Preds Dead?

In an article yesterday, I got some good news ... selfishly.

It appears the slow adoption of the Predators as a Nashville team is catching up to them. To summarize the article, lagging attendance, especially for an NHL league leader, could cost Nashville it's pro hockey franchise. Not only is the issue the direct revenue associated with paid attendance, but it is also the complicated formula based on home attendance that pays out league revenue sharing. Without the revenue sharing, the Preds would be dead.

Why would this make me happy? Because I think they have significantly cut into Vanderbilt's revenue both in ticket revenue and corporate sponsorships. Without question, the Predators leaving would be profitable for the Commodores.

Let me just go on record, I admire the Predators' marketing staff. I think they do a really good job of creating awareness, interest, and excitement once someone takes in a game.

But why is it not working? Many point to Tampa Bay, or Raleigh as southern towns that support hockey very well. Is it because they do not have NFL sucking the life out of them the entire year?

The talk radio crowd has been discussing this religiously and have been harping on what do do. The focus is on the business community not supporting the Preds through ticket sales. I think their corporate sponsorship levels are satisfactory, but the large blocks of tickets that are bought by local businesses in other markets are just not happening.

As I sit back, as I usually do in situations like this, I am thinking to myself what would I do? Right now, I do not know. I think something very radical has to be considered that is directly targeted at the Nashville business community.

By radical, I do not mean in the sales process, but radical in the product. What else could a hockey team do to encourage Nashville businesses to consider blocks of tickets to support their business efforts?

Business only Happy Hour prior to the game? Maybe like a Chamber event exclusive to ticketholders bought in a business' name? Or perhaps take some of the trends in club seating to all tickets in the lower bowl such as waiter service, wireless ordering of concessions, or exclusive entrance?

Just a little brainstorming. In my opinion, the issue lies in the product. Not the game presentation or the team performance, but rather creating more value for the business to meet their goals.

Take care.

Revelling in rivalries

So last night, I had one of those "this is why I am in this business" nights.

A little background ... Vanderbilt's signature sport is men's basketball. We play in a strange gym called Memorial Gym whose distinctive characteristic is the fact that the benches are under the hoops. I digress ... we have had a number of last minute victories that have earned Memorial Gym to elicit "Memorial Magic". However, our team this year has not been very good. Losses to Furman and App State can do that to you.

Enter Tennessee. Enter cross-town rivalry. Enter a head coach in Bruce Pearl, whom I greatly respect from a purely PR perspective, but who is greatly hated by our fan base. Tennessee is ranked. I made the prediction we would lose by 20+.

Tat was before I factored in the Memorial Magic moments. See below.



As we sat around the office today, talking about the game, the older folks started reflecting on what Vandy used to be ... the hottest thing in Nashville. That was before pro sports came in and sucked the life out of our program.

However, short of the Music City Miracle in a season where the Titans went to the Super Bowl, I would argue there was more emotion and enthusiasm in that gym last night than any pro team could care to generate. (at least in the south. I have the theory that north of the mason dixon line the lens of sports fandom flips thus making pro sports have the same attributes as college sports in the south)

My point is that there is still something very pure about good college sporting entertainment. Most people want it. Most people enjoy it. Most people talk about it. But, in our relatively young pro sports town, until we are winning all the media wants to cover is pro sports.

They are still the cool, new kid in school ... maybe like Sunshine on Remember the Titans. But, I still feel I can penetrate the culture, and remind this community what sort of entertainment value there is in collegiate athletics.

Until the roller coaster begins the next flip, "We're number 1".

Take care.

Capturing the casual fan

I have just returned from a Titans party (term used loosely) at a college buddy's house. At the party there were 5 couples, all married and 4 of which had at least one child. We were drinking beer, eating snacks, and having a good time. Every one of us had been to at least one Titans game during the current season. None of us paid for the tickets.

I am sure there were a number of these parties throughout the Nashville area. Now, as a marketer, I am always evaluating human behaviors. I am wondering ... why are none of us at the game? with a playoff birth up for grabs, and the known ease of scalping tickets, why are we choosing to watch the game in someone's house?

That is my dilemma relating to the Commodores.

I have often wondered exactly how big is our fan base? We have over a hundred thousand contacts in our database, but why won't more of them buy tickets?

A little background ... the Commodores have about 10,000 season ticketholders from year to year. We have a stadium that seats almost 40,000 and we average about 34,000 per game. Oh, we have not had a winning season since '82.

For a while I have thought that we were getting an overwhelming majority of our fan base to buy season tickets, which I was very proud to say. However, when we played a crosstown school, MTSU, the TV ratings were off the charts? They were larger than what the Titans receive! Over 400,000 watched the poor old Commodores! (if you buy into ratings, which I don't)

There were other factors, but I want to focus on how I can get more of the 400,000 potential fans into our gates.

That was what I was thinking about as I watched a Titans game with 17 people who fit into my target market. According to the Titans, we do not exist. We have been to games, called ourselves fans, but do not receive any communication, or have had any relationship with the program.

What would you do if you were the Titans? If you were the Commodores? One has a season sold out, and the other has plenty of seats available.

I haven't given it much thought, but there are two missions: identify the fans by getting them into your database, and ratchet them up the fandom ladder to the point of generating revenue for your program.

What would you do?

Take care.