Marketing plan

Orlando City Marketing Plan 2020
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Orlando City Soccer Club Marketing Plan
Presented By: Ryan Ross

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Executive Summary
Orlando City is a professional soccer team in Major League Soccer (MLS) entering its sixth
season in the league. Orlando City prides itself on being Orlando’s team and brining the
community together around soccer. Orlando City is a privately-owned team held by Flavio
Augusto da Silva.
Because Orlando City is still a fairly new team in Orlando and is one of two professional sports
teams in the city the other being the Orlando Magic, it is imperative that a strong marketing
campaign be set up for the organization. Outlining a target audience and reaching new
customers is essential if Orlando City wants to continue to be an industry leader in the city.
Orlando is a market undergoing rapid expansion with new businesses like Entertainment Sports
(EA Sports) moving their headquarters to downtown Orlando. By researching demographics on
the city and its population Orlando City can better pinpoint where they should target new fans
to increase their overall presence in the community and league. A SWOT analysis will be used
to more accurately analysis the team’s strengths and weaknesses along with outside threats.
Once all findings have been gathered it will be time to set up a plan regarding the organizations
Unique Selling Proposition, this must be in line with what the fanbase already knows about the
team. The pricing strategy must be concise as it stands as a model for how the club will
continue to increase their prices overtime. To increase the teams market value the team on the
field must first be engulfed into a winning culture, prices cannot increase fairly before the team
starts winning or fans will be turned away.

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Sponsorship sales and activations with the club will serve strongly as the club continues to sign
new deals with industry leaders. New sponsors should share the same visions and ideas that
Orlando City has so that the fanbase will be more inclined to give them their business.
Conducting a strong referral strategy will also be sure that new sponsors have new eyes seeing
their products with each new season.
The overall marketing plan is setup to launch Orlando City ahead of its competition and keep
them well established to the public eye. Using innovating new strategies and by creating a
winning culture this plan will increase the market value of the club for years to come.
MissionStatement/Marketing Objectives
The goal of Orlando City Soccer Club is to build a competitive soccer team that brings the city
of Orlando together as one to support their team. They are focused on bettering their
neighboring communities and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Soccer is growing in America and
Orlando City must capitalize on that to ensure that their club continues to be successful going
into the next decade.
Orlando City should be focused on creating new season ticket members and look for an
increase of 10% for the upcoming 2021 season. The club should also look to see an increase of
15% of their brand awareness (engagement levels) to see a stronger following on social media
which will in turn generate more revenue for the club.
Target Customers
Sports have the power to bring people together no matter what and soccer is a sport where fans

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bring their passion every day. Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) has a great and loyal fanbase for
one of the younger teams in the MLS. Orlando City’s biggest targeted customers are the
millennial generation and Gen Z since these are the next wave of Orlando City fans. Orlando City
targets fans between the primary age ranges of 18 and 30. 61% are white, many of who are of
Hispanic heritage, 10 are black and the other 29% were listed as other. Many fans of the team live
in or around the Orlando area.
The city of Orlando pushed for the construction of Exploria Stadium back in 2014 as it is
dedicated to bringing more sports to Orlando. The passion of the fanbase is easily recognized by
all who live or are visiting the area. The arena holds 25,500 which is one of the largest in the
league and is able to host many of the United States National Team games for World Cup
Qualifying. Orlando is a city that is dedicated to growing and becoming more than just a place
where people can come to visit the Disney theme parks. The city has approved a 9-million-dollar
incentive for the gaming company Entertainment Sports (EA) to the company to move to Orlando.
With a city rapidly growing Orlando City is thriving from the image they have built in the area
and with their loyal fanbase the team is set to continue to move in a positive direction. Orlando
City uses the city of Orlando’s pride as one of their marketing tactics with their merchandise and
that Orlando pride is what their fanbase gravitates towards.
SWOT Analysis
A. Strengths
1. Orlando City Soccer Club is privately owned by Flávio Augusto da Silva and Phil Rawlins
which means all decisions regarding the club and its operations come from the ownership
group.
2. Orlando City Soccer Club has one of the bigger and more equipped soccer stadiums in the
league which can hold 25,500 fans.

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3. The city of Orlando is rapidly growing with new businesses moving in and communities are
growing which in turn allows more support for the club.
B. Weaknesses
1. The club has never made the playoffs despite being in the league since 2015.
2. The MLS saw a decrease of 19% in average viewership during its 2019 season and Fox’s
numbers have also fallen as well.
C. Opportunities
1. Orlando City Soccer Club plays in a thriving market which drew in around 75 million
people in 2019 to see its attractions such as its theme parks and beaches. The theme parks
are only a convenient 30 minutes away from Exploria Stadium.
2. The growth of the communities in Orlando will allow the club to capitalize on creating
more fans to come out and support the team.
3. Many local businesses are in support of the team and over gameday deals that incentivize
people to come out for the games.
D. Threats
1. Soccer is not a well followed sport in America and Orlando City may have fans lose
interest in the sport or have little interest in wanting to follow them
2. The Orlando Magic may take away the casual fans who are visiting since the NBA is a
more followed sport in the country. As a newer MLS team Orlando City may suffer from
an established team like the Magic.
With Orlando City’s strong community presence and support from its growing fanbase the club
should be able to minimize the damage from its external threats in the marketplace.
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Orlando City Soccer is dedicated to becoming a community leader and desires to grow the
game of soccer in the city of Orlando. Orlando City is motivated to grow their players into
starts and attract some top tier players from overseas to improve the team and get the fanbase
excited.
The team has signed a deal with local station WOFL FOX 35 and MY65 to broadcast their
teams’ games in the local Orlando area. YouTube TV also is a partner with the MLS and

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broadcasts all games to current subscribers. Orlando City also has partner local bars that show
the games and provide a spot for fans to gather together to support the team.
Pricing & Positioning Strategy
As a young team in the league Orlando City must be nice but smart with their ticket plans to ensure
the club can generate a profit to improve its facility in the future. Orlando City has young talent,
but the team has struggled to be consistent since their inaugural season in 2015 so prices need to be
on the lower end to make sure fans can afford to come to the games.
Standard Member Pricing $70 - $100
Club Seating: $115
Private Suite 14 ticket plan: $250 - $500
Standard Admission: $15 - $70
Supporter Section: $10 - $20
Orlando City wants to be known as a premium soccer club but it is a process that must start with
winning on the field so the prices below will serve as a good starting point. Once the team starts
winning more regularly and signs notable names then they may come back and reevaluate their
ticket price options. The average ticket for the shorten 2020 MLS season was $58 dollars so
Orlando City is in line with the average prices which will provide the club with a good Return On

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Investment (ROI).
Distribution Plan
Most customers in today’s generation can simply go online to purchase tickets for Orlando City
games. Orlando City has a partnership with Ticketmaster as their official ticket sponsor for their
men’s and women’s teams. When customers purchase their tickets, they are able to save them to
their apple wallets for later use, rather than having to search their emails to find them at the door.
Orlando City also can giveaway tickets through their social media challenges through contest
which is a great way for the club to get their fanbase engaged with their social media accounts.
Offers
Orlando City allows all fans to become members of their program LionNation where fans are able
to receive discounted ticket packages, exclusive merchandise, ticket priority, and much more.
Season ticket holders will also receive the LionNation perks as well. Orlando City will also run
monthly deals on their website for various types of merchandise for fans to receive.
Marketing Materials
Orlando City should focus on using their social media to create more engagement between them
and their fanbase. The more content they put out the better their engagement numbers will be.
Local billboards should be utilized to showcase the teams upcoming season.
Orlando City marketing materials should include the following:
- Website
- Billboard signs
- Mobile apps
- Social Media

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- Merchandise
- Email List
Promotions Strategy
Orlando City’s main demographic comes from the immediate Orlando area and they should focus
their promotional strategies on events and concepts that emulate the Orlando area. Campaigns like
One Orlando or Stand with Orlando are unique catchphrases that would work well for a
promotional campaign for the city. They should also focus on creating new fans in the millennial
and Gen Z market to make sure the fanbase has a younger demographic attached to it.
Online Marketing Strategy
An online marketing strategy is crucial for a sports organization as it gives them an ability to
market themselves in their respective city. The strategy should be one that incorporates their
fanbases emotions and therefore encourages them to purchase tickets and merchandise for the
upcoming seasons. Orlando City’s marketing strategy should have keyword optimization, search
engine optimization, paid online advertising and social media.
Orlando City’s keywords should be ones that will generate views to their website and other
intellectual property that they have online. They should also research competitor keywords to
further strengthen their optimization results. The following should include but are not limited to:
- MLS
- Orlando City Soccer
- Florida Soccer
- Ticketmaster
- Florida Professional Sports

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- Downtown Orlando
- Orlando
Orlando City’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy needs to have landing pages that are
ready with updated links; updated social media links and information regarding contacting the
organization; text added to images on the team website to optimize page visits; and strong
descriptions on the team’s homepage.
Paid advertising strategies can include the following:
- Social media boosted post
- Banner ads on webpages
- Google AdWords
Utilizing social media is one of the most important aspects of the online marketing strategy.
Twitter can be used to spread information quickly about upcoming games and events. It can also be
used to create custom hashtags that relate to the team and therefore the club can see who is using
their hashtags on the platform. Instagram can be used to post gameday photos and club
promotional pieces. Reposting can also be utilized with Instagram as well as posting videos. The
team can utilize the newest platform in TikTok where they can create trends and even follow along
with trending ones to create a presence in a new wave of social media users.
Conversion Strategy
Converting customers is a key factor in the overall marketing strategy and Orlando City should use
phrases that make the customer want to click on the phrase and get redirected to another page.
Phrases like shop now or sign up to receive a discount will increase the team’s bounce rate.

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Join Ventures & Partnerships
Orlando City already has many partners that they can use to leverage new sponsorship opportunities
with companies. Since Orlando City values the Orlando lifestyle, they should look to partner with
companies located in Orlando or ones that have products that their fanbase uses on the daily like
electronics and food. Companies like Door Dash, Uber, car companies and airlines are popular
partners for a professional sports team to have as they can run creative deals for their customers.
Referral Strategy
With the LionNation app all users will be given special QR codes for when one of their referrals
becomes a member. The code can be used to buy discounted tickets or merchandise for the season.
Strategy for Increasing Transaction Price
Orlando City’s average price for a ticket is $40 which is one of the lower end prices compared to the
other teams in the MLS. Orlando City should look to slowly increase their ticket prices around 10-
20% but only once the team starts winning more games. If they just increase prices randomly with
no reason, they risk upsetting fans and losing attendance.
Retention Strategy
Orlando City will make sure that the mobile app is being used and refreshed with new deals to keep
customers coming back. The rewards system will give customers points based on how much money
they spend, and those rewards are strong ways to retain customers who enjoy coming out to games.
Measurement and Monitoring

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Orlando City will monitor their social media analytics to see how their post are doing in terms of
engaging with their fanbase. Twitter Analytics and Instagram Business are great tools in the app
that can allow the organization to easily see how their post are being engaged with. The MLS can
also share their collected data with the club for any additional inside information they may need.

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Financial Projections
Orlando City is one of two professional sports in the city, so they have a strong market presence
already. However, it is still imperative that they have a strong marketing campaign to make sure the
community is seeing their symbol and being reminded about the team. The team staff is filled with
talented employees that can help reduce the cost of creating promotional materials but materials like
banner ads and tv commercials are still crucial to reach a wider audience.
The following will outline how each quarter will be spent:
- Q1 for the 2021 season will see a heavier investment of funds into marketing. We want people
to be aware earlier rather than later.
- The Q1 focus will be on retaining current customers and targeting new younger ones from
the millennial and Gen Z markets.
- If all analytic numbers and profits are increases steadily then Orlando City can ease off
spending into the future quarters and save that money for new campaign slogans for future
seasons.
Total Budget for Marketing Plan: $250,000
Projections for upcoming 2021 season (Q1 – Q4):
Targeting/USP
Expenses
- Market Research and Analyzation – $10,000
Expected results:
With the strong research done to start the marketing campaign Orlando City should look to see an

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increase of three (3) percent in new customers, a five (5) percent increase in merchandise sales, and
an overall increase of six (6) percent in profit margins for the 2021 season.
Pricing/Positioning/Distribution
Expenses
- Sales Campaign – $15,500
Expected results:
With a strong portion of the budget going into the pricing and distribution stage Orlando City should
expect to see a 10 percent increase in new customers, and a five (5) percent increase in overall profit.
Marketing Materials
Expenses
- 10,000
Expected results:
Because of the strong efforts of the marketing teams involved and time spent on research Orlando
City should expect to see a 13 percent increase in new customers, a two (2) percent increase in new
season ticket holders, 11 percent increase in sales, and an overall increase of 15 percent in profit.
Promotions
Expenses
- $135,000
Expected results:
With the amount of money put into the promotional campaigns Orlando City should expect to see a
12 percent increase in new customers, a 17 percent increase in sales, and an overall increase of six
(6) percent increase in profit.
Online Marketing
Expenses
- $18,000
Expected results:
With a strong marketing campaign done efficiently with collaboration from the marketing

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department Orlando City should look to see an increase 15 percent in new customers, a 12 percent
increase in overall sales, and a 12 percent increase in profit.
Conversion
Expenses
- $10,000
Expected results:
With a redesigned website and user interface Orlando City should expect to see an increase of eight
(8) percent in new customers, a four (4) percent increase in sales and a six (6) percent increase in
profit.
Partnerships
Expenses
- $25,500
Expected results:
With using the clubs existing partnerships while exploring options to find new ones as well the club
is in strong position to increase its new customers by 12 percent and see an increase of 10 percent in
profit.
Referral
Expenses
- $5,500
Expected results:
With the LionNation program the club’s referral numbers will steadily increase. Orlando City should
expect to see a 20 percent increase in new customers, a three (3) percent increase in new season
ticket holders, a 25 percent increase in sales, and a 15 percent increase in profit.
Retention
Expenses
- Research and implementation
Expected results:
With a strong approach to customer retention, Orlando City should expect to see a four (4) percent

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increase in new customers, an eight (8) percent increase in sales, and a two (2) percent increase in
profit.
Budget
Budget Narrative
A. National Marketing - Total $16,800
1. Billboard ads will be placed around UCF campus and Full Sail University for a lot of
student exposure. Commercials will run on local networks and channels such as ESPN,

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FOX Sports Sun and YouTube TV.
B. Local Marketing – Total $8,450
1. Marketing will be placed within our partnered stores and various community organizations
that Orlando City has association with.
C. Public Relations – Total $105,550
1. All of our community events, sponsorship activations, internal & external organizational
events and press releases
D. Content Marketing – Total $22,750
1. Sponsored social media content, production of website design and infographics, digital
media pieces
E. Social Media – Total $4,350
1. All paid social media post that will be analyzed with their respective platform analytics
F. Online – Total $13,775
1. Blog development
2. Website maintenance
3. Mobile app maintenance
4. Creating email newsletters for signed up fans
G. Advertising – Total $16,900
1. Online advertising with local organizations used by organizations target customers
2. Print advertisement in local papers Ex. Orlando Sentinel
3. Banners outside of stadium and streets surrounding it
4. Radio advertisements on local sports stations
H. Web – Total $29,850
1. Website maintenance
2. SEO optimization
I. Market Research– Total $13,675
1. Online survey on fan experience
2. Economic Impact studies
3. Internal and external data analysis
J. Sales Campaigns – Total $14,750
1. Complete sales campaign with all aspects regarding pricing and positioning strategy
K. Other – Total $8,225
1. Insurance premiums
2. Various corporate branding
3. Team member business cards
4. Stadium promotional signage

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Club Partners. (2020, February 26). Retrieved from https://www.orlandocitysc.com/club/partners
Dsavage. (2020, February 6). Tickets. Retrieved May 10, 2020, from
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Harris, C. (2019, October 29). MLS TV ratings slump 19% during regular season; Playoffs take a
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How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost in 2020? (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2020, from
https://www.webfx.com/Social-Media-Pricing.html
Orlando Metro Area Population 1950-2020. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2020, from
https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/23091/orlando/population
Pfahler, L. (2017, November 28). How much do MLS teams charge for tickets? Retrieved May 10,
2020, from https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/taking-a-look-at-what-major-league-soccer-
teams-charge-for-tickets
StadiumDB.com stadium database. (n.d.). Retrieved from
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Retrieved May 10, 2020, from https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-marketing-guide/

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