Prince Sports Marketing Movement

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(c) Prince sports already has their own website, uses social networks, runs ads in regional and national tennis publications, and develops advertising campaigns for online sites and broadcasting outlets. Advances in technology throughout the 2010s will continue to enable Prince to reach people by the multitudes. Customers are also becoming empowered through the internet and can now research companies and their products with ease, and then share their experiences with others.

(d) There has been a major shift in the Canadian population from rural to urban areas which will continue throughout the 2010s. The shift to census metropolitan areas also moves people closer to Prince Sport store locations. This gives them larger segments of the Canadian population to market to more efficiently and effectively.

The trends that work against the success of Prince Sports are: (a) Obesity (b) An aging population and (c) A growing ethnic population

(a) Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in Canada while it becomes a major public health threat. Obese people are less likely to participate in sports for various reasons, like lower energy levels, health problems and insecurity about their weight.

(b) Canada is expected to face a high growth rate of the elderly age group. Generally, the older you get, the more health problems and risks arise. This might deter older people from playing sports.

(c) The principle source of growth in the Canadian population will be from immigration. The language and culture barriers of the growing diversity will create a challenge for companies like Prince Sports who will have to put more time and research into ethnic marketing.

2. The marketing activities that Prince Sports could use to promote tennis playing in North America should be targeted at the growing Canadian market segments. Prince sports could appeal to the Baby Boomer generation with a campaign where active and fit Boomers themselves promote the benefits of fitness. They could also offer discounted lessons for family members. This way the boomers could bond with their children or grandchildren over a game of tennis, which would also appeal to their desire to do things that make them feel young. Another area where they could expand their marketing activities would be the ethnic market. They could hire a diverse staff who would be able to give demos and lessons in different languages.

3. Promotional activities that Prince Sports could use to reach recreational players should utilize the power of social media. Prince could have contests where a post about one of their products is shared on Facebook and for every person who continues to share and “like” the post, they are entered to win the product. They could also promote by offering group lessons to singles. Not only are you getting a workout, but there’s the added appeal of finding a romantic interest. Another important market, the juniors, could be reached through social media as well, depending on the age. Prince could also donate racquets to schools and offer to give lessons in gym classes.

4. In order to gain distribution and sales in mass merchandisers like Target or Walmart, Prince Sports offers co-op advertising, point-of-purchase displays, in-store signage, consumer brochures and “space planograms” to help retailers plan the layout of their products. In smaller tennis specialty shops they offer a supply of demo racquets, detailed catalogues, posters, racquet and string guides, merchandising fixtures and hardware, and even “player standees” which are life-size cut-outs of professional tennis players.

5. In reaching global markets outside of North America Prince should select countries based on their interest and participation in tennis. The Grand Slam tournaments held in Australia, France, the UK and the US, are considered the four most important annual tennis events. They create the most public and media attention and are a marketing dream for tennis companies. Prince already sponsors over 100 professional athletes competing in these competitions. Other ways they could reach these markets is by holding demo events or tennis clinics in these countries, creating hype for their products.