Inside Sources

Target Group - High School Basketball Players

Inside Source 1 – College Recruiter  

In order to assess the interests and behavior of high school basketball players for potentially marketing to them several products like sneakers and wrist bands, I Skype interview with a recruiter at St. Johns University located in my home town of New York City. I believed this individual would be considered a valuable inside source because this individual spends most of his time searching for talented high school basketball players in various high schools within New York City and develops close relationships with them. He not only recruits high school basketball players but he also mentors them and communicates with them on a more social level.   This person would be considered an ‘expert’ since it is basically his job to develop relationships with basketball players and learn more about them as a person outside of the courts. This person can provide knowledgeable insight when it comes to the likes and interests of high school players, what makes them comfortable on the court, and most importantly, their spending behaviors.

I asked my interviewee several questions about factors that affect the spending behavior like the passions these basketball players have, who they try to impress, and how much are they willing to pay to increase their performance. Through the interview I learned that most of the high school basketball players he mentors and come across value the attention they receive on the court, especially when their loyal fans and other high school students are yelling their name when the game gets extremely intense. These high school basketball players also like being talked about after the game by their peers. When it comes to representing their school loyalty, they prefer wearing anything that has their school colors on it and that look “cool.” Aside from things that would help them stand out and look cool, they would also willing to pay more for products that...