2. Problem
Michigan State has enjoyed tremendous success in
Men’s and Women’s basketball, as well as Football,
but many of the olympic sports have suffered poor
attendance for years. Tennis, volleyball,
gymnastics, field hockey and others need a boost in
attendance to reflect their on-field successes and
the student-athletes who compete.
3. Statistics
Average Football Attendance, 2014:
- 69,435 (92.5% full)(info from msuspartans.com)
Average Basketball Attendance, 2014/5:
- 14,797 (98.6% full)(info from msuspartans.com)
Average Olympic Sports Attendance, 2014/5:
- ???
4. Digital Strategy
The overall strategy to improve attendance at
MSU minor sports will focus on student’s
dedication to the more major sports. The key idea
in this strategy will be to create a sense of urgency
with a call to action on the behalf of students. For
example, our digital strategy will include flash
promotions, free or upgraded tickets or preferred
seating at the sporting events that they are
looking to attend. The hopes for this campaign
will be to entice students to attend minor sporting
events that they would not typically go to, in
exchange for a desired service or action. A
secondary effect of this strategy will be to create
new fan bases for the minor sports at Michigan
State University.
Field Hockey senior Abby Barker plays in front of empty stands on
Senior Day. (photo courtesy MSUSpartans.com)
5. Execution
The execution of this digital
strategy is based on creating added
value for students, as well as to
create a sense of urgency and call
to action. If we post promotions
and specials on various social
media platforms, while offering
incentives creating a call to action,
we can begin to naturally increase
attendance at minor sporting
events.
6. Target Audience
The students themselves are the best
supporters of Michigan State athletics. Often,
these students interact with the student-
athletes on a daily basis, whether in class, a
residence hall, or in a cafeteria. The students
will be our target audience for several reasons,
namely that they are most accessible to the
stadiums and arenas, already receive free
admissions, and likely would respond
favorably to the positive incentives offered
them. Additionally, over 10,000 Michigan
State students attend football and basketball
games each game, so we know that they are
engaged and active supporters of Michigan
State sports.
7. Measurement
In order to effectively measure our
campaign, we will keep track of the
following:
- Feedback (positive and negative)
on social media accounts.
- Usage of promotional items,
coupons, or incentives to local or
university stores, restaurants,
bars, etc.
- Attendance at minor sporting
events.
Nearly 7,000 fans fill Jenison Fieldhouse (photo courtesy
State News)
8. Budget
We can assume that Michigan State
University will schedule a similar amount
of minor sport home matches from year
to year, with the yearly average being
approximately 100. If we allot $200 per
event for this promotion, we can
complete the entire strategy with a total
budget of $20,000. We will allocate 50%
of each game’s budget to tickets to major
sporting event, 30% to promotional
goods and giveaways, and the remaining
20% to payroll for interns and athletics
staff.
9. Benefits
The benefits of a digital strategy such as this include:
- Increased support for MSU student-athletes in various
sports.
- Creation of new student sections, such as Red Cedar Rowdies
(soccer) and Block Party (volleyball).
- Minimal cost to establish and execute.
- New friendships, relationships, communities built around
sports.
- Continued conversation, support, commentary online
through blogs, social media.
10. Conclusion
The successful execution of this digital strategy far outweighs any negative
outcomes that could be considered. With proper implementation and tactics,
students will become accustomed to this type of strategy, will look forward to it,
and will ultimately become better fans of various sports for both their own
personal benefit, and for the benefit of the teams and university as a whole.
With a small budget, promotional items and ticket costs can be covered,
creating the necessary incentives for students. One individual or several could
be responsible for the execution of the strategy, a task easily absorbed by the
sales and marketing staff within the Athletic Department itself. The increase in
attendance will boost morale, reflect hard work, and likely increase
performance of student-athletes. Put simply, this type of strategy will improve
many areas of concern while hindering none.
Notas del editor
Michigan State made its way to the Sweet 16 and won a Rose Bowl in 2014, while bringing home a Cotton Bowl title and Final Four appearance in 2015. Student ticket sales for both basketball and football have been regularly sold-out, but attendance for many other sports is sparse. For most of the sports at MSU, student admissions are entirely free, but attendance continues to suffer. The athletes who are working hard to represent their university deserve to have their efforts recognized. The question that our digital strategy will hope to solve is: “How do we entice MSU students to attend more sporting events, and what methods of communication should we use to execute this strategy?”
MSU Football and Basketball have regularly sold out their tickets, and have set attendance records in recent years. Due in large part to their on-field successes, the Spartans major sports teams will see more fans in attendance in one game than many other sports will have in an entire season.
