MBA Students Give Rays a "Reality Check"

[Drewski]

Pretty cool...

http://coba.usf.edu/services/career/newsletter/July07/devilrays.htm

When students from Anand Kumar’s Brand Management class spent Saturday afternoons at Tropicana Field, they were doing more than taking in the sights and sounds of the ball park.  They were learning about the close link between brand image, brand perception and fan experience.

Students presented their findings to nearly a dozen members of the Devil Rays’ leadership team in July, including team president Matt Silverman.

In partnership with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, graduate students spent the semester doing field interviews, analyzing data, and making recommendations about ways to reach the baseball team’s target audiences.  Focusing on demographic groups that aligned with the Ray’s business plan, such as retirees, working professionals, and serious sports fans, the students summarized their findings and made recommendations to top Devil Rays management on better ways to reach these particular fan segments.

According to James Marks, a student whose group focused on successful business professionals who use tickets as employee and customer incentives, the project was a terrific hands-on project.

“This type of project is an excellent learning opportunity for us as students, provided that the sponsoring company is as willing a participant as the Devil Rays,†he said.  “The team’s executives provided us with access to the stadium and answered all of our questions about the inner-workings of the team.â€Â

Darcy Raymond, vice president of branding and fan experience, spent four hours at USF giving students an overview of baseball operations as well as teaching them about the Devil Rays brand, branding strategy, and target markets.

Rays vice president Darcy Raymond visited with students and talked about the business of baseball as the market research project launched. "Every member of the Devil Rays staff was as eager to help as Mr. Raymond,†Marks said.  “It was obvious that they were just as excited about our project as we were.†Competing against the noise of the stadium as the New York Yankees practiced on the field before a recent game, students presented their findings to Raymond, Kumar, and members of the Devil Rays management team, including Matt Silverman, president of the team.  Summarizing both quantitative and qualitative surveys, the students made marketing, promotions, and community relations recommendations regarding how to reach these fan segments.

“We found that although ‘Sammy Successful’ greatly enjoys the game day experience, socializing with friends, and treating clients to a sporting event, his real driver for attending games is much more simpleâ€â€a true love of baseball,†said Marks.

The students then made recommendations on where to find this market and messages to use to reach them.

Perhaps an indicator of the quality of the students’ work, nearly a dozen members of the Rays management team listened to the presentations, asked follow-up questions, and sought out details about some of the new ideas the students presented.

“This was as good as any presentation by a national consulting firm,†Raymond said as the students concluded their presentations.  “We were blown away.  You’ve not only given us a reality check of what’s happening vs. perception, but you’ve also given us some great ideas on what really works.â€Â

Mark Fernandez, Rays senior vice president of sales, agreed.

“Your work just confirmed some of the activities we are doing are on track, such as expanding our sales efforts to target small business owners,†he said.

According to Marks, the best part of the project was knowing the Devil Rays managers found value in the project.

“The research we conducted is likely to shape the way the Devil Rays market their brand to each fan segment,†he said.  “It is exciting for students to have such an impact on an organization.â€Â

[BullsWinBucsWin]

I filled one of their surveys out a few weeks ago when I was at the game.  They asked something like "what 3 things do you think of when you think of baseball."  I think I wrote "Sun, Fresh Air, and Natural Grass."

Hopefully they got the hint. 

[thatBULL]

It was a good project to work on.  I believe the class came up with a lot of interesting answers and suggestions.  If only the class was longer, more research and further development of a marketing plan and brand audit could have been done.