Introduction
The UCR Women’s Basketball was to carry out a robust promotional and marketing campaign. The fact that there are many kinds of sport made it necessary for UCR to design and establish a highly competitive brand (Mughal 102). The establishment of such brands was performed by means of promotions, as well as through marketing. For this reason, UCR Women’s Basketball adopted an Ad Campaign to attract fans and the public as a way of promoting UCR Women’s Basketball Team.
Effects of graphics, wording, tone, layout, and delivery of message connect with target audience
Whenever working on a commercial design, it is essential to understand the target audience (Sieweke and Bin 32). It is paramount because different people would tend to receive messages differently. For this reason, an Ad Campaign targeting women would be quite different from one that is targeting men (Woessner 34). For the case of UCR Fly girls, a target group was students of UCR and Riverside residents. Therefore, the intended message was designed with the aim of attracting these groups of people. The design concepts for the graphic presentation and wording ought to catch the viewer’s eye while strengthening message delivery.
However, one would tend to ask whether graphics and its layout, tone and wording and the mode of message delivery have any effects on the target audience. In any form of message delivery, the choice of words, tone of the message, message layout as well as how the message is delivered play a significant role in establishing a connection with the audience (Sieweke and Bin 32). It is thus important to focus on the intended message along with visual-solution discussions. For this reason, the graphics in the message ought to be large enough to capture attention (Mughal 102). In addition, it should be short enough to conveys the intended message well. The wordings and the tone are a major consideration. Just as Woessner (34) asserts, human beings tend to observe first the graphics in any message before getting to the wordings themselves. Usually, few people will ignore the message in a situation where the graphics do not appeal to them. Moreover, the legibility of the text in terms of color and size is essential in establishing a reader’s connection.
Results from Ad Campaign
Actual results obtained from the Ad Campaign
The UCR Women’s Basketball team planned a marketing campaign that was aimed at increasing their visibility. One of the strategies adopted was to sell the team’s jerseys to all members of the community, the faculty, and the students of UCR. In this strategy, the team distributed first 200 jerseys without charging fans during sporting events. The marketing campaign of the Fly Girls had the following results.
Table 1: showing the number of jerseys sold and given free during eight sporting events
The social media platforms used included Instagram, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook. The results from the Ad Campaign on the number of people reached within a period of one week are indicated below.
Table 2: showing results of the number of fans and supporters reached within a week
The results of the marketing campaign were possible because the strategy employed covered a broad range of social media platforms.
Methods of increasing awareness and participation
The primary aim was to ensure that the team reached many people within a short time. As such, the team targeted people from all areas. Since the targeted customer base values pricing, the team made sure that the price tags on the jerseys showed sums relatively affordable for most people. However, it was necessary to consider sustainability of the team in the midst of the need of its promotion. For this reason, the set prices were adjusted to a value that would sustain the team, but remain pocket-friendly for customers. The aim of the campaign was to ensure that fans and supporters wear the apparel of the team for the purpose of attaining positive correlation as far as game participation was concerned. This could increase the team’s brand visibility.
In addition, relevant partnership helped in increasing awareness and involvement in the team’s activities. For example, the team partnered with the UCR’s ASPB (Associated Students Program Board). This body takes care of all the primary occasions (entertainments) in the institution. As such, it was a better bargain since through the partnership; the team would get privileges of market exposure in areas under the jurisdiction of ASPB. Such areas included the UCR’s radio station. Due to its broad coverage and a large following, the radio station at UCR helped the UCR’s Women Basketball increase their participation and awareness. Through the radio station, the team could make a firm connection and relationship between them and the outside society, thereby increasing their involvement and awareness respevtively.
The team also made use of social media platforms in its promotion efforts. Some of the platforms used included Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. These media platforms were selected since, for a long period now, they have proved to be visited by many people and thus are strategically important for campaign purposes. For this reason, the social media platforms were essential in increasing brand visibility and awareness. Evidently, different marketing strategies along with internal and external communication helped in increasing the team’s connections with the audience.
Conclusion
Lessons from the Ad Campaign
From the outcomes of the campaign, it was evident that a robust approach to marketing was required. In order to achieve the marketing goals, reliable strategies for reaching the targeted group were necessary. The adoption of the sale of jerseys, as well as gifts of jerseys, was a suitable technique since it helped in increasing the team’s visibility among fans, supporters, and other residents of Riverside. The team’s partnership with influential groups and associations, such as the ASPB, and the UCR radio station helped in increasing the awareness and participation of the team. In addition, the team adopted both internal and external communication strategies. The internal communication is essential for any marketing campaign in that it outlines the goals, vision, and mission to stakeholders, partners, and other concerned parties. The external communication, on the other hand, was necessary for the development of the team’s awareness among sponsors, supporters, and potential fans.
Even though the campaign’s use of social media was active, its overreliance on Facebook seemed to reduce the efficiency. The reason for such assertion is that most people within the targeted bracket do not use Facebook. As such, other methods of marketing, other than online marketing strategies, would be suitable alternatives. An example of such methods would be the use of press and print media.
Appendix
Table 1: showing the number of jerseys sold and given free during eight sporting events
Table 2: showing results of the number of fans and supporters reached within a week
Works Cited
Mughal, Uddin. “Top 10 Most Popular Sports in The World.”Sporteology. 2014. Web.
Sieweke, Jost and Bin Zhao. ”The Impact of Team Familiarity and Team Leader Experience on Team coordination errors: A Panel Analysis of Professional Basketball Teams”. Journal of Organizational Behavior. Web. 2015.
Woessner, Stephen. Increase Online Sales through Viral Social Networking. London: Evans, 2008. Print.