Individual Assignment #3
Please attempt the assignment after reviewing slides for Unit 3 Competitive Positioning and
Branding (Week 5 of the course) and textbook KK Chapters 7-8 (see syllabus for edition
details – other editions may have different Chapter numbers) and Case Study “National
Hockey League”, that provides the substantive application context.
Answers should be brief and address the question directly. When possible use Tables and
Figures. You may add pdf, jpg, or png pictures within your answer.
1. Major League Sports (like NHL) provides an offering that has numerous attributes, both core
(i.e., inside of the offering) and augmented (i.e., outside of the offering). Provide a list of
attributes of the NHL offering.
Core:
-Product = Live games, structure, teams and players
-Schedule= 82 game season and playoffs
-Access= TV broadcasts and tickets
-Brand= Logos, identities and rivalries
-Outcomes= Standings, stats and championships
Augmented:
-Stadium Experience=Advertising, events, concessions and parking
-Merchandising = Apparel and collectibles
-Promotions= Festivals and competitions
-Media= TV, radio and live streams
-Sponsorships= Advertisements and funding programs
2. Based on your reading of NHL case and also your general understanding of major league
sports, identify customer benefits provided by major league sports. Select from those the three
most important benefits, as per you.
-Entertainment/excitement
-Emotional connection
-Social bonding
-Community
-Tradition
-Status and pride
The top 3 are the most important to me because sports were created for entertainment. But the
amount of emotional connection I have with my favorite sports teams is just below the emotional
connections I have with my friends and family. I was heartbroken when the Patriots lost in the
Super Bowl. And the amount of social bonding I do over sports is insanely high. I have created
and maintained a lot of friendships due to this bonding.
3. Relate each of the three selected benefits (in #2) to a subset of the attributes that you have
identified (in #1). (Note multiple attributes relate to one benefit; and certain attributes can relate
to more than one benefit). If a benefit that you identified is not related to any attributes that you
identified, keep it blank (lets discuss in class).
-Entertainment/excitement= Championships, festivals, competitions, live games, playoffs
-Emotional connection= Standings, brands, logos, identities, championships, rivalries
-Social bonding= Live games, TV, live streams, merchandise, festivals, stats, playoffs,
championships
4. At the time of the case NHL was torn between two initiatives to grow its fan base – a TV
program initiative or a grassroots initiative. Please discuss how each of the three most important
benefits you identified (in #2) is highly connected, moderately connected, or not connected to
the two initiatives and explain.
-Entertainment/excitement= High to TV and medium to grassroots. This is because TV greatly
expands the reach of the NHL and grassroots has much less immediate spectacle.
-Emotional connection= Medium to TV and high to grassroots. This is because playing hockey
builds identity much more than just watching it.
-Social bonding= High to TV and grassroots. This is because the social bonding over watching
the NHL (or any sport) is so substantial for some people, and I’ve seen some of the best
friendships for over the bonding of actually playing hockey together.
5. Now review “Appendix: The Hockey Business” including Tables A-1 to A-4.
Can you position the 4 major leagues in a map consisting of the three Benefits that you selected
on a Low/ Medium/ High scale?
Of the three other major leagues, on an overall basis who is the most direct competitor of NHL?
Hint:
1. Using the information in Tables A1 to A4 (gate receipts, TV media, Player costs,
Licensing and Merch as a % of revenue) consider how each offering fulfills the benefits
at Low/ Medium/ High levels.
2. Since there are three benefits, you will need to position the 4 Major League Sports
offerings in three maps (Benefit 1vs Benefit 2; Benefit 1 vs. Benefit 3; Benefit 2 vs.
Benefit 3.
3. Based on these three map positions, on the whole, figure out the offering that is closest to
NHL (e.g., in two maps NHL may be closest to X and in one map NHL may be closest to
Y – if so, on the whole it is closer to X than Y)
Entertainment / Emotional
League Entertainment
Emotional
NFL
High
High
NBA
High
Medium
MLB
Medium
High
NHL
Medium
Medium
Entertainment / Social
League
Entertainment
NFL
High
Social
High
NBA
High
Medium
MLB
Medium
High
NHL
Medium
Medium
Emotional / Social
League
Emotional
Social
NFL
High
High
NBA
Medium
Medium
MLB
High
High
NHL
Medium
Medium