UBC Thunderbirds and Recreation : Marketing Plan Report
Creators: name: Brennan, Nina
name: Gulati, Srishti
name: Kamakura, Kyden
name: Hrdlicka, Noah
name: Rustad, Kaitlyn
name: Nuttall-Smith, Ella
name: Sajdeh, Anaanya
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2024

description: UBC Thunderbirds Athletics and Recreation provides the University of British Columbia (UBC) students with diverse opportunities, including the participation within Varsity Athletics (attending or participating), Intramural Programs, and Thunderbird-related events. Their objective is to create a secure environment for students to actively participate in events while proudly representing their school while utilizing UBC’s high-quality facilities. UBC Thunderbirds Athletics and Recreations aims to resonate with UBC students as a “Brand for me” instilling a sense of belongingness and connection on the UBC campus. UBC hosts a vibrant extracurricular landscape, comprising four major programs that significantly contribute to the overall student experience. The UBC Thunderbirds Athletics and Recreation program, the largest among these, goes beyond competitive sports to encompass Intramural teams and signature events, engaging over 6,000 students and faculty annually. Following closely is the UBC Alma Mater Society (AMS), overseeing a network of 300 student-run clubs and hosting large-scale events. Additionally, faculty undergraduate societies cater to the diverse academic disciplines, which fosters connection and community among their 3,800 members. UBC Greek Life, involving over 1,500 members, not only provides a sense of belonging but also offers housing, philanthropic opportunities, and career networking. Despite a 1% growth in enrollment for the academic year 2022-23, competition for these additional students among the extracurricular programs is anticipated to be high, presenting both challenges and opportunities for expansion and impact. UBC Thunderbirds Athletics and Recreation is actively competing with other organizations on campus, as their primary objective is to capture the attention and engagement of the student community. Primary research for the UBC Thunderbirds was conducted using two methods: online surveys and in-person interviews. The online survey, involving 205 valid respondents, provided insights into how students identify themselves at UBC. Diving deeper, the surveys and interviews were utilized to explore motivators and barriers to why students participate and attend in UBC Thunderbirds events. Findings were segmented into eight segmentation groups, with the most optimal and attainable being ‘Not Convinced’ Colin, ‘Long Distance, Low Commitment Casual Girlfriend' Barbie, and ‘Reluctant’ Ronald as target segments for our S.M.A.R.T. objectives.The ‘Not Convinced’ Colin segment, making up 13.6% of the market, represents an untapped demographic for the UBC Thunderbirds. The ‘Long Distance, Low Commitment Casual Girlfriend’ Barbie segment is a 8.8% of the market, is an attractive group with an existing connection to UBC Thunderbirds. Lastly, the ‘Reluctant’ Ronald segment, comprising 11.2% of the market. Despite their reluctance, the opportunity for growth lies in their existing partial resonance with the Thunderbird brand, making them easily accessible for targeted outreach and advertising efforts. Our S.M.A.R.T. objectives aim to address the overarching marketing goal of increasing the percentage of the target segments that agree the UBC Thunderbirds Athletics and Recreation is a “Brand for me”. This involves increasing the combination of both brand awareness and brand knowledge. Our first objective includes launching the UBC Thunderbird App as a centralized hub for all aspects of UBC Thunderbirds Athletics and Recreation by August 31 st , 2024. Our second objective will focus on achieving a 20% increase in individuals within target segments who agree or strongly agree that the UBC Thunderbirds are a “Brand for me”, determined through consumer behavior in a survey conducted in March 2025. Our third and final objective aims to increase the participation rates at UBC Thunderbird events (Varsity, Intramurals, Thunderbird-related events) among target segments (Colin, Barbie, and Ronald) by 30%; raising it from 29% to 38% per academic year. Consequently, a set of 13 different tactics are outlined, ensuring a multifaceted approach to achieving the S.M.A.R.T. objectives set out by the COMM 468 Thunderbirds Marketing Team. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”