Printable Version
"It's about asking the right people the right questions. Not everyone is going to be able or interested in joining our programs. We should focus our efforts on those who can and will."

Dr. Mike Wallace

Marketing 101

The National Youth Shooting Sports Leadership Conference at Camp Perry signaled a subtle change in the thinking and approach to junior marksmanship programs—unlike similar conferences in the past, one of its first sessions was on marketing. “We seldom think about it, but informally we all do it,” said Dr. Mike Wallace, editor of the CMP’s on-line magazine The First Shot, who led the session.

Wallace broke his presentation into three sections: (1) conducting market research, (2) shaping the message, and (3) lines of communication. He emphasized that, while market research has its own jargon, "it's not as hard as you may think."

Conducting Market Research: According to Wallace, conducting our own "market research" is as simple as "asking the right people the right questions." He also stated that people in the field generally know what those questions are. He listed those questions as:

>> What will get potential members to join?

>> What will keep them coming back?

>> What are the obstacles to their joining?

Wallace discussed defining our "target" market, narrowing our focus and efforts down to reaching the people who will be most interested in our programs. "Not everyone is going to be able or interested in joining our programs. We should focus our efforts on those who can and will."

Shaping the Message: Wallace noted, that in a single week, each person on average is exposed to over 300 advertisements. Of those 300 ads, however, only 6 will likely be remembered. At the same time, some ads are remembered for years after they are used (i.e., "Things Go Better With Coke," "Where's the Beef?," "Fly the Friendly Skies," etc.). The trick is to find the right message for the right audience, and then to repeat it over and over in different forms.

Wallace used the National John C. Garand Match as an example. Results of a mail survey of match participants showed that 77% took part because of the "historical significance" of the M1 rifle. To make a practical application of this research, the CMP came up with the theme of "In Memory of Those Who Served," which is imprinted on the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded each year to top competitors.

Wallace offered several pointers for shooting sports organizations to use in developing their message. For example, "if you are developing a message for teenagers, don't think like an adult." He also emphasized keeping the message short and to the point.

Lines of Communication: Wallace noted that people usually have more than one means of receiving information. We may think, for instance, that the only way to reach the modern teenager is through the Internet. But as we look at the routine of a single teen on a school day, we see that they use several media--listening to the radio in the car, talking to friends, paging through the school newspaper, watching television, glancing at a bulletin board between classes.

Wallace suggested using more than one medium in reaching potential members. He went on to emphasize that, while the new communications technologies are sexier, face-to-face communication is still the most effective approach. "Sometimes it just comes down to talking one-on-one and asking someone to join."