Prince Sports Marketing Movement

Case Study – Prince Sports

Name of Group: Marketing Movement

Members of Group: Amy Corrigan, Samantha

Smith, and Tia Palangio-Santuccione

Submitted To: Penny Moss

Course Name: MR 1100

Date: Nov 30, 2015

3)         Prince Sports is a manufacturer of equipment for racquet sports, primarily tennis, badminton and squash. Its trademarks also include Eklelon (racquetball) and Viking (platform/paddle tennis). It has a large line of tennis products, bags, footwear and apparel. Their portfolio includes some of the best brands on the market. It is known for its innovation of the oversized long-body racquet as well as the first “Natural Foot Shape” tennis shoe.

 They have a different number of distribution channels ranging from mass merchant accounts to sporting good chains to small specialty stores that are just specialty tennis shops. The racquet industry is a fast growing competitive one. Tennis participation in the US was up 43% from 2000-2008, making it the fastest growing individual sport in the Country. They have the marketing mix down to a science. Marketing in more than just way such as sponsored players, online advertising, teaching-pro program and in store activities.

Recently Prince Sports Inc. has been changing how they market, focusing more on social marketing and social networks such as Facebook, twitter and Hi5. They are now focusing so much more in reaching the younger consumer in social marketing. Although Prince Sports Inc. has succeeded in becoming globally known, their products are used by some of the most famous athletes such as Maria Sharapova, the company still faces challenges such as the changing nature of the industry. How can Prince Sports continue to innovate to meet the needs of all levels of tennis players? How can they maintain quality but affordability in their products? Will Prince Sports be able to continue to market through social media in years to come?

4)         Prince Sports wants to continue to stay ahead of the curve and continue to market through social media for years to come. However, in order to do this they will have to branch our further with social media and join more media sites. Right now they sites they are on are limited. We propose that Prince Sport joins Instagram, Tumblr and Yikyak. They would attract more customers of all different ages and demographics. Placing ads on YouTube and Vevo would also help, as millions of viewers watch videos on these websites daily.  

5)        In the 21st century, some environmental variables that may affect Prince Sports include:

In the 21st century, some environmental variables that may affect Prince Sports include: (1) Ever-changing technology, (2) Sponsored events, (3) Specialized tennis racquets, (4) “Co-op” Advertising, and (5) Global marketing.

The use of social media is a marketing powerhouse that can target all age groups. Microsoft and Facebook sell consumer information to companies who can then fine-tune their marketing strategies. Social media also allows them to reach a larger audience, and more specifically, a younger one, ensuring they create long-term customers. The constant flux of technology has its drawbacks too. The market is saturated with cheap materials and due to a rise in the popularity of tennis, the demand for products is increasing. With the cost of everything also increasing, marketing for a cost effective yet competitive product is key.

Prince shows their interest in continuing the rise of tennis in the US by sponsoring training camps for kids and adults. By fostering training and awareness, young consumers who might not have been aware of the joys of tennis previously, can now have a fun and educational experience. Prince also holds “demo events” where consumers can gain awareness for the company and try out their new products.

Prince designs and markets their racquets to meet the needs of three distinct styles of players. They also meet the needs for three levels of players from the pros on television, to recreational players and juniors or children. To reach recreational players, they take all the different skill levels into account. They also realize each individual has their own unique swing and create their products with this in mind. Demo racquets and promotional material is placed in stores where the recreational player may shop. This also can pertain to the junior players. Another all-encompassing trait that Prince practices is utilizing the combination of price point, technology and performance. Recreational players are typically older, with more disposable income. They can afford better racquets, and may keep the same one longer than the junior players. Junior players may outgrow a racquet, so maybe compromises can be made in regards to any of the components of Prince’s strategy to sell racquets.

According to the text, Prince utilizes “co-op” advertising for various big name retailers. They work with the store to determine the best placement for maximum exposure of their products, at times even including a diagram. They also provide plenty of informative and promotional material, so their products can be effectively advertised. In smaller tennis specialty shops they offer various products like demo racquets, catalogues, posters, and even cardboard cut-outs of athletes.

Prince Sports already markets globally. They sponsor international players that appear on television and in tournaments. By determining which countries watch or play tennis the most, Prince can make a harder push into the market. The UK, Australia, France and Russia all have professional athletes competing in international competitions, so those countries would be a good start. By holding demo events or tennis clinics in these countries, Prince could raise awareness for their products.

6)        Answers to the questions posed at the end of the case

1.        The trends in the environmental forces during the 2010s that will work for the success of Prince Sports in the tennis industry are: (a) Changing attitudes toward health (b) Increasing income levels (c) Advances in technology and (d) Population shifts

(a)   Many Canadians are becoming more aware about their health. This is creating a rise in fitness activity and sports participation.

(b)  The more money being made; the more discretionary income will be left after paying for necessities. This means more money to go towards entertainment and hobbies, which could include playing tennis.