“Baseball is family. The Astros are family.

#AstrosAreFamily #LetsTakeOff

Easton Clary, Hailey Lovelace, Madison Caruana, ​Emma Thibodeau, James Costa

PRS 441: Public Relations Practice

Professor Xiong

May 8, 2020
 1

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 2

PRO Inc. Introduction 4

Client Introduction 5

Secondary Research: Organization Overview and Consumer Evaluation 8

Primary Research: Survey 20

Public Relations Campaign Plan Goals and Objectives 28

Communication Messages, Strategies and Tactics 35

Budget, Calendar and Evaluation 41

References 46
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Executive Summary

The Houston Astros, a major league baseball team, recently won the World Series title in

2017. It recently came out that the Astros cheated to win this title. The Houston Astros installed

a camera on their field to steal the pitching signs of the opposing team. By knowing what pitch

was about to come next, the Astros had an unfair advantage during that game and the rest of the

season (Baccellieri). The Astros have angered their fans and their fellow players and coaches.

Some fans have even filed lawsuits against the organization. Because of this cheating crisis, the

Astros face penalties for their actions and also face losing money and fans this coming season.

Many secondary research sources show that Astros fans are angry about the cheating

crisis and view the organization unfavorably (Calcaterra & Baer). Our firm has also conducted a

survey to distribute to Astros fans. The survey results were extremely insightful into how the

Astros’ fanbase is feeling towards them. The survey showed that fans’ loyalty to the Astros has

been negatively affected. Results also showed that fans are dissatisfied with how the cheating

crisis is currently being handled. Another crucial piece of information learned from the survey is
 3

that a majority of Astros fans do not know if they will continue to support the team this coming

season. Additionally, research shows that Astros fans want to see the organization conduct more

promotional events. Lastly, research shows that Astros fans mostly receive their content on the

team from Twitter and Instagram. The Astros are at a crucial point and will need to change their

reputation and make their customers and fans see them in a more positive light.

Our firm has designed a campaign to target Astros fans, bring them back to the Astros

community, and lastly, positively impact their view of the team. The slogan of the campaign is

“Baseball is family. Astros are family.” This campaign evokes a sense of togetherness between

the Astros and their community. The hashtags for this campaign will be #AstrosAreFamily and

#LetsTakeOff. This campaign will involve a variety of elements such as social media posts,

partnerships, promotional and charitable events, and a membership program. We will use social

media, primarily Twitter and Instagram, to promote this campaign. This campaign will give the

community ways to interact with the Astros like they never have before. By involving the

community, we will be able to change the public’s opinion of the Astros from negative to

positive.
 4

PRO Inc. Introduction

Easton is a senior Public Relations and Fine Arts major at the

University of Rhode Island. As a Research Director at PRO.Inc, she is

responsible for overseeing and developing research objectives and

writing proposals for organizations. During her time at URI, Easton has

gained valuable public relations skills, taking courses such as research

methods in communications.

Easton Clary

Research Director

Hailey, a student from the University of Rhode Island, specializes

in developing meaningful connections as well as experiences

between both brand values and target audiences. Hailey completed

her Social Media certification, seeking to learn more about social media strategy and develop her

knowledge based on social media efforts.

Hailey Lovelace

Creative Director
 5

Emma is a senior at the University of Rhode Island studying Public

Relations and Communications. As Copy Director at Pro Inc., she is

responsible for ensuring everything put out by the organization

reflects our values mentioned in the mission statement. Throughout

her time at URI, Emma has gained valuable public relations skills,

taking classes focused on public relations writing.

Emma Thibodeau

Copy Director

James is a senior Public Relations major at the University of Rhode Island,

specializing in sports media relations. During his time at URI, James has

been a leader in all organizations he has been a member of as well as a

devoted member of the University’s marching and pep band. Through his

leadership experiences, James has been able to connect with sports media

directors and personnel from multiple local and national outlets and provides ProInc a network

for success.

James Costa

Account Executive
 6

Madison is a senior at the University of Rhode Island majoring in

Public Relations with a focus on social media. Madison maintains

all social media accounts for ProInc. She has gained meaningful

experience over her time at URI, taking courses focused on social

media, earning a Hubspot social media certification as well as working alongside nonprofits to

help increase social awareness of their brand through the use of social media.

Madison Caruana
 7

Our Mission Statement

We strive to provide strong relationships with both clients and their targeted audience

through the use of strategic communication and counsel, all while staying true to what they

represent as a brand.

Client Introduction

Our client is the Houston Astros Baseball Organization. The Astros are a baseball team

that plays in Major League Baseball (MLB). They are currently regarded as one of the perineale

World Series contenders in the MLB participating in two of the previous three World Series as

well as each of the last four American League (AL) Championship Series. The Astros were first

established in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s and changed their name to the Astros in 1965

(“Houston Astros History”).

We chose to represent the Houston Astros because of the recent cheating scandal they

have been the center of. The Astros illegally used cameras to relay to the batter which pitch the

pitcher intended on throwing. This gave the batter an unfair advantage over the other team,

knowing what to prepare for ahead of time. We feel as though we can help rebuild their

reputation, as well as regain trust within their organization and their fans. We plan to do so

through the use of strategic social media and commercial campaigns.

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Secondary Research: Organization Overview and Consumer Evaluation

Organization Background

The Houston Astros have had a long history in Major League Baseball (MLB). The

Astros were first established in the National League (NL) in 1962 under the name The Colt .45’s.

In 1964, they were renamed The Astros to honor the NASA headquarters located in Texas. It was

at this time that they entered into the MLB (Sports Team History). Having played in three World

Series matchups in the past two decades, and winning one, they are a fierce competitor in the

MLB. Currently, the Astros’ home stadium is Minute Maid Park, which was built in 2000

(Sports Team History). Currently, the Houston Astros have many charitable foundations, under

the umbrella organization, The Astros Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to, “harnessing

the passion of baseball fans to enrich our community” (MLB.com). The Houston Atros are a

very prominent team in their league and do a lot on and off the field to better their organization.

Mission Statement of the Organization

While the Astros as a baseball team do not have a mission statement, they do have a team

charity established, the Astros Foundation, with a mission statement that guides the organization

on and off the field. The Astros Foundation mission statement is, “The Astros Foundation is the

official 501(c)(3) team charity of the Houston Astros. We seek to harness the passion of baseball

fans to support youth baseball and softball programs, honor our nation’s military, childhood

cancer awareness, efforts to reduce homelessness and domestic violence. The Astros Foundation

cornerstone initiatives include the Community Leaders program, the Astros MLB Youth
 9

Academy and the Astros RBI Program (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities)” (“Astros in

Community”).

Organizational Structure

The Houston Astros are a national branch off of the international organization, Major

League Baseball. The Astros organization itself has six minor league affiliates located

throughout the United States and one affiliate located internationally. These minor league

affiliates include the Round Rock Express located in Round Rock, TX, the Corpus Christi Hooks

located in Corpus Christi, TX, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers located in Fayetteville, NC, the

Quad Cities River Bandits located in Davenport, IA, the Tri-City ValleyCats located in Troy,

NY, the Gulf Coast League Astros located in Florida, and the Dominican Summer League Astros

located in the Dominican Republic (“Houston Astros Affiliates”).

Funding

According to a survey released by Statista in 2019, the Houston Astros have accumulated

a total revenue of 368 million dollars from the years 2001-2018. Since its inception, the Astros

have been provided funding from a wide variety of companies and eventually through their

Astros Foundation founded in 2013. These companies include: Coca-Cola, Boys & Girls Club of

America, Champion Energy Services, Cheniere, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Gardner Denver,

Halliburton, Lexus, LyondellBasell, Nabors, Occidental Petroleum, Quanta Services,

Schlumberger and Transocean.

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Industry Description

The industry the Houston Astros belong to is the sports industry, or more specifically, the

Major League Baseball. The state of the sports industry is currently on the rise in revenue. The

global sports industry reached a value of 488 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to 614

billion by the year 2022 according to a 2019 Business Wire report. A North American study

released in November of 2019 suggests that the sports industry’s generated revenue of 71 billion

in 2018 is projected to reach a total of 83 billion by 2023. The overall state of the sports industry

is statistically rising in revenue in each year globally as well as the largest contributor being

North America.

The service of our client is to entertain the public through the playing of baseball. Our

client makes revenue through tickets sold for games as well as selling sports memorabilia. Many

people invest in season tickets, which is guaranteed revenue for the Astros. According to Forbes

Magazine, the team is valued at $1.775 billion(Forbes). The yearly revenue is estimated to be

$368 million (Forbes). The Astros brand is responsible for bringing in $217 million (Forbes).

The Astros are popular mostly in the Houston area because that is the location of the

organization. However, there are fans of the team worldwide. The Astros organization is well

recognized within the MLB meriting the popularity of the organization.

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Competitive Frame

Merits Weaknesses

Yankees 2.5M Instagram, 3.4M Pitcher cheated using pine tar,

Twitter, gambling scandals, steroid

investigation, substance abuse

Dodgers 2.1M Instagram, 2.1M players are outspoken on

Twitter, Tyler White was a Astros scandal - against MLB

player on the Astros 2017 recommendations

team, Team building

Red Sox 1.8M Instagram, 2.1M previous sign stealing crisis,

Twitter, Ben Affleck sexual abuse scandal

defended team in sign

stealing scandal
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SWOT analysis

Strengths Opportunities

● The Astros’ charitable foundation, The ● Organization has the opportunity to

Astro Foundation, does an immense hire new management to regain the

amount of charity work. The public's trust (Matthews).

organization raises money and ● To further regain the public’s trust, the

awareness for organizations and issues Astros can apologize for their

such as, the U.S. military, childhood behavior and act in an ethical manner

cancer nonprofits, and organizations in the future (Apstein).

that advocate for the homeless ● The Astros participate in a league that

population. This can boost the public has a history of cheating scandals,

perception of the organization which makes this scandal seem less

(MLB.com). severe (Knapel).

● The Astros have recently hired a

well-respected new manager for the

team, Dusty Baker (Brown).

 13

Weaknesses Threats

● Because of the recent cheating ● Many lawsuits have come out against

scandal, the Astros have lost the trust the Astros in the wake of the cheating

of their fanbase and the fanbase of the scandal. Season ticket holders are

entire MLB (Calcaterra & Baer). suing the Astros for Deceptive Trade

● Not only have they lost the trust and Practices and violating the Consumer

respect of the public, but of their Protection Act (Shaikin).

fellow league players (McCan). ● The organization faces losing money

this coming season from a decline in

ticket sales due to angry fans

(Shaikin).

III. Conclusion

The background information involving our client specifically indicates their position in

the MLB. It is made apparent that the team has had several successes, and in comparison to their

mistakes, it shows their commitment to the league. The knowledge we received when

researching our client goes to show the involvement that this team makes. The Astros are a team

who is involved in the MLB but equally involved in the community and strives to support those

who support them. We plan to emphasize their involvement, especially in regards to their own
 14

foundation. By being appreciative of their fans, it shows that although they have previously

made mistakes, they are willing to give back in order to make up for their wrong-doings (“Astros

in Community”). Giving back to those who have supported them throughout time will only

strengthen the connections in hopes to mend the mistakes they have previously made. Building

trust among not only their fanbase, but the fanbase of the MLB as a whole. A statement needs to

be made, and it must be powerful in order for the campaign to be as successful as their mistake

was disappointing.
 15

Easton Clary, Hailey Lovelace, Madison Caruana, Emma Thibodeau, James Costa

PRS 441: Public Relations Practice

Professor Xiong

March 6, 2020
 16

II. Identification of TargetPublics

● Description of the target publics

The target public for the Houston Astros is predominantly males ages 35 to 44 (Distillery

Audience Explorer). This aligns with the fanbase of Major League Baseball as a whole,

which is males with an average age of 53 (Distillery Audience Explorer). The Houston

Astros fan base is also mostly Caucasian (Distillery Audience Explorer). Additionally,

the majority of the Houston Astros’ fans live in Texas, specifically southern Texas

(Seatgeek).

● Target the public’s characteristics/behaviors.

The audience for the Houston Astros has a few unique traits. These traits include having

an interest in other teams such as the Los Angeles Angels, Texas A&M Aggies, Houston

Texans, and of course the MLB and ESPN overall. Most of their interests involve the

competitors of our clients. They also show interest in Texas media and Texas University

Athletics. Another interesting trait that our client’s fans portray is an interest in clothing

brands such as Ann Taylor, Jos A. Bank Clothiers, and Michael Kors. An interest that

appears prominent in Texas sporting and outdoors for our particular audience. (Dstillery

Audience Explorer)

● Target the public’s need(s) and pain points

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Our target public is interested in our client’s presence in the MLB. The media's portrayal

of our client has hindered the persona that our client has upheld for years. Since the sign

stealing scandal, our target public has been affected and has been viewed in a negative

light. This is mostly because of the portrayal of our client in the media. This pain point

can be alleviated with an improved image of the team. By counteracting their

wrongdoing with more meaningful content that attracts media, our client’s fanbase can

avoid the negative aspects surrounding the team. The embarrassment mentioned in the

article is a pain point of our client’s fanbase as well (Houston). All of these pain points

are in a similar category, which can be lessened with an appropriate media portrayal

going forward. Additionally, playing future games fairly will benefit the fan’s pain

points.

● Preferred social network(s)

The top social media platforms that Houston Astros fans are ones that many consumers

are familiar with. Leading at the top, the Houston Astros twitter page (@astros) has over

1.5 million followers (“Topic: Houston Astros”). Second, the Houston Astros Facebook

page (@HoustonAstros) has over 1.4 million likes including an average of 50,000+

engagements (“Houston Astros: Facebook”). Lastly, the Astros Instagram page

(@astrosbaseball) has over 1.1 million followers with an average of 0.76% influence

(“Astrosbaseball: Instagram”). When carefully looking over the data given for Astros

fans' social media consumption, the best platform to connect would be their Twitter

following with their Facebook page in second.

 18

● Public perceptions

Due to the sign-stealing scandal, the public perception of the Astros is fairly

negative. Fans have been frustrated with the Astros and opposing teams and players have

openly expressed their anger at the organization (“Breaking Down Astros Meltdown”).

Online reaction to the sign-stealing scandal, punishment and apologies have been mostly

negative. Talk on Twitter has centered around players unhappy with the Astros and how

the MLB handled the punishments. In regard to apologies from the Astros, people view

them as ingenuine and not enough (“Players React to Astros Scandal”). The mass media

coverage of the scandal has been neutral, however, they have implicated negative

connotations within handlines with phrases like “Cheating Astros” (Miller). Overall, the

Astros’ online reputation is currently negative with a possibility to improve.

● Interpretation & application

Our target audience seems to be Caucasian males ages 35-44 and their preferred social

network is Twitter, the second most preferred social media is Facebook. This information

is essential in developing a plan to create a PR campaign. The demographic and social

platforms will help us to develop content appropriate for our intended audience through

Twitter and Facebook. We know the public perception is very negative and we must

promote a campaign that sympathizes with their frustration and allows them to regain

trust in our organization. We will post about precautions we are putting in place to ensure

incidents like this will never happen again. We will also work with the MLB to ensure
 19

this will not happen in the future with any other teams. We will also post about

promotions and deals to help the fans have a more positive outlook on our brand.

Primary Research: Survey

III. Primary Research Plan

Our research team has compiled a survey to address previous concerns and obtain a response

from the public. The purpose of conducting this survey is to get feedback about the public

perception of the Houston Astros. We will be using this information to improve our organization.

This survey will only take about ten to fifteen minutes to complete. The responses to this survey

are confidential. We greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to respond to this

survey!

Screener Questions

Are you a consumer of the MLB (Major League Baseball)?

Key concept 1: Social Media

RQ1: Which social media platforms do our customers use most to get their content?

Survey question 1: [Likert Scale Type] To what extent do you agree or disagree that you get

regular updates on the Houston Astros via the following social media platforms? (Facebook,

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Other)

a) Strongly disagree
 20

b) Disagree

c) Neither agree nor disagree

d) Agree

e) Strongly Agree

Key concept 2: Customer Loyalty

RQ2: How loyal is our fanbase after the recent crisis?

Survey question 2: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the recent Astros crisis has

affected your loyalty to the team?

a) Strongly disagree

b) Disagree

c) Neither agree nor disagree

d) Agree

e) Strongly agree

Survey question 3: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement, “I plan on

supporting the Astros this coming season”?

a) Strongly disagree

b) Disagree

c) Neither agree nor disagree

d) Agree
 21

e) Strongly agree

Key concept 3: Customer Empathy

RQ3: How empathetic are the Astros fan base to the sign stealing crisis?

Survey question 4: What has the current crisis made you feel about the organization?

a) Very untrustworthy

b) Untrustworthy

c) Neutral

d) Trustworthy

e) Very trustworthy

Survey question 5: After seeing the current crisis, how has your view of the MLB as a whole

been impacted?

a) Extremely negatively impacted

b) Negatively impacted

c) Neutral/no change

d) Positively impacted

e) Extremely positively impacted

Key concept 4: Promotions

RQ4: What promotional events/products would our customers like to see in the future?
 22

Survey question 6: To what extent do you agree that you would like to see the Houston Astros do

more promotional contests to win game tickets, memorabilia, etc?

a) Strongly disagree

b) Disagree

c) Neither agree nor disagree

d) Agree

e) Strongly agree

Survey question 7: To what extent do you agree or disagree that you would like to see the

Houston Astros plan more charitable events?

a) Strongly disagree

b) Disagree

c) Neither agree nor disagree

d) Agree

e) Strongly agree

Key concept 5: Customer Satisfaction?

RQ5: How satisfied is our fanbase with the organization?

Survey question 8: Are you aware of how the Astros are handling the crisis?

a) Yes

b) No
 23

Survey question 9: ​​To what extent do you feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Astros

organization is handling the sign-stealing crisis?

a) Very dissatisfied

b) Dissatisfied

c) Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied

d) Satisfied

e) Very satisfied

Survey question 10: To what extent do you agree with the statement “I will continue to support

the Astros organization following the recent crisis.”?

a) Strongly disagree

b) Disagree

c) Neither agree nor disagree

d) Agree

e) Strongly agree

Demographic Questions

Survey question 11: What is your gender?

a) Male

b) Female

c) Other, prefer not to say

 24

Survey question 12: How old are you? Please write down a number below.

Survey question 13: What is your ethnicity?

a) White

b) Black or African-American

c) American Indian or Alaskan Native

d) Asian

e) Native Hawaiin or Pacific Islander

f) Latino

g) Other

Survey question 14: Where do you live?

a) Houston area

b) Other areas of Texas

c) Other _______

“Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey! We value your feedback and will use it

towards improving our organization.”

 25

Goals & Objectives

Easton Clary, Hailey Lovelace, Madison Caruana, Emma Thibodeau, James Costa

PRS 441: Public Relations Practice

Professor Xiong

March 31, 2020

 26

Public Relations Campaign Plan Goals and Objectives

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1:

To ​obtain a more positive media portrayal by the end of the 2020 MLB season.

Objective 1: ​Attend/host twenty more community service events than last year by

December 31, 2020.

Objective 2: ​Select players and coaches to use social media more often (4 or 5 more

posts per week) during pre-season. (November - February)

I.e. create a fan insider program that allows more fans to dive into the world of social

media.

Goal 2:

To g​ain a larger fanbase of about 500 new fans during the 2020 MLB season.

Objective 3: ​Offer a compelling product - offer weekly competitions to those in the

community during baseball season (March through October) that allow them to appear

during the game or get very good seats.

I.e. contests that select people for on field recognition or great seats at the game

Objective 4: ​Create a gathering place for the community - host biannual community

gathering events, one during baseball season and one in June, during baseball season and

one in December, during preseason. We will measure how many customers attend the

event and what our return rate is.

 27

I.e. sports card/memorabilia shows to bring the fanbase closer

Goal 3:

To: ​Increase ticket sales profit margins by 5% by December 2020

Objective 5: ​Sell 10% more tickets by December 2020 by creating season ticket referral

programs to upsell game tickets. We will measure how many participants we have for the

season ticket referral programs to measure our success rate and also send out a survey to

participants to see how they like the program.

I.e. discounted rates for referrals, more service during the game

Objective 6: ​Drive associated revenue by giving fans access to pre, during, and post

season insiders, increase promotional giveaways and sweepstakes to push forth a larger

following, which in turn will increase the revenue. Fans will be able to pay a yearly

membership fee to gain access to team information, such as team contracts, injury

reports, and recent trades. We will offer this program for the coming 2020 season and

measure how many customers we attain.

 28

Communication Messages, Strategies & Tactics

Easton Clary, Hailey Lovelace, Madison Caruana, Emma Thibodeau, James Costa

PRS 441: Public Relations Practice

Professor Xiong

April 12, 2020

 29

Survey Results

This survey data was collected beginning April 8, 2020 and data collection ended on

April 11, 2020. Our first sample recruitment criteria was individuals who regularly watch MLB

games. Our second sample recruitment criteria was individuals who regularly watch the Houston

Astros games. The total sample size was 100 individuals. After the screener questions section of

the survey, we were left with a sample size of 31 (​n=

​ 31) who regularly consume the MLB and

Houston Astros games.

For the demographic section of the survey, individuals were asked their gender, age,

ethnicity, and area they live in. Data collection shows that 55% (​n​=17) of participants were male.

Data also shows that 84% (​n​=26) of participants were White. Six percent (​n​=2) were

African-American. Three percent (​n=

​ 1) were Native Hawaiin or Pacific Islander and 6% (​n=
​ 2)

selected others.

The first question selected to report is “​To what extent do you agree or disagree that you

get regular updates on the Houston Astros via the following social media platforms?”

Participants were asked to rate what extent they agree or disagree that they get regular updates on

the Astros from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The data showed that our

participants mostly receive their updates on the Astros from Twitter (​M ​= 3.84, ​SD​= 0.92) and

Instagram (​M ​= 3.50, ​SD = ​0.81). (Refer to Figure 1)

The second question selected to report is, “To what degree do you agree or disagree that

the recent Astros crisis has affected your loyalty to the team?” Results from the survey show that
 30

respondents agree that the Houston Astros’ current crisis has affected their loyalty to the team (​M

= 3.65, ​SD ​= 0.93). (Refer to Figure 2)

The third question selected to report is, “To what extent would you like or dislike to see

the Houston Astros do more promotional contests to win game tickets, memorabilia, etc.?”

Results showed that participants would like to see the Astros plan more promotional contests (​M

= 4.06, ​SD ​= 0.56). (Refer to Figure 3)

The fourth question selected to report is, “To what extent do you feel satisfied or

dissatisfied with the way the Astros organization is handling the sign-stealing crisis?” Results

showed that participants are dissatisfied or strongly dissatisfied with the way the Astros are

handling this crisis (​M =

​ 2.50, ​SD =
​ 1.38). (Refer to Figure 4)

The final question to report is, “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the

statement ‘I will continue to support the Astros organization following the recent crisis?’”

Results showed that respondents feel neutral on this statement. (​M =

​ 3.03, ​SD =
​ 1.12). (Refer to

Figure 5)
 31

Figure 1

Figure 2
 32

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5
 33

Communication Messages, Strategies and Tactics

Core Value of Campaign:

The core value of our campaign is to promote the Houston Astros as a stand-up organization

looking to clean up the game of baseball and bring more fans into the MLB family. Due to the

sign stealing scandal, the Astros’ public perception has taken a drastic negative hit, as shown in

our survey results. With the current public perception the Astros have, it makes the core values

of this campaign difficult. People will have second thoughts about listening to the Astros about

fairness in baseball or really anything that could be positive for the game so it is vastly important

for the Astros to be viewed more positively in the public eye for the organization to succeed. No

improvement in public perception could result in organizational and business failures such as

fans not purchasing tickets or tuning into Astros games, free agent players signing with other

teams to avoid backlash for joining the Astros as well as current players electing to leave the

Astros to find a team that is more publicly liked. The Astros could face failures in charitable

ventures as well with the public preferring to donate and associate with a team charity that is not

linked to a scandalous organization. Also, the negative attention currently surrounding the Astros

within Major League Baseball is a danger to Astros players. The William Hill sportsbook, prior

to the 2020 baseball season, set the over/under for the number of Astros batters to be hit by

pitches at 83.5 (Bengel 2020). Over the past five seasons only nine teams have had over 83.5 hit

by pitches and that number would also double the number of hits by pitches the Astros had in

2019 which was 41 (Bengel 2020). This campaign will first and foremost shine a positive light
 34

on the Houston Astros and bring them back into the good graces of the public, which will then

allow the Astros to become the role model of the league.

Slogan and Hashtag of Campaign:

The slogan of this campaign will be “Baseball is family. The Astros are family.” With the main

goal of the campaign being to obtain a positive public perception for the Astros along with the

core values of the campaign, we want to get the Astros more connected with baseball fans and

their community. This slogan encapsulates that idea by showing the public that the Astros are

there for them. The slogan offers an invitation to the public to see how exactly the Astros “are

family.” Also, by putting baseball first, it shows the Astros are focused on bettering the sport

during this clean up after their scandal as well as themselves. The hashtags used for this

campaign will be #AstrosAreFamily and #LetsTakeOff. The first hashtag directly relates to the

slogan. The second hashtag, like the slogan, implies the want to be more connected with fans and

community. The “Let’s take off” part of the hashtag offers a fun play on Houston’s association

with space and the organization’s intentions of improving and growing their public perception

and fanbase.

Strategies

1.Collaborate with influencers or third-party paid endorsement

With the importance of social media networks, brands can collaborate with influencers whose

content carries a voice amongst their niche viewers. Obtaining a more positive media portrayal
 35

by the end of the 2020 season will create a stronger fan base and help reach PRO Inc.’s goals and

objectives.

2.Obtain a partnership

PR-driven partnerships are the coming together of two brands with the aim of reaching a new

audience, improving their service or to create a new PR angle for each brand. These types of

partnerships create a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties involved. This strategy will

help PRO Inc.’s objectives and goals by creating an outlet for a positive audience in the media.

Strategy 1 tactics:

● Launch product/campaign involving influencers who have mass sums of followers.

● Collaborate with influencers who can be your brand ambassadors in the long-run and will

build strong relationships and strengthen credibility.

Strategy 2 tactics:

● Review and find the companies that get the most benefit by partnering with the Houston

Astros

● Evaluate partnership to make sure goals and objectives are being achieved

Campaign Message

For our campaign, we will display families bonding over the Astros. Whether the families are

high fiving after a home-run in the comfort of their own homes, or at the ballpark sulking after a

tough loss. We will show the families embracing their emotions through hugging and high
 36

fiving. We will then show moments of when the Astros went above and beyond for their fans.

Showing clips of players high-fiving their fans, to visiting them at the hospital. We will end the

campaign with a black screen, slowly displaying our message “Baseball is family. The Astros are

family.” We will be sure to encompass real families of all ethnicities to show inclusiveness to

ensure there is a true display of love. We will not have anyone speaking throughout the video,

we feel the message and emotion is clear throughout the video of families and team members

showing a strong bond. The goal of the video is to show the Astros organization is a family, we

will support each other through the wins and losses and at the end of the day we are family and at

the end of the day families are always there to support each other.

Post samples:

Through thick and thin, ups and downs, we are and forever will be family. #AstrosAreFamily

www.twitter.com/astros

Our families, our fans. We would be nothing without your support. We love you.

#thankyou #AstrosAreFamily
 37

www.twitter.com/astros
 38

Budget, Calendar, and Evaluation

Easton Clary, Hailey Lovelace, Madison Caruana, Emma Thibodeau, James Costa

PRS 441: Public Relations Practice

Professor Xiong

April 24, 2020

 39

Budget, Calendar and Evaluation

II. Campaign Budget

Items Unit Cost Amount Total Info Source

(Use in-text

citation for this

column)

Collaboration 10,000 2 20,000 (Influencer)

with influencer

Social Media 15,000 1 15,000 (Tsourakis)

team
 40

Paid 5.00 15,000 75,000 (Falcon.io)

advertisements

(Facebook,

Instagram,

Twitter)

Events 50,000 11 550,000 (Varriano)

(Partner events,

promo games,

community

outreach)

Budget Total 660,000

 41

III. Campaign Calendar (3 pts)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bU04mvC0b1D7bAx2pSsbmR0UaYQ3u6xXgt8k_J05t

hU/edit#gid=1843190111
 42

Campaign Evaluation Plan

Output Evaluation Plan

To evaluate the outputs of our campaign, we will need to evaluate how much media

engagement and mentions we received throughout and after the campaign. We will evaluate how

much coverage we received on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Additionally, we will evaluate how much our campaign was mentioned in news articles and on

TV, specifically news and sports channels, such as ESPN. From these sources, we will be able to

see how much coverage we received and whether it was positive or negative. To effectively

measure the outputs of our campaign, we will use a Public Relations analytic software, such as

CoverageBook.

Outtakes Evaluation Plan

To measure the outtakes of our campaign, we will send out a survey to see how our

publics perceive our client. We will administer this survey on November 15, 2020, about one

month after our campaign ends. It will be administered online via email. We will be

administering the survey to anyone that has attended a Houston Astros game in the past two

seasons. We will also be administering the survey to members of the MLB Players Association

(MLBPA). With these two groups, we will be able to get an idea of how we are viewed

externally and also internally. To screen participants for the survey, we will ask each participant

if they are familiar with the Astros campaign, “Baseball is family. Astros are family.” If they are

not, they will be pushed to the end of the survey. We plan to ask questions about the public’s

current perception of the organization? On the survey, we will include questions such as:
 43

1. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the Houston Astros’ recent campaign,

#Astrosarefamily, has made you feel more involved with the Astros organization?

- Disagree

- Somewhat Disagree

- Neither agree nor disagree

- Somewhat agree

- Agree

2. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement, “The Astros are

remorseful about how they have impacted their fanbase following their recent crisis.”?

- Disagree

- Somewhat disagree

- Neither agree nor disagree

- Somewhat agree

- Agree

3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement, “I would like to

see the Houston Astros run more campaigns promoting the idea of family and community

togetherness.”?

- Disagree

- Somewhat disagree

- Neither agree nor disagree

- Somewhat agree

- Agree
 44

Outcomes Evaluation Plan

To measure our campaign’s outcomes, we will be using several different methods. First,

we will evaluate the results from our post-campaign survey to determine if our campaign

changed the public’s opinion of our client and made them less angry about the cheating crisis.

Secondly, we will be tracking ticket sales of the Houston Astros. Because our client’s negative

perception is currently very low, we will be able to see if our campaign made a positive impact

by seeing if ticket sales increase. Lastly, we will also be tracking jersey sales of Astros players

through Amazon, our website, and big retail stores, like Nike. More often than not, fans do not

want to purchase the jerseys of a team that does not have a good reputation. By tracking jersey

sales, we will be able to see if the campaign produced an interest in buying and wearing Astros

jerseys. With these three items, we will be able to get a much better look at how many people

were positively impacted by the campaign.

 45

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