SCC FFL 2023: Sports Marketing Challenge #5 Recap & Scores

With just one sports marketing challenge remaining (digital marketing) before we crown a champion in our 9th annual sports marketing competition, many schools remain in contention for this year’s SCC FFL title.  This one is coming down to the wire, and the season is shaping up to be the tightest finish in league history.

SCC’s fantasy football competition requires students to not only demonstrate a firm grasp on fundamental sports business concepts, but also challenges them to show the creativity and effort they put into each challenge response.  Challenge #5, the ticket sales, promotion, and sponsorship challenge, offers a great opportunity to do just that. This year’s crop of competitors did not disappoint, incorporating elements from three different chapters of our textbook while demonstrating a ton of creativity.  There were so many unique and fun ideas this year, and we were very pleased with how students responded.

Points have been distributed for each team’s Sponsorship, Ticket Sales & Promotion strategy. You can find the updated standings along with a recap of some of the highlights from challenge #5 below. 

Capital High School, Montana (Boise Rattlers)

It is always fun to see the various mock-ups that students create as part of the challenges. This one from students at Capital High School is a great example, with a sample of how a team’s corporate partner will activate its team sponsorship. In this example, Bank of Idaho will offer team-branded credit cards to fans. Capital students have created mock-ups like these throughout. The visuals are always fun to see, but it is the application that really counts, and this illustrates how well they are grasping a key concept like sponsorship activation.

Overall, the entire Rattlers’ ticket, sponsorship, and promotion plan was really well developed. We really liked the promotional schedule, and the plan was detailed, thorough, and full of creativity. Another fantastic effort from the Rattlers!

Elizabethtown High School, PA (Miles City Jedis)

One of the features included in some of the stand-out responses to challenge #5 was the inclusion of benefits to ticket buyers to help incentivize purchases. While several schools introduced season ticket benefits, the Jedis’ front office took things a step further by offering group ticket benefits. Group ticket benefits are a common industry practice, and incorporating them as part of the Jedis ticket sales strategy demonstrates how Elizabethtown students researched ticketing practices and applied concepts from the textbook. They were one of just three teams to provide group ticket benefits. Great job!

Waverly High School, New York (Louisville Stallions)

What a phenomenal response to challenge #5 from Waverly High School students. They showed a lot of next-level thinking with their ticket, sponsorship, and promotions plan. This submission could legitimately provide a roadmap to success for an actual expansion franchise, it was that impressive.

Highlights include:

• Making sure to include some ticketing features as part of the team’s app
• Offering both physical tickets for collectors and also tickets in a digital format
• A detailed seating chart, including pricing and sponsored sections
• An absolutely loaded promotions calendar, catering to every possible fan group to insure a sold out stadium each and every Sunday
• A “pricing calculator” feature to help fans determine affordability of ticket packages, along with offering PSLs with a financing option
• A wide variety of sponsorship inventory, with creative partnerships like UPS sponsoring the game ball delivery and a Duck Tape partnership with the tagline “Real fans stick together”
• Highlighting a “Fan Appreciation Day” promotion, including a sponsor (Pepsi) that adds value for fans and for activation opportunities for the sponsor (free Pepsi products at the game on game day)
• Unique mini package with the “Triple Crown Bundle” (a clever way to tie in with the iconic Kentucky Derby for a team based in Louisville) by partnering with University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky football programs
• An advertising campaign, including TV, radio, and out-of-home (billboards) promoting season ticket sales beginning in the summer and leading up to the start of the team’s inaugural season
• Community-driven promotions like Huddle for Hunger and holiday promotions that encourage sponsors to purchase tickets, then give them away throughout the community…a “win-win”
• A number of great activation ideas and game day giveaways (sponsored)
• An elaborate rate card including sponsorship prices program ads, stadium signage, media (radio ads, live reads/drops), promo giveaways, stadium seat covers, and more
• Building different sponsorship packages that cater specifically to individual prospective clients

All in all, this was one of the best ticket, sponsorship, and promotion plans that we have seen in this competition. SUPER impressive effort from the Stallions front office!

Miami Valley Career Technical Center, Ohio (Gem City Warhawks)

The Gem City Warhawks submitted yet another fantastic challenge response in this year’s competition, with a tickets, sponsorship, and promotion plan that was full of creativity and outstanding ideas. MVCTC students offered a variety of great ideas for ticket sales strategies that will keep fans coming out to games, and a fantastic execution of a sponsorship activation strategy. They also offered a great mock-up of both physical tickets available to fans and the digital ticket that will provide entry on game days. Smart strategy to provide an option for physical tickets for traditionalists and collectors, but also recognizing how technology has evolved in a way where digital tickets allows the organization to more effectively protect fans from counterfeit tickets and duplicate seat sales. Also, visuals really help to elevate challenge submissions (below), and the Warhawks front office was once again on-point in delivering mock-ups to help illustrate things they wanted to highlight in the report.

We also really liked seeing an activation plan mapped out for each of the team’s primary sponsors, and incorporating social as part of that activation strategy was important. That was one area we felt teams missed out on in this challenge, so it was great to see MVCTC recognize the value in social channels and place an emphasis on utilizing the team’s platform to help maximize exposure for brand partners. Very well done!

Wichita East High School, Kansas (Kansas Tornadoes)

In one of the neatest ideas from this challenge, we loved the Drone Light Show promotion in conjunction with the Tornadoes’ Halloween Game from Wichita East students. We could see this as an idea that really takes off throughout the league. What a cool idea from Tornadoes front office!

North Royalton High School, Ohio (Alabama Airmen)

One of several submissions to create a full-year promotions calendar, North Royalton students dialed up a variety of ways to leverage one of the organization’s greatest assets in its home field. We loved some of the ideas in the Airmen included to make sure fans were engaged with the team even in the offseason, and potentially offering exclusively as benefits to ticket buyers and incentives for sponsors. The events will also provide the franchise with fantastic opportunities to generate additional revenue. A few of our favorites included:

• Nerf Gun Battle/Obstacle Course at Airmen Stadium
• Very on-brand promotion with an Airshow and community BBQ for Memorial Day
• 4th of July “family night” Fireworks display and event, similar to something the Green Bay Packers offer for fans each summer
• Hosting an outdoor college rivalry hockey event
• Watch parties at the stadium for NFL Draft and away games
• Community relations initiatives like food drives, blood drives and family events like Easter egg hunts

Nice job from North Royalton High School students as they continue their strong showing in just their second year in this competition.

SCC FFL 2023 STANDINGS AFTER CHALLENGE #5