Blog Post and Rich Media Ads – Question 1

1. Please create an introductory blog post designed for your revised (Audience A). (15 marks) a. This post should:  

1. Introduce the initiative E   

2. Explain how it benefits young athletes and their families.  

3. Highlight the impact of Whirlpool’s partnership and how it provides tangible support to families.  

4. Encourage readers to engage with the campaign—whether through social media, attending the event, or sharing the message.  

5. Include clear calls to action (CTAs) to drive further engagement.  

You will be marked on the content and your answers to the questions below.   

a) Please provide your content and explain your planning thought process.   

Start of Introductory Blog   

Introducing Hoop Heroes – Detroit’s Future Taking the Shot  

Welcome to Hoop Heroes – a driven community-first basketball initiative where young athletes rise, and families are supported.  

In neighborhoods across Detroit, basketball is more than a sport, it teaches drive, teamwork, and focus giving the youth something to believe in, parents something to be proud of and a community something to encourage. For many families opportunity doesn’t come easy.  

That’s where Hoop Heroes steps in.  

An initiative founded by former NBA All-Star Derrick Coleman that is all about making a difference. Its all about bringing together Detroit youth. We invite all youth athletes ages 10-14 to participate in our co-ed tournament – No prior experience needed.  

Young athletes from Detroit come together to compete, grow and belong.  

Stories That Matter: Detroit Youth on the Rise 

Take Cameron, a 13- year-old born and raised in southwest Detroit who finds happiness on the court, dreaming of playing basketball but his family can’t afford private expensive leagues. For him, a free tournament that’s all about the community is exactly what he needs – Hoop Heroes is the shot he’s been waiting for.  

Theres also Aaliyah who’s 11, quiet in class and loves the WNBA. She never played on her school team because she’s been too shy, but she feels like now this is her chance to show who she really is. Hoop heroes give her a space to try something new, letting her true skills shine.  

These kids are the young athletes that we are all about – full of potential, passion and big dreams!  

Whirlpool: A Partner Supporting Families  

Thanks to a powerful partnership with Whirlpool, the impact of Hoop Heroes goes beyond just the basketball court. The 12 winning youth members get to take home a Whirlpool washer and dryer home to their families. Were all about real support that helps parents and guardians manage everyday life.  

Whirlpool representatives will be at the championship event rooting for the players and providing additional support to the local community.  

How Can You Get Involved?  

We want you to be part of this movement:  

• Youth ages 10-14 can sign up our website hoopheroesdetroit.com  

• Parents & Guardians can follow our journey at @hoop.heroesdt on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter 

• Use #HoopHerosCharityTournament on social media  

• Attend the event on May 17^th at the Detroit Pistons Training Centre!  

Hoop Heroes is more than just basketball. It’s about giving Detroit families a chance to grow and the support they deserve.  

Take this chance to be part of something special. 

Whether you’re on the court or cheering from the stands – you’re representing Detroit pride.  

Sign up. Spread the Word. Let’s take this shot together – visit hoopheroesdetroit.com 

End of introductory blog  

The goal for our blog post was to create an emotional, community centered introduction to Hoop Heroes that would immediately connect with Audience A. These are youth athletes aged 10-14 years old and their families, hardworking individuals who typically live in underserving areas of Detroit Michigan. We focused on using simple uplifting language that speaks directly to the young athletes and their parents and guardians, connecting them emotionally to the event and message behind it.  

We started by positioning Hoop Heroes as more than just a regular tournament – it’s a movement, something the community can support and where youth development can flourish. We focused on teamwork, real-life support and opportunity as these are the core values that resonate with the target demographic in audience. The opening sentence was all about emphasizing that basketball is more than just a sport it’s an outlook for inspiration, unity and support. The goal is that when families read this blog post, they are reading something that makes them feel like there is support out there for them and an opportunity for the youth to feel excited and included in something fun.  

To support this, we included stories that are fictionalized but relatable of local kids (Cameron and Aaliyah), representing real youth in Detroit Michigan. These kids face the lack of private leagues and struggle to find belonging since they have limited resources. These stories create an emotional connection, showcasing how charity, community-based events like Hoop Heroes matter and make a difference in the lives of families, especially those with fewer opportunities than others.  

We also ensured that the structure was easy to follow, in the F-pattern and uses plain English writing to meet best practices of writing content for the web. By starting with a strong introduction, followed by youth storytelling, highlighting Whirlpools impact then finally adding a clear CTA to drive action, each section was carefully created to that an intention flow occurred, retaining the users attention, taking them all the way from awareness to engagement.  

Overall, the thought process behind our plan focused on:  

• Knowing who our audience is and what they value.  

• Using storytelling to connect with them on an emotional level.  

• Aligning with campaign goals of opening space for youth opportunity and family support  

b) How it meets our objectives.   

Our blog post meets the objectives as it first introduces the initiative founded by Derrick Coleman, former NBA all-star. His goal is to uplift the undeserved youth through basketball, giving these families the recognition they need and deserve. The language emphasizes how the initiative is all about “making a difference” – which relates directly to basketball as a positive change in the lives of families. 

It also benefits the young athletes and families as we clearly explain this is a youth tournament that is free, open to the youth of Detroit Michigan aged 10-14 years old who don’t need any experience to participate in the event. This makes it accessible to families who do not access to traditional sports leagues, expensive equipment of basic necessities. We also highlight confidence, growth building a community connection through Cameron and Aaliyah. This emotional example helps consider that this initiative is emotionally impactful to real kids with real families.  

It also meets the objective of highlighting Whirlpools powerful partnerships since the blog gives the details of whirlpools donation of washer and dryers that 12 winning youth players families will receive if they win the tournament. This is a practical, tangible support that meets what these families need in their everyday life. Since we mention that whirlpool will be representatives at the championship event, we are highlighting how it won’t just be about the washer and dryer it will be about resources and showing up as more than just a partner but as a brand with a strong and meaningful purpose to help the community and give back.  

Next, it encourages engagement. By using a dedicated “How You Can Get Involved” section and offering different ways to participate, we are encouraging ongoing engagement through event sharing on social media and in person. We included ways that parents can register the youth online, families can follow the event on social media, supporters from the community can use the hashtag #HoopHeroesCharityTournament and that everyone is invited to attend on May 17t at the Detroit Pistons Training Centre.  

c) Your calls to action and justifications.   

CTA: Sign up youth athletes on hoopheroesdetroit.com 

This call to action was chosen because its direct, simple and action oriented for families. This tournament is all about accessibility. Online sign-up platforms remove any barriers that undeserved families might often face in their everyday life. Its fast and easy, perfect for parents who have tight schedules and may not have the luxury of transportation at all times. Studies have found that “those who live in lower-income households are particularly likely to rely on their smartphone to go online with 19% of Americans in households earning $30,000 to &69,999 per year.”^xiii  This CTA supports this because ease of accessibility is clearly a big factor, so by promoting the event online and not just in person, we are removing common friction points.  

CTA: Follow our journey on social media  

Not only is the website important, but social media is also a great place especially to maintain a strong connection with the audience A.  By encouraging the parents of these youth athletes to follow the event online, it can provide real updates, stories and keep the community involved leading up to the event and afterwards. Research has found that “among US parents who use Facebook, 83% of mothers and 76% of fathers engage on this platform daily”^xiv, “25% of online parents are Instagram users”^xv and “one-quarter of US parents reported using Tik Tok.”^xvi  Parents spend a significant amount of time on social media, and this will be a major outlet to build awareness around the campaign. There have also been studies found that with kids they are also active users with “39 precent did so between the ages of 10-12.”^xvii This means that both segments in this audience are actively using social platforms, making them far more likely to follow and engage with the event.  

CTA: Use #HoopHeroesCharityTournament 

A hashtag CTA is also significant since it can not only promote visibility but also promote organic content. Hashtags are a great way for parents and youth to share and promote their own content on socials. This is great since it turns readers into active participants, making them excited for the youth charity tournament. The idea was turn the blog into a movement. Research has found that “Instagram posts with at least one hashtag received 70% more likes than posts that did not contain hashtags.”^xviii  This means that If users are seeing this hashtag from the blog, then decide to use it, the posts will receive more likes, expanding the digital footprint and creating even more awareness.  

CTA: Attend the event on May 17th 

This call to action is all about inviting people to physically engage and support the young athletes in person on the day of the tournament event. This not only adds a layer of legitimacy to the campaign, but it also creates a sense of excitement and a desire for families to feel part of something new, exciting and fun, giving them something to look forward to. Studies have found that “overall 61% of under-40s expect to attend a charity event in 2023 while 35% over 40s expect to attend.”^xix People will attend if you tell them to which is why a direct call to action based on this is crucial.  

d) Please provide in-depth justifications as they relate to elements discussed in class.  

This blog post was all about using the F-Pattern & Web Practices with clear and accessible language. In class we learnt that the F pattern is the best for content online because it’s how users naturally scan. Studies have found that “users in left to right reading cultures typically scan heavy blocks of content in a pattern that looks like the letter F.”^xx From left to right, it’s important to promote strong headlines, breaking up content, shorting paragraphs making it look and feel more welcoming and easier to digest. This helps keep the attention of users online.  

In terms of a natural language, we learnt that we need to be writing in “a clear concise message, written for the reader and in the right tone of voice”^xxi and that plain English writing “helps your readers find what they need, understand what they find and use what they find to meet their needs.”^xxii  This means that blogs need to use simple and uplifting words. This is exactly what this blog for audience A strives to do. There are many literacy levels, therefore we need to adapt to anyone and everyone. Our audience A especially may not have advanced education or formal marketing exposure, so meeting their needs by avoiding jargon and using a respectful tone was a big part of this introduction blog.