next season. This low budget means that some things are left out. Marketing is usually one of the first expenses cut from the budget each year.

Another weakness of the organization is that there is only one full-time employee. The general manager is the only employee that is working throughout the year. All of the other employees are hired just for the season. During the offseason, the general manager isn’t focused on marketing; he is focused on obtaining sponsorships so that the team can operate the next season. Sponsorships take priority on the offseason because almost 80% of the budget is from these sponsors.

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A weakness for the organization is also that the team cannot sell alcohol. This is huge because the young adult segment does not generally care just about baseball. Most young fans like to go to games and get a hot dog and a beer. There is no way around this for the organization either. The ballpark is technically part of the local high school’s campus, so it is illegal to sell alcoholic beverages. Since this problem is irreversible, the team should focus on market segments other than young adults.

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External Environmental Factors

Opportunities

The Edenton Steamers have many different opportunities that are presented to the organization. An opportunity that the Steamers have is that it the stadium is located in the heart of Downtown Edenton. Many of the community members can walk to games because the area is well lit and is seen as a safe neighborhood. This is not currently marketed as an asset although it is.

Another opportunity for the organization is the growing population in the area. In the past few years, the population of Edenton has grown by about 500 people. This gives the organization the opportunity to reach out to these people. It shows the organization that the area is growing and is starting to become more of a middle-class community.

Threats

The organization does face certain threats. A big threat that the organization has to deal with is the other activities available for people to do. Golf is a big leisure activity in the town of Edenton. Since the customer demographics of the Edenton Steamers is mostly middle class, the team has to compete with local golf courses to get those fans to the games.

Another threat facing the organization is the weather. If it is raining, then the team cannot play. If the team doesn’t get a chance to play, some of the fans may just give up on trying to come to a game. The team has to just hope that weather is good so that they can play the game. Last season, 5 home games were rained out and never rescheduled. This results in a loss of at least $2,000 per game. For a team that has such a small operating budget, this is a huge loss.

There is a triple-A team in Norfolk, VA that presents a threat to the organization. Fans may get tired of seeing collegiate players, so they may start going to Norfolk Tides games. The Tides are located about 100 miles away from Edenton, but fans could want to go see a professional game instead of watching amateur players. The Tides have also started to market in the Edenton area at Subway. The team offers 4 tickets to a game if you buy four sub meals. This marketing effort may give awareness to the Tides and take away from the Edenton Steamers.

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Product Positioning

The Edenton Steamers offer fans of all ages the opportunity to come and see some of the best collegiate baseball players in the nation. The organization offers superior customer service in order to create the most fan friendly environment possible. The Steamers will be positioned versus all of the competitors in the area as the best value for a fun evening. The Steamers accomplish this by having superior customer service, cheap prices, and by offering an old time view at America’s Pastime. To do this, the organization will have great promotions and give-a-ways at games. The Steamers will also be seen in the community more than any organization to show its service side.

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Value Proposition

The Edenton Steamers will provide an old time view at America’s Pastime. With an all wooden grandstand, a manually operated scoreboard, and a towering left-field wall, the Edenton Steamers will turn the clock back for fans. The prices also will reflect this old time ballpark. Anyone that wants to come watch the games will be able to. Admission price is only $6, and you can sit wherever you like. Concession prices are also low, and offer a great variety. Fans will not be disappointed in the talent level of the players either because they will be watching some of the best collegiate players in the nation. The Steamers also offer outstanding customer service; each fan is important. Most teams can only offer one game a year that “turns back the clock”, but the Steamers offer that at every game, and you will never be disappointed.

USP- “Turning back the clock every night”

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Competitive Analysis

The Edenton Steamers face many different competitors, and they aren’t all in the sport field. Some of the competition that the organization is up against is golf, fishing, the historical attractions, the Outer Banks, and the Norfolk Tides. All of the competitors offer different aspects that could draw fans away from the organization.

The first competitor that the organization is put up against is the leisure activities offered in the town. Many of the town’s residents play golf and play in the evening time when it is cool, and a little bit cheaper. Customers are being satisfied by this service because it gives them a chance to actually participate in an activity they love. The competition also has the opportunity to offer a relaxing atmosphere, compared to a baseball stadium that promotes more of a loud atmosphere. Many of the fans that come to the games also fish. Edenton offers many different fishing trips out on the Chowan River. On these trips, people are taken out to prime fishing locations and have the opportunity to fish for hours. Fishing also offers a relaxing atmosphere to those that choose this competitor.

Another competitor that the organization is up against is the historical attractions in the town of Edenton. The town was voted as the prettiest town in the south by Forbes magazine, so that attracts many tourists. These tourists like to go and view the many different houses from the 18 th Century. This takes fans out of the stadium. The historical attractions offer the tourists a chance to see a part of history. While the stadium is a part of history itself, the tourists aren’t as aware of it as much as they are of the rest of the town.

The close proximity to the Outer Banks provides competition to the Edenton Steamers. The Outer Banks is located about one hour away from Edenton, so it isn’t a far drive for people to go to for the weekend. This is huge because the Steamers depend on their Saturday games for huge gates. The beach offers a variety of restaurants and attractions that the Steamers don’t. The beach also offers a relaxing environment. Visitors can go and leave their trouble back at home. It allows people to just escape from the rest of the world for a little while. This takes a lot of business away from the Edenton Steamers because the weekends are when the organization expects its biggest crowd turnout.

The last competitor that the Edenton Steamers have to deal with is the Norfolk Tides. The Tides are located about 100 miles away from Edenton. They haven’t been a big competitor until recently. Their organization has begun to market in Edenton at the Subway restaurant. They offer a family package that entitles fans to receive four tickets to any game, if they purchase four subway meals. This gives fans the opportunity to attend those games. In the past, fans wouldn’t want to spend the money on gas and tickets to attend these games, but free tickets leaves it at the cost of gas only. The Tides also offer fans the opportunity to see players that are almost at the MLB level. The Steamers can just offer that the players could one day be at that level, but it is no guarantee.

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Customer Analysis

Below are a few charts that were found on SBRnet that exhibit the breakdown of the market that attends minor league baseball games throughout the United States. I am comparing the Edenton Steamers, which is collegiate baseball, to Minor League game attendance figures instead of Major League Baseball because it is more relatable. First off, the Minor League has majority male attendance, but there has been an increase in female attendance the last three years. About 70% of fans that attended games are between the ages of 18 and 64. This is comparable to the Edenton Steamers because about 60% of their fans are male and about 40% of their fans are from 25-64. The income of most of the Edenton Steamers fans falls right in with Minor League Baseball. Fans of the Steamers mostly fall into the $50,000-$99,000/year range. Potential target markets for the organization could be 18-34 year olds, adults 65+, families, households earning over $50,000/year, and youth. While all of these are important target markets, the most important segments for the Steamers are senior citizens, households that earn $50,000/year or more, and families. More detailed reasoning can be found in the next section.

Item 2011 2012 2013

Male 66.4 55.7 53.6

Female 33.4 44.3 46.4

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0

Base (No. Attending - add 000) 24,512 20,322 22,330

Source: SBRnet / Tag: Professional Sports, Women

Baseball-Minor League Attendance: % by Age Group

Item 2011

13-17 8.2

18-34 30.8

35-49 24.1

50-64 28.9

65+ 7.9

Total 100.0

Median Age n/a

Base (No. attending - add 000) 24,512

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Baseball-Minor League Attendance: % by Income Group

Item 2011 2012 2013

Under $25,000 12.2 13.6 13.6

$25,000-$49,999 19.4 17.1 21.9

$50,000-$99,999 39.0 34.6 32.0

$100,000 or more 29.3 34.7 32.5

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0

Median Income n/a $77,700 $70,500

Base (No. attending - add 000) 24,512 20,322 22,330

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Target Markets

The Steamers have a big customer fan base. Three target markets stick out as the most important markets to market the team towards. The three markets are families, senior adults, and households earning $50,000/year or more. All three of these markets are important to how successful the organization will be.

The first target market that will be focused on is households that earn $50,000 or more per year. According to the charts, about 60% of fans that attend Minor League Baseball games fall into this demographic. About 40% of the town’s households earn this much per year. The organization needs to utilize its precision pricing model in order to reach out to this demographic. The group has money to spend on leisure activities, so the organization needs to prove that it offers a low cost for a high quality product. This segment also tends to want to socialize and network more. The Steamer games offer a great opportunity for this segment to come and talk with other fans.

The second target market that will be focused on is senior adults. The chart above shows that this group’s attendance has risen over the past three year. With the baby boomer era aging, this segment will only become more crucial to the organization’s well-being. This segment also grew up going to games and have a true love for the game. This target market grew up going to games and prefer to attend games no matter what level the competition is. This segment also would rather go to live sporting events compared to watching it on television. They also have more discretionary time and money, for the most part. Edenton is seen as a retirement town, so senior adults also make up about 40% of the town’s residents, so the organization needs to reach out to this demographic.

The last target market that will be focused on is families. This is a huge segment for any minor league or collegiate team. Baseball is seen as the most family friendly sport. Almost every kid has played baseball at some point in their life. Baseball games provide great bonding time amongst families. If the Steamers can please this segment, they could gain fans for life. It is also worth noting that the idea of a Father-Son trip to the ballpark is diminishing and turning into more of a full family event, as shown by the increase in female attendance in the chart above.

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Marketing Goals

There are two marketing goals that the Edenton Steamers are striving for. The goals are listed below.

1. Attract new fans to the games2. Increase overall revenue

To achieve these goals, the organization will have to change how it is marketing now and invest more money into marketing. By providing more marketing funds, the team would be able to reach specific target markets.

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Marketing Strategies

To reach the marketing goals that were stated before, the organization will achieve the following strategies.

1. Increase corporate sponsorships and ticket sales by 5%2. Generate awareness within target markets3. Differentiate from the competition

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Marketing Tactics

To accomplish the strategies listed above, the organization will have to implement many different tactics. These tactics will help the organization increase awareness, increase sales, and differentiate the product from the competition.

To increase awareness of the team, the organization could perform a small publicity stunt. Every year, the local Kiwanis club hosts a 5k run/walk. This event takes place in early May, so it is close to the beginning of the season. The organization could have someone dress up as the mascot to complete the event. This would generate positive publicity and would generate talk about the team, especially if Sam the Clam won the race. Since the town is so small, the local newspaper is sure to write an article about it. This would generate awareness throughout the whole community and shine a positive light on the organization.

To increase awareness of the organization throughout all of its target markets, the organization needs to implement a number of tactics that will spread word of the team and will create a brand for the team. The first tactic that the organization could do would be to sponsor a baseball team through the Chowan County Recreation Department. By doing this, adults and kids would have that brand in their head. The children would wear Steamers hats on the field for every game and would have a clam on their jersey. The children on this team could also be the Field of Dream Team on night, which means they get to come to a game and run on the field with the Steamers players for the National Anthem. This would be a relatively low cost; it is 200 dollars to sponsor a team at the Recreation Department. This money would come back to the organization because the children would want to go see the “real” team play every night they could.

The organization could also hand out fliers at events that occur annually in Downtown Edenton. These events include the Chowan County Fair, Edenton Music and Water Festival (which occurs right before the season starts in May), Peanut Festival, and National Tourism Day. Handing out fliers at all of these events will reach every target market. Each event offers different markets to reach out to. The Chowan County Fair, Edenton Music and Water Festival, and Peanut Festival all would reach out to the Senior Adults and families. National Tourism Day would reach out to all of the tourists in the area. On this day, the town offers free tours and boat rides to tourists, so the Steamers could hand out a flier to these people and put the brand in their head. This would help to create awareness and increase ticket sales because even if only 250 people attend games based on these fliers, then the team would reach its 5% increase goal. This would also be relatively low cost to the organization because it would just be the cost of paper since the organization has a copy machine. The organization would probably need to make around 5,000 copies of the flier, so that would cost around 35 dollars for the paper. A copy of this flier can be found in the appendix.

To create awareness, the organization should also run ads in print media. Running ads in print media would reach the Senior Adult target market. Most people over the age of 55 still prefer reading a newspaper compared to getting their information online. The Chowan News Herald is the local paper, so the Steamers could run a quarter page advertisement on the back page of this newspaper. The advertisement could be in black and white and feature the time of game, location of stadium, and contact information. The cost of this advertisement would be $327.50. This seems like a large amount of

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money, but this ad would be guaranteed to be seen by all readers of the newspaper. This could also be paid for through a trade out with the newspaper. The organization could offer a free outfield sign in exchange for free advertisement every week during the season. The organization could run this ad in the weeks leading up to the start of the season. I feel like this would be the most effective time to run the ad because the brand would be in the consumers head and be higher up on the ladder. This would also help to differentiate the product from other competitors because the brand would be fresh in the mind of the consumers. An example of the advertisement that would be in the newspaper can be found in the appendix.

The organization could also run promotions on the team’s Facebook page leading up to the start of the season, and during the season. This would generate awareness to families and those that earn more than $50,000 per year. Since more and more people are becoming active users of social media, the organization could have promotions and give a ways to their most active users. The team could hold weekly contests on Facebook that would give 4 free tickets to the fan that displayed the most Steamer pride in their profile picture and that shared the team’s statuses most frequently. Fans would be enthusiastic about this promotion because they could carry their whole family to a game with 4 tickets, and in return the team is gaining exposure and awareness from all of that fan’s friends that are seeing their profile picture and shares. This would be a fun way to get the fans more involve with the team. There would really be no cost to this promotion, except the team would be losing the revenue from 4 tickets, which is only a loss of $24. Once in the stadium, those fans will most likely go and spend money at the concession stand also. This tactic would lead to a big increase in awareness because the organization’s information would be getting spread to all of the participants’ friends.

The organization could also do a mascot appearance at local elementary schools in the area right before the season starts to generate awareness for the team. The season starts towards the end of May, which is when elementary schools are taking their EOG tests. After EOG testing, the schools in the area have a field day. As an incentive for these children to perform well on their testing, the organization could have a mascot appearance at the field day to hand out free tickets to all of the kids that made a 3 or 4 on both their Math and Reading EOGs. These tickets could have the stipulation that a child can get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. This would be free for the organization to do and it would generate awareness with family segment. Adults would be happy that an organization is rewarding their children for their academic success. This would also help to differentiate the Steamers from the other competition in the area. Fans would much rather go see a baseball team that is supporting their child’s academics than go do something that will just reward themselves.

To generate awareness before the season starts, the team can host an open practice for fans to come watch what kind of talent the team has this year. After the practice, the fans would be allowed to ask for autographs and interact with the players. This would be a free event for fans to attend, and they would feel more connected to the team. The best time to do this would be the night before the first home game so that it is fresh in the fans’ minds. This would also differentiate the organization from the competition, mostly the Norfolk Tides. Most players that play for the Steamers are open and love to interact with fans, while players on the Tides usually act more entitled and don’t interact with fans as much. This tactic has the potential to reach all of the organization’s target markets and to reach all of the organization’s strategies. This is also free to the organization, which is always a plus for a low budget organization.

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To increase ticket sales, the organization could promote the historical significance of the stadium in which the Steamers play. Most residents love that they live in an area with such a historical significance, but most have no idea that the stadium has the only all wooden grandstand left in North Carolina, not to mention a manually operated scoreboard. If this was promoted more, then more residents would come to games. The organization also needs to promote the ease of access to the stadium. With the stadium located in the heart of downtown, fans can enjoy a nice dinner on the river, then head to games without even moving their car. The stadium should also be used to differentiate the organization from the Norfolk Tides because the Steamers have a manually operated scoreboard, plus a giant wall in left field, so it gives the ballpark a Fenway Stadium feel. Fans love the old time feel of the stadium so that sets it apart from the competition.

To differentiate the product from the competitors in the area, the Steamers have to promote all of the positives of the organization. First of all, the team needs to promote its players because some of them have a good chance at making it to the major leagues. This would set it apart from the beach and other recreational activities in the area. None of the competition can offer the chance to see a potential big leaguer play before they get famous. The Norfolk Tides can offer the chance to see players on the brink of making the major leagues, but the cost is also much higher. The average cost of a ticket to a Norfolk Tides games in around 15 dollars, compared to the Steamers, which is 6 dollars. The cost is a big factor, especially in the economy now. Cost is also a differentiating factor compared to fishing and golf because a round of golf in Edenton costs 40 dollars, and a fishing trip can cost around 100 dollars. Once at the game, the Steamers can also offer the chance to win gift certificates, t-shirts, and other prizes. Any fan can play a game in between innings for a chance to win free stuff, which is a big plus to many fans in the area. The team’s win-loss record is also another way to differentiate the organization from the Norfolk Tides because the Steamers have experienced 9 straight winning seasons, while the Tides have had just one successful season in the past 9. No one wants to go to a game where the chances of the home team losing are high; they want to see them win, so the Steamers offer that to fans.

To increase corporate sponsorship sales, the team needs to promote the amount of fans that come to games and the amount of followers on social media. The team currently has over 1,200 fans on Facebook, which translates to about 20% of the town’s residents. Not many companies would pass up the opportunity to market to that many people. The team offers outfield signs, signs around the dugouts, program ads, schedule ads, and gameplay ads (e.g. foul ball by Farm Bureau Insurance- protect your house with Farm Bureau’s Homeowners Insurance). The organization is also seen in a positive light in the community, so the organization should reach out to new companies in the area as a way to help out their business. Also, if a company chooses to sponsor the Steamers, they will have exclusive rights to hosting a buy-out night at the stadium. The Steamers will allow these companies to pick which nights they would like to set up booths at the entrance of the stadium and have give-a-ways and promotions. Last season, all but two games were purchased by sponsors, so companies would want to sponsor the team in order to have priority in choosing which night they would like to buy out.

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Implementation and Control

Action Plan

Kiwanis 5k Run

Elementary School Apperance

Chowan County Fair- Fliers

Edenton Music and Water Festival- Fliers

Peanut Festival- Fliers

National Tourism Day- Fliers

News Paper Advertisement

Facebook Competition

Open Practice/Meet and Greet

5/1 5/21 6/10 6/30 7/20 8/9 8/29 9/18 10/8

The Gannt chart above shows the duration of the tactics that the organization will perform in order to meet the strategies set forth. Most of the tactics will last only a few days, but the newspaper advertisement and Facebook Competition will last the entire season. Having promotional events throughout the year, not just the season, will help keep the Steamer’s brand in consumers’ minds. Currently, fans forget about the team until the season is about to begin, but having events year round could increase attendance at games.

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Budget

Tactic CostLittle League SponsorshipKiwanis 5k Run

$200$100

Elementary School Appearance FREEChowan County Fair- Fliers $35 Edenton Music and Water Festival- Fliers $35 Peanut Festival- Fliers $35News Paper Advertisement $3,930- FREE WITH TRADEOUTFacebook Competition FREEOpen Practice/Meet and Greet FREETOTAL: $405

The budget above depicts the amount of money it will take for the organization to meet all of its strategies. The budget was able to stay low because all of the tactics chosen were based off of a low-cost/high effectiveness model. Since the organization has such a low budget, it was necessary to keep the marketing budget as low as possible, while making sure all of the strategies are met. The budget would be higher, but a successful trade out with the Chowan News Herald would eliminate the cost of a newspaper advertisement. The trade would entitle the newspaper company an outfield sign for the duration of the season in exchange for a quarter page advertisement on the back page of the newspaper every week during the season and 3 weeks before the season begins. Overall, the cost-effectiveness of all these tactics will be very beneficial to the organization.

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Evaluation

To measure the effectiveness of the tactics, the organization will perform many different tasks. The first thing that the organization will do is create a survey and randomly hand it out to fans during the season. The survey will be given out at random games and to every 50 fans that enter the stadium. This survey will find out how people heard about the team, where the fan is from, and what other activities the person does during the summer during the times of a game. This should give the organization an idea of how effective the marketing tactics were and if there was an increase in ticket sales to their target markets. The survey should also get a good idea of why many fans choose to come to the games, rather than some other activity. The survey will show whether the team differentiated themselves from the competition and whether the team’s presence at local events helped with increasing awareness. To give fans an incentive to complete the survey, the team will raffle off a free Steamers hat signed by the team to one lucky fan every game the surveys are dispersed.

The survey should be an effective way to find out whether or not the strategies were met or not. If they are not met, then the organization should still have an idea as to what tactics were successful and which ones need to be eliminated or tweaked. A copy of the survey that will be given to fans can be found in the Appendix.

The organization will also meet with each sponsor at the conclusion of the season in order to discuss the positives and negatives of the sponsorship. This will allow the organization to get a jump start on the next year’s sponsorship sales and also help them improve on how they go about promoting the team to sponsors.

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Appendix

Want to see some of the best college baseball players in the

nation??

Then come check us out!!

All home games are played at 7 p.m.

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Schedules can be found in local businesses and on our website-

Edentonsteamers.com

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Newspaper Advertisement to be run every week in the Chowan News Herald

ARE YOU READY FOR THE BEST BASEBALL THE AREA HAS TO OFFER?

COME SUPPORT THE “BOYS OF SUMMER”

GAMES THIS WEEK:(THIS SECTION WILL INCLUDE THE HOME GAMES FOR THE WEEK)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: VISIT EDENTONSTEAMERS.COMOR CALL OUR OFFICE AT (252)482-4080

Remember we “Turn Back the Clock Every Night”

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Front of Survey

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Are you from the Edenton area? Yes No

If no, where are you from? _______________________

How did you hear about our organization? (Mark all that apply)

Chowan News Herald Kiwanis 5k Run/Walk

Elementary School Appearance Flier at Event

Facebook Visitors Guide

Open Practice Little League Sponsorship

Other: ___________________________________________

What activities do you enjoy doing during the summer? (Mark all that apply)

Golf Fishing

Going to the Beach Seeing Historical Attractions

Going to Norfolk Tides Game Going to Steamers game

Other: ________________________________________

Would you rather do one of the activities listed above rather than going to an Edenton Steamers game?

Yes No

If yes, what activity would you rather do? Why? ____________________

_____________________________________________________________________


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The following statistics will remain confidential and are strictly for data stratification purposes. Please leave any comments you may have at the bottom of this page.

Respondent Information

Age: 19-30 31-45 46-60 60+

Gender: Male Female

# of Games attended: Less Than 5 5-15 15-25 25 or more

Do you have children? Yes No

If so, would you bring them to an Edenton Steamers game? Yes No

Date of Game:

Email Address

Email Address: ___________________________

Comments

Thank you again for taking the time to fill out the questionnaire. Please return the questionnaire to the customer service help booth for a chance to win free merchandise.

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