Public Relations Writing Final Project

Chris Haddeland

May 28, 2014

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Situation Analysis

Mission and Goals

Mac Sports is located on Third Street in down town McMinnville. Mac Sports is a

sports retail store serving the needs of Yamhill County. With one single location, Mac

Sports provides sports apparel as well as sporting equipment. The mission of Mac Sports

is “Mac Sports strives to provide quality athletic apparel and printing services to the

greater Yamhill County community while maintaining everyday low and affordable

prices. In addition we strive to be an integral and reliable part of the community and help

serve the local athletic community in whichever ways possible. (Tarhuni, 2014)”

The goals of Mac Sports are:

“1. Provide quality athletic apparel at low cost.

2. Engage in community activities in order to increase visibility and community presence

3. Provide timely and affordable printing services to all local athletic teams, local

business or various local groups. (Tarhuni, 2014)”

External Environment

Industry

As a sporting retailer, Mac Sports is in a very competitive business with a large

range of companies all varying in size. In the city of McMinnville, they are one of two

retailers, the other being Big 5, specializing in sporting goods. Along with Big 5, larger

sport retail companies provide websites from which customers can purchase sporting

goods. As a small company, Mac Sports has had to find its niche; it has done this by

providing sporting goods to the people of Yamhill County who do not want to shop

online or leave the area to find goods and by providing area specific attire, such as local

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high school team apparel. This is one of Mac Sports’ greatest competitive advantages,

since the only other place where such specific apparel is sold is at the schools during

games or in a campus store.

Conditions

One social condition that presents an opportunity for Mac Sports is the high level

of interest in sports. Sports are very popular, and with a wide range of schools in the area

there are many athletes who are in need of goods and apparel. Along with the high school

athletes, many younger children are playing sports, and Mac Sports provides sporting

goods required for participation.

Yamhill County is an average economic county; the median household income is

almost 54 thousand dollars, slightly above the Oregon median (United States Census

Bureau). This means that although most of the families in Yamhill County may not be

affluent, but do have some money to spend on recreational activities such as sports.

Trends

Currently, there is a trend to get younger people more active. As the obesity rate

climbs in the United States, people are looking to combat it by providing their children

activities that involve exercise. Sports are a fun and easy way to get kids exercise. In

order to play sports, the athletes need sporting equipment, which they can get from Mac

Sports.

One trend that is a major threat to Mac Sports is the use of the Internet. Mac

Sports does not have a presence on the Internet and is potentially losing customers who

want to know more about the business but are unable to find the information. Larger

companies have extravagant websites providing information about the company, where

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stores are located and, usually, online shopping capabilities. Mac Sports may not need an

online retailer, but should provide a place for potential customers to find more

information about the store.

Product Analysis

Mac Sports main competition in McMinnville is Big 5 Sporting Goods. Along

with Big 5, Mac Sports also competes with retailers such as Wal-Mart and Bi-Mart that

supply some sporting equipment. The products that Mac Sports provides are different

from these companies in two ways: quality and local specificity.

Mac Sports has the highest quality sporting goods in McMinnville by providing

brands that customers can trust. The big retail stores provide basic, generic equipment for

beginner or casual users. Big 5 does provide some high quality equipment, but the

majority of their sporting goods are middle of the road products used by slightly more

experienced athletes. Mac Sports has the best shoes, cleats, and sport specific equipment

in the city of McMinnville.

Another reason Mac Sports products differentiate from the other competitors is

the local specificity. Mac Sports provides apparel for high school teams, including

sweatshirts, t-shirts, socks, shorts and even letterman jackets. It is the only retailer in

McMinnville where all these products are located.

The main weakness that Mac Sports’s products have is the selection size. As

small, downtown shop, Mac Sports does not have the size to provide its customers with a

large amount of selection, such as Big 5 or the other stores. Since the company is small,

there is not a lot that can be done about this problem, other than ordering in equipment on

a person-by-person basis.

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Target Audience

The target audience that I would like to reach with this plan is potential

customers. Customers who have already shopped at Mac Sports know what the store

offers and can make up their mind as to their next sporting purchase. The specific

potential customers that I would like to reach are younger athletes. Almost 25 percent of

the population is under 18 years of age (Census Bureau, 2013). To do this, I must reach

their parents, who have the money to buy products at Mac Sports. Parents in Yamhill

County value their children, and want to help their children be successful, including

athletics. Depending on their income, parents want to provide quality equipment for their

children at a reasonable price. Parents generally fit into the achievers segment of the

VALS chart (Vaidyanathan, 2008). They are family oriented and can be reached through

a variety of channels including television and newspapers.

The target audience is located in Yamhill County. Yamhill County is not very

large, with every town being within at least a half -hour drive of McMinnville (most

closer). This means that families are able to travel to Mac Sports with ease to get the

products they desire.

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Plan

Goal:

Attract 250 New Customers. By attracting 250 new customers, Mac Sports will

potentially gain more sales and more buzz about their business.

Objective 1:

Inform 10,000 Yamhill County residents of Mac Sports and its new online presence (the

second objective).

Strategy 1:

Employ the uses and gratification theory by using specific news media to inform

potential customers.

Tactic 1:

Send a press release to the News Register and Newberg Graphic informing the readers of

Mac Sports’ new online presence.

Tactic 2:

Send a pitch letter to the Oregonian business editor about shopping local and what

smaller cities’ (towns not Portland) stores are doing to keep local customers.

Tactic 3:

Partner with the See Ya Later Foundation to create a public service announcement to

remind people of Dante’s Inferno Football Camp (See Ya Later Foundation, 2014). Air

on 1080 The Fan, 750 The Game, Fox Sports Radio Am 620 and KLYC.

Strategy 2:

Use controlled print media to inform potential customers of Mac Sports.

Tactic 1:

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Create and place brochures in McMinnville Chamber of Commerce and out in front of

store during Turkey Rama, providing more detailed information about Mac Sports and its

products.

Objective 2:

Use the Internet to inform customers of Mac Sports products and activities and reduce

risk (being able to show what types of products are available, pricing, etc.) of shopping at

the store.

Strategy 1:

Employ diffusion of innovation theory by using social media (and a website) to attract

and inform new customers.

Tactic 1:

Create Facebook and Twitter accounts to inform potential customers of new products and

other activities that Mac Sports is doing.

Tactic 2:

Create a website for Mac Sports. This website will allow for online shopping, more

information on the store and what is available at the store. The social media accounts will

feed users into this website when they look for more information.

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Resources:

Frye’s Actoin Athletics (2014). Frye’s action athletics. Retrieved from: http://www.fryesactionathletics.com/home.html

N. Tarhuni, personal communication, April 23, 2014.

See Ya Later Foundation (2014). “See Ya Later” Dante’s Inferno Camp. Retrieved from: http://new.seeyalater.org/youth-camps/football/

United States Census Bureau. (2013). State and county quick facts: Yamhill County, Oregon. [Data File]. Retrieved from: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/41/41071.html

Vaidyanathan, R. (2008). Vals 2 segment characteristics. Retrieved from: http://www.d.umn.edu/~rvaidyan/mktg4731/vals2tbl.htm

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Press Release

Mac Sports making the transition to online

Shopping local can be as easy as logging on to your computer

With summer break quickly approaching, kids will soon be out of school and into

various summer activities, including sports. With this in mind, Mac Sports has released

an online store that will allow customers to order products online or just see what the

shop has in stock at their Third Street location.

“An online presence will be one of the largest changes to our store we have had

since we moved,” said manager Mike Jacoby.

Mac Sports is a local sporting apparel store that focuses on local sports. The store

also supplies sporting goods, apparel and even has a clothing printer to allow for jerseys

and custom made shirts and other clothing.

The store is located in Downtown McMinnville, sitting beside many locally

owned businesses. This change will allow customers to shop local with the convenience

of staying at home.

“Many of our customers have a general idea of what products we provide at Mac

Sports,” said Jacoby. “One issue that restrains them from coming in is that they are

unsure if we will have the specific product they are looking for. With this website they

can see what we have at the store and can purchase it if they do not have time to come

in.”

Large franchises, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sports Authority, dominate

online sporting goods sales. Mac Sports is bringing back local customers with their online

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release. The convenience of online shopping will be available, but customers can feel

better by supporting a locally owned business.

Along with browsing and buying sporting goods online, Mac Sports is allowing

for their printing service to be available online as well.

“People love our ability to make custom clothing, such as T-shirts and jerseys,”

said Jacoby. “With the online tool customers will be able to upload designs quickly and

efficiently in order to get their gear.”

When you are looking for the upcoming season’s gear, or want to design your

softball team’s jersey, take a look at www.macsportsmcminnville.com for a locally

owned, quality shopping experience.

For more information contact Chris Haddeland at chaddela@linfield.edu or call (971)

237-7388.

###

Mac Sports is a sporting goods and apparel store located at 438 NE 3rd St. in

McMinnville, Ore. Mac Sports strives to provide quality athletic apparel at a low cost,

engage in community activities and provide timely and affordable printing services to all

local athletic teams, businesses and various local groups. Mac Sports is a significant

figure in McMinnville’s historic downtown. For more information please call (503) 472-

4453 or visit www.macsportsmcminnville.com.

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Pitch Letter

Dear Susan Gage (Director of Local Content: The Oregonian),

As larger companies are taken over the landscape of product sales, smaller local

companies must make changes to stay competitive. In Portland, these companies have the

entire metropolitan population to reach out to in order to generate business, but

companies in smaller communities have a smaller customer base to support their

business.

Mac Sports, a sporting goods and apparel retailer in McMinnville, Ore has

developed a website in order to reduce risk for potential customers, thus generating more

business.

With the supporting local business trend still active, now would be a perfect time

to write a story on how local businesses in smaller communities have made adjustments

to stay in operation.

Frye’s athletics, located in Forest Grove, Ore, has taken a similar idea to Mac

Sports. Frye’s has built a website to inform customers what products they have in the

store and the prices for those products.

With more small businesses making such changes, this would be a perfect

opportunity to run a story like this in your section.

If you are interested please let me know so I can provide more details and any

other information you need. I can send you photos or set up a time for a photo shoot.

Thank you for considering the idea,

Chris Haddeland(971) 237-7388chaddela@linfield.edu

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Public Service Announcement

[Whistle blowing, children playing] WITH SUMMER APPROACHING WHAT

WOULD BE A MORE ENJOYABLE WAY FOR YOUR CHILD TO SPEND A

WEEKEND THAN PLAYING AND LEARNING THE GAME OF FOOTBALL.

THE SEE YA LATER FOUNDATION ALONG WITH MAC SPORTS ARE

PROUD TO PRESENT DANTE’S INFERNO FOOTBALL CAMP.

HELD AT LINFIELD COLLEGE’S MAXWELL FIELD, DANTE’S INFERNO

FOOTBALL CAMP IS LEAD BY DAYTON HIGH SCHOOL AND NFL TIGHT END

DANTE ROSARIO.

THIS TWO-DAY CAMP IS HELD FOR CHILDREN GRADES FOURTH

THROUGH NINTH AND TAKES PLACE ON JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH AND

TWENTY-EIGHTH. SNACKS, T-SHIRTS, TEACHING AND FUN WILL BE

PROVIDED.

SPACE IS LIMITED, SO IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU SIGN UP AS SOON AS

POSSIBLE. TO REGISTER GO TO SEE YA LATER DOT ORG OR STOP BY MAC

SPORTS TO FILL OUT A REGISTRATION FORM.

THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO SPEND A WEEKEND THAN LEARNING

THE GAME OF FOOTBALL FROM A LOCAL NFL STAR. FOR MORE

INFORMATION VISIT THE SEE YA LATER WEBSITE AT SEE YA LATER DOT

ORG.

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE.

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Brochure Copy

1.

Mac Sports

Athletic Shoes, Equipment, Clothing & Team Uniforms, Custom Screen Printing and

Embroidery

2.

Yamhill County’s number one stop for sports equipment and apparel

About Mac Sports

Mac Sports is located in McMinnville and is dedicated to providing quality

athletic apparel at low cost. Mac Sports provides printing for local teams, businesses and

other local groups. Featuring local team apparel and other quality athletic equipment,

Mac Sports is the top local stop for anything sports.

3 & 4.

Stop by our shop in historic Downtown McMinnville

Whether you need shoes, a letterman’s jacket, sports equipment or just want to

look around, stop in at our store in Downtown McMinnville on Third Street.

At Mac Sports we have the sporting goods you need without driving to Portland.

With a variety of goods ranging from specific sporting equipment to general sports

apparel, Mac Sports can help you get what you need.

With our small shop and dedicated employees we provide a knowledgeable and

dedicated staff that is able to help each customer with one-on-one assistance.

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If you are unsure if we carry the product you desire check out our online store at

www.macsportsmcminnville.com. If we do not have the product you are seeking stop by

or call in and we can help get you what you are in search of.

Mac Sports is located at 438 NE 3rd Street, next to Timmreck and McNicol

Jewelers.

5.

Printing Service

With a custom printer, here at Mac Sports we are able to make your custom design

for any occasion:

Team uniforms for youth and adult sports

Custom T-shirts and sweatshirts featuring any design, including local school fan

wear

Not only is our printing service perfect for sportswear, but also is great for family

reunions or company retreats.

6.

Mac Sports in now online

As of June 1st we have gone online. Check out our online store at

www.macsportsmcminnville.com , follow us on Twitter @Macsportsmcm or like our

Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MacSportsMcMinnville to hear about our newest

products and exclusive offers.