1. Joey Heinauer
Integrated Marketing Communication
Dr. Lucas
4/ 23/2015
One industry that I would like to work in would be the sports industry. The sports
industry is thriving right now in America. Sports are a source of entertainment for many
people throughout the world and in the United States. Many people look forward to
watching their favorite athlete or seeing their favorite sports team participate in a game or
competition.
Sports are shown and heard everywhere, no matter where you live. You can watch
sports on television; you can attend sporting events, watch sports online, receive
notifications through text messaging, read about them in the newspaper and listen to them
on the radio/Internet. This particular industry is one of the most popular industries we
have in the United States. For instance, according to the Huffington Post, there were 26.5
million viewers watching the World Cup final in 2014 (Bauder, 2014). For a sport that’s not
very popular in America, those are incredibly high television ratings. One would consider
soccer as the fifth most popular sport behind football, baseball, basketball and hockey.
Football ratings have been increasing each year too. There are many avid sports fans
throughout the United States. According to Bauder, 111 million people watched the Super
Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 (Bauder, 2011).
As a society, sports are becoming a ritual and something that can bring people
together to share a common interest. For example, I recall how after the Boston Bombing

2. occurred two years ago the Boston Red Sox and the Boston community stuck together and
won the pennant that year. The Red Sox players said the fans inspired them and motivated
them to want to win even more than usual. Sports also bring people together by drinking
with their friends, colleagues and peers. This could be part of the reason why tailgating is
extremely popular when you go to a sporting events or watch your favorite team on
television. Likewise, sports are a part of the history in America. Many people remember
players, coaches and historic plays/events that happened in sports. For example, look at
baseball, Baseball is considered to be “America’s past time”. This is because baseball was
the most popular sport in America and has a colossal amount of history in our country.
According to Roessner, baseball dates back to March of 1883 (Roessner, 2011). This is
when African American’s were not allowed to play professionally due to racial
discrimination (Roessner, 2011). According to Roessner, club owners agreed that all major
league baseball players “should be as white as the cover of a new baseball” (Roessner, 85).
Sports are a huge tradition in America and people have been playing baseball for at least
130 years. On the other hand, sports create a significant amount of profit for team
sponsors, team owners, athletes, television networks and radio stations. Sports are a way
of life in our country and something that many Americans value and take pride in. We have
a rich history in sports and many see it as a source of amusement.
It’s widely known that Super Bowl advertisements are extremely pricy. According to
Siefert, Kothuri, Jacobs, Levine, Plummer and Marci, a Super Bowl ad was 2.7 million
dollars for a 30 second time slot in 2008 (2009). You have to consider creative elaboration,
production costs (producers, directors, actors and actresses) and the total investment of a

3. single commercial as well (Soefert, et al., 2009). This ends up being an extremely expensive
marketing investment (Siefert, et al., 2009). However, this can pay off and be worth it in the
long-run if the commercial is effective. Super Bowl commercials can be money well spent as
long as people talk to each other about the commercial and create noise (Siefert, et al.,
2009). This term is defined as “Word of Mouth” or WOM (Seifert, et al., 2009). You want
people to remember your company/corporation because you want to stay relevant and be
popular. This is why advertisements are being shown during every sporting event that you
watch on television.
Before a game or after a game is when consumers and when media personnel create
“buzz” about a successful or popular commercial (Siefert, et al., 2009). Many Super Bowl
commercials have a lot of hype before the commercial airs. Commercials that create a lot of
buzz are more likely to raise awareness for a particular brand/company (Siefert, et al.,
2009) For example, this year Super Bowl commercial for Budweiser was a commercial that
created a lot of noise around the American community. This commercial was about a
Golden Retriever who was having difficulty finding it’s way home. On several occasions, the
media and the audience talk about a commercial well before the Super Bowl takes place.
Like the Budweiser commercial I previously alluded to would be an example of this. The
reason why this commercial created a ton of buzz is because of the emotional appeal that
Budweiser created as their brand identity that links dogs to humans. You know that if you
watch a Budweiser commercial there is a good chance they will use pathos and try to get
emotion out of the audience. This is what they have been trying to do within the last few
years to stay relevant and let people chatter about their advertisements.

4. On the contrary, there are conflicts that have occurred in the sports industry that
can be detrimental to a company and their brand. For example, Nike has been criticized for
a few of their advertisements within the last few years. According to Elliot, a writer for the
New York Times discussed the negative publicity that took place during a Tiger Woods
advertisement (Elliot, 2013). The slogan said, “Winning takes care of everything” (Elliot,
2013). Many people believed this slogan had a bad influence on children and failed to teach
children morals (Elliot, 2013). This catchphrase came out shortly after Tiger Woods’ issues
he was having with his wife (Elliot, 2013). Many people viewed this advertisement as
inappropriate because it was encouraging children to believe as long as you win, that’s all
that matters. Children could get the impression from Nike that winning can take care of the
personal issues that you could be having in your life and as long as you win, your personal
problems won’t exist anymore (Elliot, 2013).
There’s a lot of ethical misconduct here from Nike and Nike isn’t teaching children
morals. Nike should recognize that something like this could potentially hurt their brand
reputation and could decrease sales/revenue. Another issue found in a journal article
written by Auger, stated that Nike promoted smoking cigarettes indirectly through their
advertisements (2011). They stated that 37.6% of children believed “Light it up,” a slogan
displayed on a Nike advertisement, promoted the act of smoking (Auger, 2011). These
advertisement issues involve inappropriate messages to children. Nike should be
reinforcing positive messages to children instead of having shirts and sweatshirts that say
“Light Up”. This can give kids the wrong idea and could lead children down the wrong path.
With all of the research out there on cigarettes and how unhealthy cigarettes are for

5. someone you would think Nike would be smarter than putting something like this on their
brand. Especially considering Nike is an athletic brand. There’s a contradiction here. Nike
sponsors athletics, but supports smoking habits that can influence your athletic abilities in
a negative way. I am not sure what Nike’s objective was with this slogan. It created
controversy and is a major concern for their brand and their reputation. Clearly their
marking practitioners did a poor job and their message goal was ineffective.
The target audience for the sports industry is practically any age. Many children
enjoy playing and watching sports. I remember being five years old and attending sporting
events and wearing Pittsburgh Pirates gear. Likewise, elderly people follow/watch sports
too. There’s not a specific age for being interested in sports and cheering for your favorite
team. No matter what your skin color is, or your age, there’s a high probability that you
enjoy watching/playing sports or you know someone who likes playing or watching sports.
Some people believe watching sports is a “guy” thing and something women aren’t
interested in. However, this is a stereotype/generalization. Many women enjoy watching
sports. According to Clark, Apostolopoulou and Gladden, 45% of the people watching the
Super Bowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots in 2007 were
women (2009). Women had just as much interest as men to watch the pregame and
postgame highlights too (Clark, Apostolopolou, & Gladden, 2009). As you can see, women
play a significant role in the sports industry. It’s evident that they are engaged and
interested in seeing/watching athletics. Therefore, this is the reason why there’s not a
target audience for the sport industry regarding gender. Men and women both appreciate
sports and like to root/cheer for their favorite team.

6. The consumer impact for the sports industry consists of sports memorabilia and a
team that is connected to a certain state or city. For example, when you go to a professional
baseball game, many fans will purchase a foam finger, baseball cards or purchase miniature
wooden bats that have the logo of that particular team. Memorabilia in sports is a rich
tradition and something that many fans look forward to when they attend sporting events.
Souvenirs give fans memories of a game that they attended. Furthermore, many
states/cities are connected to a sports team because of where they are located. For
example, look at the Carolina Panthers. They are called the Carolina Panthers even though
they play their home games in Charlotte. This is because it helps promote their brand in
North Carolina and in South Carolina. It helps them draw a bigger fan base. A lot of
marketing has to do with fitting it and feeling like you’re a part of something. This is a wise
strategy because both states feel included in the Carolina Panthers.
Many brands in the sports industry have found success. For instance, look at Michael
Jordan. Jordan’s career has ended, but he is still making a colossal amount of well after he
hung up the jersey. In reference to Forbes, in March of 2015, Michael Jordan became the
first billionaire athlete (Anonymous, 2015). Furthermore, according to Badenhausen, a
writer for Forbes claims that the Air Jordan “Powder Blue” retro sneakers made 35 million
dollars in sales the first day they came out (2014). Put this into perspective, in the entire
year of 2013, Derek Rose sold 40 million dollars in sales for his shoes (Badenhausen,
2014). It’s well documented that Michael Jordan is obtaining a large amount of capita, but
most people aren’t aware that his sales in the year of 2013 were 2.25 billion dollars
(Baudenhausen, 2014). The 2.25 billion dollars included his retail basketball merchandise,

7. such as his basketball shoes, athletic shorts, tee shirts, headbands Etc. (Baudenhausen,
2014). On the other hand, LeBron James sold 300 million dollars in retail in the year of
2013 (Badenhausen, 2014). It’s evident that the sports market is doing exceptional right
now and sports sales are extraordinary high at this point. The scary thing about this is the
sports industry might have not even reached its peek or anything remotely close to it. One
would consider, this is just the beginning and sports revenue will continue to expand in the
years to come. This industry is in demand right now and is continuing to be a success in
society.
As you know, every industry is competitive and you need to have an exceptional
product to stay relevant. Also, you need to have a solid reputation. For a company to have
success, you should have a celebrity/athlete who is well liked and respected in the
community. Having someone like Aaron Hernandez as the face of your brand would not be
a smart decision and you would probably go bankrupt. In addition, you need a product
that’s in demand and something that will last a long period of time. Brand loyalty and
brand recognition are essential for your product to last for generations. In the sports
industry, one product that I think would exceed would be a Darek Jeter and Starling Marte
fielding gloves and baseball bats. The reason why I think this product would work is
because Jeter is an iconic figure and Marte is an up incoming star in baseball. Even a person
who doesn’t follow sports knows who Derek Jeter is. According to a Harris Poll, Jeter was
the third most popular athlete in the year of 2014 (Curtis, 2014).
Due to Jeter’s popularity, I am selecting him to be my brand, along with having
Starling Marte. These two people will be the face of my brand and will be the owners of my

8. brand. My product will be in the sports industry. My brands name is going to be called the
“Jarte 26”. The reason why I picked this name is because it has Starling Marte’s name in the
brand name along with Jeter’s. In addition, it has Jeter’s number and Marte’s number in the
brand too. This would work well because it is attracting two different ethnicities that are
minorities in the United States. Derek Jeter is African American and Starling Marte is
Dominican descent. This brand could be something minorities would support considering
both of these men are minorities. My logo is going to have the number twenty-six with in
blocked lettering with pinstripes going down the numbers. This product will work because
Jeter currently doesn’t have a brand that sells baseball bats or fielding gloves and neither
does Marte. My brand will exceed because baseball/softball players want to be like an
athlete who’s as famous, as well liked and has the reputation that Jeter does. If they buy this
product, it could make them think they could play like Derek Jeter and Starling Marte. The
fielding gloves and bats that I am creating could compete with Rawlings, Mazuno and
Wilson. This is because I am advertising around a person as my product and not a
company. Moreover, this product would be successful because it is open to any age as long
as you play baseball or softball. It’s not strictly for just baseball players either. I will create
softball bats as well, along with gloves that are for men and women. The brand identity will
be “excellence, affordability and integrity”. I want to create a brand that a consumer can
purchase without having them put a hole in their pocket, along with having respect for the
game of baseball. The baseball/softball gloves will be on the “cheaper” end and will cost
$59.99 and the baseball bats will be $79.99. This is an exceptional bargain for having a
person like Derek Jeter and Starling Marte as your brand. Some baseball/softball players

9. want to stick out from the norm and buying a bat or glove from a nontraditional company
will have people pay more attention to them on and off the field. We all want to be different
and unique from one another and creating a brand that’s never been used before could
increase sales and be something baseball and softball players would be interested in.

10. References
Auger. (2011, April 8). Children and youth perceive smoking messages in an unbranded advertisement from a NIKE
marketing campaign: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/11/26
Badenhausen, K. (2014, February 27). How Michael Jordan Made $90 MillionIn 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2015, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2014/02/27/how-michael-jordan-made-90-million-in-
2013/
Bauder, D. (2014, July 14). The World Cup Final Was The Most Watched Soccer Game In U.S. History. Retrieved April
13, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/14/world-cup-final-viewers-
record_n_5585861.html
Bauder, D. (2011, February 7). Super Bowl 2011 Is Most Watched Program EVER. Retrieved April 13, 2015,
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/super-bowl-2011-ratings-s_n_819559.html
Clark, J. S., Apostolopoulou, A., & Gladden, J. M. (2009). Real Women Watch Football: Gender Differences in the
Consumption of the NFL Super Bowl Broadcast. Journal Of Promotion Management, 15(1/2), 165-183.
doi:10.1080/10496490902837510
Curtis, C. (2014, July 18). Derek Jeter is among the most popular male athletes in U.S., but where does he rank
in poll? Retrieved April 16, 2015, from
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2014/07/derek_jeter_is_no_2_most_popular_male_athlete
Elliott, S. (2013, April 14). Losing a Step, Nike Seeks to Regain Its Edge. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/business/media/nike-once-cutting-edge-seeks-to-regain-its-brand-
aura.html
Roessner, L. A. (2011). Coloring America's Pastime: Sporting Life's Coverage of Race & the Emergence of Baseball's
Color Line, 1883-1889. American Journalism, 28(3), 85-114.

11. Siefert, C. J., Kothuri, R., Jacobs, D. B., Levine, B., Plummer, J., & Marci, C. D. (2009). Winning the Super "Buzz" Bowl.
Journal Of Advertising Research, 49(3), 293-303.
Michael Jordan #1741. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/profile/michael-
jordan/