1. 2014
Dr. Bob Run
HSES 486
Marketing Plan
By: Abbey Lewis, Tyler Lafferty, &
Jacob Kaufman

2. Product Description
The Dr. Bob Run was started as a way to celebrate the life Dr. Bob Frederick and
celebrate the Centennial for the University of Kansas School of Education. The run serves as a
way to promote physical fitness and share Dr. Bob’s life-long love of outdoor activities. This
annual event is also a fundraiser for the Dr. Bob Scholarship through its attachment to the
University of Kansas.
The event has grown since it was founded in 2010 and has grown to provide
entertainment for runners of all ages. Its affiliation with the University has provided a lot of
marketing opportunities and event organizers have been able to brand the run by associating with
KU. Since Dr. Bob was the Athletic Director for the university and had ties to the School of
Education the event is more appealing to anyone who identifies with KU and the event is family
friendly, it is also appealing to all ages.
There are three races to appeal to participants of all ages including a one mile runs for
kindergarteners through sixth graders and then both the 5k and 8k runs are for intercollegiate and
open divisions. By offering a variety of runs the event appeals to a wider range of participants
and becomes more family friendly. By making the event more accessible to a younger audience
the Dr. Bob Run has become a more family friendly event and strengthened its brand.
After only a few years the Dr. Bob Run has become one of the more popular runs in the
Kansas City area with the support of the Kansas City Sports Commission and the KC Running
Company.

3. Defining the Market Place
The market segment that the Dr. Bob Run needs to reach is both the family market and
individuals who are physically active. By reaching these segments the event will be able to
expand all of the different races including the race for children and the 5k and 8k runs.
Attracting a wider variety of participants will allow the event to grow and gain popularity by
opening opportunities for sponsors. Aside from celebrating the life of Dr. Frederick the run must
also generate a profit to support scholarships and attract corporate partnerships.
As the run grows and becomes more popular, more opportunities will present themselves
for corporate sponsorships. The sponsorships that will be most beneficial to the race would be
partners who have access to individuals who take physical fitness very seriously. Attracting the
attention of local fitness centers would be great sponsors as the partnership would be mutually
beneficial. Advertising for the run at the gym would increase participation in the run and
advertising for the gym at the run could increase gym membership. Also, the University of
Kansas Athletics Department is a great partner for the event.
Since Dr. Bob was the athletic director for KU at for several years the athletics
department is a perfect fit for a partnership, the athletics department would allow the event a
great deal of exposure and cheaper advertising at KU sporting events. One of the greatest
benefits that would come from advertising at KU events would be exposure to families. The Dr.
Bob Run is not only an event geared towards people who are dedicated to physical fitness, it also
can be appealing to families since there are runs for all ages.

4. SWOT Analysis
The Dr. Bob Run has several strengths that separate this event from others. One of these
strengths is the location of the run. Every year the event is held at Rim Rock Farm, one of the
most premier cross-country courses in the state of Kansas. By hosting this event at Rim Rock
Farm, the Dr. Bob Run is able to distance itself from other charitable runs that are usually held
on courses that are not as highly regarded. Since the course is so well known, the location of this
event attracts individuals who are not necessarily from the area to participate. Another strength
of the event is its association with the University of Kansas.
Since the event is linked to the University of Kansas many people participate with the
intention of running in a KU sponsored event. Alumni will be more likely to run if their alma
matter has a connection to the event. Many former KU students participate in the event due to
the association with their school as well as Rim Rock Farm being near Lawrence and Kansas
City, where many KU alums are located. Also, the cause of the event is a great strength.
The event appeals to the emotions of many people who appreciate the work that was done
by Dr. Bob Frederick when he was the athletic director of the University of Kansas. Dr. Bob
inspired this event and many people are more than willing to run or volunteer to work the event
and celebrate the life of Dr. Frederick and his love of physical activity. Also, the event funds
scholarships for the school of education. Any time a run has any sort of charitable cause it will
be well received. The fact that the run funds the Dr. Bob Frederick Scholarship will inspire more
runners to participate and help with the event. While this event has several other strengths, it
also has some weaknesses.
Some of the weaknesses of the Dr. Bob Run are that a run does not necessarily appeal to
a wide audience. While the run can appeal to a family, many people do have children who are

5. too young to run in the race. Also, some individuals are no longer physically capable of
participating in a 5k run. Since some individuals can not compete because of their health or the
age of their children they may not be able to contribute to the event in any way. There are other
charitable events in which anyone can participate that require no physical activity. Another
weakness could possibly be the association with the university.
While associating with the University of Kansas can be a great strength, it could also
alienate some individuals who do not have a positive attitude towards KU. Many participants of
the run are from Kansas City, which is obviously not an exclusive home to KU alums. If the
event were not associated with a university it may make the run more welcoming to a wider
range of people. In addition to internal strengths and weaknesses, there are also external factors
that affect the Dr. Bob Run.
There are opportunities for the Dr. Bob Run to expand in several different ways. The
event could expand and make the races more accessible for individuals who are not physically
capable to run a 5k or an 8k. If the event could include other activities aside from the run to
make the area more of a fair type atmosphere more people would participate. There is plenty of
space at Rim Rock Farm to set up a few minor revenue generators that are common at county
fairs that do not take up a great deal of space. Also, a formal picnic could be a possibility to
encourage families to come enjoy the nice weather. The picnic would not be a direct revenue
generator unless there were food vendors; the increase in traffic would make the sale of
sponsorships more valuable. There are also threats to the success of the Dr. Bob Run.
Threats that could hamper the success of the event include other events. Other runs could
attract people to their event and cause them to not want to participate in the Dr. Bob Run. There
are several other charity runs in the Kansas City area that could attract potential participants in

6. the Dr. Bob Run. Also, with this event being held outside, weather could play a big factor in the
success of the event.
If there was a storm on the day of the run then the entire event could have to be
postponed or cancelled. Cancellation insurance is always a possibility to help protect the
interests of the event, but it is costly and does not protect the run from cold weather. Cold
weather could potentially deter people from participating in the event as well. Storms could
cancel the event, but cold weather would not be a good enough reason to actually cancel the
event and the run could cause the event to lose money.
Product Extensions
The Dr. Bob run is held at Rock Rim Park here in Lawrence and is a great facility with
many opportunities for us to extend this event year after year. Some ideas we came up with for
product extensions are:
 The Hy-Vee Kid Zone: With Hy-Vee being our sponsor for the 1 Mile Kids Run,
we wanted to come up with a way to keep them entertained for the time the kids
are at the park after completing their race. The Kid Zone will include inflatables,
post-race treats, and more fun and games. The Kids Run is for kids in
kindergarten through sixth grade; so having something attractive to those ages
will create additional excitement of being there and will also be a place where
they can go while their parents run in their race.
 T-Shirts: Creating t-shirts for the race will help create awareness of the event. The
shirts, which will include the Dr. Bob’s Run logo, will be given to participants to
wear when running and sold to non-running supporters. Not only will these t-

7. shirts be seen in the pictures taken from the event, but also when worn around
Lawrence. These unique t-shirts will work as advertisements and as a symbol of
support amongst the community, which will hopefully inspire others to participate
in the future.
 KU Mascots: Because Dr. Bob was so involved at the University of Kansas,
having Big Jay and Baby Jay present at the run will symbolize the school spirit he
had and things he accomplished while at KU while providing a fun, family-
friendly atmosphere.
 Memorabilia Video: To give more information about Dr. Bob Frederick himself
and about the Dr. Bob Frederick Scholarship, a video will be shown at the
beginning of the race. This video will include family and friends who knew Dr.
Bob and the difference he made in lives of students in the Health, Sport and
Exercise Sciences Department.
 Celebration and Cookout: After the completion of all the events, to wind down
and relax, a cookout will be held for all the participants. This will be a way for the
community to gather and really “celebrate” in honor of Dr. Bob. In our
sponsorship packages, we will ask some of our sponsors to help in donation of the
food.

8. Product Matrix
Friends and family of Dr. Bob,
kids, and returning runners from
past years
Advanced runners who enter a lot
of races but who do not know
about Dr. Bob or the scholarship
Casual runners who like to run
races for fun or are interested in
support the cause
Unaware consumers
Advanced runners in 5k and 8k
races
People who do not run as much
but are there for the charity
People who are avid runners
and/or are new to races but do not
feel connected to the cause
Kids participating in fun run
Price
High
LowHigh
Level of Performance
Level of Excitement
Low
High Low
HighLow
Price

9. Schedule of Events
6:00 am Volunteer Arrival for Set-up
7:00 am Packet Pick-up/Registration
7:50 am Announcements and Dr. Bob Video
8:15 am Hy-Vee 1 Mile Kids Run (K-6th Grade)
8:45 am 5k Intercollegiate and Open Divisions
(Team/Individual)
9:45am 5k Awards
9:55 am 8k Intercollegiate and Open Divisions
(Team/Individual)
10:55 am 8k Awards
11:00 am Celebration and Cookout
Note: Times are subject to time due to running times. Incase of any inclement weather, please
check the website (http://hses.soe. ku.edu/drbob) for any updates.
Pricing of Tickets, Concessions, and Sponsorships
Tickets/Registration: Since the purpose of the Dr. Bob Run is to remember the life of
Dr. Bob Frederick and help increase the donations for the Dr. Bob Frederick Scholarship, we
want the price of registration to be reasonable so as not to deter supporters. We will research
other local runs and compare their entry fees and consider that t-shirts will be provided to our
runners, so we will make sure our price is set around our competitors. In consideration of the low
entry fee, participants would be encouraged to make additional donations directly to the
scholarship fund and support what was dear to Dr. Bob’s heart – the Health, Sport and Exercise
Science Department and the students in the department.

10. Concessions: With the race being in the morning and having a cookout after, concessions
will not need to be provided. Water will be free for runners, and Gatorade will available to
purchase at a hospitality tent that is provided by one of our sponsors. Admission to the
celebration and cookout will be free but food and beverage tickets will be available for purchase
prior to the event and during packet pick-up. The food for the cookout will be burgers, hotdogs,
and will have accommodations for those who need them. Pricing for this will be at a point to be
reasonable but one that will cover costs and still make a small profit to contribute to the fund.
Sponsorships: Our pricing strategy for sponsorships will be different for each sponsor.
Depending on which inventory they would like to purchase, the price will vary. For example, if a
sponsor wanted to be associated with a naming rights situation, they would pay more than a
sponsor who would just like to be mentioned on flyers and t-shirts. In keeping the community
involvement our prices for sponsorship we will price our bigger sponsorship packages at a price
that will be enough for us to help cover the cost of the run. For our smaller, local business
sponsors, we will kindly ask them if they would like to make any size of a donation for the
scholarship fund. We will try and target larger/national companies for naming rights, (Hy-Vee,
Dicks Sporting Goods, Target, etc.) and food donations or receive reduced costs for those. For
the local companies, we could approach them for the smaller items such as, water cups, first aid
kits, etc.

11. Sponsorship Packages
Platinum Package ($5,000)
There will be two branding sponsors, and the purchase of the platinum sponsorship
package will give these companies the opportunity to show their support for the Dr. Bob
run in the following ways:
 Signage Opportunity. Our signage opportunities include recognition on the start
and finish line, mile markers, naming rights for the Kids 1-mile Fun Run, and
front of race bibs.
 Donation of food and water table. Sponsors will help donate food for the
cookout and waters for their water stations.
 Advertising recognition. Sponsors will be recognized in all advertisements that
are sent out to help increase brand awareness in the community.
Gold Package ($1,000)
The purchase of the gold sponsorship package will give these companies the opportunity
to show their support for the Dr. Bob run in the following ways:
 Signage Opportunity. Our signage opportunities include recognition on mile
markers, and front of race bids.
 Donation of water table. Sponsors will help donate water for their water stations.
 Advertising recognition. Sponsors will be recognized in all advertisements that
are sent out to help increase brand awareness in the community.
Silver Package (any desired donation)
With any desired donation, the silver package will include:
 Signage Opportunity. Our signage opportunity will include recognition on the
front of the race bibs.
 Advertising recognition. Donators will be recognizes in all advertisements that
are sent out to help increase brand awareness in the community.

12. Promotions
In order for our promotional ideas to take place, we need to really make sure that they
appeal to the customer and so that it creates awareness and increases their value of experience.
For our first promotional idea we decided that the more people we can get to come the better
their overall experience will be, as they can meet other members of the community and help raise
scholarship money for students in the Sports Management program, in remembrance of Dr.
Frederick. In addition, we will attract more people to the Dr. Bob run by giving large groups of
15 or more a 15% discount of their overall purchase as a whole group. This will be another
incentive to bring more people together for the run and in addition will bring other members of
the community together as well. Next, for our second promotional idea, we decided that
everyone would get a free t-shirt for doing the run, not just the first 500 runners. However, if
you signed up for the race with in a month in advance, your name would get put on the back of a
shirt and you could get to select from a selection of colors, so that you could pick out the color
that you desired. This is something little but everyone loves getting a free t-shirt and it is just
another way of showing that we appreciate you for participating in the Dr. Bob run and also is a
way of getting a little souvenir, so that you can always remember the time you participated in the
Dr. Bob Run. Also, we think teachers in Sports Management should give extra credit to students
that either participate in the actual run or volunteer to help work the Dr. Bob Run. This will be a
good way to get the word out for the Dr. Bob run and will help generate even for money for
Sports Management scholarships. Lastly, we decided that our third promotional idea is making a
deal with a local sporting goods store. For example, if the runner participated in the Dr. Bob
Run, then they could bring them there racing number, and they would get it stamped by Dicks
Sporting Goods, for a 25% discount in any running apparel. This will be great for Dicks

13. Sporting Goods Store in showing support for running for a good cause and also, will create a
customer relationship, in that customers will keep coming back to Dick’s Sporting Goods for
other purchases in the future.
Advertising:
For our first advertising idea, our group decided that we would set up a little booth at
local fitness clubs around the Lawrence area. For example, we would set up a booth at Snap
Fitness, and the recreation center, handing out flyers on the Dr. Bob run. We would do this 2
times a week, from 4:00-7:00PM, two months in advance. The weekdays would be the best at
these times because the gyms are most busy at these times and this way we could get the
attention of most of the fitness men and women. In addition, we would advertise the Dr. Bob run
on the big screen at home football games and on the back of football games tickets. This will get
the attention of a majority of friends and family members that are dedicated to the University of
Kansas and possibly have various donors get involved as well. Lastly, our group decided that we
would add a little blog onto KU’s website and post a link to the Dr. Bob Run’s Facebook page.
Everyone at KU is familiar with KU’s home page from using it for “blackboard” or “enrolling
and pay” and so on… which will be a great spot for advertising this event.
Personal Selling Strategies:
One of our strategies for personal selling is to use the data based marketing approach.
We will use this approach by logging information about the members that ran in the race. We
will have them fill out a survey before the race so that we can recognize who they are and how
many people will be joining them for the event and some other information so that we can better
find out our target market. The survey will have the following information:

14. 1. Your Name
2. Your Groups Name or Affiliation
3. Age, Gender?
4. How Many Members In Your Group?
5. Address
6. City, State, Zip
7. Home Phone, Cell Phone.
8. Email Address
9. Todays Date
10. How many Games Did You Go To For KU Basketball and Football?
11. Have You Ever Ran In The Dr. Bob Run?
12. Do You Currently Have Kids That Go To School At KU? If So How Many?
13. Do You Have Kids That Will Go to School At KU In The Near Future? When?
14. What Are Your Kids Majors At KU?
15. How Did You Hear About The DR. Bob Run And Why Did You Choose To Run In It
This Year?
The information from above will help us figure out why certain members chose to run in the
race and who our target market should be for the following years. We will also have the Dr.
Bob run on the back of the KU football tickets, with a website link that takes you to find
more information about the run. From a relationship-marketing standpoint, we will have
trained volunteer employees from the Sports Management Program that greet participants as
they show up for the event and are educated on some of the history of the Dr. Bob Run. In

15. addition, they will know the steps to take in case of an accident and be aware of their role
effectively directing the run. This will build a satisfying relationship with the runners as they
are respectfully treated. Lastly, we will use benefit selling as the members are given a 25%
discount off of any running item at Dicks Sporting Goods, and a free 3-day for Snap Fitness
and the recreation center, for running in the Dr. Bob run. We will get this set up by meeting
with the Managers of the various stores as we work out a deal with them, asking for their
approval of our ideas. Not only would this help us out but also it would help the workout
facilities attract more members and gain future customers to Dicks Sporting Goods for the
future. This will increase their stores popularity, as this will be done for a good cause in the
Lawrence community.

16. Diagram of Rim Rock Farm Course
KEY
Red Circle = Parking
Yellow Circle = Restrooms
Purple Circle = Water Stations
Blue Cirlce = Seating Areas
Black Circle = Concessions
Grey Rectangle = Kids Fun Zone

17. Public Relations Strategies
Media Relations:
We will make sure that a local news station in Lawrence, Kansas, monitors the run. Also,
we will monitor how many people actually visit the website for the Dr. Bob run. In
addition, we will make sure that the football game advertises the game at least once a
game and that they make an announcement along with it so that everyone pays attention.
Community Relations:
We will keep track of the number of community groups contacted for the run and who
did or didn’t participate and why. We will see what the general public had to say
negatively about the event and what positives they had to say about the event. Also, we
will see what the age range was on the number of people that participated.
Ticket Manager:
We will make sure that all of the finances add up correctly, so that there isn’t a drop in
scholarship money unaccounted for.
Sponsorships:
We will make sure that the sponsors get all of the correct signage up that they were
promised that that they have everything set up that we agreed to.
Promotions:
We will generate, as many promotions as we can and make sure that the participants
know about the promotions (such as the 3 mentioned above under promotions). We will
also take in the sales account to the promotions to see if it was a success or if we need to
try something new.