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203 – Intro to Media Advertising
Introduction to the Advertising Process
Jessica Weir

Hunters as a Target Group for Bass Pro Shops

Client Description
 Company overview
Bass Pro Shops has become a leader in the outdoor retail, selling products to over 75
million consumers a year.1 There are nearly 100 retail stores across the U.S., both operating and
in the process of being built, and there are even a few stores located in Canada. According to
their website, the store is “as close to the Great Outdoors as you can get indoors!” The purpose
of Bass Pro Shops is to give consumers who love outdoor activities a place to find almost
anything they may want or need.
The idea for Bass Pro Shops began in 1971 by Johnny Morris of Springfield, Missouri.
He began to sell quality fishing tackle out of a rented U-Haul trailer, and eventually started
selling products from his dad’s liquor store. Morris’s fishing tackle became popular with the
locals around the Ozark area and even with out-of-towners who would stop in to buy tackle for
their fishing trips. His business began to grow, so Morris decided to print a catalog for his
customers. Morris also became an innovator in 1978, introducing a “rigged-boat motor and
trailer fish-ready package”2 that made a big impact on the marine industry. Every Bass Pro Shop
has a large showroom to feature boats. Today, many “outdoor enthusiasts” enjoy shopping at
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“Bass Pro Shops – The Story”
“Bass Pro Shops – The Story”
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Bass Pro the old-fashioned way by catalog, at the website, BassPro.com, or by personally
visiting a local Bass Pro store.3
 Client offerings
Bass Pro Shops offers a large amount of various products because they sell to “outdoor
enthusiasts”, which contain many different subcategories. At Basspro.com, ten different
categories are listed under the “shop” menu so that customers can easily find which is best suited
for them. They have categories for fishing, hunting, shooting, boating, camping, clothing, shoes
& boots, home & gifts, outdoor recreation, and outlet store. Bass Pro Shops literally has
hundreds of products to offer for each category.
People who are fishing enthusiasts would most likely find everything they need at Bass
Pro. Fishing reels, fishing rods, rod and reel combos, baits and lures, terminal tackle, different
fishing accessories, tackle boxes and fishing bags, fly fishing gear, float tubes and pontoons, ice
fishing rods and reels—the options seem almost endless. Bass Pro Shops also offers related
products that an angler may want, such as sunglasses, fishing and technical clothing, and rain
gear. Bass Pro also gives customers the option to shop by brand, which may be important to
some consumers. There are several brands to choose from, 17 to be exact, and they include Bass
Pro Shops, Offshore Angler, Browning, White Silver Fly Shop, Shimano, Abu Garcia, Daiwa,
Zebco, Berkely, Bomber, Strike King, Zoom, Gamakatsu, Shakespeare, St. Croix, 3M/Scientific
Angler, Cortland, and Simms. The possibilities for any fisherman seem almost limitless at Bass
Pro.
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“Bass Pro Shops – The Story”
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The hunting category mirrors the fishing category. Again, there are endless products for
hunters, including archery, hunting accessories, tree stands, game and trail cameras, hunting
decoys, game calls, knives and tools, dog training and supplies, food plots & feeding, ATV
accessories, hitches and racks, and an ATV showroom. Related products are listed, including
hunting clothes for men, women and children, hunting boots and waders, and camouflage bags
and backpacks. Hunters are also able to shop by brand, either from RedHead, PSE, Diamond,
Primos, Gerber, Big Game, API, Hunter’s Specialties, Summit, Moultrie, Bear Archery, and
Wildgame Innovations. All of the products at Basspro.com can be listed by price, brand, or by
rating. The listed prices show that Bass Pro Shops offer hunting products for a pretty affordable
price—for example, hunting knives can be bought from anywhere from under $10 to more than
$125, with the majority of knives being sold for around $25-$50.4
There are eight other categories listed under the shop tab of Basspro.com, and they, like
the fishing and hunting categories, have an endless amount of products suited for an outdoor
enthusiast.
Aside from products, Bass Pro offers a wide variety of services to customers. On the
website, a coupon code is listed for customers to receive free shipping on purchases of $75 or
more. That is a nice offer, considering a customer does not have to spend any money besides
money for the actual products he or she pays for, and all conveniently from the comfort of their
home, or wherever they may choose to be at the time of purchase. Bass Pro has also targeted
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“Bass Pro Shops – Shop”
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hunters in a promotional sale, giving customers, or hunters, who buy any archery product free
shipping with a coupon code.5
Bass Pro has more to offer to its customers than just products and promotional deals. The
website offers “1Source”, which includes news and tips. This includes tips for buying namebrand products, blogs, State license & regulations for fishing/hunting, news related to the
outdoors, videos, and even a “braggin’ board” for people to submit their pictures, from either the
10-pound largemouth bass they caught to their cute baby dressed up in camo gear.6 In the blog
area, there is a section strictly for hunters called “In the Field.”, where there are taxidermy tips,
buyer’s guides for hunting products, and up-to-date information for hunters. From the blog, I
also learned the Bass Pro has a full-service gunsmith shop that can help hunters with their
questions about their firearms, as well as help with repairs.7
Bass Pro also has an area called “Bass Pro Shop Blogs” so that customers can learn about
special events that are happening at their local Bass Pro. For example, I searched for the blog in
the Independence, Mo., area and found several different events help by Bass Pro—including a
fish feeding twice a week, which means BPS offers activities for not only grown-ups, but
families as a whole. Other activities for kids are listed, including a free “Great Pumpkin Charlie
Brown Halloween Event.”8 There are also activities for large groups, such as “The Free Outdoors
Adventure Tours”, where any kind of group can set up a tour to Bass Pro Shop and learn the
importance of conservation.9 There are several other activities—including Outdoor Skills
Workshops, including a fly fishing workshop and a conceal and carry class. The options for fun
“Bass Pro Shops – Shop”
“Bass Pro Shops – 1 Source”
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“Bass Pro Gunsmith Shop”
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“Bass Pro Shops – Independence, Mo.”
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“Bass Pro Shops – Independence, Mo.”
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activities and learning experiences are almost endless and continue as the seasons change—and
are also appropriate for people of all ages—children, families, adults, etc.
Bass Pro Shops offer fun things for families or couples to do—such as stay at a Big
Cedar Lodge. The Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Mo., offers “contemporary luxury” to
customers, and is also paired with Dogwood Canyon National Park, which offers fishing,
horseback riding, and trails for walking, biking or hiking.10 The Lodge has also won various
awards—they were named “Best of the Best” by the Wall Street Journal, “Top Ten Resorts in
America” by Southern Living, and more.11

My Target Audience Choice: Hunters
 Introduction
I decided to choose hunters as my target audience choice because I found it interesting
and the target audience should be pretty broad because the large variety of products that are sold
for hunters. At the same time, I could be wrong—research of psychographic and demographic
elements in the following paragraphs will bring the target audience to light.
 Psychographic Elements of Hunters
The first thing that is clear is that hunters like to hunt. Hunters also must have a pretty
good liking of the outdoors—all of these products, tree stands, ATVs, feeding plots, game calls,
etc., are used outside. A lot of camouflage options for hunting clothes also indicate that not only
do they like to be outside, but they are hunting in a sort of hidden, possibly forest-like area with a
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“Big Cedar Lodge – America’s Premier Wilderness Resort”
“Big Cedar Lodge—America’s Premier Wilderness Resort”
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bit of foliage. According to The National Shooting Sports Foundation, “hunters contribute over
$1 billion every year to wildlife conservation via license and excise taxes.”12 This shows that
hunters are important to conservation and most of them probably enjoy giving back to what they
love to do. Some hunters like to ride ATVs, because they sell them in the hunting category.13
Some may also enjoy having hunting companions such as dogs to help them in the hunt. Hunters
like camouflage and boots, according to Bass Pro Shops. Some hunters may enjoy collecting
knives, and perhaps take them with them on their trip. Different kinds of hunters like weaponry-either firearms or bows, whichever is suited to their hunting needs.
 Demographic Elements of Hunters
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife service provides a great source of demographics of hunters.
According to the resource, the largest number of participants of hunters ranges from 35-44 years
old.14 Delta Waterfowl Magazine says that the retention rate for hunters over 30 hasn’t changed
in a number of years, therefore hunters over 30 still make up a vast majority.15 The source also
explains that in 2006, 90 perfect of hunters were male, while only 10 percent were female. The
National Shooting Sports Foundation also did a study that shows male hunters (37 percent) are
more likely to buy a hunting license each year, while only 15 percent of females make the
purchase.16 For marital status, the demographics state that most hunters were married—and the
rate of marriage for people 16 years or older was 70 percent. Bass Pro Shop’s Facebook page has
a cover photo that reads “Hunt 365--United We Hunt,” with an outline of the U.S. as part of the
“A Portrait of Hunters and Hunting License Trends: National Report”
“Bass Pro Shops -- Hunting”
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“Deer Hunting in the United States”
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Nelson, Dan
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Nelson, Dan
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artwork.17 That tells me that a lot of Americans like to hunt. According to the U.S. Fish &
Wildfire Service, most hunters in the U.S. are interested in hunting deer.18
 How Target Aligns with Bass Pro Shops’ Offerings
Hunters align with Bass Pro Shops’ offerings in many ways. There is a strict section of
products and services for hunters alone—including all kinds of hunting gear, hunting information
and tips, a blog area for hunters who want to share and learn information directly from other
hunters, and a gun repair shop. There is also a wide range in price of the hunting products, which
is great to make hunting gear affordable for anyone who likes to hunt.

Geographic Choice Explanation
 Metro area priority No. 1: Little Rock, Arkansas
I decided to choose Little Rock, Arkansas because 28.7% of 155,009 households like to
hunt, telling me that there are about 44,487 hunters living in the city.19 There are also other
cities in Arkansas, including Monroe and Jonesboro with a high population of hunters—
with around 17,000 hunters in Monroe and almost 10,000 in Jonesboro, together making
27,000 hunters.20 If you combine all cities, there are 71,487 in just those three cities alone.
This tells me that other surrounding cities are probably likely to have a good population of
hunters.
 Metro area priority No. 2: Birmingham, Alabama
“Bass Pro Shops – Facebook.com”
“Deer Hunting in the United States”
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“Lifestyle Profiles – Hunting/Shooting Demographics”
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“Lifestyle Profiles—Hunting/Shooting Demographics”
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I decided to choose Birmingham, Alabama, because there is a Bass Pro Shop located about
20 minutes from the Metro, in Leeds, Alabama.21 The population of hunters in Birmingham
is about 29,194.22 There is also a second BPS located about an hour and a half from the
location in Leeds, telling me that there is a great population of hunters in the area, otherwise
they wouldn’t need to have two BPS locations within such a short distance of each other.
 Metro area priority No. 3: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
I decided to choose Harrisburg, Pennsylvania because there are about 41,386 hunters in the
metro area alone.23 (The Lifestyle Market Analyst 2007 considers the metro area
Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York).24 The state of Pennsylvania is also situated in the
northeast of the United States, and according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation,
the northeast is where most hunters, (both resident and non-resident), who hunted last year
are expected to return to hunt again in the same region the following year.25
 Bass Pro Shops Media Plan
 Introduction: For this media plan, I have chosen 25 different media vehicles to target
hunters in the three metropolitan areas. I sought out four different hunting-specific TV
shows to place ads in during commercials. I chose one radio station in each metro, all
specific to country format. For magazine ads, I chose eight different magazines about
hunting or strictly related to hunting. I chose three appropriate newspaper outlets to target
hunters each metro city. I bought internet banners from seven different websites that I think
Google Maps
“Lifestyle Profiles—Hunting/Shooting Demographics”
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“Lifestyle Profiles—Hunting/Shooting Demographics”
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“Lifestyle Profiles – Hunting/Shooting Demographics”
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A Portrait of Hunters and Hunting License Trends: National Report”
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hunters are likely to visit. I even bought several keywords that I believe hunters might
search for when surfing the web. I have chosen each of these media vehicles specifically to
target hunters in different ways from various media types.
 Media Type Priorities: Radio is the top media priority for this media plan. I decided to buy
a total of 600 insertions in all three metros combined because I believe radio is important
when considering the target—which is married men from the ages 35-44. These men
probably listen to the radio to pass time on the way to work in the morning. I was also able
to buy a pretty substantial number of ads for the price. Overall, I found that radio was a
good top priority choice for these reasons. My second priority choice is Google keywords.
Also for a great price, I was able to buy 18,400 insertions. In fact, I spent the least amount
of money for this media type yet bought the most insertions for it. I think Google keywords
are vital considering the growth of technology and the increasing use of the internet. Many
hunters may use internet searches for unknown questions about hunting, hunting gear,
hunting stories—anything at all relating to hunting.
 Specific Media Choices:

Magazine Choices: I chose seven different hunting or hunting-related magazines for
this media plan. I decided to place three back page ads in Field & Stream, because the
magazine is appropriate for hunters and has a big circulation and pass-along estimate. I
chose to run four 4th-cover ads in Deer & Deer Hunting, because it is hunting-specific
which means it specifically is targeting the audience I need. I did exactly the same thing
for Bow & Arrow Hunting. I decided to place three one-page inside ads in Shotgun
News, because many of these readers are hunters. I chose Outdoor Life to place two
(full page) back page ads. Like Field & Stream, this is a popular magazine and it is
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appropriate for hunters. I chose to place two inside ads in Bowhunter, because it
directly targets hunters. I also chose Buckmaster’s Whitetail Magazine for two backpage ads because this magazine is also hunting-specific. I decided to choose seven
different magazines to really get the ads out there. Most are only about hunting, but I
placed ads in others, such as Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, to make more of a
variety.

Newspaper Choices: I decided to choose one newspaper in each metro area for this
media plan. For The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Birmingham News, and The Patriot, I
chose to run all ads in the sports section on Sundays. I think this is appropriate because
it is likely that the target is interested in sports and has time off on Sunday to read
newspapers. The size of ads in each publication vary—in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
each ad will be 80 inches; Birmingham News—60 inches; and The Patriot—82 inches.

Radio Choices: For radio, I decided to choose popular country stations in each
metropolitan area because I think that particular format aligns the best with hunters. I
have 100 insertions in both AM and FM day parts KSSN in Little Rock, 200 insertions
for the AM day part for WZZK in Birmingham, and 200 insertions for the AM day part
for WRBT in the Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle area—a total of 600 insertions for each
metro area. I decided that AM is the best time to advertise to hunters in all cities based
on my research--hunters are married men from the ages 35-44, who most likely have a
job to drive to in the morning. This means they probably listen to the radio the most
during this time. For Little Rock, I decided to have insertions in the KSSN country
station for both AM and FM day parts because the ratings of the station were so high—
a 10—and hunters will probably listen to the radio not only on the way to work, but on
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the way home as well. For Birmingham’s country station, WZZK, I chose 200
insertions. Even though the ratings are only a 6.9, the station has about 7,000 more
listeners than the stations of the other two metro areas. I decided to have 200 insertions
in the WRBT country station for the Harrisburg area because the ratings were a high9.4. Initially, I was going to buy more insertions for each metro area, but had to cut the
number down to stay within budget—these particular radio insertions don’t come very
cheap.

explain each choice, indicate number of insertions, formats and day parts

TV Choices: For TV, I decided to buy ads during Destination Whitetail, Bone
Collector, Beyond the Hunt, and Whitetail Freaks. Each of these shows target hunters
because they are strictly about hunting and they air in all three cities--Little Rock,
Birmingham, and Harrisburg. I also chose to run 30 ads for each show in all three cities,
making a total of 120 insertions in the media plan altogether. I thought it was a good
idea to buy four different hunting-specific shows to place ads in to higher the
probability of hunters seeing the ads.

Web Site Choices: I chose to run banner ads in seven different websites-huntingclub.com, biggamehunt.net, outdoorlife.com, fieldandstream.com,
gunsandammo.com, buckmasters.com, and sportsmansguide.com. Huntingclub.com,
biggamehunt.net, and buckmasters.com, are directly about hunting. The websites,
Outdoorlife.com, fieldandstream.com, gunsandammo.com, and sportsmansguide.com,
all tie closely to hunting in some way, making all of them align appropriately with the
target. I decided to choose gunsandammo.com because men who are interested in
looking up information on guns and ammunition are probably interested in hunting.
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With the growth of technology and the increasing popularity of the internet, I felt
having this many different websites was a good choice. I decided to run the banner ads
mainly during the end of October through mid-December because that when the
majority of hunting season dates are open for all three cities.

Google Keywords: I chose several different keywords, nine to be exact, that hunters
are likely to search for. The keywords I included are: Heated hunting gloves, wireless
game camera, wool hunting clothes, ladder tree stands, deer food plot seed, compound
bows for sale, Coleman gas lantern, electronic deer calls and deer blind plans. When
researching in Google’s AdSense program, all of these keywords had medium to high
competitive-buying rates with pretty high numbers of total clicks per month, which is
why I chose to buy them.
 Media Plan Schedule: The four consecutive months I have chosen are September, October,
November and December. I chose these months because they are prime hunting dates for
each state of the metro areas I have chosen. According to the Arkansas Game and Fish
commission, the earliest bow hunting season begins is at the end of September and lasts
through February; Dates for muzzleloader, or a gun that is loaded through its muzzle, ranges
from a few days to up week in either the months of October or December—all dates vary
depending on the region of the state for each type of hunting.26 In Alabama, bow hunting
season runs from mid-October through the end of January in most regions, and
muzzleloader dates are Nov. 18th-Nov. 22nd in every county.27 For Pennsylvania, bow
hunting season runs through various dates through the months of September through
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“Season Dates and Bag Limits”
“Deer Hunting Seasons”
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January, and muzzleloader season runs during various dates from October through
December, depending on certain conditions, including region of the state and if a hunter is
hunting antlerless or antlered deer.28 Hunting seasons vary in each state, but the four-month
period of September through December is the best time to advertise to these hunters because
it is the time when a lot of them will be hunting. Most hunting dates don’t begin in
September, but I thought it was important to advertise to them early enough so they can be
prepared when their season opens. October, November and December are prime hunting
season dates for each state. December is also a good month to advertise to hunters because it
is Christmas time—a lot of 35-44 year-old, married men who enjoy hunting may be asking
their wives or other relatives for some special hunting products during the holiday season—
and a lot of products may have holiday sales since hunting season is gearing down around
this time.
 Justification of Money Spent: For the media plan, I am recommending $1,588,152 be
spent. This amount is efficient because it includes advertisements in a wide variety of
different media vehicles that are bound to reach the target audience. I have chosen each
media vehicle to target hunters specifically, and in this plan, there are several ways of doing
that. Hunters should receive these ads in different instances during their day-to-day
activities.
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“2013-2014 Hunting Season & Bag Limits”
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Bibliography
“A Portrait of Hunters and Hunting License Trends: National Report” nssf.org. National
Shooting Sports Foundation. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Aiken, Richard. Harris, Anna. “Deer Hunting in the United States: Demographics and Trends”
Digitalmedia.fws.gov. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
“Bass Pro Shops” –Bass Pro Gunsmith Shop” blogs.basspro.com. BPS Direct, L.L.C., 2013.
Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
“Bass Pro Shops” Facebook.com/bassproshops. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
“Bass Pro Shops – Hunting” Basspro.com. BPS Direct, L.L.C., 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
“Bass Pro Shops – Independence, Mo” Basspro.com. BPS Direct, L.L.C., 2013. Web. 2 Oct.
2013.
“Bass Pro Shops – Shop” Basspro.com. BPS Direct, L.L.C., 2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
“Bass Pro Shops – The Story” Basspro.com. BPS Direct, L.L.C., 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
“Bass Pro Shops – 1 Source” Basspro.com. BPS Direct, L.L.C., 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
“Big Cedar Lodge – America’s Premier Wilderness Resort” Bigcedar.com. Web, 2013. 2 Oct.
2013.
“Deer Hunting Seasons” eregulations.com. Alabama Hunting & Fishing Digest. 2013. Web. 12
Nov. 2013.
Google Maps. Google.com. Web, 2013. 2 Oct. 2013.
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Nelson, Dan. “Hunting Participation Continues Long-Term Retreat” Delta Waterfowl Magazine.
n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
“Season Dates and Bag Limits” agfc.com, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, 2013. Web. 11
Nov. 2013.
“2013-2014 Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits” portal.state.pa.us. Calendar and PA Hunting and
Trapping Seasons, 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.