GRIP BOOST
MY CHALLENGE: Engineering PhDs from the University of Maryland’s Chemical Engineering Department teamed up with former Terps' and Ravens' Tight End Matt Furstenburg to tackle one of the biggest problems with football gloves - the rapid decline in tackiness/grip of the gloves (especially after a trip through the washing machine!). Supported by TEDCO, a State of Maryland Technology and Innovation Incubator/Fund, I was engaged to research and evaluate the marketability, primary & secondary markets, define & create appropriate brand assets and roll all that up into a 12-month go-to-market strategy with an established budget.
WHAT DID I Do?
Working with the GripBoost team and Program managers at TEDCO, I used their initial market study to understand and validate the full opportunity within the football PeeWee, High School, Collegiate and Professional segments. Additionally, upon further discussions the team realized the product could be a substitute for the very messy Pine-Tar, often used by batters within the baseball segment. Finally the golf segment seemed to be a nature line extension.
With this understanding, I developed the go-to-market plan, we used various methods to create awareness, consideration and ultimately sales. In the direct-to-consumer, leveraging PR for product reviews in sports magazines, social media trial programs, PPC/SEM/SEO, video reviews & endorsements from sports professionals, branded online property and creating a storefront on Amazon were all initial tactics.
For development of the distributor channel, we participated in several regional and national sports product trade shows, further leveraged trade industry PR, created sponsorship relationships with K-12 regional sports facilities and regional sports teams in baseball and football.
This plan needed a complete refresh for all consumer facing assets from brand imagery & messaging, to website design, packaging design & manufacturing, tradeshow booth design & manufacturing, product data sheets, product videos, digital & print ads and essentially any piece of collateral needed to create awareness and drive sales.
To facilitate all this, I engaged and managed a strategic branding agency, worked with freelance photographers & videographers, designers, website developers, PPC/SEM specialists and public relations professionals for the creation and execution of the go-to-market plan.
ADVERTISING
WEBSITE COntent management
PR
Traditional and sourced placements in the media outlets below enhanced the brand position, extended reach and laid the foundation for thought-leadership.
EXHIBIT DISPLAY
RESULTS
VIDEOGRAPHY
