Marking Plan

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Zamboni Marketing Firm
Marketing Plan
Domestic and GlobalExpansion Plan
24-0021-0031, 24-0021-0029, 24-0021-0019, 24-0021-0026

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Table of Contents
Part I- Marketing Plan Overview …………………….………………………………… 3-4
Part II- Company Goals (Short/long term)…………….…………………………….… 4-5
Part III- Description of Customers and Their Needs…….……………………………. 5-6
Part IV- Description of Pricing Strategy…………………………….…………………. 6-7
Part V- Competition……………………………………………………………………… 7
Part VI- Marketing Mix…………………………………………………………………. 7-8
Part VII- Economic, Social, Legal, and Technological Trends………………………… 8-9
Part VIII- Human Resource Requirements…………………….……………………… 9-10
Part IX- Marketing Timeline…………………………………………………………… 10-11
Part X- Methods of Measuring Success………………………………………………… 11-12
Appendix I……………………………………………………………………………..…. 13
Appendix II…………………………………….…………………………………….…… 13
Appendix III…………………………….………………………………………………… 14
Appendix IV………………………………………………………………………………. 15-16
Appendix V………………………………………………………………………………… 16
Appendix VI……………………………………………………………………………….. 17
Appendix VII………………………………………………………………………………. 17
Works Cited…………….…………………………………………………………….……. 18
Marketing Plan
Part I – Marketing Plan Overview

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After carefully analyzing the different locations for a new National Hockey League
(NHL) team, the Zamboni Marketing Firm has chosen a city and come up with a three phase plan
for marketing the new NHL Team.
The first phase is to create the team in the aforementioned city. The Zamboni Marketing
Firm has chosen Portland, Oregon to be home to the newest NHL team. The Zamboni Marketing
Firm has taken the naming of the team into careful consideration. Considering various symbols
and elements unique to the region of Oregon, the mascot of the meadowlark, Oregon’s state bird,
was chosen. And from there, naturally, the team name of ‘The Portland Meadowlarks’ was born.
The Portland Meadowlarks will represent the state of Oregon in the hockey universe as a serious
contender in the rink and as a comrade off the ice.
Phase two is to market the Portland Meadowlarks domestically, especially within the
metropolitan area of Portland. This stage will begin before the team is even brought into the
city. To kick-off the marketing campaign, the team will be announced officially to the world by
the NHL representatives. The Portland Meadowlark staff and marketing team will work with
advertising agencies around Portland, Oregon to sweep the Lark fever across the state. These
advertising agencies will help our company brainstorm and enact numerous promotional events.
These promotional events and propaganda may include: billboards, giveaways/sweepstakes, TV
ads, radio ads, social media live groups, social media campaigns, and dine to donate fundraisers.
Phase three is to sell tickets and special-deal ticket packages; gain attendance to the
games. Sales will occur through major ticket retailers such as Stub Hub, Ticketmaster, and
Gametime. There will also be tickets sold at the box office inside of the stadium. Other products
such as merchandise can be bought online at the PortlandMeadowlarks.com and at the
Meadowlarks Pro Shop located on the exterior of The Moda Center. With the game attendance
rising as Lark Fever spreads, the Portland Meadowlarks will work hard to keep the environment
warm and welcoming so that every Meadowlarks fan feels like a part of the Lark family. We
want to create an atmosphere in which fans feel comfortable about getting engaged and excited
about the game. The Lark birdhouse will include one ‘Nest’ section in the lower, middle, and
higher levels (one nest per level). The Nest will be sponsored by a big company each year to
provide funding for the Larks franchise as well as advertising for the company receiving the
opportunity to become a part of the nest name. If Gatorade sponsors the nest for the first Larks
season for example to promote its new G2 product, the special-perks section will be named, ‘The
G2 Nest’. ‘The G2 Nest’ will feature special perks for fans such as autographed towels, special
giveaways, big player head posters, and unique opportunities to be participate in half-time
competitive games and relay races. Fans will get the chance to experience a game in ‘The Nest’
by purchasing a premium ‘Nest’ ticket within their level, upgrading their ticket to ‘The Nest’ at
the game, or through random selection by the Larks staff.
The money acquired from initial endorsements and partnership signing bonuses will fund
the initial advertising campaigns. Both endorsements and investments from firms outside the
franchise will be essential to funding the Larks first season and covering start-up costs. Once the
team gains fans, the Larks will have an additional income from ticket sales and generate greater
total revenue per game as the season progresses. There is a diverse range of ticket buying options
available (See Appendix III). On top of ticket sales, cash will flow from Meadowlark official
memorabilia and merchandise sales. As the popularity of the Portland Meadowlarks rises, the
team’s net worth and capital will steadily increase exponentially.

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These three phases will lay the groundwork for the Portland Meadowlarks to not only be
successful domestically, but to expand to the global market. The Zamboni Marketing Firm has
ensured through strategic marketing endeavors, that the Larks achieve both national and global
recognition quickly after the launch. The real estate on which the team presides is an optimal
location for reaching the global market as Portland is home to a racially, religiously, and socially
diverse community. Since it is located on the West Coast, it is easy to fly oversees directly from
the city of Portland. Portland’s prime west coast location allows the city to serve as a hub for
tourism. Through global expansion initiatives, the Larks will target the European Hockey
coalition or the European Big Six (Finland, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Czech-
republic) as well as Canada, Russia, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Part II – Company Goals
The Portland Meadowlarks goals were made using the SMART Method (Specific,
Measurable, Action Oriented, Reasonable, and Time Specific).
Long Term (3-5 Years)
● Service- Provide a welcoming, family-friendly sport entertainment outlet to the Portland,
Oregon metropolitan area; give back to the community though Meadowlark team
sponsored events that raise money for local charities and youth hockey programs
● Social- Establish Meadowlark games as social events that will not only become a local
tradition, but a tourist attraction for the city of Portland. Implement a scholarship
program for each and every qualified employee of the Portland Meadowlark franchise
(three years tenure with 3,000 plus hours worked) so that they may be able to go to enroll
in a four year college of their choice tuition free. Employees must show outstanding track
records of leadership, enthusiasm, and dedication in their work.
● Profit- Increase in profitability by 3.6% each year. In the long-run, the goal is to generate
economic and accounting profit. In a perfectly competitive market, we would
idealistically break-even, but the NHL hockey market is not perfectly competitive.
● Growth- Expand into the global market within a little over two years and begin to
implement new marketing strategies to target hockey fans in Canada and overseas
(Russia and European nations). Expansion globally and domestically will encompass
gaining a fan-base around the world, playing teams across the globe, and generating mass
media attention internationally. Global expansion will economically put the Larks in a
position to raise total revenue as well as economic and accounting profits. The Portland
Meadowlarks will domestically expand south into California, north into Washington, east
into Idaho, and then southeast into Nevada after exponential profitability (Estimated 3
years). After Canadian expansion (Estimated 4 years), the Larks plan to globally expand
to the six core European nations associated with Hockey Europe, a collaboration of ice
hockey leagues. These six nations are Finland, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Austria, and
Czech-republic. Following European expansion (Estimated 5 years), the Larks will focus
on expanding to countries in which the popularity of ice hockey is rapidly rising and even
rivaling the most popular global sport, soccer. These nations include South Africa,
Australia, and Russia.
Short Term (1-2 Years)

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● Create committees of marketing professionals to discuss successfully establishing a new
NHL team in the city of Portland by analyzing demographics and observing current
trends occurring in the NHL market. Using this research of metropolitan, domestic, and
global trends and markets, the Zamboni marketing team will devise strategies to obtain
zero economic profit ( normal profit) for the new franchise in the short-run.
● Build a large fan base in order to generate high volume ticket sales and support for the
Meadowlarks
● Make ‘The Portland Meadowlarks’ a household name by launching advertising and
promotional campaigns throughout the city through the mediums of local businesses and
social media.
● Increase the number of endorsements to go towards funding the franchise and future
advertising campaigns.
● Form a partnership with a large company for a symbiotic, synergistic advertising and
fiscal relationship.
● Re-distribute advertising funds. The Meadowlarks will redistribute advertising funds to
better market to their target markets, the millennials and families. The marketing mix will
be redeveloped with help from satisfaction surveys as well as in terms of the NHL
political, social, and economic climate at that time.
Short Term (< 1 Year)
● Choose a prosperous location for a new sports team based on comprehensive market
studies which consider competition, demand, and demographics.
● Establish brand name recognition throughout the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area
through aggressive initial advertising campaigns which highlight the unprecedented
nature of Portland’s first-ever professional hockey team.
● Hold promotional events to create hype for the new team.
● Sell season and regular ticket packages through businesses, The University of Oregon,
and early-bird specials on social media.
● Build up logo and brand name recognition by hanging eye-catching banners throughout
the city with the Larks signature logo and name.
● Construct a large social media presence to advertise the opening game and season games
to the millennials and college students (See Appendix V).
● Fortify initial endorsements to cover start-up costs.
Part III – Description of Customers and Their Needs
Millennials, the cohort of Americans born between 1980 and the mid 2000s are the
largest generation in the United States, representing one third of the total U.S. population. The
millennial generation is larger than the Baby Boom generation and three times the size of
Generation X. Most members of this generation are at the beginning of their careers, so they will
be an important engine and driving factor of the economy in the decades to come. Millennials
believe that there relationship to technology is what makes their generation stand out. Compared
to the other generations who have also experienced technological advances, the amount of
technology that the Millennials have had at their finger tips since grade school is unparalleled.
Members of this generation are group oriented rather than being individualists, so they may
sacrifice their own identity to be part of the team; they prefer egalitarian leadership, not

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hierarchies, forming a tight-knit generation with a mob mentality that involves constant social
networking and teaming up in professional and social circumstances.
The NHL hockey team appeals to the Millennials by providing a gathering place and a
social environment that creates a family to cheer on the players. The Lark team mentality comes
second nature to the Millennial generation by giving fans a common interest and purpose to
support the organization to victory. The camaraderie fostered by the new NHL team will bring
Millennials together to lead the Lark fan base which will parallel the leadership roles that
millennials will began to take in the professional arena. Portland Meadowlark games will create
a safe and fun atmosphere for the younger generation of America to socialize and connect with
the community in an authentic way, a fulfilling alternative to playing video games all night.
Statistics reveal that more than 85 percent of millennials in the U.S. own smartphones and touch
them at least 45 times a day; 87 percent of online adults in the U.S. age 18 to 29 use Facebook,
with 53 percent on Instagram, 37 percent on Twitter, and 34 percent on Pinterest. Since the
younger generation worships social media and uses it as its prime source of communication, the
games will provide them with events that can be the subject matter of their posts. On these posts
they will get fired up for the game and fire up their friends by using the hashtags #LarkFever,
#TheNest, #TheBirdhouse, and #MadForTheMeadowlarks. In terms of connecting with
businesses, five out of six millennials in the U.S. connect with companies on social media
networks, so we will capitalize on the fact that the Millennials have grown up on the Internet by
advertising online and starting social media Lark Fever campaigns. The needs of Millennials to
share their weekend plans with their 800 Facebook friends will create the perfect advertising
feedback loop to spread Lark Fever across the inter web.
Portland, Oregon’s metropolitan area has a population of 2.36 million inhabitants. They
have a great level of density amongst this population (See Appendix I). Since the highest
percentage of the population (80.9%) is the Millennials, this age group is the prime market for
the Portland Meadowlarks. Employed members of the Millennial class in the city of Portland
earn a median household income of $60,248 while the average median household income in the
United States is $53,657. The greater levels of Millennial income per household in Portland allot
families surplus cash for recreational spending such as purchasing Larks tickets. Forty-three
percent of millennials in the U.S. are nonwhite, the largest share of any generation. Due to the
diversity of millennials it is essential for the Larks to capitalize on the opportunity to target
young customers with an open mind to non-traditional "American sports", customers whose
parents were immigrants, customers who did not grown up worshiping the classic American
sports of football or baseball. Parallel to the ethnic diversity of the city, Portland is known in
pop-culture as 'The City of Hipsters' since the population is composed largely of young
professionals looking for new opportunities in the social and professional realms. A 'hipster' is
defined as a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being
outside the cultural mainstream. The 'Hipsters' of our millennial target market will be eager to
jump on board as die hard fans for the unprecedented NHL team in Portland as it is a 'non-
traditional' American sport, debuting in the city of Portland, Oregon.
Part IV – Description of Pricing Strategy
To determine the pricing strategy for the Portland Meadowlarks, one must first examine
the cost of running a large sports organization and such a large venue. The price that the
customer is charged has to be more than fixed and variable costs combined. Once the costs are

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covered, the company can start earning a profit. The estimated average operating cost of an NHL
arena is $17 million per year. Since the building cost of the Moda Center has already been taken
care of ($262 million), the Portland Meadowlarks will only have to pay for rental of the space.
Costs of the renting the Moda Center is $20,000 per night. This cost may seem low, but
considering hockey teams play 82 games a season and 41 of them at home, the cost totals up to
$820,000 a year just for rent. This cost does not include players salaries, cost of equipment, as
well as varying transportation costs of the other 41 on-the-road games.
The largest cost to the organization is labor. The Portland Meadowlarks employ over 300
employees, all of them make over minimum wage. If employees each make $10.97 an hour,
(making an annual salary of $22,820) and there are 300 employee, salary expenses total up to
nearly $6.8 million. This amount only includes the lower wage employees like parking
attendants and concession workers. Another salary expense is the players’ salaries. The typical
NHL player makes between $1.5 to $2 million a year with their contracts. A plurality of
contracts occur over a time period of 5 years. This means the players will earn around $10
million total.
Fixed costs do not change based on the number of attendees per game, but the variable
costs do. Things such as cost of food supplied at the concessions will change based on the
number of attendees per game.
To compensate for the costs, customer prices must outweigh the cost to produce revenue.
Zamboni Marketing Firm has devised a five-tier pricing structure. Each tier provides diverse
amenities and accommodations. There are 5 different packages for ordering tickets for the
Portland Meadowlarks games.
**An example of the five-tier pricing structure can be found in Appendix III.
Part V – Competition
First, to determine who the competition is for the Meadowlarks, the Zamboni Marketing
Firm first looked at the existing sports teams in Portland, as well as close by hockey teams who
may have already adopted the fans of the city. The sports market in Portland, Oregon itself is
unsaturated. The city does not have any major sports teams except for their National Basketball
Association team, the Trailblazers. The sports-fanatic community in Portland already shows a
high level of support for the NBA team. Trailblazer games average about 19,500 fans per game,
which gives them the eighth highest game attendance in the NBA for the 2014-2015 seasons.
The Portland Meadowlarks would be competing with teams from surrounding areas for
fans; however with the fan appeal and the benefits that the Meadowlarks franchise will offer to
its fans, the fans will choose to follow the Meadowlarks instead of the other teams or will
compromise with a hybrid following of multiple teams. Close by cities with hockey teams
include San Jose, with the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have been established since 1991, so
they have had time to become established and acquire a large fan base. We will feed the
insatiable appetite for NHL hockey that the area of Portland, Oregon has.
Since the Portland Meadowlarks will be based out of Portland, Oregon, this places the
team into the Pacific Division. The NHL’s Pacific Division is unimpressive, yet competitive. For
example, Los Angeles Kings have claimed two Stanley Cup titles in the past four years, but the
franchise won its division only once in its first 47 seasons of existence, and that was way back in
1991. It seems as if not many of the teams make it to the playoffs. This is because the Pacific
teams knock each other out of the running. Adding another team to this division will just add fuel

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to the even larger fire. Recruiting staff for the Portland Meadowlarks will work endlessly to
acquire the best players to ensure the team can stand up to the competition.
Meadowlark ticket pricing is lower than the average National Hockey League ticket of
$61.62. Since the Meadowlark tickets start at $30 for a single ticket, an attendee can go to a
Meadowlark game for essentially half of the price of any other pro hockey team. In addition to
the reasonable price, there are also many amenities included with the purchase of the ticket. The
affordability of a Meadowlark game will make the team stand out from the crowd and become
the consumer’s number one choice.
Part VI – Marketing Mix
The Portland Meadowlarks appeal to all customers; however, there are specific target
markets which the team appeals to in particular. The team strives to target the generation of the
Millennials (15 – 35 years) who have a large need for entertainment.
• Product – The Portland Meadowlarks offer a top of the line sporting event experience.
This experience is complete with free promotional items that can be bought with ticket
packages. Other items can also be purchased at retail price (See Appendix III).
• Price – The Portland Meadowlarks have developed a variety of packages for purchasing
tickets and merchandise (Appendix III).
• Place (Distribution) – Currently, the Portland Meadowlarks operate solely out of
Portland, Oregon. Eventually the NHL team franchise will expand to become a global
NHL team to be reckoned with, and the team will launch several satellite locations
overseas and in Canada.
• Promotion – The Portland Meadowlarks work with different advertising agencies around
Portland, Oregon to promote the team. These advertising agencies have helped the
franchise come up with many promotional events and campaigns. These promotional
events and propaganda may include: billboards, giveaways/sweepstakes, TV ads, radio
ads, social media live groups, social media campaigns, and dine to donate fundraisers.
• Process – Tickets for the game will be easy to purchase. Sales will be through major
ticket retailers such as Stub Hub, Ticketmaster, and Gametime. Also, there will be tickets
sold at the box office inside of the stadium. Other products such as merchandise can be
bought on an online store, or be bought in the Meadowlarks Pro Shop at the stadium.
• Physical Atmosphere – We want to create an atmosphere in which fans feel comfortable
about getting engaged and excited about the game. One thing that will create a great
physical atmosphere is having a certain section of the crowd, ‘The Nest’, be sponsored by
a company that will donate products to give away to this section....the Larks will give
special perks to this section as well. This will help get the crowd fired up for the game.
Part VII – Economic, Social, Legal, and Technological Trends
Portland, Oregon has many different trends going on throughout the metro area. Key
factors in this area that will determine success of the Portland Meadowlarks include the rapidly
growing economy, the relatively young population, and the city’s growing presence on social
media.
Population and economic growth go together hand in hand. The more people that are
brought to the area, the more money there is. More money brings a stronger economy. The
economy and population of Portland, Oregon has been steadily growing since the 1950s when
the population of the area started increasing with great speed. Between the years 1950-2014,

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Oregon’s population has increased by 152 percent, whereas the United States population has
increased in the same time span by only 104 percent (See Appendix II). Because of this, the
area’s population and economy are expected to continue to grow over the next decade.
Population growth is associated with a healthier economy meaning higher employment rates,
lower unemployment, and higher revenue collection. Therefore, businesses become more
profitable.
Oregon has a relatively young population. Young people like sports, social interaction,
and being part of high-energy, big events. A new sports team would be the perfect way to
entertain the young population. With 80.9 percent of the population being between the ages of
18 and 65 years of age, this age group is the target market. Young people love to be around each
other and spend time together doing things of common interest such as attending a sports game.
In the communications department, Portland is a city that has been called a mini-San
Francisco in the technology world as its growing college grad and youth population has been
raised in the Internet age, which makes social media second nature as it is an important element
of millennial culture. Utilizing the technology available will increase the advertising and spread
the word about the new team. Technology has quickly advanced to make sharing things as easy
as a tap of the finger. Having websites and advertising on social media are the two most
important ways that the Portland Meadowlarks can advertise their team. Social media accounts
on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will help spread the word about the team. With the
millennials literally taking over the world (inheriting the earth in a decade or so), reaching out on
social media has become more important than ever. Millennials like to show off what they are
doing on social media, therefore free advertising for the Larks for each millennial that attends a
game. This age group will essentially post pictures or statuses along the lines of “Great time at
the Portland Meadowlarks game!” When their friends see these posts, it will make them want to
go see what all the fuss is about.
Part VIII – Human Resource Requirements
The Zamboni Marketing Firm will need to hire the following: players, coaches,
managers, janitors, a team owner, accountants and financial managers, athletic trainers, a general
manager, supervisors, and a general staff. At the stadium, each member of the general staff will
report to their supervisor. Supervisors will in turn report to the general manager.
The goal of our Human Resources department will be to keep employee turnover at a low
rate. We will pay all of our employees above minimum wage, and do annual evaluations to
determine raises and bonuses.
Happiness and work are two terms that, when put together, some might say form an
oxymoron. In our company, we do all we can to ensure that these two words are synonyms for
every one of our employees. To keep employees happy and satisfied, we promote within the
company and offer internships in the areas in which the younger employees are interested. For
example, a college student is working under the general staff with the company and wishes to
one day become an accountant. The Portland Meadowlarks will be able to give that college
student the opportunity to intern for one of our CPAs. The company will be able to offer the
student a paid internship. If the student decides that a CPA is the career that he or she wants to
do, after college graduation, the Portland Meadowlarks will hire the intern on full time.
Each employee is required to attend a meeting with the entire staff at their convenience.
At this meeting, employees will be able to speak their minds about anything that is not up to their

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standards, and propose ideas to increase productivity. It is essentially a think-tank where
everyone from the janitors to the CEO will be in attendance.
The Portland Meadowlarks are determined to make each and every employee happy. The
company will do anything to assure that their employees love their jobs. When the staff is
happy, that reflects to the customers, who will have a better experience at the Portland
Meadowlarks games.
*A chart of job titles and descriptions, as well as the education requirements, can be
found in Appendix IV.
Part IX – Marketing Time Line
The marketing plan can be divided up into a 10 point plan. The plan should be completed
in less than 13 months.
Weeks 1-2: The first point is to ask prospective companies to partner, endorse, and/or
sponsor the Portland Meadowlarks. This step is perhaps the most important, because these initial
investments and partnerships will provide the essential funding to get the new hockey franchise
on its feet by covering a majority of start-up costs as well as the average total cost of the team’s
first season. Our research indicates that the top five favorite brands of millennials in the U.S. Are
Nike, Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Walmart. With this information in mind, the team will be
looking to partner with at least one of these mammoth companies that will attract prospective
customers. During this time, the IT team will setup, customize, and publish the official Portland
Meadowlark web site with input from the marketing team.
Weeks 2-4: The second point is to advertise the breakout season of the Meadowlarks to
the city of Portland and state of Oregon in order to gain both logo and brand name recognition in
the region and make a name for Portland’s first professional hockey team. Building name
recognition for the Larks will be the foundation to the initial marketing strategic game plan. This
advertising campaign will commence by setting up an email subscriber service that will connect
fans to new and updates on the NHL team as well as ticket promos and early bird deals. The Lark
email subscriber service will set the heartbeat and automate consistency for team. For this
service the Larks have the options of VerticalResponse, MailChimp, and aWeber. Some of these,
like MailChimp, have a free version that can be used for a certain amount of broadcasts per
month, while others have tiered approaches based on subscribers. These email marketing
services will allow the Lark admin to set up auto-responders and broadcast emails around
customer lists built up overtime. The Lark graphic design team will customize and brand these
emails with imagery and messaging that aligns with the overall vision for the marketing
campaign.
Months 2-3: The next step is to hold promotional events at popular metropolitan venues
in the city to create hype for the new NHL team. These promotional events will encompass dine-
to-donate fundraisers with local restaurants, hockey camps hosted by the Larks for the youth, and
community service projects sponsored by the Meadowlarks. At these events, the locals will get
the opportunity to meet players and learn about the new NHL team first-hand.
Month 4: Point four is to begin selling season and regular ticket packages to businesses at
a bargain price in order to generate the largest ticket sales revenue possible as corporations and
big businesses will be willing to buy higher volumes of tickets to sell to employees or give out to
employees as incentives. These tickets will be sold at the Moda stadium, Trailblazer games,

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Oregon University, local businesses, local school systems, and online via social media platforms
and the official Lark web site (Ticketmaster, StubHub, and Apple Pay mediums will be utilized).
Month 5: Point five is to build-up a solid social media presence to advertise the Lark’s
opening game as well as season game schedule. Since the city of Portland has a demographic
makeup in which millennials and recent college graduates make up a majority of the population,
marketing to the young adults and teens who have grown up in the digital age will be vital. This
point will include setting up social media profiles for all players, execs, the Larks, and the Lark's
'The Nest' cheer block. We will connect the beating heart of The Larks to the rest of the world on
the platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube (See Appendix
VII). Our social network Lark team will utilize HootSuite, a third party site, to post
simultaneously to all of our social media platforms.
Month 6: The sixth point is to kick-start ticket sales by advertising early-bird specials for
the public on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These early-bird specials will encourage
individuals to purchase their tickets early, and it will also serve as a medium for advertising the
Larks opening season in general as people will be able to share the promotional ads with their
friends on Facebook and re-tweet the advertisement on Twitter so that all of their followers will
catch the Lark Fever and buy tickets to the season opener.
Month 7: Point seven is to bring in the big guns in terms of advertising, TV and radio. As
the date of the season opener approaches, our marketing team will release creative, attention-
grabbing ads on the platforms of TV and radio to broadcast the Meadowlark franchise and
opening season to not only a local audience, but to a national audience. The state of Oregon
along with the entire nation will be formally introduced to the Portland Meadowlarks.
Month 8: Following the Larks TV and radio campaign, will be the eighth point which is
to partner with the Oregon Ducks College Hockey team. A partnership with the Ducks will
introduce the university students to the Larks. For Oregon college students, we will offer ticket
discounts and $1,000 scholarship lotteries for all students to compete in if they purchase a ticket.
Month 9: Our ninth point is to plan and execute a pre-season opener tailgate for the
Meadowlarks to ignite a tailgate tradition that will create a ‘Lark family’, a true community
rallying behind the NHL team. The tailgate tradition was inspired by Portland’s recent college
grad age demographics and millennial-heavy population.
Month 10 and on: Our tenth and final point is to provide high-quality customer service by
making Meadowlark fans feel at home in a safe, family-friendly environment. We will do this by
arranging security for the fan sections and for the Moda Center general areas. Additionally, the
Lark hospitality team will provide a kids carnival before games and during halftime where
children can make Meadowlark crafts, play Lark themed games for prizes, and practice their own
hockey skills with a mini stick and goal as their parents snap pictures. Our goal is to give all our
fans an experience that they will want to have again and that they will never forget.
Part X – Methods of Measuring Success
There are a few things to consider when determining the success of the Portland
Meadowlarks. They are: profitability, owner satisfaction, employee satisfaction, competitive
stance, customer thoughts and opinions, efforts to innovate, client retention, and social media
success.
In order to determine the financial success of the Portland Meadowlarks, the accountants
and financial managers will perform checkpoints every month. During each checkpoint, the

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company goals will be evaluated and the financial reports will be reviewed. It is imperative that
the Portland Meadowlarks are profitable so that they can expand their horizons to market
themselves globally. To calculate if the Meadowlarks are successful or not, the financial
manager will determine the profitability calculating the revenue less the sum of the total fixed,
total variable, potential fixed and potential variable costs [Revenue – (FV + VC + PFV + PVC)].
In business, employees are everything. The best way to measure employee happiness is
based on the employee turnover rate. At monthly staff meetings, employees will fill out an
evaluation card to rate their happiness. If they are rating themselves as being unhappy, they will
be asked to provide the reason why they feel this way. A third party company will be sent the
results to analyze the results and report them back to the Meadowlarks.
It is nearly impossible to ask every single customer their thoughts and opinions they have
regarding the goods and services that the Portland Meadowlarks provide. One simple solution for
this, is online forums. Businesses tend to have a love-hate relationship with them. Checking in on
the online reputation of the company is crucial. Online forums have become essential to success
in business now days due to the increase of internet use. In reviewing these comments and
ratings left on the forums, the Portland Meadowlarks can determine which issues are hindering
the company’s online reputation and can also determine areas in which we can improve. The
improvements can be decided based on feedback from employees and customers. Marketing
strategies must be revised in order to keep up with the technological innovations. New medians
of advertising must be explored as there is always a “next new thing”.
Loyal customers are a business’s best friend. It’s important to take note of your retention
rate when measuring your success. Without loyal customers, there will be no returning profit.
Selling tickets is an essential thing in the sports industry. Most of the money made on tickets is
often from season ticket holders, which are retention customers. The Portland Meadowlarks will
need to look at the retention rate to determine whether the experience of the hockey game is
enjoyable to the spectators or not.
Social media success is key in todays day and age. The main thing to look at when
measuring the success of social media marketing is how effectively the accounts are managed
and are used to connect with their prime demographics. Social media can be an effective way to
hear from the customers. Many people post about their favorite products and whether they have
had a good or bad experience on their status updates. It is the Portland Meadowlarks job to make
sure that their experiences and posts are positive (See Appendix VI).
Appendix I

12
Figure 1 Graph showing the populationby agefor Portland, OR.
Appendix II

13
Appendix III
Ticket Packages
*All packages can be pre-ordered for a 15% early bird discount price.
Lower Level: Take-Off
zone
Package Price
Middle Level: Attack
Zone
Package Price
Top Level: Flight Zone
Package Price
Standard
Package
(1 ticket)
$100 $60 $30
Premium
Package
(per
individual)
$250
1 ticket; Warm-Up
Penalty Box Invitation;
Signed Poster;
Meadowlark Official
Jersey
$110
1 ticket; Warm-Up Penalty
Box Invitation;
Meadowlark scarf
$80
1 ticket; Warm-Up
Penalty Box Invitation;
Meadowlark hat
Family
Package
(4 tickets)
$350 (save $50)
$7 concession credit
loaded onto each ticket;
Collector’s Edition
Meadowlark Bobble head
Set
$200 (save $40)
Meadowlark Poster
$100 (save $20)
Meadowlark Poster
Party
Package
(10 tickets)
$900 (save $100)
Includes Extra Large
Pizza and ten Coca-Cola
drink credits;
Meadowlarks knit
headbands
$500 (save $100)
drink credits;
Meadowlarks foam wings
$200 (save $100)
drink credits;
Meadowlarks boom
whackers
Meadowlar
k Maniac
Season
Ticket
Package, 41
games
(per
individual)
$3500 (save $600)
Season tickets to 41
home games;
Free Drink voucher at
every game;
VIP ACSESS- Meet &
Greet with your player of
choice
$2,000 (save $460)
home games;
every game;
VIP ACSESS- Meet &
choice
$1,000 (save $230)
home games;
every game;
VIP ACSESS- Meet &
choice
Opportunities to meet
players and win VIP
passes to Meadowlarks
locker room and front
row flight deck seats
Opportunities to
compete in games for
prizes
Opportunities to win
ticket raffle Meadowlarks
gear

14
Appendix IV
Number
Of
Employe
es
Employee
Title
Employee Tasks Educatio
n Level
Work
Experience/Certificati
ons
1 Team
Owner
Set the tone for the franchise;
Serve as a figurehead for the
organization
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
Track record of
outstanding fiscal
responsibility and
financial decisions
1 Head
Coach
Train and supervise assistant
coaches and managers; Plan
winning strategies for players
and games; Work with players
individually and in groups;
Prepare the team for each
game
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
Thorough knowledge
of the game; Coaching
experience, usually
gained as an assistant
at the college or minor
hockey league level
40
(23 active
roster; 17
reserve
roster)
Player Compete at a high level at
practice, games, and
exhibitions; Participate in team
and community events
ISCED
level 3 or
Higher
College hockey or
Major Junior hockey
league experience
1 General
Manager
Oversee and direct the daily
operations
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
Extensive field
experience in business
management

15
4 Accounta
nt or
Financial
Manager
Prepare asset, liability, and
capital account entries by
compiling and analyzing
team’s account information;
Recommend financial actions
by analyzing accounting
options
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
Certified Public
Accountant; 2+ years
of field experience
1 Team
Manager
Stimulate the development of
the team through nurturing a
climate of trust, respect, and
shared ownership; Act as a
planner, organizer, and
administrator
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
3+ years sports
management
experience
6 Superviso
r
Oversee operations of General
Staff members
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
1+ year supervisory
experience
50 General
Staff
Facilitate administrative and
logistical needs of team;
Report to Supervisor
ISCED
level 5 or
Higher
Preferred to have an
administrative or
business background;
Interns
2 Athletic
Trainer
Work to keep players healthy,
tend to injuries, access injuries,
test for concussions,
recommend players to
specialists if needed
ISCED
level 6 or
Higher
BOC certified athletic
trainer
15 Janitor Preform and oversee a variety
of janitorial and custodial tasks
ISCED
level 3 or
Higher
None
1 Zamboni
Driver
Preform ice arena
maintenance tasks consisting
of ice resurfacing work and
monitoring the operating
equipment
ISCED
level 3 or
Higher
Valid driver's license
with no driving
violations; Servicing
The American Rinks
(STAR) Ice Technician
certification

19
Works Cited
Boylen, Rory. "Looking at Six Potential NHL Expansion/relocation Destinations, from Las
Vegas to Hamilton." The Hockey News. N.p., 28 Aug. 2014. Web.
Dacanay, Radcliffe. "Portland Demographics." Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, 2012.
Web.
DeMers, Jayson. "The Top 7 Online Trends That Will Dominate 2014." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 13 Sept. 2013. Web.
"Maple Leafs Have Most Expensive NHL Tickets For 2014-15 Season." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 19 Sept. 2014. Web.
"Moda Center." Statistics and Information. Point After, 2015. Web.
"NBA Attendance." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 2015. Web.
"NHL Corporate Marketing Partners." NHL, Jobs, HockeyCareers. N.p., Aug. 2015. Web.
"Oregon Economic News." Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Oregon." Symbols of. State Symbols USA, 2015. Web.
"Portland (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." Portland (city) QuickFacts from the
US Census Bureau. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. Web.

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