Ticket Prices / Lions' Marketing

[MikeAK]

Really? I was unaware of that PPV status, so I stand corrected; I'm still stuck in the SD era in my household, so I was under the impression all this time that it was simply just another all-or-nothing channel to add to your cable package if you so chose, and that people could easily access whatever programming it offered without any further special arrangement.

Outside of needing the HD hardware to view HD chnls you still need to order the HD programming. TSN HD is a specialty channel that people have to pay for in addition to the basic package. I don't know for certain but this is why I believe they can't black out TSN HD. It is a PPV chnl that people have already paid for. I know I would have issues with SHAW if they blacked me out from my TSN HD after I've purchased it with the understanding that all CFL games would be televised.

Thanks for the replies, MikeAK, but frankly I'm still a little confused. I was previously under the impression that it was some sort of technology issue, but now I'm not quite sure I see the subtlety that holds TSN HD immune from local CFL blackouts. I mean, I pay Shaw for (among other things) TSN SD, and the Lions can still black themselves out to me. I'm not sure why TSN HD should be any different. I suppose it might be a matter of TSN SD only being sold (AFAIK) as part of a very large package of channels, whereas TSN HD is sold as a single channel for individual purchase by itself in isolation (or a much smaller package at least). That would mean CFL blackouts pose a far greater negative impact on the value proposition of the TSN HD product as opposed to the SD product (and therefore also on Shaw's bottom line), even though there's nothing in the technology from preventing this scenario.

Even if all of the foregoing is true, I'm still unsure why it leaves the CFL/Lions powerless to enforce local HD blackouts. Oh well. :surrender

It's definitely beyond me as well. I am no lawyer but I just have a hard time believing they can legally blackout TSN HD after having advertised and collected funds for a certain product. One of the main reason I order and keep TSN HD is so I can watch my Lions games. I live on the Island and can't get over for games like locals can. I do know that I tried to drop TSN SD and all of my non-HD channels last year because I never use them and the SHAW rep told me they couldn't drop TSN SD because it was part of that CRTC mandatory basic package that we all have to have. So you may think you are paying for TSN SD like I am paying for TSN HD but you really aren't. TSN HD is a specialty chnl that people are ordering separately from the basic cable package. This is why I think legally they wouldn't be allowed to do it... and if they did they would be refunding quite a bit of money back to customers because of false advertisement.

If there is a lawyer in the house or somebody with accurate information I would love to have them set the record straight. I do not claim any of my GUESSES to be fact. It is simply my GUESS as to why they didn't black out TSN HD along with the SD chnl.

[Lions4ever]

Just came across this article in the latest Georgia Straight addressing a fairly legitimate reason, not yet discussed in this thread, why a few folks would stay away from BCP: allergies to the peanuts sold from concessions. Although it only looks at the issue in the context of Whitecaps games — the peanut allergy sufferer whom they've interviewed is the 35 year old daughter of a former Whitecaps (70s era) player, one of whom is probably also the person driving this article — everything in the article applies equally to the Lions for obvious reasons.

The article paints BCP management as somewhat unsympathetic to the matter, even though it seems peanuts in the shell — which release dust-like allergens into the air upon breaking the shells by hand — are the real problem and that it could perhaps be easily mitigated if they were replaced with pre-shelled peanuts.

She should avoid the 5 Guys in Park Royal while she's at it.
As for us non-peanut allergy types...delicious burgers await!

[sj-roc]

If I were running the club, this is what I'd do: Reduce the Touchdown End Zone ($35) and Touchdown Corner ($45) seats to $27.50 and $35.50 respectively - that's about a 20% drop. Lower Bowl seats between the 20s are full as are the Club seats, which tells me there's demand for those seats at the prices they charge. Leave as is.

Tarp off PART of the upper deck. Close off the upper deck end zones and allow seating only between the 20 yard lines in the upper deck. Effectively, I would reduce total seating capacity to about 35,000, but charge LESS for upper deck seats than comparable seats in the lower bowl. Here's the hook though. Spend some money on eye-catching top-to-bottom tarps that would cover entire sections with "Ring Of Honour" greats from the past (Joe Kapp, Willie Fleming, Jim Young, Brent Johnson etc). I love what the Argos did a few years ago with a similar concept.

The net effects are 1) a more intimate atmosphere - nothing shouts "no one cares" more than row-upon-row of empty seats. This will look much better on TV too 2) a capacity that's going to create more of an urgency to secure tickets for big games and 3) a better branded Lions experience at the stadium, with a more tangible link to the past.


DH

David — agreed with pretty much all you've said here. Putting Ring of Honour-ees on tarps — pictures of them hoisting the Grey Cup, where possible, might be apropos — would be a great upgrade on the game day atmosphere. The banners they have right now are barely noticeable, tucked into the darkness of the back wall of the lower deck. They must be completely invisible from anywhere upstairs; it's unfortunate that the video ribbon board — which seems to offer little more than ads and the occasional "make some noise" plea — have displaced these from the edge of the upper deck.

Restructuring ticket prices wouldn't hurt either but it'll require some effort to get that message out if they take that step next year; there's surely a perception out there among casual fans right now that "Lions tickets are WAY more costly than they used to be". Reversing that perception won't happen overnight since the people they need to win back likely aren't the type to wait with bated breath for every last scrap of Lions news. Sadly I doubt they'll even bother, because it would constitute a degree of backpedalling from their announcement long ago of the gradual phase-out over the next few seasons of the early bird discount on renewals for existing STHs (is 2012 already the last season for that? I forget).

[David]

Listen to this commentary by Tom Mayenknecht - a sports marketing expert who knows about which he speaks! He's basically echoing everything Lionbackers have been complaining about here ad nauseum regarding the Lions' ticket strategy.

LISTEN


DH

[Rammer]

Listen to this commentary by Tom Mayenknecht - a sports marketing expert who know about which he speaks! He's basically echoing everything Lionbackers have been complaining about here ad nauseum regarding the Lions' ticket strategy.

LISTEN


DH

Feedback sessions, well David you are right, he confirms everybody's concerns here. The stadium holds 55K, lets begin to get close to capacity, and the way to do so, is to get the UD full of families with better pricing, maybe even buy an adult get a kid for half price ST's or such.

[Toppy Vann]

Listen to this commentary by Tom Mayenknecht - a sports marketing expert who know about which he speaks! He's basically echoing everything Lionbackers have been complaining about here ad nauseum regarding the Lions' ticket strategy.

LISTEN


DH

Feedback sessions, well David you are right, he confirms everybody's concerns here. The stadium holds 55K, lets begin to get close to capacity, and the way to do so, is to get the UD full of families with better pricing, maybe even buy an adult get a kid for half price ST's or such.

What does Mayenknecht compared to Lions Dennis Skulsky!!!! You'd think Mayenknecht knew something about sports marketing.

The Lowell U blog seems to suggest the Lions now pay for BC Place lease and with the Lions very reasonable ticket prices they plan to REDUCE the number of upper bowl seats in future. Yes, have the public purse refurb. the joint and cut the numbers back to hockey numbers and get more per seat. Great strategy.

View of Lions from the top

July 27, 2012. 7:24 am • Section: The Fifth Quarter

–Skulsky defended his team’s price structure, though conceded there may be a thought in future to open up less of the upper bowl in future seasons. “Our ticket prices are very appealing and reasonable. I think we have to agree to disagree,” he said to one caller. One reason for the increase not previously discussed was a change to the club’s lease arrangement, which was renegotiated prior to the club’s return last year, that would suggest the stadium is no longer merely taking a slice of ticket revenue and concessions.

Can we all say: Out of touch Mr. Skulsky?

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/07/27 ... m-the-top/

This guy is going to preside over a return of the fan base to the dark days with this attitude.

[David]

One area the Lions could really help themselves create excitement in a crowded sporting landscape is to start sharing ticket sales info. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are probably the best team at doing this. They constantly update their latest ticket count via press releases, Twitter etc. It makes people want to be a part of something big. Sure, it's easier in their case to say, "get yours before they're gone," but it could still be an effective tool here.

The Lions will have had nearly a month to sell the Rider game on August 19. Get creative. The counter they use to sell 50/50 tickets on the giant scoreboard seems to generate much more success than we used to see. I'm sure some IT guys could figure out how to get live feeds from Ticketmaster etc., but here's how it could be used on BCLions.com. Where it reads "Live It On TEAM1410," could be replaced with a "ticket odometer" in real time that reads say, "26,402, 26,408, 26,410" etc.




DH

[Rammer]

One area the Lions could really help themselves create excitement in a crowded sporting landscape is to start sharing ticket sales info. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are probably the best team at doing this. They constantly update their latest ticket count via press releases, Twitter etc. It makes people want to be a part of something big. Sure, it's easier in their case to say, "get yours before they're gone," but it could still be an effective tool here.

The Lions will have had nearly a month to sell the Rider game on August 19. Get creative. The counter they use to sell 50/50 tickets on the giant scoreboard seems to generate much more success than we used to see. I'm sure some IT guys could figure out how to get live feeds from Ticketmaster etc., but here's how it could be used on BCLions.com. Where it reads "Live It On TEAM1410," could be replaced with a "ticket odometer" in real time that reads say, "26,402, 26,408, 26,410" etc.




DH

The Lions need an idea box for solid promotions or ticket marketing. You always seem to be on the look for them David, perhaps the guy that is getting paid for the job should earn his paycheque.

[Zarquon]

The Lions need an idea box for solid promotions or ticket marketing. You always seem to be on the look for them David, perhaps the guy that is getting paid for the job should earn his paycheque.

If you have a good idea I would suggest sending an email to Stefan Kalenchuk the Director of Marketing at skalenchuk@bclions.com and maybe even Dennis Skulsky (dskulsky@bclions.com). I have always found the lions to be very responsive to good ideas and have even implemented some suggestions I have sent in.

[David]

I noticed the Esks' President and CEO is now very active in what I referenced earlier for the Lions: setting a realistic attendance target for a big game (45,000 for tonight's match), then providing fans ticket sales updates - in this case via Twitter.

Len Rhodes ‏@Len_Rhodes
#Esks fans, as Canada's team, let's set the pace for league attendance on Aug 10. Esks vs Riders,45,000 would rock the house for our players

Len Rhodes ‏@Len_Rhodes
Season high crowd brewing for Friday. #Esks

Len Rhodes ‏@Len_Rhodes
#EsksFans. 38,000 tickets already sold and counting. Our players appreciate your support. Pls bring your food donations for the needy.

The net effect is that good news (38,000 tickets already sold) goes viral, and people want to be part of something big and exciting, and it helps sell even more tickets and so on.

The Lions could start with the following: "a season high crowd expected for Sunday afternoon's game." Leave it at that. Not saying much (pretty much stating the obvious. Can't see them drawing fewer fans than the home opener. Besides, it's only "expected"), but it gets people talking and piques interest.

Then, "a crowd of close to 35,000 expected for the club's first afternoon game of the season under an open BC Place roof." Send that out via Twitter and as a release. News1130 will definitely deliver the message. Rick Dhaliwal loves that kind of stuff. People hear "35,000" and think "atmosphere," "big game" etc.

Finally, the day before game something like (just an example), "nearly 33,000 tickets sold for Sunday's first place showdown between @BClions and @sskroughriders" (then tell them how to get tickets).


DH

[SammyGreene]

Hey all,

Has anyone noticed this splash page on BC Lions.com?

Picture 10.png

I'm not sure if this is a sign of the Lions doing something creative to try and lure in more corporate partners, or if they're suddenly finding even the business community is balking at their prices.

Cheers,

James

Saw this as well and, to me at least, it looks a little desperate to have it on your splash page. Pretty sure the boxes were basically sold out from 2005-2008 but guess they have taken a hit just like the season ticket base. Sure they cost a whole lot more now too. Also more corporate options with the club seats and Orange lounge.

And David like the idea of the ticket counter or at the very least trying to hype up the crowd size. Dhaliwal use to be all over ticket sales updates but not so much any more.

Looks like next Sunday's crowd should eclipse 30,000 with mostly just singles left in the lower bowl except for the over priced corner end zone seats. Lions/CFL should also be moving up the pecking order with the Olympics now over.

[ziggy]

For what its worth a buddy of mine visiting from Calgary was showing me a advertisement from a local pub that he goes to(several others offer similar deals). This week a pint of Steamwhistle a ticket and round trip transportation to the game from the pub for $30.00. Any pubs in Vancouver run these deals???? Seems to me the Lions aren't the only ones not marketing the product, local businesses aren't doing much to support the team IMHO.

[David]

For what its worth a buddy of mine visiting from Calgary was showing me a advertisement from a local pub that he goes to(several others offer similar deals). This week a pint of Steamwhistle a ticket and round trip transportation to the game from the pub for $30.00. Any pubs in Vancouver run these deals???? Seems to me the Lions aren't the only ones not marketing the product, local businesses aren't doing much to support the team IMHO.

Actually, Ceilis Irish Pub at 7th and Burrard offers a shuttle service to Lions games I believe. Mark Reid - Angus's brother has a hand in that place. There's also a restaurant or bar on Granville Island that advertises on TEAM a lot as being THE place to watch Lions games.

Looks like next Sunday's crowd should eclipse 30,000 with mostly just singles left in the lower bowl except for the over priced corner end zone seats. Lions/CFL should also be moving up the pecking order with the Olympics now over.

I think we're easily going to slay that 30,000 mark, Sammy. Looking at Ticketmaster tonight, mostly singles left in the lower bowl with the exception of the corners, but even they look to be moving now. Huge chunks of the upper deck endzone (the side where the scoreboard used to be) have been sold. Why the Lions aren't trumpeting this fact is beyond me. Yes, they've advertised on TV this week and in newspapers. Yes, they have offered up Wally Buono to the media to spark interest in Family Day/Salute to Wally Buono (or at least remind people that he's still a part of the organization), and yes, they've announced they're going to open the roof. But they still have not issued press releases or taken to Twitter to announce that they're going to have their biggest crowd of the season on Sunday. It boggles my mind that they'd want to keep this a secret and not create a bigger buzz.


DH