Mulaloo Surf Club
Name of the Writer
Name of the University
Executive Summary
This is a marketing and communication plan for the event being managed by the Mulaloo Surf Life Saving Club. The event in question that is being analysed in this plan is the 2020 SunSmart Nippers State Championships. This is an annual event held at the Scarborough beach, Western Australia. This competition is mostly focused at children under the age of twelve. A myriad of competitions is held within this event and participant from all over Australia gather at this event. The club has several strengths and weaknesses that are playing its part in their effort to manage this event. Furthermore, a pest and swot analysis has also been done of the club to gain an understanding of its situation. The budget for this event has been set at two hundred and five thousand dollars. Additionally, marketing techniques involving both online and offline would be employed. Even the use of PR and merchandising would be in full swing. Lastly, a risk assessment related to the marketing techniques has also been conducted. Lastly, methods of monitoring the effectiveness of the marketing and communicating techniques employed have been put in place.
Table of Contents (not included in word count)
Contents
TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc22927136 \h 4
Event Overview PAGEREF _Toc22927137 \h 4
Event Details PAGEREF _Toc22927138 \h 4
Event Background PAGEREF _Toc22927139 \h 5
Event Description PAGEREF _Toc22927140 \h 5
Event Stakeholders PAGEREF _Toc22927141 \h 5
Situational Analysis PAGEREF _Toc22927142 \h 5
SWOT Analysis PAGEREF _Toc22927143 \h 5
Strengths PAGEREF _Toc22927144 \h 5
Weaknesses PAGEREF _Toc22927145 \h 6
Opportunities PAGEREF _Toc22927146 \h 6
Threats PAGEREF _Toc22927147 \h 6
PEST Analysis PAGEREF _Toc22927148 \h 6
Political PAGEREF _Toc22927149 \h 6
Economical PAGEREF _Toc22927150 \h 7
Social and Environmental PAGEREF _Toc22927151 \h 7
Technological PAGEREF _Toc22927152 \h 7
Target Audience PAGEREF _Toc22927153 \h 7
Demographics PAGEREF _Toc22927154 \h 7
Psychographics PAGEREF _Toc22927155 \h 8
Other Information PAGEREF _Toc22927156 \h 8
Event Purpose and Objectives PAGEREF _Toc22927157 \h 8
Event Purpose PAGEREF _Toc22927158 \h 8
Objectives PAGEREF _Toc22927159 \h 9
Specific PAGEREF _Toc22927160 \h 9
Measureable PAGEREF _Toc22927161 \h 9
Achievable PAGEREF _Toc22927162 \h 9
Relevant PAGEREF _Toc22927163 \h 9
Time based PAGEREF _Toc22927164 \h 9
Marketing Budget PAGEREF _Toc22927165 \h 10
Sponsorship and Grants PAGEREF _Toc22927166 \h 10
Branding and Image PAGEREF _Toc22927167 \h 11
Marketing and Communication Strategy PAGEREF _Toc22927168 \h 12
Advertising (digital) PAGEREF _Toc22927169 \h 12
Advertising (offline) PAGEREF _Toc22927170 \h 12
Public Relations PAGEREF _Toc22927171 \h 12
Other PAGEREF _Toc22927172 \h 13
Risk and Crisis Management PAGEREF _Toc22927173 \h 13
Marketing based risk assessment PAGEREF _Toc22927174 \h 13
Crisis response plan PAGEREF _Toc22927175 \h 13
Monitoring & Control PAGEREF _Toc22927176 \h 14
Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc22927177 \h 14
Mulaloo Surf Club
Introduction
The Mulaloo surf lives saving club has had a rich history of over fifty years that has been dedicated to the area in the form of community service. This surf club provides opportunities in response to life. That may constitute saving lives on the surf, teaching and training of first aid techniques that are essential or even passing on skills that can be life-changing. These all attributed to the club having built up a sort of resilience and high-pressure thinking ability for the people working at this prestigious club. Furthermore, the values that they carry within themselves foster a sense full of confidence. This further reassures members that are new regarding the choice they have made and should be considered as an opportunity for life. Furthermore, Mulaloo surf lifesaving club has a deep understanding that it has a future beyond services just related to lifesaving on the beach. Furthermore, the core of its workings is to distinguish itself through qualities such as community service, leadership and volunteerism. Furthermore, as time continues, the Mulaloo surf lifesaving club is expected to remain the leading lifesaving club in the state and has worked even harder to gain national recognition. This report, however, is a marketing and communications report. This report focuses on the viability of a certain event at this club. Furthermore, this report analyses the event being held at the club by the name of the 2020 Sun Smart Nippers State Championships on the basis of different tools and techniques.
Event Overview
Event Details
The event that is to be analysed in this report is known as the 2020 Sun Smart Nipper State Championship. This event is going to be held at Scarborough Beach in Western Australia. The event would be in action for three days from the thirteenth of March 2020 till the fifteenth of March 2020. This is one of the most prestigious competitions in this season.
Event Background
This event is a long-held tradition of the area and has been conducted since long. It has been conducted in the most professional fashion in order to determine the winner. It is also a regular event that occurs each year and is particularly staged during the month of March. Furthermore, it is a community event and helps in promoting healthy competitions among the best clubs in the area.
Event Description
As part of this competition, children between the ages of six till twelve are given the chance to be able to compete in competitions related to surf sports. These children will be representing different clubs within the area and will compete against each other in order to win it. It is composed of events such as the ironman, Cameron relay, board rescue, surf race and surf teams, board race and board relays. Other events include beach flags, one km beach run and beach sprint and relay.
Event Stakeholders
There are several important stakeholders within this event. The primary stakeholder or the internal stakeholders include the children that are competing within this competition, the second stakeholders are the clubs that these children are representing and finally the state entities that are organizing this event. Other stakeholders or the external stakeholders include the parents of the children, the surrounding community where the competition is being held.
Situational Analysis
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The primary strength of Mulaloo surf lives saving club has been recognized as the one with the highest level of training within every discipline. It has a team comprised of experienced assessors and trainers (Gürel & Tat 2017). Furthermore, they have also developed a strong Nipper committee. Furthermore, the club conducts a myriad of fundraising activities as well.
Weaknesses
However, within the current training framework, there are insufficient Cert IV training and assessing award holders. Furthermore, there have been complaints of obsolete equipment used for training. Also, there seems to be a lack of qualities in nipper manager relating to the direction in leadership and communication. Lastly, the time taken to be able to gain the qualification of SRC/Bronze is way longer and deter people to become members.
Opportunities
The club is starting to offer new courses in the development of surf lifesaving Western Australia. Furthermore, there are plans to implement community training which includes community SRC and also first aid courses that will increase their footprint within the community. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to recruit volunteers and officials. The main focus of these would be from parents, however, parents of competitors would be a better choice as well.
Threats
The club is unable to effectively train candidates due to no presence of appropriate equipment. Furthermore, there is a high burnout ratio of the personnel who are key to the operations of the club. Member retention is at an all-time low as most of the members do not involve themselves in surf sports.
PEST Analysis
Political
Emergence of increased legislation that details requirements for volunteers working with children. These requirements entail police checks and need to be complied with. Other regulations including financial administration, government regulations and issues also need to be focused at (LIANG, et al, 2017). Furthermore, there is emerging support by the state government for rescuing organizations that operate offshore.
Economical
Clubs now have to employ administrators on part time basis. The costs associated with running clubs have become increasingly more expensive. Furthermore, grants such as LSV will cover costs related to administration and equipment. Also, there has also been a rise in families with both parents working. One of the reasons for this is the increasing cost of living.
Social and Environmental
There is a heightened awareness of obesity, drug abuse and alcohol in childhood. This is due to the greater working hours trend being employed in the society right now. This is leading to an increasing pressure on the finances of families and leading to them having no spare time. Furthermore, the major portion of young adults is moving towards Melbourne for higher education.
Technological
People are more inclined to places that have a higher quality of internet connection because internet access has become a point of interest for many members. Furthermore, there are more chances of higher media coverage through better quality of internet connection available. Additionally, there have been immense development and innovation in life saving equipment.
Target Audience
Demographics
Demographically, their target audience has been divided into two parts. The first are the patrolling life savers, in which the males are around twelve thousand and seven hundred and thirty four. Whereas, the females are six thousand six hundred and forty, which makes a total of nineteen thousand and three hundred and seventy five (Chekima, et al, 2016). The second are the proficient lifesavers, in which the bronze medallion owners are seventeen thousand eight hundred and ninety seven. While, Surf Rescue Certificate holder are around twenty one hundred and seventy. There are a variety of age groups currently under membership from under six years old to above eighteen years old. These people are mostly from the surrounding community and students that are attending the university nearby.
Psychographics
Their motivation stems from the fact that they want to keep healthy and be able to help people in need. Most of these people like activities related to athletics and want to pursue a further career in saving lives of people at the sea (Mittal, 2016). Furthermore, having the ability to swim and be able to go toe to toe with the currents of the sea is something that also motivates them.
Other Information
Other information regarding the target audience relates to their attitude to the club and its activities. Their members would like to be healthier rather than being beautiful. They would further like to spend more in order to attain more quality.
Event Purpose and Objectives
Event Purpose
The purpose of the competition is to give the Nippers (under 18) a platform for them to work hard and try their best in their chosen area. This is why they put their heart and soul into winning it and give tough competition to their fellow competitors. Also, they should show sportsmanship attributes which will raise the standards of the competition. This way, they can become role models for those who come after them ("SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Championships - My Beach", 2019). There is also the aspect that this event and competition will teach young swimmers, the importance for leaning from their failures and successes. It will also allow them to form new partnership and friendships that could last a lifetime. The most important aim of this event is to let these kids have fun while indulging in an activity that they are good at ("Nipper Competition • Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club", 2019).
Objectives
Specific
The most important objective is to get the highest turnaround for the event of both competitors and spectators compared to what the number was for last year.
Measurable
The total number of both spectators and number of competitors that have either bought a ticket or have been enrolled into the competition would be counted in comparison to the numbers of last year.
Achievable
This will be achieved by employing marketing and advertising tools. Furthermore, with intense competitive events and a healthy reward, this can be easily achieved.
Relevant
The goals are relevant to the event in such a sense that both the parties that are on focus are important aspects of a healthy competition. Their continued support makes a competition more enjoyable.
Time based
The goal is to achieve the specific objectives within the three days that the competition will be in operation. So, it is very important to complete these goals by that time.
Marketing Budget
The budget expenses for this event are accounted for the amount of 2500 USD. This amount includes expenses for different aspects of the events that are necessary to be carried out. Primarily a venue would cost around fifty thousand dollars. The AV and décor would cost around eighty nine thousand and twenty four thousand dollars. Then comes the food and beverage which would amount to thirty thousand dollars and the entertainment for around five thousand dollars. It is another three thousand dollars for the documentation related to the event. Finally a total of two thousand dollars has been allocated to the marketing and advertising. These are the total accounted expenses within the budget and this is the allocated budget for the whole event is.
Sponsorship and Grants
Currently, the major sponsor of this event is the state itself. This is clear from the fact that this is a state level competition. This will have major influence from their part in advertising, managing and other duties as well. The other major sponsor of this event is SunSmart, a cancer care provider in Western Australia. This company has been promoting the importance of sun protection. It further related this with the skin cancer and relayed through campaigns and events such as the 2020 Sun Smart Nipper State Championship prevention messages regarding skin cancer. The primary mission of SunSmart is to reduce the chances of the occurrence of skin cancer. It further tries to targets mortality and morbidity by an early detection program that is targeted specifically at individuals. Their sponsorship of this event is also for the cause spreading awareness regarding skin cancer and how its spread can be minimized. They will also contribute heavily towards the marketing and communication related to this event. The communication pathway used by them would be of social media, posters and televisions. They will also take part in branding the event and will take a major part in branding its message and its appearance to the spectators and the competitors. There is also a plan of setting up a raffle system in order to give away some free tickets to some lucky individuals.
Branding and Image
The primary feature of this event that makes this competition unique is that it is a state level event. That means the best talent of Nippers from all around the country will be coming in to fight for a chance to win the competition. Furthermore, this competition is much more than just about winning a prize but rather it is about preparing children and giving them the best tools in order for them to save someone’s life further as they age. These thing makes this competition more unique than any other competition currently in operation.
This event will be primarily held at Scarborough Beach, Western Australia. This is beautiful beach with the most astonishing views one can imagine. This is the best place for the positioning of such a prestigious event. Furthermore, the logo will be designed with the latest technology in graphic designing in order to attract as much of our target audience as possible. Additionally, the theme of the event will be more tilted towards having a fun summer day at the beach.
Sponsor logos will be prominently placed in every marketing and promotion of this event. Their logos will be distinct from the logo of the event itself. Furthermore, custom page wrappers would be created by keeping the logos of the sponsors in mind. Their images will also be included in the prize page of this event. Banner ads will be placed particularly everywhere in the contest. Lastly, the images and videos of the event sponsors would be clearly visible on the welcome page.
Marketing and Communication Strategy
Advertising (digital)
Within digital advertising, a number of methods would be approached in order to advertise the 2020 Sun Smart Nipper State Championship. Primarily Google ads would be a=used to advertise the event. This way both desktop and mobile users would be targeted and even can use device targeting to specifically target smartphones and tablets (Meyer, et al, 2016). Social media ads would be another beneficial way of advertising this event. This will include building pages related to the vent on Facebook, Instagram and twitter. Also, binge, the second most used search engine, can also be used for advertising the event. It might have a smaller market share but could help in spreading the marketing even further.
Advertising (offline)
There is also the offline pathway of advertising for this event. This will include setting upon billboards and digital signage posts. People anywhere in the world usually drive by at least one billboard during their journey in metropolitan cities. This is why billboards are the best offline method of advertising for this event. Word of mouth is also another successful offline advertising tool that can be used. These would come from employees of the event and spectators of the successful event of the same category last year.
Public Relations
News agencies, bloggers and other influencers in the field of reporting would be brought to the competition. This way they will give an unbiased view regarding the performance of the vents. Moreover, press briefings and other contact with the media will also help in attaining good PR.
Other
Special merchandise in relation to the event would be made. This merchandise would then be sold around the event area in different stalls and gift shops. Even signed t shirts of the winners of the competitions would be made available to the public.
Risk and Crisis Management
Marketing based risk assessment
Marketing is the most important part of any event management. This is because it relays the information regarding a competition to the outside environment. However, there are several factors of risk that are attached with even the marketing techniques and tools that this report has listed. Primarily, a risk can arise with the digital advertising part of the content uploaded on the site does not enough information regarding the event, even if the information present does not attract customers attention than that is also a risk (Lachlan, et al, 2016). Furthermore, by not using billboards at strategic positions would give rise to another risk as well. This will lead to a loss of money without any form of gain for the event and its success. Furthermore, if the event does not receive any good PR and is bashed by reporters and bloggers alike for some specific reason for example safety measures in place or anything else. This could also become a marketing nightmare for the event itself.
Crisis response plan
In times of crisis a crisis response plan is dearly needed. For the sake of this event a proper crisis response plan has been developed that will deal with crisis both within the internal environment of the event and the external environment of the event (Cook, 2015). In terms of any harm to the spectators or the participants themselves, proper measure such as ambulance and on site paramedics would be available. Furthermore, trained lifeguards would be monitoring the water as well to prevent any occurrence of mishap.
Monitoring & Control
The effectiveness and successfulness of the marketing and communication campaign would be measured in a plethora of ways. Primarily, social media traffic to the assigned pages of the event would be monitored. This can only be done with continued monitoring of the page till the start of the event. Furthermore, post event surveys could also be conducted in order to determine the success rate of the marketing and the communications campaign. These surveys will relay information regarding their mindset regarding the event (Zhang, 2018). Sales numbers would be another marketing analytical figure that would be used in order to calculate the effectiveness of the marketing and communications campaign. By comparing the number of tickets bought before the start of the event and comparing them to the last year numbers a clear picture could be derived about the status of the marketing and the communications campaign used.
Conclusion
This marketing and communication plan structure is directed at the Mulaloo Surf Life Saving Club and the event that they would be managing by the name of the 2020 SunSmart Nippers State Championships. This competition would be one of a kind and with a good marketing and communication plan, a high ratio of attendance is expected. Furthermore, through the use of marketing campaigns including both digital and offline, paired with good PR and merchandising the event is hoped to be a success.
References
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Nipper Competition • Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club. (2019). Retrieved 25 October 2019, from http://www.mullaloosurf.com.au/wordpress/juniors/nipper-competition/
SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Championships - My Beach. (2019). Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.mybeach.com.au/members/surf-sports/competitions/sunsmart-wa-surf-life-saving-championships/
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