2016 All Things Lions Marketing & Promotions

[DanoT]

2 years ago we played Ottawa on October 11, 2014 up against the Canucks home opener and had 31,217 fans. I remember because it was such a nightmare to get home. At that time Ottawa was a novelty but...

A couple weeks later we played Calgary in week 20 for a playoff preview and broke 33,000. They even opened up the visitors side of the upper bowl. I sat there. It wasn't that long ago... Am I wrong? What gives?

Something just came back to mind on your question Alputt. Remember that was the season of Skulsky's guarantee win night. They had to open up more of the upper bowl if anything just to make good on Skulsky's guarantee. In 2014 BC averaged 24746 in the first 4 games. That's approximately 3000 under lower bowl capacity. Then Skulsky put out the guarantee win and 33196 showed up to see the Riders. With the loss that was a potential for the house to be papered with up to 33196 free tickets over the balance of the season. As it was they drew 119761 over the final 4 games; 20777 more than they drew over the first 4 games. Of the top of my head I don't recall what percentage of fans cashed in on the freebies but suffice it to say most of the attendance boost over the final 4 games can be directly attributable to that. Had BC beat the Riders that fateful night they likely don't average much more than 26000 coming down the stretch.

Good point. A lot of those extra fans were cashing in freebies. I used mine. I think Skulsky was quoted as saying that more than 60% of the allowed freebies from guaranteed win night were used, so that would account for the 20,000 extra fans in the final 4 games.

So, in conclusion the Guaranteed Win Night was a creative way to paper the place and not the disaster that many lionbackers think it was. my

[B.C.FAN]

A lot of those extra fans were cashing in freebies. I used mine. I think Skulsky was quoted as saying that more than 60% of the allowed freebies from guaranteed win night were used, so that would account for the 20,000 extra fans in the final 4 games.

So, in conclusion the Guaranteed Win Night was a creative way to paper the place and not the disaster that many lionbackers think it was. my

Yes, I've maintained all along that the GWN was a no-lose proposition. Win or lose, the Lions got extra fans in the building in a time of declining attendance.

I've noticed a lot more free and discounted tickets in recent years for armed forces, minor football, kids, sponsors and other groups. The marketing philosophy seems to be to sell what they can on the regular market but bolster attendance by targeting special groups for giveaways and discounts. That's not a bad way to get more butts in the seats.

[Hambone]

Good point. A lot of those extra fans were cashing in freebies. I used mine. I think Skulsky was quoted as saying that more than 60% of the allowed freebies from guaranteed win night were used, so that would account for the 20,000 extra fans in the final 4 games.

The other part of the point is that without the GWN promo and extra fannies it put into the house in the final stretch attendances that season may never have matched the equivalent of a lower bowl sellout with the possible exception of the Riders lone visit.

[Alputt]

Good point. A lot of those extra fans were cashing in freebies. I used mine. I think Skulsky was quoted as saying that more than 60% of the allowed freebies from guaranteed win night were used, so that would account for the 20,000 extra fans in the final 4 games.

The other part of the point is that without the GWN promo and extra fannies it put into the house in the final stretch attendances that season may never have matched the equivalent of a lower bowl sellout with the possible exception of the Riders lone visit.

Oh right the guarantee! Come to think of it I believe I used free tickets from that "promotion" to attend that last Calgary game... I would have anyway so I forgot wether I paid $35 for upper bowl singles or not, but we would have had those freebie tix and used them for the last game as would have many others.

I still have higher hopes for post labour day attendance but I was dismayed at the crowd on Friday for a first place battle regardless of date. You can't tell me there were a few thousand no shows who foresaw the shellacking we took at the hands of Calgary I came in prepared for a close one.

[Alputt]

I'm also not really sure If I am right about seat pricing keeping people away to the extent that I have at times believed... I mean $45 for corner or end zone isn't really that big of a deal for a professional sporting event... Would dropping the price by $10 - $15 draw the few thousand more young fans I had claimed in another post? On sober second reflection maybe not.

I do think they need to make some pricing tweaks though, i.e. I would love to get out of touchdown corner and move a couple sections over to the old "gold" zone. However the pricing for coaches sideline and even red is hard to justify. That said, there are no shortage of seats in the end zones which are priced quite reasonably by comparison.

I think a couple mediocre seasons from the Seahawks and Whitecaps might help matters, although I do support both teams in my way, I would prefer a brighter outlook for the BC Lions!

[SammyGreene]

Lions not the only ones struggling to sell tickets in this fickle and somewhat cash strapped Metro Vancouver market. Received two discounted offers yesterday from Ticketmaster: 1. 50 percent off all seats for Saturday's UFC event at Rogers Arena. 2. 25 percent off for Canada's World Cup qualifying soccer game against El Salvador.
And these are one off events!

[CardiacKid]

I'm also not really sure If I am right about seat pricing keeping people away to the extent that I have at times believed... I mean $45 for corner or end zone isn't really that big of a deal for a professional sporting event... Would dropping the price by $10 - $15 draw the few thousand more young fans I had claimed in another post? On sober second reflection maybe not.

I do think they need to make some pricing tweaks though, i.e. I would love to get out of touchdown corner and move a couple sections over to the old "gold" zone. However the pricing for coaches sideline and even red is hard to justify. That said, there are no shortage of seats in the end zones which are priced quite reasonably by comparison.

I think a couple mediocre seasons from the Seahawks and Whitecaps might help matters, although I do support both teams in my way, I would prefer a brighter outlook for the BC Lions!

Metro Vancouver and environs is just too expensive. Period.

I used to live in Vancouver a number of years ago but it came to the point of making the decision; do I save my money for a decent place to live and not worry about maintaining a decent standard of living but not participating in those wonderful things in Vancouver that cost $ OR do I use a portion of my earnings for attending or participating in "things" around the city at the cost of a decent way of life?

I said screw it; I want both and I can do both if I lived elsewhere. So I moved to Vancouver Island; not that the Island is especially cheap but at the time, it was a huge financial relief.

We are ok with the prices we pay to attend games; especially when compared to some of the other prices we look at for attending concerts, professional and amateur sporting events. But I can certainly appreciate how daunting the price of going to a game can be when placed alongside everything else that costs $ in Vancouver.

That's why I am very much in favour of the ownership changing to a person or business that is local to Vancouver. The level of financial obstacles facing the average Vancouverite I am not convinced the current ownership has a true grasp of or even if they truly understand how to connect with those folks.

Yes, there have been promotions, giveaways, etc. but there seems to be an inconsistency how these promotions are advertised and communicated. The Leos need to really improve how they work in conjunction with other businesses and organizations around Vancouver and I feel only a change at the absolute top will fix that.

As much as the younger Braleys may enjoy football, I don't want anymore remote and disconnected ownership. I want local ownership. I want the owner(s) to pound the Vancouver pavement everyday.

[Qman]

I'm also not really sure If I am right about seat pricing keeping people away to the extent that I have at times believed... I mean $45 for corner or end zone isn't really that big of a deal for a professional sporting event... Would dropping the price by $10 - $15 draw the few thousand more young fans I had claimed in another post? On sober second reflection maybe not.

I do think they need to make some pricing tweaks though, i.e. I would love to get out of touchdown corner and move a couple sections over to the old "gold" zone. However the pricing for coaches sideline and even red is hard to justify. That said, there are no shortage of seats in the end zones which are priced quite reasonably by comparison.

I think a couple mediocre seasons from the Seahawks and Whitecaps might help matters, although I do support both teams in my way, I would prefer a brighter outlook for the BC Lions!

Just make the discount season tickets vs single game tickets bigger. Entice more people to buy season ticket.
Lions should have a $199 season ticket to sit in corner last 5 rows

[footballtom]

They can drop the price to 15.00 a seat still nobody would cone . It should have been a packed house when they had that 5.00 a ticket for kids

[footballtom]

It is the CFL nobody cares it is a proven fact

[Qman]

Lions not the only ones struggling to sell tickets in this fickle and somewhat cash strapped Metro Vancouver market. Received two discounted offers yesterday from Ticketmaster: 1. 50 percent off all seats for Saturday's UFC event at Rogers Arena. 2. 25 percent off for Canada's World Cup qualifying soccer game against El Salvador.
And these are one off events!

i was at the caps game last night.
probably 5000-6000 (CCL games are a essentially free in season tix package).
more evidence that mid week games don't work anymore in Vancouver due to traffic. Unless you live on skytrain line, you aren't going midweek

[zeppo]

i was at the caps game last night.
probably 5000-6000 (CCL games are a essentially free in season tix package).
more evidence that mid week games don't work anymore in Vancouver due to traffic. Unless you live on skytrain line, you aren't going midweek

Wow! A couple of questions:

1. I trust your crowd estimate as I know that you go to a lot of Bells games and seem to be objective when you talk about
your observations and experiences there. So, do you have any comment on the announced attendance of just over 16,000?
There have been discussions on this board about both the Lions and Bells fudging their attendance figures, but this seems
pretty outrageous given your own estimate of the size of the crowd.

2. If the Bells had been playing a league game, rather than a CCL tournament game, do you think that the attendance would
have been closer to their announced season average, despite it being a week night?


I have no axe to grind. I'm just curious.

[Qman]

i was at the caps game last night.
probably 5000-6000 (CCL games are a essentially free in season tix package).
more evidence that mid week games don't work anymore in Vancouver due to traffic. Unless you live on skytrain line, you aren't going midweek

Wow! A couple of questions:

1. I trust your crowd estimate as I know that you go to a lot of Bells games and seem to be objective when you talk about
your observations and experiences there. So, do you have any comment on the announced attendance of just over 16,000?
There have been discussions on this board about both the Lions and Bells fudging their attendance figures, but this seems
pretty outrageous given your own estimate of the size of the crowd.

2. If the Bells had been playing a league game, rather than a CCL tournament game, do you think that the attendance would
have been closer to their announced season average, despite it being a week night?


I have no axe to grind. I'm just curious.

was more referring to more reasons why we can't have have weekday games at BC place anymore in this city.
Don't think it was as low as 2000 that was said in caps forum, but it was smallest crowd i have been at in BC Place recently. not sure because it was CCL or upset seat holders ... its the weekday thing.

It was a good game ... nice to see a goals and a win for a change. I'm sure the 16000 includes no shows (everyone get tickets ... part of your SSH package) or MLS directive (even houston announces 15000 when there are 800 in the stadium).

16000 people got free tickets and its not on TV, and 10000 still didn't show up. They are not all on vacation!
Skulsky listen up: If your season ticket holders are from all over the lower mainland (or even just Vancouver, Burnaby & new west) you can't have weeknight games anymore. I live in Vancouver and its hard to make games. i hate the potsmoking treehuggers who are in charge of city planning. Traffic is a nightmare on weekdays.

(again excluding the canucks from this because most of their ticket holders are corporate downtown types that just work up to gametime)

[B.C.FAN]

Fridays are just as bad as other weeknight games. Most people don't have to get up early for work the next day but Friday traffic is a nightmare. I didn't have to share a ride with anyone who was working last Friday so I left Langley at 4 p.m. to try to beat the traffic. It still took two hours to get to the stadium. It's an exhausting trip on a weeknight.

[SammyGreene]

Fridays are just as bad as other weeknight games. Most people don't have to get up early for work the next day but Friday traffic is a nightmare. I didn't have to share a ride with anyone who was working last Friday so I left Langley at 4 p.m. to try to beat the traffic. It still took two hours to get to the stadium. It's an exhausting trip on a weeknight.

Completely concur about Friday games. For me from Ladner it's Massey tunnel traffic jam (only 1 lane northbound until after 6), Oak Street bridge back up then bumper to bumper along Oak until 49th. I can easily see why casual fans out my way say screw that and watch it at home instead. That commute is cut in half for Saturday games.