1) Itâs the end of the 2016 MLB season and you have been asked to consult on the marketing efforts for the organization. Your job is to analyze the 2015 #THIS campaign and offer social media suggestions to MLB executives on the upcoming 2017 season. Using the four-step planning process or the POST method discussed in this weekâs assigned reading from Groundswell â Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies â briefly explain what type of campaign using social media you would suggest for 2017 season..
⢠People: Which target market (audience) do you think MLB should reach out to in order to bring more fans into ballparks for the 2017 season?
⢠Objectives: What are the objective or goals for the campaign?
⢠Strategies: How will you achieve the goals from fan use of social media?
⢠Technology: What are the specific social media platforms you would use to reach fans and how would you best use them?
1) People: I would change the target audience to adolescent, or even pre-adolescent males. Â By changing the target audience to a younger customer, you help ensure longevity in a sport that can be seen as old fashioned, like something only your Dad watches. Â Also, if you get this age group excited about baseball, the older, âDadâ generation is more likely to buy a ticket and experience a game with their kid.
Objectives: Â The objectives of this campaign would be to expand general interest in baseball in a younger demographic, sell more tickets, and create a positive groundswell that will draw new fans.
Strategies: I think that TV advertisements are the best way to start introducing the #Focus campaign. Â Iâm imagining a montage of statistics, each separated with a clip of a batter making contact with a baseball, and that distinctive âcrackâ sound. Â Another ad could highlight the need to focus on a game from the viewerâs perspective. Â This could be a quick clip of a double play, finishing an inning, and clinching a win, all within a few seconds, followed by a black screen with #Focus in white letters. Â Then, a voice would say âFocus, or youâll miss itâ or something close to that.
Technology: Â I think the MLB should tweet these ads as well, and perhaps ask fans to submit their favorite recorded plays with the #Focus hashtag. Â This combo of corporate, large entity involvement, and individual involvement could help create a groundswell and draw more people to games.
2) Relating to social media vernacular, generational terminology, and use, why do you think the hashtag #THIS was chosen as the official hashtag of the campaign? Do you think it #THIS worked? What hashtag phrase would you suggest for the 2017 season?
I think that the MLB chose the #THIS campaign because they wanted something quick, easy to remember, and vague enough that they could mold it as they see fit. Â Unfortunately, I think it is extraordinarily vague and virtually useless. Â âThisâ doesnât particularly resonate with me, on any level. Â It is a word that holds no particular energy, and thus doesnât conjure up particular attributes positive or negative. Â
If I were to suggest a hashtag phrase for the 2017 season it would be #Focus. Â I like the word focus much more. Â My immediate reaction to the word is much more positive. Â When one applies focus, they achieve goals. Â Focus is considered a positive attribute in nearly any endeavor.
Also, I think #Focus lends itself particularly well to baseball. Â Letâs face it, baseball does not unfold at a breakneck speed. Â When plays do happen, they happen quickly. Â It requires focus on the part of the spectator to catch the action.
Furthermore, Â it requires focus to be a top athlete performing at the MLB level. Â #Focus lends itself well to this because it is a key element to a playerâs success. Â The game is long, and to pay attention and perform at the highest level for that period of time takes exceptional focus. Â Baseball is physical and mental. Â #Focus would lean more toward the mental side of the game, but I think it would be received better than #This.
3) Now that you have researched the MLB #THIS campaign, do you believe by using social media tactics the MLB organization created a groundswell to bring people into the ballparks? Why or why not? Answer in one sentence.
No, I do not believe the MLB organization created a groundswell to bring people into ballparks because it did not promote individuals to get the things they need from each other (i.e. tickets), but rather promoted a specific aspect of the sport (individualism) that the MLB probably thought would âwork wellâ on social media.
