Scenario 16-3
In July 2010, a sports-focused social networking site named MyMVPs.com was
launched. The site, which has been described by founder Mark Monaco as a hybrid of
Facebook, ESPN and YouTube, will allow athletes, proud parents, and sports fans alike
to view highlights of amateur athletes, check out the week’s funniest sports bloopers,
and chat with various sports celebrities registered with the free online service. Erin
Dwyer, co-founder and one of the four individuals responsible for the site’s success,
believes the service will be incredibly beneficial not only for
amateur athletes with college aspirations, but also for colleges with tight recruiting
budgets. Dwyer stated, “It’s huge for little kids and it’s gigantic for high school athletes
who want to get to college. For some schools with tight budgets for recruiting, coaches
will be able to jump on a website that is clean and safe and gives them information on
a player. That can give them an advantage.” Still in its early stages, the company is
looking to get its name out there as much as possibleand with partnerships with sports
legends such as Mike Ditka, the company appears to be headed in the right direction.
(Jeff Vorva, “MyMVPs.com Hopes to Fly High With Amateur Athletes.”
ChicagoTribLocal, June 16, 2010.)
The team at MyMVPs decides to make sponsorship one of their top priorities. Not only
can they build community relationships, but they can get the MyMVP’s name out with
signs and banners. The team also prints hundreds of business cards and stationery to
distribute, and sets up a number of tents that will feature the company logo. In a
small-scale and local way, this is the same thing large corporations do when they make
an effort to:
a. leverage the event as much as they can.
b. make good use of product placement.
c. fight the chaos scenario.
d. speak to consumers in a single voice.