Quote:
Originally Posted by lilstogi11
It is also up to the lesser performing robot's team to show the higher seeded and dominant team how they would be an asset to an alliance. The robots aren't always they greatest thing out on the field, but a lot of teams get picked because of their ability to cooperate with other teams and strategize in order to win.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneYoung
There's a lot of truth in this statement. The interactions between teams, the exchanges of information, the honest marketing of the teams can generate interest and potential partnerships/alliances.
Jane
*goes off to find Andy Baker to tell a little marketing story from the OKC Regional*
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The 2008 FRC season had many great experiences and stories. For me, one sticks out from Oklahoma City. Jane and I reffed together there, so she got to experience this with me. Here's the story:
Friday was a rough day for team 2369. Actually, it was a difficult day for many teams, as 27 of the 38 competing teams were rookies to FRC. Penalties were frequent, but diminished as the teams gained experience.
Team 2369 is one of those teams with a handful of students and one lead teacher, Modar Abuljebain. This team worked hard with little resources to create a herding robot, aiming to be the best at what they did. Each qualification match introduced another round of bad luck for 2369. They ended the day 0-6. As head ref, I noticed that their robot would do well each time, but their alliance lost each match. Every time, they would have a working hybrid mode, and they did their job. One match, they even got 4 lines in hybrid.
After the award ceremony on Friday, a few of us were hanging out around the field. Modar from 2369 and the lead students asked to talk to me. They were very discouraged by their last-place standing. They did not like depending on other robots who did not perform as well as theirs. All of them were very frustrated.
Remembering that they had a good hybrid mode, I encouraged them to market themselves and tell teams about their assets. I also kept track of penalties per team (on a tally sheet) and pointed out that they only had one penalty over their 0-6 day. This was one of their points of contention, since their partners got many penalties during their matches.
They never thought about the marketing aspect and alliance selection, and wondered how to do that. I gave them examples of what other teams do, by creating summary sheets, team buttons, and give-aways to advertise their teams. Instantly, I saw light bulbs appear above the team members' heads as hope re-appeared to their faces. They thanked me for the insight and went on their way.
The next morning, I was checking on some things in the pits and the students and Modar from team 2369 stopped me. They handed me a card, showing a picture of their robot on it and some key assets for their robot performance: "4-line hybrid mode", "only 1 penalty in 6 matches", and a couple other simple truths. They said that they were going from team to team in the pits, telling others why their team can help an alliance be better. One highly-seeded team even told them to be quiet about it. This team wanted to pick 2369 and didn't want other teams to learn about their hybrid mode.
2369 ended the qualification rounds by going 2-1 on Saturday morning. They were a 1st round pick in the elimination rounds. They lost in the 1st round of the finals, but they competed very well. On Saturday, they held their heads high as they realized that they were one of the top teams in Oklahoma.
I caught up with Modar and the guys after the competition was over, and asked them to autograph their marketing card. Their quick action and response to a difficult situation was an inspiration to me, and a great experience I will not forget.
Instead of giving up, MTC Robotics realized their accomplishments and worked hard at putting a marketing plan into action in a short amount of time (they didn't sleep much Friday night). This helped their team turn a frustrating season into a very successful rookie year.
Thanks to 2369 for being an inspiration to many.
Sincerely,
Andy B.