How an MMA Organization Saves Time and Money with Go Direct

Background

Our client, a global mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in the United States, had a logistics problem. They needed to produce and distribute over one million posters to promote their next Pay-Per-View (PPV) event. Easier said than done.

As you may know, MMA is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and since its inception, our client’s business has grown exponentially. Their events are held internationally across the Americas, Australia, Asia, and Europe—and they broadcast to tens of millions of viewers around the globe every month.

With such a large fan-base, it was imperative that our client secured their North American viewership across commercial partner establishments (restaurants, bars and local gyms, etc.)

Up to the challenge, Go Direct was tasked with helping boost their PPV numbers—mass producing and distributing posters and other marketing materials to approximately 5,500 locations across Canada and the USA.

The Problem

That being said, there was a unique challenge to confront—sensitive timing due to last-minute fight card changes.

The client wanted posters for their next event delivered immediately after their most recent event concluded. In other words, once Event A wrapped up, the promotion of Event B would begin immediately—providing restaurants and bars the maximum amount of time to promote the next event and draw more patrons. A seamless cycle!

However, due to the nature of the sport, headliners are swapped in and out very close to the event date due to unforeseen incidents such as injuries, illness or other reasons. In such cases, there had to be a very quick turnaround on last-minute printing, distribution, and transportation processes.

In the past, when these last-minute changes occurred, promotional materials were delivered within 5-6 business days following receipt of the graphic design artwork. A fairly quick turnaround, but definitely room for improvement.

The Solution

With the challenges in mind, Go Direct started its relationship with the client as they were preparing for one of their most anticipated PPV events. With the goal of expanding viewership in key geographical areas via shipped marketing collateral, the solution Go Direct offered included:

• On-demand producing and printing of posters and other materials
• Responsive (last-minute) shipments of event posters across North America
• Maintenance of the eCommerce portal used by our client’s commercial clients to place custom orders

The Results

The initial engagement began with the mass distribution of posters—including 8,616 orders and 122,121 printed pieces. Over the first 18 months, Go Direct shipped over 100,000 orders consisting of 1,225,000 pieces.

In terms of turnaround times, all distribution cycles were completed within 1-3 business days, and the materials arrived at their destinations on time.

• The allotted 5 business days for order picking, packing, and shipping was reduced to 2 business days
• In most cases, the 5 business days needed for print production was reduced to 3 or 4 business days

With these major improvements and other streamlining, restaurants were receiving their event posters 4 to 5 business days earlier. This meant they could start advertising upcoming events much sooner—helping to increase revenues for both our client and the establishment owners.

In addition to the reduction in turnaround times, Go Direct has decreased the client’s costs by approximately 9% for the US business unit and 28.5% for the Canadian business unit.

The Relationship

As you can see, Go Direct delivered above-and-beyond the agreed upon service levels!

Go Direct enjoys a very close relationship with our client. Our contacts there appreciate our responsiveness to their business needs and the accountability we exhibit to ensure the best results with every distribution. The agility we have created, combined with our strong operational capabilities and the visibility we offer them, plays an important role in contributing to their ongoing success.

Kellie Lefaive, is the President & CEO of Go Direct. A Senior Executive with strategic planning, business development, operations, and divisional startup expertise. She has a strong understanding of technology integration and platform roll-outs. Kellie is a recognized leader, who is experienced in leading large and small-scale, multi-site operations. She has spent over half of her career working with CPG companies and major retailers create multi-channel strategies and omni-channel execution. Kellie can be reached at kellie.lefaive@godirectsolutions.com