High School Athletic Departments Must Make Marketing Their Business

They’re using terms like “access points,” “brand allegiance” and “prime demographic markets.” They’re analyzing everything from “expendable incomes” and “discretionary spending” to the advantages of “guerrilla marketing.”

What does all this gobbledygook have to do with high school sports? Plenty, now that the California Interscholastic Federation’s marketing strategy is in full swing.

Last month, the CIF kicked off its most aggressive marketing campaign to date, soliciting corporate sponsorships to help fund its $1.4 million budget. Forget home-run leaders and track and field records. The statistic to watch this spring is how many corporate dollars the CIF can bring in before the 1993-94 school year.

Certainly, this isn’t the first time the CIF has held out a tin cup to cash-rich corporations. Dr. Pepper offered the Southern Section financial support in the late 1970s, as did Coke, Pepsi, Sunny Delight and others through the 1980s. But with a three-year $1.5 million commitment by Reebok expiring in June--and a $200,000-per-year sponsorship by Pepsi running out next year--the CIF figures to be in need once again.

Don’t believe it? Consider this: At last Thursday’s Southern Section general council meeting, a handout titled “Cost Saving Measures” suggested several possibilities--eliminating playoffs for non-revenue sports, cutting back on the number of contests and tournaments allowed per team, reducing levels of teams per sport . . . and more.

Yes, folks, this is serious stuff. As everyone scraping by on today’s economy knows, the public school system isn’t exactly flush these days--and don’t high school principals know it. Fifteen years ago, many screamed “Commercialism!” when the idea of corporate sponsorship was first introduced. Today, that sentiment has been plowed under in order to meet the bottom line.

“Every dime we can raise means less money the schools need to pay for athletic-related activities,” State CIF Commissioner Tom Byrnes says. Without corporate sponsorships, “we’d have to do what we’ve done for the past 74 years and that’s depend solely on dues and playoff revenues.”

Bob Seagren--yes, that Bob Seagren--is the director of sports marketing for the Woodland Hills firm that is working with the CIF on its sponsorship-seeking game plan. He disagrees with the notion that accepting corporate support is equal to selling out.

“It’s not selling out,” Seagren says. “The money has to come from somewhere. The taxpayers don’t want to pay it. The government doesn’t want to pay it. Where do you go?”

Where? On the marketing trail, of course, one that Seagren seems to have all figured out. The average high school student in America spends $33 per week--on food, music and whatnot--Seagren says. Add that to the fact that the CIF puts on about 4,445 sports events per school year and the prep sports market is a natural for much of the business world.

“Brand loyalties for certain products are formed in the high school years,” Seagren says. A high school sporting event “is an access point. It’s a market corporations actively seek. The exposure to their product isn’t just to the athlete but to the athlete’s siblings, his parents, his friends, even the faculty.”

So who is the CIF targeting so far? Here’s a partial list, with a few possible marketing ideas to boot:

* Nike. The sports shoe giant says it’s definitely interested and the CIF--perhaps envisioning guest appearances by Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, et al--would love to have the company.

* KCAL/Disney. That’s right. The company that brought you the Mighty Ducks movie/hockey team apparently is very interested. No word yet if the deal would call for Mickey Mouse to replace Byrnes as commissioner.

* Wherehouse. Face it. Any music chain would be a godsend. That horrible, warbled halftime music at football games simply has to go.

* Wilson Sporting Goods. Not to be confused with Wilson’s House of Suede, WSG would probably provide footballs, basketballs, etc. for CIF playoffs.

* The California Milk Advisory Board. Seagren says the CMAB hasn’t shown much interest lately and that’s too bad. We were hoping to see milking contests at halftime. Or a “Don’t Have A Cow” campaign aimed at tantrum-prone coaches.

Anything to get us through all the gobbledygook.