Case Study - Marketing: New York Crusaders Baseball

Problem: The New York Crusaders are a Minor League baseball team who play in a very old stadium, originally built for male-only attendance. Because of this, there are only two female restrooms versus five male restrooms. There are no female custodians, so the female restrooms get dirty quickly over the course of a game. For the Crusaders, the estimated female attendance is 25% on the weekdays and 40% on the weekends. As the new marketing coordinator, develop a plan to increase female revenue and attendance at the New York Crusaders games with a budget of $8,000. 

Solution and Reasoning: Execute an instagram-able bathroom remodel and create a Crusaders Calendar Girl competition. In regards to the bathroom remodel, we dedicated $2,000 for the remodel–bright, fresh paint, large mirrors with vanity lights, Crusaders mural reflected in the mirror, and fake flowers with flower-scented air fresheners. In regards to increasing female attendance, we created a season-long competition. 

Females will be competing for the opportunity to be treated as a VIP during the season and featured in a calendar with the baseball team at the end of the season. For those wanting to enter the competition, they will be required to do 4 different tasks within a month (one task per week will be announced via Crusaders social media), and post on their social media and will be require to hashtag “#CrusadersCalendarGirl–”. The winners (2) of that month will: be named “Miss –” and carried out on a throne at the first home game the following month, receive a swag bag with branded “Miss –” on a tank top, baseball cap and a seltzer-sized koozie, participate in a photoshoot at the end of the season with the team, and be invited to sit front row with VIP cocktail service and will receive one complimentary “buddy ticket” per game. After that month is over and the new two winners are announced, the previous winners will be invited to sit in a curated VIP section at every home game, complete with catered food and beverage. To advertise this competition, we will create several promotional social media ads before the season starts and through the first month, utilize cross-promotions with our partners, and advertise at NYU Homer games. Once the first month’s winners are chosen, we will rely heavily on word of mouth and social media engagement, as well as in-game advertising. Because the ladies must complete 4 different tasks in order to be entered, we believe this will greatly increase female attendance and engagement.