Social Media Sports Campaign: Women's National basketball league

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

Table of Content 1. Creative brief

1.1. Background

1.2. Target audience and objectives

1.3. Tone of voice

1.4. Unique selling point or key messages

1.5. Key benefits

1.6. Audience takeaway

1.7. Merchandise possibilities

1.8. Budget

1.9. Schedule

2. Campaign

2.1. Executive summary

2.2. Introduction to the campaign

2.3. Video advertisement 2.3.1. Video advertisement storyboard

2.3.2. About the video advertisement

2.4. Twitter 2.4.1. Examples of Twitter content

2.4.2. How Twitter will be used in the campaign

2.5. Facebook 2.5.1. Examples of Facebook content

2.5.2. How Facebook will be used in the campaign

2.6. Outdoor Advertising 2.6.1. Examples of outdoor advertisement content

2.6.2. How outdoor advertising will be used in the campaign

2.7. Anticipated Outcome

2.8. Conclusion

3. References

4. Appendix : Pitch script

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

1. Creative Brief 1.1. Background The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the longest running elite female competition in Australia. WNBL established in 1981 as an annual women's basketball competition across multiple major cities competing to win the title championship. “Over the years the league has comprised teams who have been Association based and also State-based” (Basketball Australia 2018). WNBL championship had presented with both local and international players performing under eight clubs. The Australian Opals have gain recognition as the second best team in the world for 16 years. Besides, WNBL produced some of the iconic players including Rachael Sporn, Michele Timms and Lauren Jackson who represent in the WNBA. However according to Tozer (2014), after the end of 2014/15 season, ABC network decided to stop their 35-year television partnership with WNBL. In result, pushing back the development of female sports coverage in Australia. After a season with no air-time, Fox Sports announced (2017) the partnership with WNBL to provide media broadcast coverage from 2017 to 2020 season which reassured the fans free to air television capabilities for the WNBL championship.

1.2. Target audience The campaign should target the audience through the use of Giulianotti’s four type of spectators identification.

Primary Target Market: Supporters The active supporters in the basketball community including both men and women between all ages who basketball players and plays the sport on a regular basis. Individuals who identify with the clubs representing the local area they are living.

Secondary Target Market: Followers Both men and women followers who in the general sports community, consisting of active players of any sports in Australia. Individuals who follow certain clubs or individual basketball players.

Third Target Market: Fans & Flaneurs Fans and flavours which are the individuals that are not active with the sport, however, has a liking for a specific player or a club in the basketball community. Ultimately individuals who are prone to follow social trends.

1.3. Tone of voice The tone of voice in this campaign will be direct and easy to understand to reach the target audience. The campaign is allowed to take on the emotional approach to push a strong message.

However, it should link together with the drive smoothly and should reflect consistency across all mediums.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

1.4. Unique selling point and key messages WNBL’s unique selling point is the fact of longest running elite female competition in Australia which includes iconic national and international players. The messages should reflect that ideologies of all the sports players deserve respect and recognition for the results they display with the dedication and commitment to the sport. They should view them as beautiful and robust role models influencing young girls who are seeking a professional career in sport. Additionally, promoting the event to either attend or tune in to watch the Championship 2018/19 season through Fox Sports.

1.5. Key benefits The key benefits of the campaign should increase the engagement and the growth of the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia. The campaign also should create a positive impact by linking the sport to a social cause. Another benefit from this campaign should reflect the promotional approach of increasing revenue by encouraging individuals to attend the WNBL event.

1.6. Audience takeaway Empower individuals to contribute their time to a social cause. Through attending the event in person (supporters), watching the game through Fox Sports live TV (followers) or become aware of WNBL (fans and flaneurs). Additionally, encouraging and motivate women to participate in WNBL events and overall support the equality of women in sports.

1.7. Merchandise possibilities The campaign should provide opportunities for individuals to purchase merchandise for the exclusive event and the club they wish to represent. The online store should exhibit clubs, the event campaign merchandise and additional options. The clothing merchandise range should include t-shirts, hoodies, scarves and headwear. Besides, there is a possibility to buy general support articles such as big-hands, inflatable clapper sticks, horns and whistles at stalls during the event itself.

1.8. Budget The budget for this social media advertising campaign will be AUD$150,000, and the expenditure should justify a maximum impact.

1.9. Schedule The campaign should launch three months before the grand final series event (10th February).

There should consist some content generating through social media platforms to optimise user engagement. One month before the event, the call-to-action should be highlighted to collect estimated attendance for the game. Post-event social media engagement is necessary to monitor the impact of the campaign.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

1. Campaign 2.1. Executive summary This social media campaign has been developed to generate media exposure to WNBL by creating social awareness about the issues that women face in the sports industry. This campaign aims to create a conversation by utilising the 2018/2019 WNBL championship event. The event will be live broadcasted through Fox Sports throughout the season, while Facebook, Twitter has been used to generate fan engagement. The campaign will commence three months before the event on 26 January. The campaign is designed to target the active basketball players community (supporters), the general sports community (followers) and the activist society (fans and flaneurs).

The overall objective of the campaign is to create awareness about the issues and use the event as a movement.

The campaign proposed to advertise WNBL and the championship event through television media from and WNBL social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. A more comprehensive digital marketing strategy would execute in addition to this campaign plan. According to Sensis, 95% of Australians who use social media have an active account on Facebook (Sensis 2018).

Facebook social media platform has the highest user base in Australia. By leveraging the top basketball players with their fan following, Twitter is used to start the conversation at a personal level. Consistent engagement from the pre-event promotion, during the event, to encourage to support and post-event to keep the conversation moving forward. YouTube platform is used for post-game highlights and behind the scene videos to show the impact of this campaign.

A video advertisement utilises WNBL archived videos from championship finals to set a sense of excitement as a movement for this campaign. This video advertisement will act as a trailer building suspense and enthusiasm for the event.

On Facebook, content such as photo, video, and event post types are utilised to increase engagement with the event audience.

On Twitter, tweets utilise hashtags with the personalised player content, links and videos are used to ensure the platform’s strengths can increase campaign engagement internationally.

Finally, Print media will localise the campaign presence and present an exclusive opportunity for the target audience to interact in purchasing the campaign merchandise to gain momentum for the event.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.2. Introduction The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) has been building professional athletes for decades. However, women’s sporting always had struggled to attract audiences, gain media exposure and consequently receive sponsorship deals. Women in sports share a level of camaraderie because they face and go through issues such as race, gender, sexuality or religion.

In Australia, the gender equality issue in the sports industry is neglected. The past year has been a significant milestone for women’s sport. Alongside the global exposure from recent winnings, WNBL has the opportunity to increase the profile of the sport and encourage media exposure to attract sponsorships.

Target Audience - Supporters, Followers, Fans and Flaneurs The campaign will analyse the target audience according to the supporter, follower, fan and flaneurs spectator identities. According to Giulianotti’s (2002, p 32), these spectator categories helps to identify particular motivations with the personal association to the club. Therefore, we can select the media method of delivery by personalising the content. Nielsen Digital ratings reported (2017), males spending close to three hours (2 hours, 58mins) consuming sport-related content compared to women spending 45 mins. Therefore, the campaign targets all basketball players including men and women between all ages in Australia. Primarily those Individuals who support gender equality and feminism. Activists stand against to support issues such as gender stereotypes and sexism.

Unstoppable Women Campaign by WNBL A cause-based campaign to start a conversation about women's equality in sports with the support of WNBL association. Unstoppable Women campaign will use the WNBL championship to make a stand by supporting women in basketball. The objective is to gain media exposure by selling out the grand finals games. This campaign will address the issues regarding pay, viewers and status. WNBL championship will be one of the first milestones for this campaign. The campaign will use the AIDA model of marketing with the objective of creating awareness and starting the conversation through the use of print media and social media forms. The way of motivating sports fans to interact with the brand is through camaraderie approach. “Camaraderie was most evident in the acknowledgment (“good point’’), affirmation (‘‘I fully agree’’), and elaboration of opinion, or in efforts of people to allay fears about potential poor performance by taking a positive stance on what could eventuate” (Stavro 2014, p 464). Using camaraderie to communicate with the target audience, creates a social movement to solve a problem through associating with a brand. The visuals of this campaign primarily presented the colour scheme of gold for the greatness of the sport, black and white for the social cause. The campaign logo is unique to the game, hence the icon both signifies with the female symbol and the basketball itself.

The objective of this campaign is to generate media exposure to WNBL by creating social awareness about the issues that women face in the sports industry. Therefore encouraging the public to join the conversation and support to change the sport's future. Another objective is to build a sense of identity with the beliefs which WNBL associate. Women supporting women is the 101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

first step in this movement for social change. Littleton (2016) suggests, to create conversation and build long-term relationships certain brands must create interest, engaging influences, involving fans and sharing live action through their social media. Therefore, this campaign will develop engagement process through the use of the AIDA advertising principle. Television medium and new media forms such as social media platforms will be used to drive the campaign consistently throughout the duration of the season. The messages in these multiple forms of media will be personalised according to the target audience. The call-to-action will be promoted starting from the third stage of the campaign to gain a smoother entry to the event.

Scheduling The campaign runs in four stages to maximise the impact of the event object.

Stage 1 - Attention/Awareness The campaign will introduce the movement through the use of traditional media form. Television media has the highest number of consumption across Australia. Therefore, we have decided to produce 15-second television commercial with the form of a movie trailer to reach the maximum span of attention from the consumers. The message will set a tone to the movement and highlight the women in WNBL organisation. The consumers will be intrigued by the type of production and the uniqueness of the message to drive them to search the content through other media forms.

Stage 2 - Interest Facebook will be utilised as the second stage of this campaign to attract interest from the existing followers and to gain fans. The TVC will be airing followed by a mini video series of star players and coaches engaging in to debunk mean comments through using factual information. The approach of this method will be friendly and informative to address the social issue with a positive attitude. “Women aged 14-24 spend nearly five hours, or 294 minutes, more time on social media per week than men aged 14-24.â€? (Roy Morgan 2018). Facebook is the most popular social media platform with 94 per cent of social media users in Australia. Additionally, it is also a cost-eective media form that is suitable for gaining exposure for important causes. The campaign is also able to link the social cause together with the event to build the suspense to magnify the issues.

Stage 3 - Desire Twitter will be used to promote the third stage of the campaign by leveraging star players from the WNBL. The use of emotional approach tactics and raw moments will be present through the player's accounts to display an honest conversation with the audience. The personal touch will generate the desire to solve and support the cause. Additionally, the use of hashtag and hyperlinks to the event provide them with the opportunity to be a part of the movement.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

Stage 4 - Action The last phase of this campaign is to place outdoor advertisements around sports complexes. To maintain the momentum of this campaign the eight clubs from WNBL will feature players supporting the cause by promoting the event. The content additionally provides a QR code for supporters to access the ticket and merchandise which links the campaign together with WNBL teams. The ad will be digitalised and posted throughout the social media to advance the movement along with the event.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.3. Video advertisement 2.3.1. Video advertisement storyboard


101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.3.2 About the Video advertisement The campaign will produce a 15-second video commercial with the focus of bringing awareness to this campaign by highlighting the WNBL women. Market research from Roy Morgan (2016) indicates, television remains the most time-consuming media among Australians (see figure 1).

Thus, as the first form of content for this campaign, we have decided to utilise the traditional medium through advertising in the broadcast network Seven and Fox Sports.

Throughout the years' consumers, attention span has decreased with constant advertising through all mediums. Therefore, it is crucial to strategise the marketing aspect to maximise the impact of the content produced. According to Gollin (2018), shorter videos have higher completion rates hence the 15-second video is ideal for both national television and social media.

The weapon in this message will be the pome, ‘still, I rise’ by Maya Angelou which adds an incredible strength for the movement. Call to action in this message will navigate the consumers to the WNBL Facebook Page.

Figure 1 : Time spent watching TV and using the internet at home and elsewhere

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, October 2003 to September 2016, average annual sample n = 53,001 Australians 14+.

Budget Estimation Production of a TVC - $5,000 and $85,000*

(*Note that the TVC proposed only includes achieved footage together with two still animations, hence the expenditure will only include the usage of an editor + copyrights for the pome)

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.4. Facebook 2.4.1. Examples of Facebook content

Figure 2: example of a Facebook Cover page

Figure 3: example of a TVC on Facebook post.

Figure 4 : example of a Mini series of Debunking Mean Comments post.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3 Figure 5 : example of a Facebook event post.

2.4.2. How Facebook will be used in the campaign The second stage of this campaign is to share a light into the ignorance of the society regarding issues that women face in sports. According to Cowling (2017), Facebook has 12 million daily active users making it the most popular social media platform in Australia. Therefore, the 15second video will be posted through the Facebook platform to create engagement among the current supporters and followers within the community (see figure 3). Moreover, a mini video series will produce by using the star players and coaches respond to mean comments with factual information to debunk the ignorance (see figure 4). The tone of the miniseries will be light and touches of humour to create engagement and interest within the target audience.

Furthermore, Facebook event promotion strategy is utilised to demonstrate links between the campaign and the event attempts to make the event more accessible (see figure 5). Additionally, we can keep track of the engagement with the campaign driving the call to action aspect through the use of the event.

Budget Estimation Social media content manager average of $4500 monthly
 ($22,500 for 5 months including copywriting and PR)

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.5. Twitter 2.5.1. Examples of Twitter content

Figure 6: Example of tweets from star players

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.5.2. How Twitter will be used in the campaign The third stage of our campaign is to introduce star personas and their relatable stories to create a desire to support. According to Giulianotti (2002, p. 36), the hot spectator is a modern fan of specific players particularly its celebrities. Therefore, we will leverage WNBL players to expand the cause through their social media forms. Hashtags help in making a social change by keeping the cause relevant on social media platforms. Reports exhibits hashtag serves as a mobilisation tool which sparks a discussion of specific issues which drives social change through a digital space (Magnifiedpr, 2018). Therefore, we will plan to use Twitter social media platform by leveraging star personas with the hashtags #WNBLUNSTOPPABLEWOMEN #WNBLIRISE to support the WNBL and the campaign engagement (see Figure 6). Littleton (2016) suggests, a method of engaging sports fans is to sharing live action which encourages them to join the conversation during the event. Selection of star players will depend on the highest twitter fan following. WNBL players including Lauren Jackson with 56.9K following and Elizabeth cabbage with a 36.7K audience has the opportunity to attract media attention worldwide (see figure 6).

According to Gronroos (2014, p. 104), the brand beliefs are identified with the impact of long-term dialogue process lead to users adopting and standardising the roles and responsibilities which the players and the brand support. Therefore, the tone of messages will be personal, emotional and genuine to display the women’s aid and true vision from the organisation. Sharing the star player's experiences regarding facing discrimination, effects of sexism while handling the role of being a player, a mother and a wife will inspire women to support the cause.

Budget Estimation Star players for tweets roughly $1000 (Selected number of players with limited number of tweets)

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.6 Outdoor Advertising 2.6.1. Examples of outdoor Advertising content

Figure 7: example of the ad featuring Rangers club

Figure 8: example of the outdoor ad placement near sports complexes bus stops/tram stops 101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

Figure 9: example of a merchandise T-shirt

2.6.2. How Outdoor Advertising will be used in the campaign The final stage of this campaign is to motivate the target audience to purchase the event tickets and merchandise. To maintain the momentum of this campaign the eight clubs from WNBL will feature players supporting the cause by promoting the event. According to Pash (2018), outdoor advertising is expected to continue growing in Australia. Therefore, we will be using print ads throughout sports complexes across Australia. Additionally, the print includes a QR code for supporters to scan to gain access to purchase the tickets and merchandise.

Budget Estimation Outdoor advertising Range from $150 - $600 (The prices may depend on the type of advertising, e.g digital vs print)

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

2.7. Anticipated Outcome On completion of the campaign, is expected for individuals to take a stand together with WNBL by supporting the cause of equality in the sports industry. It is supposed to gain both positive and negative reviews/responses; any attention is considered as good coverage letting the cause to float in the society. Consistency with engagement and replying to fans with factual information will help to establish the movement with a positive outlook further. Focusing on personalisation of the messages expect to impact with an emotional approach to sharing identifiable similarities experiences with the cause. Finally, WNBL supporting a social issue attracts sponsors who are willing to brace similar beliefs. Therefore, brands receive the opportunity to connect products with the organisation and the star players positive image.

2.8. Conclusion The Unstoppable Women campaign will bring the Australian sports fans to drive for a positive social change. Through the association of a cause, WNBL will benefit not only to increase supporters but also to gain sponsorships. Promoting a positive message will ultimately build the brand image and gain media attention. By utilising social media platform, we can conclude the impact of the campaign by accumulating the engagement with the type of content posted.

Additionally, we can calculate the amount of mechanising sold during the time of the event. The strategies used to build the campaign ultimately provide WNBL with the opportunity to identify as a courageous brand to change the outlook of women’s sports in Australia.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

3. Reference Basketball Australia 2018, ‘Annual report 2016/2017’, Basketball Australia, Viewed 25 October, <http://australia.basketball/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BA-FINAL-report-FINALmin_compressed.pdf>

Bartlett A 2018, ’Chapter 6 - women’s sport and the media’, Parliament Business of Australia, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/ Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/womeninsport/report/ c06>.

BlueLineMedia 2018, ‘Bus Stop Ads’, BlueLineMedia, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <https:// www.bluelinemedia.com/bus-advertising/bus-stop-shelter>.

Cowling 2017, ‘Social Media Statistics Australia – April 2017’, Social Media News, 1 May, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australiaapril-2017/>.

Fulham A 2017, ‘Minimum wage for WNBL players now in place under new deal’, the daily telegraph, 26 November, Viewed 25 October, <https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/swoop/ m i n i m u m - w a g e - f o r- w n b l - p l a y e r s - n o w - i n - p l a c e - u n d e r- n e w - d e a l / n e w s - s t o r y / 8bae46f28b90285fe17f39313788ae37>.

Giulianotti, R 2002, 'Supporters, followers, fans and flaneurs: A taxonomy of spectator identities in football', Journal of Sport and Social Issues, vol. 26, no. 1 pp 25-46.

Gollin 2018, 'Facebook videos ads: best practices for 2018’, falcon.io , 8 October, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/social-media-strategy/facebook-videoads-best-practices-for-2018/>.

Gronroos, C 2004, ‘The relationship marketing process: communication, interaction, dialogue, value’, The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 99-113.

Harrington A 2017, ‘From the Matildas to the AFLW: How 2017 was the year of the women’s sport revolution’, Fox Sports, 20 December, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https:// www.foxsports.com.au/football/matildas/from-the-matildas-to-the-aflw-how-2017-was-the-yearof-the-womens-sport-revolution/news-story/5550a891f9e6e573567d21bef7804d19>.

Jognson T 2018, 'How Much Do Influencers Charge? | Paying Influencers 2018 Guide’, cpcstrategy, 22 June, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.cpcstrategy.com/blog/2018/06/ how-much-do-influencers-charge-paying-influencers-2018-guide/>.

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MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

Littleton, T 2016, ‘Social Sports: Four Ways Sports Can Engage and Entertain on Social Media’, 23 June, viewed 30 September 2018, <https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tamara-littleton/socialsports-four-ways-s_b_10627276.html>.

Lokomotion 2014, ‘How much does a TV commercial Cost?’, Lokomotion, 6 March, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <http://lokomotion.com.au/tv-commercial-costs-part-one/>.

Magnifiedpr 2018, How hashtags are driving social change, Magnifiedpr, 5 February, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.magnified.co/blog/how-hashtags-are-driving-social-change>.

Maya Angelou 1928, ‘Still I Rise’, poets, org, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https:// www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/still-i-rise>.

Mediaweek 2017, ‘TV Ratings 2017: Seven Network claims top spot for 11th consecutive year’, mediaweek, 4 December, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://mediaweek.com.au/tvratings-2017-seven-network-win/>.

Nielsen 2017, ‘Connecting With The Australian Sports Fan’, The Nielsen Company, 6 September, 6 September, Viewed 25 October, <https://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/news/2017/ connecting-with-the-australian-sports-fan.html>.

Pash C 2018, ‘Here's why there's so much takeover activity in Australia's outdoor advertising m a r k e t ’ , B u s i n e s s i n s i d e r, 2 2 J u n e , Vi e w e d o n 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 , < h t t p s : / / www.businessinsider.com.au/outdoor-advertising-market-australia-apn-outdoor-jcdecauxoohmedia-2018-6>.

Rhoden S 2015, ‘Decline of women's sports coverage in Australia 'a tragedy'; report shows drop in coverage’, ABC News, 13 April, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/ 2015-04-12/decline-of-women-sports-coverage-in-australia-a-tragedy/6359786>.

Roy Morgan 2018, ‘Young Women the Queens of social media in Australia’, Roy Morgan, 14 May, viewed in 25 October 2018, <http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7584-social-media-minutes-bygender-age-march-2018-201805110812>.

Roy Morgan 2016, Australians still spend more time watching TV than using the internet at home, Roy Morgan, 29 November, viewed on 25 October 2018, <http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/ 7069-more-time-watching-television-than-using-internet-at-home-australiaseptember-2016-201611291605>.

Sensis 2018, ‘The must-know stats from the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report’, sensis.com.au, June, Viewed 24 October, <https://www.sensis.com.au/about/our-reports/sensis-social-mediareport>.

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MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

Stavros C, Meng MD, Westberg K & Farrelly F 2014, 'Understanding fan motivation for interacting on social media' Sport Management Review vol 17, issue 4, pp. 455-469.

Ward R 2017, ‘WNBL and Fox Sports enter three-year broadcast and promotional deal’,

The

Sydney Morning Herald, 26 April, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.smh.com.au/sport/ basketball/wnbl-and-fox-sports-enter-threeyear-broadcast-and-promotional-deal-20170426gvsclp.html>.

Washenko A 2018, ‘How Much Should You Pay a Social Media Manager?’, Sprout social, 24 April, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-manager-salary/>.

WNBL 2018, ‘History of The WNBL', Basketball Australia, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <http:// wnbl.com.au/league/history-of-the-wnbl/>.

The New York Times 2018, ‘The fight for equal pay in women's sports’, SBS, 26 June, viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/article/2018/06/26/fight-equal-paywomens-sports>.

Tozer M 2014, ‘The Future of the WNBL without the ABC’, The Pick and Roll, 26 November, Viewed on 25 October 2018, <https://pickandroll.com.au/future-wnbl-without-abc/>.

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MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3

4. Appendix Pitch script Welcome everyone, we are MMM(tripleM) creative and we are here to present to you with an effective strategy for WNBL and the Championship event for 2018/2019 season.

I’m Mathisha and I will be showing a video montage to help explain the strategy.

Video Start with a low music VOICE OVER There are several problems behind why we don’t see womens sports through the media. The big puzzle of lacking media viewership with proper media tactics and social media influence can be achieved.

Montage of split video of men and women achieving the same wins.

VOICE OVER However the question relies on Why is it that men play ‘basketball’ but women play ‘women’s basketball’? The underlining subject for all these comments narrow down to sexism.

Quick cuts to irresponsible comments section of a post regarding declining womens sports in Australia.

VOICE OVER Historically, most sports were only accessible to men, thus no gender specificity needed. Its 2018, and yet ‘women’s sport’ still treated as a separate entity.

A montage of old to new footage of basketball plays building up suspense.

VOICE OVER According to Markula, the separation of sport by gender reinforces a stereotype of female inferiority. Despite the wins, the records, the attention women still stand on the bottom.

Montage continues to show women winning locally and globally.

VOICE OVER So how do we change the othering of women’s sport?

By starting a conversation, a movement to change the surrounding culture about women sports.

Motivational music plays building up in volume.

VOICE OVER Introducing Unstoppable Women, a campaign that starts a conversation to rise support for women in sports.

Using the WNBL championship event as a base for this campaign, it emphasise a social movement with call to action for purchasing a ticket to show support beyond the sport.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage

MDA20011 - SPORTS / ADVERTISING / MEDIA | ASSIGNMENT 3 The pome of Still I Rise will be presented, “You may write me down in history - With your bitter, twisted lies, - You may trod me in the very dirt - But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

VOICE OVER Through the use of Social Media Campaign launch off by posting Video advertisement and print ads to gain attention through Social media, Facebook and bus/tram stop posters.

Poster ads of women in sport are quickly cut-together as a montage to emphasise the importance of the gender rule. Including the verse of the pome “You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.“ Final screen shows the event logo and tagline.

VOICE OVER Campaign utilising star player leverage and present opportunity to Interest supporters, fans and followers by posts which relates to this conversation, Posts of individual star players showcase with the anticipated engagement count rising.

VOICE OVER With Emotional attachment embedded through the message, Desire will rise for them to take part in this movement.

As the final stage we promote call to action as purchasing the tickets to games, and tune in to live Fox Sports to show support.

Video of players standing in hand in hand with slow motion camera movement, With the crowd behind cheering OICE OVER See the future of sports change, Rise together and beyond.

Rise with us to support. Final screen shows the campaign logo event logo and tagline.

End of the pitch.

Thank you!, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

101942954 | Mathisha Mahawalage