Piecing together a campaign

After our first meeting with sports director ML Woodruff and the rest of Istrouma Sports Organization, or ISO, we all left overwhelmed.  While small in size, their marketing and public relations department has the financial capability to reach its target audience.  However, their campaign doesn’t focus on the right communication channels to reach their target audience.  After doing a SWOT analysis and secondary research, we concluded the best way to reach their target audience is by informing their church congregation and partnering with local churches without a sports program.  This will greatly increase awareness and attendance, because most their congregation is unaware of ISO and other churches are looking for sport involvement.

During our research we found seven churches that didn’t have a sports organization, which are opportunities for potential expansion.  However, there are concerns about doing this.  Will we upset other church members by asking them to participate with another church?  Will a church’s pastor be upset by another local church reaching out to its congregation?  Will Istrouma Baptist Church be mad for stepping on other church’s toes?  Fortunately, we thought of these questions before asking ML and addressed the issue in a professional manner.  We had proper research to assume this wouldn’t be too much of an issue (we noticed it had been done by other churches and knew some Baton Rouge churches already participated in other church’s events).  When we asked ML, he approved!

This point brings me back to something the “Voice of the Tigers” said one time: You never know an answer until you ask.  It seems so simple, yet we start thinking about either how ridiculous it sounds or that we already know the answer, and we never ask.  When I asked ML, he thought it was a great idea to reach out to other churches.  Even if he had said no, nothing would have changed.  But now, we have a defined audience and a clearer plan for our campaign.  All because we asked.

To find out more about our research and prospective on the ISO campaign, check out our first research paper.  Also, follow me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

’til next time,

The PR dude

Istrouma Sports Organization

When ML spoke to the class during the second week, I knew immediately I wanted to work with him and the organization.  The Istrouma Sports Organization, or ISO, brands itself as “doing sports a different way.”  Essentially, as ML explained, we don’t have grown men living vicariously through their 5-year-old child, yelling at him because his batting average wasn’t above .300.  Their limited competitive ideals concerned me at first.  However, as he explained their theory and the science to back it up in a book that described practice as the most important aspect at a young age, not competition.  Then I started doing my own research.  North Carolina State University found that competition is merely fun and games between the ages of six and eight.  Children don’t fully understand competition until at least nine (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/fcs404.pdf).  I have to admit, two days ago I would have laughed about not letting kids compete.  They need to learn that competition is inevitable.  “Not at five-years-old,” ML would retort.  I suppose I can agree with that.

As the meeting progressed, we discussed ISO’s current communication plan and ways to expand it.  I learned quickly that their brand, both as  church and a sports organization, is largely recognizable among Baton Rouge citizens.  Between 500-1,000 people attend an ISO event per week, not to mention the church’s outreach.  Fortunately, they built their church brand the right way.  Stayed true to their message, through all ministries.  Their physical logos share the same font and look similar in nature.  However, as they branched out and offered new ministries, their logos became somewhat lost from their central theme, as can be seen here.  I don’t know if changing their logo is possible, but it’s definitely something we should look in to.

After our first meeting as a group, I knew we had the members to make something big happen for ISO.  Then when we met with ML and their Senior Pastor, Jeff Ginn, I knew that we could make something BIGGER happen.  They have the resources to accommodate and sustain growth.  Also, their staff is readily available to help us as we expand ISO’s outreach, with the ability to assist in design, video-editing and music.

I cannot wait to begin this project and learn the value of service-learning.  The opportunity to help a non-profit organization with limited funding and grow it into something that impacts and entire community is beyond exciting.  With so much to do, we better get to work, and I think I know where to start.