CB6 6th Edition by Barry Babin,Eric Harris

Exercise 4

Collegiate Sporting events Attendance: Reaching Students through Social Media
Written by Sarah Fischbach, PhD Candidate, New Mexico State University
Attendance at university sports has a unique position. Sports at the collegiate level either have a strong following where it is nearly impossible to obtain seats to the season games, or a weak following where it is a struggle to bring in fans week after week. The administration for universities with attendance challenges find themselves focusing on all target markets. Campaigns are developed to increase community involvement by bringing in local high school, even elementary school students and families. Potential attendees are offered free products such as shirts, megaphones, and meet and greet with the players. Additionally, theme nights become popular techniques for influencing attendance for the entire population. For example, the college administration may reduce hot dog and drink prices by 25 cents for every free throw made or three-point shot hit by the home team, to the point that the hot dogs and drinks are free to the attendees.
Although promoting to the local community and their families is important, it is not really what students are looking for at a basketball game. Students are looking for a much different environment than are families with children. In a recent survey, students were asked about family and children's attendance at games.1 Their response was somewhat of a surprise; they didn't understand why people outside the college would want to attend the games. The consensus was that college sports were meant for the students and the students' families, not the rest of the community. Encouraging local participation would only decrease their desire to attend the game.
Whatever marketing approach the university uses to increase attendance, they need to consider the impact on the students. Students seem to be forgotten in the typical sports marketing campaign. During a recent focus group of students and faculty at a university struggling with game attendance, one participant asked what kind of motivation it is for younger kids (high school and even elementary) to come to a game and see all the empty seats. If or when the students begin their tenure at the university, they will follow suit and continue to limit their attendance at games. It's not personal, it's popularity. It doesn't create much fun for potential students when current university students don't attend the games. This is why it is so important to include collegiate sports when developing the culture of the university. It's in their best interest for universities to make attending sporting events an important part of college life and not a burden on the student's time.
So why are students not attending the games? During the same qualitative research, students unanimously stated that the main reason they don't attend is because the team doesn't win.2 It's hard to sit in the bleachers game after game watching the other team win. There are a hundred other things students could be doing rather than attending a losing basketball game. However, winning or losing doesn't matter as much if the student is having fun and hanging out with friends. Building the sports attendance culture at the university may be just what is needed to improve overall attendance. But where does administration start? The cultural selection process includes finding out how to produce a system with both formal and informal gatekeepers. Informal gatekeepers include friends, spouses, family members, and neighbors, just for a few examples. Formal gatekeepers include radio, TV, and celebrities. College administrators must take these gatekeepers' choices and opinions into consideration and continue to mold the changes students find in mass media. Building the hype among the students even if the team is failing to meet the league records will create this awareness, at least to attend. But how do universities build this hype? Where else but social media.
Social media is the component of the online world where people interact with one another, often changing roles from reader to author and seeking various benefits from social interaction.3 Over the last two decades, research from the literacy field has been incorporated into marketing research. The researchers who pursue this avenue discuss how the characteristics of literature or drama have been important factors in consumer development of perspectives regarding ads. Academic researchers, marketing practitioners, and sports marketing professionals agree that you must use social media to gain awareness for younger generations. But merely being on the social media radar is not enough. You have to track your social return on investment. As more companies become players of social media tools, it is important for academic researchers, practitioners, and especially sports marketers to establish relevant ground rules.
Social media can be used to tap into the social media network that students communicate through on a daily basis. Even outside of the student network, individuals of the younger generation are using social media to bring awareness to organizations and companies. Many organizations use social media to create a buzz around a new project or an event. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have become popular forms of communication for companies worldwide. Mobile communication and mobile marketing have recently become resources for companies looking for a new edge. For example, individuals may communicate through texting and other forms of social media to create a flash mob. A flash mob is when individuals get together to promote a product or organization through spontaneous, choreographed dancing. A recent episode of Modern Family featured a flash mob scenario. The type of organization utilizing this new wave of social media marketing is not limited to any specific category. Suave, Oscar Mayer, and Cox Wireless are just a few companies to step into this growing segment.4
Mobile marketing including the use of a flash mob is just one example of how organizations can reach out through new innovative ways to communicate with the next technologyfriendly generations. Collegiate sports are no different. Connecting with students to conduct a flash mob at a basketball game or football game could increase attendance and create a buzz for students to come and watch. These new forms of communication such as mobile marketing can be incorporated into the university sporting culture. Feeding the me generation frenzy takes new forms of marketing that might not be seen as marketing techniques. This allows the student to become part of the game instead of just a bystander. During a day and age when demands on our time keep increasing, creating the desire for students to attend games can be challenging. Using social media can help.
What types of social media campaigns could a sports marketing director implement to gain student awareness? Explain your answer.