Posted: October 20th, 2022

Grappling with Growth

Order Description
Read the case study, Grappling with Growth: The innovate use of traditional and new media got marketing to enhance interactions with consumers (Cooper, 2012). The case study investigates the challenges of an Olympic sport attempting to grow its brand, increase attendance, and cultivate its social media followers. While the case study centers on an Helpant wrestling coach, you can easily integrate any Olympic sport into your responses.
What are potential strategies that the wrestling program can implement via social media marketing to improve interaction with key stakeholder on a regular basis
In your new position to the institution, how do you plan on using traditional marketing strategies to reach your goal of having an average attendance of 1,000 for the upcoming season
What are the differences between the three major social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and how can your program use them individually and collectively to improve marketing efforts How would you prioritize which social media platform investment of time and resources
This 4-6 page paper should include evidence from the Required Studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.
Click here for information on course rubrics.
References
Cooper, C. (2012). Grappling with growth: The innovative use of traditional and new media marketing to enhance interactions with consumers. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

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Volume 1 Case Study 5
IN SPORT MANAGEMENT Case STUDIES
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Grappling With Growth: The Innovative Use of Traditional and New Media Marketing to Enhance Interactions With Consumers
Coyte G. Cooper University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Upon being hired as an Helpant wrestling coach at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divi- sion I program, you have learned that your head coach has given you the task of spearheading the marketing efforts for the upcoming season. With little knowledge in this area, you have decided to apply to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Leadership Academy in August at their annual convention. After being accepted, you have learned that a primary emphasis of the academy is providing coaches with the skill sets necessary to be the CEO of their program. As you attend the different sessions at the academy, there are a variety of different traditional and new media marketing initiatives that are presented as potential strategies to grow programs at the local level. With a goal of increasing attendance and social media followers, you are now presented with the challenge of developing a plan to better market the program moving forward.
Keywords: marketing, social media, college athletics, wrestling, college and high school, North America, communications and public relations
Background Information
You have recently been hired as an Helpant coach at a mid-major National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college wrestling program in the Midwest. Upon being hired, your head coach has informed you that you will have three primary duties: Helpance in recruiting, development of middle weight wrestlers, and implementation of marketing initiatives. While the first two areas are common practice in college wrestling, the third duty is a requirement where you have little expertise and as a result it is the one where you are least comfortable that you can succeed. In a recent meeting, you have expressed these concerns and your head coach has reiterated that it is a priority area for the program. In addition, he has added that it is important for the program to be proactive in marketing due to the fact that athletic department employees are required to spend a large portion of their time on promoting the men’s basketball and football programs. In the past, the marketing department has been actively involved in helping to provide supplementary materials (e.g., schedule cards, posters) to help with the basic promotion of Olympic sport programs. However, with a limited marketing staff (and budget), the department is only able to provide Helpance four one to two highlight dual meets a year. In coordination with this Helpance, your head coach is looking to improve the brand of the program and it looking to you to provide a boost in new marketing initiatives. However, in response to your concerns, he has decided to send you to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) annual convention to help develop your skill sets in the area of marketing. In addition, he has reached out to NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer to see the possibility of getting you admitted into the Leadership Academy that is hosted in coordination with the convention.
Cooper is an Helpant professor of sport administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
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Information on NWCA Leadership Academy
In response to the inquiries, the NWCA has sent a packet of informational materials related to the annual convention and Leadership Academy. While there is certainly some familiarity with the educational presentations offered at the convention, you have little knowledge about the Leadership Academy that is currently being offered by the NWCA. Upon researching the academy, you have learned that it is a scholarship-based program that is offered to 60 qualified applicants who are interested in strengthening their business skill sets. In addition, your search revealed an article that provided this explanation on the basic goals for the Leadership Academy:
The purpose of the academy is to utilize “peer group discussion” among college coaches, athletic administrators, and CEOs to develop “best practices” for protecting and strengthening intercollegiate wrestling programs through this challenging economy.  Specifically, the goal of the Leadership Academy is to help coaches strengthen their CEO skills and better align their programs with educational values of their academic institutions (i.e., improve eligibility and graduation rates) (NWCA News, 2009).
Following your research, you have decided that the academy would be a great way to learn about potential strategies to improve marketing efforts for your program. After discussing your excitement of attending the convention to your head coach, he has informed you that the NWCA has accepted you as one of their 60 members of the Leadership Academy. With that being the case, he has decided that it would be a good idea to schedule a meeting to discuss the current status of the program from a marketing (and business) standpoint prior to your departure.
Program Information Meeting
During your pre-Leadership Academy meeting, your head coach has provided you information on the previous year’s efforts. Based on the conversation, you have learned that the program’s marketing plan consisted of four basic initia- tives throughout the previous season:
1. Distribution of posters in community to promote program 2. Reaching out to local media about upcoming dual meets and competition results 3. Creation of Facebook page with basic program information 4. T-shirt giveaway promotions at events to increase interest in attendance
When discussing these initiatives, the head coach explained that the average attendance increased from approximately 500 to 750 as a result to the initial investment in marketing. In addition, he also stated that the Facebook page followers increased from 0 to 476 during the season. With these in mind, the program’s initial upcoming goal is to increase aver- age dual meet attendance to at least 1,000 during the upcoming season and to have at least 1,500 Facebook followers (“likes”) and 500 Twitter followers by the NCAA Championship in March. With social media playing an integral role in building brand with younger generations of consumers, there is an emphasis on creating a strong presence on both Facebook and Twitter. To engage them effectively, it is important that you focus on providing a unique experience for potential consumers who would like more engagement opportunities with the program. Given the age difference among members of your staff, your coach has decided that you would be the ideal person to handle the social media aspect of the marketing program. Thus, it is your job to determine the strategies that the program will implement to reach the goals in social media. However, with limited information available on marketing non-revenue, Olympic sport programs, you have decided that the convention (and Leadership Academy) will be the best resource available to help develop a strategic marketing plan for your program. In preparation for the event, you have received a “pre-leadership academy” packet that you are required to read before arriving at the convention.
NWCA “Pre-Leadership Academy” Packet
One of the primary emphases in the packet was that coaches must know the environment that they are operating within if they are going to be successful. Within this context, NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer provided an initial
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message that urged coaches to immediately respond to the unique challenges that they face by taking a proactive role to being the CEO of their program. However, before investing in this step at the upcoming Leadership Academy, the environment surrounding Olympic sport programs was outlined for participating coaches within the packet in four specific sections. These specific areas will be discussed before moving on to the specific lessons that were presented at the Leadership Academy.
Section #1: Challenges Facing Wrestling Programs One of the more visible trends in college athletics is the “arms race” that exists at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Kahn, 2007). In essence, the “arms race” is a term that has been coined to describe the rapidly increasing spending (e.g., premium capital project upgrades, escalating coaching salaries) that athletic departments have implemented in hopes of maximizing revenue generation in “big time” sports such as men’s basketball and men’s football (Zimbalist, 2003). However, this profit maximization mentality often does not come to fruition and as a result many athletic directors have chosen to eliminate non-revenue, Olympic sport programs in an effort to balance their budgets (Marburger & Hogshead-Makar, 2003). Building on this concept, Ridpath, Yiamouyian- nis, Lawrence, and Galles (2008) explained that the elimination of these programs can be found in the “out-of-control and unfair economics in big-time college athletic programs” and the “reallocation of money from some men’s sports (such as wrestling) to other men’s sports (such as football, basketball, and even baseball)” (p. 278). This trend has led to the loss of significant participation opportunities that will be described more in depth in the following section.
Section #2: Program Eliminations (By the Numbers) While a variety of men’s Olympic sports have been negatively impacted, there has been no NCAA sport that has suffered more losses in participation opportunities than men’s wrestling (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2008). From 1981 to 2011, the number of programs offered within the NCAA dropped from 363 to 223 (Mike Moyer [Executive Director of NWCA], personal interview, November 1, 2011; National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2008). While all three divisions have been impacted, the data supports the notion that Division I has suffered the most significant losses as the number of programs dropped from 146 to 77 during this time frame. Overall, this represents a 47 percent decrease in the programs offered at the Division I level. With the “arms race” and the current economic climate (Drape & Evans, 2008), it is likely that this trend will continue if programs do not respond to the specific program elimination criteria identified by athletic directors.
Section #3: Reasons for Program Eliminations In a response to these program eliminations, several scholars have focused on the identification of the reasons why athletic directors have chosen to eliminate non-revenue sports such as men’s wrestling (Gray & Pelzer, 1995; United States General Accounting Office, 2001; Weight, 2009; Weight & Cooper, 2001). In an early study on the specific rea- sons for program elimination, Williamson (1983) identified that administrators were most impacted by the following four criteria: (1) lack of student interest, (2) high cost, (3) lack of recruitable prospects, and (4) lack of spectator appeal. Similarly, in a follow-up study, Gray and Pelzer again identified lack of spectators as a primary reason for choosing to eliminate a non-revenue sport program.
Section #4: Emphasis on Marketing Program Based on the previous research, there is a strong trend suggesting that non-revenue programs such as men’s wrestling must market their program effectively in future years to help ensure sustainability in NCAA athletic departments. The importance of this area was best illustrated by NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer in the packet:
The marketing of our intercollegiate teams at the local grass roots level is essential to the sustainability and future growth of intercollegiate wrestling because key, decision-making administrators on college campuses have to know that the community cares and fully supports their wrestling program.   There is no more obvious way for the program to demonstrate that than to have a strong community presence at home competitions.  With big spectator
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bases comes significant recurring revenue, which is also necessary to alleviate fiscal challenges of college athletics (personal interview, November 3, 2011).
Thus, with these trends in mind, you are certain that marketing will play an essential role in the curriculum that will be featured at the Leadership Academy. It is time to make the trip to the convention to see what strategies that you can pick up to help market your program at the local, grassroots level.
NWCA Leadership Academy Lessons
As you attend the various meetings at the Leadership Academy, you quickly learn that there are a variety of different concepts that can be directly applied to your program in marketing efforts. In fact, there are many that will be highly useful in reaching your goal of an average attendance of 1,000 fans during your home dual meet season. While there were a variety of key concepts, the following “traditional” marketing strategies seemed to emerge in the different sessions. 1. Developing a marketing mindset: To attract fans, marketing presenters emphasized the importance of coaches having a mindset where they value each of their interactions on a daily basis. During one session, legendary marketing guru Bill Veeck was used as an example of an individual who consistently attempted to reach out to individuals in the surrounding designed marketing area (DMA) to tell consumers about his product. As a result, this helped him to attract consumers to his games more easily. This was highlighted as an area that coaches must embrace in marketing. 2. Connecting on campus: With the busy schedule that coaches have, some of the presenters encouraged coaches to reach out on campus to identify individuals who could Help in improving with marketing efforts. In particular, there was an emphasis on finding qualified students who can serve as interns in three key areas: general marketing, social media development, and video production. 3. Reaching out to key segments: In enhancing marketing efforts, there was one presentation that emphasized the importance of segmentation when attempting to build attendance at dual meets. Specifically, coaches were encouraged to identify key groups of consumers on campus and in the surrounding community to target in the development and delivery stages of marketing initiatives. 4. Developing a strong dual product: In reaching out to key groups on campus, it is important that coaches place an emphasis on creating an entertaining product at their dual meets. One presenter discussed the importance of packaging rivalry duals in a manner that will increase interest among current and potential consumers. In addition, the presenter urged coaches to develop a promotional schedule tailored to the wants and needs of their key market segments. 5. Making social media key area of emphasis: With an emphasis on attracting younger demographics of consumers, one trend that emerged in all marketing presentations was the use of social media to engage consumers. While social media cannot be used alone, various presenters explained that it must play an integral role in creating an entertaining product for college students. This is an area that was a central theme of the Leadership Academy. Some of these specific themes will be discussed in the following section.
The Significance of Social Media
In today’s competitive entertainment industry, coaches can no longer solely rely on traditional media outlets to deliver their program’s messages (Bohn, 2010). In response to these unique challenges, the convention presentations demon- strated that a few select coaches have effectively utilized mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to improve their interactions with consumers. Mark Branch, head coach at the University of Wyoming, explained some of the benefits of using outlets such as Facebook to connect with fans:
Facebook is an easy way to get information out quickly and efficiently so I think it is an excellent way to continue to market our program as it progresses in every phase.  What’s nice is that myself and my other coaches enjoy the creativity involved and we compete to try to be innovative.
Grappling With Growth 5
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In addition to the efficiency and immediacy of these social media, they have also become a popular option among pro- grams because of the lack of cost to market to current and potential consumers in an innovative manner. As explained by Heath Eslinger, the associated costs are well worth the benefits that come from building a presence on social media.
The two main investments have been time and energy.  Coach Mansueto has spearheaded this and has done an outstanding job.  We have not used any financial resources to move this forward.   This investment however has allowed our fans, potential fans, parents, recruits, and other stakeholders to see the direction of our program on a consistent basis through a variety of media outlets (Head Wrestling Coach at UT-Chattanooga)
With the benefits available to non-revenue coaches, it is no surprise that these select coaches have effectively relied on social media as a primary outlet to build their fan base. As a result, the convention demonstrated five unique trends that have emerged among college wrestling programs. (1) Rapid Increase in Facebook Followers. The most visible change in college wrestling has been the number of followers on program’s Facebook pages. The wrestling program that has set the standard in this area is Cornell Wrestling. In December of 2010, the program had just over 6,000 followers leading into the second semester of com- petition (Bohn, 2010). Only 10 months later, the program has eclipsed the 10,000 mark moving into the 2011-2012 season. Other examples of programs that are leading the way (2,000+ followers) in this area are the following: Central Michigan, Oklahoma State, Maryland, South Dakota State, Missouri, Penn State, Binghamton, and Tennessee Chat- tanooga. The inclusion of diverse content is one strategy that programs have used to increase their followers on key sites such as Facebook and Twitter. (2) Delivery of Diverse Content. Along with the mentioned teams that are over 2,000 followers, there are several programs that have made a recent push in their marketing efforts via social media. One program on the rise due to their broad-based approach is Virginia Tech. With an emphasis on providing an array of content options, they have quickly moved over 1,000 followers in the past six months. Head Wrestling Coach Kevin Dresser explained some of the unique benefits that can be realized by his program from utilizing outlets such as Facebook properly.
It’s a great place to archive everything about your program in one place.  People can go to Facebook and see pictures, match updates, news articles, practices, camp information, etc.  The information that gets across to fans is endless.  We hope to achieve a strong online atmosphere where fans can go to learn EVERYTHING about our wrestling program.  And eventually, increase the attendance to home matches and the overall awareness of the program throughout the Virginia Tech Campus and Blacksburg community.
While these efforts seem to have paid dividends from a consumption standpoint, another trend among programs has been the creation of highly entertaining content to engage consumers. It is these efforts that have differentiated the top programs from the rest of the field. (3) Enhancement of Entertainment Options. One of the primary reasons why Cornell Wrestling has been so suc- cessful with social media is because of their creativity with entertainment options. Through the creation of an unofficial mascot named Redman (unnamed Cornell student in red bodysuit, singlet, and sunglasses), the team has developed a series of humorous videos to help build the team’s brand. For example, in one video Redman is featured in a skit where he helps a Cornell wrestler succeed on a date by providing him an earpiece so he can give step-by-step instructions on what to say. Naturally, the video ends with Redman as the hero as he leads the wrestler to a successful ending to the date. As explained by Head Coach Rob Koll, the videos had a specific purpose in their social media marketing plan.
Humor is universal, so we’ve tied that into our social media ventures. We also needed to create a face for our pro- gram, and Redman was a way to do that while portraying us in a positive light. That was our attempt to connect with students and project the sense of fun we have at Cornell wrestling (Bohn, 2010).
Since the creation of Redman, there have been a series of follow-up videos that have continued to build the brand of the Cornell Wrestling program (Webb, 2011). In addition to specific tangible marketing benefits (e.g., solid media coverage), the creation of this entertaining figure has also led to a drastic improvement in recruiting efforts. “Every single recruit we spoke to last season knew about Redman. When recruits see Redman, they instantly connect it with
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Cornell, which is what we’ve set out to do” (Bohn, 2010). Thus, these efforts have clearly taken the program to a new level in their marketing efforts with a variety of different key stakeholders. (4) Creation of Themed Program Schedules. Building on the previous trend, one of the more advanced themes that have emerged among select college wrestling programs on social media is the creation of a unified programming schedule. From a marketing perspective, this involves the development of a consistent themed schedule when programs are releasing their program’s content. One of the best examples of this has been the University of Tennessee Chattanooga program where the staff has created a themed “Moc Programming Schedule” with the following elements:
• Monday MocTalk: Weekly series where the coaching staff provides an inside look at the program and the upcom- ing announcements. • Weekly Moc Attack: Recurring series where their mascot “Strong” the Gorilla sneaks up on different athletic department employees. • Moc Highlight Videos: Regularly released videos that promote upcoming events for the program. • Ticket Sales Teaser: Pre-season video that encourages followers to become Moc season ticket holders. • Moc Match Promotions: Videos released to build interest in match promotions being carried out by the program.
When asked about the unified programming schedule, the coaching staff discussed the process that they went through to develop an organized approach to releasing content via Facebook.
Through trial and error, we realized that having a systematic approach would be the best way for us to promote our brand on Facebook and other social media sites. Since fully investing ourselves in ‘branding’ our program we have created a weekly Mocs Talk Show, along with a monthly Moc Attack. Prior to doing so we had to rally the troops and get the support of our Administrators, which eventually led to the support of our Marketing and Mocs Vision Department. Their involvement has allowed us to create credible content on a weekly basis. Also, we weren’t afraid to reach out to professionals with the Marketing field for insight and support (Rocco Mansueto, Helpant Coach at UT-Chattanooga).
With the initial success that the program has had in this area, they emphasized the importance of evaluating their efforts so they can continue to provide a schedule that is appealing to followers in the future. (5) Striving for “Above and Beyond” Results. Through the initiatives of the NWCA, there are now select wrestling programs all across the country making a concerted effort to improve their marketing efforts via social media. As a result, select coaching staffs are now striving to move beyond the first four trends discussed in this case study. For example, the Chattanooga program now has a unique plan for using the different mediums to build their marketing presence.
We are slowly heading in the direction of creating three separate social media outlets, with each being utilized in a different manner. Our Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts promote our brand; but they each reach a different audience. For example, our alumni follow us on YouTube, while our parents, fans and recruits follow us on Face- book. Our ultimate goal is to fully utilize each social media site and to further develop and promote the Chattanooga Strong Brand…eventually leading to the growth and sustainability of Chattanooga Wrestling (Rocco Mansueto).
Summary & Action Items
With the NWCA Convention and Leadership Academy now finished, it is your job to determine the steps that your program will take to better market itself in the future. In coordination with past practices and new concepts learned at the convention, it is important that you identify specific strategies that will allow you to reach your goals as a program. As you arrive back on campus, your head coach is interested in meeting to identify the direction that you feel the pro- gram should take in marketing during the upcoming academic year. In addition to briefing him on what you learned, it is your job to respond to the specific discussion questions that have been created for this case study.
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Discussion Questions
1. What are potential strategies that the wrestling program can implement via social media marketing to improve interactions with key stakeholders on a regular basis 2. In your new position as Helpant wrestling coach, how do you plan on using traditional marketing strategies to reach your goal of having an average dual meet attendance of 1,000 during the upcoming season 3. Based on examples provided in the case study, what are some potential new ideas for video releases that would help you to build followers via social media 4. In one of the quotes, the University of Tennessee Chattanooga staff discusses the different roles of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. What are the differences between the three outlets and how can your program use them individually and collectively to improve marketing efforts 5. As discussed in the case study, one of the primary emerging trends in college wrestling is the use of a unified programming schedule to enhance consumer interest. What specific ideas would you have to build a schedule that enhances the brand of your program (Tip: Focus on both packaging and themed content ideas) 6. Graduate Level: How can the consumption preferences (and consumer choice theory) of key target markets be used to improve the delivery of content via traditional and social media marketing
References
Bohn, P. (2010). Pinning down new fans with social media. Athletic Management, Retrieved from: https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/athleticmanagement. com/2010/12/01/at_cornell_social_media_spreads_wrestling_message/index.php. Gray, G. R., & Pelzer, J. A. (1995). The Impact of Title IX on the Discontinuation of NCAA Division I Wrestling Programs. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 5(2), 17-122. Kahn (2007). Cartel behavior and amateurism in college sports. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1), 209-226. Marburger, D. R., & Hogshead-Makar, N. (2003). Is Title IX really to blame for the decline in intercollegiate men’s nonrevenue sports Marquette Sport Law Review (14), Rev. 65. National Collegiate Athletic Association. (2008). NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report. Retrieved February 17, 2010, from: https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/ncaapublications.com/Uploads/PDF/ParticipationRates2009c2f40573-60aa-4a08-874d-1aff4192c5e4.pdf. NWCA News. (2009) National Wrestling Coaches Association. Retrieved from: https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/news/09- 09-01/Leadership_in_Wrestling_Shines_Bright_at_NWCA_Coaching_Leadership_Academy.aspx. Ridpath, B. D., Yiamouyiannis, A., Lawrence, H., & Galles, K. (2008). Changing sides: The failure of the wrestling community’s challenges to Title IX and new strategies for saving NCAA sport teams. Journal of Intercollegiate Sports, 1(2), 255-283. U.S. General Accounting Office. (2001). Intercollegiate Athletics: Four Year College’s Experience Adding and Discontinuing Teams. March 2001. Webb, D. (2011, February 11). Redman mascot helps create winning brand: Cornell University wrestling. The Post-Standard. Retrieved from: http://blog.syracuse.com/sports/2011/02/redman_mascot_helps_create_win.html. Weight, E. (2009). The role of the entrepreneurial coach: Non-revenue sport survival within big-time intercollegiate athletics. Inter- national Journal of Sport Management. 10, 1-15. Weight, E., & Cooper, C.G. (2011). Bridging the gap: Athletic director answers and coach beliefs regarding nonrevenue program discontinuation decisions. Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision. Williamson, S. C. (1983). The ranking of reasons for discontinuing intercollegiate athletic sports as determined by athletic direc- tors at institutions which have discontinued sports. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 1983). University Microfilms International. Zimbalist, A. (2003). What to do about Title IX. Gender Issues, 21(2), 55-59.

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