Marketing Problems Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Faces

Objective
The main objective of the critical report is to research and analyse a real brand. The selected brand is the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Students should focus on applying the concepts learned in the first two lectures.
WNBA
The WNBA is the American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA). WNBA is considered the best women’s basketball league in the world. Despite that, the league struggles to gain sponsors and increase ratings. Lisa Borders, the WNBA commissioner, mentioned that the league has a marketing problem. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, echoes the same sentiment and stated that he was “particularly frustrated that we’ve been unable to get young women, girls, to attend those games”. The inability to connect with young women and girls is only one of the many marketing issues the WNBA face.
Deliverable
Students need to submit a report identifying the marketing problems that the WNBA face and propose how the league can address them. Thinking critically is key.
The submission deadline is on 6 Apr 2023 at 13:00 via Moodle.
Research and analyses
There are three main parts to the report:
1. Research on the WNBA:
a. Conduct environmental analyses.
b. Consider the segmentation strategy.
2. Identify the marketing problems based on the research.
3. Propose how the WNBA can address the identified problems.
The research component essentially requires students to apply what they learned in the first lecture. Secondary research alone is sufficient, and primary research is not required. Students should discuss the micro and macroenvironment factors relevant to the WNBA. To demonstrate critical thinking, students should not list every factor mentioned in lecture or textbook and instead consider the key factors that are relevant to decision makings. This section should also include the segmentation used by the WNBA. Next, based on the research conducted, the report should identify the marketing problems. Students should apply the concepts learned in the first two lectures. Being able to critically think about various factors and identify the connections is important. For example, one could argue that the disposable income of consumers after COVID has dropped (i.e., economic factor), but the ticket price of the WNBA has gone up (i.e., price of marketing mix). This then creates an unattractive product for the target segment. Lastly, students should briefly discuss how the WNBA can address the problems identified.
Content and requirement
The report must have the following:
- Cover page
- Declaration form
- Main content (no more than 4 pages)
* Environmental analyses and segmentation (around 2 pages)
* Identifying problem (1-1.5 pages)
* Propose solution (0.5-1 page)
- References
Please adhere to the formatting guidelines outlined below:
- Spacing – 1.5 line spacing.
- Font – Times New Roman size 12.
- Standard of English – spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.
- Cover page, as per on Moodle must be included on page 1.
- Declaration form, as per on Moodle must be included on page 2.
- Include page numbers on all pages, except the cover page and the declaration form.
- A list of references as per Harvard style must be included at the end. Grading criteria
Environmental analyses and segmentation (40%)
- Demonstrate understanding of micro and macroenvironment.
- Demonstrate understanding of segmentation.
Problem identification (40%)
- The problem(s) identified is appropriate and insightful.
- The problem(s) identified is well linked with research.
Propose solution (15%)
- The solution(s) is well linked with the rest of the report.
- The solution(s) is realistic and actionable.
Writing and formatting (5%)