advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

■ Message structure: Developing a specific communication that has a specific
goal, is aimed at a specific group of individuals (target audience), and has a
measurable component to determine effectiveness.
■ Methods for outreach: A plan of action to communicate the message to the
external environment.
■ Post-campaign evaluation: An assessment of the overall campaign to determine
whether the message was clear, understood, and was a positive influence
on the organizational image.
Also integral to controlling the external organizational image is through crisis
communications.
Crisis communications involve the development of a contingency plan that is
based on existing communication resources and operational capabilities, and
allow sport marketing professionals to effectively respond to a crisis related to
the sport organization. This plan is crucial to maintaining a positive organizational
image during times of public scrutiny. Crises can come in numerous
forms for a sport organization, which required the sport marketing professional
to forecast potential crisis and have a method of dealing with said crises
from a communication point of view. This will often include having a plan for
articulating the organization’s response to all internal members of the sport
organization, a policy for external communication regarding the situation
(often by directing inquiries to a designated spokesperson) and a targeted channel
for disseminating information regarding the crisis. By maintaining control
of the information, the sport marketing professional can help to minimize the
damage a crisis has on the organizational image of the sport entity.
The most extensive and significant methods for communicating external
organizational image is through sport promotion. Sport promotion is defined as
the procedure of communicating information about the sport product or service
to consumers. The sport marketing professional entices consumers to make a purchase
by managing the sport promotional mix. As a significant part of the sport
marketing, because sport promotions is an integral part of the sport marketing
mix, the remainder of this chapter will focus on the elements of sport promotions.
MULLET NIGHT
The Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League have administered
a promotion called “Mullet Night.” Prior to offering this promotion for
the first time in 2003, the front office of the organization contemplated numerous
promotions to offer during the season. According to Jeff Eisenberg, General
Manager of the Manchester Monarchs, “The Monarchs have the same goals for
other promotions: sell tickets, add value, and build brand. While the organization
may have slightly different goals for individual promotions … the ultimate
goal is to use promotions to get to a sell-out.” The organization’s goals
Continued
COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT IN SPORT 203