Court Connect
2014 D&I Interns
Overview
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The Consumer
The App
The Marketing Plan
The Future
Anticipated Costs
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Overview
The Problem:
Participation rates are down among 18-35
year olds
The Mission:
To increase tennis participation in the 18-35 age
group through a mobile app that allows flexibility,
innovative play, and social events
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Overview-The Problem
Source: Tennis Industry Association: State of the Industry 2010
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The Consumer
Who is our target market?
The Consumer- Profile
The Frequent Player
Total No.- 4.8 Million
Avg. Age: 33
Habits:
Play tennis 75x a year on average
Not currently affiliated with the USTA
The Millennial
Total No. 18-24: 31.5 million
25-34: 42.8 million
Avg. Age: 26
Habits:
94 % own a cellphone
Value freedom of choice
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The Consumer- Why an App?
• 79% of 18-29 year olds use apps,
with an average of 22 apps
• 39 % of 18-33 years old US
Consumers think that brands that
don’t advertise via mobile channels
are outdated and undesirable
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The Consumer- Why an App?
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The Consumer- Why an App?
Source: Bank of America Trends in Consumer Mobility
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The Consumer- Why an App?
Mobile has now overtaken the PC as the preferred access
device to the Internet, with more minutes per day spent
accessing the web via mobile than computer
Source: Flurry Analytics
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The Competition
Meet Up
Pros:
• Shows number of members in
a certain interest group
• Links with Facebook
• Filter by age group
Cons:
• No capability to block a person
or an event notification
• No private message capability
to talk with other members
Tennis Match
Pros:
• Open call feature to find
new tennis partners
• Shows player connections
when clicking on a player’s
profile before setting up a
match
• Links with Facebook
Cons:
• No one is on the app
• Have to pay for matches
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Industry Best Practice
Golf Match
Pros:
• Player profile: picture, handicap, game type,
tee position, and preferred game day
• Allows you to follow fellow golfers who you’ve
met or played with before
• Discover matches tab shows matches located
near user
• Find courses public or private options
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The App
The App-Concept
Court Connect is...
• A app to connect with friends and meet up
to play tennis in your immediate area
• An avenue to push local group tennis
events
• A platform broaden your tennis network via
matches and events
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The App- Launch Features
• Matching with friends and tennis players in your immediate
area to find opportunities to play
• Calendar integration
• Find courts nearby
• Profiles and Facebook connected
• Invite friends via Social Media and contact list
• USTA Event promotion
• Endorsements (Player reviews)
• Link to USTA website
• https://yo1000.proto.io/player/?id=23c05b7d-64c7-449abe44-04aca71250e4
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The App-SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
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USTA brand recognition (“powered by the
USTA”)
Enhance the public image of USTA
User-friendly
Caters to all levels of play (Practice, Pick up,
Competitive)
Provides option to connect with Facebook
Ability to search for nearby tennis events
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Poor user retention
May not choose to invest their time due
to inability to play, time commitment or
financial reasons.
Few/expensive tennis courts
Opportunities
Threats
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Possible expansion into other geographic
markets after initial launch success
Growth potential due to brand exposure from
social media, USTA & College Reps
Increase participation & interest in playing
tennis
Increase US Open ticket sales & viewership
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Meetup
Tennis Buddy (4.1/5 on Google Play App
Store, easy to use and navigate, similar
idea to Court Connect)
ZOGO Tennis (helps find tennis partner
for you, can invite friends/contacts)
Tennis Match
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The Marketing Plan
The Marketing Plan
1. Social Media
2. College Campus Representatives
3. Flyers in gyms, fitness centers and USTA
Events
4. Other social tennis events
5. Flexibility
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The Marketing Plan- Social Media
• Facebook page and Twitter account with
Court Connect
• Like, share, retweet posts to be entered
into winning prizes
Court Connect
Introducing the new social tennis app, Court Connect, powered by the USTA!
Like and Share to win USTA swag! #courtconnect #usta
1,577 likes 246shares
Court Connect Follow us on twitter @courtconnect for more
chances to win!
Court Connect
@courtconnect
Introducing the new social tennis app, Court
Connect, powered by the USTA! Retweet to win
USTA swag! #courtconnect #usta
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The Marketing Plan- Social Media
• Hashtag Campaign (#courtconnect,
#tennisanywhere, #usta)
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Social Media- #TennisAnywhere
CourtConnect
CourtConnect shout out to @kelseyroa and
the interns at #USTA for playing
#tennisanywhere #courtconnect
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Successful Hashtag Campaigns
Cole Haan’s #DontGoHome
More than 800 shares within
the second week with an
86% spike in engagement
Wonderful Pistachio’s
#crackinstyle
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College Initiatives- Job Description
STUDENT AMBASSADOR
Responsibilities
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Facilitate scheduling of club practices on your campus
Coordinate bi-weekly social events in conjunction with club practices
throughout the duration of the school year
Promote the USTA and Tennis On Campus using USTA provided materials;
posters, flyers, etc.
Execute an on-campus marketing promotions for the USTA Court Connect
Application
Communicate with USTA Section staff via phone, email and in-person for
any assistance, ideas, and to provide bi-weekly progress updates
Work to increase membership in your university’s Tennis on Campus Club
Help to promote and develop the growth of tennis amongst other young
adults
Skills, Qualifications & Experience
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Strong knowledge of tennis and the USTA is required
A background playing tennis is preferred
Strong verbal and written communication skills are required
Exemplary time management skills are a must
Must be a current student at a college within the continental United States
starting in September of 2014.
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The Marketing Plan- USTA Initiatives
• Promote the App at Emirates Airline US
Open Series and US Open
• Marketing at USTA sponsored Leagues
and Tournaments
• Allow CTAs to create social tennis events
through the app
• Connect with 6 Degrees of Tennis
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The Future
The Future- Growth Potential
• Point system where users earn incentives
by participating with the app.
• Example: Each time you play a match
through the app is worth a point.
• Gold = 15 Points
• Silver = 10 Points
• Bronze = 5 Points
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The Future- Growth Potential cont…
• Court reservation system - like OpenTable
including mobile wallet payments
• Predictive Personalization
• Court ratings and reviews
• Locate local pro shops on court map
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The Future- Growth Potential cont…
• League and tournament sign up in app
• Learn and Play events
• Link to USTA shop and merchandise- mobile
wallet payments
• Connect with all types of social media
(Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn)
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The Future- Revenue Sources
• In-app advertisements
– “click-through rates, ranged between $.53 and
$1.12 [per click] in 2012.”
(smallbusiness.chron.com)
• Pro shop advertisements on court maps
• US Open and other partners’ shop purchases
• Court reservation system fees
• Increase in interest of USTA league
opportunities and tennis in general
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The Future- Revenue Sources
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Pricing Estimates
• Start up cost: $175K-$300K
• Monthly upkeep/update cost: $500$2000/month depending on users
• Estimated Development Time: 6-7 months
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Summary
Tennis gaps that need to be filled:
– tournament formats
– learn & play
– young adult league
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Thank You!
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