2015 All Things Lions Marketing & Promotions

[sj-roc]

I just saw a float plane in Victoria's Inner Harbour with a large Whitecaps logo emblazoned on its tail. A nice bit of advertising to a fairly well off Vict. to Van. float plane commuter crowd. The Lions are missing the boat er plane on this one...again. Just Sayin.

Was this a Whitecaps-owned craft or just an ad on someone else's plane?

[EDIT: Just found this which I guess answers the question: http://www.harbourair.com/media/news-an ... rtnership/

Harbour Air Announces Partnership with Whitecaps FC

News Release

Vancouver B.C. — April 15, 2014 — The Harbour Air Group and Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today a multi-year sponsorship deal. It is the first partnership between the two iconic West Coast brands. The deal, which runs until the end of the 2015 season, will see both brands collaborate on community initiatives and special events. Harbour Air becomes the club’s regional airline partner and their logo is visible at all home games at BC Place, in club publications, and on whitecapsfc.com.

As part of the arrangement, Harbour Air will unveil a Whitecaps FC seaplane. The single-otter plane will enter service this summer. In addition to regular service and charter flights, the plane will shuttle Whitecaps FC players to and from special events. Fans travelling to home games will receive a 20 per cent discount on Harbour Air flights when they present their game-day tickets.

“We have a large and passionate fan base on Vancouver Island, including the Georgia Straight Supporters, who will really benefit from our new partnership with Harbour Air,” says Bob Lenarduzzi, Whitecaps FC president. “At the end of the day, Whitecaps FC are British Columbia’s team, and we’re excited that this partnership will help our fans get to our home matches safely and conveniently while enjoying a fabulous view.”

“This is our first major league sports sponsorship agreement and Whitecaps FC are a purrfect fit for Harbour Air,” says Greg McDougall, president of Harbour Air. “The club shares our passion for creating memorable experiences for British Columbians.”

To celebrate the partnership, the companies’ mascots, Turbo and Spike, will star in a series of video vignettes to air at halftime of home games starting this weekend at the April 19th match against LA Galaxy. The first video is available online here.

— 30 —

Harbour Air was founded in B.C. in 1982 and today has more than 50 aircraft. The Harbour Air Group, consisting of Harbour Air Seaplanes, Westcoast Air, Whistler Air and now Tantalus Air is one of the largest seaplane companies in the world.

Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including prorated season tickets ($294), half-season tickets ($244), 5-packs ($149), student season tickets ($199), and a youth soccer half-season ticket ($100). Single-match tickets start at $22, subject to applicable fees. For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.



For more information contact:

Meredith Moll, Harbour Air Group

604.838.4586
mmoll@harbourair.com

Carly Jokic, Whitecaps FC

604.669.9283 ext. 2287
cjokic@whitecapsfc.com

END EDIT]

I caught the end of Sekeres's show today and forget exact numbers but he mentioned Lions got the largest response as Boys of Summer, something like 36% to runner-up Whitecaps with slightly less, Jays in the 20's and Mariners <10%.

[TheLionKing]

I just saw a float plane in Victoria's Inner Harbour with a large Whitecaps logo emblazoned on its tail. A nice bit of advertising to a fairly well off Vict. to Van. float plane commuter crowd. The Lions are missing the boat er plane on this one...again. Just Sayin.

Whitecaps are clearing doing a better job of advertising their product than the Lions.

[sj-roc]

I just saw a float plane in Victoria's Inner Harbour with a large Whitecaps logo emblazoned on its tail. A nice bit of advertising to a fairly well off Vict. to Van. float plane commuter crowd. The Lions are missing the boat er plane on this one...again. Just Sayin.

Whitecaps are clearing doing a better job of advertising their product than the Lions.

It's clear based on one single anecdote?

I go to London Drugs all the time in a few locations around town and on their grocery shelves I always see items from Red Square Bakery, which is based in Burnaby and is a long-time Lions partner (there was an article in the Sun several years ago about Brent Johnson, back in the days when he was winning player awards, and it mentioned how he incorporated some of their foodstuffs into his diet). Many of their products have the Lions logo on their packaging to signify this partnership. I would say there are probably just as many or perhaps even more folks in this city who see that Lions logo on the shelves at LD as who see the Caps logo on that plane. So who's to say which team is putting themselves before more eyeballs?

There are only so many partners with whom a pro sports team can align themselves. The Whitecaps have theirs, as do the Lions. I haven't looked into who all these organisations are in order to analyse which team's roster of partners is providing them with greater exposure in the local market, but I'd be interested to read this if someone else has done a thorough job of it. It prob wouldn't be that difficult as I'm sure they're all listed on both teams' respective websites.

It's prob good for the Whitecaps that they align themselves with Harbour Air to possibly attract the interest of their affluent passengers but I would think the Lions pretty much already have the more well-heeled crowd locked in, given that most of the unsold seating @BCP these days is in the cheaper sections. So putting the Lions logo somewhere like on the side of a Harbour Air plane might not be all that cost-effective in growing ticket revenues, even though it could be a lucrative avenue for the Caps.

[sj-roc]

I just received this by email from Telus (as an Optik customer) It's only for the endzones, and is what Skulsky was saying during President's Week on 1040. (It's called "Telus Back to School Offer", and they are the gameday sponsor).
Kind of useless though, since right now there is nothing available in Rows AA and higher, which I prefer for a better view of the field. (The Lions have greyed all of those higher row seats out until closer to gameday). It's basically the same discount as Coast Capital CU offers, but restricted to the endzones.


TELUS is a proud partner of the BC Lions. As a benefit of this partnership, we are excited to offer you a special deal on BC Lions football tickets for the upcoming TELUS sponsored game day.
BC Lions vs. Ottawa Redblacks
Sunday, September 13, 2015
1 pm
BC Place, Vancouver BC
Only $30 per ticket (that's a $14 savings)
All taxes and fees included
This discount expires on September 11, 2015.
To purchase, click here and use promo code: ROAR
Please note:
Tickets must be purchased in advance of the game.
Offer is available online only at Ticketmaster®. Use the special link and promo code in this email to redeem special pricing.
Offer is not available at the Ticketmaster box office.
Your heart makes all the difference. Lions fans, show your love for the team on social media using #AllHeartLions!

I see this promotion is currently posted as a splash page at bclions.com before you get inside to the main site.

[J5V]

What a mess. For the Ottawa game, when you go to Ticketmaster the only seats you can buy are the end zone seats that are on "special." You save a whopping $ 5 a ticket.

[sj-roc]

What a mess. For the Ottawa game, when you go to Ticketmaster the only seats you can buy are the end zone seats that are on "special." You save a whopping $ 5 a ticket.

Weird. I have a hard time believing those are the only seats left unsold. I know we've discussed here before the fact that not every unsold seat appears on the TM map but even by that standard this seems a bit extreme. They prob want to sellout (or nearly so) the single-letter rows before they release the higher double-letter ones but not sure why the bargain tickets are the only available ones at this time.

I checked one of the later games (Wpg, Sat Oct 10) and I noticed similarly that double-letter rows are greyed out in the entire lower bowl albeit along with plenty of non-endzone seats in all remaining price points, so it looks closer in line to what we've come to expect as far as greyed out unsold tickets go.

[David]

Not sure if you're aware but there's a backpack component to this promotional offer for the Ottawa game. 2,000 FREE backpacks.




DH

[Robbie]

Not sure if you're aware but there's a backpack component to this promotional offer for the Ottawa game. 2,000 FREE backpacks.

A great, practical giveaway for kids under 12 just in time for back to school. This reminds me of the two giveaways in 2007 for those 12. First, there was the zipper binders given to the first 4,000 kids 12 and under. And then there was the Geroy Simon bobblehead doll given to the first 3,000 kids 12 and under.

I suppose it's an honour system as there's no real way to prove whether a 12, 13, or 14-year old is posing as an 11-year old and kids that age usually don't carry any identification and I'm sure the parents won't mind either as they'll get anything for free and they'll save $50 from having to buy a new backpack for their young teenage kid.

[Lions4ever]

I just saw a float plane in Victoria's Inner Harbour with a large Whitecaps logo emblazoned on its tail. A nice bit of advertising to a fairly well off Vict. to Van. float plane commuter crowd. The Lions are missing the boat er plane on this one...again. Just Sayin.

Whitecaps are clearing doing a better job of advertising their product than the Lions.

The Little Flower Academy Pinochle and Debate Club is probably doing a better job.

[B.C.FAN]

Not sure if you're aware but there's a backpack component to this promotional offer for the Ottawa game. 2,000 FREE backpacks.

A great, practical giveaway for kids under 12 just in time for back to school. This reminds me of the two giveaways in 2007 for those 12. First, there was the zipper binders given to the first 4,000 kids 12 and under. And then there was the Geroy Simon bobblehead doll given to the first 3,000 kids 12 and under.

I suppose it's an honour system as there's no real way to prove whether a 12, 13, or 14-year old is posing as an 11-year old and kids that age usually don't carry any identification and I'm sure the parents won't mind either as they'll get anything for free and they'll save $50 from having to buy a new backpack for their young teenage kid.

Agreed. The Lions used to have lunchbox giveaways several years ago. They were highly popular with the kids, and great for promoting the team.

[Qman]

What a mess. For the Ottawa game, when you go to Ticketmaster the only seats you can buy are the end zone seats that are on "special." You save a whopping $ 5 a ticket.

Weird. I have a hard time believing those are the only seats left unsold. I know we've discussed here before the fact that not every unsold seat appears on the TM map but even by that standard this seems a bit extreme. They prob want to sellout (or nearly so) the single-letter rows before they release the higher double-letter ones but not sure why the bargain tickets are the only available ones at this time.

I checked one of the later games (Wpg, Sat Oct 10) and I noticed similarly that double-letter rows are greyed out in the entire lower bowl albeit along with plenty of non-endzone seats in all remaining price points, so it looks closer in line to what we've come to expect as far as greyed out unsold tickets go.

Come-on guys.
You go to the games, all the tickets between the 10-yard lines are basically lone gone to SSH.

The only seats they have trouble selling are the cheap seats in the endzone.
We've been discussing this on this thread for the past 3 monts. They sell the lower half endzone and then release the upper half. They have been doing it every game.

[Qman]

I just saw a float plane in Victoria's Inner Harbour with a large Whitecaps logo emblazoned on its tail. A nice bit of advertising to a fairly well off Vict. to Van. float plane commuter crowd. The Lions are missing the boat er plane on this one...again. Just Sayin.

Whitecaps are clearing doing a better job of advertising their product than the Lions.

Yeah, they also lose $6million a season

... while the lions make money.

[sj-roc]

What a mess. For the Ottawa game, when you go to Ticketmaster the only seats you can buy are the end zone seats that are on "special." You save a whopping $ 5 a ticket.

Weird. I have a hard time believing those are the only seats left unsold. I know we've discussed here before the fact that not every unsold seat appears on the TM map but even by that standard this seems a bit extreme. They prob want to sellout (or nearly so) the single-letter rows before they release the higher double-letter ones but not sure why the bargain tickets are the only available ones at this time.

I checked one of the later games (Wpg, Sat Oct 10) and I noticed similarly that double-letter rows are greyed out in the entire lower bowl albeit along with plenty of non-endzone seats in all remaining price points, so it looks closer in line to what we've come to expect as far as greyed out unsold tickets go.

Come-on guys.
You go to the games, all the tickets between the 10-yard lines are basically lone gone to SSH.

The only seats they have trouble selling are the cheap seats in the endzone.
We've been discussing this on this thread for the past 3 monts. They sell the lower half endzone and then release the upper half. They have been doing it every game.

What's at issue is that currently for the Ott game, there are literally NO tickets available to buy outside the bargain category from TM, even though it's highly doubtful that every last one of these have all truly been sold. A different matter from this upper half/lower half endzone business.

Last night I checked both the Ott and Wpg games. For Ott only the discounted tickets in the cheapest category were available to buy from TM as J5V noted. But knowing there are tickets left in ALL price categories for the Wpg game — even though they are following what has become a firmly established grey-out-the-upper-half practice for this one, too — I cannot believe that all the greyed out non-endzone seats for Ott have truly been sold. In fact I'd hazard a guess that current seat availability for the two games is not all that different.

[TheLionKing]

I just saw a float plane in Victoria's Inner Harbour with a large Whitecaps logo emblazoned on its tail. A nice bit of advertising to a fairly well off Vict. to Van. float plane commuter crowd. The Lions are missing the boat er plane on this one...again. Just Sayin.

Whitecaps are clearing doing a better job of advertising their product than the Lions.

Yeah, they also lose $6million a season

... while the lions make money.

Will they continue making money with their bland product and overinflated prices ? Whitecaps are a winning product, the Lions........ well they are the Lions

[Qman]

What a mess. For the Ottawa game, when you go to Ticketmaster the only seats you can buy are the end zone seats that are on "special." You save a whopping $ 5 a ticket.
Weird. I have a hard time believing those are the only seats left unsold. I know we've discussed here before the fact that not every unsold seat appears on the TM map but even by that standard this seems a bit extreme. They prob want to sellout (or nearly so) the single-letter rows before they release the higher double-letter ones but not sure why the bargain tickets are the only available ones at this time.

I checked one of the later games (Wpg, Sat Oct 10) and I noticed similarly that double-letter rows are greyed out in the entire lower bowl albeit along with plenty of non-endzone seats in all remaining price points, so it looks closer in line to what we've come to expect as far as greyed out unsold tickets go.

Come-on guys.
You go to the games, all the tickets between the 10-yard lines are basically lone gone to SSH.

The only seats they have trouble selling are the cheap seats in the endzone.
We've been discussing this on this thread for the past 3 monts. They sell the lower half endzone and then release the upper half. They have been doing it every game.

What's at issue is that currently for the Ott game, there are literally NO tickets available to buy outside the bargain category from TM, even though it's highly doubtful that every last one of these have all truly been sold. A different matter from this upper half/lower half endzone business.

Last night I checked both the Ott and Wpg games. For Ott only the discounted tickets in the cheapest category were available to buy from TM as J5V noted. But knowing there are tickets left in ALL price categories for the Wpg game — even though they are following what has become a firmly established grey-out-the-upper-half practice for this one, too — I cannot believe that all the greyed out non-endzone seats for Ott have truly been sold. In fact I'd hazard a guess that current seat availability for the two games is not all that different.

It looks to be a technical glitch with ticketmaster. Someone should email the lions so you can toggle on to regular tickets as well. can't buy the corners as well and there are usually tickets available. This is definately a ticketmaster issue, they just set it up wrong