July 2006

Marketing in the Sports and Hospitality Industry: Protean Marketing and Walsall Football Club

Walsall FC: Club Background:

Currently in Coca Cola League Two, Walsall Football Club was founded in 1887 as Walsall Town Swifts. Since this time, the club has gained recognition as a stalwart of English football and as a prestigious conference and banqueting venue.

Initial Challenges:

In order to support and direct the growth of both aspects of club operations, Walsall FC recognised the limitations of its current marketing mediums and took the decision to pursue an Electronic Direct Marketing campaign. Acting on a recommendation from a trusted business associate, Walsall FC approached Protean with the following challenges:

• To promote awareness of Bescot Stadium as the West Midland’s leading conference and banqueting venue
• To draw a distinction between the football club and Conference and Banqueting Centre across all marketing activity while maintaining brand consistency
• To provide reliable marketing support and consultancy

The Protean Solution:

1. Electronic Direct Marketing

Possessing an extensive conference and banqueting facility, Walsall FC recognised the need to use this additional revenue stream to its full potential, identifying effective communications as a key part of this. Since it was necessary to deliver continually updated information instantly to fans and clients alike, and having built up an extensive database of contacts, the club identified Electronic Direct Marketing as the most appropriate medium to reach target markets.

Protean initially worked with Walsall FC to develop an eDM facility equipped to promote news and events to the Conference and Banqueting Centre’s key target markets. Protean’s Creative Design Team worked closely with Walsall FC to create a flexible email template that ultimately, could be used independently by the club to send regular e-newsletters. The result was the ‘Bescot Better’, a comprehensive e-newsletter allowing for instant delivery and reporting through Protean’s unique SmartLoopNet system.

Following the success of the ‘Bescot Better’, Walsall FC asked Protean to create an e-newsletter to promote the football club. The resultant ‘Blazing Saddler’ was equally successful, with over 70% of recipients taking the time to read the first edition. When this is coupled with the 17% click-through rate to the club website, Walsall FC’s eDM strategy proved to be highly effective from the start.

To further gauge the success of both the campaign and the club’s wider activities, Protean created an online questionnaire, emailed to around 7,000 club supporters and associates. The questionnaire was filled in by 10% of recipients, presenting Walsall FC with highly valuable market data. This activity was so successful that Walsall FC quickly decided to send out a further questionnaire to inform its future activities.

2. The Walsall FC Brand

As one of the oldest clubs in English football history, brand is naturally very strong at Walsall FC, encapsulating its heritage and generating a strong emotional attachment from supporters. Protean MD Greg Robinson explains: “For any sports club, the significance of branding is heightened, with fans presenting an enhanced version of conventional customer loyalty. The rewards from marketing are therefore even higher, as demonstrated by the reception of our initial eDM activity. In the case of Walsall FC, the challenge Protean had was twofold. Firstly, we had to update the brand in line with our marketing activity. Since, like most clubs below the Premiership, Walsall FC could not rely on its name alone to power the success of its venue, our second objective was to distinguish the conference and banqueting business – without undermining the overall Walsall FC brand.”

The initial development of the ‘Bescot Better’ saw Protean’s Creative Design Team work closely with the club to come up with a design that would enable the Centre to operate independently of its ties to the football club. The e-newsletter was designed to appeal to a wider audience and within this, to target more diverse revenue streams. By consistently promoting forthcoming events and activities at the club, the eDM activity elevated Walsall FC’s status as a first class conference and banqueting facility. Meanwhile, the ‘Blazing Saddler’ featured a subtly refreshed and consistent Walsall FC brand – proving popular with the club and its supporters alike.

3. Wider Marketing Activity

Since its initial appointment, Protean’s working relationship with Walsall FC has evolved to the point where it now provides general marketing support to the club on a regular basis. Following a meeting with the club’s chairman, Protean developed a complete marketing support package, tailored to Walsall FC’s precise business objectives.

Protean Studio Manager David Jones explains: “As an integrated marketing agency, Protean has the specialist knowledge that most businesses cannot afford to maintain internally. In the case of Walsall FC, we can facilitate, and have facilitated, practically anything. From graphics for the website, posters, exhibition stands, event menus, to screen savers and wallpapers, we are equipped to deliver everything Walsall FC needs now, and envisions for its future. Regular communication and client meetings mean that we are always able to identify unique marketing opportunities for both the football club and the Conference and Banqueting Centre. Plus, there is the additional benefit that as an outside force, we can provide the club with fresh ideas and concepts to fuel its future growth.”

Feedback:

Nick Lunn, Sales and Marketing Manager at Walsall FC.

“Protean’s integrated marketing expertise has proved invaluable at Walsall FC, enabling us to run extremely successful eDM campaigns on both sides of the business, develop our brand and ensure its consistency across all activities, providing us with reliable and cost-effective marketing support.

As a team, Protean are highly flexible and very supportive. From the start, I was impressed with what they wanted to achieve at Walsall FC and now, with the benefit of hindsight, I am impressed with what they have enabled us to achieve. We have a great working relationship with the company and I have complete confidence in their ability to deliver. The quality of Protean’s work is exceptionally high and based on a consistently fast turnaround. I look forward to extending the reach and success of Walsall FC with this successful partnership – both now and in the future.”

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Protean Marketing Communications Ltd is a comprehensive, business-to-business communications agency based in Berkshire, UK. Founded in 1991, the company has in-depth marketing and account-handling expertise, combined with a passion for communications and a wealth of creative energy. Using marketing, advertising, PR, direct mail, electronic media and design, Protean aims to convey the core business message of their clients to target audiences effectively.

Contact for further information: Greg Robinson
Protean Marketing Communications Ltd
Communications House
Station Road
Cookham Rise
Berkshire SL6 9BU
Tel: +44 (0)1628 648530
Fax: +44 (0)1628 529087
Email: greg.robinson@protean.co.uk
Web: www.proteanmarketing.com