1st Nine Weeks

In the first nine weeks of sports marketing class I learned numerous details over marketing and its outlook. Starting with the 4 P's, to the 7 functions of marketing, and ending with STP. Doing fun, but educational projects and activities to learn about these major steps in the marketing world.

The 4 P's are Place, Promotion, Price, Product. Place involves the locations and the different methods used to make the product available for the customer. Promotion stands for the different ways a business encourages the customers to purchase the product made. Hopefully promotion would also help increase customer satisfaction. Price is simply stated, the price of the product made, or the amount the customer has to pay for the product wanted/needed. And finally Product, the item the business offers to satisfy the customers needs. It's the most important P of the 4 P's because without it, what would be the use of the other P's.

The 7 key functions of marketing was next on the list of learning about marketing. The first of the big seven is Product service/management; which is basically improving, designing, developing and maintaining a product. The second one is distribution; this function determines how you get your product or services from point A to point B. Next is selling, which includes direct and personal communication with the customer. Usually on trying to get them to buy your product. The fourth function is marketing-information management; the main thing about this function is RESEARCH. It's the key to making or breaking your product a success. The fifth key is financing, in which your business must budget their marketing activities. This function also aids the customer in paying for your product. Next is pricing; simply just making your product an affordable price that satisfies the customer's needs. And the final function is promotion of your product. Basically through posters, commercials and other ideas to achieve the sale of your product.

The last stuff we learned about marketing was STP. Segment, Target, and Position. The segment part is basically dividing up a group of product into classes or categories. For example music can be divided by country, rock and rap. Target is for the intended group of people the product targets. Such as soccer balls are intended for soccer players and footballs are intended for football players. And position stands for where the product stands on quality and price. The sections in position could be price, quality, and comfort. That was an example of how the sections could be divided up for cars.

Shoes...does it matter?

We saw this video on overpriced shoes, specifically Jordan, and Stephon Marbury's affordable Starbury shoe. Each were made with the same material, but the price range between the two is outrageous.(Jordan=$150 and Starbury=$15)

Marbury's mother came across an not so hard issue with her son when he was little between choosing Jordans or food for her family. Clearly she chose food over a $150 pair of shoes.

The want of this shoe brand is ridiculous, since the supposed "need" for them is not necessary. Meaning kids want Jordan's shoes for the looks and because they think it's hot, and if you don't have them you're not cool. Basically putting pressure on the kids to have this superficial "need" for these shoes.

I buy fashion because the brand is actual comfortable. I buy Adidas or New Balance because there isn't a pressure to look cool simply because I don't care what everyone else thinks about my shoes. Plus, they feel as though the are easier to walk in, for me.

Selling commercials

Selling is basically direct and indirect selling to the customer through some form of communication. Such as these commercials.

Focus Group

We're studying market information management this week in sports marketing, which is basically research on a product, and one of the activities we did to show research was a focus group. It was to test already in stores coke and see which is preferred throughout the class. We went up by teams and tested the three different sodas, with a cracker so we coul dry our mouths before the next taste, and then answered a questionaire. Turns out that majority of the class prefers Sam's Cola over Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

This is a canine focus group, emphasizing some sort of method wanted to be used to help tame them. Waiting for some sort of reply or reaction, by the dog, to the method so that the doctor knows if it works.

Distribution

In Sports Marketing we learned about distribution: the act of transporting your product from warehouse to stores.

The game was to take a half cup of salt and a half cup of water to the other side of the room with a napkin, spoon, and straw. The original idea was to just shovel the salt into the napkin with the spoon and to trap the water into the straw. The straw idea did not work, so we changed that plan into just sucking up the water, with the straw, into our mouths and transferred it to the other cup. We did not come in first simply because we were too slow, next time we'll move the products simutaneously, rather than one at a time.
The point to having a good plan for distribution is to have the product get from point A to point B is getting it there as fast as possible without damage or very little to the product. This gives the businesses a look of reliability.
http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/ups_hydralic_1.jpg

Interview questions

1. Tell me about you- Well my favorite food is pizza, simply because I believe it's the greatest food ever created. I usually listen to all types of music, but lately I've been interested in just instrumental works. I love soccer and basketball, and I love playing them. Whether on the court or on the field, those sports make me complete.
2. What is your favorite subject in school? Why?- I'm not sure what my favorite subject is, generally I'm pretty even across the board. But maybe sports.
3. Is this the subject that you excel?- Well sports yes, but marketing...not really. I'm not really that great with numbers, but I am great at interacting with people.
4. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?- My strengths would probably be me being able to interact with, being funny, confident, and athletic, also self motivated. While my weaknesses are pretty up front in math, and sometimes second guessing my own decisions.
5. Do you usually study for tests? How?- Well yeah in the math department, and in science and world history. Not much to study in english for a test. Typically I study while eating or listening to music.
6. What would you like to learn most from this class?- More on the marketing side of the class, so I can understand how to mix it into sports and hopefully, later in life use it to make money.
7. How do you think we should divide work in our team? Evenly if possible. No one should have more work then another.
8. Why would you make a great team member? I can work with others, and help them if needed. I can also accept help when I need it, instead of being stubborn and doing it all wrong. Always think about all the options, as well as getting everyone's opinion, rather than making a decision alone.

First project

The first project is simple, use the 4 P's: price, product, promotion, and place; in a home-made advertisement of current sports merchandise. I used Adidas and their soccer jerseys.

The teams in this advertisement are the two countries, Mexico and South Africa, and the two club teams are Real Madrid(Sergio Ramos), and New York Red Bulls. I'm just using these as examples to show the variety of jerseys and how you can represent your favorite teams sponsored by Adidas. Each jersey is $70 in my advertisement, and you are able to find them at www.adidas.com. Hopefully I have some fellow soccer fans out there!!