It’s always good to see an independent team dealer receive some recognition from the business world, so news that Holyoke Sporting Goods, located in Holyoke, MA, recently won the 2021 $30K Small Business Advertising Campaign sponsored by Marketing Doctor comes at a good time as the team sports business continues to rebound from the impact of COVID-19.

Holyoke entered the Marketing Doctor contest during the Summer of 2021. The contest, originally valued at $30,000, grew to $40,000 thanks to service donations from Marketing Doctor’s partners, WWLP, WGGB, iHeart and Stand Out Truck, and now is valued at $52,500 as a result of the agency's media buying tactics as well as its partners' continued support. Since the October 2021 announcement of the winner, Marketing Doctor has been analyzing the retail store’s business needs while creating a customized and creative advertising plan, and designing a new vibrant logo and modernized website, hsgsports.com.

The important parts of Holyoke Sporting Goods’ new campaign include: 

• A newly designed logo
• A new website strategy and website redesign
• An omnichannel advertising campaign valued at $52,500 at no cost to them.
• Campaign results to date that include a Facebook Click-Through Rate 81 percent above industry benchmark and a YouTube View Rate 66 percent above industry benchmark.
  

For several months, the campaign has featured several TV and radio advertisements. Digital marketing campaigns included the theme, “However You Choose Your Sweat:  SWISH, SWING, SWIM, SWAG” that addressed the team dealer’s business goals.  

The new website showcases Holyoke Sporting Goods, its product line, commitment to the local community, 94-year history and pride and passion for the surrounding region. It offers a clean design, easy mobile, tablet and desktop navigation and images for product display. 

The collaboration between Marketing Doctor and Holyoke Sporting Goods continued through the summer and will wrap up in the fall with advertising promotions to local schools and sports teams. 

“So thankful, this gave my business that boost I needed after COVID because we were down in the dumps for quite a while. It was really lonely in here — there were no sports going on. I will always be thankful,” says Betsy Frey, owner of Holyoke Sporting Goods. "I know the commercial is working. Several customers have come in who told me they saw it, and these are new people."

This contest, offered by Marketing Doctor, came at a time when many small businesses worked to recover from the pandemic. Founder and president of Marketing Doctor Janet Casey recognized that hardship and knew that she could make a difference for a local small business so she created the contest to give back to her community. Due to her personal experience and successful growth and accomplishments in her own business, Casey wanted to share her company’s expertise and talent by paying her success forward.  

Progress on the campaign for Holyoke Sporting Goods is documented on the Marketing Doctor Blog.