Thank You

Since we have arrived at the end of the semester I'd like to take a moment to thank the members of my peer-review team from the Social Marketing course. Your feedback and comments have been invaluable in the development of my project. This is a project that I plan to pursue and implement over the course of the next year so I will try to continue updating this blog and I would appreciate any future feedback or thoughts that you may have. Thanks again!!

Pricing

The strategy for pricing for the AAVC is a little complicated because we are seeking donations from local companies that are interested in sponsoring cycling activities in Ann Arbor. At this point we have organized our pricing scheme by defining different levels of donors and specifying what donors can expect from the AAVC at each donation level. Below is an initial draft of what we are thinking:

Sponsorship Levels

Presenting Sponsor ($5000 cash or equivalent in-kind donation, only one per team or event)
• Logo or brand displayed prominently on club jersey (center front and back and on leg panels of shorts).
• Logo presented on AAVC website, brochures and race announcements.
• Team members available to sponsors for use in advertising or promotional materials and events.

Premier Sponsor ($3000 cash or equivalent in-kind donation)
• Logo or brand displayed prominently on club jersey (jersey front and back, or jersey sides).
• Logo presented on AAVC website, brochures and race announcements.

Supporting Sponsor ($1000 cash or equivalent in-kind donation)
• Logo or brand displayed prominently on club jersey (upper chest, upper back, or sleeves).
• Logo presented on AAVC website, brochures and race announcements.

Associate Sponsor ($500 cash or equivalent in-kind donation)
• Logo or brand displayed prominently on club jersey (rear pockets)
• Logo presented on AAVC website, brochures and race announcements.

Channel Emphasis

Because the strategy for the AAVC is acquisition/stimulate demand, our focus will have to be on educating potential donors about the value of sponsoring the AAVC and cycling broadly. Since we are seeking donors, it seems to me like our proposition is fairly low-involvement and the cost is highly variable and relative depending on the donor, though generally my feeling is that the donors will see this as a low-cost investment. There are not many organizations that the AAVC is dependent on to operate or offer our products (teams and events). So using the Big Picture framework I think this means that we have a short channel and relatively narrow distribution.

4P's (part 1)

Product attributes:

Essentially for the AAVC I see our "products" as our teams and events. These are the things that donor funds will go to support. Conceptualizing these elements as "a bundle of benefits" is a little complicated but I think of the teams and events as different modes of outreach and advocacy for the sport of cycling. At a different level the teams and events provide a promotional outlet for the donor because the team uniforms and event branding can be used to incorporate the name and logos of the donor. Because we are implementing an acquisition/stimulate demand strategy our focus will be on 'search attributes' that we can demonstrate to potential donors before they make the donation. Examples of these attributes will be things like the number of members in AAVC and the number and attendance levels of events put on by AAVC.

STP (part 3)

Positioning and the five-box:

For the ideal donor to the AAVC (our customer in this framework), I've put together this five-box exercise to help with identifying the positioning strategy that the organization should adopt.

1. Current Do: I'm not a donor to the AAVC

2. Current Belief: I'm not aware of how to support cycling in Ann Arbor or the impact that my donation can have.

3. Consumer Proposition: Supporting the AAVC is a great way to support cycling in Ann Arbor and even a relatively small donation can make a huge impact.

4. Desired Belief: AAVC is a great way to support cycling in Ann Arbor and my donation can be very impactful.

Somehow this doesn't seem quite specific enough but maybe that's not the point of this part of the strategy development.

5. Desired Do: Donate to AAVC

STP (part 2)

Target audience description:

"Scott is 49, he lives on the north side of Ann Arbor with his wife and 3 kids. Scott owns and operates a successful physical therapy practice in Ann Arbor that has primarily focused on serving elderly patients, but he has been looking to expand the practice into the rapidly growing area of sports injuries. He has always biked recreationally but has recently taken an interest in competitive cycling. While he has heard of the Ann Arbor Velo Club, he is not really aware of what it does, one of his friends (a local dermatologist) just joined the AAVC which has Scott considering it as well. Scott usually donates $5,000-10,000 annually to a variety of national and local organizations that support active and healthy lifestyles. He is involved with a local high school, providing physical therapy services and even working as an assistant coach for the cross-country team when his daughter was running. He considers himself very health conscious and an advocate of sports as a way of staying healthy."

AAVC Mission

Someone had asked to see the mission for the AAVC so I pulled this from their website:

To develop skills and abilities across all groups (junior riders, senior men and women and masters racers) and to give members the opportunity to develop these skills and abilites through organized coaching, scheduled training rides and clinics and a variety of racing opportunities. Riders with the ability and desire to go further with their racing, are encouraged to join an elite team when ready to do so.