Episode 1: National Branding

February 28, 2022

Our goal of serving 1 million children in the year 2025 is an ambitious, yet achievable target that requires all of us to do our part. In this episode, I want to explore one of our five strategic priorities of 2022 – building a national brand.

Before I do that, I want to call out some encouraging system-wide numbers and statistics through January. and February.

I’m pleased to report that through 2/24, our community has recorded over 92,000 enrollments and by the beginning of March, we’ll be over 100,000 enrollments! This is an increase of 56% compared to last year at this time. These enrollments have generated YTD revenue of over $14M, an increase of 68% compared to 2021.

If you recall, the individual annual franchise enrollment grow this 17.5%. I’m thrilled to share that 88% of our franchise community (that’s 132 of you!) is registering a 17.5% or greater increase of enrollments year over year!

I realize we’re still early in the year, but these results are very impressive. And, I know that you and your teams are working hard to achieve these marks–so huge kudos to you!

To reach our 1M children goal, our Franchise Support Team has identified five strategic priorities. I want to touch on one of the five, which is Building a National Brand. I’m not going to delve too deeply into all aspects of this priority, but I’ll cover three points.

First – the definition of a brand. What is it? I’ve referenced someone who knows much more about brands than I do! Seth Godin. Most of you know who he is, a renowned marketing guru, and he says,“A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”

This is a rich definition that has meaning and implications for us. As I think about Soccer Shots in the context of Godin’s definition of brand, I’m encouraged about the current state of our brand but I’m even more excited about our potential. As we continue to evolve as a brand, it’s important for us to keep in mind what a brand is and understanding Godin’s definition is helpful. Please read his short blog post on this very topic.

Second – a national brand carries influence and delivers benefits. We are a franchise system spanning 150 owners, on pace to serve over 500,000 children annually across 38 states and Canada. At our present scale and the growth to come, we’ll continue to leverage the collection of franchises and our combined volume of business to amplify opportunities we wouldn’t have as separate, disjointed local brands. We’ve seen this collective dynamic at work in areas like national childcare partnerships and product/service purchasing power. Moving forward, we’ll speak in a more unified brand “voice” on common platforms to attract and engage families. Such reach and consistency will open doors to partners that align with our brand and present opportunities to further strengthen Soccer Shots. Ultimately, a clearly articulated, readily identified, beloved Soccer Shots national brand will contribute to our growth. 

Third – what it’s going to take. For us to realize the increased benefits of a stronger national brand, we’ll be required to evolve. And, of course, evolution requires change, some of which will be exciting and universally accepted. On the other hand, some brand evolution might be difficult for some, requiring the exchange of local preferences for national consistency – including but not limited to common marketing language, coordinated messaging, unified national campaigns and consistent program experience across our system – all of which are hallmarks of strong national brands. 

In summary, let’s embrace a common definition of brand (Godin’s is pretty good!), let’s recognize the influence and benefits of a strong national brand – something we’ll continue to strive for in our march to serve 1M children, and let’s understand and be willing to do what it will take for us to realize those benefits. 

Over the next weeks and months, we’ll report progress on initiatives related to this strategic priority. This national brand topic will also be a significant focus at our Convention in Tahoe this July. 

Game On! 

Justin Bredeman, CEO