Lions to launch 2014 ad campaign

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David
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According to LU's blog, the Lions are to start their 2014 ad campaign this week.

And not a moment too soon.

A massive tire fire is burning outside Rogers arena, and it's sending out smoke signals across the street to "Buy Lions Tickets." It's now up to the football club to seize the moment and capture all of those freed up dollars. If Canuck renewals drop to 90%, they could lose as many as 1,500 - 2,000 subscribers by my count (depending, of course, on whether those on this "waiting list" actually move forward). That's a lot of dough that could go towards Whitecaps, Seahawks, Giants, heck, even vacations or paying off debt.

I am interested to see the direction the Leos go this year. I would expect the campaign will focus on this being the Grey Cup year. But will they continue with the "Pride" theme? I do know the initial ads will feature Adam Bighill, who's a worthy choice. I'd love to see them do testimonial ads sometime, interviewing passionate Lions fans about why they love going to games, what the team means to them etc. I'm not just talking about the hardcore fans who act crazy and get all painted up. Just normal, loyal, football fans to share their Lions stories in a 30-second spot.

I don't know their current season ticket count but News1130 reported several weeks ago that "BCLions owner David Braley happy with season ticket sales and season ticket renewals." Over 26,000 Grey Cup tickets have already been sold as well. :thup:


DH :cool:
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South Pender
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It will be interesting to see. But in my opinion what sells tickets is the product on the field--or at this point, potential fans' perceptions of what the product will look like. Wally's restraint in free agency will not have contributed positively to that perception. Among more knowledgeable fans, the concerns about our defense, anchored by an aging and suspect D-line, may suppress interest and potential revenues. At least that's how it looks to me right now, but things could change for the better over the next month and a half. Whatever theme the Lions' brain trust chooses will be significantly helped by two or three really good signings.
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David
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South Pender wrote:It will be interesting to see. But in my opinion what sells tickets is the product on the field--or at this point, potential fans' perceptions of what the product will look like. Wally's restraint in free agency will not have contributed positively to that perception. Among more knowledgeable fans, the concerns about our defense, anchored by an aging and suspect D-line, may suppress interest and potential revenues. At least that's how it looks to me right now, but things could change for the better over the next month and a half. Whatever theme the Lions' brain trust chooses will be significantly helped by two or three really good signings.
I agree SP that nothing sells tickets like winning, which is why it's important to get off to a good start. But I disagree with fans' perception. The Leos' off-season.....errr....."challenges" are well documented here among the hardcore, knowledgeable fans. Yet I don't think many on the Lower Mainland - even casual Lion fans - would know that Wally struck out on all 4 free agents the club targeted from other teams. Remember, a sizable portion of season ticket holders are businesses that purchase for client or employee events. They are buoyed more by 'familiarity' than off-season events - which is why if you were to poll local sports fans and asked, "What was the Lions most significant loss this off-season?," I'll bet the leading point getter would be "the retirement of Angus Reid" (no disrespect to Angus, but that ain't it, at least not on the field).

I am a little more optimistic about our roster than you heading into the season. Sure, I see areas that need upgrading (a couple of pieces to the defensive and offensive lines would be good, a more athletic safety, maybe an ex-NFL wideout to challenge at camp), but it's still a talented team, albeit not a very deep one at this stage (with the exception of linebacker and non-import receivers).


DH :cool:
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Hambone
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David wrote:According to LU's blog, the Lions are to start their 2014 ad campaign this week.

And not a moment too soon.

A massive tire fire is burning outside Rogers arena, and it's sending out smoke signals across the street to "Buy Lions Tickets." It's now up to the football club to seize the moment and capture all of those freed up dollars. If Canuck renewals drop to 90%, they could lose as many as 1,500 - 2,000 subscribers by my count (depending, of course, on whether those on this "waiting list" actually move forward). That's a lot of dough that could go towards Whitecaps, Seahawks, Giants, heck, even vacations or paying off debt.

I am interested to see the direction the Leos go this year. I would expect the campaign will focus on this being the Grey Cup year. But will they continue with the "Pride" theme? I do know the initial ads will feature Adam Bighill, who's a worthy choice. I'd love to see them do testimonial ads sometime, interviewing passionate Lions fans about why they love going to games, what the team means to them etc. I'm not just talking about the hardcore fans who act crazy and get all painted up. Just normal, loyal, football fans to share their Lions stories in a 30-second spot.

I don't know their current season ticket count but News1130 reported several weeks ago that "BCLions owner David Braley happy with season ticket sales and season ticket renewals." Over 26,000 Grey Cup tickets have already been sold as well. :thup:


DH :cool:
Hard to say if that will have much impact. Canuck ST holders may be like Leaf ST holders. It's one thing to rant and rave and say you aren't going to renew. It's quite another to actually pull the pin on them because the eternal optimist in them says you never know. They might turn things around quickly and you don't want to start over again at the bottom of the seniority list. I've listened to a few Toronto sports media pundits pondering about what might happen to their Leafs ST base should they finally win Lord Stanley's goblet. They figure a huge percentage keep renewing because "next year might be the year" and don't want to miss out when it happens. Then once it happens it'll be like scratch that off the bucket list now I can put that ST money to better use.

And of course you have to factor in how many Canuck ST holders are already Lions ST holders. My buddy and his business partners hold a pair of lower bowl Canuck STs. They've started wondering if it's worth having them a business value perspective given the shear cost. Whether they bail or not has no impact on the Lions as they have a pair of STs for them too. They did have Whitecaps STs when they moved into the MLS but dropped them a couple years ago.
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TheLionKing
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A lot of the Canucks' season ticket holders are corporations. They get tax writeoffs. Way of doing business these days
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David
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I am not suggesting the Canucks won't sell out most of their games next year, but I do think some will cancel altogether (but could be snapped up by waiting list folks), companies with suites will cut back to lower bowl, and people with say, 4 tickets will scale back to 2, and so on.

I just have a hard time believing that they'll be at full capacity for STs given the large numbers of empty seats we observed at the back half of the season. These were lower bowl seats that could either be purchased at cut-rate prices or given away FREE to employees.....and people still passed on them. The most startling example was the mid-week NY Rangers game a couple of weeks ago (Vigneault's return, an Original Six team, and former Stanley Cup rivall) in which the lower bowl appeared nearly one-third empty.

I still think there are some dollars on the table for other organizations to capture. The Lions need to be aggressive in going after it.


DH :cool:
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Hambone
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TheLionKing wrote:A lot of the Canucks' season ticket holders are corporations. They get tax writeoffs. Way of doing business these days
Might be able to claim them as an expense but just like an individual you don't get 100% of the money back. It might amount to 25% of the cost gets recouped in tax benefits. Lay out $12000 for a pair of lower bowl STs and the cost after tax benefit still $8000 or so. Like anything else corporations still have to believe they are getting business value back for the investment even if the cost is somewhat reduced by a tax benefit. I don't expect things in Vancouver will revert to the mid-80s which were the darkest days of the Canuck franchise when 3000 empty seats was a good night at the gate. I recall a couple of suppliers I dealt with who had Canuck STs for several years. They finally dropped them because half the time the tickets wound up sitting in the office safe unused. They figured it was much cheaper and more effective to have a secretary run down to the ticket office and grab a pair or two on an as required basis.
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sj-roc
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I was on Main St early last evening and noticed on a bus shelter a new ad for the Lions featuring Andrew Harris. Funny thing, though — as I passed by it, its glass casing was left open (it's hinged at the top, swings up from the bottom) and apparently unattended. You couldn't miss how it was clearly left open by a good 20 degrees or so; anyone bold enough might have gotten away with ripping off some poster art for their den.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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David
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Not sure if this is the final campaign or "teaser" ads for the home opener, but the club has released 2 vids (Bighill and Solly) as TLK poster earlier, as well as two bus shelter ads, one of Andrew Harris and the other - a masterpiece - featuring Dante Marsh in the alternate gun-metal uniform (which leads me to believe they'll be brought back this year in some capacity).

Image

If this is the final campaign, it appears #ROAR (hashtag included) has replaced last year's "Pride" and the slogan "The Pride Of All BC." The bus shelter poster (MUCH nicer in person - this pic doesn't do it justice due to the glare) is so impressive, you'll want one for your wall at home!


DH :cool:
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sj-roc
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David wrote:Not sure if this is the final campaign or "teaser" ads for the home opener, but the club has released 2 vids (Bighill and Solly) as TLK poster earlier, as well as two bus shelter ads, one of Andrew Harris and the other - a masterpiece - featuring Dante Marsh in the alternate gun-metal uniform (which leads me to believe they'll be brought back this year in some capacity).

Image

If this is the final campaign, it appears #ROAR (hashtag included) has replaced last year's "Pride" and the slogan "The Pride Of All BC." The bus shelter poster (MUCH nicer in person - this pic doesn't do it justice due to the glare) is so impressive, you'll want one for your wall at home!


DH :cool:
Too bad you weren't on Main St the other evening ;)
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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notahomer
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I've seen a few ads in bus shelters around town. Haven't caught the gunmetalgrey one yet but the others look cool. Of course, it may have just been my brain screaming "GREAT the seasons just around the corner!!!!"
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