Marketing

Plan for the Freedom Pro Baseball League

Agency 5
March 28th, 2013
Nick Malapanis Jelena Kolomejac Dillon Lomax John Kleinschmidt Chad Lindquist Alec Kohli Anthony Maggio Jordan Luers Roxanne Lee Jenna Los

Table of Contents
MARKETING PLAN FOR THE FREEDOM PRO BASEBALL LEAGUE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SITUATION ANALYSIS SWOT ANALYSIS INTERNAL FORCES PRODUCT QUALITY EXTERNAL FORCES SATURATED MARKETS WEATHER COMPETITOR PROMOTIONS BENCHMARKING NATIONAL LOCAL DEMOGRAPHICS MAPPING PEORIA SPORTS COMPLEX PHOENIX MUNICIPAL STADIUM ROUGH RIDER PARK GOODYEAR BALLPARK PRICE ANALYSIS FREEDOM PRO LEAGUE PRICES DIRECT COMPETITOR PRICES INDIRECT COMPETITOR PRICES TARGET MARKETS SPENDING HABITS REVENUE STREAMS MARKETING PLAN TARGET MARKET PERSONA #1: DAVID JOHNSON (FATHER) PERSONA #2: JOHNNY JOHNSON (SON) MARKETING OBJECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES AND TACTICS DIGITAL WEBSITE SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM HOOTSUITE PROMOTIONS MAILCHIMP KICKSTARTER LOCAL OUTREACH LOCAL SCHOOLS LOCAL BUSINESSES 1 1 4 5 5 6 6 12 12 13 14 16 16 20 23 25 27 28 29 30 31 31 31 32 34 35 36 36 37 38 39 40 41 41 43 44 45 46 46 48 49 49 51

FAMILY RESTAURANTS LOCAL STORES MOVIE THEATERS FREEDOM LEAGUE FAN FEST VIDEO CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL TRANSCRIPT COMMERCIAL PRICING AND DEMOGRAPHICS CONTINGENCY PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION DIGITAL MEDIA LOCAL OUTREACH TV COMMERCIAL CONCLUSION WORKS CITED

51 52 52 53 55 58 59 65 67 67 67 68 70 71

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Freedom Pro-Baseball League is new organization to the already established baseball market in Arizona. Although the league does not have strong brand awareness in the community, this marketing plan proposes the steps the league may take to create a stronger social awareness. In the situation analysis section, a SWOT analysis covers the current situation of the league internally and externally. A benchmarking analysis is created to compare the league with its direct and indirect competitors. Consumer income and spending, as well as revenue streams are analyzed to distinguish the economic matters surrounding the baseball industry. In order to increase awareness of the Freedom Pro Baseball League low cost entertainment option in Arizona, the league should incorporate three strategies: digital marketing, video campaign and local outreach. Tactics are incorporated in each strategy such as using social media sites like Instagram and Kickstarter, using a video campaign by shooting a commercial that will target the leagues market sector and local outreach which has the use of schools, Fan Fest events and partnerships with local business. Through these marketing efforts, the Freedom Pro Baseball League will be able to increase brand awareness, thereby increasing attendance at games and the overall future success of the league.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

SWOT Analysis Below is a brief overview of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats identified for the Freedom Pro Baseball League. The most important factors in each category will be discussed further in the internal and external forces sections directly following.
Strengths:
Passion for baseball Stepping stone for players (second chances; potential heartwarming stories) Community access and interaction No politics because they are not under MLB rules Nice facilities Access to suppliers (fans, materials, players) to get league established Cheap tickets & concession Names and artwork for teams are attractive and professional Team names tie to Arizona history Extensive baseball knowledge and experience Philanthropy work- work with 100 club, youth partnership

Weaknesses:
Websites unprofessional appearance Lack of awareness Lack of business knowledge Quality of baseball play may be considered low Not selling many tickets Empty stands during games gives off wrong impression New to market Current advertisements Minimal budget No marketing staff

Opportunities:
Entertainment quality Mascots could add more excitement More possibilities for local outreach Elementary/High Schools Businesses Number of baseball fans and market Responsiveness- agility, able to get close to customer Increase promotions Ticket packages Increase/upgrade digital media Interaction with consumers Recruitment from major leagues Create star players/heroes for local kids

Threats:
Saturated market Weather Night games may interfere with kids bedtimes Indirect competitors in the entertainment space Poor economy Competing promotions from competitors Declining popularity of baseball

Internal Forces

Product Quality The Freedom Pro Baseball Leagues inaugural season was last year, making it relatively new to the Phoenix Metropolitan area. The league consists of four teams, Arizona Centennials, Copper State Prospectors, Montezuma Federals, and Sonoran Explorers. The unique team names tie to Arizonas culture and history and are located throughout the valley, reaching several different communities. In todays highly competitive entertainment industry it is crucial to establish a high quality product, as customers are bombarded with more and more substitutes every day. The Freedom Pro Baseball League (FPBL) has successfully focused on improving the quality of play in its league to a level comparable to A or AA play. This positions them above average on the spectrum of baseball quality, however this is separate from the quality of their entertainment product. Quality of Play, especially when considering the low ticket costs, is a strength of Freedom Pro Baseball League. However, quality of the entertainment product offered is not being focused on to the same extent. These two separate quality attributes drive different aspects of the business. Quality of Play is a key driver for increasing scouting, stats and deeper fan involvement, and related activities, however it does not directly drive profitability and subsequently ticket sales, franchising etc.. Quality of Play acts as a dissatisfier for overall product quality; in that patrons expect a certain amount and if it is not present they will be upset, but assuming the level they demand is present, additional amounts do not offer further utility. Quality of Play is only one variable in the overall quality of the entertainment product the league offers. Classifying the quality of the entertainment product is moot, because in
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terms of entertainment, increasing the quality of the entertainment offered will almost always lead to an increase in patrons. Another strength the Freedom Pro Baseball League has is its ability to create Cinderella stories for players trying to break into the Major League baseball circuit. This competitive advantage is inherent to its position between college play and the Majors/Minors. Americans love rooting for the underdog and for people who fight uphill against adversity as seen in shows such as American Idol, the Amazing Race, or the Biggest Loser. Capitalizing on this strength and using these inspirational stories is a potential core competency for the Freedom Pro Baseball league to promote customer involvement and interaction. An advantage of operating within the saturated Arizona market is the expansive access to players, scouts, and baseball fans. Being an independently owned league is another strength that differentiates this league from the others in the valley, which removes the issues of politics with MLB rules and allows the teams to be more involved in their local communities. FPBL currently works with the 100 Club and has a youth group partnership with local little leagues. Currently it seems as though Freedom Pro Baseball League aims to compete through a value oriented product. This suggests that FPBL is aiming to gain and retain customers through a more favorable value proposition than its local competitors. However, it does not seem that there is currently a strong understanding of the core customer, or what drives entertainment value for those customer segments. The low number of teams within the league makes the scale of the product offering limited. There are numerous direct competitors in the baseball market in Arizona and stealing market share from competitors is an uphill battle, particularly with their lack of brand

awareness. The official league website may be related to their lack of web presence and can be improved. In addition, minimal budget makes it very difficult for the league to advertise against both its direct and indirect competitors, especially when compared to Major League Baseball. Facilities The Freedom Professional Baseball League (FPBL) operates through four facilities; Peoria Sports Complex for the Sonoran Explorers, Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the Copper State Prospectors, Yavapai Rough Rider Park for the Montezuma Federals, and Goodyear Ballpark for the Arizona Centennials. The facilities are an overall strength for the league, but there are strengths and weaknesses that accompany each venue. To start off, the league has an advantage with the use of these four venues because they are all within close proximity to one another thereby reducing travel costs to a bare minimum (Johnson, Freedom Pro Baseball). Peoria Sports Complex is one of the easy venues to access by highway and is located right in the heart of Arrowhead Entertainment District. There are numerous hotels, restaurants and shopping centers in walking distance of the stadium, and because of this, a potential drawback to this area could be high traffic congestion. According to the Peoria Stadium website, the facility has two clubhouses, over 400 lockers, and fitness and training amenities. The seating capacity is 11,333 and there is a parking capacity of 2,800, which can be viewed both positively and negatively for FPBL. Large facilities may create the feeling of an empty stadium since projected ticket sales are not even half of the capacity of most of the venues being used. The facility also offers lawn seating and large metal bleacher areas along both outfield lines in the upper level (Hedding, Peoria Stadium). Many Arizona baseball stadiums face problems when dealing with the heat and uncovered seating during the summer, and

Peoria stadium is no exception, since all lower level seats at Peoria Stadium will be in the sun throughout the game (Hedding, Peoria Stadium). Negative comments about the scoreboard are also an issue; with visitors claiming that it was difficult to see in the sunlight due the white and yellow colors of bulbs and it offered no pitch speed indicators and no sideline scoreboard (Hedding, Peoria Stadium). The Phoenix Municipal Stadium is located in Phoenix and is conveniently located less than a mile away from a light-rail station. According to the Phoenix Municipal Stadium website, the venue holds the 8,775 fans, with seating from foul line to foul. A drawback to this facility is there is no lawn seating, no bullpen, and aisle seats do not have cup holders. The Phoenix Municipal Stadiums scoreboard has the same issues with the bulb color and does not offer pitch speed, pitch counts or photo graphics, and cannot be seen at all from the far right field seats (Hedding, Phoenix Municipal). The stadium was remodeled in 2003 with a new 7,000 sq. ft. press box, new dugouts, better signage, and improved concourse areas with benches, shading and a historical timeline (Phoenix Municipal Stadium). Sadly, areas like the first and second row seating and the bleachers do not receive any shade from the intense summer heat (Hedding, Phoenix Municipal Stadium). The Phoenix Municipal is an older stadium but offers a scenic mountain view of a red rock formation from the Papago Park from first base seating section of the ballpark (Phoenix Municipal Stadium Tips). Unfortunately, the parking location is equivalent to a few blocks walk and can be lengthy for some fans. Finally, this facility needs to be noted for the distinction as being the first air conditioned stadium through the use of its exterior evaporative coolers that cools through the floor for the original inner bowl seating (Phoenix Municipal Stadium). This venue last season only did 15 games vs. the 45 games

played in Prescott. The Freedom League played more than one-third of its 120 scheduled games at Roughrider Park in Prescott last season (Johnson, Freedom Pro Baseball). Roughrider Park offers the community an alternative entertainment option, no longer forcing baseball fans to drive down to the valley to see a game. The Rough Rider Park is the best available facility in the area, but does have the drawback of minimal lighting in the stadium, which can be a major problem with night games. According to Brad Clifford, the athletic director at the Yavapai College, the stadium has concrete bleachers and holds roughly 1,000 fans. Similar to the other three venues, the stadium offers limited shading during the hot summers. One major advantage the FPBL has with their Prescott team is the small-town community support that comes from its residents and the possible expansion of this support. An obstacle of elevation plays a role in how the baseball behaves and could be dealt with by using room-sized humidor to lessen the impact of the dry air (Johnson, Freedom Pro Baseball). The article, The Freedom Pro Baseball League and its Prescott Dilemma offer suggestions to use softer, restricted flight baseballs; change the ground rules to make ball hits over the fence from the gap to foul line doubles; erect high screens beyond the left and right field fences; and move the fences back (Johnson, Freedom Pro Baseball). So there are multiple approaches available to address some of the weaknesses of the facility. Recently, the stadium got a new look that included stadium seating, concession stand, bathrooms, clubhouse, umpire dressing room, scoreboard, and new playing surface (GoRoughriders). The Rough Rider Park is definitely one of the more unique venues that the FPBL works with. The Scottsdale stadium was the former home base of the Arizona Centennials team and

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was lost due to scheduling conflicts with the Arizona League. A drawback to moving facilities is that the team now has to build team and brand awareness in a new area. The Arizona Centennials need to re-establish a fan-base since their old fan-base is now over 30 miles away from their new location. The teams new stadium, Goodyear Ballpark, has a statue about 60 feet 6 inches [tall], the distance from the pitchers mound to home plate, that depicts a stretched baseball at the front of the entrance (Hedding, The Ziz). The new ballpark won the Year in Review award in 2009, which recognizes projects based on their creativity, craftsmanship, and ability to create a sense of place (Hedding, The Ziz). The new venue, much like Peoria Sports Complex, is positioned around hotels, dining, shopping, and golf courses located only a few miles away from the Interstate 10. This facility has 8,000 stadium seats, 1,500 lawn seats, 6 luxury suites, Terrace seating on the third level behind home plate, and 500 seats in the Right Field Pavilion (About Us). The seats located in the center field berm will have the sun in their eyes for most of the game (Hedding, Goodyear Ballpark). The ballpark offers Club Seating that has shade coverage in sections 106A, 106B, and 107A and partial shading in the right field pavilion and upper rows of several sections behind home plate (Facility Rentals). The venue offers some of the best seating, with no metal bleachers. Seats also feature an armrest, cup holders, and are wider than many stadium seats with adequate leg-room (Hedding, Goodyear Ballpark). The scoreboard visibility seems to be a problem for many venues, but Goodyears only really has difficulty if one is seated right under the berm (Hedding, Goodyear Ballpark). The Goodyear Ballpark might be new to the league, but it definitely has some major advantages over the other stadiums.

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External Forces Saturated Markets As it currently stands in Arizona, there are close to 40 professional and collegiate baseball teams, not including the Freedom Pro Baseball League. This assortment of teams stems from the college-level athletic departments in the state, the Western Baseball League, and the Arizona Fall and/or Winter Leagues. Before even considering the list of amateur baseball or high school baseball teams in the state, this is a massive collection of baseball talent to draw upon. Due to the mass influx of talent, the state now is home to elite-level baseball programs in its amateur, high school, and collegiate levels. Many of the amateur teams provide sustenance for the high school programs to offer additional training and education for their players once outside of the school setting so that skills can be fully developed. Furthermore, many of these players are then poached to attend out-of-state Division One institutions where they will play baseball for four years. At the college level, both Arizona State University and University of Arizona are hailed for their continued excellence in churning out Major League Baseball-level players and both schools are highly regarded for their baseball prestige. Ultimately, while all of this is great for the overall well-being of Arizona state athletics, it poses both inherent opportunities and threats for the Freedom Pro Baseball League. The talent level thus supports the expansion into even more leagues and baseball competition, as many of Arizonas junior colleges and community colleges are seen as feeder organizations for bigger- name baseball playing. This is a positive for the FPBL as it helps to sustain a higher level of quality baseball than another state might be able to afford.
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However, the threats are notable in realizing the other competitive forces simultaneously affording the baseball consumer. When one has the option to go see potential MLB players as they practice their repetitions at first-class facilities against other elite players, one will absolutely take advantage of this opportunity. Rather than sacrificing a few dollars to see sub-par play, it would be expected that a typical baseball consumer would choose the option of witnessing the best experience possible. Furthermore, due to the high supply of baseball quantity and quality within the state, prices are consistently driven down to the point that any given organization at the bottom of the ranking order in terms of quality will be forced to operate at subsistence levels. How the Freedom Pro Baseball League contends with the excess of baseball supply will be the true determinant of how well the League is able to succeed and continue its operations, as this battle to negotiate its target market will provide the League with many challenges and tribulations throughout its existence. Weather Arizona is widely regarded as one of the nations prime baseball hotbeds, as it offers the baseball fanatic the opportunity to play 365 days a year, with no snow, blizzards or any other type of natural disaster that regularly affects other regions of our nation. In Arizona the weather is not an issue or detriment to the baseball-playing ability of the willing slugger, and there is a network in place to ensure proper growth and development. With no humidity, great temperatures for nine months out of the year, and plenty of open space for construction and real estate, facilities are plentiful and there is always a baseball field to be found in Arizona. Each year, more and more baseball-crazy families are making a Southwestern-bound exodus,

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where many of the nations top coaches, trainers, and development academies have come to exist. Competitor Promotions In order for a team or league to succeed, the management must look beyond the playing field to drive revenue. As progress continues in the sports-business world, sporting events must pay attention to the both the teams on-field events and the fan experience at the ballpark. Spectators at games attend to watch the baseball game, but that is not necessarily their only motivation. Promotions have become a large part of how an organization attracts ticket buyers and gets people in the seats. Promotions used for major sporting events around the valley include partnerships with youth sporting leagues and school districts, giveaways, themed nights, as well as in stadium attractions. Many of these promotions require a large budget, any area in which the Freedom Pro Baseball League cannot compete. The already established sports leagues in Arizona such as Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and National Football League are able to market themselves more easily due to a prestigious product level and their brand awareness. Major League Baseball teams are a direct competitor of the league, especially the Arizona Diamondbacks. This team offers many well-known promotions that fans are aware of prior to purchasing tickets. An example of a known promotion that the Diamondbacks have implemented would be the firework shows the organization offers its fans after every Friday night home game. This is an effective promotion because it adds additional value to the ticket. Firework shows are not put on frequently outside of holidays so when the team hosts fireworks

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after its games it may draw not only more baseball fans, but also may attract non-baseball fans who only purchase a ticket to have a prime seat for viewing the show after the game. A more affordable promotion that the Major League Baseball team hosts is a 70s night. 70s night is when team themes the major parts of the stadium to interact with the fans and create a fun spin for all involved. This promotion is cost-effective because it does not require many major changes from other nights. The changes that occur this night would be how the fans and employees dress, the layout of the large scoreboard in centerfield, and the music played in the stadium. All of the fluctuations can be changed inside the organization so expenses would not be too high since the majority of teams employees are paid on salary. If the Freedom Pro Baseball League could develop such a themed night and integrate it into a successful experience, ticket sales would likely rise and the league would also be able to penetrate into the market of people who enjoy going to sporting event but do not necessarily care about the outcome of the game. A fairly new promotion used by many sports organizations around the United States is the use of female cheerleaders. The Arizona Diamondbacks were successful in enacting this concept. They developed a team of females with a catchy name called the RallyBacks. The job of the RallyBacks is to interact with fans through giveaways, chant starting, and many other requests a fan may have to make their experience at the park better. The Rallybacks can be easily recognized through their uniforms and accessories that they wear on game days and in print or media promotions, strengthening the teams brand image. The team of females adds additional faces other than the mascot Baxter for fans to have a good time with. Adding cheerleaders to the game experience really allows organizations to show the fans that they

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appreciate their service and care about the amount of entertainment their organization provides. The implementation of such a program is also fairly inexpensive and could be put into practice by the FPBL to enhance the value of the product. Promotions used by larger and more profitable competitors to gain market share of baseball fans can be implemented to a smaller scale for the Freedom Pro Baseball League. Adding themes to game nights or cheerleaders would add value to the ticket prices of the league and encourage fans to attend games, not only for the players or teams, but also for a great sport outing with friends, family, or colleagues. Benchmarking National The American Association of Independent Pro Baseball can be considered a model for success in North American independent baseball as a whole. This analysis reviews similarities and differences between that organization (AA), and the Freedom Pro Baseball League. According to americanassociationbaseball.com, the AA is a 13 team league with franchises confined primarily to the central time zone but stretching north to south from Winnipeg in Manitoba, CA all the way to Laredo, TX, on the Mexican border. The current AA dates back to October of 2005, when most of the teams from the upper Midwest based Northern League merged with the Central League, whose roots were mainly in Texas and Louisiana. Previously, the Northern League had completed seasons since 1993. The Central League had begun play in 1994. In 2012, the AA averaged 3,512 fans in the 639 regular season games played. There was a noticeable disparity in individual teams attendance, however, as total attendance ranged from 285,263 in Winnipeg to 55,627 in Sioux City. The median average

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attendance was 3,354, meaning that while a few more successful teams raised the average, it was not statistically significant. As stated at americanassociationbaseball.com, the AA played 9 playoff games in 2012, with an average attendance of just 2,903. Likely, the low playoff attendance can be attributed to postseason qualifying cities like Winnipeg and Fargo- Moorhead, where the weather is often unfavorable for baseball in September. The average capacity in AA ballparks is 6,380, meaning on average, stadiums were 55% full during the regular season. Every team has their own ticket pricing, most with single game, multi-game or season ticket options. While the prices vary from team to team, single game general admission tends to run around $5, with high-end seat going for between $12 and $20. The biggest variances in the AA, perhaps, involve the markets in which their franchises are located. Most teams play in markets with a population of 100,000 or more with outliers including larger markets such as the Twin Cities, Kansas City, and Winnipeg. A bigger factor is the diversity in market culture, which is easily witnessed on the individual official team websites. The ball clubs have distinct identities and are marketed to their specific fan base. Independent baseball leagues cannot be officially designated as a certain traditional level of major league affiliated minor league baseball, but the FPBL is widely recognized as having a AA level quality of play. According to alexa.com, the league seems to be marketed toward a 20-40 year-old demographic. The website research tool seems to back this up, although alexa.com only tracks trends in users on the official league site. The typical website visitor is a college educated male without kids aged 25-34.

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("Audience Demographics") The place where the AA really stands out is in its in-game promotions. Even in the

offseason, most team sites highlight added attractions such as upcoming concerts at the game. An example is a model independent franchise, the St. Paul Saints who put the experience ahead of baseball in prominence on their official website, www.saintsbaseball.com.

("Let Us Saintify")

As reported by our client, the FPBL is currently a four franchise league based entirely in

the Phoenix valley. Freedom Pro is in its second year of existence with teams headquartered in

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Phoenix, Goodyear, Peoria and Prescott. FPBL attendance records from its inaugural season are unofficial, but thought to be around 200 per game with 118 games played. Average capacity at the four current parks is roughly 7,800, with that number brought down greatly by Prescotts relatively tiny Roughrider Park. All tickets will be priced at $7, general admission, although some discounts are planned for special community related package promotions. To this point, it seems that any advertising that the league has done has been devoted to promoting the league as a whole, as even the teams have monikers that are nods to Arizona rather than any one community. Scouts have rated FPBL to have high Class A or lower Class AA level play. Although, the AA and the FPBL league have very different situations, they are both in the business of independent minor league baseball, and in comparing, we find some valuable takeaways. The primary lesson the AA can teach is in promotions. Fans are given a night of entertainment, as promised in their advertisements and social media. As an established and successful league, this has proved to be paramount. Though entertainment may be more competitive in the greater Phoenix area than many of the AA cities, there are few choices for a full night of entertainment at that price. It is recommended that FPBL squads follows through with consistent in-game promotions and gimmicks and to include such events in stadium specific advertising. Realistically, such stadium specific promoting will only be able to be accomplished in the short-term with individual team websites, or better defined pages within the main league website. Although the geography is completely different, the AA has shown that aside from quality baseball and fun, it is important to build a following for each of the individual teams and communities.

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Local The Phoenix area represents a saturated baseball market, which could be partially due to the near perfect weather for the sport year round. Local leagues include Cactus league Spring Training, The Arizona League, and the Arizona Fall League. The following is an analysis that examines these leagues in comparison with the Freedom Professional Baseball League. Cactus League Spring Training begins in late February and runs through the end of March. The league is consists of 15 MLB teams and serves as preseason for Major League Baseball. Games for these 15 Cactus League teams are held in Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and Tempe. Ticket pricing for the Cactus League starts around $8 for general admission lawn seating and go up to as much as $45 for premium seating. Average attendance for a spring training game in 2011 was 6,848 per game for the 233 games played, which equates to 14 to 17 games per team (Cactus League Attendance). A study conducted by Elliott D. Pollack & Company revealed spring training fans are getting older and have a median income higher than the U.S. average (Cactus League Attendee). The study also found that just over half of the attendees of Cactus League games are vacationers from either out of state or country, making tourism a huge factor in the success of spring training in Arizona. Below is a graph showing the composition of Cactus League attendance.

(Cactus League Attendee)

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Phoenix also hosts the Arizona Fall League, which takes place in October and November of each year. The league is composed of six teams: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt City Rafters, Phoenix Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. These teams were created specifically for Arizona, and club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state (Winter Leagues: About the Arizona Fall League). To fill the teams rosters each Major League Baseball team sends six of their top prospects to play in the league. Fifty-six games are played during the season, all of which are hosted at the same stadiums used for Spring Training by the Giants, Mariners, Padres, Cubs, As, Royals, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Rockies. Ticket prices are set at $7 for adults, with senior and child discounts available (Arizona Fall League Baseball). Attendance records for the Arizona Fall League were not recorded. Another MLB affiliated league in the Phoenix area is the Arizona League. This league is considered a rookie league, which is the lowest level of Minor League Baseball. The season starts mid-June and finishes at the end of August. Thirteen teams make up the league. They hold the games at Tempe Diablo Stadium, Angels Minor League Complex, Papago Park Baseball Complex, Maryvale Baseball Complex, Fitch Park, Salt River Fields, Camelback Ranch, Giants Baseball Complex on Camelback, Goodyear Ballpark, Peoria Sports Complex, and Surprise Recreation Campus (Arizona Rookie League). However, some of these games are played on the practice fields at these facilities. No admission is charged to attend the games and no official attendance records are kept. It is reported that few fans actually go to the games (Kronheim). The Tucson Padres AAA baseball club also serves as a means of comparison for the

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Freedom Baseball League. Three different ticket options are available. Tickets are either classified as general admission ($8), box seats ($10), or premium seating ($15) (2013 Tucson Padres Baseball vs. Fresno Grizzlies on 4/12/2013 Tickets). The 72 game season begins in April and ends in September. The Tucson Padres averaged 2,956 fans for each of their home games (Kronheim, pg. 41). The Padres play out of the Kino Stadium in Tucson, which was formerly used by The Arizona Diamondback and Chicago White Sox for Spring Training. The facilities quality among these leagues is fairly uniform. Most of the baseball played is done so in the stadiums used for spring training. This is also true for The Freedom Professional Baseball League (FPBL), with the exception of the Rough Rider Stadium in Prescott, where the playing field and seating capacity are smaller than average. The FPBLs regular season does overlap with The Arizona Leagues season. This makes it important to provide superior quality entertainment at FPBL games to attract fans who want more than just baseball, particularly since The Arizona League games are free of charge. The $7 general admission ticket price for FPBL seems appropriate. The Arizona Fall League and Tucson Padres both offer similar ticket pricing options and successfully attract people to the games. The Cactus League has by far the most diverse and expensive ticket options. It was mentioned earlier that just over fifty percent of spectators who attend Cactus League Spring Training games are vacationers (Cactus League Attendance). This means on average 3,424 of the fans per Spring Training game are local fans. If these people are able to afford spring training, they are able to afford a FPBL game. It is not realistic to think the FPBL will be able to attract this many spectators right away due to the lower quality of baseball and poor brand awareness, but a goal of about one third of this (about 1200) is

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more reasonable. It will be vital to the success of the Freedom Professional Baseball League to make these local families more aware of their product and inform them of value and experience they will receive. Demographics

Below is brief demographic information about the Phoenix Metropolitan area, followed by geographic mapping of the stadiums and surrounding schools. This information was used when determining the target market. Statistics collected from: USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Population Demographics In Phoenix Metropolitan Area Maricopa County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. National Unemployment Update Maricopa County, Arizona (AZ)." Phoenix Metropolitan Area Demographics: Maricopa County population: roughly 4 million Education- When looking at the comparison of higher education of Phoenix vs. nationally, we found that Phoenix had a higher percentage of individuals that earned secondary degrees than our national average. Given this information was based on low-poverty areas spread across the Phoenix Metropolitan area, 40% of individuals in the Phoenix area in low- poverty areas have earned a bachelor degree compared to 22% nationally.

Unemployment-

When comparing the unemployment rate in the Phoenix area versus nationally, we found that Maricopa County does have a slightly higher unemployment rate than our

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national average. Maricopa has an unemployment rate of 9% whereas our national average is at about 8%. If you were to use Maricopa as a benchmark for unemployment, it would be very comparable to the natural rate of unemployment throughout the country.

Average Household Income- Race- The majority of the people that make up the population of the Phoenix Metropolitan area are Caucasian and Latino. Caucasians make up 60% of all people living in this region and Latinos make up 30%. The rest of the breakdown is a mix between African American, Asians, and Native American Indians. They make up 4%, 3%, and 1.5% respectively. Finally, 1.5% makes up the remaining other races. Again, Maricopa County is comparable to our nation as a whole when it comes to measuring average household income. There was only a $500 difference between the average household incomes of Maricopa County versus our nation. The national average is $52,700 and Maricopas average is $53,200.

Age- About 62% of the people living in Maricopa County are between the ages of 18 and 64. The second largest percentage is people under the age of 18, which is at 33%. People 65 and older make up 12% of our county. The average age of a person in Maricopa County is 33.

Gender- There is an equal amount of females to males in Maricopa County with the breakdown

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being almost exactly a 50-50 split.

Average Persons per Household- Maricopa County has a comparable number of persons per household when compared to the national average. Maricopas number was slightly higher at 2.69 compared to the national average of 2.6.

Poverty- The percentage of the population living in poverty in Maricopa County was equal to the percentage of people living in poverty in our nation. Both Maricopa County and our nation suffer from 15% of our population living in poverty; this equates to 600,000 people locally and 47 million people nationally. Mapping

The following maps are to provide a geographical area of where the stadiums are

located. Each map and the school information was found through Mapquest. Freedom Pro- Baseball league has prioritized a strong presence in the community and in working with youth teams. The FPBL may be able to further reach more youth by developing partnering programs with the schools surrounding each of the four stadiums. The following maps show the geographical location of the ten closest schools to the stadiums. The tables beneath each graph details out further information about each school.
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 FPBL Stadiums:

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Peoria Sports Complex

# on Map 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 School Centennial High School Cactus High School Peoria High School Paseo Verde Elementary School Sunrise Mountain High School Arrowhead Montessori Desert Harbor Elementary School Ironwood High School Apache Elementary School Deer Valley High School Grades 9 12 9 12 9th 12th Preschool 8th 9th 12th Preschool Preschool 8 9 12 Preschool 8 9th 12th
th th th th th th th th

Distance (mi.) 1.68 4.25 3.1 2.1 3.2 0.9 2.8 5.3 2.4 5.1

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Phoenix Municipal Stadium

# on Map 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 School Coronado High School Supai Middle School Arcadia High School Tempe High School Baisz School District McClintock High School Phoenix Metro Islamic School Yavapai Elementary School Baisz School Center Brunson-Lee Elementary School Grades 9 12 7 8 9 12 9th 12th K 12th 9th 12th K 12th K 8 K 8 Preschool 6
th th th th th th th th th

Distance (mi.) 3.4 2.6 5.0 3.0 1.8 5.9 2.3 3.7 2.5 2.2

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Rough Rider Park

# on Map 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 School Prescott High School Peak Alternative High School Kestrel High School Skyview School Prescott Mile High Middle School Washington Elementary School Mountain Oak Charter School Christian Academy of Prescott Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Acron Montessori Grades 9th 12th 9 12 9 12 K 8th 6th 8th K 8th K 12th Preschool 8th 9 12 Preschool
th th th th th th

Distance (mi.) 2.20 0.01 0.3 0.5 1.4 0.7 0.4 1.2 1.5 1.4

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Goodyear Ballpark

# on Map 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 School Desert Edge High School Desert Star School Aqua Fria High School Centerra Mirage School Wildflower School Avondale Middle School Avondale Elementary School Copper Trails School Phoenix Christian School Estrella High School Grades 9 12 K 8 9th 12th K 8th K 8th 7th 8th K 8 K 8 K 8 9th 12th
th th th th th th

Distance (mi.) 0.9 0.8 3.6 1.4 1.9 1.8 1.8 2.7 2.6 3.4

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Price Analysis

The price analysis will begin by examining the Freedom Pro Baseball Leagues ticket prices in comparison to its direct and indirect competitors. Next, households in Arizona will be analyzed based on spending habits and purchasing behavior. The analysis of this data will serve as an indicator of the Freedom Pro Baseball Leagues competitive advantage in terms of overall pricing strategy. Freedom Pro League Prices The ticket prices for the Freedom Pro League are currently at a general admission price of $7 per ticket, with first come first serve seating. There is no charge for parking at any of the leagues stadiums. As we have already established through our SWOT analysis, the leagues main strength is the value they offer with this flat ticket rate. However, they face the threat of multiple competitors in a very saturated market.

Direct Competitor Prices

The Freedom Pro League faces many direct competitors. Among them are the Diamondbacks, The Suns, The Rattlers, and the Coyotes to name a few. Between paying for parking and buying merchandise or concessions items, an outing to one of these sporting events is significantly more expensive than the experience of a Freedom Pro Baseball League game. Furthermore, solely analyzing ticket prices further demonstrates the value of Freedom Pro pricing. One ticket for a Diamondbacks game, for example may cost anywhere from $10 to

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$120 (Ticketmaster.com). This range in price is due to the varying desirability of seating, as some customers are willing to spend more for a higher quality experience. This pricing technique is consistently implemented by other direct competitors, whose prices are found as Ticketmaster, as illustrated in the table below. Since these competitors are more established and larger in size, they are able to offer additional ticket and pricing options. For instance, sports fans that attend games more often have the option of purchasing season tickets that may include certain benefits. For the upcoming Diamondbacks season these can range anywhere from $581 to $9960 which is also contingent on the location of the seats being purchased ("2013 Season Ticket). Similarly, this pricing strategy is implemented by other direct competitors. While the Freedom Pro Baseball League is not currently offering a season ticket option, it is evident from the single game ticket price differences that the Freedom Pro League is a competitive alternative to the pricier options of its competitors.

*The following are a range of prices for single game tickets found on Ticketmaster. These prices vary greatly based on seating location, date, the competing team, etc. Indirect Competitor Prices

The list of indirect competition for the Freedom Pro League is vast. They are competing in the category of entertainment, which during their summer season of operation includes anything from movie theaters and bowling alleys to water parks and roller-skating rinks. While

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these categories vary by interest, they appeal the same target market the Freedom Pro League is looking to capture. Furthermore, many of these indirect competitors offer competitive prices similar to those of the league. For example, most movie theater chains offer tickets around the price of $9 for adults and many offer discounts for children and senior citizens. Bowling, skating, and other similar activities tend to charge a similar price with some variability depending on the time of day, the day of the week, or age range. Some of these prices are illustrated in the table below.

*Prices referenced from: Harkinstheatres.com, AMF.com, USA-Skating.com, & Phoenixzoo.org Based on these figures, we can conclude that the Freedom Pro leagues strongest

competition based on price alone could be any of these indirect competitors. With varying tastes in entertainment, the families and kids they are targeting must be informed not only of their value pricing but the community involvement they engage in, which sets them apart from other local forms of entertainment.

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Target Markets Spending Habits In addition to analyzing prices, it is important to note any recent changes in consumer spending habits or any new trends to successfully gauge the competitiveness of their pricing strategy. Recently the Commerce Department reported a .2% increase in consumer spending in January compared to December ("Consumer Spending Rises"). However, when analyzing consumer spending on entertainment specifically, there is an overall decrease. As illustrated in the table below, consumers spent 5.6% of their annual income on entertainment in 2008, followed by 5.5% in 2009, and finally 5.2% in 2010 ("How Consumers Spend). *Percentage of annual income allocated to various categories

(Source: U.S. Department of Labor, September 2011)

While overall spending may have increased, the fact that entertainment spending has experienced a decrease at all suggests that pricing may have a significant impact. Nonetheless,

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with the similar low prices of its indirect competition, the Freedom Pro Baseball League will have to rely on more than just a price value strategy to capture its target market. Revenue Streams

Currently, the Freedom Pro Basbeball Leagues primary source of income is ticket sales. Although they also receive money from concessions and trading players, these are not the main sources of income and are not significant enough to support the business. They are using a direct sales revenue model on a pay-per use system, since customers purchase tickets online or at the ballpark directly prior to attending a game. The Freedom Pro Baseball League should focus on increasing ticket sales as the primary objective for their revenue model and strategy. It is important to consider the value the customer is paying for, and what they are

willing to pay for. Attending a Freedom Pro Baseball League game provides value in the form of entertainment by attending the game. The existing market in terms of baseball games as entertainment is pure competition, with many other options available for consumers in the same area, and Freedom Pro holding a very small percentage of the market share. The Freedom Pro Baseball Leagues competition in this market relies primarily on price, providing the best value for the lowest price. Customers are able to purchase tickets online or at the field on the day of the game.

Tickets are seven dollars each, regardless of when they are purchased or where the customer will sit in the stadium. Their pricing model is the same for all customer segments and is value priced to be affordable to a large population. Due to the leagues infancy, the cost of customer acquisition is high. There is not much awareness and switching costs are also high. This is a large obstacle for the league, particularly when they do not have the funds to pay high
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customer acquisition costs. To help with customer acquisition and retention, the Freedom Pro Baseball League

might consider using their pricing model to help eliminate some pain points associated with purchasing tickets. By including ticket packages, such as tickets for multiple games or packages that include food and drinks, they can make purchasing easier and likely increase customer spending through ticket packages.

MARKETING PLAN

Target Market

The target market for the Freedom Pro Baseball League is families, with parents

between the ages of 30-50. The marketing plan will target middle-class adults in their mid- thirties to mid-forties, and their children. The families will live in the phoenix metropolitan area, within a 40-minute drive from the closest stadium. The families have an average household income of $50,000- $65,000 which means they will be on a budget, but should have enough disposable income to take their family to an affordable baseball game. The family segment can be narrowed down further by focusing on the father and son, attending baseball games for entertainment, bonding and to potentially feed the sons dreams of a major league future. Below are two personas, a father and son, that capture the demographic, behavioral and lifestyle information of the target customers. These two personas are related, in that both the father and son may wish to attend games, or possibly just the son, but regardless, the father

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will likely be purchasing the tickets. The games have to appeal to both target customers, and the target customers as a unit, making them the target market. Persona #1: David Johnson (Father)

I love going to ball games whenever I can. Its a great way to blow off steam and spend some time with the family; and its great that its relatively affordable. Theres nothing like the experience of being at a good ballgame. General Persona:
David Johnson has very strong family values He likes to spend time giving back to the community

How persona USES the product/service: How often: He attends baseball games 4 or 5 times a year What for?: He likes to go to baseball games because it is good entertainment that revolves around sports along with a good family outing. Specific features of interest to persona: David likes to keep score at the ball games and teach his kids how to keep score Reliance (high, medium, low): Medium Personal Information: Age: 35 Profession: Architect Home Life: Good Hobbies: Sports, fitness, wood work Personality: Kind, generous, assertive, light spirited, direct Likes/Dislikes: having a cold beer after work, having weekends off/ traffic, his wifes friends, doing laundry Interests: Community service, spending time with family

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Media Consumption: Watches ESPN, listens to 98.7 and 96.9, subscribes to Motor Trend magazine Digital Interactions: Computer Use (frequency, experience, bandwidth, etc.): David is very good with computers and currently owns a MAC. He uses it constantly, mostly for work Mobile Use (same, tablet/smartphone): David also uses his cell phone constantly. He is kind of a nerd when it comes to technology. He always buys the newest iPhone. Hours Online: between 30-45 hours a week between work and personal use Frequent Places Visited: He is always on his email and architecture software programs. He also manages his finances with Quickbooks. Where Online?: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Home Depot

Persona #2: Johnny Johnson (Son)

I love going to baseball games with my dad. We get to talk about the different plays and he even taught me how to keep score. I hope one of these days I catch a foul ball.
General Persona: Plays little league baseball Dreams of becoming a major league player Close with his parents and siblings

How persona USES the product/service: How often: He attends baseball games 4 or 5 times a year with his family What for?: He enjoys the time spent with his father and also looks up to the players as role models. Specific features of interest to persona: Johnny brings a catchers mitt to the games in the hopes of catching a foul ball. Reliance (high, medium, low): Medium Personal Information: Age: 13

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Profession: Good Standing Student Home Life: Good Hobbies: Sports, video games, reading Personality: Energetic, competitive, light-hearted, and imaginative Likes: Gym class, hanging out with his friends, going on the computer, spending time with his siblings Dislikes: Homework, fighting with siblings, chores Interests: Collecting baseball cards, keeping up with players stats. Media Consumption: Watches ESPN at times with his dad, uses Facebook, enjoys funny videos on YouTube, listens to music on Grooveshark. Digital Interactions: Computer Use (frequency, experience, bandwidth, etc.): Adam grew up with a computer in the house, so he has much experience with them. He uses it mostly for video games, watching videos, going on Facebook, and occasionally for homework. Mobile Use (same, tablet/smartphone): He owns a cell phone. While his dad likes to have the latest technology, he only has a traditional flip phone. His father doesnt believe his son needs a smart phone at his age. Hours Online: About 25 hours a week. Since he is active he spends a lot of his other free time outside instead.

Marketing Objective

The overall marketing objective for the Freedom Pro Baseball League is to increase awareness and share of mind as a viable, low cost entertainment option in Arizona. The league is currently offering low-cost entertainment, but the league lacks awareness, and is therefore not a part of the target markets consideration set.

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 Marketing Strategies and Tactics

The overall strategy to achieve this objective will incorporate digital marketing, local outreach, and video promotion. The table below provides a visual of the components of the marketing plan.

Objective

Tactics

Strategies
Website Development

Digital Marketing

Social: Instagram & Hootsuite

Promotions

Increase awareness of the FPBL

Local Outreach

Kickstarter

Local Schools

Local Businesses

Fan Fest Commercial Transcript Promotions

Video Campaign

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Digital

With a very modest budget, the Freedom Pro Baseball League would benefit greatly from an improvement in its digital strategies. There are numerous benefits to implementing digital marketing which include enhancing relationships with customers through digital interaction and increased credibility, the capability to measure marketing results through numbers of followers or reach, low risk due to the flexible nature of digital marketing and ease of change, and a low cost when it comes to creating and maintaining various online networks. While there have already been efforts to delve into this area of marketing, such as an existing website and Instagram account, a few improvements can be made to enhance these platforms. With the goal of creating awareness, there are a number of changes that could be made to better reach their target market. Likewise, a few additions to the leagues list of digital marketing tools and website can be made to make the leagues digital appeal more successful. With the continuing growth in popularity of online searching, social media use, and overall digital growth, the following suggestions could prove to be highly effective. Website The Freedom Pro Baseball league currently has a website which has the opportunity to be a staple in their digital marketing. In order to effectively communicate the leagues presence in the field of sports entertainment, this is a very helpful and necessary tool for creating awareness. While there are a number of great aspects already featured on the site, a few changes in content, design, and ease of use could boost the websites overall appeal. The website currently does a fair job of offering potential customers a chance to learn

more about the league through some of its content. However, there are a few shortcomings
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that decrease the effectiveness of their informational efforts. While the categories of the different tabs a customer may click on are appropriate, the content seems to be catered to potential players rather than potential customers. The homepage, for instance features a link to an ad that a customer would have to watch externally and then is quickly followed by a message to potential players with details regarding an application for their winter league. While part of the leagues business is to recruit players, this should be made a separate tab on the site that comes secondary to news and overall information for customers to view. It is not until further down on the homepage, after some news and announcements, that the fans are addressed. In order to make the homepage seem more streamlined with less scrolling, any news and announcement could be relocated to the news section and application information for potential players could be placed under a new tab entitled Recruitment or Player Applications. A simple video of their new commercial would be best featured close to the top of the homepage before or after a brief About Us section that caters to customers that may be visiting the site for the first time. A major highlight of the website is its Teams tab which features the logos of the

leagues four major teams. From there, the individual team rosters can be viewed, which feature some stats about each player. Since a large part of our media strategy involves highlighting the leagues community involvement, an addition to this part of the site could be linking each players personal twitter accounts so families and other game attendees can keep up with the players and potentially chat with them. Since the Freedom Pro league is far more flexible with communicating personally to its customers when compared to major league teams, it is important to take advantage of this and feature it prominently on the site.

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In addition to making the players more accessible to customers, community

involvement should have its own section. By adding a Community Involvement tab or subcategory under the News tab, similar to the Rattlers website, the league could keep families up to date on its mentoring and coaching programs, as well as the ticket sales program they have implemented with little league teams. For usability, only minor changes would need to be made to increase the functionality of

the site. Simple things like drop down menus for longer tabs such as News would make the site more organized and user friendly. Likewise, some editing on images and logos can be made to ensure that the sites visuals appear as they should. Finally, rearranging some of the pages to take advantage of white space would make it more visually appealing. Social Media Currently the FBPL is present on a variety of social networking platforms, namely Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Considering the size of the business, this is a fairly wide line of platforms, but most are appropriate platforms for the league. It is important to realize that while social media presence is important, over channel saturation can also result in wasted time and money. Therefore, maintaining these existing channels rather than focusing on opening new ones should be FBPLs priority. Facebook seems appropriate to have, because it seems a businesss possession of a Facebook page is ubiquitous with its own existence. However, due to the nature of FPBLs fans it seems that the primary interaction with the page will simply be to like or add it, and perhaps look for updates, but not communicate in a two-way manner. Twitter offers better communication potential than Facebook for FPBL, but slightly misses the demographic of the average FBPL customer. It could easily be used to allow players

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to interact more directly with fans, and build traffic by using players to interact with other player accounts or the team. Again though, Twitter is not necessarily the ideal target for social media growth for FBPL. LinkedIn is nice for the players but seems to completely miss the target demographic for a communication channel for customers, so out of the four channels this seems to be the weakest. Finally, Instagram offers some potential opportunities for growth; the nature of the platform seems to be the best fit out of the current channels FBPL communicates with. Instagram The Freedom Pro Baseball League already has an Instagram account, with over 100 photos, but could benefit from this tool more by focusing their use and creating a strategy for the account. Currently, many of their photos feature scenes from games, player appearances in the community, and children serving as guest announcers at the games. These photos do a good job of representing the mission and activities of the league, and provide a unique point of view to fans. In order to optimize the Instagram account, the league should focus on producing more interactive content for the kids and teenagers who attend the games and are passionate about baseball. Instagram is an ideal tool to reach kids and teenagers, being the top photography site among teens ages 12 to 17, with 1 million teens visiting the site during July 2012, according to Nielsen (Meyers). Running Instagram campaigns will allow the league to connect more directly with the younger demographic and involve them in the experience. Utilizing hashtags, which tag pictures with specific phrases and help organize photos, allows them to be more widely viewed and allows Instagram users to contribute pictures by

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tagging them with the same hashtags. The league could also take more pictures of fans during the game and tag any fans with accounts by writing their username in the caption. People will want to view the photos, which will drive traffic to the page and encourage engagement. Players could also take over the account for the day, depicting a day in the life of a baseball player, for kids aspiring to follow in their footsteps. The image sharing nature of Instagram allows Freedom Pro Baseball League to advertise the experience they can provide for players, attendees and the community, while engaging with fans on a platform the fans use and enjoy. Hootsuite Hootsuite is a social media management dashboard that allows planning and monitoring of a business or individual's social media presence. Although maintaining a presence on all available social media platforms can be tempting, it is important to select the few that will be most effective for the individual business. While focusing energy on creating content and campaigns on Instagram, Hootsuite will allow the Freedom Pro Baseball League to manage all of their other social media accounts simultaneously, as well as track interactions through the various platforms. Hootsuite will enable the league to maintain a presence on all sites but with less effort and an accessible and simple platform. Utilizing Hootsuite will also help the league measure their social media efforts and where they are finding the most activity. By identifying the correct metrics, such as page likes, re-tweets or comments, they will be able to track effectiveness by account and assess their success as they go. Having the ability to look at this data in a unified manner will be helpful when modifying their tactics in real-time in order to maximize impact and efficiency.

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Promotions One of the leagues biggest goals is to get butts in seats. An easy and effective way of doing this would be to offer certain promotions with benefits for frequent ticket purchasers, or for friends of ticket purchasers, that could potentially raise awareness for the league and lead to a larger crowd in the stands. Potential promotions could include offering two free items value items from the concessions stand on a randomly chosen day of the week in exchange for purchasing at least two tickets for a specific game. This way a regular attendee may be more encouraged to convince a friend to buy a ticket, which will increase awareness as well as ticket sales and the extra enticement of the free concessions items would create a positive experience that could lead to repeat purchases. Another possible promotional tactic could be creating a rewards program, which may include a punch card or something similar in nature, that requires ticket purchasers to attend a designated number of games such as ten games out of the season. Once that amount is reached they may get a free ticket to the next game or a free item from the concessions stand. These promotions can easily be announced through the website, Instagram, or an online mailing list ahead of time. Mailchimp Mailchimp, an email publishing and analytics platform, can serve as a great resource for the Freedom Pro Baseball League. Streamlining communication to a direct, loyal audience will help fans feel more connected to the league, and using a system like Mailchimp offers the ability to measure and analyze their reach and success. Mailchimp offers a free account option for up to 2,000 subscribers, which is a reasonable limit for the league at this time. Mailchimp will allow the league to create

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professional, organized email campaigns to send out to fans throughout the season. Email collection would occur during ticket purchase, and individuals would have the opportunity to opt-out if they desire. The email campaigns would allow the league to keep their fans updated on the latest happenings, as well as provide a platform to announce promotions, such as those mentioned above. After sending out an email campaign, FPBL would have the ability to track how many emails were opened, the number of click-throughs and the reach of the campaign, among other metrics. Below is an example of the dashboard Mailchimp offers for each campaign, which can then be compared to data from Mailchimp about other competitors in the industry.

Image of a screenshot from Mailchimp.com

The design elements and feedback Mailchimp provides at no cost are ideal for the FPBL. Creating professional emails will increase their legitimacy and trustworthiness with customers,

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and FPBL will be able to judge how successful their efforts are, guaranteeing they are not wasting time or resources on marketing efforts that are ineffective. Kickstarter While we believe a more focused traditional approach is the most practical strategy for freedom pro baseball league in the selection of its digital media platforms, its unique position regarding the community opens up some unorthodox opportunities. We believe that kickstarter could be one such opportunity. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform where consumers browse short descriptions of potential projects and businesses, and have the opportunity to support them often for first access to the product. Often this is used for innovative or passion projects that have a strong call to action for customers. At first glance it appears that a company like freedom pro baseball league stands nothing to gain from a service like kickstarter. However we believe that FPBL could capitalize on the goodwill value of their community positioning through such a platform. Currently, FPBL is offering clinic and camp style services for local schools baseball teams. This in turn causes both kids and parents to build a relationship with the league. Rather than using this as a fringe benefit of the league, kickstarter could allow FPBL to change this focus by creating a new crowdfunded nonprofit after school initiative for local valley schools. Creating such a program would allow FPBL to increase its community focus, but with a much more efficient revenue stream than its current model. Such an after school initiative would allow the league itself to expand its fan base, and then grow in a more organic manner. Shifting this focus would put less pressure on ticket sales on the short term horizon, then after building awareness and a fan base, allow FPBL to fill seats much more efficiently.

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Such a program could also partner with local chapters of several other similarly focused national charities. Great examples could be Boys and Girls Club of America, YMCA etc. Often these types of charities funnel money into such programs instead of running them themselves. Local Outreach

In order to raise overall awareness and attendance for the Freedom Professional Baseball League a local and community outreach program has been developed. The purpose of this program is to engage the teams for the FPBL in the surrounding community, allowing them to make connections with potential and returning customers to establish a more loyal fan base. It is essential to instill a positive image of the Freedom Pro Baseball League in the minds of the communities surrounding the stadiums. Making these emotional connections is a strong focus of the local and community outreach program and will be done through fundraising with local high school and middle schools, involvement of local businesses, and a beginning of the season fan fest carnival. Local Schools The amount of local outreach and community involvement are factors that will determine the success of the Freedom Professional Baseball League. These two factors will contribute to raising brand awareness and helping to establish a more loyal fan base. The Freedom Professional Baseball League already has youth partnership programs that acts as fundraisers for little league teams, and helps put fans in seats for Freedom Pro Baseball League games. To increase attendance and overall awareness for FPBL, the same fundraising partnership programs could be offered to the surrounding high school and middle school baseball programs. Much like the programs already in place, players for these teams would sell
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the four tickets and T-shirt package to raise money for their team. More often than not, parents become actively involved in youth sports fundraising because it ultimately means less money out of their pocket. So not only would the players for these teams be selling tickets to their classmates and peers, but the parents of these players would have the opportunity to assist their child in their fundraising program by offering tickets to their network as well. People may be much more inclined to purchase a ticket to a FPBL game if it makes them feel charitable. In addition to involving high school and middle school teams to sell fundraising packages, each team could be invited to host a 50/50 raffle at the ballpark, for the game which there team was selling tickets for. The team conducting the raffle and the FPBL would split the proceeds, raising money for both the league and youth team. A 50/50 raffle like this will help to encourage people who bought tickets from the fundraising program to actually attend the game. It provides them with another incredibly affordable way to support the team that they already bought tickets from. It also gets the various high school and middle school teams and families out to the ballpark, which is the core group of people the FPBL is trying to attract to their games. These fundraising efforts will contribute to creating a positive brand image in the mind of consumers and ultimately raise brand awareness for the league. On a side note, there can often be intense rivalries between high school sports teams. Actively tracking the progress of each individual teams fundraising progress and posting it to the league website could be a healthy way to use this competition to stimulate further fundraising efforts. This competition would need to have a prize for the winner, probably in the form of FPBL championship game tickets for the winning team. This competition would

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stimulate the sales of more tickets through the fundraising efforts and ultimately increase attendance of Freedom Pro Baseball League games. Discussed earlier was a digital strategy using Kickstarter to help fund youth baseball camps and after school activities hosted by Freedom Pro Baseball League. These camps would be run by players and coaches of the Freedom Pro Baseball league, providing instruction for the high school and middle school aged baseball players and coaches and acting as positive role models within the community. Not only would these camps assist in the refinement of their youth players and coaches skills, but more importantly it would allow these players to make connections with the professional players and coaches from around the FPBL league. Youth players would be more inclined to have the desire to attend the FPBL to watch their favorite player or role models throughout the season. Parents would also be more likely to support the Freedom Pro Baseball League knowing that it gives back to the community, most importantly to their children. Local Businesses Although, the goal is to promote fans throughout the state, the communities surrounding the stadiums are used as central locations to begin with. By working with local businesses, the league will strongly communicate to the customers the sense of community. Proximity also helps create customer loyalty. Since our target audience is families, the businesses chosen are those that families tend to visit more frequently; family restaurants, local stores and movie theaters. Family Restaurants Family restaurants are found in all the communities surrounding each of the stadiums. A

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family restaurant is a good business to partner with because many of them use fundraising events to help out the community. By partnering with family-owned restaurants, Freedom Pro Baseball League will help fundraise for charity, connect with the community and create brand awareness. Another proposal in affiliating with the family restaurants is to create brand awareness by creating a future meal discount with the purchase of a baseball game ticket. This would be a win-win for both businesses because the league would be selling tickets and the restaurant would then also have a high rate of repeating customers. Local Stores Local stores consist of small boutiques, sporting stores, and stores located in shopping centers and groceries stores, which all of these different types of local stores are frequently visited by our target audience. We start with small boutiques because many of these stores are privately owned, which grants more flexibility when creating partnerships. Smaller stores likely attract people who have a stronger connection within the community as well. There are two sectors to our local store proposal: selling the league merchandise and selling tickets at the stores. Selling the merchandise at stores will create a stronger brand presence and awareness, encouraging the new customer to also buy tickets at the store. Movie Theaters The last segment to use business local outreach is theatres. Movie theatres are a popular entertainment option for our target market. On-screen advertising is offered at several theaters. Businesses are able to have the screen print advertising repeated in a specific geographic area with minimal effort. Movie theatres have a captive audience, and with some of
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theatres switching between screen ads and entertainment features, the advertising will likely grab attention. On-screen advertising can be very affordable as well. Each theater has its own pricing, they work with any budget starting at $500 and offer discounts with long term contracts, according to Screen Vision, the advertising agency for Harkins Theaters. Freedom League Fan Fest Perhaps the biggest asset of the Freedom Pro Baseball League is the ability and willingness of its players and management to reach out to the community. One excellent way in which to make the most of this advantage while creating new fans is to introduce a series of free family and community friendly and very inexpensive to host Freedom League Fan Fests. This will create awareness of the product within the respective communities that host the FPBL and position the league as a sports entertainment brand that is able and eager to reach out in order to build a loyal fan base and to ultimately fill seats in the local ballpark. Freedom League Fan Fests would take place on two consecutive weekends, Saturday and Sunday, two weeks before the beginning of the season. They would be held at Estrella Vista North Park in Goodyear, Rio Vista Park in Peoria, Arcadia Park in Phoenix, and at Yavapai Rough Rider Park in Prescott, with each hosting one day of the festival. Activities at the festival will be decidedly kid-friendly with a few attractions for the parents. Most importantly, this will give the very fans, or fans-to-be, the chance to become aware of the FPBL with an emphasis on their home team. We feel that although it is important to market to the entire valley, building up a local identity in the community of the stadiums will create an infectious following for the respective teams, promoting loyalty as well as encouraging rivalries among the clubs.

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The term Fan Fest has entered the common lexicon. Most major league professional sports teams have some form of a big deal festival, and research shows that many minor league organizations have followed suit. The purpose is to round up as many potential customers in one place and create excitement for the product, while building revenue by selling tickets and merchandise. The advantage is that you aree already dealing with a group of people that have at least a modicum of interest in the brand. The challenge is to turn these potential fans into repeat customers. In a Fan Fest setting, this can be accomplished by making sure attendees have a good time, while being informed of the best points of the product. The possibilities for activities are endless, but the FPBL, with a minimal budget, should aspire to emphasize the free or most affordable form of entertainment. Promotions can be simple because we are targeting a small area. Multiple digital formats are available and attractive flyers could be posted on neighborhood boards. We should also mobilize players and management to circulate the area in the days leading up to the event, meeting people in local restaurants and businesses and personally inviting them to come, maybe with their family, in a sort of grassroots movement. The smaller local newspapers shall be invited to the event, providing for positive media coverage and awareness for potential fans who did not attend the event. The events themselves will also rely heavily on the participation of the leagues players and management. They will come in full uniform wherever possible. The players will be available to play catch with father or son as well as taking turns at photo tables and autograph booths. The emphasis shall be on the team that plays in the community of that particular area, and for example the Sonoran Explorers, would be the main theme for the fair in Peoria.

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Reaching out to businesses that can independently bring their own booths to sell their wares could make for a bigger event. Events such as these are what mobile food vans look for and would be very receptive to the idea of providing food options at no expense to the league. In addition, likely Baseball card dealers would be interested in setting up a booth at the Fan Fest. While giving the attendees an enjoyable day, FPBL representatives will work at selling tickets, not over-aggressively, but with a conspicuous table. Special packages and promotions dealt with in another part of the local marketing plan can be featured. Although merchandise is a small revenue stream for the league, this is another opportunity for some sales, especially since it will be targeted mainly toward one franchise and there is the opportunity for a swell of local pride. This promotions costs will be minimal. Park fees and permits and rentable tables and chairs will be the main expenses. The biggest challenge will be in providing the manpower necessary to pull four separate events off. However, if done right, such labor can directly affect attendance when it is time to play ball. Video Campaign

Traditionally, television commercials have been a popular method of advertising products and services. They allow advertisers to effectively communicate a specific message to customers and highlight the benefits of their products or services for a mass audience in one sequence. Over time advertising has undergone many changes and has advanced to where advertisers now have a variety of ways for connecting to their target audience and building their brand image. Reading further, one will see that our team intends to use a commercial advertisement to communicate several themes and values which accompany the experience of
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attending a Freedom Pro Baseball League (FPBL) event, and the justification for why we chose to display the experience in that specific manner. This commercial will promote the cost effectiveness of a Freedom Pro Baseball League game and the intimacy that the fans can expect to encounter at a game by being able to personally interact with players; it will also stress the importance of creating a unique family environment at a ballgame by spending time together. The premier time for the league to air television commercials on local channels would

be on weekday mornings. Utilizing several thirty-second commercial spaces would strengthen the Freedom Pro Baseball Leagues brand image, as well as drive families to attend games due to what they witnessed on TV. The FPBL offers great value for any family outing, and in hosting games that allow several people to attend at a minimized total price, the League stands to benefit from placing heavy emphasis on the low cost of attendance. Weekday mornings were chosen because they promise great exposure to families. Whether it is the morning news, traffic reports, or talk shows, a large amount of parents are viewing these programs. Morning television is simply a large component of a traditional familys day. While the children are getting ready for school, the father may be looking at a traffic report to ensure he arrives at work in a timely fashion. He may be updating his knowledge on the previous nights events. The mother might watch her favorite morning talk show to hear about the recent pop culture affairs or trends. The children are often susceptible to news by being in the same room as the television set, or could possibly be watching cartoons before heading off to school. This makes sure the morning time slot is a premium way to plant an idea in the parents, and the childrens minds for the next family event rather than forcing everyone to brainstorm for something new or different.

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Buying commercial space after school has let out for the day is also a great time to broadcast commercials. During this time, children will be watching the television and parents may be able to hear the background noise of the set. With the commercial airing in the morning the parents will recognize the title of Freedom Pro Baseball League and may ask their children if attending the game would be something they are interested in. This would be beneficial to both the parent and the child even as both view the opportunity differently. The kids would see the commercial of beautiful weather and players interacting with fans such as themselves while the parents would see the opportunity as a cost effective outing with the family, which could still be a great experience for their children. Advertising during the morning and afternoon segments is also much cheaper than primetime or nightly programs. Commercials during the daytime or midday are in the price range of $250-$600 for a 30-second commercial as opposed to some nightly commercial space exceeding $1,000. These lower prices would allow for the Freedom Pro Baseball League to advertise routinely throughout the week so that potential customers do not lose the thought of attending one of the games. Potential customers would see the ad at the beginning of the week on a Monday, but continue to view the ad on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, further cementing the likelihood of their attending a weekend game. Because of its low-price points and current lack of brand awareness, the League would be best served to market its games to those in a more financially-strapped situation who might not normally be able to afford a $45 Arizona Diamondbacks ticket for each of their family members. This is expanded upon in our Target Market profile, as well as our Personas. Ultimately, the morning and afternoon time slots allows the league to reach this demographic

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of customers. Lower income families are viewing television more throughout the day opposed to night, and placing the advertisement earlier in the daytime will guarantee that the right customer will view the advertisement and see what the Freedom Pro Baseball League has to offer. Commercial Transcript The commercial starts at night with ten-year old Johnny plopping down backwards onto his bed, because he is exhausted from a long day at the ballpark. He begins to reflect on all of his experiences throughout the day. As the ad cuts to scene two, Johnny is walking into beautiful Goodyear Ballpark with his mother, father, younger brother and younger sister. After settling into their seats, the family heads off to the concession stand to purchase sustenance in the form of food and drinks. Scene three plays out with the family sitting back down in their seats enjoying their treats when Dad suddenly spills a drink on Mom; Dad has a sheepish look on his face, realizing his mistake, while Mom is upset and flustered. Meanwhile the kids find the transgression hilarious and entertaining. Scene four, still pre-game, brings us the climax of the commercial when Johnnys younger brother spots star player Eli Sonoqui, the FPBL 2012 Player of the Year and hometown favorite, (graduate of Cesar Chavez High School) walking up to greet the family. Eli signs gloves for the children and tosses Johnny a signed ball cap; Johnny is completely star struck and at a loss of words. Mom has now substantially calmed down, with her children placated and quieted from the shocking interaction with their idol and hero. In scene five, we find Jonny on the field post-game, as he leads a pack of other children running the bases, while Eli looks on bemused. The commercial wraps up with a closing still shot of Johnny laying on his pillow smiling with his eyes closed and hands folded comfortably behind

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his head. He is completely satisfied and happy about his wonderful day at the ballgame. This commercial does an effective job of communicating family values, user interaction, and the cost-efficient quality entertainment of Freedom Pro Baseball League games. The commercial showcases how these events can provide the family with an affordable opportunity to spend time together, while also allowing the family to interact with players on a regular basis, and by giving the kids an exciting and unique baseball game experience that they cannot find anywhere else besides the Freedom Pro Baseball League. Commercial Pricing and Demographics

Fox 10 Daytime Midday News Prime

Time Slot 4:30am - 10:00am 12:00pm - 12:30pm 5:00pm - 6:30pm 9:00pm - 10:00pm

Price / per 30-sec ad $500 $400 $1,000 $1,800

Fox 10 offers 100% local advertising and news during their daytime time slot and all ads can be aired any time between the limits. The numbers provided were by a Fox 10 representative and based off a Monday through Friday schedule for a 30-second commercial showing. Fox 10 targeted television campaign helps grow customer awareness throughout the Phoenix retail trading area and generate incremental footsteps to increase sales (Sales Information).
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 Arizona Family or 3TV is one of the largest independent television stations in the country, 3TV provides more local news coverage than any other station in Arizona (FAQ). The local news station is know to be family and community orientated. When advertising with this company, they offer a customized advertising for a 30-second ad. The pricing received from 3TV representative was limited but shows some insight on their rates for a 30-second commercial between Monday and Friday. Weekends were said to not have as good as programming as it does during the weekdays. Pricing for the weekend was cheaper during the day and got a little more costly during night with shows like Once Upon a Time and news. Their news programming is more expensive, but daytime advertising during shows like Dr. Oz or Dr. Phil cost almost half the price. In addition, 3TV offers high profile programming, such as Greys Anatomy or American Idol, but is extremely expensive. This station demographic reach is age 25 plus and is said to have a lot of car or grocery store advertising. Arizona Family is a good channel to reach the mother of the house during the day when she is picking out family High Profile Programming 5:00pm - 6:30pm $3,000 AZ Family News Programming Daytime Time Slot 6:00am - 8:00am 9:00am - 4:00pm Price / per 30-sec ad $750 $350

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activities and event for the weekend.

Fox Sports AZ Diamondbacks Day Game Diamondbacks Evening Game

Time Slot 12:40pm - 1:10pm 4:00pm 7:00pm

Price / per 30-sec ad $1,500 $1,800

Fox Sports Arizona is the regional sports affiliate of Fox Sports Networks serving the state of the Arizona. FS Arizona broadcasts the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball games throughout the spring / summer, while showing the NBA Phoenix Suns and the NHL Phoenix Coyotes events in the fall / winter months. FS Arizona also showcases all Arizona State collegiate sports with several Pac-12 events as well. As part of its broadcast area, Fox Sports area covers New Mexico, Utah, and parts of Southern Nevada, giving it regional exposure to over two million homes throughout the Southwest. When speaking with Ed Olsen, General Sales Manager for the network, he advised for the FPBL to advertise during the Dbacks games, as this is when the most baseball sensitive consumers would be observing, and the station even achieves a 4.0 viewer rating. The price rates are relatively similar on the weekends for advertising with FS Arizona, and though it is clearly provides a target market saturated with sports-oriented consumers, the prices listed come at a higher rate than the other alternatives. ABC 15 Time Slots Price / per 30-sec ad

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Early Morning Good Morning America News National News News Lets Ask America Prime time

6:00am - 7:00am 7:00am - 9:00am 5:00pm - 5:30pm 5:30pm - 6:00pm 6:00pm - 6:30pm 6:30pm - 7:00pm 7:00pm - 10:00pm

$250 - $300 $300 - $400 $600 No Local Available $600 $500 $2,500 - $10,000

According to Tanya Winscott, ABC 15s local integrated media sales manager, rates fluctuate constantly depending on time of year, current sell out levels, and demand on inventory. Ms. Winscott provided the information to create the chart below for estimates on the current pricing for local advertising of a 30-second commercial. Lets Ask America is their prime access slot in Arizona and prime time in this state is considered to run between 7:00pm 10:00pm. The price is for one 30-second ad and can be played at anything time between the time slot.

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Viewership Information / Demographics

Fox News Channel: ages 18-34- 15% ages 35-54- 34% male viewers- 50% home owners- 75% median household income- $53,000 1+ children- 29% Fox Sports: ages 18-34- 24% ages 35-54- 37% male viewers- 72% home owners- 74% median household income- $59,000 1+ children- 31% FOX SPORTS *Unable to Provide Data for Ratings AZ Family: 6AM-8AM: 70-75,000 viewers 9AM-4PM: 20-25,000 viewers 5PM-6:30PM: 60-65,000 viewers ABC: ages 18-34- 36% ages 35-54- 41% male viewers- 37% home owners- 69% median household income- $58,000 1+ children- 49%

Time Slot M-F News 6am 7am 7am 9am Saturday News 7am 8am 8am 9am Sunday News 8am 9am M-Sunday News 5pm 5:30pm 5:30pm 6pm M-F News 6pm 6:30pm M-Sunday News 9pm 10pm

Fox 10 Ratings 1.4 1.5 .5 .7 .1 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.7

Shares 12 11 4 4 0 6 4 4 5

Impressions 28,401 29,928 10,401 13,119 1,290 26,642 21,844 22,186 35,000

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Time Slot M-F News 6am 7am 7am 8am Saturday News 7am 8am Sunday News 7am 8pm 8am 9am M-F News 5pm 5:30pm 5:30pm 6pm 6pm 6:30pm 10pm 10:30pm Saturday News 5pm 5:30pm Sunday News 5pm 5:30pm

AZ Family Ratings .4 .7 .4 .7 .9 .6 .6 .6 .5 .3 .3 ABC 15 Arizona Ratings .4 .5 .3 .3 1.3 .7 .8

Shares 4 5 3 6 7 3 3 2 2 1 1

Impressions 8,762 14,626 7,754 15,014 19,122 12,725 12,313 12,981 10,815 6,329 5,604

Time Slot M-F News 6am 7am 7am 9am Saturday News 7am 8am Sunday News 7am 8am M-Sunday News 10pm 10:30pm M-F News 5pm 5:30pm 6pm 6:30pm

Shares 3 4 2 2 4 3 3

Impressions 7,849 10,099 5,615 5,148 26,860 13,498 15,531

Based on the information from the spreadsheet, we would recommend that the FPBL advertise with FOX 10 if we are going to advertise during the morning or afternoon news, because their number of viewers are much higher than ABC 15 and AZ Family. If we are going to
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advertise during prime time, our recommendation is that we advertise with either FOX 10 or ABC 15 because their total number of viewers at that time slot are significantly higher than AZ Family. If we do want to advertise with AZ Family at all, our suggestion would be during the evening news between 5:30PM-6:30PM. Ultimately, the demographic offered by Fox 10 aligns very well with our target market of children and their parents. As the main viewers of Fox News are homeowners (75% of viewers), and it is also the lowest-average income bracket of the several channels we researched, this would be the preferred morning broadcast. This is a go-to channel for Arizona local news, and as the morning shows play, our advertisement would spark thoughts of innovation in the mothers weekly planning while prompting her children to exclaim with joy when realizing what a trip to the ballpark and the Freedom Pro Baseball League may actually entail. Contingency Planning

Due to FPBLs uncertain financial situation careful monitoring of metrics and the ability to rapidly adapt are crucial. Based on the success of initial marketing tactics, FPBL will need to adapt and employ more or less of various tactics. Each tactic should individually be monitored to ensure it is being effective. Two main scenarios are likely, with the possibility of a grey area between them. Both rely on the success or failure of the strategies suggested. If the strategies do not cause a major effect, or do not change the financial situation for the league FPBL will have to continue to minimize costs and only pursue efforts that do not require an expense. Alternately, if the

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strategies gain traction the league should put money into increasing the amount of ad placement, and further pursuing tactics that require significant costs. In the negative scenario, FPBL should be ready to cut back on any paid ad placement currently employed. This would include television, radio, SEO etc. The strategy should then be switched to refocus on current tactics that do not require additional funds. If the utilization of free social media marketing schemes proves to be successful for the Freedom Pro Baseball League then the league should become more aggressive using channels that reach a larger audience. To continue increasing revenue and attendance to the games the league should use radio and/or television advertising placement for its ads. Due to the cost increases of applying these channels radio should be implemented first. Radio is more expensive than social media, but far less expensive than television commercials minimizing the risk of expenses exceeding gains. Making use of the radio will gain brand awareness and allow the FPBL to reach a larger audience than what social media can currently offer. If radio advertising proves to be successful than the implementation of television advertising could increase awareness about the league even further. Allocating a portion of the marketing budget to television should only be used if the prior two vehicles (social media & radio) are successful and the league should only continue to advertise if the results are proven to outweigh the costs and risks that television advertising consists of. Additionally, community based tactics that require investment should be ramped up as effective. Monitoring attendance, forward sales, and other relevant metrics at such events should be employed in order to choose which events to invest in, and how heavily to invest.

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IMPLEMENTATION

Digital Media

Through our strategy of Digital Media, the process of execution and evaluation is fortunately one that is much easier to identify and track. The Freedom Pro Baseball League currently has a Website, Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram account, and a YouTube user. Because of this, many of our execution strategies more revolve around the continued effort to push further with these presently existing resources. In addition, a great benefit of utilizing all of these services comes within the idea that evaluating the success of the FPBL on the respective platforms is one that can tangibly be seen by data. Websites commonly provide browsing data, viewing numbers, and charts of trends to the point that the FPBL can observe who is actually looking at their website, when these people are doing it, and where in the world their fan base actually resides. Similarly, Facebook provides the organization with just as much detailed information concerning its Likes, Views, and Shares, all data that is crucial for a business looking to build its brand recognition and awareness. As long as the FPBL is cognizant of what information may provide more use to the company versus data that is not necessarily as helpful or supplemental, it will be in good shape to ensure the success of its endeavors in digital media. Local Outreach The local outreach program was designed to increase the brand awareness and image of the Freedom Pro Baseball League. In order to accomplish these goals and strategies outlined, the local outreach program must be carefully executed and evaluated. Time is of the essence,

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with the season approaching rapidly the league must work diligently to carry to out these community-oriented campaigns. The outreachs program strategies all are designed to create mutually beneficial situations between the Freedom Pro Baseball League and their partners. In order to effectively launch the local outreach program a network must be created. The schools, businesses, and other local entities the FPBL wishes to partner with must be contacted and meaningful connections made. Success is also heavily dependent on FPBL player appearances. Management of schedules must allow allocate time and availability for these various events. Gauging the success of these programs will be accomplished by noting active

participation by the community. The number of schools partaking in the fundraising and after school camps as well as patrons attending the local Freedom Fan Fest should be easily quantifiable. The next step is measuring whether these various activities actually influenced customers to show up at league games. This can be done through the use of coupons. Handing out different coupons redeemable for a free soda, hotdog, etc., with the purchase of tickets, at the different events will allow the FPBL to quantify the success of each event by the redemption rate of each individual type of coupon. TV Commercial

In implementing the Freedom Pro Baseball Leagues television commercial, the

organization must first decide with which station(s) they would like to partner. Once this has been determined, the FPBL must then contact the station and work hands-on with the sales manager, content editor, and advertising executives to ensure that the commercial crafted is one that speaks well to the target market and the viewer demographic for which that channel

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has the greatest exposure. Because the sales managers and advertising departments may have an even greater variety of resources to choose from and supplement its decisions with, there is the possibility that further editing is necessary to guarantee the very best of brand imaging in the clip. As this process reveals itself, it will be crucial for the FPBL to work hand-in-hand with its broadcasting network to use metrics which will allow it to best measure the success of its advertising. One strategy promotes including a phone number or website URL in the advertisement that is specifically created for the response of consumers viewing the ad. When people utilize this method of communication, the FPBL will be able to know who actually saw this commercial. Another strategy that we feel will be most effective is the use of promotion. As previously mentioned in the Implementation through Local Outreach section, promotions such as coupons can present an ideal way to measure whether customers were actually influenced to attend games based off the advertising, which is our end goal. We would highly suggest including a promotion offer within the last few seconds of the television ad in which customers can then visit YouTube, where the thirty-second video will also be hosted, and share the video. If they have shared the commercial via Facebook, they would then be eligible to receive a free hot dog and drink at the game, a great offer for something, which requires minimal effort on their end. This is a tangible strategy that would then allow the FPBL to definitively mark who from their customer base actually saw the advertisement, but more importantly, who was driven to attend a game by the commercial.

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CONCLUSION

In methodically applying the three marketing strategies to drive brand awareness and obtain recognition within Arizona, the Freedom Pro Baseball League should be able to substantially expand. It is our hope that through incorporating the tactics of digital marketing, local and community outreach events, and a video promotion timeline, the FPBL can easily accomplish its objective of positioning itself to consumers as a cost-efficient and valuable alternative to other entertainment options. In doing so, the Freedom Pro Baseball League can situate itself in a promising and optimistic location, as the competitive market offers it the chance to grow exponentially within the next five years. By following the agenda we have set forth, the Freedom Pro Baseball League should be a successful and profitable organization making a substantial impact on the local community and baseball market of Arizona citizens for years to come.

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