This report comprises of three individual reports: market expansion, a current market analysis, and a pricing and cost
recovery model. Executive summaries for each of these sections are included below.
Market Expansion
Medford Parks & Recreation (MPRD) provides athletic and enrichment programs to members of the Medford
community. MPRD is nationally recognized for excellence in operations and services through its CAPRA accreditation.
The Latino population in Medford, which is expected to steadily increase over the next few years, is an attractive
market segment to target but one that MPRD believes it may not currently be serving effectively.
MPRD strengths are its CAPRA accreditation and ability to develop partnerships in the community. Human resources,
faculty limits, and capital are the primary restrictions that challenge its ability to expand to new customer segments.
Four strategic options were developed to increase participation and awareness of MPRD and its programs for the
Latino community. The strategies identified are: an internship pilot program, advertisement expansion, expanding
programs offered in Spanish, and incentive programs. Supplementary human capital recommendations will also be
required to implement these plans. These strategies address MPRD’s weaknesses and use its strengths to reach and
attract the Latino customer segment.
The costs involved with implementing these strategies will be relatively low. Existing partnerships with advertisement
outlets will help keep advertising costs at a minimum while the internship program, incentive program, and program
expansion will mostly all be cost-free because they involve the acquisition and reallocation of new resources.
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The internship program targets bilingual young adults in the Medford community to reduce some of the resource
barriers within MPRD. The advertisement expansion targets the local television media through Telemundo and
Univision and print media through Caminos, a Spanish language magazine that is distributed throughout Southern
Oregon. Program expansion includes increasing the number and variety of programs instructed in Spanish, and
printing the program guide in Spanish. Finally, participation can be strengthened by incentivizing registration and
attendance through referral discounts and “sweat equity” for payment.
All of the proposed strategies can be implemented within the current year.
Current Markets
Medford Parks and Recreation Department (MPRD) is responsible for the parks and recreational facilities that meet
the recreation needs of residents and visitors of Medford. MPRD offers a variety of sports and recreation programs
at the various facilities within the department, including U.S. Cellular Park, the Santo Community Center, and the
Jackson Pool. In addition, MPRD manages over 2,500 acres of the City’s parks. All MPRD facilities and parks are
widely used by the Medford community and its visitors.
MPRD’s commitment to its users is seen by its Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies
(CAPRA) accreditation, which recognizes select national park and recreation agencies for excellence in operation
and service. MPRD works to introduce new programs, events, and tournaments to involve the entire community.
The department currently has two websites, playmedford.com and sportsmedford.com, that serve as the main online
portals for information about the programs, events, tournaments, and online registration. MPRD also uses Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram accounts. However, many of these resources are not being exploited to their fullest potential.
This report recommends a digital marketing plan that MPRD can implement to increase user awareness and
experience. To develop an integrated strategy plan, we began by asking the following three key questions to frame our
research process.
• Which trends can MPRD follow to increase user awareness?
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• What are the implications of overly taxed staff?
• What strategies can MPRD implement to improve the website user experience?
These questions were answered through various methods of primary and secondary research. The primary research
methods included an online and paper survey (see Appendix A) and direct intercepts with MPRD users at various
MPRD facilities. Furthermore, the secondary research analyzed Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest social
media trends, as well as the aesthetics and content of CAPRA-accredited and other successful parks and recreation
websites.
In accordance with our primary and secondary research, we recommend that MPRD implement the following three
overall strategies:
• Boost user awareness through a social media plan that integrates Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest
messaging.
• Hire local university interns to manage social media accounts, collect and communicate market research findings,
and execute standard business functions.
• Increase website user activity by creating a new, aesthetically pleasing, and easily navigated website that is not
based on the City of Medford’s website platform.
The successful implementation of these three overall strategies relies on consistent messaging through social
media and the website. By integrating each digital platform, MPRD can build a lasting marketing plan for long-term
implementation. Interns from local universities will help execute this digital marketing plan that will alleviate current
staff from over extending themselves and incorporate ideas from a generation familiar with social media and market
research.
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
Sustainable City Year Program Contact Info
Megan Banks
Sustainable City Year Program Manager
mbanks@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-6395
University Faculty Contact
Planning, Public Policy and Management
Local Government / Community Contact
Brian Sjothun
Director of Parks and Recreation