Digital Spaces NBA Branding

Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Sport Management Review

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/smr
If you build it, will they come?: A case study of digital spaces and brand in
the National Basketball Association
Michael E. Pfahl a,*, Andrew Kreutzer a, Mike Maleski b, Jeff Lillibridge b, Jeff Ryznar b
a
b
Department of Sports Administration, College of Business, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
Phizzle, 2206 Superior Viaduct, Ste. 501, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA
A R T I C L E I N F O
A B S T R A C T
Article history:
Received 28 March 2011
Received in revised form 14 February 2012
Accepted 15 March 2012
This case addresses the relationship between sport and digital spaces by introducing
students to strategic marketing processes related to developing a team-managed fan
website. The case was created in conjunction with three former members of the Cleveland
Cavaliers who helped create www.cavfanatic.com, the ofcial fan site of the team. Key
areas addressed within the case study are brand development, brand communication, and
brand extension. The case follows a new hire, Natalie, as she joins the new media team of
www.cavfanatic.com. The sport marketers she works with review the development of the
website and provide information on the strategic development process they went through.
In the end, Natalie is charged with looking forward and developing further strategies to
continue to engage the Cavaliers fans and to develop the CavFanatic brand.
2012 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by
Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Brand
Digital space
Internet
Virtual community
Brand extension
Teaching note
This case examines the marketing strategy for the social media community developed by the Cleveland Cavaliers
(Cavaliers) at www.cavafantic.com (CavFanatic). Students are able to explore the strategic marketing process for the new
community and analyze the case materials through course discussions and assignments in order to develop future strategies
and engagement opportunities for fans at CavFanatic. Over the course of the case, the students are introduced to ideas
regarding strategic marketing and brand development via examination of a fan site (e.g., brand, brand awareness, and brand
extension). The case narrative is based upon interview information from three members of the Cavaliers who helped create
the original CavFanatic: the former web designer, the former corporate sales representative, and the former marketing
manager all of whom were with the team until October 2011.
The case allows students to:
Develop a better understanding of how digital spaces can be utilized by sport marketers to promote their brand, to engage
their fans, and to develop marketing and monetization opportunities.
Identify, to explore, and to enhance strategic marketing processes used to develop a brand.
Compare and to contrast the merits of traditional and emerging conceptualizations of brand strategy.
The case is useful in either undergraduate or graduate courses (online and ofine) with an emphasis on strategic
marketing, brand, and customer engagement. This section includes an introduction to the case, background information on
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 740 597 3108; fax: +1 740 593 9342.
E-mail addresses: pfahl@ohio.edu (M.E. Pfahl), kreutzer@ohio.edu (A. Kreutzer).
1441-3523/$ see front matter 2012 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.smr.2012.03.004
M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537
519
the Cavaliers and CavFanatic, a contextual review of related literature, and assorted teaching aids to assist in administering
the case and coursework related to it.
1. CavFanatic case study introduction
While many cases have been created to explore various issues related to sport management, few cases speak to the
strategic use of digital spaces by sport organization personnel (Dittmore, Stoldt, & Greenwell, 2008; Foster, Greyser, & Walsh,
2006; Friedman & Mason, 2007; Todd, Andrew, & Sowieta, 2009). The digital world is an important strategic element for
sport marketers because it is an ever-changing platform for developing and executing ofine and online efforts to achieve a
number of organizational goals (Dixon, 2008).
The increased use of digital platforms across many aspects of life, the sport industry included, attest to its signicance to
sport marketers. Online advertising spending stood somewhere in the region of US$68.4 billion in 2010, was projected to
reach US$80.2 billion in 2011, and more than US$100 billion around 2012 (Marshall, 2011; Oser, 2011). The ofineonline
linkages afforded by the digital world are increasingly important to marketing and sales strategies due to the trend towards
experiential and inclusive opportunities intended to foster community and to monetize digital spaces (Grant, 2006; Nufer &
Buhler, 2010; Santomeir, 2008). While integrated marketing efforts might not completely disappear, they are being
augmented with a more exible strategic framework that encompasses engagement and relational strategies and
opportunities as opposed to transactional ones (Grant, 2006; Nufer & Buhler, 2010).
In class, this case can be used as part of an overall ofine/online strategy discussion. It can be used as the basis for a class
discussion or an analytical assignment related to the impact of the digital world on sport marketing (Bostrom, Olfman, &
Sein, 1990; Caskey & Delpy, 1999; Davis & Bostrom, 1993; Zhang & von Dran, 2000). Given the malleable nature of digital
spaces, the case study information can be examined against future iterations of CavFanatic.
The key driver of this case is how the digital space can be utilized by sport marketers to promote their brand and to engage
with their fans. Brand is a foundational element of competitive advantage via the establishment of a relationship with
customers across a range of cognitive and emotional levels (Aaker, 1991; Hankinson, 2007; Lee, Miloch, Kraft, & Tatum, 2008;
Shank, 2005). However, traditional elements of brand are being reviewed in light of the opportunities presented by the digital
world (Grant, 2006). The next section provides a brief history of the Cavaliers and CavFanatic to contextualize the case materials.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers and CavFanatic
This section provides information on the Cleveland Cavaliers and CavFanatic. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional
basketball franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their proactive decision to build and to manage their own
fan site is part of a growing trend within the NBA (e.g., Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, New Orleans Hornets).
Information from former team personnel provides insight into planning processes and choices made given the secrecy
professional franchises have regarding their operations.
CavFanatic is a website managed by the Cavaliers for the fans of the Cavaliers. The website is the primary platform for
relationship development, blending news, information, and content from the team with user generated content, community
engagement opportunities, and social media platforms. The site is also an opportunity for the team personnel to diversify
sponsorship opportunities and to engage directly with their fans. CavFanatic was launched in 2008 and has been popular
with fans since then. The CavFanatic platform offers exclusive photograph and video content from the Cavaliers and spaces
for fans to upload their own photographs and videos, to create blogs, and to engage in dialogue with each other via forum
areas. In order to better understand the nature of CavFanatic, is important to review key contextual elements of the digital
world: virtual communities and social media.
3. Contextual literature review
While students are immersed in the digital world each day, they need to be able to analyze the implications of this world
in relation to sport marketing. Studies of digital media that do not question important social and cultural elements related to
it are not complete (Flew, 2002). The convergence of social, economic, political, cultural, and technological changes ripple
back into individual lives and communities (Flew, 2002). Thus, as technologies emerge and fade and enable and constrain
strategic choices, current and future sport marketers must work to establish a strategic view of technology. In doing so, they
will avoid the trap of trying to chase each new technology without an understanding of what use and value it can be to them.
This section explores issues related to the digital world including virtual communities, social media opportunities, and how
these technologies can be leveraged to help to achieve organizational goals.
3.1. Virtual communities
This case involves a virtual community, which is described as an information source and place of social interaction
(Mason, 1999; Rheingold, 1991, 1993). Drawing parallels with tribes developed in relation to materiality, community, and
brand (Maffesoli, 1996), virtual communities are networks of individuals built around a common interest (e.g., a sport team,
a chocolate bar) (Acosta & Devasagayam, 2010; Green, 2001; Maffesoli, 1996). The communities can have different sizes,
520
scopes, and purposes (Dholakia, Bagozzi, & Pearo, 2004; Ellis Porter, 2006; Garton, Haythornthwaite, & Wellman, 1997;
Rheingold, 1991, 1993; Walther, 1996; Wellman & Gulia, 1999). While virtual communities remain important to digital life,
social media platforms have had a meteoric rise in importance over the past several years.
3.2. Social media
In the past ten to fteen years, social media opportunities emerged and now augment traditional websites. They provide a
platform for interactivity via strategic marketing and brand activities (Grant, 2006; Mangold & Faulds, 2009). Social media
are platforms individuals use to seek out connections and relationships with others through various technologies intended to
facilitate their development (e.g., FaceBook, Twitter) (Safko, 2010). In many ways, the use of these technologies signals a shift
in power and communication opportunities between sport organization personnel and fans (and between fans). Two-way
communication is facilitated by the social media platforms rather than relying solely on unilateral messages from an
organization (e.g., television advertisements) (Safko, 2010).
Today, sports marketers are paying more attention to social media opportunities and options. For example, the Cleveland
Indians offer an entire suite dedicated to social media usage that can be rented for each game and the Boston Red Sox
personnel have used Twitter and FaceBook to consult fans about a potential time change for a game due to a playoff game
conict involving the Boston Bruins (Fisher, 2011). At the league level, Major League Baseball personnel successfully used
Twitter as part of their All-Star Game information and marketing efforts (Fisher, 2011). Sports marketers at Octagon
embraced Twackle as a platform to engage and to develop key analytical metrics for a variety of issues related to social media
(e.g., content impact) (Fisher, 2011). Finally, athletes and coaches at all levels of sport, including high school, are now using
Twitter (Joe, 2011; Holmes, 2011).
Social media represents an evolution of the World Wide Web and one that allows individuals to develop and to share user
generated content (UGC) and to exercise control over their self representation in the digital and terrestrial worlds (Kaplan &
Haenlein, 2010). Examples of commonly used social media include FaceBook, Wikipedia, and FourSquare (Tapscott &
Williams, 2008). However, social media encompasses more than these popular platforms (Table 1).
Social media spending in relation to advertising is expected to surpass US$2 billion in the United States and nearly the
same amount internationally in 2011 (Table 2). While this data highlights an overall trend towards increased spending,
simply spending money is not a good strategy. The digital world offers targeted opportunities to connect with individuals.
Thus, marketing and advertising efforts must be grounded in different elements found in the digital world (e.g., Table 1
elements). Key points about social media and its use in marketing efforts concern individual choice, identity, identication,
intimacy, collaboration, and self-presentation (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010; Tapscott & Williams,
2008; The Economist, 2011). Social media and other digital platforms offer opportunities to address these issues by creating
more personalized messaging for their customers and potential customers (eMarketer, 2011a).
However, value is difcult to develop and to measure in social media realms. Table 3 provides a summary of opinions by
marketers related to the importance of select methods to measure social media sponsorship success (eMarketer, 2011b).
Table 3 shows a few of the basic ways data can be gathered, but technology allows for many types of metrics to be
developed and utilized in order to achieve return on investment and other objectives. Metrics are the keys to success for
sport marketing efforts in digital spaces because they are able to capture important data, which can then be used to develop
better and stronger relationships with fans. Further, in the same study, the respondents noted certain social media platforms
were more valuable per use than others, at least in terms of sponsorship (Table 4). However, this situation is contextual given
the variable nature of activating a particular sponsorship.
Table 4 provides examples of the different platforms that can be mixed together to formulate sport marketing strategies
in the digital space. The price information provided is an estimation of the value, per click and view, of a social media type.
Table 1
Social media platform categories (Safko, 2010a,b).
Telephony programs (e.g., Skype)
Photograph sharing (e.g. Flikr)
Audio
Microblogging/blogging
Virtual worlds (e.g., gaming, Second Life)
Aggregating websites
Really Simple Syndication feeds (RSS)
Social network platforms (e.g., MySpace, FaceBook)

User generated publishing
Video
Live casting
Productivity applications (e.g., telecommunications aids)
Search engines (e.g., Google)
Mobile marketing
Table 2
Social media advertising spending 20092011 (eMarketer, 2010).
Year
United States (percent share)
Non-United States (percent share)
2009
2010
2011
US$1.4 billion (55.4 percent)

US$1.68 billion (51 percent)

US$1.62 billion (49 percent)
521
Table 3
Social media sponsorship success metrics (eMarketer, 2011b).
Metric
Very important
(percent)
Important
(percent)
Somewhat important
(percent)
Not important
(percent)
Quality of Content
Shares
Clickthrough rate
Cost per acquisition
Cost per Click
Comments
Sentiment of content
Cost per impression
42.1
35.6
35.1
35
30.5
28.5
27
24.3
37.9
35.8
39.8
34.5
38.1
39.5
41
37.8
14.1
22.5
20.9
23.9
25.6
26.5
26.1
28.6
5.9
6.1
4.3
6.5
5.8
5.6
5.9
9.2
Table 4
Social media sponsorship values (eMarketer, 2011b).
Social media type
Value
Blog Post
Video
Tweet
FaceBook update
Photograph
Twitter Follower
FaceBook Like
Check-in
US$114.71
US$112.46
US$63.64
US$55.16
US$54.58
US$46.53
US$45.63
US$40.15
For example, if a video was sponsored by a partner, the price would be $112.46 per view. However, it is important to note that
these are examples. Team personnel can charge more or less depending upon the complexity of their activities and their
abilities to establish solid return on investment metrics. The FaceBook Like button is increasingly important as a revenue
generation and activity tracking platform. It is monetized when it is used as a reference point for customer browsing
activities and as a way to refer others to the product or service via the interaction of a website and FaceBook, for example.
Measurement occurs when the button is clicked and next actions are followed (e.g., to a purchase) (Adobe, 2011). Specic
details related to social media in the sport industry are provided in the case materials. The information found in Tables 3 and
4 augments information found in Section 3.9 Monetizing the Brand: Corporate Relationships Through CavFanatic of the case.
With virtual communities and social media changing fan engagement within sport, it is important for sport marketers to
leverage these platforms to achieve organizational goals.
Connecting virtual communities and social media platforms means sport marketers, like their counterparts in other
industries, must seek ways to leverage the digital world for more than passive advertising (Ellis Porter, 2006). However, they
must critically examine the strategic and marketing challenges in the digital world in order to learn how individuality and sport
community are developed (Burnett, 1999; Herring, 2004; Fisher, 2011; Schneider & Foote, 2004; Wakeford, 2004; Walther,
1996). Doing so will help sport marketers develop and implement strategies to engage fans and to monetize digital spaces.
Strategic and critical examinations of digital spaces and community development revealed a tension between an
individuals experience in sport and the ways individuals within communities experience it (Broughton, 2011). For example,
a Pew Internet and American Life Project (2010) study found that, while email usage among older adults is still important,
social media and social network platforms (e.g., FaceBook) allow them to share news and information, photographs, and to
stay in contact with their social sphere. In a sport specic study conducted by Catalyst Public Relations researchers, forty
percent of fans surveyed (2111 adult sport fans) believed their use of social media enhanced their fandom by, for example,
using digital and social media to check highlights (Broughton, 2011). In another study, personnel at McKinsey & Company
examined personal habits related to digital technology and found nearly fty percent of people studied used smart
telephones and other advanced devices to access the World Wide Web and social media platforms (Chappuis, Gaffey, &
Parvizi, 2011). These studies reect a shared experience that is simultaneously an individuals experience (Grant, 2006;
Lampel & Bhalla, 2007; Pentzold, 2010; Utz, 2009). Studies such as these reect the impact of social media on sport and the
ways individual freedom and choice can cultivate a web of communities. They also act as a departure point for sport
marketers to develop, to implement, and to evaluate digital marketing opportunities.
3.3. Strategic marketing in digital spaces
Marketing strategies related to brand are often contested and complicated in terms of what a brand is, how it is created,
and how individual customers interact with it (Aaker, 1996, Stern, 2006). In strategic terms, a quality brand is often thought
to be the foundation for competitive advantage for products and services (Aaker, 1991). Oftentimes, a lifestyle or personality
is developed for a brand in order to facilitate a set of affective and cognitive connections in hopes of developing an engaging
relationships with and lifestyle adoption by a fan/customer (e.g., loyalty) (Aaker, 1997; Fournier, 1998). However, in the
522
digital world, reaching out to and engaging with individuals and communities is a complicated task. This section illustrates
several ways in which the digital space challenges marketing strategy in sport. These ways include the nature of brand itself
and brand communication and relationship development in a brand extension context.
3.3.1. Changing nature of brand
Studies of brand and the brand development process found linkages between a brand and customers who engage with it
to achieve functional, emotional, and social benets (Aaker, 1991, 1996; Hankinson, 2007; Lee, Miloch, Kraft, & Tatum, 2008;
Shank, 2005). This is done through strategies involving brand loyalty, name awareness, perceived quality, brand associations,
trademarks, and numerous other elements driven by contextual factors (Aaker, 1991). Students can review issues related to
brand in a broad sense as part of class before targeting their application in the digital world (Bagozzi, Rosa, Celly, & Coronel,
1998; Kates & Goh, 2003; Lee, Miloch, Kraft, & Tatum, 2008; Pentzold, 2010). Additionally, the inherent complexity and sheer
number of mediated messages suggests students would benet from a discussion on the marketing and brand strategies
used by sport organizations (Innis, 1995; Grant, 2006). While some might consider brand and brand development principles
to be universal, the hyper-mediated context of the digital world offers many opportunities and challenges for sport
marketers. If for nothing else, this is due to the individuality attainable within the digital world inextricably linked with its
communal nature.
With the trend towards holistic changes in marketing and brand strategy (e.g., engagement and relationship), brands
need to become part of the social fabric, almost as a new societal custom, rather than static and stable unilateral messages
(Grant, 2006; Nufer & Buhler, 2010; Santomeir, 2008). As with the contested nature of self, be it online or ofine selves,
consistency of brand is also challenged by the diversity inherent in digital spaces questioning what brand truly means and
how it is developed (Park, Milberg, & Lawson, 1991). Sport marketers cannot rest on past assumptions, but must investigate
and understand their environments to create multiple, evolving, and (co)constructed brands or they will nd success elusive
(Murray, 1984). In other words, brands must be uid or a lifestyle within a set of cultural ideas accessible and malleable to
individual tastes (Horne, 2006; Grant, 2006; Maffesoli, 1996). As molecules of interconnected and evolving cultural ideas,
brands can lose their linear and static messages due to the contextual elements of the digital world (Grant, 2006).
In this case, fans have numerous reasons for being a fan (e.g., identity, tradition), so having a unied message of Cavaliers
fan can be augmented by opportunities for self-naming and identication by the fans themselves (Grant, 2006). What might
be considered the brand personality is challenged in such a scenario because of the humanness and (co)constructed nature of
fandom itself and the difculty of applying traditional brand personality frameworks to fan sites that are built by people with
varying identity, identication, and personality elements in their fandom (Braunstein & Ross, 2010; Hou, 2003). In other
words, diversity breeds individuality and community at the same time. Marketing in such a context is difcult, but the social
media and digital technologies available help to generate a strategy that can reach individuals while reaching communities
while reaching a revised concept of the traditional mass audience. This shift in focus moves brand communication in
marketing strategies from a marketing to to a marketing with mindset (Grant, 2006).
3.3.2. Re-examining brand communication
Since digital communication opportunities afforded to individuals call into question the ways sport marketers approach
brand communication, this case addresses related strategic marketing issues, including brand communication, by
emphasizing how engagement facilitates understanding beyond target audience demographics and habits and can work in a
sport organizations favor to facilitate community in digital spaces. CavFanatic calls into question students knowledge of the
elements of integrated marketing communication (e.g., dialogic elements in developing the brand) and how sport marketers
can balance both brands within the overall marketing strategy (Warner, Chalip, & Woolf, 2008). Thus, students would benet
from discussions of success measures for brand image, extension, and information exchange (Lane Keller & Aaker, 1992;
Loken & Roedder John, 1993; Martinez & Pina, 2003; Romeo, 1991).
Fortunato (2008) argued brand image should be effectively communicated to potential consumers (p. 365). Blackston
(2000) followed a similar theme when he stated, the correct attitudes and behaviors of our brands [must be communicated],
because it is these which create meaning out of the message (original emphasis, p. 102). The digital media opportunities
available to individuals, numerous message channels, and niche marketing opportunities potentially make traditional brand
message strategies more difcult to utilize due to several factors. This can occur because people can view the same situation
in different ways as well as work together to (co)construct meaning from it (Anderson, 2008; Ceccarelli, 1998; Fournier,
1998; Grant, 2006; Innis, 1995).
Facilitating community can develop opportunities for strong relationships with fans (Barnatt, 1998; Fournier, 1998;
Kozinets, 2002). Digital spaces such as team managed or fan managed sites for fan interaction (e.g., CavFanatic), traditional
websites (e.g., Cavaliers website), and social media platforms (e.g., FaceBook) are comprised of communities of individuals
with diverse backgrounds, but common interests. The development and maintenance of these communities is
(co)constructed among the members and evolves out of disparate and divergent reasons for being and remaining in the
community (Lampel & Bhalla, 2007; Maffesoli, 1996; Pentzold, 2010) making singular, unilateral, and linear communication
from team to fan(s) less desirable as a marketing strategy (Blackston, 2000; Fernback, 2007; Fortunato, 2008; McAlexander,
Schouten, & Koenig, 2002).
By exploring actions of the Cavaliers personnel and the fan community at the CavFanatic site, students can evaluate the
importance of human connectivity and as part of strategic marketing efforts (Fournier, 1998). These relationships help fans
523
to accept or to reject participation in the new brand opportunities (e.g., contests) (Aaker & Lane Keller, 1990; Bridges, Lane
Keller, & Sood, 2000; Brudvig & Raman, 2006; Lane Keller & Aaker, 1992). Walsh and Ross (2010) attempted to uncover the
results of a sport team undertaking a hypothetical brand extension (e.g., a team brand of clothes or mobile telephones). Their
results did not show these hypothetical efforts to be successful, but the study did raise an important issue, and one examined
in this case: how can teams extend their brand?
The Cavaliers already had a thriving forum area on their main website prior to the development of CavFanatic. When the
decision was made to move the forum area to its own website, the Cavaliers extended their brand. Rather than leave the fan
site where it was, the team saw the value in an extension of the main Cavaliers brand as part of a new brand effort.
Acceptance by the fans was the key to the success of the new CavFanatic website. By allowing fans ownership of the website,
the Cavaliers developed a platform from which to consistently communicate with their fans and to watch the ways in which
the fans interact amongst themselves (Baxter & Montgomery, 1996; Kent & Taylor, 1998). In addition, CavFanatic is a new
and attractive brand platform for corporate or charitable partners to utilize. In marketing strategy terms, it is important to
note simply extending a brand name does not ensure success. As success is a function of different variables such as sales
volume (Lane Keller & Aaker, 1992), negative information (Romeo, 1991), and the consistency of extensions with core brands
(Loken & Roedder John, 1993).
In sum, the CavFanatic brand grew organically, yet strategically through efforts from Cavaliers personnel and the fan base.
From the outset, the CavFanatic website had a variety of options and activities to attract fans of all types and, more
importantly, keep them coming back for more. Elements of brand are challenged by digital spaces like CavFanatic. To assist
with utilizing the case in a course, teaching aids, activities, and key questions are provided to help guide students in their
examination of the key marketing strategy areas of the case.
4. Teaching aids, activities and questions related to the case
4.1. Teaching aids
Additional information about the CavFanatic website is provided here to help facilitate discussions and analytical work
using this case and to provide guidance towards student responses to the case questions. It is important to note the numbers
provided do not reect actual values due to issues of condentiality. Table 5 provides examples of different sponsorship
opportunity areas dened by the Cavaliers personnel for their digital sponsorship goals. Additionally, Table 6 provides
potential areas for online engagement for the fans at CavFanatic.
Integrated experiences, for example, are ways of activating single stream sponsorships (e.g., an online contest) as well as
linking together different activities (e.g., online action to encourage an ofine trip to a store) in a sponsorship package. This is
demonstrated in the case through the Mexican Delightz example. For the most part, they are developed to use the digital
Table 5
CavFanatic sponsorship opportunities.
Sponsorship opportunity
Example
Customized Group Pages

Integrated Experiences
Rich media Advertisements
Contests
Video Partnerships
Section Partnerships
Events
Direct Messages
CavFanatic
Customized ofine, online, and linked activation
Video advertisement
CavFanatic of the Month
Video pre-roll advertisement
News section title sponsor
Fan party at local restaurant
Email newsletter, Ticket offers via targeted email
Table 6
Potential online engagement opportunities at CavFanatic.
Online engagement opportunity
Examples
Large advertisement
No rotation of advertisements
Advertisement placement in high trafc areas
Strategic engagement advertisements
Fewer number of advertisements
Roadblocks
Digital communications
Theme nights
Variable pricing options for sponsorship
Contests
Theme Merchandise
Integrated experiences
Coach and/or player interaction
NA
NA
Ticket Sales webpage
Call for action to be taken like a contest
NA
One sponsor for half day no matter the number of page views
Email, FaceBook
CavFanatic Nights
By day and time, by game
CavFanatic jerseys
Ofine and online linked sponsorship
Blogs, Live video question and answer
524
Table 7
Examples of strategic element and pricing.
Type
Length
Cost
Partner limit
Special characteristics
Homepage Package
Video Pre-Roll and
300 250 advertisement
Player Proles
Integrated Experience
(online, ofineonline)
Sustainability Package
12 months
12 months
US$23,500.00
US$15,000.00
20
4
NA
Archived, multiple trafc driver
12 months
Variable
US$8500.00
Variable
1
NA
12 months
US$5000.00

Package
12 months
US$15,000.00
max 12
Cavaliers Insider Newsletter

Package
Variable
US$12,000/mo.
or US$3500/send
max 12
NA
Mixed media, data gathering
opportunities, digital communications
Highlight with green games in April,
community outreach opportunities,
digital communications
Radio, LED, Q-Tube, Access Cavaliers TV,
CavFanatic, data gathering, digital
communication opportunities
In and off season communication,
direct messaging to audience,
customizable messaging, integrated
experiences, 25,000 plus membership
space to drive individuals to other activities in conjunction with the digital effort (e.g., go to a store) where it is hoped the
individual will purchase the item or additional items if a free offer is made. The main goal is driving trafc with the objective
to increase sales revenue for the partner. In the Mexican Delightz case example, individuals are encouraged to redeem a
coupon at a restaurant location for a free item, but while there, they might purchase a beverage or additional food items.
A roadblock a particularly interesting option for sport marketers because it offers a single partner to have space on a
webpage for a set period of time. This can be an advertisement placed on the front page of a teams website from 7 a.m. until 3
p.m. on a game day. The remainder of the day can be sold to another partner. The advertisement would not rotate or change
and measurement can be made by the number of page views and clickthroughs to the advertisement. Further, the case
contains pricing information and the discussion questions evaluate the current pricing strategy as well as future possibilities
(e.g., cost per impression billed within a set timeframe, up front lump sum, variable pricing for more integrated engagement
opportunities). Thus, it is important to have a few examples of CavFanatic pricing for different sponsorship packages. Table 7
provides examples of these to help guide discussions and analysis. As the students prepare their answers to any questions or
activities, they should be able to provide evidence beyond this case to support their work. The information in Table 7 can be
used to augment Section 3.9 Monetizing the Brand: Corporate Relationships Through CavFanatic of the case.
Few sports industry pricing standards exist at the moment. Table 7 provides examples based upon input from the authors.
The more specic and useful the metrics to measure activities in the digital space, the greater the value of different platforms
(i.e., high price charged). The next section includes example discussion questions that can be used to examine the case.
4.2. Questions for discussion
The questions presented here are designed to foster class discussions. They are not comprehensive, but do link with the
questions provided at the end of the case. When answering these questions, students should be encouraged to provide
evidence to support their contentions. The tables provided in the Teaching Note will facilitate answers to the questions
provided here, especially Tables 57.
1. Please describe the ways in which team personnel and the fans facilitate and develop community at CavFanatic. In what
ways can the Cavaliers continue to build upon the CavFanatic brand?
2. What are potential new avenues for fan engagement via CavFanatic?
3. The balance between the Cavaliers brand and the CavFanatic brand extension raises issues about corporate partnership
relationships. In what ways can the Cavaliers utilize both platforms for partnership relationships and in what ways can
CavFanatic be used?
4. Please evaluate the sponsorship efforts activated at CavFanatic. What measures of success might be used in return on
investment analyses? Please explain why they would be used. Are there measures not used by the team that might be
helpful in the analyses?
Several activities were also created to develop the case into the future and are provided in the next section.
4.3. Activities
The activities provided here are designed to build upon the case and the class discussions surrounding it. These activities
are not a complete list of possibilities, but are meant to develop the strategic marketing concepts addressed in the case. Once
again, students should be encouraged to provide evidence to support their contentions. Tables 57 will assist the students
with these activities.
525
1. Please examine the sponsor presence across CavFanatic. Into what categories do the sponsorship activation activities fall?
Are there ways to improve the existing activation or to add additional activation points? Please explain.
2. Utilizing an existing CavFanatic partner (or one you would target), please develop a new engagement opportunity that will
bring together the partner and the fans. Please be sure to justify your choice of partner and include metrics to analyze the
success level of the opportunity.
3. Following a similar process to the rst activity, please visit other fan sites for sport teams (team afliated or not) and
examine the engagement opportunities provided. How do they compare with CavFanatic?
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If you build it, will they come?: A case study of digital spaces and brand in
the National Basketball Association
Case study
1. Introduction
Sport managers across the world are facing new challenges to the ways they approach fan engagement opportunities
because of emerging technologies on the Internet, global and regional competition, and economic and social changes in local
markets. These changes make it necessary for sport organization personnel to engage the various individuals and
communities within a fan base and to offer experiences beyond the game day.
This case evaluates the marketing strategy for the social media community developed by the Cleveland Cavaliers
(Cavaliers) at www.cavfantic.com (CavFanatic). While many cases have been created to explore various issues related to
sport management, few cases speak to the strategic use of digital spaces by sport organization personnel (Dittmore, Stoldt, &
Greenwell, 2008; Foster, Greyser, & Walsh, 2006; Freidman & Mason, 2007; Todd, Andrew, & Sowieta, 2009). The case
explores the marketing strategy for the new community and uses discussion questions and assignments to develop future
strategies and engagement opportunities for fans at CavFanatic. Throughout the case, issues regarding strategic marketing
are studied by examining issues the Cavaliers personnel faced as the fan site was developed (e.g., brand, brand awareness,
and brand extension).
The combination of developing the new CavFanatic brand and extending the Cavaliers brand into this new venture offered
the team a chance engage the fan base in new ways (e.g., forum area participation, user generated content opportunities).
Further, this move provides a new brand to generate revenue through sponsorship, ticket, and merchandise sales. The guiding
questions of this case are: (1) How did the Cavaliers utilize the strategic marketing elements to facilitate community and to generate
monetization opportunities? and (2) What should the team do in the future to grow the fan community and the new brand? The case
follows Natalie, a new hire for the Cavaliers and a member of the new media team as she begins her new position.
The different sections of this case study outline strategic marketing processes related to the development of CavFanatic,
the ways in which the team plans to engage supporters and sponsors, and the avenues for future site development.
Interspersed throughout the case are sections that highlight strategic marketing topics related to the case. At the conclusion
of the case, questions are asked about how the team personnel can continue to develop fan engagement and revenue
generation opportunities. The next section introduces the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise and the CavFanatic community.
2. The Cleveland Cavaliers
Established in 1970 by Clevelander Nick Mileti, team personnel at all levels have had to overcome perceptions of
ineptitude, bad luck, and irrelevance in the crowded sports and entertainment marketplace of Cleveland. As a struggling
expansion franchise, the Cavaliers had little success in the early years. Season after season went by with relatively few wins
and little fan interest except for the excitement of the 19751976 season when the team made a remarkable playoff run with
a talented mixture of youth and experience.
Subsequent ownership changes in the late 1970s and early 1980s failed to signicantly alter the fortunes of the Cavaliers.
In 1983, George and Gordon Gund, bought the team and within a few years fans saw a change in the teams fortunes. The fan
base was re-energized by a change in team colours and a new core of young, talented, marketable players and coaches: Mark
Price, Ron Harper, Craig Ehlo, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, and head coach Lenny Wilkens. This team had several 50 plus win
seasons and was a perennial playoff contender before another period of rebuilding began.
In 1994, the team moved from their rural residence of Richeld, Ohio to the downtown renewal project known as
Gateway. In tandem with the Cleveland Indians, Gateway was designed to renew downtown Cleveland by moving the
Indians from old Municipal Stadium to a state-of-the-art home eld (Jacobs Field, now Progressive Field) and brought the
Cavaliers back downtown to a new facility adjacent to it (Gund Arena, now Quicken Loans Arena). However, even a new
arena could not help the Cavaliers galvanize their fans to watch an uncompetitive team.
After nearly ten years of futility, redemption came in the form of a 60 800 superstar-in-waiting from Akron, Ohio: LeBron
James. The team once again changed colors, returning to the wine and gold combination of the teams early days. For the
seven years James was with the team, they received signicant media exposure and on court success until his departure in
2010. Current team owner, Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, invested a substantial amount of money to develop the team
into one of the fan-friendliest in the NBA and all of sports (Keating, 2009). Upon his taking ownership of the team, Gilbert
brought a renewed sense of customer focus and service to the team, something he developed and at Quicken Loans. The
company was ingrained with this ideology for over 25 years including being ranked highest in U.S. Primary Mortgage
Origination Satisfaction in 2010 (Power, 2010). He also invested in franchise infrastructure by constructing a new practice
facility in nearby Independence, Ohio. He renovated the Quicken Loans Arena (formerly Gund Arena) by, among other things,
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replacing all seats in the bowl area with those colored in the new Cavaliers scheme, added entertainment zones (e.g., live
music) throughout the concourse, installed a 28 foot high scoreboard that uses ames and the latest LED technology, and
even revised food offerings (e.g., vegetarian options, restaurant from Cleveland native Michael Symon). Other Gilbert owned
companies are at the leading edge of digital ticketing (e.g., Veritix, FlashSeats) pushing the team personnel to focus on value
at all levels of ticketing. For example, they created value-added ticket packages for fans such as a Guys Night Out package
(presented by Arbys) that included one game ticket, a pre-game dinner on the practice court, a choice of a special t-shirt or
Cavaliers Girls calendar, and a question and answer session with a journalist who covers the team. On select days, children
can shoot free throws after games and contests and events occur before, during, and after the game, both online and ofine.
CavFanatic is a website managed by the Cavaliers for the fans of the Cavaliers. It is the teams digital fan engagement
platform for relationship development. It incorporates news, information, and content from the team with user generated
content, community engagement, and social media platforms from the fans. The site is also an opportunity to diversify
sponsorship opportunities and to engage with their fans (and have the partners do the same). CavFanatic was launched 2008
and has been popular with fans, even spawning a merchandise opportunity as each season the Cavaliers play in and sell a
uniquely styled CavFanatic jersey. The CavFanatic platform offers exclusive photograph and video content from the Cavaliers
and spaces for fans to upload their own photographs and videos, create blogs, and engage in dialogue via forum areas. Areas
of importance related to the development and management of the community include engagement of fans and development
of an additional platform to monetize their digital spaces. The next section begins the examination of the CavFanatic website
and the strategic marketing processes used to develop it.
3. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the development of CavFanatic
Natalie was nervous as she walked to the main conference room on the fth oor of the Quicken Loans Arena. The diehard Cavaliers fan from the greater Cleveland area was now a working for her team. After spending three years with the
digital operations area of a professional baseball team, she was starting her rst day with the Cavaliers in their Web Services
department. Her rst meeting with members of the cross-functional new media team would begin at 9:00 a.m. With 30 min
to go, she dutifully entered the conference room and reviewed her notes until everyone arrived.
As an avid fan, she knew the Cavaliers always had a fan presence on their website, namely in the form of a successful
forum section. This section had consistently high membership and volume of posting activity across different topical
threads. However, when the team updated its main website, the popular forum pages were moved off the main site and onto
a new site to capitalize and to control monetization opportunities. She thought the move was a positive one because it gave
the fans their own home and allowed team personnel to better interact with them. As she jotted a few questions down, the
team members entered the room: Jose Ruiz (Director of New Media Sales), Bob Franklin (Director of Web Services), and
Nicole Campbell (Director of Strategic Marketing). Each was an experienced professional in the sport industry and with the
online aspects of the teams overall digital CavFanatic strategy.
3.1. Developing strategic brand priorities
The digital world has become an important, yet challenging, strategic element for sport marketers because it allows them to
develop and to execute ofine and online marketing efforts to achieve a number of organizational goals and to develop fan
engagement and revenue generation opportunities (Dixon, 2008; Grant, 2006). Thus, sport marketers are working to understand
how the digital space can be utilized by sport organization personnel to promote their brand and to engage their fans. Brand is a
foundational element of competitive advantage via the establishment of a relationship with customers across a range of
cognitive and emotional levels (Aaker, 1991; Hankinson, 2007; Lee, Miloch, Kraft, & Tatum, 2008; Shank, 2005). However,
traditional elements of brand are being reviewed in light of the opportunities presented by the digital world (Grant, 2006).
Historically, studies of brand and strategic marketing using the brand development process discussed the linkages
between a brand and customers. Marketing strategies traditionally have been comprised of various measures to raise
awareness and, eventually, to develop loyal customers (Aaker, 1991). Engagement goals are developed to achieve functional,
emotional, and social benets for customers, but organization personnel often communicate with them in a unilateral,
organizationally driven manner (Aaker, 1991, 1996; Hankinson, 2007; Grant, 2006; Lee, Miloch, Kraft, & Tatum, 2008; Shank,
2005). In other words, the correct way for a brand to be understood is communicated from organization personnel to an
individual (Blackston, 2000; Fortunato, 2008). With the increased use of social media in the digital space, sport marketers are
learning to work with their fans. (Grant, 2006; Nufer & Buhler, 2010; Santomeir, 2008). In doing so, they can learn more about
the activities of individuals and individuals-within-communities, which will create new and different engagement
opportunities, making sport organizations many things to many people (Barnatt, 1998; Fournier, 1998; Grant, 2006;
Kozinets, 2002). This was the challenge put to the Cavaliers with their new fan community at CavFanatic.
3.2. CavFanatic strategic marketing priorities
After a few minutes of introductions and welcomes, the team went to work. The members of new media team were
charged with setting the next phase of the CavFanatic marketing strategy. First, however, they needed to bring Natalie up to
date on the previous strategic marketing elements. Jose Ruiz began by providing an overview of why CavFanatic was created.
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CavFanatic was created because we needed to take the fans experience in the arena and bring it to their home or
ofce. This would allow us, and our corporate partners, to engage with our fans in new ways. He paused. We never
had an ofcial mission statement for our work on the site. Rather, we identied the vision informally by thinking about
how we could provide our fans with an ofcial community site they could call their own. We wanted them to
showcase their passion for the team and connect with other fans with similar levels of enthusiasm. Primarily, we
wanted to build and to strengthen our connection to our fans. Early on we set goals for the site and worked to
accomplish them.
What goals are most important to the team? Natalie asked.
A number of them, said Nicole Campbell, namely, to develop ofine/online relationships driving fan engagement, to
monetize the digital space, and to extend existing partnerships while working to develop new partnership activation
possibilities.
Here is a more specic list of the most important strategic goals from the beginning of CavFanatic said Jose handing
Natalie a piece of paper (Table 1).
3.3. Inter-organizational collaboration to pursue brand goals
Immediately, Natalie noticed these goals crossed over departmental boundaries. In her experience, working in the digital
world often blurred traditional organizational boundaries. The balance between interdepartmental goals is important to the
success of any venture.
Your brand goals seem to cross over departmental lines, Natalie said. Who rst developed these goals? And who is
in charge now?
Nicole answered, We developed the goals together with several internal teams including Marketing, Web Services, and
Corporate Partners, which is our corporate sales team. She continued, We needed to leverage each team/departments
strengths in order to make CavFanatic successful. To do this, a member of each department brought his or her specic
departmental goals and objectives for the site and shared them. This forced us to consider and to balance individual
department goals against our broader strategic vision and plan. In the end, our overall plan was developed.
This process seemed to work well, but Natalie knew successful goal development processes are more than just sharing
ideas. Often, they are developed after a period of analysis and benchmarking, in this case, involving a select set of other
websites. She asked what else the CavFanatic team did to create the goals for the website.
From the start, we were fan-focused because fans visiting social network sites want to showcase their opinions, to
receive recognition for their dedication, and to have unique experiences, said Jose.
With that as their guiding principal, Nicole went on to explain how the CavFanatic team reviewed sport and non-sport
social networking sites for structure, opportunities for users, and changes over time. Specically, the team evaluated two
other National Basketball Association teams known for having strong connections with their respective fan bases. A few
National Football League teams were also on the list.
Jose pointed out, At the start, we were interested in pricing issues for advertising and partnerships, location of
advertising placements, what advertisers and advertising messages were presented, and what kind of content generated the
most page views. Pricing can take the form of cost per thousand, which is based on costs for advertising per every 1000
impressions and billed at a certain time interval. It can also be a set price or lump sum for an advertising space, say on the
homepage, or it can vary depending on the mixture of engagement opportunities developed. For example, if we develop an
integrated engagement experience including a contest that requires online and ofine participation, we can have a
multifaceted pricing system based upon the value we can develop for them; data, sales, et cetera.
Table 1
Cavaliers Strategic Goals for s.
Revenue generation (fan)
Revenue generation (partners)
Technology (CavFanatic)
Community (CavFanatic)
To develop the site as a marketing

channel for ticket and
merchandise messaging
To expand data collection points
To sell a presenting partnership
To provide a technology solution,

which offers web 2.0 technology
To create inventory for additional

partnership development
To facilitate a fan community

connected to, but separate
from www.cavs.com
To be the best online

community in the
NBA/professional sport
To recognize and reward
the most loyal fans with
unique, branded opportunities
To encourage user generated
content
To provide fans with
opportunities to interact with
Cavaliers personalities
To expand online offers/promotions
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He added, Additional criteria we looked at included the number of members/registered users, aesthetics, content,
longevity, and recognition by others in the industry and the media. Evaluative criteria always change and we are open to
nding new and different ways to analyze a fans experience and a partners activation efforts.
3.4. Internal team building
The CavFanatic teams goals and strategic planning processes seemed straightforward to Natalie. However, she
questioned how the compromises between departments were managed.
She said, I know cross-functional or inter-departmental cooperation requires compromise, but how did you manage the
potential for conict? Who made the nal decisions about the goals?
Nicole acknowledged this point, Each department developed and presented its goals. Then, the entire transition team
evaluated the goals in an attempt to integrate them into a cohesive plan. Some goals overlapped and were easy to address,
but others required negotiation, for example, how and what types of data would be collected.
I made the nal decision on all goals as well as how the transition between forum platforms would take place, said
Bob. Advertising space pricing and corporate partnership development were included as part of the overall goal
development processes and all nancial projections were handled by Jose and myself. The three of us collaborated to
develop promotional efforts to target site members, but the nal goals were submitted for approval to the Executive
Vice President of Corporate Sales, the Senior Vice President of Marketing, and the Senior Vice President for
Communications. However, we really wanted to and continue to strive for community and engagement within this
virtual community.
3.5. Virtual communities
CavFanatic is a virtual community. These communities are information sources and places of social interaction (Mason,
1999; Rheingold, 1991, 1993). They can be built around a social interest (e.g., fan site for a sport team, gathering point for
individuals aficted with cancer) or developed around products and services (e.g., Hersey chocolate fan club) (Acosta &
Devasagayam, 2010; Green, 2001; Maffesoli, 1996). Some scholars argued that social communities in digital spaces emerged
because of a reaction to the social fragmentation of the modern world (Flew, 2002). Others noted the constant gathering of
people through human history and it should not be a surprise that people should seek out others with similar ideas or
backgrounds in the digital world (Flew, 2002).
Emerging social media platforms, such as FaceBook and Twitter, augment traditional websites as a way to develop
connectivity and interactivity among individuals (Grant, 2006; Mangold & Faulds, 2009). Social media platforms help
individuals seek out connections and relationships with others (Safko, 2010). As digital communication moves in this
direction, it brings about a need for increased interactivity by sport marketers with their fans (Safko, 2010).
3.6. Building digital structures
Developing and maintaining CavFanatic.com is complex, thought Natalie. For a website as complicated as CavFanatic, did
the team plan for the technology side as extensively as they had the strategic goals? Natalie did not want to call out anyone in
any way as this was her rst day with the team, but she thought the process had to be more complicated than the three of
them made it appear.
Looking at Bob Franklin, she said, Bob, how did you balance existing digital structures with the addition of new
components to the online experience? Were there any problems with this from the start? Now?
He replied, My primary concern came from the transition from the old forum area on the Cavaliers website to the new
one on CavFanatic. Since I have nal word on the entire CavFanatic site, all successes and problems land at my desk. However,
no serious problems occurred with the transition and the ones that did occur were manageable, you know just bugs and easy
things to x. We want to use the latest technology, but we use what we need and what we can manage.
Jose jumped in, We dont want to get too excited about a piece of software or application that might offer a little return
for a big investment. For us, we need to provide the fans with a stable platform, one they can guarantee will work 24/7,
especially around game-days. Keeping the site available is a key element to develop community. If the fans have no place to
go, they cannot connect with us or each other. Communication is key; engagement, opportunities, fun.
Content updates are key for us, especially news and player information like injury updates, Nicole noted. Content is
key to our brand. Blogs, FaceBook, fresh videos; it all drives our brand.
3.7. Building brand in the digital space
CavFanatic represents a new brand and a brand extension for the Cavaliers. Building this new brand requires maintaining
elements of the Cavaliers brand while simultaneously providing a platform for the fans to (co)construct what CavFanatic stands
for, both among themselves (community) and with the team (relationship). In other words, the new community must t with
531
the overall values and goals of the Cavaliers and their fans (Bridges, Lane Keller, & Sood, 2000; Brudvig & Raman, 2006).
Reconciling traditional strategic marketing with ideas of engagement and (co)construction requires a perspective
change regarding brands (Grant, 2006; Nufer & Buhler, 2010; Santomeir, 2008). Rather than being static and stable, brands
need to become part of the social fabric, almost as a new societal custom (Grant, 2006). Marketing strategy for brands must be
uid; a lifestyle within a set of cultural ideas accessible and malleable to individual tastes (Horne, 2006; Grant, 2006; Maffesoli,
1996).
Since people are the center of the social media world, the individuality of sport fans, coupled with the (co)constructed
nature of fandom itself, makes it challenging to apply traditional brand personality frameworks to fan sites (Lampel & Bhalla,
2007; Maffesoli, 1996; Pentzold, 2010). These sites are built for people with varying identities, identication processes, and
personality elements that comprise their fandom (Braunstein & Ross, 2010; Hou, 2003). In the digital world, diversity breeds
individuality and community at the same time. Fluid strategies, grounded in organizational values, are needed to reach
individuals, while helping to facilitate communities, while reaching the traditional mass audience (Grant, 2006). These are
the challenges facing sport marketers as they plan in todays digital world.
3.8. Building the brand with and for the fans
So far, Natalie was impressed by the strategic marketing of CavFanatic. In her mind, though, she continued to wonder why
the team should develop a new site when the fans feedback indicated they were happy with the original site.
Earlier, you mentioned working closely with the fans. I would be surprised if some of the fans were not happy with
the move, if only because they did not like change. Why did you x what didnt seem to be broken? she asked.
First and foremost, we wanted to make sure the foundation of what was successful for us on the existing
www.cavs.com forum areas remained intact. The absolute last thing we wanted to do was change the forum culture,
answered Nicole.
Jose added, Our plan from the start was to include the fans in the planning and goal development process. To do this, we
held a series of online town-hall style meetings. We used instant message chat platforms to obtain suggestions, opinions, and
feedback about the process and future site content. The fans, as only they can be, were energetic and enthusiastic about the
move.
Yeah, the support from their feedback was the major decision maker for this initiative and gave us the condence to
proceed, said Nicole. We like the information and data gathering ability offered by a virtual community, which is
why its free, but registration is required. However, we did not want to take advantage of our fans. Engaging them in
dialogue allowed us to explain our thoughts to them and to let them share their thoughts with us. We cant do
everything they want, but we need to see what they want and do our best to provide it for them.
Jose also noted, Our main website averaged around ve million page views per month and over 250,000 unique
visitors per month during the 20072008 season. After launching CavFanatic, we saw an average of over six million
total page views during the rst eight months for it. We expect this growth to continue
In this folder, we put several pages of data about CavFanatic to help you understand where we have been in the past
few years, Jose said handing Natalie a wine and gold folder. It should help you get acquainted with us from both
process and outcomes standpoints (please see Appendix A).
So you believe the CavFanatic brand was an easy sell to the fans? Natalie asked.
Denitely, their loyalty to our brand is important because we made the CavFanatic site adaptable to fan needs so we
can provide numerous opportunities for entertainment, facilitate fan bonding, and allow new traditions to develop,
said Jose. The key is that we provide these opportunities and not a non-afliated, third party.
I spent many months exploring the ways we could utilize Web 2.0 elements on the site. I really wanted user
generated content to drive many of the sites social aspects. When fans can express themselves, they get to know each
other in a personal basis. So do we. Thats why we offer the opportunity to upload photographs and videos and even
allow fans to create groups and blogs in addition to simple chatting; its another product attribute for the fans. We
want to engage them emotionally, functionally in as many ways and as often as we can, acknowledged Bob.
From her own experience, Natalie knew personal pages can be created on forum sites to allow fans a space where they
could demonstrate support for the team. The forum area is the central feature of the CavFanatic site and gives the members a
voice, although moderators have overall control of the content (e.g., rules, locking threads).
532
Table 2
CavFanatic membership comparison.a
Members
Photographs
Blog posts
Group pages
8 Oct 09
3 May 10
13 Aug 10
18 Oct 10
7 Jan 11
25 Mar 11
15,278
48,511
6504
NA
23,324
64,994
10,732
280
27,121
70,080
13,209
262
27,585
71,987
13,435
262
28,383
71,267
12,021
196
28,948
72,305
12,296
199
a
From 3 May 2010 to 7 January 2011, the site maintained twelve forum areas (with several sub-forum areas), thirty-one User Generated Content video
pages (3 May 2010), and thirty-three User Generated Content video pages (13 August 201025 March 2011).
Natalie asked, Bob, do you watch over the content and the chat rooms yourself? It seems like a great deal of work. How
does this process work?
No, no. I can do it, but others are also involved. The sheer number of forum pages makes it hard for one person, Bob
answered. We strive to have a place where fans can say what they believe, but we do monitor for language and
content. We nd the fans appreciate this and police themselves.
She turned to Nicole, You spoke of helping to facilitate community by offering interesting experiences. Have you offered
any recently?
We did a few creative ones, she said laughing. One time the fans were able to coin the name of former Cavalier Mo
Williams running oater, called the Mo Flow. They submitted new nicknames for Shaquille ONeal when he signed in
200910 and even style designs for Daniel Gibsons next haircut.
Jose pointed to the folder he gave Natalie earlier and said, Over 11,000 members registered with CavFanatic in the rst
year and you can see more current gures there. We expect some uctuation in the numbers, but we are happy with the
growth curve and expect it to continue (Table 2).
Our forum areas are broken into different topic areas, such as Team Talk, which is the main forum for Cavaliers
information, and Rumor Mill, Free Agency, Trade Ideas, and Draft Talk. While we cannot post rumors as ofcial news, we
provide space for fans to chat about these issues and do not try to interfere with the debates. If not, they would simply nd
other places to chat about these topics and we would lose out on engagement opportunities, data, and user generated
content. Other forum areas were developed to capitalize on the fans overall sport interests, such as Off-Topic, which
includes content not related to basketball at all, and the section about the Indians and Major League Baseball. We try to
capitalize on fan interest by having a ticket section to discuss items of interest there as well as a Q&A forum to help answer
questions about CavFanatic, the team, or anything else a fan might need, said Nicole (Table 3).
We found the average fan visit to CavFanatic is over ten minutes and we are in the top three of page views and video
streaming in the entire league, said Bob. The fans click through to almost four pages per visit and if you think of the
number of posts that can be on a particular page, thats quite a lot. The content uctuates because basically, the videos
are uploaded user generated content by fans. The fans control this and we found we have around 3033 pages at any
given time in a month. We leave the content up as long as the fan wishes to keep it up. We will remove it if someone
nds it offensive or if it includes copyright protected content, things like that. If we move to another platform
provider, then we might purge some of the content since it might not transfer to the new platform easily.
A memo in the folder had brief descriptions of other CavFanatic social activities, both ofine and online. Ofine, the
Cavaliers created CavFanatic nights during the season, which included special pre-game events, including hosting parties for
Table 3
CavFanatic forum areas.
Forum areas
Purpose
TeamTalk
Rumor, Mill, Free Agency, & Draft Talk
Around the NBA & Global Basketball
Videos, Team Music, Images, Wallpapers, Etc.
Cavaliers History
Special Offers
About the Cleveland Cavaliers

All player personnel issues
All basketball issues not related to the Cleveland Cavaliers
User generated content to be downloaded
About the franchise since its inception in 1970
Special offers to fans from the Cavaliers, Lake Erie Monsters,
Quicken Loans Arena, and related partners
All issues not related to Cavaliers and NBA basketball
About the Cleveland Indians and Major League Baseball
Issues related to Cavaliers tickets
For fan questions
Terms of use, reporting technical issues, and all related issues
Moderator controlled game predictions
Storage area for old threads
Off-Topic
Tribe and MLB Talk
Ticket Talk
Questions & Answers
CavFanatic Community Information, Bugs, and Suggestions
Ofcial Prediction Threads
Locked Threads
533
the CavFanatic members so they can meet each other ofine (e.g., at the HardRock Cafe, a team sponsored summer barbeque/
social event) and special seating in the Fanatic Attic in the upper bowl, an important offering given the teams string of soldout games over the last few years. Other opportunities for community development came in the form of an ofcial
CavFanatic jersey (worn during select home games). During the broadcasts of the games, the jerseys are specically referred
to as CavFanatic jerseys, the rst product-oriented linkage between the ofine and online worlds of the Cavaliers not
involving tickets. Natalie laughed a little as she read of one give-away premium for fans linked to the CavFanatic world; a
bobblehead gure of Anderson Varejao wearing the 2010 CavFanatic jersey.
Did you read about the bobblehead? asked Jose. Brand extension and fan engagement at its nest, he added with a
smile. Natalie nodded while laughing, Theres one on my desk.
3.9. Monetizing the brand: corporate relationships through CavFanatic
Fans were one thing, thought Natalie, but the CavFanatic team also mentioned the revenue generation opportunities
beyond fans. Given the changes to the team in the 2010 offseason, creating meaningful experiences for fans and partners was
a key point for the team to generate revenue. The CavFanatic site has had a presenting partner for most of its existence and
provides promotional and message content to engage the CavFanatic fans with the teams partners.
Verizon is the title sponsor for CavFanatic, right? she asked.
Jose replied, Yes. They became the title sponsor in 2009 and will continue through 201112. This was a little tricky given
Time Warner has a signicant ofine presence at Quicken Loans Arena (Time Warner Entrance-main entrance) and on our
main website. Keeping those brand strategies separate is not impossible, but it is complicated.
We also brought a Chinese partner on board with us in 20092010. TsingTao Beer presented the ofcial CavFanatic
fan of the month throughout the season, through online registration only. More recently, they added sponsorship of
the Meet a Cavaliers Girl opportunity on the main team website. The contest was promoted across our online platforms
and around the arena. We are always looking to formulate new partners for our ideas, he added.
Our two brands, the team and CavFanatic, allow unique promotional efforts for sponsorships and partnerships
including smaller, audience-targeted, or time-specic partners, especially on predictably high trafc days, such as a
game day, Nicole said. For example, with an advertising space above the fold on the site, say for a contest, we can
have a sponsor in an advertising space until noon on a game-day and then change over to another one during the game.
Further, we have seen opportunities in changing our pricing for predictable days where the site will see more trafc,
which lets us offer premium pricing for roadblocks, or the same partner in the same position no matter who visits the
site, as well as interesting options such as corner peels. We are currently revisiting our pricing structure, so any ideas
you have on this are welcome too.
When we work with our partners to dene their digital presence with us, we constantly tell them of the fan-driven
goals we talked about before and work to blend our goals with theirs. You know, bring our fans to them. Nearly all of
our content and even many of the advertising and promotional messages are linked to these goals, Jose added. A visit
to the site is experiential and we offer access to special offers non-CavFanatics cannot get.
Continuing, he said, We hope to continue build the CavFanatic brand by using multiple partners to promote
interconnected, unique opportunities, especially those linking onlineofine actions and activities to drive trafc not only in
the digital world, but also to drive trafc to live ofine events and places. These are high level of engagement opportunities
handing Natalie another memo. Here is some of the latest nancial information from CavFanatic.
As she read, Natalie saw the Cavaliers secured ve times as many sponsorship accounts with online revenue in 2008
2009 as they did in 20072008. The number of partnerships developed with an online component to them doubled in that
period. The memo stated this was driven by increased attention to identifying and placing online advertising units
throughout key pages of CavFanatic, developing targeted email notications and verications, and identifying a variety of
monetization points throughout the CavFanatic website.
As Natalie read on, Nicole mentioned, One of our strengths is developing linked onlineofine activation opportunities
for our partners. Over the last few years, we have reduced the number of ads across the site, but balanced this with more
engaging ideas, not just banner ads. We want ads that drive trafc and/or user actions, like entering a contest or clicking on a
poll. We also created more premium opportunities for high levels of engagement and data collection. We do not do rotational
spaces and integrate as much as we can between all the digital assets, like email and social networking. The ofine and online
assets we have can be utilized separately or in synch with a targeted campaign.
Jose added, One of our key ofineonline activations last year, and a higher order engagement opportunity than a click,
was with Mexican Delightz, a national chain (MD). For one day only, CavFanatics received a coupon, found online, for a free
taco with no strings attached. We used Twitter, the CavFanatic site, and other digital methods to spread the word. Over 3500
coupons were redeemed at MD. They were blown away. Further, the story was covered in our digital newsletter for
additional exposure after the event.
534
Bob chimed in, Our metrics are key to our success and the success of our partners through these types of enhanced
sponsorship activities. The digital space offers the opportunity to develop different, but complimentary return on
investment (ROI) metrics. Some of these include the rate fans click through our site, which is a measure of time spent on
a page, cost per click, cost per impression, and qualitative content such as comments from fans. Cost per click, for
example is a rate charged based upon a number of clicks to a digital advertisement. Cost per impression deals with the
views on a page as a factor in developing a pricing strategy for that space (e.g., advertisement, contest entry form). The
challenge is to match a basket of metrics with each opportunity in order to measure a fans experience as holistically as
possible. The result is a data set for us and our partners to study and to learn from in order to develop future
opportunities for fans.
I see the website has numerous different areas to monetize in this respect, Natalie noted. How do you choose what
and where to monetize through partnerships? For each platform available, for example a blog space or video pre-roll,
there would be a different monetary value. The better platforms and content we can provide the better rates we can
charge for their use by partners. Then, the ROI metrics act as historical justication for the prices as well as
opportunities to grow and to offer new engagement and revenue generation opportunities, right?
Yes. You can see our revenue data and goals for digital revenues for the upcoming season right here, said Jose,
turning to a paper in Natalies folder (Table 4).
After its rst year, CavFanatic generated more than a third of the Cavaliers dedicated online revenue. Combined revenues
across the Cavaliers main website and the CavFanatic site make the team one of only two in the NBA to break the US$1
million mark in online revenues in 2009. As Natalie reviewed this information, Bob commented on another of the teams
goals: being the best online site.
We are happy with the sites performance so far, but we know we need to continue to improve the brand if we want to be
the best. Areas of continued attention include fan participation, size of the community, site design, functionality, and the
cool factor of new technologies. We will continue to research and to implement new technologies across the site, especially
the user functionality elements of the site, because this will help us develop new fan and partner opportunities.
Natalie asked, Who determines best? Is it you or someone outside the team? Is there an independent way to determine
these ratings; one that the public might know and trust?
Well, Bob replied, that is tricky. There is no single rating service for these things. Obviously, we want league
approval and not run into issues with them. Overall, we want to be the best NBA online community, but that will take
time to develop. I argue we are the best based on fan engagement and content depth, but that is subjective and we
could all argue who is the leagues best. For us, ultimately, if our fans are happy, and they will tell us when they are not,
then we know how we are doing. We examine league data and compare it with ours, for example number of users per
month or total pages viewed. Also, our internal goals provide us with a measuring stick for areas such as revenue
generated through partnerships, participation rates in contests, and things like that. At one point, no other team had a
presenting partner for social media and we did. That helps dene best for us.
When national attention is given, like when we were named among the fan-friendliest teams in American sport
(Keating, 2009), that is a nod towards best for us because CavFanatic is part of our overall market strategy, added Jose.
However, there is no single way to be the best. It is about the experience, especially for the community members. We
do our best to bring many opportunities to the table because our fans are so diverse.
Nicole pointed at the nancial memo she gave to Natalie earlier in the meeting noting, Most of our nancial objectives
were surpassed. At the end of the 20082009 season, we had celebrity proles placed on the site and multi-partner contests,
which means we hit additional goals we set. We have consistently met nearly all of our goals for each season, which includes
maintaining high levels of performance for existing initiatives.
4. Moving forward
Whats next, then, Natalie asked.
Thats why youre here, Nicole joked.
Table 4
Digital Revenue CavFanatic (renewals and new sales).
20072008
20082009
20092010
20102011 (estimated)
20112012 Goal
US$425,000
US$1,256,700
US$1,504,420
US$1,800,000
US$2,400,000
535
Table 5
Cavaliers strategic goals (2011).
Revenue generation
Community development
To introduce new partners to www.cavfanatic.com
To continue to rene the CavFanatic experience by introducing

technology updates
To create more ways for CavFanatic fans to connect with each
other and the Cavaliers, both online and ofine
To continue to effectively communicate across the fan base and
across a variety of messages
To draw closer links between CavFanatic and the

overall Cavaliers family of companies
To create a matrix of variable advertising positions
and pricing systems due to tracking fan
behaviours on the site on game and non-game days
Our teams mission has changed from development and implementation of the marketing strategy to one of growth
and expansion of the brand, Jose said. The three of us compiled a list of important future areas. You are here to help
us nd ways to keep the CavFanatic brand fresh and to develop new ways to monetize the site, he added (Table 5).
Jose continued. The revenue generation goals center on our ability to monetize the digital space. We are fortunate to
have started this process aggressively with www.cavs.com and took that drive and expertise to CavFanatic. Digital spaces
allow for different types of engagement opportunities and are great ways to stay in touch with fans away from game-days.
While we can sell traditional advertising spaces, we prefer more engaging opportunities, like a contest or an integrated video
to watch sponsored by someone.
Community-wise, we want to facilitate better contact with and among the CavFanatics. We began this with our game
events, but want to increase this to other, non-game events such as dinners or meet-and-greets, said Bob. You will
nd additional data about CavFanatic in the folder, he said pointing to the wine and gold folder (please see
Appendix A).
We need to develop ways to continue to increase our CavFanatic membership levels, to increase revenue streams, and
to continue to fulll our strategic marketing objectives and those of our corporate partners, said Bob.
Further, we need to further integrate CavFanatic into our overall Cavaliers strategic brand planning, while retaining
the unique CavFanatic brand characteristics, Jose pointed out. Keeping pace with technological changes and fan
behaviour in online settings will continue to shape the direction of the site.
We will meet again tomorrow; same time. Any thoughts, strategies, or ideas you can develop between now and then
will help us begin this second phase. Until then, please let us know if you need anything else, Nicole said.
Natalie looked at the clock. The meeting was nearly over and she believed she had more questions than answers. The
platform was developed to engage the fan base in new ways and to build new monetization strategies. The digital space remains
an ever-shifting context sport managers wish to engage in, but face challenges in doing so. The challenges relate to keeping the
content fresh and the experience as engaging and entertaining for the fans as it has in the past. Before leaving, Natalie jotted
notes about the Cavaliers key strategic questions related to the ways they can continue to develop the CavFanatic brand.
* In what ways can community be developed at CavFanatic? How can existing community level be strengthened?
* How can they develop strategic marketing plans to integrate, to communicate, and to promote the team and other brand
elements of the Cavaliers with the CavFanatic community (e.g., community outreach, environmental initiatives)? Are
there specic brand attributes that can they can build upon to accomplish this?
* How can they continue to develop new and exciting engagement opportunities for the CavFanatic fans to develop
greater loyalty? What would these opportunities look like? How can the Cavaliers reach out to connect with new fans?
* How can the Cavaliers expand its communication of the brand to fans without becoming intrusive?
*Based upon the pricing information the Cavalier currently use, which of the following options makes the most sense
when developing pricing options for digital inventory and integrated engagement opportunities: CPM, static or lump
sum, or a standard variable rate depending on the opportunity offered.
* What new technologies can the CavFanatic team nd and use to further all of their other ideas?
As everyone left the meeting room, Natalie took her notes and went back to her desk. She stared at the Anderson Varejao
bobblehead and asked it, What do we do?
Appendix A
Table 6.
Table 7.
Table 8.
536
Table 6
Page view data.
Site
Season
Site visits
(million)
Unique site
visitors
Total pages
viewed (million)
Total news page

visits (million)
Cavs.com
20078
20089
200910
20078
20089
200910
11.05
12.12
13.43
NA
1.063
2.04
425,000
476,000
531,250
NA
38,250
49,300
44.2
47.6
52.7
NA
4.335
5.70
1.7
2.35
2.82
NA
NA
NA
CavFanatic.com
Table 7
Sample site data by selected games.
Game
Sample
Sample
Sample
Sample
Sample
Sample
Game
Game
Game
Game
Game
Game
1
1
2
2
3
3
(Cavs.com)
(CavFanatic)
(CavFanatic)
(CavFanatic)
(CavFanatic)
(CavFanatic)
Year
HomePage view
Total views
Unique visitors
25 Dec 2007
25 Dec 2008
9 Jan 2008
9 Jan 2009
25 Jan 2008
29 Jan 2009
19,550
35,700
32,300
69,700
34,000
68,000
88,400
175,950
119,850
228,650
113,900
260,100
19,550
35,700
23,800
63,750
32,300
60,350
Table 8
Average cost per thousand views (CPM) in sport 20092011 (derived from Coyle, 2010; Digital Inspiration, 2009; Kennan, 2011).a,b
Year
Type
CPM cost (average)
2009
2010
2011
2010
Advertising rates
Advertising rates
Advertising rates
Video pre-roll
US$6.15 ($6)
US$1020 ($15)
US$610 ($8)
US$2050 ($35)
Includes banner advertisements, brick or square advertisements (e.g., 300 250 standard size).
Cost per thousand views is a common metric to develop pricing for advertisements on the Internet. It refers to the cost per 1000 impressions of a web
page. If a website tracks the number of times a page is clicked onto, then they can calculate the value of the advertising on that page.
b
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Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

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Sport Management Review

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

Social network platforms (e.g., MySpace, FaceBook)

United States (percent share)

Non-United States (percent share)

US$1.4 billion (55.4 percent)

US$1.13 billion (44.6 percent)

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

Customized Group Pages

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

CavFanatic of the Month

Cavaliers Insider Newsletter

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

Revenue generation (partners)

To develop the site as a marketing

To sell a presenting partnership

To provide a technology solution,

To create inventory for additional

To facilitate a fan community

To be the best online

To expand online offers/promotions

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

About the Cleveland Cavaliers

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

To introduce new partners to www.cavfanatic.com

To continue to rene the CavFanatic experience by introducing

To draw closer links between CavFanatic and the

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

Total news page

CPM cost (average)

M.E. Pfahl et al. / Sport Management Review 15 (2012) 518537

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