Zoe Bauer
Mrs. Niespodziany
Marketing Plan
4-14-14
Zoe Bauer
Marketing Plan
Step 1 – The organization I would like to compile a marketing plan for is the Phoenix
Suns. The Suns are an NBA franchise located in Phoenix, Arizona. The reason that I
picked this organization is because I will be interning for them this summer.
Step 2 – Internal scanning will include: players, coaches and trainers. This includes
basically any type of staff that is affiliated within the Suns organization. External
scanning will include: other players and staff of the Suns’ competition and local
businesses in the area. When describing the external, it is anything or anyone that can
potentially take money away from the Suns. In order to have a beneficial internal
department, we must make sure that we have proper facilities for them to be attracted too.
Without the internal (players) the Suns will not make much money.
Step 3 – The three most important market trends that that affect the Suns organization
include:
 Globalization of the game
 Adam Silver
 Apparel
- Globalization of the game has really taken off in the NBA. Many players are beginning
to come to America to play because the pay is better. The Suns currently have 4 players
on the roster that are from a foreign country.
- Adam Silver is the NBA’s new commissioner. Recently retired, David Stern held the
position for the last 30 years.
- This past year has been a strange year for the NBA when it comes to uniforms. The
league recently introduced T-shirt jerseys and Nickname jerseys.
Step 4 – My main objective as an employee for the Phoenix Suns is to help fill their seats
and bring revenue in. My business is a business that should bring in millions of dollars
annually due to the popularity of the NBA. Also, because of the Suns recent
achievements, people in the area are more likely to want to take part in that success by
attending the games. The product is simply basketball. My goal is to help think of
different ways in which I can captivate the attention of customers.
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Step 5 – “The Phoenix Suns organization is a sports entertainment company that is
committed to winning, cultivating new basketball supporters, and providing superior
entertainment, value and service.”
We will emphasize the following:
 By providing our guests with superior entertainment in a clean, safe, and comfortable
environment, win or lose, regardless of their interest level in basketball.
 By helping our sponsors build their brands and grow in their business.
 By putting our fans and sponsors first every single day and meaning it!
 By making our community a better place to live.
 By involving our guests in the game as active participants.
 By working hard to make NBA basketball the most popular sport in the Phoenix
community.
Step 6 - Strengths of the Phoenix Suns organization include:
 This past season’s success.
 Potential playoff team.
 Extremely bright future.
 3 first round picks in the 2014 NBA Draft plus 28 million dollar cap space.
 Up and coming NBA team = more potential customers/fans
 Recent spike in attendance.
 Population of Phoenix rises during the winter.
Weaknesses include:
 Not very much success in past seasons.
 The team is very young.
 The Western Conference is very competitive.
 New coaching staff and administration.
 Not a primer NBA market yet
Opportunities include:
 Chance to get some good draft picks in the 2014 draft.
 Make the playoffs this year.
 Make the playoffs on a year-to-year basis.
 Increase fan support.
 Increase revenue.
 Attract more sponsorship due to recent success.
Threats include:
 Players getting injured.
 Missing the playoffs.
 Draft picks not panning out.
 Seats not getting filled.
 No revenue.
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Step 7 – The objectives for the Suns organization is simple – win basketball games and
ultimately win NBA championships. Each franchise is judged based on how many titles
they have won. However, my objective when coming up with a market plan is to sell
tickets and promote Phoenix Suns basketball. Filling the American Airlines Arena on a
nightly basis is something that is essential to the organization. Filling the arena means
that I am doing my job which means that the Suns organization is profiting.
Step 8 – Gaining customer loyalty is something that is crucial no matter what the
business is. If customers don’t feel comfortable purchasing a product then they will just
stop giving their business. However, with an NBA franchise it is a bit different because
with the exception of the city of Los Angeles, there isn’t another place NBA fans can
take their business. If a customer were treated badly by the Clipper organization they can
simply take their business to the Lakers. If the fans want to view an NBA game in their
city they are going to go no matter what the situation is. However, it is not about that.
Establishing relationships with customers is something that I would take very seriously. I
would especially make sure to form relationships with the law firms and area
corporations. Typically those businesses are the businesses that buy tickets in bulk; they
are the one’s that usually buy out the suits. Once the relationship is established, and
assuming the Suns are still winning, those customers and businesses are going to want to
keep purchasing from me.
Customer behavior is something that needs to be taken into account. There are many
factors that may influence their behavior when they attend a ball game including:
Influences
 Fan interaction at the games
 Clean bathrooms
 Quick and efficient service
 Affordable prices
 Multiple concession stands
 A variety of foods
 Proper facility arrangements
 Parking/Traffic setup
 The Suns continue to win (product)
 Polite facility workers/sales people
 Poor advertising
There are countless factors that play a role in a fans experience at a professional
basketball game. All of these influences will vary fan to fan; no customer is going to have
the exact same experience. Basically, the simpler and easier the overall experience is for
the fan, the more likely they are going to want to come back. Providing an enjoyable
experience is what is going to get people to come back.
Step 9 –If one day I were to be in charge of the Phoenix Suns marketing
department, I would distribute a marketing survey to hopefully maximize
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attendance and bring in more revenue. I would list 10 questions on each survey
because people tend to like things that are shorter and don’t take up their time. The
20 questions that I have came up with for my two surveys are as follows:
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When are you more likely to attend a game? During the day or night?
Who are you most likely to bring with you to a game?
Do you feel safe when you are at the arena?
Does the entertainment keep you involved in the event?
Are you more likely to attend a game on a giveaway night?
What are some items you would like to see given away?
Are you more likely to attend a playoff game?
Would you prefer waiter services for fans in their seats?
Would you attend a special feature night? Such as Hollywood Nights or
Spanish Night?
Where are you most likely to sit during a game? Lower or upper section?
Do you enjoy our primary concession sponsors?
Are you more likely to attend a conference matchup?
Will you ever consider purchasing season tickets?
What do you like most about game day?
What do you wish you could change about the game day experience?
Do you find yourself purchasing goods from our partners more?
Would you ever attend an away game?
Do you enjoy the discounts we offer through out partners?
Would you like to see any changes made on the American Airlines Arena?
Do you find it easy to park on game day?
Surveys are something that people must be careful with when distributing. The
reason for this is because nobody wants to take the time out to actually fill out the
survey. If I were to distribute the above survey I wouldn’t mail them or email them
because chances are, they wont get returned. I would set up multiple tents outside
of the arena and give the surveys to fans as they lined up to enter the game. As each
fan filled out the survey, I would hand out a free t-shirt or something of that nature.
Fans love free things and they are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it. This is
an ideal way to conduct a survey because the surveys are guaranteed to get filled
out.
Step 10 – Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. No matter what, there
are people that are always going to want to watch basketball. The main benefit of my
product is that basketball will provide the people of Phoenix with quality entertainment.
American Airlines Arena is a great place to take one’s family for an evening of fun.
Another benefit of professional basketball in the Phoenix community is that it will
provide for a great place for business people to entertain their sponsors or clients. With
the luxurious suits that the arena has to offer; it serves has an ideal place to hold casual
meetings. By offering a professional sports team, it opens the doors for many
employment opportunities. There are so many things that go into making just a single
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game successful, from the players themselves to the halftime performers to the
concession stand workers, they all play a key role in the achievements of the Suns
organization. Area businesses will benefit immensely off of the basketball games. From
the hotels to the restaurants, both businesses will see a spike in revenue during the NBA
season. Lastly, strictly based off of the location of the franchise, Phoenix tends to attract
more people during the winter months – which is NBA season. Basketball should provide
the vast amount of people with quality entertainment during their break from the winter
cold.
Step 11 – The Phoenix Suns run the sports market in the state of Arizona; they are the
main attraction. However, a few other competitive forces that may dip into their revenue
include the NHL franchise, Phoenix Coyotes, the NFL franchise, Arizona Cardinals, the
MLB team, Arizona Dimondbacks, the WNBA team, Phoenix Mercury, and the PAC 12
team, Arizona Wildcats. The Coyotes’ season takes place at the same time as the Suns.
Also, the Coyotes are currently sitting in fourth place, which is surly to impact the Suns.
As for the Dimondbacks and Cardinals, they will have some impact but not much
because their seasons tend to take place at the beginning and end of basketball season.
This past year in college basketball, the Arizona Wildcats had a very impressive season.
The team sat in the #1 spot for a majority of the season and earned a #1 seed in the 2014
NCAA tournament. Due to their accomplishments, many people in the Phoenix area
began to follow the team more closely, which caused a slight reduction in revenue for the
Suns organization.
(See chart attached on back)
Step 12 – The two main current partners of the Phoenix Suns are Casino Arizona –
Talking Stick Resort and Southwest Airlines. Coming up with fresh and exciting
marketing strategies with these two partners shouldn’t be too hard being how most
younger people (my target audience) have a high interest in either gambling or traveling.
If I am able to put together some kind of incentive with the partners then I think that all
three of us could benefit enormously off of it. For example, a frequent customer who
purchases a lot of tickets to the Suns game may be eligible for discounted flights or even
a free stay at the casino resort. It is acts and deals such as these that make the customer
want to come back.
Strengths of Southwest Airlines
 People are always going to travel
 Flights tend to be expensive – so why not try and help the customers out
 The airline company is very popular and offers free baggage transportation
 Planes tend to be very roomy and comfortable
 Very popular airline according to consumers
Weaknesses of Southwest Airlines
 You never know what you are going to get with airlines
 Flying is expensive
 Gas Prices
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Some people may not like to fly
Strengths of Casino Arizona
 They do a lot of business
 Relatively close to Las Vegas
 Casinos bring in large amounts of revenue
 A lot of gamblers in the West
Weaknesses of Casino Arizona
 Casinos are sometimes frowned upon by people
 Gambling is addictive and can ruin lives
 Gambling is expensive
 High risk, high reward
Step 13 – Perhaps the newest association with the Phoenix Suns would be the 6’3
standout, Goran Dragic. Dragic is averaging just shy of 21 points per game and has
helped the Suns to a potential playoff birth. Dragic is from Slovenia so he brings in many
fans from other countries. Another positive association would include the Suns mascot,
the gorilla. The gorilla is very well like throughout the Phoenix community and is one of
the NBA’s most popular mascots.
A negative association with the Suns would be mediocrity. Despite a few seasons
led by Charles Barkley and then later Steve Nash, the Suns have never been a premier
NBA team. They have typically been a mediocre team at best. Another negative
association would be the fact that they can never land superstar players. Teams like the
Lakers, Knicks, Clippers and Heat seem to always have franchise players. Unfortunately,
the Suns have never been able to do that with the exception of just a few players.
Managing Goran Dragic is something that the Suns are looking forward too. He is
a young kid with a lot of potential. His ability to lead his team on the court is something
that the Suns have been looking for and they have found it in a young player. Meanwhile,
the Gorilla is a pretty established fan favorite in Phoenix. He will continue to put on great
shows for the spectators in Phoenix.
Managing the negative aspects of the organization, such as losing and obtaining a
superstar player, is something that is going to take time. I believe, with Dragic, the Suns
are on the right path. In order to acquire a star player, the team must first be successful
because what star player is going to want to go to a losing franchise?
Step 14 – Promoting Phoenix Sun basketball is something that shouldn’t be overly hard
considering the popularity of the NBA. Like I have stated before, the Suns are coming off
one of there best seasons in the past 8 years so the interest in the team is on the rise.
One event in which I would conduct would be community projects. Each team in
the NBA participates in the “NBA Cares.” This is where members of the Suns partake in
community service projects throughout the Phoenix area. This may include visiting area
schools, hospitals, or even assisting in the building of a new home. Not only does it help
generate good throughout the community, but also it markets the Suns organization.
People see the players out there making a difference and in return they want to attend a
game. This advertising campaign is virtually free and it provides aid to the local
community.
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Another advertising scheme that I would use would be billboards. Almost every
sports team uses this type of advertising. My target audience for my product tends to fall
between the ages of 15-50. The reason that I would put out multiple billboards is because
many young people are always on the go and they are more likely to notice the
billboards. Paying for these billboards shouldn’t be a problem because it is a common
advertising expense.
The last promotion idea that I have in mind would be advertising all summer at
the Phoenix Mercury games. If they are WNBA fans then the chances are they are going
to be NBA fans. Also, the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game is located at the American
Airlines Arena. This would also be a key time more my team and I to spread the word of
Sun basketball! Not only would we advertise during the WNBA games, but we would
also have booths set up outside the arena and inside around the concourse. One way in
which we can gain customer attention would be to have free T-shirts. People always want
free stuff so by having them fill out a small paper with their e-mail address on it, we are
able to send them updates about the Phoenix Suns and remind them of upcoming games.
Once again, our success cannot be measured right away; this is something that is
going to take time. Advertising is an investment and only time will tell if it does in fact
pay off. When October and November rolls around and our seats are filled, we will know
that the advertising has paid off.
Step 15 – Our main sponsor is American Airlines. In 1992 when construction was taking
place for our brand new facility, American Airlines sponsored us and made it easier for
the organization to finance the new arena. Since American Airlines has been the main
sponsor of the Suns for more than 20 years now, anything else would just seem weird. It
would most likely make fans a bit uncomfortable because the “AA Arena” is all they
have ever known. American Airlines has been a huge part of our success simply because
of their loyalty to our organization. They understand the importance of customer
relationships and satisfaction. Many other arenas throughout the league are always
changing sponsors and we are just very pleased that American Airlines has stuck with the
Suns organization.
Step 16 – For further advertising of Phoenix Suns basketball, I would create a radio ad
that would play throughout the entire state of Arizona. I would have the Suns’ most
popular players read the radio ad so that the message is coming directly from them. The
radio ads script would go as follows:
“Hi I’m Goran Dragic, shooting guard for YOUR Phoenix Suns! I just want to send out a
friendly reminded to all you great fans out there that we are in action this Friday at the
American Airlines Arena at 7pm. So come out and support my teammates and myself as
we play host to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs! The first 500 of you guys that
walk through those doors will receive a personally signed basketball card from me! Don’t
miss out on this fun that is great for the entire family. I look forward to seeing you all
there! Go Suns!”
This radio ad will be approximately 35 seconds in length and will include various other
players as well. We will change the radio ad once or twice a month to keep it fresh and
exciting for all of our listeners.
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Step 17 – Evaluating the plan in the end is simple. The question is, did the marketing
team do every that was within their control to ensure that the Phoenix Suns made
profitable gains? Were the seats filled at the American Airlines Arena? Did we promote
our product to the people of Arizona in a sufficient manner? All of these questions can be
answered by looking at the financial records; we can compare them with past seasons.
Since the team had a good season, we would expect our profit to be slightly higher than
in most years.
If there are areas that we believe that we can improve on, we will take these
considerations into account and put them into effect immediately because at the end of
the day, it is all about filling the seats and making sure the Suns organization is in good
financial standing.
References
"THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE PHOENIX SUNS." THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE
PHOENIX SUNS. Casino Arizona, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.nba.com/suns/>
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