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COPYRIGHT 2001 Phi Epsilon Kappa Fraternity
Abstract
As a product, physical education has undergone major changes in the past decade. So have its consumers. In order for physical education to be viewed as an integral part of the educational process, more attention must be paid to the marketing of its tangible and intangible benefits. Strategic marketing plans utilized in corporate settings and sport can also be applied to physical education. Conducting marketing research to determine perceptions, attitudes, and values ascribed to physical education is the first step. Identification of your target market and the development of a marketing plan based on stated objectives and the elements of "product, price, promotion, and place" must follow. Today's consumers of physical education may not fully understand and appreciate the goals, objectives, and benefits of this product. It's time to move beyond curriculum revisions and accreditation goals towards a strategic marketing orientation.
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Does Physical Education need a strategic marketing plan? It's not as if the consumer must decide whether or not to purchase the product. In most cases, students do not have a choice whether or not to enroll in physical education courses, and in 82% of states (Greenwood & Stillwell, 1999), the content of physical education courses is dictated by the state. If the content of this product is prescribed externally, and the choice of participation is minimal, what is the benefit of a strategic marketing plan for physical education? Indirectly, Zeigler (1999) answered this question when he stated:
"Those people who intentionally or unintentionally downgrade the place of physical education and educational sport in the school curriculum simply have not been truly convinced of the potential of developmental physical activity soundly administered to make an almost unbelievably important contribution to a person's overall life experience.... Thus it is the physical education profession' s task ... to educate these officials and administrators, and to motivate them to take action" (p. 114).
In physical education the foundation of any effective lesson plan is a sound, yet flexible strategic framework. Teachers design lesson plans with a systematic and well-organized strategy for meeting his/her student objectives, yet good teachers will tell you that despite such plans, they must always be ready to adapt to changes in the environment. A strategic marketing plan is no different. Marketing physical education requires a well-defined plan. It also requires a willingness to adapt to changes that will occur during the course of an academic year.
Marketing Defined
The term marketing has many definitions and components. Often used to include areas such as analysis, coordination, and promotion; marketing involves a "strategic game plan for the various factors that relate to persuading the public to endorse, purchase, support, and utilize a product or service" (Bucher & Krotee, 1998, p. 413). In accomplishing this goal, marketing investigates the needs and wants of consumers and determines how to best present the product to the targeted public. In short, marketing focuses on the relationship between the product and...
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