Sports organizations looking for new ways to sell existing ticket inventory should closely examine a new strategy the Florida Panthers are implementing to kick off the 2010-2011 NHL season. The team is offering "The Perfect Plan" campaign, where fans can choose their preferred seat, name the price they would like to pay, and submit it to the team for a response in less than 24 hours.
The team is currently featuring a flash page on Panthers.NHL.com that redirects to a form that fans interested in the offer can fill out. The form provides available ticket inventory (with standard pricing) and allows fans to go in and submit a live bid to the team. If the bid is accepted by the team, the consumer's credit card is automatically charged and they instantly become a member of the Florida Panthers season ticket holder family. A great concept!
If your organization is looking to create a new OOH campaign to sell season tickets, consider creating billboards that say, "Looking for a Sign to Buy Season Tickets This Year? Here it Is". Organizations can take this call-to-action to the next level by accompanying it with a special promotional offer (discount on tickets, free premium item giveaway, unique experience, etc.).
Just remember - if you go ahead and use this idea... just remember to tell people where you found it!
Are you looking for new ways to leverage auto partners in-venue? Are you looking for ways to enhance seating at your venue?
Ford featured an interesting "Best Seats in the House" exhibit at the 2009 MAC Championship, a game played at Ford Field in Detroit. Check it out below!
A special thanks to Drew Ossakow of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration for his insights and contributions to this column.
Are you looking for new ways to reward fans at the ballpark? Are you looking to create new ticket promotions based on team performance?
This season, the Milwaukee Brewers are running a "Dollars for Dingers" ticket promotion where fans can save $1 off a Loge Outfield ticket (regularly $28) for EACH Brewers home run hitover a 10-day stretch of the season. The promotion offers fans the chance to save a lot of money on their tickets based on the team's performance (if the team hit 28 home runs during the stretch, fans would receive tickets for free).
When the team offered the promotion from June 15 - June 25, the Brewers' power hitters slugged 12 home runs, discounting the price of the $28 loge seats to just $16 ($12 off) during a 2-game July homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals. Earlier this season, the team sold out their Dollars for Dingers ticket inventory in just 30 minutes, demonstratingthe strong support the promotion has received.
Look for more teams to showcase discounted tickets based on team performance!
Are you looking for ways to engage children attending school in the local community? Are you looking to create a promotional offer that is centered around academic success?
Northwestern Athletics recently announced that it will be offering two unique promotions that reward childen in the 8th grade and under in the local marketplace:
Wildcats 3.0 Program
Northwestern created a Wildcats' 3.0 program that rewards children in the 8th grade and under who earn all A's and B's on their report card. The promotion, inspired by the University's 183 student-athletes who earned Academic All-Big Ten Honors in 2008, will serve as a great way to get more families in the stands for Wildcat football games during the Fall. As part of the promotion, youth who excel in the classroom can receive two (2) free tickets to a non-conference Northwestern football game when presenting a copy of their report card at the Wildcat ticket office one week prior to a game.
The Purrfect Attendance Program
Kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students who present a copy of their perfect attendance certificate (a reward for going to every day of school) can receive a Family Plan season ticket package, equivalent to two (2) adult season tickets and three (3) children's tickets for the 2009 Northwestern football season. This promotion will certainly drive some parents to get involved and encourage their children in the classroom!
A special thanks to Taylor Wood of the Ohio University MBA/MSA Program and Athletics Development Frontier for his insights and contributions to this column...
Are you looking for new ways to drive excitement at the ballpark? Are you looking to feature an enticing offer that draws new consumers to the ballpark?
The Class A Cedar Rapids Kernals recently offered a tremendous "Million Dollar Monday" promotion that turned the heads of baseball fans throughout the state of Iowa. The promotional night, deemed the "perfect promotion", offered fans attending the game the chance to win $1 million if the team's pitcher threw a complete-game perfect game (getting 27 consecutive outs).
While the chances to win are slim (Yahoo.com places the odds of a perfect game at 90,000-to-1), the offer seems irresistible to fans who have to pay just a few bucks to get into the ballpark to enjoy some quality entertainment. The Kernals were able to effectively tie in a sponsor - Perfect Game USA baseball club/scouting service - to help underwrite the costs involved with implementing the promotion.
While the team didn't end up throwing a complete game, the promotional night served as a great way to get some new fans out to the ballpark!
Are you looking for new ways to drive season ticket sales? Are you searching for new ways to engage and connect with fans?
Sarah Talalay of the Sun-Sentinel recently featured a great article on the Miami Dolphins' new season ticket holder sales piece. The Dolphins created an interactive vignette where the viewer can input his/her contact information to experience the full new signee experience.
The feature lets fans experience the excitement of signing a contract, high-fiving fans, and running through the tunnel with the team mascot all while wearing a customized jersey and seeing their name scroll across the screen.
Check out the generic version of the Dolphins season ticket holder sales piece (insert viewer name wherever the term Dolfan is seen):
Are you looking for new ways to attract college students and working professionals to your events? Are you looking for ways to make your team more revelant in the local community?
CoffeeCompany, a coffee shopping chain in the Netherlands, recently drew waves of attention by offering students a coupon good for ten (10) small coffees if they agree to add one of its six (6) branded PowerPoint slides into their presentations. The promotion served as an effective way for the company to turn students into brand ambassadors at a very minimal cost (CoffeeCompany is essentially sponsoring the students through the promotion).
To receive a ten (10) free cups of coffee, students simply had to upload a photo or video of themselves showing the slide in class on the site Free Coffee 4 Students (the site even includes a Wall of Fame). The promotion enabled students to submit a photo/video for a free coffee once per month. Check out a clip below which demonstrates a student's submission for the promotion:
What are the implications here for sports marketers?
Sports organizations can consider mirroring the promotion with a "Add a Slide, Get Free Tickets" initiative. The promotional offer would serve as a great way to tap into local student bases (youth, students attending Universities) and local businesses. At the very least, it might just be a simple way to enhance the perception of your team's brand amongst students in the local community (who may be interested in coming to your games but are turned off due to prices, etc.).
To execute, teams should consider creating a microsite that features a number of fan-friendly elements:
A collection of team-branded Powerpoint slides for consumers to download and use
A function that enables consumers to upload photos/videos that they can submit online for free tickets once per month
A special offer from a corporate partner who is targeting students/young professionals (an additional offer, integration into the promotion, etc.)
An interactive feature where consumers can see what their presentation would look like on the team videoboard
A promotional opportunity for one lucky fan who submits photo/video to win the chance to have the team's mascot/players/coaches come to their classroom
The chance to take part in an exclusive "Back to School" event prior to a game later on during the season
Discussion Board / Wall Feature (to let consumers share their stories, etc.)
Are you looking for new ways to demonstrate value to your fan base? Are you looking to enhance your ticket operations?
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL recently announced a "Tiger Town Season Seat Photo Contest" that asks their season ticket holders to show their spirit for the chance to be featured on the team's 2009 season ticket stock. Fans are asked to submit their favorite pictures demonstrating their avidity for the chance to be one (1) of ten (10) fans selected to appear on the team's season ticket stock.
The promotion serves as an excellent way to demonstrate added value for fans in a cost-effective manner. After all, how many people can say that they were featured on a ticket stub? It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity fo many. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are also providing each of the ten (10) lucky fans with a framed copy of the 2009 season ticket stock and two (2) platinum tickets to the game that their image was featured on.
For a chance to win, consumers are asked to either:
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Friday, August 6, 2010 at 07:45AM 
