Promotional StrategyJoin now to read essay Promotional StrategyPromotional StrategySpalding NBA Dual Action Infusion Street BasketballIntroductionThe Spalding NBA Dual Action Infusion Street Basketball is a product which is capable of revolutionizing outdoor basketball play. Our goal is to create a promotional strategy which supports the effective launch of the product. This strategy includes identifying the appropriate target market, our promotional objectives, approach to budget, selection of promotion strategies, and a mechanism to measure the success of our strategy.
Our product is a basketball which contains an internal pump, improved synthetic leather, and a new grip design. This ball contains an internal pump which allows for inflation and deflation of the ball without the need to carry an external pump or needles. This feature allows players to increase or reduce the amount of air in the ball at a moments notice. This particular model is a “street” ball which is made of synthetic material which has a leather feel but withstands the rigorous of outdoor play. The ball also has an upgraded grip pattern that allows for better ball handling and reduced wear, which will lengthen the life of the product.
The Spalding NBA Dual Action Infusion Street Basketball will carry a manufacturers retail price of $24.99. The ball will be available through sporting goods stores, discount warehouse stores, and retail outlets with an actual price range of $16.99 – $21.99. The stores carrying this model of ball utilize on-line stores which expands the availability of the product.
Collectively, the above product, price, and distribution channels make the product extremely desirable and accessible for outdoor players who are predominately youths between the ages of 16 -19. This plan will emphasize how we intend to penetrate this market and increase sales of basketballs.
Target MarketAfter researching the current marketplace, product mix, and customer needs, we have determined that alternative market opportunities exist. In order to grow overall basketball sales for Spaulding, we have designed a product that satisfies a current, unfilled customer need. Our research indicates the following:
Sales of outdoor basketballs are stagnantCurrent product mix is heavily slated towards low quality rubber ballsCustomers are not satisfied with currently available product offeringsCustomer feedback indicates desire for a product that closely matches characteristics of a leather ballMunicipal government spending on parks and recreation has increasedPrimary user of outdoor courts are youths age 16 – 19Based on our research, we have decided to utilize a demographics driven segmentation approach targeting youths ages 16 to 19. We chose this particular group because they are the largest users of outdoor basketball courts and their demographic group is experiencing a growth period. The recent increased emphasis on physical fitness for youths will enable us to strategically tie in to initiatives that encourage youths to increase the amount of time dedicated to exercising.
The most significant demographic group is males 13 to #851, with a similar age distribution, but the increase is not limited to youth demographics. The percentage of youth aged 12  has increased from 19 percent in 2014 to 40 percent in 2020. This provides the opportunity to add value to our local environment by connecting the youth with outdoor basketball games on a regular basis: http://www.purdue.edu/. The demographic trends in the community are evident as a strong demand for high quality ball and ball bearing surfaces and, as seen by the volume of outdoor court orders, will continue to increase as a result of ongoing marketing. In 2017, about 11% of all home court sales in Indiana are going to youth, or 12% the prior year. We expect this increasing demand to drive our overall sales of outdoor courts to continue to grow. More data is required as the overall sales growth rate for these courts is not yet recorded.
We will be able to increase their sales by a further 35% with the support of the Indiana Department of Revenue on a continuing basis in coming years.
As part of our ongoing efforts, we are working collaboratively with the University of Wisconsin at Madison on innovative solutions to address the growing demand segment, and the increasing availability and affordability of quality outdoor courts in our community. We believe that these solutions include a high quality, inexpensive, durable, and flexible basketball court and ball bearing system that meets our customer needs and provides high-performance, comfort level, and durability. For example:
The NBA offers more than 90 NBA uniforms annually and is available throughout the USA, with nearly 100 of those uniforms available in all major sports. The NBA will provide all of their basketball uniforms at prices that match the NBA’s revenue-generation program. The NBA has partnered with our local government to implement several high-level programs that have helped generate record revenue, which is further fueling their expansion. We are also adding to this success with more uniforms, designed as a means of supporting youth basketball. As the popularity of basketball grows, the NBA will expand to provide additional uniforms in key areas for students to play at and support a better understanding of the game. Over the last 10 to 20 years, Nike has also continued its efforts to add more games (including regular season games), and we are planning plans that bring in more games in the future.
While we expect new initiatives of this size with our current team to continue in 2018, we anticipate more and more youth and athletic pursuits in our community will also participate in the basketball program. The addition of our next team in 2018 and possibly our 10th in at least 10 years will drive a continued need to engage in non-mock or handball play in basketball. Future initiatives of this size will allow us to build trust with the youth community and also allow them to have access to more and better products while still meeting its customer needs. We believe this has the potential to have an impact on our overall sales of outdoor courts for the foreseeable future. With more courts in the country on offer, it is inevitable that more and more youth will experience a different way of spending the basketball time they want to spend time with their families, work. With increasing attendance in the basketball community and the growing demand for high quality and quality ball bearing surfaces, we expect that our efforts will support and increase the availability of outdoor court products on a regular basis to support the long-term economic viability of the region.
In the near term, we will continue to continue to invest in this unique market of youth basketball.
We feel confident that we have a product that will be of great interest to the 16 – 19 year old youth market based on the technological advances we have added to the product. This group is very sensitive to product features and branding, which is a plus since our product will feature robust and unique features. (Namiranian, 2006)
Recent company research also uncovered an increased spending pattern by local municipal government across the country on parks and recreation. A sampling of municipal government plans consistently revealed features such as indoor and outdoor basketball courts, indoor and outdoor swimming facilities, tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, and hike/bike trails. Other divisions within Spalding have begun to capitalize on this trend for future product updates and releases and we are also capitalizing on this with our plans.
We will utilize our product attributes and benefits as the key points for positioning our product in the marketplace. We feel that our features are superior to those of our competitors and our customers expect a higher quality product. This market has been underserved and we feel