What do you think of my New Sport Venture?

[ben.fatherree]

Hey Everyone! I'm new to this forum, but I'd like to ask some serious questions.

So my group of friends and I have developed a new sport. It's called HANTIS. Exciting. Fast Paced. Athletic Competition.

I cannot post the website link because I have 0 posts, but here it is in text - WWWdotHANTISdotNET (watch the homepage video)

Our sport is patent pending, the brand name and logos are trademarked. We have been testing the sport in different demographics for the past 2 years and everyone that plays or watches gets excited and wants to jump in.

We're developing a business plan to present to investors and we need some feedback from you on how we could market the sport to get people to buy into it.
Should we start selling equipment to spread the sport? Should we create an infomercial? Any suggestions, comments, concerns, encouragement is appreciated.

[Stone]

this looks wicked!!!! I wanna play, I really like it.

In order to market it though there are a few methods I would suggest.

Social media - facebook, twitter, myspace social media is extremely powerful for spreading the word, it is juts that most people have no idea how to do it, If you have the budget I would suggest contacting and hiring Zac Johnson at Zbiz Inc this guy is amazing when it comes to social media.

It appears you already have sponsorship from Mother?? this is good, can you get more companies to sponsor you and even help with the promotion, one of the secrets of big business is that they use other peopl's resources like money, people, skills, contracts, etc

Press Releases - Get some good press releases written and distributed, try and get some media coverage. The media love to report on stuff like this. try local and national.

Do Free Exhibitions - at other sporting events, markets, fairs, etc

Video - This is be a great way to spread the world, get a program like traffic geyser and start distrubting videos all over the internet, videos get spread around and embedded into blog.

Do a Guest Post on a popular related blog - this is another great way to tap in to other peoples resources, there are thousands of bloggers out there, find some popular, high traffic blog related to your market and ask the owner if you can contribute to their blog and tell their readers about your awesome sport

Get someone famous to play - This could be tricky but try and position yourself to get a celebrity to play and film it.

anyway that should keep you busy for a short time, i hope it helps, good luck with it and let me know when there are people in Australia playing

[akula]

wow impressive
that's pretty interesting...i have no idea how to kick start your kind of venture
the only case studies i can think of are things like Zumba etc..but they don't really apply to what you guys are doing...

erhh...the basic principle is that you've gotta extremely specific about your target market. "testing the sport in different demographics for the past 2 years and everyone like it" won't do. you've gotta be more specific or the venture won't go anywhere..my intuitive advice would be to target schools and talk to the head phys education teachers about introducing a new sport for kids who don't wanna do the sports that are already on offer..that gives you a pretty specific, large target market who have an identifiable problem that HANTIS may be a solution for

then, you sell equipment to the schools etc... of course that may be the wrong target market (i.e. PE teachers), but nonetheless, you've gotta be specific

[SCJeff]

I would suggest introducing it locally as an intramural sport in high schools and colleges. Then build up from there.

[c9consulting]

This looks like something that could really take off at beaches during spring break! I'd imagine if you put on a good exhibition game on a popular beach, you would get a lot of people interested.

[ben.fatherree]

Thanks for all the helpful messages!

Stone - I'm glad you like it!
As far as social media is concerned we are working on building our facebook group up, putting announcements of our events on twitter, and spreading youtube vids. Join our facebook group and subscribe to our Youtube channel! We need good fans like you!

Press Releases - I've had a hard time doing them myself b/c I'm not a very good writer. What are some topics to get press releases on? Events, products, charity work?

Exhibitions - We play a 4-5 times a month at a college nearby for all the incoming freshmen who seem to love it! We also go to parks and play on sand volleyball courts and try and get people involved, everyone that plays gets the hang of the rules fast and stays for long periods of time.

Guest Blog Post - WOW, great idea. I never thought of this. We are just now getting our blog up, once we do, I will def. look more into this!

Famous Person - :0 I've wanted so much for Rob Drydek or OCHO CINCO (since I live in Cincinnati) to play, but no luck yet. I did run into him at a waffle house, but it was 3AM and he had an entire entourage with him, very cool.

Akula - You're absolutely right.
We need to define our target market so we know who we're selling to. We've introduced the sport at local middle and high schools to the phys. ed. teachers who have really given us postitive feedback. Some of the comments were - "This is just great, a new sport I can teach my kids that I don't have to buy any new equipment!" also, "The game has caught a buzz in our school, kids are starting to push cafeteria tables together during lunch to play!" also, "a group of our kids want to make a Hantis Club, they said they think it will be a FUTURE OLYMPIC SPORT!"

SCJeff - Great idea.
Last year we started a Hantis Club at the university we attend. It took us 2 months to gain 66 members. We held 5 tournaments and held numerous practices with over 20 people returning to play over and over. This next year we are starting an intramural league with multiple tournaments to get more of the athletic crowd involved, i.e. fraternities and other sports clubs.

c9consulting - We want to so bad!
We are planning on spending our next spring break on a few beaches on the east coast and bringing the sport along with us. We really think people will pick it up fast and enjoy playing. I would be in florida right now on the beach playing hantis if I had the money, just gotta be patient.

Thanks for all the IDEAS! Please post more as we will try and implement everything we can. Also, subscribe to our YOUTUBE videos and add me on FACEBOOK. Hope to talk to yall more soon!

[Nigami Enterprise]

I really like the idea, something new something different and it could take off.

My question is though how are you going to make money from the idea?

Is it through selling the equipment or tournaments or rights to the sport ect?

[ben.fatherree]

I really like the idea, something new something different and it could take off.

My question is though how are you going to make money from the idea?

Is it through selling the equipment or tournaments or rights to the sport ect?

Nigami Enterprise - Thanks for the positive outlook!

We plan on making money from ALL 3 - Selling Equipment (tables, balls, and accessory items like gloves, bags, towels, carrying cases for tables, measuring tools for tables, scrimmage line tape, court lines, etc.), Holding sponsored tournaments, Rights to create leagues (intramural collegiate, national collegiate, high schools, amateur, professional levels). And in addition - Sell merchandise, official jerseys - hats - shirts - headbands - armbands - etc.

[eab]

The game seems really cool, and seems like it will take off. It is something different, simple, and fun.

However you need to better define the monetization of this sport (activity) as a business. I think you are blinded by your love and passion for Hantis, that you are not thinking of this from a business perspective. The equipment is pretty simple, and you will not be able to compete with large companies for tennis balls, tape, tables etc.

Also, I don't think you can have total control on the rights to create leagues. You can not sanction their leeague but people will be free to create them.

Just some negative thoughts as I always find this helps this most.

Now on the positive end, as mentioned seems really great. Introducing this at beaches, spring break etc would get you a large audience for free. Distribute promotional materials as much as you can. Also, since the cost of playing/setting this up is so cheap, reach out to places alot of kids go that maybe don;t have a large budget. Summer camps, youth centers, after school programs etc.

Best of luck!

[ucavik]

Thats quite innovative! it is the first time i have come across some body who invented a sport.I think you should pool your resources and start a league or mini league to give it much needed impetus.

[flagexport]

sounds a quite a good idea, but lots more efforts needed rather than idea

bikesexporter.com

[SmoothEntrepreneur]

Wow. Just wow. I look forward to seeing this at the beach next time I go. BTW-- if you could have gotten this on The Jersey Shore, you would be rich by now.

[SmoothEntrepreneur]

Also, who designed your website. It's great!

[ben.fatherree]

Also, who designed your website. It's great!

A friend I know who does freelance work. I drew up every page how I wanted it and he coded the whole thing! If anyone wants his contact info, just send me a PM.

[guidemesingapore]

Social media is the best way to go to build interest in something quickly. The other thing would be to do free giveaways or have a contest to get people interested and visit your website. Once there, they can learn about the sport and talk to their friends about it.