Topic: I hope MU marketing is watching

[bbcard1]

Virginia Tech is offering a Living Social deal on their game versus Cincy...seems a good idea to move tickets to the less than big games.

[wesnky]

U Of Cincinnati buy one for Pit game get one free for $22.

http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/083012aaa.html

[wvmafia]

U Of Cincinnati buy one for Pit game get one free for $22.

http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/083012aaa.html

I'm not on the inside of MU's marketing efforts, but it's been said before that "de-valuing" the product isn't the marketing strategy that they want to us. 

Not sure whether I agree with that, but that's the philosophy as I understand it.

[Herd-nficent]

I don't like "free tickerts" unless for small kids.

If more was done for season ticket holders, and Big Green members there would be incentive to get season tix and join the BG.

Freebies usually only attract the non-interested who are looking for something to do (until half-time).

[wvmafia]

I don't like "free tickerts" unless for small kids.

If more was done for season ticket holders, and Big Green members there would be incentive to get season tix and join the BG.

Freebies usually only attract the non-interested who are looking for something to do (until half-time).

Agreed, that's why I'm supportive of not de-valuing.  There are ways to get people to the stadium other than free or deeply discounted tickets. 

[svherd]

I agree with promotions like these. I dont see devaluing the product at all. I see a chance to fill some seats that 99% of the time would be vacant. You do get some ROI, in addition, you may just convince them to come back again if they enjoy the initial game experience. It's called building the fan base.

You have seats in the stadium that are predicated on giving and you get those as an incentive and reward for giving. Providing a plan such as this for the end zone seats doesn't hurt at all. Hell, I'd make all the end zone seats $10.00 ea.

I'd give gobs of tix to elementary schools and each kid on the honor roll or perfect attendance gets two tix to one home game. Thats how you get kids and families involved who are not hard core fans - yet. jmo.

[wesnky]

Or maybe take in a Vanderbilt game for a discounted ticket of $16 and you can take a child with you for free.

http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/083012aad.html

Or maybe 6 SEC home games at Vanderbilt for $110,  $18 a piece.

http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/040512aaa.html

[wvmafia]

Yeah --- or we could go totally Bush League and do the "can of food" night or something that really promotes your product as something worth seeing.   ::)

[FlyHawk98]

I agree with promotions like these. I dont see devaluing the product at all. I see a chance to fill some seats that 99% of the time would be vacant. You do get some ROI, in addition, you may just convince them to come back again if they enjoy the initial game experience. It's called building the fan base.

You have seats in the stadium that are predicated on giving and you get those as an incentive and reward for giving. Providing a plan such as this for the end zone seats doesn't hurt at all. Hell, I'd make all the end zone seats $10.00 ea.

I'd give gobs of tix to elementary schools and each kid on the honor roll or perfect attendance gets two tix to one home game. Thats how you get kids and families involved who are not hard core fans - yet. jmo.

These are all great suggestions imo.

Get the kids hooked when they're young, thats why most of us are still fans today.

[wesnky]

Just saying ; SEC Vanderbilt Stadium 40,000, Big East Nippert Stadium"UC" 35,000 similar size to the Joan,  both cities with much better demographics in the SMSA and they promote the product.  I just think $25 is too much for the least expensive seat in the Joan.

What's it going to hurt to try promotions, have season ticket sales and single game attendance been trending up or down?  If it does not work , what have you lost?  If it works you may have gained new fans, young and old, future season ticket holders, and people spending money on concessions, merchandise, parking, and local establishments.

I don't see the drawback.

[ThunderDent]

#1, an upper deck could give us a whole slew of $10 tickets, or family plan promotions like at baseball games (even the MLB's do it... 4 tix, 4 hot dogs & 4 cokes for $40 or something like that).
That whole deck could be $10 seats and walk-up crowd with what's left over.

#2, most everyone in sports marketing will tell you, the gameday monies don't come from ticket sales or advertising. They come from 2 things. General public consessions & Suites.

You can't sell more high priced concessions, unless you have the people inside the stadium to buy them.

Oh, and sell beer in plastic bottles. Please. That is money going to complete waste that could be in our coffers.

[fedale]

Even if you offer $10 tickets... You're still helping the local economy... People use gas to get there, money to park, buy food from the concessions, buy Herd memorabilia, etc...

[carolinaherdfan]

Let's pack our end zone this Saturday. No matter the sacrifice...I will contribute to the effort provided I can be assured the seats have actual bodies in them...

[carolinaherdfan]

Hey gang...a young persons memory isn't as long as us elephants....Let's move forward on over filling our endzone this Saturday with Herdfans...

[wvmafia]

How much money is someone who was drawn to an MU game because of $10 tickets actually gonna spend?  The amount of discretionary income is finite.  A guy who brings his son to an MU game with his son because the tix were $10 is going to park four blocks away and walk, smuggle two bottles of water into the game and tell his kid they'll get him a t-shirt at Walmart. 

How many season tickets less is MU going to sell next year is the precedence is set that for $60 you can go to all the home games by waiting until "day of"?

I'm not saying that I have better ideas, but "giving away" tickets isn't the way to attract people.

[Greg H]

I became a liflong fan on a free student ticket while on leave from the Army...smuggling in my own "beverages." Im just saying.

[carolinaherdfan]

I'm saying...how about us herdfans buyout the endzone and fill it with young herd buts...providing it is with actual buts for the whole game...

[Huffnagel]

Fill the seats!

The benefit for me buying season tickets is to guarantee I get the seat I want, where I want. This way I don't have to wait to see if there might be a deal coming down the pipeline. I am a fan of supporting the boys and girls club, or maybe youth organizations for those games that are not expected to be near capacity. Would I offer it for Lousiville or Purdue, no. But I'd consider it for Western Carolina, or Memphis. Some of my best memories as a child is going to a Marshall game with my dad when we had the extra money to buy tickets. Why not allow more kids to have those same memories with their parents.

Offer 1,000 tickets as 250 family packs of 4 tickets for a reduced price. Heck they offered 4 season tickets for $400 and that averaged out to around $16 a ticket, and I know several that took advantage of that deal.

More butts in the seats means more money in the bank!

[whf]

Marketing is about defining your target audience or audiences, building a story that piques there interest, and then being good enough at story telling that they turn their interest into paying attention.  SELLING is about getting / closing the order.  Getting butts in the seats is not a marketing job, it is a selling job.  It is where a value proposition has to be developed and presented in a manner that the buyer buys.  Every buyer has their own WIFM and cost/value point.  We haven't changed our success rate in years; something different needs to be done in both marketing and selling to get butts in the seats.  It isn't about building $30M facilities, it is about making the time and money invested in attending games worth the cost of doing so. I think we are doing great in fund raising and very poorly in piquing interest and selling attendance at the games.

[carolinaherdfan]

Maybe we need: Steady as you go...

[svherd]

Yeah, lets not think out of the box, the traditional way of thinking at MU is really filling up the stands. Good lord people, a few discounted end zone seats or family packs isn't going to affect our bottom line in either direction. It will get more people in the seats - people that just may come back again if they enjoy the game and atmosphere. Thats how you cultivate and build a new following. Amazing, no wonder Huntington business's fail - the attitude that prevails amazes me.  ::)

[exanimate]

The first year that I could afford to buy season tickets was when they ran the 6 for 60 promo. Yes they were crappy seats, but it was affordable for me to buy 4 and got me in. The very next year I upgraded seats and I believe this is my 6th year as a season ticket holder. I wanted to upgrade again but my family wanted to stay in our seats.

I like the promos. It worked on me. The affordable price is what prompted me to pull the trigger and I've been here since.

[bbcard1]

IMO, make the corners cheap, like $10.

[FlyHawk98]

Endzone seats should be $10 EVERY game on a first come basis....Same goes for the upper corners.

Just dumb to leave them empty when we could make something off of it. If there is a demand created for this such as selling out those tickets every game, then next year raise the price to $12/game. It's pretty simple really.

We don't have to create the same demand for the whole stadium guys.

[MisterB]

Not to really throw this thread off its path, but as for the VT-Cinci living social/groupon deal, the game is at FedEx field (Redskins' Stadium).  They also had deals for deals for the WVU-JMU game there (for what it's worth, the VT ones are going 5$ higher).  Kind of amusing deal for the UMD - UConn game at Maryland...32$ for a ticket, 2 car flags, and a 10$ voucher for concessions.

Thinking about the groupon stuff just got me wondering where the money goes for the tickets for neutral site games.  My assumption is that it will go to the Redskins and that they are the actual source of the living social deal.

(I try to limit my posting here, but sometimes I just can't help it.  I said I'd be gone after last weekend, but damnit....this board is pretty darn active and typically has some interesting/thought provoking threads)