Direct Marketing News - September, 2011

Battle of the Brands

Athletic apparel and equipment chains
blend digital and traditional channels

Sports Authority’s weekly circular is located on its homepage

Sports Authority

450 stores in 45 states
Owned by Leonard Green & Partners

Awholly integrated approach to direct marketing and e-commerce has elevated Sports Authority and Dick’s Sporting Goods to the top of the athletic equipment leader board. Both brands offer similar multichannel approaches that include on- and offline circulars, email newsletters, social media and an e-commerce platform. However, one of these retail titans failed to participate in one critical channel and ultimately finished one step short of winning the race to consumers’ wallets.

Dick’s Sporting Goods offers a weekly circular and a seasonal digital magalog in-store and on its website. The July 20-24, 10016 Zip code circular offers a standard look and feel (the circular’s content varies depending on the consumer’s location). Products are displayed in several colors and with plenty of breathing room on the page. Prices are clearly labeled in large red circles alongside each item. The late summer 2011 magalog provides 52 pages of in-depth product information, professional advice, and calls-to-action to sign up for Dick’s Scorecard Rewards loyalty program and to enter into an Under Armour-sponsored contest.

Sports Authority offers a two-page weekly circular that, like Dick’s,

Dick’s seasonal magalog is available in-store and on its website

Dick’s Sporting Goods
447 stores in 42 states
Net sales of $4.87 billion in 2010

is almost hidden at the top of the homepage. The July 24-July 30, 10016 Zip code circular is jam-packed with products, so much so that its presentation is overwhelming. Whereas Dick’s circular advertises 13 products on the front page, Sports Authority advertises 21 products, all of which are displayed in all available colors. Sports Authority offers no catalog or magalog whatsoever.

Neither brand responded to numerous requests for comment on this story.

Dick’s has a healthy Facebook presence of roughly 295,000 fans. The page not only serves as a communication vehicle for the brand to interact with fans, but it is also used to push offers and to conduct commerce. Consumers can use the site to search for and research products (transactions cannot be completed on the page). Dick’s multifunctional social presence was revealed on July 28 when C.J. Spiller of the Buffalo Bills answered questions posed by fans on the retailer’s Facebook wall. Spiller referenced the 5-Star Cleat in one of his answers and Dick’s subsequently posted a link to the product from its e-commerce site.