University of Utah Baseball 

Baseball  

 
Digital Marketing Research Report 
Report 
 

 
 1

Table of Contents 

Page # 

2…………………………​Introduction, Company Overview 

3-5 ……………………...​External Analysis 

- Market Overview 
- Market Development 
- Target Markets 
- Psychographics 
- Porter's Five Forces 

5-7 ……………………...​Internal Analysis  

- Attendance Research  
- Survey Research 
- Revenue 
- Strengths, Points of Difference  
- Competitive Advantage 
- Weaknesses 
- Points of Parity  
- Positioning 

8-10 ……………………​Considerations for Digital Marketing Campaign  

- Digital Media Campaign 

10-14…………………..​Client Evaluation of Digital Marketing Presence  

- Description and Assessment  

- Recommendations  
- Other Considerations 

14……………………….​Events and Online Advertising 

15……………………….​Evaluation Plan 

15..……………………..​Conclusion  

16……………………….​References 

 
 2

University of Utah Baseball Marketing Research Report 

Introduction 

We plan on assisting the University of Utah baseball team with analyzing and improving their digital 
presence and online marketing. Currently, the University of Utah’s baseball club shares a website with the 
other athletic programs at the University but also individually manages a variety of social media platforms 
including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The baseball portion of the U’s athletics website is appropriately 
managed, structured, and provides a variety of different visualization techniques and contextual influences 
put into place with the purpose of assisting the promotion of the program and selling the services they have 
to offer. The social media accounts are also closely managed and currently up to date. The Utah baseball 
club also offers a variety of resources accessed through the website that give fans and students the 
opportunity to stream games online and receive up to date information on anything from the team roster to 
the current schedule. The University of Utah’s baseball program is in promising position to capitalize on the 
growing trends involving NCAA college baseball, the Pac 12 Conference, and the unique marketplace Salt 
Lake City provides.  

In this marketing research report we will highlight what we think Utah baseball does well and also 
recommend changes that we believe will allow them to grow their brand and improve their ballpark 
experience. Throughout the whole process of writing this report we found that Utah baseball’s average 
attendance has risen dramatically over the past few years and now ranks fourth in the PAC-12 Conference. 
We also found that despite having such a great attendance of a little over 2,000 the stadium where the team 
plays their home games, Smith’s Ballpark, feels empty and cold because the capacity of the stadium is 
14,500. Some recommendations we had that we believe can continue to increase attendance are to revamp 
the social media in order to make fans feel more connected with the team and also to showcase the great 
experience our fans have when they come to the ballpark to support the Utah baseball team.  

Company Overview 

The mission statement of Utah Baseball is “RECON.” Each letter represents a different aspect of the 
game that Utah Baseball players and coaches attempt to reflect during competition. Below are the letters and 
their meanings: 
R - Respect the Game 
E - Encourage/Enforce (each other) 
C - Compete 
O - Outwork  
N - Next Pitch 
The primary values of Utah Baseball are to be a model citizen in the community, classroom, and on 
the field. Utah Baseball provides its players with the opportunity to compete in the PAC 12 Conference, one 
of the elite baseball conferences in the country. Because of Utah’s standing in the PAC 12, players receive 
Under Armour apparel, Rawlings bats, gloves, and batting gloves. Furthermore, Utah Baseball plays their 
games at Smith’s Ballpark, a gorgeous stadium in downtown Salt Lake City. Lastly, other facilities such as the 
weight room and training room are some of the best in the country. Ultimately, Utah Baseball provides its 
players and coaches with an experience that rivals professional sports.  
 
 
 3

External Analysis 
Market Overview 

The University of Utah baseball team represents the University of Utah, PAC 12 Conference, and 
operates in the NCAA Division 1 College Baseball. The NCAA Division 1 is the highest level of intercollegiate 
athletics in the United States. Universities that compete at the Division 1 level include the major collegiate 
powers, more scholarships, larger budgets, and top notch facilities. Over the past two decades, college 
baseball has grown in popularity as schools have begun to recognize its previously unrecognized potential 
and the nationwide appeal for the sport.  

The overall market for college baseball in Salt Lake City is not very large. The Utah baseball team has 
only one main competitor, the Salt Lake Bees, and game times never overlap due to the shared use of the ball 
park. College baseball as an industry has been growing as a result of a rise in streaming services that allow 
more users to watch games from anywhere. Before streaming services, fans would have to watch games 
either in person or hope that one of the games was being broadcasted. In the past few years, Utah Athletics 
and the Pac-12 have been able to give fans access to every game through an online streaming service that is 
available to everyone. As for the team itself, they have been trending upwards in terms of popularity as a 
result of winning their conference championship in 2016 and advancing to postseason play.  

Market Development 

One marketing strategy that we could use for Utah Baseball would be to have student specific 
promotions that reward students for attending multiple Utah Baseball games. This would be an example of a 
market development because it is targeting a market that is under producing and attempting to appeal to the 
more and increase their consumption of the product. The University of Utah campus is home to thousands of 
student who live there full time. Smith’s Ballpark, which is where the Utah Baseball team plays all of their 
home games, is an eleven minute drive from campus, thirty minute trax ride, and an hour or so by walking. 
Students who want to attend baseball games must dedicate a lot of time for traveling there and back which is 
seen as a deterrent for a large target market of students. We could increase student attendance by rewarding 
students for attending games through prizes and cool student specific giveaways. This would counteract the 
deterrent of travel time by giving students a reason to go outside of their interest in the sport of baseball. 
Having a student reward system that allowed students to accumulate more prizes and giveaways the more 
games that they attend. This would increase student support and interest and would be an inexpensive way 
to do so. In other Utah Athletic sports, such as volleyball and men’s basketball, targeting promotions towards 
students has greatly increased average student attendance and the overall atmosphere of the arena.  

Target Markets 

❏ University of Utah Students - ​University of Utah students are our number one target market because
they attend the same University, are often looking to get involved with the University of Utah’s teams,
and want to support their University. Students are easy to access on social media and through
resources on the campus. This target market is usually between 18-25 years old, many of them are
sports fans, and looking for ways to get involved with the University.
❏ University of Utah Faculty and Staff - ​Many of the University of Utah’s faculty and staff are fans and
supporters of the many U of U’s teams and athletic programs. We will put a focus on the use of direct
advertising to reach University of Utah students and faculty. We plan on using flyers and imaging on
campus, such as posters, banners, announcements, and emails.
 4

❏ University of Utah Alumni and Former Student Athletes - ​University Alumni and former athletes are
known for their continuing support of their prior Universities teams and clubs. We plan to capitalize on
this existing relationship and target this market to keep University of Utah Alumni and former players as
part of our loyal fanbase.
❏ Salt Lake City Community - ​The Salt Lake City community is well known for their loyalty and support
to the University of Utah. This target market is diverse, involved in the community, and love to represent
the U of U as the pride of Salt Lake City. We plan to put more emphasis on social media
advertisements, local t.v. advertisements, local news outlets/media, as well as signs and banners to
increase community awareness and reach out to the Salt Lake City community offering specialized
family deals and offers.
❏ Students of Salt Lake City (K-12) - ​Students of all ages are known to be sports fans and huge
supporters of their local Universities. The students of the Salt Lake Valley are a perfect target market
for the baseball team to put a focus and emphasis on. We plan to use social media to inform students
about student deals and connect with these fans. We will also use direct marketing methods like flyers
and sending team representatives to local high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools,
with hopes to spark an interest and love for University of Utah baseball at a young age to create long
term fans.

Utah Baseball’s Ideal Customer Profile

Psychographics
❏ Are loyal to the University
❏ Are interested in sports
❏ Are more likely to support a successful team
❏ Are proactively engaged in recreation and sports
❏ Are familiar and frequent users of social media
❏ Are students, alumni, and staff
 
Porter’s Five Forces 
❏ Threat of Rivalry​​ - Current market rivals are little to none. As far as college baseball is concerned, 
Utah baseball dominates the field. Other Division 1 teams within an hour drive of Salt Lake City include 
Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University, but neither school belongs to an elite baseball 
conference. Moreover, both the Ogden Raptors and Orem Owlz operate within Major League 
Baseball’s minor league system, but the teams do not feature consistent rosters and talent is 
equivalent to the PAC 12 Conference. Therefore, the only true rival of Utah Baseball are the Salt Lake 
Bees, the Triple A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Fortunately for Utah baseball, the Utes and Bees 
share Smith’s Ballpark, so game times NEVER conflict. 
❏ Threat of New Entrants ​- As of right now, there is no threat of new entrants. The PAC 12 Conference 
is one of the top five athletic conferences in the country. Barriers are extremely high to enter, and 
extremely high to exit. Once in the PAC 12 Conference, there is no reason to exit other than to drop to 
a lower division, an event no school wants to experience. 
❏ Threat of Substitutes​​ - Threat of substitutes include: Utah Jazz games, the end of ski/snowboard 
season, and other recreational opportunities. Utah offers and abundance of recreational opportunities, 
which makes this state so special. Utah baseball is not competing with recreational opportunities as a 
whole, but rather, recreational opportunities that include watching sports. In this specific category, 
their primary competitor is the Utah Jazz. 
 
 5

❏ Threat of Buyers’ Bargaining Power​​ - For the price, Utah baseball offers the most affordable, quality 
sports event in the Salt Lake Valley. With that being said, customers can choose to watch a 
professional sporting event for upwards of $100 per ticket, or buy a Utah baseball season ticket hat 
(which includes entry of up to 6 guests to every home game) for $25. The goal of Utah baseball is not 
to compete with the ticket prices of Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Bees, but rather, prove to viewers that 
great entertainment does not always have to be expensive. 
❏ Threat of Suppliers’ Bargaining Power​​ - The value of Utah baseball is definitely increasing, but ticket 
prices have remained cheap. However, once Utah baseball builds their own stadium on the U of U’s 
campus, tickets will become more competitive, as the venue will seat around 2,500 people instead of 
close to 15,000. This will be an obstacle the athletic department needs to hurdle when the time 
approaches. 

There are no real chances of new entrants to the market because there are no other college baseball 
teams in Salt Lake City. There are threats of substitutes because there are other University of Utah sporting 
event in the spring time such as Softball and Lacrosse. The ticket prices for Utah baseball are mostly 
irrelevant because customers can get in for free so the customer already has almost all of the bargaining 
power. The supplier, Smith’s Ballpark, has power over Utah Baseball because their are no other immediately 
viable locations for the team to play. If Smith’s ballpark decided to raise the price they currently charge the 
team to use their stadium, the team would be forced to pay that price until they found or built a new stadium. 
Currently the only industry rival is the Salt Lake Bees and they play their games at different times.   

Internal Analysis  
Attendance Research (Home Games) 

Year  Average  Season  Walk Up  Season  Walk Up  Utah  High  Ages 12 
Attendance  Tickets  Tickets  Tickets  Tickets  Students  School  and 
Total  Total  Average  Average  Total  Students  Under 
Total  Total 

2017  2015  4269  1051  194  50  1149   180  524 

2016  1809  1129  2571  61  129  1810  104  532 

2015  1306  749  1700  36  81  1205  127  592 

 
According to research on attendance at University of Utah baseball games, average attendance at 
Utah baseball games has shown a gradual increase over the past three years. Statistics also show a large 
increase in the number of season ticket holders over the past two years but a decrease in the number of 
tickets purchased at the booths on game days. In 2017 a slight decrease can be seen in the number of Utah 
students attending home games compared to the previous year 2016, the year the Utes won the PAC 12 
Championship. Based on these results we can conclude overall team success does play as a factor when it 
comes to achieving more support from the University's student body. Records show a slight increase in the 
number of high school students attending games and a relatively consistent number of kids aged 12 and 
under in attendance.  
 
 
 
 6

Survey Research 
We created a simple, 10-question survey regarding Utah baseball and sent it to our fellow University of 
Utah colleagues. The survey consisted of basic questions directed toward the reader, asking about their 
knowledge and interest in the baseball program. After thirty-three responses, here is what we found: 
❏ 91%​​ of respondents like the sport of baseball 
❏ 39%​​ have NEVER attended a U of U baseball game 
❏ 52%​​ rated their previous experience at a Utah baseball game as “Fun” or “Outstanding”, ​9% 
rated it as “Average” 
❏ 79%​​ know where the U baseball team plays its home games 
❏ Team success, promotions/giveaways, and alcohol sold at the stadium would increase the 
respondent’s interest in attending games 
❏ 88%​​ would be more likely to attend a game if the team’s stadium were on campus 
❏ 54%​​ are somewhat likely to recommend a Utah baseball game to a friend 
❏ 97%​​ are current students at the U of U 
❏ 58%​​ were male, ​42%​​ female 
❏ 97%​​ are between the ages of 18-24 

Revenue 

In 2016, Utah Baseball generated $390,832 in revenue, which is far less than it spent ($1,865,324). 
Because NCAA baseball is typically not a revenue-generating sport, teams are allocated 11.7 full scholarships 
for a roster of 35 players. Along with these 35 players, Utah Baseball currently has four coaches, a strength 
coach, a trainer, and an academic advisor. Current marketing methods include fairly heavy activity on social 
media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Furthermore, the U of U’s marketing team hosts a 
team media day, in which players are featured in videos, gifs, and photos that will be used during the 
upcoming season. During home games, the jumbotron constantly features players in both fun and engaging 
ways. Since the Utes joined the PAC 12 Conference, marketing efforts have increased dramatically. 
Strengths 
Points of Difference 
❏ University of Utah is in one of the best conferences in college sports, the PAC 12, facing some of the 
best competition in the country. Other college baseball teams in the state do not have this advantage. 
❏ University of Utah’s baseball team plays it’s home games in a professional baseball stadium in the 
heart of Salt Lake City. 
❏ Utah has the advantage of having Under Armour as a sponsor. Utah has become one of the faces of 
Under Armour in college sports and has high quality equipment for the club and merchandise for the 
fans.  
Competitive Advantage 
❏ The U offers 25 dollar season tickets that come with a Under Armour hat and very affordable prices for 
home games. University of Utah students also get into the games free.  
❏ The U is a Division 1 school in the Pac 12 attracting talented baseball players to face a high level of 
competition. The U offers the highest quality of college baseball you will see in Salt Lake. 
❏ Smith’s ballpark is located in the heart of Salt Lake City right off the freeway and easily accessible by 
public transportation. The stadium also provides more than enough parking for a Division 1 college 
baseball team. 
 
 7

Weaknesses 
❏ Venue is so large it appears as if there aren’t as many fans attending the games as there actually are 
and minimizes the potential for an upbeat atmosphere.  
❏ The University of Utah’s football program dominates most of the University’s sport’s fans and 
consumers.  
❏ Spring weather in the Salt Lake Valley is unpredictable and can lead to rain delays, cancellation, and 
rescheduling of games. 
The primary weakness of Utah Baseball is a lack of attendance at home games. Granted, Utah 
Baseball plays their home games at Smith’s Ballpark, a 14,511 seat stadium. Because of this, the atmosphere 
is usually quiet and lacking energy. But, the teams have been very successful the past two seasons, so more 
and more fans have been attending games. However, until Utah Baseball receives their own stadium in the 
heart of campus, marketing will have a difficult time making Smith’s Ballpark feel more “full.” By brainstorming 
more promotions and themed days, Utah Baseball can achieve higher attendance, resulting in increased 
revenue. 
Points of Parity 
❏ Customers want to watch and support a good baseball team in a fun and exciting atmosphere. 
❏ Customers want high quality gear and merchandise that is similar to what the players are using on the 
field. 
❏ Customers want to watch high quality baseball without paying Major League prices. 
 
Positioning 
 

 
 8

Considerations for Digital Marketing Campaign 

Digital Media Campaign 

We will use Twitter, Instagram, and SnapChat to

increase brand awareness, drive traffic to our website,
engage with existing customers, find new ideas and
customers, improve brand image, increase customer loyalty,
and drive sales. As of right now, Utah baseball is very active
on Twitter and SnapChat during game days. In fact, the U of
U athletics department even purchased a pair of SnapChat
glasses, which provide followers with the ultimate gameday
experience, as they track the day’s events from the eyes of a
player.
We will keep tweets short and sweet, tweet pictures,
join conversations, be consistent, tweet for our target
audience, tweet at the right time, retweet, comment on
relevant news and events, and offer exclusive content to
followers. Moreover, we will engage fans by developing
polls, asking for their opinion on uniform combinations, and
providing them with breaking news as soon as it occurs.
We will respond quickly to questions, comments,
concerns, and praises from fans across all digital media
platforms. At the end of the day, fans are what drive the
overall atmosphere of the stadium, so we will be sure to
respond to both negative and positive feedback.
We will monitor our performance on social media, our websites, and the ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page.’ We
hope our new ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page’ will overtake other platforms as the ultimate place for fans to engage
with the team. This page will act as more of a discussion forum than news outlet, as Twitter will remain the
place for updates and breaking news. This fan page will encourage any and all comments; Our team will
provide an answer that addresses the question/comment to the best of our ability. After, all we believe there is
no such thing as a bad question or comment!
Lastly, we will prioritize our customers. What exactly does this entail? We will place our fan’s concerns
over all other concerns. Our fans drive our success and fuel the energy of our players/coaches, so their
concerns are our number one priority. Moreover, we may even feature a Coach Kinneberg Q&A, where fans
will have the opportunity to directly ask Coach K his thoughts and opinions on the current state of the team,
favorite local restaurants, and favorite moments of the season thus far. The U of U football team offers a
similar weekly Q&A with Coach Whittingham, so we hope to replicate their model. As we stated earlier, we
want our fans to feel as if they are in the dugout with the players and coaches on gameday, not disconnected
in the stands.
“Fun, Family, Baseball.” We believe this short, catchy mantra encompasses the vision we want to
associate with Utah baseball. Fans will have a fun experience at Smith’s Ballpark on game day. The full 3-4
hours will be action-packed, engaging, and memorable due to the team’s success and overall aura at the
stadium. Utah baseball supports a family environment. We want people to feel safe bringing their kids to
games, and we want these kids to beg their parents to attend another game in the future. This concept has
been cemented into the program in part due to the season ticket hat, which covers the cost of attendance for a
family of six for a mere cost of $25. Lastly, fans will witness quality baseball each and every time they visit
Smith’s Ballpark. Utah baseball competes in the PAC 12 Conference, which is one of the premier baseball
 9

conferences in the entire country. The Utes have proven to be a force the past two seasons, and teams that
visit Salt Lake City often have a history of success as well.
We will create emotional branding by utilizing the PAC 12 Championship video that was created after
the team’s remarkable run in 2016, as well as the SnapChat glasses during practice and games. Some fans
could care less to see the Utes practicing on a day to day basis, but others will be blown away by the team’s
work ethic, camaraderie, and joy. With the video, we hope to highlight the team’s growing success, as well as
the fans who packed Smith’s Ballpark to witness history. Just as the San Francisco Giants say “It’s Magic
Inside” of AT&T Park, it is also magic inside of Smith’s Ballpark.

As well as the images posted above, we will also highlight the 2016 team’s PAC 12 Championship run by
displaying a video which recounts the remarkable season. The link to the video is as follows:
https://youtu.be/CZ0-mgsDiRw

We will portray visual examples throughout our digital media platforms. Below is how we will do so:

❏ Website Mockup: Our website will feature the PAC 12 Championship picture above as well as a link to
the championship video. Other than that, various images of recent team activities/practices will be
scattered throughout.
❏ Use of Images (for social media): Facebook will feature pictures/highlights
of the day’s game and/or breaking news. Fans will then be able to comment
below the post with their thoughts and opinions. Members of our team and
the U of U’s marketing team will do their best to provide valuable and
accurate feedback.
❏ Use of Video (for all platforms): Twitter will feature highlight clips and GIFs
of players and key moments in the game. Facebook will mostly feature
pictures that summarize the day’s events, such as box scores and
standings. Instagram will post pictures in an ‘artsy’ manner, allowing fans to
like and comment below. Lastly, SnapChat will feature moments of the day
from the eyes of players and managers (literally).
❏ Fans will be encouraged to respond, reply, and message the Utah baseball
team across all platforms.

Example texts for each platform may include the following:

❏ Facebook: “The Utes defeat the Beavers by a final score of 3-2.” A picture
of a key player/moment would follow.
 10

❏ Twitter: “Utes are on the board - home run Wade Gulden! 1-0 Utah! #goutes” This caption would be
followed by a GIF of Gulden or a well-known character celebrating.
❏ Instagram: “A beautiful day down here at Smith’s Ballpark. Come watch your Utes take on the the
Trojans at 11am/mt!” This caption would describe a picture of the sun peeking over the Wasatch
Mountains beyond the centerfield fence of the stadium.
❏ SnapChat: “The Utes taking batting practice.” This caption would feature a player wearing the
SnapChat glasses and catching batting practice balls in the outfield.

Client Evaluation of Current Digital Marketing Presence

Description and Assessment

❏ Website
The University of Utah’s baseball team shares a website with the University of Utah Athletics, but like
all of the other sports the baseball team has its own separate web page that is easily accessed through the
University of Utah Athletics main website at the domain UtahUtes.com. ​The baseball portion of the U’s 
athletics website is appropriately managed, up to date, well structured, and provides a variety of different 
visualization techniques and contextual influences put into place with the purpose of assisting in promotion of 
the program and selling services the team has to offer. Immediately when the baseball homepage is accessed 
you find an effective use of various large and attractive imaging involving the baseball team as well as related 
programs and events, along with the team's most important recent news and information front and center. 
Another key component to the homepage is a large easily visible schedule as a main focus on the page, as 
well as quick access to important team videos, recent University of Utah baseball related stories, and 
information regarding on the Pac 12 Network and it’s services. The sites also features easy to find contact 
information as well important information less than three clicks away.  
The baseball team's homepage offers an effective navigation menu giving users easy access to the 
baseball team's schedule, roster, statistics, news, social media, recruits, and more options including items 
such as information on Smith’s Ballpark, University of Utah baseball camps, and the team's media guide. The 
webpage also supports sales showcasing visual representation of the programs powerhouse affiliates and 
sponsors like the PAC 12 and Under Armour. Another method the site uses to supports sales is by including 
easily noticed, well placed advertisements for partners like the Official Utes Store, the PAC 12, the Crimson 
Club. Other included visual representations of the teams sponsors include AT&T, Smith’s Grocery, and 
University of Utah Health. The site uses University of Utah colors and theme with an effective design layout 
that supports the content of the webpage, along with text that is both large and easy to read. The page's 
structure uses imaging effectively that compliments and separates content while making a good use of white 
space. The web page accommodates for an ease of expansion because it is built on a reputable and 
manageable platform that will allow the site to grow over time. You will find that this site loads quickly across 
all devices, in all browsers, and includes a mobile version of the site.  
 11

 
 
❏ Social Media 
Social media is no longer a trend when it comes to marketing and branding, it is now a vital aspect of 
every company's effort to advertise their product. Utah baseball has a facebook, twitter, and instagram page 
that they are active on. The team uses social media to post score updates during and after games while also 
advertising upcoming series matchups during the season. In the offseason the team provides behind the 
scenes updates on what the team is doing while also providing information on revenue earners such as 
season ticket hat sales and youth camps. The role of social media for Utah baseball should incorporate these 
aspects while also getting fans involved more. This could be done through the use of polls, giveaways, and 
exclusive content posted on social media sites that could get fans excited and broaden the teams reach 
through more followers. The team should also use its social media content to live stream aspects of the game 
and give fans unique and exclusive content that they can find nowhere else.  
Through the use of photos and videos, Utah baseball can give fans access to content that they would 
have never seen if it wasn’t for social media. This content can vary from postgame celebrations to pre-game 
rituals that the team has. Also, the photos posted on social media accounts can tell the story of the 
atmosphere of the ballpark for a given day and also the views that fans are missing by not going to the game. 
Smith’s Ballpark provides a beautiful view of the mountains and is widely considered one of the best views in 
college baseball. Fans don’t have high expectations for the team’s social media platforms in terms of brand 
new content as seen by followers continuing to be content with the same graphic being posted for each game 
and series. The team posts the same graphic at the end of each game with the score and a different player’s 
photo. Fans continue to like the same photo at the same consistent rate so it seems they do not expect any 
new or original content. When the team’s social media accounts does post unique content it is received better 
by their fans through more likes and retweets.  
Utah baseball can use their social media to answer questions about ticket sales, game day operations, 
and any other questions fans may have. By using social media to answer questions fans have the team is able 
to solve any problems and can keep their fan base satisfied and well informed. The team's response rate is 
appropriate in terms of interaction with their followers. They routinely check their social media platforms and 
post and respond when appropriate. In the offseason there is not a lot of content to be posted or questions 
asked so when the social media activity goes down so does the response rate.  
 
 
 
 
 
 12

❏ Consumer Sites and Reviews 

Currently, Utah baseball is rather nonexistent in the consumer sites/reviews category. Fans/critics 
have the opportunity to praise and critique the team on popular news outlets such as The Salt Lake Tribune, 
Deseret News, and The Daily Utah Chronicle. However, Utah baseball is much different than restaurants, 
malls, and television shows, all of which are easy to review and share with friends. The Utah baseball team is 
part of a much larger picture, the University of Utah. With that being said, reviewing the team requires visiting 
the team’s website, the University of Utah Athletics’ website, or something of that sort. In short, it takes a lot 
of time and effort to post comments.  
Because Utah baseball lacks a consistent site for consumers to share reviews, we will design and 
create a ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page’ on Facebook. By doing this, we are taking the hassle out of searching for a 
credible review site, and instead, creating a safe and reliable platform for fans to express their concerns, 
opinions, and praise for the team/program. Utah baseball values community feedback and wants to know 
what they can do better (or what they are consistently doing well). 
Furthermore, Smith’s Ballpark, the home of Utah baseball, is widely and highly reviewed on Google. 
According to Google, Smith’s Ballpark has received over 700 reviews and is rated 4.5 stars, signifying fans 
enjoy their experience at the park while they watch the Utes and Bees play. What do these ratings/reviews tell 
us as a consulting firm? Well, the ballpark obviously is not an issue of concern. Fans enjoy soaking in the 
sunshine, seeing the Wasatch Mountains in the background, and listening to the sites and sounds of the 
game. Positive reviews include the following: 
❏ “One of the best views from the stand in all of baseball.” 
❏ “Food, Fun, Baseball and family time. We had a blast!!” 
❏ “Very clean, very affordable.” 
❏ Negative reviews include the following: 
❏ “The team is not good at reaching out to fans. They love putting random restrictions on the fan 
experience that no other teams seem to do.” 
❏ “Concessions are so so, basically your typical hot dogs and burgers.” 
❏ “But the music they play is not always family friendly. I mean this isn't a bar. There are kids 
here. I wish they'd have better music. More family appropriate music. Baseball music, please.” 
From these reviews, we can make two conclusions. First, fans LOVE the ballpark. It is beautiful and 
offers great scenery both inside and outside. Second, fan experience can be improved through better food, 
music, and communication.  
Our ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page’ will allow fans to express these positive and negative reviews in a much 
more accessible and user-friendly environment. How many people actually look at Google reviews before 
attending a Utes baseball game? Our Facebook page will feature a comments section that will be directly 
relayed to Utah baseball event staff. By doing this, we hope to improve the overall experience of fans. We 
cannot control the overall experience of fans at Salt Lake Bees games, but we can certainly improve their 
experience at Utes games. 
Lastly, the Utah baseball team does feature an alternate website that sparks interest in baseball fans 
who visit it. The website highlights key moments in Utah baseball’s history, takes a closer look at former Utes 
who are now playing professionally, and lists key returners who could help Utah return to the top of the PAC 
12 Conference. The website’s url is ​http://uteathletics.com/baseball/index.html​ and a picture of its homepage 
is embedded below. We will be working closely with Utah baseball’s media team to bring elements from this 
website into the new ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page.’ 
 
 13

 
Recommendations 

❏ Use Twitter to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to website, engage with existing customers, find
new ideas and customers, improve brand image, increase customer loyalty, drive sales
❏ Keep tweets short and sweet, tweet pictures, join conversations, be consistent, tweet for our target
audience, tweet at the right time, retweet, comment on relevant news and events, offer exclusive
content to followers
❏ Respond quickly to questions, comments, concerns, and praises from fans. At the end of the day, fans
are what drive the overall atmosphere of the stadium, so we will be sure to respond to both negative
and positive feedback.
❏ Monitor our performance on social media, our websites, and the ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page.’
❏ Prioritize our customers.

Other Considerations 

As of today, our client the University of Utah baseball team, has a moderate digital marketing presence
which is appropriately managed and up to date​. The baseball team individually manages it’s own social media 
sites including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. We plan to put an emphasis on the use of our 
social media sites to better connect and engage with fans, create and initiate more brand awareness, and 
improve the baseball team's overall brand image. We also plan on using our digital media presence to aid in 
producing a boost in attendance at our home games, promote specialized deals and marketing efforts, and in 
the selling of tickets and team merchandise. The University of Utah’s baseball team has a strong digital media 
presence with functioning social media accounts and websites, we have the utmost confidence in our ability 
to capitalize on the baseball team's current digital marketing presence and implement new creative strategies 
to produce positive results.
We plan to use the University of Utah’s baseball teams social media accounts to advertise and promote
games and results, other baseball team events, as well as merchandise, tickets, and giveaways. For every
game of the season, on all three of the team's social media accounts, prior to the first pitch we will notify
followers and fans about the time and location of games, game details such as opponent information and
starting lineups, promote advertisements and special offers, and to offer other team related information. During
games we plan to post highlights and updates while also promoting the University of Utah baseball team and
players. After the games we will post statistics, results, and articles describing the team's performance during
games and also share outstanding stories, performances, and headlines. By promoting game times and other
team related information prior, during, and after the games it will help build awareness, engage and inform fans
by enhancing their customer experience, and also extend the life cycle and impact of the baseball team's
games.
Before, during, and after games we plan to advertise team merchandise and tickets by giving fans the
opportunity to win prizes, tickets, and other giveaways if they are following our accounts and retweet or share
 14

certain posts. By giving fans these types of opportunities, this will enhance our customers experience, give
fans and students a reason to follow and engage with the baseball club, while also advertising and bringing
awareness to our social media accounts and the baseball team. During game's we will use our social media
accounts to post video highlights, fan photos, and game information like statistics and stories. By sharing these
types of posts and tweets, this will help share the experience of our baseball games while promoting the
team's performance and success. Baseball and sports fans in general love to follow games, statistics, and
updates, and also engaging with other fans on social media before, after, and during games. We plan to use
our social media to participate, elevate, and enhance this experience.
Social media offers us the perfect opportunity to communicate and receive feedback from our
customers and fans. We will monitor our social media accounts to answer questions from fans and receive
input about their experiences. This will help us identify potential adjustments we may need to make and also
show our fans and customers we appreciate their support and are committed to giving our customers a special
experience. We plan on reaching our target customers by placing advertisements and information around
campus, strategic ads on other websites, and by using sponsored posts. We can also partner with other
University of Utah Athletics social media, some of which have far larger amounts of followers and friends, to
help share our posts and get information out like game times, events, and special deals.

Events and Online Advertising

❏ Events ​- We plan to implement more events during the Utes’ 2018 campaign. These events may
include: pre-game tailgating outside of Smith’s Ballpark, prize giveaways, between inning contests, and
more. Each of these events will cater to University of Utah students, as they are the individuals lacking
in attendance and awareness. Moreover, we will organize and build awareness of our events through
strategic marketing techniques, mostly in the form of social media. We will promote Utah baseball
games to U of U students, while continuing to maintain our family-friendly atmosphere inside the
stadium. We will enhance the overall fan experience through promotions, giveaways, and in-game
entertainment. Lastly, we will extend the impact of Utah baseball games by distributing post-game
tweets, highlights, and interviews. We want fans to relive moments from the game’s action as soon as
they leave the ballpark.

❏ Advertising ​- We plan to reach our target audiences through the following social media platforms:
Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. We will better reach U of U students through Twitter,
Instagram, and Snapchat. On the contrary, we will target university staff and Salt Lake City residents
through Facebook, as it is more popular amongst older generations.

- An example Tweet, Insta post, or Snapchat may resemble the following: “Your 2018 Utes take on the
Oregon State Beavers at 1pm/mt at Smith’s Ballpark! The first 100 students will receive a FREE
season-ticket hat! #goutes”

- An example Facebook post (ideally on our ‘Utah Baseball Fan Page’) may resemble the following:
“Looking for a fun family activity this weekend? Head out to Smith’s Ballpark this Fri., Sat., and Sun. to
watch your Utes take on the Oregon State Beavers. All kids will receive a free Utah Baseball poster and
hot dog at the gate! #goutes”
 15

Evaluation Plan

❏ Website Engagement - ​We will evaluate the engagement and use of our website by monitoring and
recording the amount of times our website is accessed through website traffic reports and by actively
engaging in the use of the website to test its ease of use, ensure it stays up to date, and is consistently
functioning properly. We will also use integrated direct marketing, which is a modern web based tool,
which provides a response corner on websites where customers can leave feedback. This easily
accessible resource will allow website users to submit feedback and recommendations directly through
the website.

❏ Social Media - ​We will evaluate our social media presence and effectiveness by reading and
responding to fan comments, tweets, and posts through the Utah Baseball Fan Page, and also by
seeking out individuals who consistently interact with our social media accounts to gather their
feedback and recommendations. Members of our team will also actively follow and observe our social
media accounts from personal accounts to experience their effectiveness from the fans point of view
and monitor the accounts from a different perspective.

❏ Event Engagement - ​We plan to evaluate customer and fan engagement at our events by using
surveys to receive information and feedback about how engaged our fans are during games directly
from the source. We also plan to have staff on site during games to monitor and record fan behavior
and trends. Another way we plan to evaluate engagement during games is by partaking in personal
conversations with fans in attendance before, during, and after games.

❏ Advertising - ​We will evaluate our advertising by tracking results of our advertisements by asking new
fans what brought them to support the baseball team and by including questions regarding our
advertisements and their effectiveness on surveys. We can also ask ourselves questions like “is the
advertising idea meaningful to our target audience?” and “is the advertisement distinctive enough
people will stop to read it?”. One more way we can evaluate advertising is by conducting
communication effect research by doing portfolio tests and using the direct rating method. During
portfolio tests, customers see and listen carefully to advertisements, then they are asked to recall the
content of the advertisement, then calculations are conducted based on the collected data. When using
the direct rating method, customers are asked directly to rate the advertisement, then the ratings are
calculated.

Conclusion 

The University of Utah’s baseball program is in a steady position in the marketplace but still has room 
for improvement, growth, and new opportunities. The club is in the perfect position to focus on the growth of 
their fanbase and work on reaching out to get more consumers involved by digitally marketing to more 
members of the Salt Lake City Community and University of Utah student body. The campus and city both 
are filled with opportunities, sport enthusiasts, and a passionate student body eager to get involved with 
supporting their University and local teams. The University of Utah’s baseball games do have a consistent 
number of fans and season ticket holders in attendance but there is still room for improvement and growth. 
The ball club does still face issues like sharing a field with the Salt Lake Bees and the competition dominance 
the University of Utah football team creates, but can also use the both programs to their advantage by using 
the University and current partnerships to their advantage by enabling more marketing opportunities to a 
larger audience. The University of Utah baseball team is currently still in a period of growth and expansion 
 16

and we hope to become involved using creative new ideas and marketing opportunities to assist in the 
process.   

References 
 
Evaluation of Advertising Effectiveness. (2012, November 27). Retrieved December 1, 2017 from   
http://www.drypen.in/advertising/evaluation-of-advertising-effectiveness.html 
 
University of Utah, FY17 Statement of Revenues & Expenses. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2017, from   
https://www.utahutes.com/documents/2017/8/29//FY17_Consolidated_Statement_of_Financial_Opera
tions.pdf?id=11100 
 
Utah Athletics - Baseball. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2017, from ​http://uteathletics.com/baseball/index.html 
 
2017 PAC 12 Baseball - Utah. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2017, from  
http://static.pac-12.com/sports/baseball/stats/2016-2017/HTML/utah.htm