Pro Image Sports Brand Strategy Recommendations Report

BRAND STRATEGY RECOMMENDATION REPORT

In evaluating Pro Image Sports current branding and marketing collateral , this informed, research-driven recommendation report outlines and informs the current climate within this industry. In addition, an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of Pro Image Sports, based on current trends and research in brand development, will guide a thorough brand strategy, including recommendations, and sample collateral.

2020 Brand Research

Client Interview

Situational Analysis

Competitor Analysis

Pro Image Sports

Executive Summary OVERVIEW

Pro Image Sports provides a world-class shopping experience (both online and instore) for a diverse customer base. Their business is driven by franchise owners who are supported by Pro Image Sports to live out the career they’ve always dreamed of.

OBJECTIVE

This report will guide the visual branding foundation for Pro Image Sports by showing an analysis of competitive brands, current situation analysis, SWOT analysis, research on trends within the sports apparel industry, and developing strategies for communicating who the company is and what they do.

CONCLUSION

This report is targeted toward the franchise side of the Pro Image Sports brand. The focus and rationale of each analysis and research method was to target a potential franchisee of Pro Image Sports to better understand their position, values, and goals which will better define the opportunity Pro Image Sports has to drive revenue and ensure success within all of their stores nationwide.

CON

TENT

INTRODUCTION

5

THE METHOD

6

Client Interview

THE PRESENT

11

Overview Narrative Identity Social Public Web Franchise Web SWOT Analysis

THE COMPETITION

19

Narrative Identity Social Web

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

THE FUTURE Target Audience Persona Recommendations Brand Brief

24

FIG COMPETITOR NARRATIVE

URES 20

Fig. 1

COMPETITOR IDENTITY

21

Fig. 2

COMPETITOR SOCIAL

22

Fig. 3

COMPETITOR WEB

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 4

23

5

Pro Image Sports

Introduction By first conducting an interview with Pro Image Sports, prevalent needs were made clear allowing both the client and the researcher to align on the goals for this project, thus leading each research method. The company's vision, their product/service, their goals, their perceived target market, and their competitors, were all assessed during this interview process. This interview was used to gather information and further inform the recommendations given.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

In order to learn more about each company, an assessment of any brand strategies and/or positioning on their social media and website was conducted. By reviewing competitors marketing materials, including their logo mark, image choices, color use, typography, etc., a determination was made on what does and doesn’t work, using secondary research as a guide.

Competitors’ presence and tone was evaluated within the sports apparel market.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

The preliminary interview with Pro Image Sports was used to determine their current situation and what the problem areas for the company and what their challenges may be. While analyzing the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, their goals and target accomplishments were considered while keeping the public perception of the company at top-of-mind.

SURVEY

To better understand Pro Image Sports’ clientele a survey was created to gauge their overall experience.

Due to the unprecedented situation involving COVID-19, this survey was not able to be submitted to franchisees.

However, Pro Image Sports will send it out at a later date. With Pro Image Sports currently transitioning to a new website and recent name change, this survey will give a deeper insight into making sure their franchise owners get exactly what they are looking for.

CONCLUSION

These coordinated research efforts are outlined in the following report which details areas in which Pro Image Sports can improve their brand and develop collateral that can be used efficiently and productively.

the method INTERVIEW

Ryan

Megan

Brandon

Aiden

Mickey

Braxton

7

Pro Image Sports

Kick Off Interview W HAT DOES P RO IMAG E SP ORTS D O?

We are a national sports retailer and franchise company. We sell everything an avid sports fan needs including officially licensed hats, jerseys, and accessories for all your favorite teams from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and NCAA. • Over 100 locations in malls across the U.S. • 100% authentic sports gear from vendors like Nike, Mitchell & Ness, New Era, Zephyr, and more.

• Provide franchise owners the opportunity to work in a multi-billion dollar industry they are passionate about.

W HAT I S P RO IMAG E SPORTS MISSION ?

W H AT D O YOU PERC EI VE AS YOUR PROD UCT’ S OR SERV I C E’S STRE N GTHS?

W H AT D O YOU PE RCE IVE AS YOUR P ROD UCT’ S OR SE RVICE ’ S W E AK N E SSE S? HOW WOUL D YOU IMPROVE ON THE THREATS TO YOUR COMPAN Y ?

W HAT ARE YOUR C OMPA N Y’S G RE ATE ST OPPORTU N ITIE S AN D GREATEST THRE ATS?

Our mission is to provide a world-class shopping experience (both online and in-store) for our diverse customer base. We provide support to our franchise owners to live out the career they’ve always dreamed of.

1.

Large amount of product on our website to appeal to different sports fans

2.

Franchise owners have the ability to target hometown markets

3.

Franchise owners have more agency in all business decisions

1.

Over-saturated market with large brands like Fanatics and Lids

2.

Lower engagement rates on social media, email marketing, etc.

3.

Slower development in our digital space (website, ad spend, etc.)

1.

Launch new, user-friendly website

2.

Improve aesthetic across all social media platforms

3.

Quick upload times for new product to compete with larger brands

4.

Increase engagement rates on social media with meaningful, trendy content and relevant giveaways

Threats: • Being completely overpowered by larger brands • Inconsistent brand experience with many franchise social media accounts • Inability to partner with NBA to sell Nike jerseys and restrictions on paid campaigns for MLB products Opportunities: • Social media growth with more focused campaigns • Partner with larger accounts to gain traction on social media • Easy to navigate website • Target repeat customers through consistent email marketing • Consistent paid campaign budget

Pro Image Sports has been the leading sports franchise for over 30 years. Our stores have a strong following of customers looking for authentic, fashionable, licensed sports apparel & novelty items. Our local owners distinguish themselves from the competition by catering their product mix to match the demand of their markets.

8

Pro Image Sports W HAT DO YOU WAN T C USTOMERS TO THIN K W HEN THEY SE E YOUR P ROD UCTS?

• Stylish, trendy • Price-competitive • Local feel • Exclusive products you can’t find anywhere else

W HY DO YOU D O W HAT YOU D O? DESC RI BE P RO IMAG E SPORTS IN FIVE WORD S:

We are passionate about working in the sports industry and want to share our passion with our customers and franchise owners.

• Fun • Creative • Balanced • Passionate • Caring

W HAT’S THE P ROJE CT I CA N DO FOR YOU? W HY DO YOU WAN T ME TO DO IT? W HAT ARE YOUR G OAL S? W HO D O YOU C ON S ID E R YOUR TA RGE T MARK E T? DO YOU HAVE A SEC ON DARY OR TERTI A RY AUD IE N CE YOU E X P E CT TO RE ACH?

I need to talk with Ryan more about this. The three projects will be a mix between internal and external assets. We want a project that is evergreen and sticks to our brand guide/messaging.

Potential Franchise Owners: • Veterans • Former athletes • Older adults (want to get out of their current career to do what they love) • Men • “Uncle Rico” type personality (Napoleon Dynamite reference)

HOW D O YOU DI FFE RE N TIATE YOURSELF FROM THE C OM P E TITION ?

• Nationally recognizable franchise retailer • Exclusive products in local markets • Stores in small towns that wouldn’t normally have access to sports shops • Diversity in products

W H Y WOUL D A C USTOMER OR CL IE N T C HOOSE YOUR C OMPAN Y OVE R AN OTHE R? W HAT’S THE TON E OF YOUR M E SSAG IN G YO U HOP E TO C OMMUN ICATE ?

W HAT IS THE ON E THI N G YOU WAN T POTEN TIA L CUSTOME RS TO K N OW AB OUT P RO IMAG E SP ORTS?

We genuinely care about franchisees and have their best interests at heart. We would rather them succeed in opening one shop instead of failing to open five.

• Upbeat • Expert voice • In touch with pop culture We’re hard-working and can offer the best and most price-competitive products.

9

Pro Image Sports

A true sign of a quality franchise is the number of franchisees who re-invest in multiple locations.

Pro Image Sports franchisees that have owned their store over five years typically own at least 2-3 locations.

W HAT C OLO RS D O YOU L IK E ?

W HAT SYMB OL S HAVE MEA N IN G FOR YOU?

DO W E N E E D TO USE A N Y C URRE N T IMAG E S, FON TS , OR STY L E GUI DE TO MATCH PREV IO US D E SIG N E L E ME N TS? W EBSITE : W HAT’ S BEIN G USE D? W HAT I SN ’T WORK IN G?

Pro Image Sports blue, gray and white.

• NHL

• NCAA

• NFL

• New Era

• NBA

• Zephyr

• MLS

• Any sports team symbols

Yes, I will email you a copy of our 2020 brand guide and current logos.

Our old website was not working for us due to poor customer experience.

We’re launching a new website next week that we’re thrilled about. Please check it out at (website) and give us your feedback. Keep in mind that this site was developed specifically for us and is used as an online marketplace for all franchise owners who are looking to sell their products online.

10

Pro Image Sports

Follow-Up

1.

What kind of support do you provide Franchise owners?

2.

How do franchisee’s currently target hometown markets?

3.

What kind of agency do Franchisee’s have in marketing materials?

4.

Do you follow any guidelines or specific hashtags on Social?

1 4 . How often do you currently run paid campaigns? Is it the same year-to-year?

5.

Do you follow any guidelines on email?

1 5 . What is the benefit of being trendy in this industry?

6.

Do you currently run any paid advertising?

1 6 . How much price flexibility do you have?

7.

When Does the new website launch?

1 7. How do you attain exclusive products?

8.

Are there any social media accounts in particular that you like?

1 8 . What makes you passionate about the sports industry?

9.

What do you mean by “quick upload time” for new product?

1 9. In regard to describing Pro Image Sports in five words, what was each word in regard or in reference to?

10. What do you view as trendy in sports apparel?

2 0. Why are veterans part of your target market?

11. Do you provide any guidelines to franchisee’s regarding social?

2 1 . What do you mean by the “Uncle Rico” reference?

12. What kinds of large accounts would you like to partner with on social?

13. What platform do you use for email marketing?

how do we add

2 2 . Are there any guidelines on when and where a store can be opened?

2 3. What makes your products diverse?

2 4 . Why is pop culture relevant in this industry? Does it pertain to your target market or current audience?

2 5 . What does an expert voice in this industry sound like? Are there any tells?

2 6 . Why do you want potential franchise owners to know you are hard-working?

the present Narrative Identity Social Web

12

Pro Image Sports

Overview

Pro Image sports provides a world-class shopping experience (both online and in-store) for a diverse customer base.

They provide support to their franchise owners to live out the career they’ve always dreamed of. This support is based on each franchise's needs, the corporate support team, discounts (dollar for dollar), leasing, merchandising, upfront support, and adding value to the franchisee in their endeavors.

TARGET M ARKET

Currently, Pro Image Sports franchise owners target their market based on location, so they target their home team(s), and also some teams that any location will be drawn to (Yankees, Red Sox, etc.). The Pro Image Sports corporate team provides artwork based on the hometown leagues with their own "Hat Wall" or "Hat Heaven" that targets locals. Franchise owners have a great deal of autonomy on hiring, marketing, merchandising, guidelines on what is successful, and their operations manual.

COMPETITIVE SITUATION

Pro Image Sports current competitors are Fanatics and Lids. These companies buy well in regard to their storefronts.

For instance, Pro Image Sports currently owns 114 stores, where Fanatics and Lids own close to or more than 1,200. These companies also have more buying power, offering better discounts and the ability to lease space. They also have the advantage of endorsements, national television campaigns, not to mention that Pro Image Sports uses them both as a vendor.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING

Arena Marketing is their current digital marketing agency which is used primarily for their product, but also sometimes to target potential franchisees. This company does not have any guidelines from Pro Image Sports in regard to how to use the Pro Image Sports brand, what to do, or who to target. Currently, Pro Image Sports only utilizes Digital Advertising through Facebook.

Overall, Pro Image sports is happy with Arena Marketing's efforts, but would like to understand more on where their data is coming from and would like to have a conversation about their data strategy.

GUIDELINES

For email, social, digital, web, and print, the current guidelines offered to franchisee's is very minimal or non existent.

Franchisee's need feedback but it is hard for them to receive it. Their efforts are inconsistent and there is nothing in their operations manual to guide them into best practices across their brand platforms.

13

Pro Image Sports

Narrative The following chart represents the current narrative of the Pro Image Sports brand in 2020.

ELEMENT

CRITERIA

R AT I N G

Who They Are

Do they tell a story about who they are, what they stand for, what their mission is, and where they want to go?



Purpose

What difference are they trying to make in the world? What value are they delivering to customers?



Values

What do they stand for?



Position

The brand’s defining point of difference



Target Audience

What are they communicating and to whom? Is their message clear and does it add value?



1 | Not Included

2 | Somewhat Included

3 | Moderately Effective

4 | Somewhat Effective

5 | Very Effective

14

Pro Image Sports

Identity The following chart represents the current identity of the Pro Image Sports brand in 2020.

ELEMENT

CRITERIA

R AT I N G

Logo

Is it used consistently? Are there variations that feel off-brand? Is it used on everything? Is there a secondary mark?



Guidelines

Are there any guides on how to use to logo, the color variations, the clear space, how to resize, when not to use it?



Color

Is color used in a consistent and cohesive way? Are there any colors that feel off-brand?



Typography

Is typography system used consistently within headlines, body copy, web, social, print, etc?



Messaging

Is their message clear and consistent? Is there a defined tone and voice? Is their messaging architecture cohesive?



Promise

Is there a defined primary value they are delivering to customers?



Relevance

Are they keeping up with the trends? Do they maintain a high demand for their product?



Photography

Is their photography consistent in color, subject, content, and size?



1 | Not Included

2 | Somewhat Included

3 | Moderately Effective

4 | Somewhat Effective

5 | Very Effective

15

Pro Image Sports

Social The following chart represents the current social presence of the Pro Image Sports brand in 2020.

ELEMENT

CRITERIA

R AT I N G

Guidelines

Are they following any criteria in regard to social media?



Filters

Does their grid/posts looks cohesive and consistent? Is there a style that comes through with a strong theme?



Collaboration

Are there any collaborations between super fans and the company? Giveaways? Offers?



Photography

Does it tell their story? Is there a clear subject focus or narrative?



Messaging

Is their message clear and consistent? Is there a defined tone and voice? Is there consistency with copy on the post, or just in the caption?



Frequency

Are they consistently posting content?



Relevance

Are they keeping up with the trends? Does their audience reach stay consistent? Is there audience interacting with their content?



1 | Not Included

2 | Somewhat Included

3 | Moderately Effective

4 | Somewhat Effective

5 | Very Effective

16

Pro Image Sports

Public Web The following chart represents the current website of the Pro Image Sports brand in 2020.

ELEMENT

CRITERIA

R AT I N G

Typography

Is typography system used consistently within headlines, body copy, web, social, print, etc?



Layout

Do the pages flow nicely? Is the content in line with the photography?



Color

Is color used in a consistent and cohesive way? Are there any colors that feel off-brand?



Photography

Does it tell their story? Is there a clear subject focus or narrative?



Messaging

Is their message clear and consistent? Is there a defined tone and voice?



eCommerce

Is it easy to use? Is it easy to add things to your cart? Is the checkout process seamless?

Does it feel secure?



User Experience

Is the site easy to navigate?

Does it maintain my attention? Is it ADA compliant? Is the menu/ navigation understandable?



Relevance

Does the home page keep up with trends? Is the product up-todate?



1 | Not Included

2 | Somewhat Included

3 | Moderately Effective

4 | Somewhat Effective

5 | Very Effective

17

Pro Image Sports

Franchise Web The following chart represents the current franchise website of the Pro Image Sports brand in 2020.

ELEMENT

CRITERIA

R AT I N G

Typography

Is typography system used consistently within headlines, body copy, web, social, print, etc?



Layout

Do the pages flow nicely? Is the content in line with the photography?



Color

Is color used in a consistent and cohesive way? Are there any colors that feel off-brand?



Photography

Does it tell their story? Is there a clear subject focus or narrative?



Messaging

Is their message clear and consistent? Is there a defined tone and voice?



eCommerce

Is it easy to use? Is it easy to add things to your cart? Is the checkout process seamless?

Does it feel secure?



User Experience

Is the site easy to navigate?

Does it maintain my attention? Is it ADA compliant? Is the menu/ navigation understandable?



Relevance

Does the home page keep up with trends? Is the product up-todate?



1 | Not Included

2 | Somewhat Included

3 | Moderately Effective

4 | Somewhat Effective

5 | Very Effective

18

Pro Image Sports

Pro Image Sports Current SWOT Analysis

S W O T

STRENGTHS

• Large amount of product on website to appeal to different sports fans • Franchise owners have the ability to target hometown markets • Franchise owners have more agency in all business decisions

WEAKNESSES

• Over saturated market with large brands like Fanatics and Lids • Lower engagement rates on social media, email marketing, etc.

• Slower development in our digital space (website, ad spend, etc.)

OPPORTUNITIES

T H R E AT S

• Social media growth with more focused campaigns

• Being completely overpowered by larger brands

• Partner with larger accounts to gain traction on social media

• Inconsistent brand experience with many franchise social media accounts

• Easy to navigate website • Target repeat customers through consistent email marketing • Consistent paid campaign budget

• Inability to partner with NBA to sell Nike jerseys and restrictions on paid campaigns for MLB products

the competition

20

Pro Image Sports

Competitor Narrative Between Lids, Fanatics, and Pro Image Sports, each adequately tells a story about who they are, what they stand for, and what their mission is. In addition, they all expressed the value they strive to deliver to their customers. Each company treated the communication of their values similarly and put a medium priority on how they prioritized that effort in communication.

In regard to defining their point of difference, Fanatics did an excellent job through their messaging on their website, while both Lids and Pro Image Sports seemingly fell short in making that message exceptionally clear. Overall, each company had clear communication and their message added value to the overall user experience.

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Who They Are

Purpose FANATIC S

Values LIDS

Position

Target Audience

PRO IMAGE SPORTS

Fig. 1: This represents the cross-analysis of Pro Image Sports and its competitors in regard to the narrative they each represent using the same chart used on pages 13-17 as a measure for each.

21

Pro Image Sports

Competitor Identity Each company consistently used their logo and there weren't any variations that felt off-brand. However, it wasn't overly apparent that any of them used any guidelines. Color was fairly consistent for each, aside from the franchise website for Pro Image Sports, which used a lime green for a button color that wasn't used anywhere else within the brand.

The type system, brand promise, relevance, and photography for all were consistent, defined, and relevant. However, Pro Image Sports franchise website was the only area that added some inconsistency to the Pro Image Sports brand. Overall, Fanatics has a consistent and foundational driven brand identity across each of its platforms.

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Logo

Guidelines

Color

Typography

FANATIC S

LIDS

Messaging

Promise

Relevance

Photography

PRO IMAGE SPORTS

Fig. 2: This represents the cross-analysis of Pro Image Sports and its competitors in regard to each company's brand identity using the same chart used on pages 13-17 as a measure for each.

22

Pro Image Sports

Competitor Social Guidelines for each social platform for all three company's were not apparent. This was proven in a lack of consistent filters, photography subject and narrative, and post relevance. While some companies did better than others in certain areas, they each were exceptional about their post frequency. Their messaging was also a consistent factor with a defined tone

and voice, and consistency within the post content in relation to the caption. Fanatics was the only company to repost followers content with their product, and Lids had the most consistent photography through their social feeds. Pro Image Sports also did fairly well with their photography.

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Guidelines

Filters

Collaboration FANATIC S

Photography LIDS

Messaging

Frequency

Relevance

PRO IMAGE SPORTS

Fig. 3: This represents the cross-analysis of Pro Image Sports and its competitors in regard to the social media presence of each company using the same chart used on pages 13-17 as a measure for each.

23

Pro Image Sports

Competitor Web As shown in the chart below, Fanatics, Lids, and Pro Image Sports have a very effective web presence within their industry. Each company puts a high emphasis on the look and feel of their site, along with making the user experience seamless and easy to understand. The messaging and relevance of each is consistent, up-to-date, and relevant to the market trends.

Due to the Pro Image Sports Franchisee focus of this project, that website was also considered in this analysis. In correlation with its other brand elements and marketing tools, the franchise site did poorly in regard to the overall consistency across all brand platforms.

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Typography

Layout FANATIC S

Color LIDS

Photography

Messaging

PRO IMAGE SPORTS

eCommerce

User Experience

Relevance

PRO IMAGE SPORTS FRANCHISE

Fig. 4: This represents the cross-analysis of Pro Image Sports and its competitors in regard to each company's website using the same chart used on pages 13-17 as a measure for each.

the future

25

Pro Image Sports

Target Audience Persona Age 40 Retired from the U.S. Army Married, 2 Children St. Louis, Missouri HOBBIES

Works out routinely, homebrews his own beer, enjoys grilling out on the weekends, watching sports, having friends over for game nights.

Trevor Richards

GOALS

Exercises at least three times a week.

Finding ways to better himself.

Wants to serve a purpose, help men who are younger than him.

F R U S T R AT I O N S

Trevor was never a sports star but always wanted to be. He still lives in the glory days and tends to live in the past rather than the present. He often reflects on his regrets, rather than his success.

BIO

Family comes first. Trevor played football in high school and got a scholarship to play at TMU but injured his shoulder his junior year. He loves reminiscing with friends about the good old days and wishes he had enjoyed the spotlight when he had it.

He joined the military after college didn't work out and found new purpose and drive in protecting his country. Now that he is retired from the military with two young boys and a wife at home, he wants to work in an industry that he is passionate about, sports.

26

Pro Image Sports

Recommendations SOCIAL MEDIA

To gain a presence on social media, businesses should start first with Facebook.

While they have received some rough coverage from the media over the past couple of years, it remains immensely popular: some 69% of US adults use the platform and 74% of this group visit at least once a day. These numbers represent not only a largely engaged audience, but it makes Facebook the essential network for small businesses.

While Pro Image Sports currently uses Facebook, they should continue to take advantage its capabilities with paid advertisements, consistent activity, and updated information.

That said, a broad theme of content with both images and infographics are the top type of content posted by small businesses on social media. While it can be tempting to over-post and bombard followers with content, it is important to not post content to social media more than once a day, and not fewer than 3 times a week.

Remember that social media takes time, in a recent study, IBM reported that they spend 52% of their allotted social media ideation to organic posts, 15% to posts regarding events, and 13% creating posts for paid social advertising. While this may seem like a lot, take time to allocate how much time you have per week to dedicate to your digital audience via social media and divvy that time up based on your product/company’s goals.

WEBSITE DESIGN

A successful homepage should include: • Strong

headlines that speak the language of the target audience and immediately address the audience’s pain points.

• Clean

design that looks professional and trustworthy.

• Strong

copy that instantly engages the audience. There is a balance between engaging copy and copy that comes across as too “sales-pitchy.

• Easy

forms that make life on the viewer as easy as possible. They don’t have to know every detail about your company upfront, but they are more likely to request more information if the form is easy to understand.

• Eye-catching

buttons make call to actions (CTA) quick, accessible, and easy to understand.

It is true that a picture says a thousand words. Sequential steps are key when explaining a company's point of difference to its audience. Each step in the process should be clearly defined and easily move the viewer down a linear and logical path that is tailored to your specific look and feel Using principles such as: • Hierarchy

of information, the most crucial and important information should go at the top.

• Bite-sized

content is crucial in keeping viewers from getting overwhelmed.

It should be easy to understand and quick to digest.

27

Pro Image Sports

• Short

& to the point is the mindset to keep when designing a product tour. Your audience is very busy and doesn’t want to spend time trying to skim paragraphs for what they came for. Being mindful of your visitor’s time lets them know you respect them while maintaining a level of professionalism.

• Video

• A

• Featured

clear call to action (CTA) is again crucial when helping cut down on the time it takes a viewer to find what they are looking for. At the end of a product tour, you want to present a clear CTA button that entices them to take the next steps.

Product feature releases bring your audience in on the ever-changing climate of your industry. Not only are you seen as ahead of the curve, but they can feel empowered in that way FRANCHISE WEBSITE

In regard to Pro Image Sports franchise site, the most valuable content is testimonials and validation tactics. Nothing puts a future franchisee's mind at ease like validation from other people. While it is crucial to have a section of your home page dedicated to testimonials and validation tactics, it’s also helpful to have this sprinkled throughout your website on other pages and in other formats. These formats include: • Quotes

are the most straightforward way of doing this. It is proof and credibility straight from your customer’s mouth. Quotes should be highlighted; it isn’t just text on a page. They should be designed in a way that helps them stand out on a page.

• Success

stories are similar to case studies in that they give viewers an inside look into your process and customer care.

testimonials help break up text and add a personal touch to your testimonials. Viewers are able to see genuine reactions and facial expressions. If a customer is taking the time to film a testimonial, it proves to the viewer that they are genuinely pleased with your company. testimonial sections can be a great place to keep everything together. This would be a prominent option in the website’s menu bar.

• Customer

reviews from platforms such as Yelp, Facebook, and Google can be shown on your website using various widgets and plugins.

People want to know they are not alone, and they want people who are in a similar field to partner with, bounce ideas off of, share the latest industry trends with, and more.

Forums are great places for people to chat, ask questions, and discuss topics related to your service. This allows space for the company and community to bond, communicate, and collaborate, and in turn, build loyalty, provide feedback, and improve your service.

Potential franchise owners want to know what a business stands for, what other owners have to say, and an inside look into your process and what makes you, you.

28

Selecting a specific style will help create a cohesive brand for your target audience.

Once you have chosen an image style, add it to your brand style guide for references when using images. Select images that connect with your audience and the messaging. Images chosen should help tell a company’s story and should be an essential part of your marketing strategy.

PHOTOGRAPHY TRENDS

If selecting photos of people, the ratio of face to body in an image influences the way the person in the image is perceived, also known as face-ism. For instance, a persons head-shot has a high face-ism ratio and is perceived with personalityrelated attributes like intelligence and ambition. Whereas, a photo with more of the body in the image has a lower face-ism ratio, emphasizing physical characteristics.

The lower face-ism images are perceived based on physical attractiveness. If the objective is to initiate thoughtful interpretation or association, use images that are more similar to a head-shot composition. When the object is more focused on ornamental interpretations or associations, use images pulled back, showing more of the subjects' entire body.

Another principle is known as exposure.

Not exposure as in light coming through the lens of a camera, but instead in regard to how much a viewer is exposed to an image. Using an image repeatedly throughout a brand increases exposure creating a positive perception of a company from the target audience.

This enhances company credibility and improves the way people feel about the company.

Combining an image with text makes for an even higher likelihood of remembering what one saw. When branding with images, remember to make words and images

Pro Image Sports

cohesive with your messaging and brand.

Conflicting images and words create clashing views, and recollection decreases dramatically. Using this principle is advantageous when recall and recognition of critical information are casually exposed.

The likelihood to remember the information viewed increases drastically.

IN CONCLUSION

As demonstrated in the research and interviews, Pro Image Sports has a great opportunity to streamline their brand platforms into one consistent and cohesive brand. With their recent website redesign and name change, they have the unique advantage to build their brand with foundational best practices, guidelines, and keys to success.

Pro Image Sports should provide each of their franchise owners with a brand strategy that is easy to understand and apply. This should include the story behind the Pro Image Sports brand, logo guidelines, color choices, photography and social media best practices, the company's values, point of difference, pillars of success, and recommendations for layout and design.

In addition, each franchise should have a brochure that advertises how to become part of the Pro Image Sports family. The best market for potential franchisee's is in the stores themselves, and this is one step toward that communication opportunity.

Last, an eCommerce guide will greatly benefit franchise owners. This guide will help owners understand the corporate site, the tools provided, and how to utilize their resources to their fullest potential.

29

Pro Image Sports

Brand Brief WHO

For people looking to bring officially licensed sports products to their local communities.

Your Brand is: a great option for entrepreneurs looking for a low-risk, growth business with a relatively low investment and royalty requirements.

• Over

30-year track record

• On-going

demand for sports products

• Constant

service and assistance from the Pro Image Sports corporate office

• Store

location and leasing assistance

WHAT

Pro Image sports provides a world-class shopping experience (both online and in-store) for a diverse customer base.

They provide support to their franchise owners to live out the career they’ve always dreamed of. This support is based on each franchise's needs, the corporate support team, discounts (dollar for dollar), leasing, merchandising, upfront support, and adding value to the franchisee in their endeavors.

WHERE

That's because franchisee's join ownership, working in a multi billion dollar industry they are passionate about. No matter their location, college and professional sports dominate their culture, sports fanaticism is

growing by the day, and customers seeking fashion or fan gear find their way to Pro Image Sports stores across the nation.

WHEN

This is a family. When a franchisee takes the step to open an Pro Image Sports retail store that allows them to sell officially licensed products from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA and more, they also get advice, support, and help from the corporate team.

HOW

Pro Image Sports is passionate about working in the sports industry and they want to share their passion with their customers and franchise owners. Passion for the sports industry simply lives within each member of the team. They play them, they live and communication through them, and they help others own their own business in an industry they love. To them, sports are what makes what they do fun and it connects people. The team environment is creative and balanced.

Their focus isn't always about money and they value being successful in the climate they are in, rather than pushing to do more or be more. Franchisee's care about their employees and they work with other store owners to help eachother and work as a team united in sports.

thank you