Prepared By

Holly Lindboe
Brooke Gestson
Justine Ness
Collin Kottke
Tanner Sanborn
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Executive Summary

Our marketing communications and promotions plan was constructed for The La Crosse
River Renegades. The document consists of our organization overview, research findings,
and strategies to ensure awareness as well as attendance in our inaugural season.

Organization Overview

After creating our team name and logo, we established what our mission and vision was for
the River Renegades. We want to provide the fans with an unforgettable experience when
they run with the Renegades. Our team encourages families and friends alike to come
together at our stadium to enjoy the competitive and fun atmosphere at Kwik Trip stadium.

Marketing Research

To ensure the River Renegades will succeed, our team researched the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that are involved in our target market. Other
factors we explored were main issues that could affect our success, history of ball in La
Crosse, and other entertainment options fans may choose to be apart of. In order to create
the best experience possible for our particular fans, we defined our target markets and
their general personalities.

Brand Image

We want to provide a brand that our fans can easily identify with and wear proudly. That is
why we designed our logo and brand image to be edgey and fierce. At our stadium, we also
want to provide an memorable experience that involved more that the baseball game itself.
We want people to enjoy all aspects of the game: the players, the entertainment, the food,
etc.

Product Strategy

Working with our brand image, we wanted to let our runner and other potential fans know
when our season begins, remind them to attend games, and produce other information via
advertisements in La Crosse. We also work to keep our ticket and merchandise prices low
to allow our fans to show their support for the River Renegades.

Marketing Objectives

As a team we created marketing objectives as goals to achieve throughout our inaugural

season. Our objectives involve attendance, quality experience, and affordable prices.
We worked to provide a well thought out plan to succeed in providing our fans with an
incredible experience and to keep our Renegade fans running with us for years to come.
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Table of Contents
3. River Renegades ................................................................................. 4

3.1 Mission Statement ......................................................................... 4

3.3 Breakdown of Marketing Department Tasks ................................ 4

4. SWOT Analysis .................................................................................... 5

4.1 SWOT ............................................................................................. 5

4.2 ID Main Issues Facing River Renegades ......................................... 6

5. Planning Process................................................................................. 6

5.1 Secondary Marketing Research ..................................................... 6

6. Marketing Selection Process .............................................................. 7

6.1 Summary of River Renegades Demographics ............................... 7

6.2 Define Our Target Markets ............................................................ 8

7. Marketing Mix Decisions .................................................................... 9

7.1 Product .......................................................................................... 9

7.2 Pricing Strategies ......................................................................... 18

7.4 Promotional Strategy .................................................................. 24

8. Marketing Objectives ....................................................................... 30

8.1 Standard Marketing Objectives ................................................... 30

8.2 Revenue Inflows .......................................................................... 31

8.3 Revenue Outflows ....................................................................... 32

9. Contingency ...................................................................................... 32

3. River Renegades

3.1 Mission Statement

The La Crosse River Renegades has been established to attract and entertain fans while
providing them with an unforgettable Minor League Baseball experience.

3.2 Vision Statement

Provide fairness, encourage competitiveness, and welcome families of all sizes to the warm
and fun atmosphere that surrounds our ballpark.

3.3 Breakdown of Marketing Department Tasks

3.3a Advertising Sales- The role will vary according to the nature of your employers
business. However, your day-to-day tasks are likely to include: persuading clients to
buy advertising space or time, finding out who controls the advertising budget in
target organizations and contacting them, explaining the benefits of your medium,
using statistics on readership or viewing figures, offering a price and negotiating
around it as well as close the deal and recording details.
3.3b Promotions and Public-The department is responsible for overseeing
promotional campaigns to encourage customers to buy our products. Members of
the department also work to influence public opinions, build relationships with fans
and potential fans, and be a form of communications between the public and the
team.

Tasks: Work with marketing department to create promotions, disperse promotions

through a range of outlets (direct mail, advertisements, social media, displays, etc.)
estimate costs, be a two-way communication tool, create a unique identity for the
team, and provide crisis communication.
3.3c Ticket Sales- Single, group, season (individual and corporation): market and sell
tickets for premier Minor League Baseball club, sales inventory includes but is not
limited to, season tickets, ticket packages, suites, group/picnic packages sold to both
corporations and the general public. Aggressive sales process with existing accounts
and heavy focus on generating new accounts, includes servicing of accounts and
other game responsibilities.
3.3d Merchandise-This department is responsible for maintaining River Renegades
merchandise for the team in stadium. The team will design and order new
merchandise for the team to sell, while also maintain stock of the product. The
merchandise division shall work with the promotions department as needed to
assist in figuring out what products are best and most attractive to the River
Renegades fan base.

4. SWOT Analysis
4.1 SWOT

Strengths-The River Renegades have many aspects that will appeal to the audiences and
have good brand strengths within the team. The River Renegades and Kwik Trip Stadium
are located in a city of close to 52,000 people. Tickets to our games are much more
affordable than Major League Baseball tickets for teams such as the Milkwaukee Brewers
or the Minnesota Twins. La Crosse, WI is over three hours to Milwaukee and over two
hours to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Therefore, the fan have no close by MLB teams to watch and
be avid attendees at games. The River Renegades is a new team that will spark interest in
the people of La Crosse and we will provide them with a great experience with our
ballpark, affordable prices, and our various forms of entertainment at the game.

Weaknesses-La Crosse is home to a branch of the University of Wisconsin system, Viterbo

University, and Western Technical College and a lot of college students cannot afford to
purchase tickets on a regular basis. College students end school in early May and many
return home for the summer which leads to a loss of population during a portion of the
River Renegades season. The students also have their own team games they could be
attending which creates competition between the colleges and the minor league team. The
River Renegades are a new team and will need a lot of awareness and advertisements to
encourage fans to come to games. The River Renegades do not have an established fan base
so there is a need to work hard to market them to this large audience and get the
population to break away from their usual routines.
Opportunities-La Crosse is home to 52,440 people who have the potential to be a River
Renegades fan. Our team has the opportunity to spark interest in the population and make
them avid fans to the River Renegades as well the experience they receive when they step
foot into Kwik Trip Stadium. Other than college teams, the River Renegades are the only
baseball team in the area for the fans to call their hometown team. With our new stadium
and team, we will attract a lot of media stories that will build awareness to the population
and be the basis for creating fans. Other opportunities for us to build off of are:

Bicycle Festival, Sept. 4-7

Butterfest, June 11-14

Bluffs Beer, Wine, and Cheese Festival, April 24-25

Midwest Motorcycle Rally, July 16-19
Oktoberfest, Oct. 1-4
Riverfest, July 1-4

Threats-La Crosse has a large population which means that other businesses are already
established and fighting for the River Renegades potential fans as well. The UW-La Crosse
Eagles are a baseball team that could be a threat to the River Renegades especially within
college students and loyal college fans. People may have been attending Eagles games for
years and not want to switch to a new team. Other organized sports entertainment options
include the Coulee Region Chill hockey team and the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. Avid
fans of these sports may not want to take on another team to cheer for and follow along
with during their season. Fishing and hunting is a big recreational sport within the La
Crosse area which tends to take up weekends and afternoons, the same times at which the
River Renegades play their games. This eliminates the potential for some of the fans to
attend games because of conflicting activities. Other threats include the economy, which
can determine the amount people are willing spend on entertainment, and the weather,
which can force our organization to cancel games due to lasting snow or rain.

4.2 ID Main Issues Facing River Renegades

The River Renegades may face some difficulty introducing themselves into the La Crosse,
WI community. Being a new team, there could be setbacks in their first few seasons that
will cause them to have a hard time establishing themselves and could eventually lead to
the team failing to become a hometown team. Things that may affect their success
include:

Inability to fill seats

Failure to appeal to college students
Brand/logo not being recognized in the public
Team not winning games
Player/team bad publicity
Not providing the experience they fans were promised
Economy preventing ticket buying

Although the River Renegades are expecting success, the team wants to be sure to think of
the possible setbacks they may have in order to enable an action plan to prevent these
problems as well as provide steps to fix the situation if it were to occur.

5. Planning Process
5.1 Secondary Marketing Research

5.1a. History of Ball in Your Market- La Crosse has multiple times when the town has
been the host to a minor league baseball club. In 1905 and 1906 the La Crosse Pinks
played level D ball in the Wisconsin State League. The team changed its name to the
Badgers in 1907. The team went back to the Pinks name in a new league in 1908
joining the Wisconsin-Illinois league. In 1909, the team changed its name and league
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again with a nickname change to Outcats and a change to the Minnesota Wisconsin
League, that team lasted until 1912, playing all seasons at the D level except in 1911
at the C level. In 1913, La Crosse spilt a team with St. Paul, Minnesota. The team was
the St. Paul Millers/La Crosse Cubs and played in the Northern League at the C level.
The team only lasted one season. In 1917, baseball returned to La Crosse for one
season again. The La Crosse Infants were born and played one season in the Central
Association at the D level. In the early 1940s La Crosse was back in the Wisconsin
State League at the D level with a team called the Blackhawks. The team existed
from 1940-1942. Baseball has been prominent in La Crosse again since 2003 when a
new team joined the Northwoods League. The La Crosse Loggers were established
and are still in existence today.

5.1b. Other Entertainment Options in Market- In the LAX area there is 10 nature
stops, parks, landmarks or sightseeing areas. There is also two different riverboat
rides, 1 Segway tour, 1 ski and snowboard area, 3 museums and an extensive
nightlife. There is over thirty bars and clubs in the Lacrosse area to visit. There is
one roller rink, 2 breweries to tour, 1 amusement park, and 2 theaters. These are
not in direct competition with us but these are other entertainment options we need
to beat out. Our direct competition will be 2 amateur hockey teams, the lacrosse
chill, and LAX freeze. There are also four colleges in LAX being UW Lacrosse,
Western Technical college, Viterbo, and Globe University. There are countless sports
teams like hockey, baseball and others. These sports have a big advantage over us in
the fact that they automatically attract students and families that support the teams.
It will not be easy, but we must break into this market and it will help because we
will be all shiny and new and people will definitely be intrigued.

6. Marketing Selection Process

6.1 Summary of River Renegades Demographics

In our demographics we used the address of the building next to where our stadium would
be in La Crosse, WI. There is one group of people that held the majority. These people
called No Place Like Home where the people are upper middle-class multi-generational
households in exurban areas. Their key traits are: that they are active young adults, laidback boomers, focus on the matter of fact, have strong family values, stable, charitable,
smart shoppers, have mixed media adoption, and are internet utilitarian.
The majority in No Place Like Home has a matter-of-fact approach to life which means that
they work very hard, they spend time volunteering with community organizations and tend
to vote with the Republican Party runner. They tend to donate their money to a wide
variety of causes, heavily in the education, political, and the arts.
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No Place Like Home participate in mainstream media and popular culture, while trying to
avoid commercial messages. They do not like newspaper ads, mute many commercials on
the TV and manage to tune out advertisements in movie theaters and on billboards. They
will clock on email messages, website banners, links, and are more likely to do so when the
messages are humorous.

6.2 Define Our Target Markets

Names: Edward and Laura

Age: 40-60

Status: Married

Personality: Sports enthusiasts, shop for fun,

informed customers, family centered lifestyles

Media use: Read local newspapers, listen to

country or rock radio, buy from catalogs, enjoy
T.V. and no internet skill

Names: Tom and Diane

Age: 50-60

Status: Singles and couples

Personality: Middle class living in suburban

areas, read magazines, appreciate all music,
money managers, informed customers, strong
media audience, involved in few sports

Media use: Daily newspapers, everyday radio

shows, magazines, catalogs, and T.V in the
evening. Not internet savvy, on do not contact
lists, enjoy recycling and green issues

Names: Drew and Catherine

Age: Under 35
Status: Single

Personality: Bargain shoppers, work for the

campus and live close to university/college, do
not make a ton of money, limited budgets but
enjoy helping charities and other ways to
donate

Media use: addicted to T.V, read magazines, use

internet, and like advertisements on buses and
bus stops.

Name: Douglas and Amber

Age: Under 45

Status: Single, Single Parent

Personality: Low income families or individuals

that live with rooms, appreciate discounts, enjoy
the night life, love to shop for clothes, play video,
computer, and board games
Media use: No traditional media, but internet
users, digital media, social networking, and like
online advertisements.

7. Marketing Mix Decisions

7.1 Product

7.1a Overview of Product- The sound of the car as it rolls over the metal bridge
makes a humming noise as you come closer to the waters edge and cross into the
city. A cool breeze rolls in the windows to make the perfect temperature for a night
outside watching a baseball game. Over the edge of the bridge you can start to see
the perfect green blades of grass that come together to make a baseball field. As you
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come off the exit from the highway the brilliant colors of the stadium immediately
catch your eye and you pull in to a parking space marked under the section, Kidd
with two swords crossed underneath. Across the way you can make out other
sections named Blackbeard and Sir Morgan. The names of famous river
renegades. You have arrived at the home of the La Crosse River Renegades. House of
Pains Jump Around breeds a familiar sound to pump up the crowd. As you walk
underneath the red brick arches of the stadium you hand the collector a black ticket
with gold lining and you make your way in the home of the Renegades Kwik Trip
Stadium.
Smells hit you from every direction. Mini donuts, hot dogs, and the stadiums world
renowned garlic fries. People are covered in black and gold: baseball caps, jerseys,
painted faces all come together to support their team. A man nudges you as he walks
by with a grin on his face. You had forgotten your neighbor and good friend, Mark,
was also coming to the game tonight. A playful shove from you sends him on his way
with a see you later.
After you grab your hotdog and snacks, you make your way to your seat. The
covered tunnel of the concession stands open up into the stadium where the
illuminated green field seems to consume everything. At its end the stadium morphs
into the moving waters of the Mighty Mississippi. Homeruns would be lost in the
fast-moving water. The bridge is so close but is a separate world from the business
of normal life to the American tradition of a baseball game on a cool summer night.
Once you reach your seat, you notice the players warming up on the field as a mass
of children run out to them in River Renegade jerseys that look more like dresses
than shirts by how long they are. The Warmup Crew as the children are called. You
can easily make out the big grins of the kids as they help the players warm up
before the game to help the River Renegades get ready for a victory. After a few
minutes the kids leave the field and both teams take their places as they get ready to
start the game.
The announcer, Phil Philly Jones, comes over the speakers to let you know it is
Time to play ball! To many fans, his voice is a familiar part of this ball game and he
is part of our team. The first pitch is thrown and the game begins. The River
Renegades are a good baseball team, dont get me wrong, heck, they are even a great
baseball team. But what makes them great is so much more than their records or
statistics. It is in the way they dont hesitate to take the extra second to give the
baseball to the kid leaning over the fence with his arms stretched out, or how after a
game they wait to sign hats and baseballs for the fans. The players realize that how
many games they win does not amount to anything without the people coming to
support them. And the players do their part to make a River Renegades baseball
game one you will not ever forget.
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The game plays on and you celebrate the win or kick the dirt at the loss. But, no
matter the outcome, you are saying goodbye and nice to meet you to the other
families and friends around you. Throughout the game the people around you began
to talk with each other. Instead of simply shouting down to the players that could
not hear them, your neighbors began to make these comments to you and those
around them. These comments turn into questions about where you are from, other
favorite sports teams, and usually an exchange of business cards or email addresses.
The connection and loyalty you and the other fans had to the River Renegades give a
perfect opportunity to make new connections.
As you leave those red brick arches you had walked under just a few hours before,
you kind of look back over your shoulder at the stadium. The green of the field, the
cool breeze the Mississippi pushed into the stadium, and the friendliness of the
people in the seats around you seem to stay there as something to come back to. It
will be something to come back to.
7.1b Features/Benefits of Attending a Game The stadium gives the experience of a traditional and fun baseball game
rather than a corporate push
The Warmup Crew features different children from the community to help
the players warm up each game
Our stadium opens up onto the Mississippi River to offer an unique and
picturesque experience
Try our world renowned garlic fries, you will go back for more!
Be a part of the crowd or become a member in one of the clubs the stadium
offers
Play games during the 7th inning stretch and before the game
Meet and get to know our players throughout the games you attend
Receive a hometown experience
Attend the game with friends, family members, and even children
There is a Family Section, Club Members, regular seating, and other
sponsored decks to fit which type of fan you would like to be at a River
Renegades game
Attend a game that is right off a major highway, easy to travel to

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7.1c PositioningHometown
Feel

Open to all
kinds of fans

River
Renegades

Nontraditional
elements

Picturesque

Traditional
Elements

What our fans will experience

1. Being a part of the game

2. Opportunities to make connections

with the staff and other fans around
them
3. New as well as traditional items
including food, events, and promotions

What they will not experience

1. They do not know the stadium or
team
2. A cold atmosphere that shows fans
are simply there to watch the game
3. The same old string of events and
giveaways at each game

Positioning Statement:
The River Renegades baseball team and stadium experience is a mixture of
traditional and nontraditional elements of a baseball game that will provide a fun
experience to all types of baseball fans.
Tagline: We Run This River

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Inexpensive

Dahl Auto Museum

Childrens Museum

Inside

The Rivoli Theatre and Pizzeria

Hiking the bluffs

Riverside Amusement Park

Marcus Cinema

River Renegades Ticket

Coulee Region Chill Hockey

The Pump House

UW-La Crosse Football

Outside

La Crosse Speedway

Paddlewheel Cruises

Mississippi Boat Cruises

Amish Tours

Expensive
La Crosse, WI offers other past times consumers can decide to spend their money
and time on. The analysis of those entertainment options allow the River Renegades
to decode what their fans (or lack of) could possibly be using their time and funds
with. The city offers a lot of nature-based entertainment options because of the
river, bluffs, and other landscapes close to La Crosse. Demographics Now allowed us
to review households within La Crosse and what/where their leisure dollars are
going. The total households in the city of La Crosse amounts to 21,982. Percentages
of families that spend money on the following categories are based on the given
number of households:

24.6% have visited a theme park in the last 12 months

4.1% have seen 6 movies or more (in theatre) in the last 90 days
29.9% have spent money at casino gambling in the last 12 months
50.1% have spent money on state lottery tickets in the last 12 months
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These statistics offer insight into possible options consumers are spending their
time and money on. Therefore, these events are competing with the River
Renegades ticket sales for the attention and funds of the consumers. Other options
for entertainment within La Crosse were found on TripAdvisor. An average ticket
price for a River Renegades game is $12-$14. The following chart further explains
the pricing comparisons of the entertainment options:
Mississippi Boat Cruise

Entertainment Options Price Comparison

$40.00

Amish Tours

$100.00 (per family), $25.00 (self-guided)

Paddle Wheel Cruises

$15.50 (sightseeing), $44.95 (dinner cruise)

$29.95 (brunch)

The Rivoli Theatre and Pizzeria

$5.00 (per admission ticket)

Marcus Cinema

$9.50 (per admission ticket)

UW-La Crosse Eagles Football Game

$12.00 (general admission)

Coulee Region Chill Hockey

$10.00 (average admission)

La Crosse Speedway

$12.00 (per admission ticket)

Childrens Museum

$7.00 (per admission ticket)

The Pump House

$15.00 (per admission ticket)

Riverside Amusement Park

$7.00 (per admission ticket for activity)

Source: TripAdvisor and company websites for pricing

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15

7.1d Branding- We are here to let our fans know that they are what makes our
brand. They are the reason we have games and they are what gets the game going.
Home or away our goal is to bring together the fans and help create the best
atmosphere possible. We want our brand to create an unforgettable experience that
is both competitive and enjoyable for both the fans and the La Crosse River
Renegades baseball team.
We wanted our logo to be a little more unforgettable so we chose to use an intense
skull. To give it that pirate feel. Since our demographics would have more boys and
adult males we gave them something fierce to wear with pride.

For our jerseys we kept it simple for budgeting. We have a home jersey that is white
with yellow strips and our skull logo on the front. We decided to use a simple RR
logo on the front as well since it is a home game we assume our fans will recognize
the brand. For the away jerseys
I found they were typically darker colors so we decided on a black jersey and we put
La Crosse on the front to let the other teams fans no where we are from.
Brand mark:

Stationary:

Business cards, posters, tickets, pocket calendar that will be handed out at sponsors
stores and fans, roster, pamphlet with calendar of games and events, game day
programs (that include scorecard and pencil with purchase of program)

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17

7.2 Pricing Strategies

7.2a Tickets

Description of area
1. Concession Area
2. Box Office
3. Crows Nest
4. Family Area
5. Concession Area
6. View from
Kayakers
7. Press Box Area
8. Champions Club
(selling rights to
someone)
9. Picnic Area
10. VIP Seating
11. Bleacher Seating
12. Concession Area

Pricing of Area
$8 per ticket
$6 when buying 6 or
more
$6 per ticket
$4 when buying 4 or
more

$8 per ticket
$6 when buying 6 or
more
$14 per ticket
$5 per ticket
$3 when buying 6 or
more
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7.2 Merchandise
SCREEN PRINTED
EMBROIDERED

ITEM
HATS
1. FITTED
2. OFSO
MEN'S
1. LOGO T-SHIRT
2. JERSEY T-SHIRT
3. JERSEY T-SHIRT
(ALTERNATE COLOR)
SWEATSHIRTS (UNISEX)
1. LOGO SWEATSHIRT
2. LOGO SWEATSHIRT
(ALTERNATE COLOR)
WOMEN'S
1. LOGO T-SHIRT VNECK
2. LOGO LONG SLEEVE
SCOOP NECK
3. QUARTER ZIP UP
4. LOGO T-SHIRT SCOOP
NECK

COST TO
US
$3.50
$3.50

$3.50 PER
SHIRT
$.4.00 PER
SHIRT
$.4.00 PER
SHIRT

SELLING
PRICE
$8.75
$8.75

$8.85
$10.00
$10.00

$10.60

$26.50

$10.60

$26.50

$8.00 PER
SHIRT
$12.11
PER SHIRT
$12.00

$30.00
$30.00

$8.00

$20.00

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$20.00

YOUTH
1. T-SHIRT
2. LONG SLEEVE TSHIRT
3. HAT
4. SWEATSHIRT
MISC. MERCH
1. LANYARDS
2. BASEBALLS
3. CAN KOOZIE'S
4.BEER/ WINE KOOZIE
5. KEY CHAINS
6. BEACH BALL

7.3 Distribution Strategy

$3.05 PER
SHIRT
$6.10 PER
SHIRT

$15.25

$9.75 PER
SHIRT

$24.50

$0.50
$1.25
$0.30
$0.30
$0.34
$0.85

$8.00

$1.25
$3.25
$1.00
$1.00
$0.85
$2.25

7.3a Via the ballpark- Kwik Trip Stadium will be located right next to the Mississippi
River in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin. The ballpark will have a capacity of 4,500.
The ballpark will have all the amenities of a major league ballpark, but will be the
lovely quaint setting that is expected for minor league stadiums.
The dimensions of the field will be 325 feet down the left field line, 385 feet down
the right field line and 400 feet to straight-away center field.
The ballpark will have drink rails around the stadium so whenever anyone is
walking around the concourse, they have a place to easily place their beverage.
These drink rails will be even more prevalent in the Craft Brew Island, these Tiki
Bar-like area will specialize in serving up the best craft brews found across the
Midwest. Multiple video boards will be used to keep fans up to date on the latest
stats of their favorite team and video replays. A playground/play area is available
for our younger fans to play while also enjoying the ballgame.

The brick exterior to the ballpark and being right on the river will make our ballpark
be one of the most beautiful ballparks not just in minor league baseball, but across
America.
7.3b Via media- Our baseball club would sell the broadcast rights to the local ESPN
radio affiliate in La Crosse to broadcast to the public. According to Radio Online, the
average rating for WFBZ-FM the last four quarters is a 3.3 rating. The listening area
has a population of 164,000 which results in an average listenership of 5,412
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people. We would sell the radio rights for $14,350 with 35 commercials a game
available. (Source: http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb559)
We would sell the TV rights to La Crosses CW station which is analog channel 19.2
and affiliated with WXOW, the ABC affiliate. We would sell the TV rights for $14,400
with 40 commercials a game.

We would complement the television broadcast with the games being streamed
online as well. The stream of the game would be available on our website along with
the television stations website.
7.3c Via promotions
Trump hair night (Give out Trump like wigs, and have the republican candidates race in
the 7th inning)

-Dollar beer night (possibly dollar micro brews if sponsored by a microbrewery in LAX)

-Cowboy night (People dress up as cowboys and Wild West characters from their favorite
movies or shows)

-4 of July Merica night

th

-Hipster night (Attract a lot of college students, sell specialty coffee and staff wears turtle
necks or plaid)

-Superhero night (dress up as your favorite superhero, also superheroes race in 7 th inning
stretch, meet the superheroes for pictures and autographs after the game)

-College night (cheap tickets and each seat comes with soda and hot dog, with student
ID)

-Build your own burger night

-White or blackout (everyone dresses in white or black)

-Blaze orange (hunting season)

-Microbrew night (can be held with dollar beer night if either of LAXs microbreweries
will sponsor)

-Date night at the ballpark (couples night)

-Sponsorship night (lots of these will be scheduled to do on a non-themed night, for

example DQ hat give away night)

-Boy Scout night (boy scouts can camp out at the park and sell their fundraising kettle
corn and stuff at the door)

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-Girl Scout night (same as above except to sell Girl Scout cookies instead of kettle corn)
-River renegades fight cancer night (can do to fight any certain type of cancer or cancer
in general, guests would be encouraged to wear the appropriate colors and parts of

proceeds would be matched by donors and donated directly to national and trustworthy
charities to fund cancer research, also have cancer survivor or cancer patient throw the
first pitch)

-Meet the players (have meet and greets)

-Star wars night (to promote the new movie)

-Christmas in July ugly sweaters (everyone loves Christmas in July)

-Family night (cheap family packages)

-Also any night will have the option to involve kids whom are fighting cancer or illnesses
to help raise awareness and show we care for the community.

7.3d Via merchandise-retail-Our distribution of merchandise will be very simple.

There will be a sports shop by the field that people can access before and after
games to buy the full line of our merchandise. We will have it fully stocked before
games and especially the ones that are on our premiere nights. We will also have a
simple online store much like the Minnesota Wild have with their Hockey Lodge. It
is an extremely simple process and you can get things shipped to your house. We
want to make it fast and easy for our customers to get our products and to promote
our brand for us. The more you get our logo out there the more exposure we will
get.

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23

7.4 Promotional Strategy

7.4a Advertising
PRINT
Newspaper: The La Crosse Tribune

Cost: $6.40 for 3 columns. Will run for 10 weeks in the sports section on the
top of the third page for all 10 weeks. Will have two pictures with our tagline.

BROADCAST

Radio: ESPN La Crosse WFBZ FM

In-Kind Agreement: They get free advertising in our stadium, we get to run our
ads throughout the baseball season. (Regular price of $25.00 per 30-second
slot) It would run for 10 weeks during the season with short and catchy 30second glimpse of what times the games are, who the opponent is, and what
the promotion will be.

Television: La Crosse WXOW

In-Kind agreement: They get free advertising in our stadium, we will get to run
4-5 ads on Thursdays and Fridays before home games. Commercials will be a
quick photographic 15-second ad on the upcoming game for the weekend. It
will be ended with our tagline We Run This River.

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SIGNAGE

7.4b Sales Promotions

Signage- River Renegades Ballpark has many opportunities for your brand to be
displayed all around the stadium. For we have 72 panels. Your brand will have 4,000
River Renegades fans viewing your sponsorship ads.
Promotions and giveaways-Seize the opportunity to sponsor some of our
promotional giveaways. Our fans love anything that has to do with the River
Renegades; you name it. It could be a silly trinket to an awesome hat, River
Renegades fans will go crazy for it. Make your brand apart of our fans and our team
by sponsoring promotional giveaways at Kwik Trip Stadium.
-Your logo will be noticed on a promotional item that will be given to
thousands of River Renegades runners flooding through the gates.
-Opportunities are available to place your logo on our venders and added to
our concessions menu. Your company could be the name of our next frank.

-Sections are available and there are opportunities for your company to be a
part of our home plate section.
-We also provide promotional giveaways through technology, radio,
television, newspaper, social media, website, signage, and in the stadium.
Promotions going on during the game

-Nothing gets the fans going like fun events and promotions during the game.
Some of these may include: Kiss cam, trivia, sing-alongs, t-shirts blaster, little
kids league, tractor races, pie eating contest, scavenger hunt photo contest,
and many other exciting events that will get the fans involved with your
brand or product!
Other opportunities for becoming a sponsor
-Sponsoring the little leagues

-Promoting awareness for a cause

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-Be the sponsor of the night

Pocket calendars- We will be producing pocket calendars that your brand could be a
part of. We plan on handing these out to the fans on game days and having them out
on display at many stores.
As a sponsor you will have the opportunity to have one of five slots.

Programs-Programs are designed and produced for every game. Our programs will
have a front page, two inside pages, and a back. Your brand will have the
opportunity to be placed on any of those pages, and we also have a special offer of a
separate paper we can place inside the programs. To go along with the programs we
will also have a score card and a pencil. Your brand could be placed on either of
those items. Remember you will have many opportunities to be a sponsor for the
program for they are specialized for every game.

Tickets-Our tickets will allow one sponsor each game to be on the front. We will have
space on the back for your store, brand, or special offer to be displayed on that back
that will be given out to 4,000 runners.
Radio broadcasting-We have a local station that will be playing the game for the fans
who could not make. You will have the opportunity to have your brand announced
over the radio.

Social media-We have three social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You brand can have the opportunity to be reached out through these outlooks. Have
a promotion for our games that you would like the fans to know about ahead of
time? We can work out a post together to make it the most efficient as possible. This
will also help your brand reach a new audience.
Sponsors and promotions we already have set in stone:

July 10th- Toy boat night

PowerHouse Marine will be our sponsor providing the promotional giveaway that
night. They will also have a promotional boat that will sit there all weekend for
people to have a chance to win. They will also be doing a seventh inning stretch
event that will also involve the prize winning boat.

July 23rd- Koozie sweater giveaway if you come with ugliest sweater/t-shirt- Turtle
Stack Brewery is a very popular brewery in the area. What more do baseball fans
love more than watching a game? Having a nice cold one by their side. Turtle Stack
Brewery will provide them these awesome koozies when they walk through the
gates before the game. The Koozies cost .35 cents to make so we will be charging
turtle stack Brewery 1.20 for the koozies to have an inflow of .85 per koozie given
out.
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July 4th weekend:

July 1st- Flashback Friday: Dress in 60s/70s clothing

Everyone in the crowd is going to dress up in 60s 70s clothing to start out our
throwback weekend! Also, before the game starts there will be a car show.
July 2nd-E.T released in 1982, foam finger looks like E.T. finger, play movie on the field
Since the foam fingers will be custom too look like E.T.s finger they will 1.09 and we
will charge our sponsor, Schneider Accounting & Tax Incorporated, $2.18. After the
game everyone can either stay in their seats or head on down to the field to watch
the movie E.T. on the big screen.
July 3rd-Nineties night (slap bracelets?)
.0139 for a bracelet

July 4th - Smores on the field with fireworks after

Festival Foods a popular grocery store in town will be providing the goods to make
s'mores for this toasty evening event. They will be teaming up with La Crosse
Fireplace Co. so all of the fans will have above ground fire pits to toast their goods.
The two sponsors will be splitting the cost for the fireworks after the game.
Estimated out to be 500 dollars from both companies.

June 10th - Fathers day sunglasses

Our runners will have the option of one out of three pairs of glasses that have a
mustache attached to be like dad. .94 cents and our sponsor will be buying them for
$2.00 a pair. The sponsor will be Clason Buick GMC car dealership.
Corn on the cob night
We are going to buy a cob for .20 cents. Every fan that walks through the gates will
get a ticket stub for a free cob then after that prices will be one for three dollars or
two for five dollars.
Fishing Lure night
We can purchase these fishing lures for .35 cents and can charge the sponsor 1.20. It
will have our skull logo and there logo on the lure. Dicks sporting goods will be our
sponsor for this night.

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7.4c Public Relations/Publicity- It is important for the River Renegades to be a part of

the La Crosse community and keep the fans updated on what is happening with
their team. To do this they will send out press releases, media advisories, hold press
conferences, and give back to the community by organizing as well as attending
events in the community. Some of the specific items that the River Renegades will
send out to the media and events they will hold or attend will be:

Press releases regarding:

Media advisories for items such as:

Promotional games
New additions to the team
Keeping public updated

Honoring veterans
Volunteering opportunities
Player meet n greets
Memorable game events/player (e.g. Jackie Robinson Day)
Opening of a stadium
Press conferences
*Send out tickets with advisories to allow the media to get in for free and report on
experience

Press conferences
Pitch letters
*Allows team to gain interviews with the media

Release team/player data to gain knowledge of individuals to spark loyalty

Newsletters to inform people who have never been to a game
Nights supporting causes with donations to research or charities
Team has community day once a month
o Feed My Starving Children
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o Rake up leaves in seniors yards

o Visit Childrens hospital
o Help Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts sell popcorn/cookies
Annual Carol Call during Christmas in July, caroling around and collecting toys
for the toy drive
Player of the Month: featured player dealing with an illness, handicap, etc., get a
jersey, sit with players in the dugout
o Example: National Cancer Survivor Day
Renegade Readying Week: week long baseball training for kids, all proceeds
lesser developed schools to get better athletic and physical education programs

7.4d Direct Marketing- We would use multiple devices in direct marketing to try and
sell more tickets and get the word out more about our team. We would use online
ads targeted towards baseball fans near La Crosse. We would utilize billboard
advertising which can be done really effectively and get people interested like the
Kansas City Royals (see picture). We would also put some direct ads on our TV and
radio partners to see how many of our fans are watching and responding to our
message on two of our main distribution channels.
7.4e Direct Selling- Our main source of direct selling would be selling online via our
website. We would also do some door-to-door selling, but only in an effort to renew
our season tickets. Season tickets are a huge lifeblood to sports and its important to
have a face-to-face meeting with people who bring some much money into our team.
7.4f Internet Activities- First of all we would have a fully interactive website with
advertising and several tabs for our visitors. We would update photos regularly and our
schedule and standings. We would have these tabs.
A. News, with breaking news for the team and what the team does in the
community, as well as updated scores and such
B. Team, it would show our roster and a little bit about each of our teammates
C. Scores, score of the game and past scores
D. Stats, our W/L ratio and our teams and player stats
E. Schedule, our yearly schedule with promotions and each win and loss
F. Community, what we do with and for the community and with the La Crosse
River Renegades family as well
G. FAQ, about games and questions about us as an organization. We would also
have interactive polls like who is your favorite player and things like that. Also
have a suggestion box.
H. We will also have an online store with all of our inventory ready to ship out to
our customers.
7.4g Word of Mouth/Viral/Social Media- First of all, our word of mouth is a big part of
our campaign, people talk about things they have heard of and things that theyve liked.
29

We need to be very careful with word of mouth however. We need to create a quality
experience to minimize the bad things said. It takes about ten good comments to erase
one bad one. We make sure that all of our games are a quality experience that gives us
positive reviews so our word of mouth is always helping us and not hurting us. Next, we
have a YouTube channel where we would do team bios and player bios with fun videos
about us and our park. We would also have help videos for kids trying to improve their
baseball game. We would have our players give helpful tips and show kids their skills so
kids and their parents could watch and practice their game. We think this is a great way to
help getting involved in the community and give us a good image while promoting our
sport. This is also where we would post incredible plays and anything that has a chance to
go viral and help us get noticed. We also have Facebook and Twitter to post live updates
and communicate with our fans. Twitter is huge in the sports world so we would try to
pull followers from a high percentage of our fans so we could reach them all for
important updates and such.

8. Marketing Objectives
8.1 Standard Marketing Objectives

1. To maintain a 90-92% percent attendance rate or sell at least 3600 tickets

each home game at Kwik Trip stadium.
2. To provide our fans with an unforgettable to keep them returning to our
games for years to come.
3. To keep our prices at an affordable cost to ensure our fans can run on the
river with us for years to come.

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8.2 Revenue Inflows

Tickets

Crow's Nest
Family Area
Picnic Area
Champion's Club
VIP Seating
Bleacher Seating
Advertisement Sales

Outfield Fence Signage

Back of scoreboard
Merchandise

Hats
1. Fitted
2. OSFO

Men's
Logo T-Shirt
Jersey T-Shirt
Jersey T-Shirt Alternative
Sweatshirts (Unisex)
Logo Sweatshirt
Logo Sweatshirt
Alternative

Women's
Logo T-Shirt V-Neck
Logo Long Sleeve Scoop
Neck
Quarter Zip Up

200 seats
380 seats
200 spots
50 seats
70 seats
3100 seats

$8 per ticket
$6 per ticket
$5 per ticket
$8 per ticket
$14 per ticket
$5 per ticket

72 Panels
Entire panel

$300 per sign/$525 for

two
Buy as a whole

$4,725
$4,725

$1,600
$2,280
$1,000
$400
$980
$15,500
Subtotal: $21,760
approx. $21,150
$4,000
Subtotal:$25,150

Youth
T-Shirt
Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Long Sleeve Sweatshirt

$4,815
$5,400
$5,400

Miscellaneous
Lanyard
Baseball
Can Koozies
Beer/Wine Koozies
Key Chains
Beach Ball

14,310

$14,310
$10,800

$16,101
$16,200

$4,257
$7,869
$12,685
$1,350
$3,600
$1,260
$1,260
$918
$2,520

Subtotal:$143,305
Total: $190,215

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8.3 Revenue Outflows

Merchandise
HATS
1. FITTED
2. OSFO
MEN'S
1. LOGO TSHIRT
2. JERSEY TSHIRT

3. JERSEY TSHIRT
(ALTERNATE
COLOR)
SWEATSHIRTS
(UNISEX)
1. LOGO
SWEATSHIRT
2. LOGO
SWEATSHIRT
(ALTERNATE
COLOR)

WOMEN'S
1. LOGO TSHIRT V-NECK
2. LOGO
LONG SLEEVE
SCOOP NECK

$3,150
$3,150

$3,150
$3,600

$3,600

$9,540

$9,540

$7,200
$10,899

3. QUARTER
ZIP UP
4. LOGO TSHIRT SCOOP
NECK
YOUTH
1. T-SHIRT
2. LONG
SLEEVE TSHIRT
3.SWEATSHIRT
MISC. MERCH
1. LANYARDS
2. BASEBALLS
3. CAN
KOOZIE'S
4.BEER/ WINE
KOOZIE
5. KEY CHAINS
6. BEACH BALL
TOTAL:
Advertising
NEWSPAPER
BILLBOARD
Total:

9. Contingency

$10,800
$7,200
$2,623
$5,246
$8,385
$900
$2,250
$540
$540
$612
$1,530

$192
$4,000

$94,455

$4,192
$98,647

Our biggest concerns are: people not showing up at our games, and if we have a large
scandal, or bad publicity with a player or players.
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Our contingency plan for people not showing up at our games is to combat it with our
marketing campaign. We would also drop the prices on our tickets to try to gain more
popularity. With this however once ticket sales rise again we need to raise the price of our
tickets again because we need to be a stable business. People who are constantly giving
away tickets for cheap prices are usually failing teams, so it is incredibly important we get
back to where we were after an issue would happen. We would beef up our marketing
campaign and bring larger attractions in to increase ticket sales. But ultimately we want
people coming to watch our team and not necessarily just for the attractions, that way we
get consistent fans.

Our largest concern is if a player or players were involved in a scandal or involved in an

incident that may cause harm to our brand. Each situation will need to be handled
appropriately but the team does reserve the right to dismiss any team member at any time
for violations of our policy. Punishments can be a team benching or range all the way up to
dismissal.
Currently the La Crosse River Renegades is a fan of trying to come up with a league wide
contingency plan if disaster ever struck one of its teams. There is no such plan in place if a
number of team members are killed on one team. There is no way to re-stock the team
through other teams currently. We are looking for an eventual plan that would mirror one
of professional baseball.

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