Central Texas Speedway (CTS), located in Kyle, Texas, is looking to establish
relationships with local media in Austin, San Antonio, Kyle, San Marcos, and
Buda ...
Central Texas Speedway Strategic Communications Plan Spring 2013 Situation Central Texas Speedway (CTS), located in Kyle, Texas, is looking to establish relationships with local media in Austin, San Antonio, Kyle, San Marcos, and Buda in order to generate interest for their April 5th opening day. The track serves as a place to view side-by-side racing with several classes of cars, and can also function as a concert venue, corporate event space, and family entertainment center. Formerly Thunderhill Raceway, the track is now under new ownership and has been completely revamped. CTS now features newly renovated VIP suites, an official pro beach volleyball court, horseshoe pits, a full concessions stand and a “Car Bar.” CTS is looking toward traditional and social media tactics to generate publicity for the track’s opening event. CTS is home to On Track Experience, a pro karting and team-building entity. Kyle, Texas is one of the fastest growing areas in the country; it’s the 5th fastest growing area in the state of Texas according to the 2010 Census. Many corporate businesses are looking to move into Kyle. New businesses could provide potential for great sponsorships and partnerships. CTS leadership has already created many alliances and gained respect in the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Texas Motor Speedway, Formula 1, Driveway Austin, Harris Hill Road, San Antonio Raceway, Little River Dragway, and Lonestar Motorsports Park are CTS’ biggest local competitors. These other raceways may be a threat to CTS because they have been around longer and CTS is a new business venture. Unfortunately, there is no distinguishing logo or sign up at the front of the raceway yet. This could cause an issue, as there is no external differentiating factor to separate CTS from its former alias as Thunderhill. There might also be a considerable reputation to live up to: Thunderhill Raceway was already highly respected in the area before it became Central Texas Speedway. Social media work for CTS has been minimal. All accounts appear to be unused. The likes, follows, and activity are low across the board. The Twitter page only has 12 tweets and the link to the Twitter page does nto appear on the first Google search page. The CTS Facebook page isn’t interactive, and it possesses no content-driven posts. The YouTube account doesn’t have a video posted yet, and the profile pictures on each account appear blurry. The link to the CTS website is almost halfway down the first Google search page. The website should advertise more information about the opening on the first page of the website. The opening countdown and information about the opening should be moved up on the Google search list. SEO needs to be worked on so CTS-created information is at the top of search list.
CTS has had very limited press, and they haven’t really engaged the community so far. There are only two known articles published about the track opening. There are no quotes from excited residents of the area or new customers, and links to the articles weren’t published to the CTS website. There needs to be more media coverage so that the community is aware and there is considerable hype about the April opening. In the next 3 months, DPG will work to position Central Texas Speedway as a premiere raceway in the Austin area, and seek to increase social and traditional media coverage. Objectives To assist Central Texas Speedway with its promotional needs, DPG Communications will attempt to: • Increase Central Texas Speedway's Twitter followership by 25% by April 1. • Double the number of Facebook followers before April 5. • Garner at least 5 local media outlets to cover Central Texas Speedway. Audience Our primary target audiences are residents of Kyle, Texas; specifically families, NASCAR fans and country music fans in the Kyle-Austin-San Antonio area, corporate CEOs, fans of Thunderhill Raceway, college students in Austin and San Antonio, and Austin tourists.
Residents of Kyle, Texas o Residents of the area surrounding the track would be great publics to reach. According to KyleEd.com (stats from the U.S. Census Bureau), the average Kyle resident is a female over the age of 18. Although they are a big part of, women are not a NASCAR audience. The majority of the population is Caucasian, but there is a considerably large Hispanic population. The average yearly salary of a Kyle resident is $67,910. Most people in the area only have a high school degree (75.1%), and 62.3% of the population is married. There are a lot of families in Kyle. CTS should market its amenities, package ticket deals that it will offer in the future, and the family-friendly fun it will provide in order to attract more Kyle families. o Austin and San Antonio College Students There are many colleges in the surrounding San Antonio and Austin areas. This audience is full of students of all races from ages 18-25. Reaching out to student groups, student governments, and Greek organizations to sponsor events or fundraisers could be a great way to increase revenue and create publicity through social media. Austin Colleges include: University of Texas at Austin (main campus), St. Edward’s, Concordia University at Austin, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Huston-Tillotson University. San Antonio Colleges include: University of Texas San Antonio, St. Philip’s College, Trinity University, St. Mary’s University, University of
the Incarnate Word, Our Lady of the Lake University, Hallmark College of Technology and Aeronautics, Texas A&M University San Antonio. NASCAR and Racing Fans o NASCAR recently sanctioned Central Texas Speedway’s track for races. The track should target NASCAR fans. According to PerformanceResearch.com, the average NASCAR fan can be described as predominately males (78%), married (73%), with an average age of 42 years, who owns a home (81%), with 3.4 cars per household. The median household income range is between $35,000 and $50,000 and almost all are employed full time (87%). Country Music Fans in the Kyle-Austin-San Antonio area o In October, CTS will be the official venue of the Kyle Music Festival. The festival primarily showcases country music acts. CTS also hopes to secure an “Alist” country star for their opening day event. It will be important to target country music fans in order to attract possible visitors to the track. o The average country listener is a Caucasian person who is 35-54 years of age (42.6%). Almost 38% of country listeners are between the ages of 18-34. Men and women enjoy country music at an almost equal rate with women making up 52.2% of listeners, and men with 47.8%. They have an average income of $30K$50K per year. Corporate CEOs o Since CTS is home to the OnTrack Experience and has space for corporate training events, the track should market to corporate CEOs to attract businesses. o According to StatisticsBrain.com, most CEOs are Caucasian men who earn average salaries of $100,000 – $250,000 a year. They are typically highly entrepreneurial Republicans who either own or plan to own another business. Thunderhill Raceway Fans o Fans of the former racetrack will be an essential group to keep on board during the ownership transition. These publics are local, racing fans that might take to a new update of an old favorite, but might also appreciate a bit of nostalgia about the old track. Austin Tourists o CTS could gain more first-time track visitors by targeting tourists from the Austin and San Antonio areas. Austin tourists travel to the city for business and pleasure: 55% come to the state’s capital for leisure, and 45% are business travelers. About 94% of Austin visitors come from domestic territories, and 6% are international travelers. Travel and tourism is the 5th largest industry in the Austin area.19.8 million tourists visited in 2010, a 3.1% increase over 2009. Austin is one of the most popular travel destinations in the U.S. It hosts two of the biggest music events in the nation each year: the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) and Austin City Limits (ACL). Targeting these groups could help CTS attract visitors.
Strategies 1. To position Central Texas Speedway as the premiere raceway in the Kyle-Buda-AustinSan Antonio area. 2. To motivate the surrounding community to visit Central Texas Speedway by interacting with them through community-focused strategies. 3. To utilize social media and traditional media outlets to highlight Central Texas Speedway’s community service efforts and grand opening event. Key Messages 1. Central Texas Speedway is the premiere raceway in the Kyle-Buda-Austin-San Antonio area. 2. Central Texas Speedway provides quality entertainment for the whole family. 3. Central Texas Speedway is a dedicated community partner in the Kyle area. 4. Central Texas Speedway is the only place racing fans should go in Kyle, Texas to see dynamic NASCAR racing. 5. Central Texas Speedway partners with local businesses to improve the Kyle community. 6. Central Texas Speedway provides the ultimate racing experience for its customers.
Tactics To assist Central Texas Speedway with its promotional needs, DPG Communications will attempt to: 1) Increase Central Texas Speedway's Twitter followership by 25% by April 1. a. Purchase a sponsored tweet on February 26, NASCAR opening day. b. Include the CTS Twitter handle in any print, online or outdoor ads for the track or opening day event c. Create a Twitter content calendar so daily posts are consistent and target group-focused d. Tweet weekly updates about track improvements e. Tweet photos of the track and groups that have visited the track. i. Borrow the photos from OTX f. Devote 2 tweets a week to informing followers about the opening ceremony 2) Double the number of Facebook followers before April 6. a. Create a Facebook content calendar so daily posts are consistent and target group-focused i. Create content about racing facts ii. Include content about track improvements and updates iii. Feature photos from corporate and student groups that have visited the track iv. Create user-generated content like “Share your favorite racing memory” b. Dedicate one post a week to information about the grand opening i. Make these posts “pin posts” on the Facebook page to ensure that all visitors see the information c. Include Facebook-exclusive coupons for race tickets d. Racing trivia contests i. Give away two free tickets to the grand opening event per week to Facebook fans that answer basic NASCAR racing trivia. e. Offer one follower a 4-pack of Kyle Music Festival passes i. Offer a new CTS Facebook follower a 4-pack of tickets to the Kyle Music Festival the end of a one-month period. ii. Selection of the winner will be arbitrary using http://www.rafflecopter.com/. iii. Promote the giveaway by purchasing a Facebook ad for the page 1. “Like Us and enter to win a free Family 4-Pack to the Kyle Music Festival” 3) Garner at least 5 local media sources to cover Central Texas Speedway. a. Create a Social Media Release template to distribute through MailChimp b. Send out monthly press releases about new advancements on the track, sports areas, music performances, and Car Bar c. Send press releases about CTS community involvement and outreach using MailChimp Evaluation
1) Did Central Texas Speedway’s Twitter follower count increase by 25% by April 1? 2) Did CTS’ Facebook follower count double by April 5? 3) Did 5 local media outlets cover Central Texas Speedway’s event?
