Madeleine  Sendek    Branding  and  Marketing  Strategy        

A) Overall  approach:      Gymfinity  is  an  affinity  group  career  site  that  connects  collegiate  gymnasts  searching  for  jobs  and  internships  with  gymnastics  alumni  working  in  many  fields.  Gymfinity  provides  a  variety  of  personalized  career  services  such  as  resume  and  cover  letter  editing,  alumni  connection  resources,  and  resume-­‐building  skills  and  certificate  opportunities.  One  of  the  biggest  differentiators  between  Gymfinity  and  other  career  sites  is  that  we  travel  to  the  colleges  and  personally  meet  each  of  the  candidates  to  better  understand  their  career  goals  and  aspirations.  We  offer  onsite  services  including  hands-­‐on  application  editing  workshops,  and  resume-­‐builder  skill  events  such  as  CPR  certifications,  Excel  training,  and  leadership  seminars.      I  am  targeting  NCAA  gymnasts  and  my  goal  is  to  help  gymnasts  secure  jobs  and  internships  immediately  after  college,  and  to  keep  athletes  connected  to  the  sport  they  were  a  part  of  their  entire  lives  throughout  their  careers  and  in  the  next  stages  in  their  lives.  I  want  my  customers  to  think  of  my  business  as  a  pathway  to  stay  connected  to  the  sport,  network  with  NCAA  alumni,  and  as  a  resource  to  make  them  the  most  competitive  job  applicants  on  the  market.  My  goal  is  to  make  my  customers  choose  me  over  generic  resume  editors  and  college  career  centers.        I  positioned  Gymfinity  to  be  the  first  communication  network  designed  solely  for  NCAA  gymnasts  and  alumni,  and  the  only  traveling  career  development  workshop  run  by  an  NCAA  gymnastics  alumna  for  college  gymnastics  teams.      I  will  differentiate  myself  from  my  competitors  by  providing  specialized  services.  My  workshops  will  be  flexible,  based  on  the  team’s  needs  and  schedules,  and  I  will  give  every  athlete  participating  in  the  workshop  access  to  the  online  connection  network.  This  will  be  different  from  other  services  on  the  market  because  the  users  will  be  more  comfortable  and  willing  to  interact  online  because  of  their  gymnastics  backgrounds.      Gymfinity  is  the  first  job  preparation  and  application  workshop  service  that  connects  NCAA  gymnasts  and  alumni,  while  providing  resume-­‐building  tools  and  skill-­‐development  resources  for  current  NCAA  gymnastics  student-­‐athletes.  Unlike  other  career  development  providers,  this  workshop-­‐based  program  focuses  on  using  gymnastics  connections  to  create  professional  opportunities  and  relationships.  My  brand  promise  is  to  provide  my  customers  with  the  ability  to  use  their  gymnastics  connections  to  get  ahead  and  set  them  apart  during  the  job  preparation  and  application  process.    The  key  benefits  of  Gymfinity  are  that  it:    

• Enables  gymnasts  to  use  their  gymnastics  connection  to  get  ahead    • Improves  your  team’s  reputation  for  recruits    • Secures  jobs  and  internships  through  the  connection  builder    • Adds  new  skill  and  experience  to  your  updated  resume  or  CV  • Represents  your  school  in  your  career        

 B)  Key  Competitor  Profiles:    College  Career  Centers-­‐  Example  Hamline  Career  Development  Center  (CDC):  Hamline’s  CDC  helps  students  find  jobs,  internships,  interview,  connect  with  alumni  through  sponsored  events  and  web  sites  such  as  Piper  Connect  and  Career  Link,  and  offers  mock  interviews.  The  CDC  and  other  college  career  centers  will  be  my  main  competitors.  They  have  a  price  advantage  over  my  service,  but  my  service  is  different  because  my  connection  network,  based  on  gymnastics  affinity  groups,  offers  a  stronger  student-­‐to-­‐alumni  connection  than  a  relationship  based  solely  on  attending  or  graduating  from  the  same  university.      Linkedin-­‐  A  social  networking  site  used  to  connect  professionals.  My  service  is  different  from  LinkedIn  because  while  anyone  can  use  LinkedIn,  my  connection  website  is  exclusively  for  NCAA  gymnasts  only.  My  service  is  also  more  comprehensive,  meaning  I  am  proving  career  application  resources  including  resume  and  cover  letter  editing,  and  I  help  the  student  athletes  find  new  resume  skill  sets  and  certification  opportunities  to  serve  as  resume  enhancers.      Job  recruiters-­‐  Example:  The  Recruiter  Network-­‐  Job  recruiters  will  help  the  students  find  jobs,  and  provide  some  individual  services,  but  I  will  be  working  with  the  athletes  in-­‐person  at  talking  to  the  first  hand.  ,  I  already  have  an  advantage  because  of  my  ability  to  connect  the  athletes  to  other  NCAA  gymnasts.  The  Recruiter  Network  functions  by  collecting  job  seekers’  resumes  and  posting  them  on  their  website,  and  then  they  help  find  job  matches  for  the  customers.  Companies  like  The  Recruiter  Network  are  competing  with  me,  because  they  are  also  working  to  connect  students  to  jobs.      Generic  resume  writing  companies-­‐  These  service  also  provide  the  physical  materials  to  help  students  with  updating  resumes  and  writing  cover  letters,  however  many  of  these  companies  are  based  primarily  online,  and  the  work  becomes  more  the  work  of  the  company  than  the  student.  This  places  students  at  a  risk  for  a  lack  of  originally,  which  will  inhibit  their  ability  to  stand  out  in  the  job  pool.            

C)  Customer  Profiles:    My  primary  customers  include  NCAA  gymnastics  teams.  I  will  be  selling  to  the  gymnastics  coaches,  the  colleges’  athletic  directors,  and  the  athletes  individually.      Placing  ads  in  places  where  gymnasts  and  coaches  will  both  see  them  will  inform  and  remind  my  customers  and  audience  about  how  I  can  help  them  and  their  teams.  I  am  selling  to  the  coaches  because  if  their  athletes  are  more  likely  to  secure  jobs  after  college,  it  is  another  selling  point  for  recruiting  athletes.      The  gymnasts  are  the  audience  and,  possibly  secondary  customers,  because  although  most  of  my  business  will  be  conducted  at  the  team  level,  my  services  will  also  be  available  on  an  individual  basis..  (I  concluded  this  after  the  interview  process  of  this  project,  and  realized  most  college  students  would  be  unable  to  pay  for  my  service  on  their  own.)  The  team  coaches  are  encouraged  to  spend  money  toward  the  personal  development  of  their  teams.  The  amount  of  money  coaches  have  varies,  and  is  greater  in  Division  1  schools,  but  coaches  do  have  the  ability  to  budget  their  team  expenses.      Additional  secondary  customers  include  other  college  sports  teams  interested  in  buying  the  gymnastics  service.  Expanding  my  services  to  other  teams  will  allow  me  to  work  with  more  athletes  while  I  am  already  visiting  the  schools.  I  will  start  this  customer  base  without  the  alumni  connection  network  aspect,  but  I  will  still  keep  track  of  the  athletes’  contact  information  and  career  interests  in  case  their  sports  teams  become  a  greater  part  of  business.      My  business  location  will  serve  my  customers  needs  because  I  do  not  need  a  physical  space  to  serve  the  student  athletes.  I  will  travel  to  colleges,  and  will  work  with  the  athletes  in  an  open  space  at  the  university,  like  a  classroom  or  section  of  the  library.  I  will  also  have  a  marketing  website  that  will  be  used  to  attract  new  customers  and  promote  my  business.  From  the  marketing  website,  users  of  the  alumni  connection  network  site  will  be  able  to  login,  edit  their  own  profile  and  connect  with  alumni.      Customer  demographics:  NCAA  Women’s  Gymnastics  programs:  82    NCAA  Men’s  Gymnastics  programs:  21      Buying  and  Spending:      I  am  primarily  selling  to  gymnasts  and  college  gymnastics  coaches.  I  will  focus  my  ads  on  collegiate  gymnasts  because  they  will  be  the  consumers  of  my  products,  but  I  will  also  appeal  to  coaches  because  in  most  schools,  they  will  be  the  main  source  of  funding  for  the  program.    Division  III  funding  of  athletics-­‐    

Colleges  fund  most  of  the  athletic  departments’  operating  expenses;  raised  funds/  donations  are  not  a  part  of  the  colleges’  operating  expenses.  Fundraising  and  donations  are  important  for  Division  III  athletics  because  Division  III  programs  do  not  offer  athletic  scholarships.      Example:  At  Hamline,  the  athletes  hold  a  Piper  Cup  challenge  and  they  compete  against  each  athletic  team  for  the  highest  point  total  based  on  GPA,  MIAC  finish,  school-­‐wide  event  attendance,  and  community  service.  The  award  for  winning  the  Piper  Cup  $1,000-­‐2,000  to  support  the  winning  team’s  sports  program.  These  types  of  fundraising  events  are  common  in  Division  III  schools,  and  give  coaches  more  reasons  to  use  the  money  for  additional  resources  to  help  their  athletes  develop  personally.      D)  Advertising  Approach:    

• Website  banners-­‐  make  these  focused  on  gymnastics,  use  clever  word  play  and  sayings  that  use  both  gymnastics  and  job  themes    

 • Place  large  ad  banners  at  big  Division  I  gymnastics  meets,  also  keep  banners  

up  during  other  sports  events  because  athletes,  alumni,  and  gymnastics  coaches  are  likely  to  attend  

 • Place  adds  in  USA  Gymnastics  Technique  magazine  and  Inside  Gymnastics  

Magazine      

• Place  online  ads  on  high-­‐traffic  gymnastics  websites:  USA  Gymnastics  (This  is  the  official  USA  gymnastics  website  where  athletes  and  coaches  find  gymnastics  news,  event  information,  meet  results,  educational  materials,  and  other  gymnastics  resources.  Placing  ads  here  will  be  an  important  part  of  my  advertising  approach  because  it  will  reach  a  lot  of  gymnasts  and  coaches.  

   I  will  also  place  ads  on  FloGymnastics.  FloGymnastics’s  main  purpose  it  to  provide  video  news  about  excelling  gymnasts,  college  teams,  and  club  teams.  It  is  very  popular  among  college  gymnasts  and  is  an  important  recruiting  site  for  coaches.  Placing  ads  on  FloGymnastics  will  also  provide  a  lot  of  ad  exposure.  Additionally,  FloGymnastics  has  a  strong  social  media  presence,  which  means  if  their  posts  are  receiving  a  high  volume  of  market  share  and  views  on  social  media;  it  will  link  viewers  back  to  their  website  where  they  will  see  the  Gymfinity  ads.  

   College  Gym  Fans  is  another  website  where  I  will  place  online  ads  because,  this  is  one  of  the  most  used  college  gymnastics  recruiting  websites.  I  am  interested  in  placing  ads  here  because  the  coaches  of  the  college  teams  usually  have  their  own  team  budgets,  and  can  choose  whether  they  think  Gymfinity  would  be  beneficial  purchase.    

 • Other  college  sporting  events  at  Big  Division  I  schools  • USA  Gymnastics  Congress  booth-­‐  August  17-­‐20  in  Anahei,  California    • Athletic  website  selling  gymnastics  sports  gear:  Ten-­‐O,  GK,  Gym  Supply    • Social  media  –  large  presence,  this  is  already  a  place  where  gymnasts  connect  

and  share  videos.  Posting  on  social  media  will    help  raise  awareness  about  Gymfinity  and  convince  people  that  my  service  will  benefit  them,  and  provide  a  better  experience  and  success  rates  than  Gymfinity’s  competitors.      

   E)  Sample  Advertisements        

 Logo/  with  the  tagline  written  in  smaller  text  below:  I  chose  to  make  a  text  logo  for  Gymfinity  and  I  made  the  Gym  text  purple  and  the  finity  text  black.  I  choose  these  colors  because  purple  is  not  a  common  color  for  businesses,  but  it  is  a  popular  color  for  gymnastics  leotards.    I  created  the  name  Gymfinity  from  the  idea  Gym  affinity,  (affinity  use  here  meaning  natural  connection)  and  a  possible  street  name  for  Gymfinity  is  Gymfin.  My  tagline  “Connecting  gymnasts  to  jobs”  is  simple  and  explains  a  main  benefit  of  my  business  to  my  customers.      

   

       

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