All things Lions Marketing/Promotions 2014

[Spud387]

There were probably liability concerns with the Juggs machine of fans getting injured. Those balls are coming down with some force behind them, plus the contestant could injure themselves in a fall trying to make the catch.

Or, if the home side receivers happen to be having a bad night of the dropsies, they'd be badly shown up if some random fan ended up making three clean catches.

Neither catching or throwing saw a lot of winners and that might be as big a reason to drop them as anything else when it's not much of a feel-good promotion. Wendy's dropped their Kick for a Million contest and I think it was partly because (after the one guy who won it in the first year) no one was even getting close to making the million dollar kick and the whole thing was turning into a rather anti-climactic exercise.

all good points sj-roc. Its like the 'what would I do if I wasn't a football player promo'. Very funny and I think its sponsored by a government ministry. Good fun but it seems like the kids might be getting coached. I only say this because it seems to have a winner every game, but its fun and thats probably the true point of these promos.

The cheapest and most entertaining, IMO, are the DanceCams and Kiss-cams. Light on prizes and nothing but free laughs....

I've been wondering about that one, if maybe they have three versions of the ending to play after the kid gives an answer, and then the guy in the booth just makes sure to play the right ending FTW. I recall there was one last year where the answer that played wasn't among the three listed options.

I wonder about the future of the kiss cam as we move to greater LGBT acceptance. Will we ever see a same-sex couple on the kiss cam and not have it played for laughs (two men) or titillation (two women), rather just played straight (poor choice of words here, I realise, but you know what I mean)?

Yes, there are 3 versions and they'll just play the one matching the guess. Same goes with the Tim Hortons donut. Sponsors pay for these spots and they decide their outcome. If a sponsor wants the person to always win, therefore leaving the contestant and ppl with a positive impression of their brand teh BC Lions will accommodate. welcome to marketing

[BC 1988]

^^^^
That was always pretty obvious that you couldn't lose those contests.

Also, the few times I've seen contestants in the Optik Ball challenge fail to cross the line in time, they've always quietly said "you get the prize for trying" (or words to that effect).

Contrast that with the discontinued SportsAction football toss (through the hole from different distances) where most of the time contestants came away with nothing.

[sj-roc]

^^^^
That was always pretty obvious that you couldn't lose those contests.

Also, the few times I've seen contestants in the Optik Ball challenge fail to cross the line in time, they've always quietly said "you get the prize for trying" (or words to that effect).

Contrast that with the discontinued SportsAction football toss (through the hole from different distances) where most of the time contestants came away with nothing.

There was one contestant this year for that Optik Ball that cracked me up; when he got inside he never got up on his feet. It was as if he thought it was against the rules to stand up and you were only allowed to crawl around inside because that's all he ended up doing. Of course he never even came close to finishing in time.

[BC 1988]

There was one contestant this year for that Optik Ball that cracked me up; when he got inside he never got up on his feet. It was as if he thought it was against the rules to stand up and you were only allowed to crawl around inside because that's all he ended up doing. Of course he never even came close to finishing in time.

LOL, I remember seeing that.

Just found this:
http://ow.ly/i/1ONXb
Apparently they started doing the Optik Ball Challenge at Calgary Flames games in 2013. Moving around on the ice would likely be a very different experience.

[dupsdell1]

Just announced 7000 tickets left for the Grey Cup , were the game in 2011 was sold out mid july , this is taking a grey cup to sell out this slow since 2006 when it took to the last weekend in Winnipeg to sell it out. just heard this on cknw.

[Rammer]

Just announced 7000 tickets left for the Grey Cup , were the game in 2011 was sold out mid july , this is taking a grey cup to sell out this slow since 2006 when it took to the last weekend in Winnipeg to sell it out. just heard this on cknw.

It would be interesting to see the price point differences between the two GC's of 2011 and 2014. If there isn't a significant difference, then the CFL isn't as popular, or the Lions aren't selling the idea of participating in the GC (couldn't be worse than 2011 at 1 -6 start). In my best guess, the ticket price increase is the largest factor, and the Lions without Lulay was also a factor.

[TheLionKing]

One of the promo was when they take a fan onto the field, blind fold him, spin him around a few times and then have him try to find a target on the field based on the cheering from the fans. The funniest was when they introduced the contestant as from Toronto. The crowd cheered him straight to the exit.

[BC 1988]

It would be interesting to see the price point differences between the two GC's of 2011 and 2014. If there isn't a significant difference, then the CFL isn't as popular, or the Lions aren't selling the idea of participating in the GC (couldn't be worse than 2011 at 1 -6 start). In my best guess, the ticket price increase is the largest factor, and the Lions without Lulay was also a factor.

Ticket prices are definitely much higher. The cheapest (end zones) cost $125 before the season ticket-holder discount in '11, this year they are $178.
The largest number of available tickets are in the upper level corners (since they aren't regular season ticket-holder areas, and a perception that they are too high priced compared to the end zones.)
My friend and I decided not to buy them mainly because no-Travis (from the beginning of the season) decreasing the likelihood of the Lions making it to The Big Dance.

[Hambone]

Just announced 7000 tickets left for the Grey Cup , were the game in 2011 was sold out mid july , this is taking a grey cup to sell out this slow since 2006 when it took to the last weekend in Winnipeg to sell it out. just heard this on cknw.

Two things to remember.

1) There was much buzz and anticipation surrounding the rebirth of BC Place just in time for that 2011 Grey Cup. While BCP is far and away the premiere Grey Cup facility in the nation the stadium isn't the factor in 2014 that it was 3 years ago.

2) ST holders were able to lock up more extra tickets in addition to their own for GC 2011 prior to them going on sale to the general public than they could this time around. I have a single ticket. I lined up 8 more sales for 2011 piggy backing off my ST account. 4 were extras before other team ST holders had their shot and the other 4 were before general public. I still was eligible to get 2 more. This time around I think I could've added a pair on the first pass and another pair later. Perhaps the ability for ST holders to tie up more inventory early in the process in 2011 created a smaller inventory thus more urgency to the market once sales to the general public opened up?

[Hambone]

Are you putting yourself up for the task sj-roc?

Only if it's with you. :P

That is a vision I don't ever, ever want to see come to reality on an 82' HD screen.

[B.C.FAN]

Just announced 7000 tickets left for the Grey Cup , were the game in 2011 was sold out mid july , this is taking a grey cup to sell out this slow since 2006 when it took to the last weekend in Winnipeg to sell it out. just heard this on cknw.

It would be interesting to see the price point differences between the two GC's of 2011 and 2014. If there isn't a significant difference, then the CFL isn't as popular, or the Lions aren't selling the idea of participating in the GC (couldn't be worse than 2011 at 1 -6 start). In my best guess, the ticket price increase is the largest factor, and the Lions without Lulay was also a factor.

I don't have my ticket stubs with me but according to Wikipedia 2011 Grey Cup ticket prices ranged from $125 to $375 for the general public, and from $100 to $295 for Lions season ticketholders. This year, according to bclions.com, regular GC ticket prices range from $150 to $350, while season ticketholder prices range from $135 to $360. That's a substantial increase over three years.

I've just read Michael Januska's book, Grey Cup Century, and was fascinated by ebbs and flows in GC attendance over the years and the factors that were cited for them. The first play-by-play Grey Cup radio broadcasts in the late 1920s and early 1930s were blamed for a dip in attendance as people sat by their fireside listening to their radios instead of braving sub-freezing temperatures in the grandstands. In 1958, CBC's extensive Grey Cup programming was blamed for a dip in attendance at Empire Stadium of 5,000 from the 1955 Grey Cup, which was the first to be played in Vancouver.

My own view is that ticket prices, TV coverage and the performance of the home team all play a role in Grey Cup ticket sales, especially in the big markets where sellouts aren't automatic. But in Vancouver's case in 1958, 2014 and several other times when there were only a few years between local Grey Cups, fan fatigue is the biggest factor slowing ticket sales. It's tough for local fans to get as excited to host the Grey Cup as they were three years earlier.

Personally, I bought seven tickets to the 2011 Grey Cup. This year I bought just three. I may yet add to that total, but not by much.

[sj-roc]

Just announced 7000 tickets left for the Grey Cup , were the game in 2011 was sold out mid july , this is taking a grey cup to sell out this slow since 2006 when it took to the last weekend in Winnipeg to sell it out. just heard this on cknw.

It would be interesting to see the price point differences between the two GC's of 2011 and 2014. If there isn't a significant difference, then the CFL isn't as popular, or the Lions aren't selling the idea of participating in the GC (couldn't be worse than 2011 at 1 -6 start). In my best guess, the ticket price increase is the largest factor, and the Lions without Lulay was also a factor.

Saturation factor is also big with the last one just three years ago. We haven't had a turnaround this fast since 1990 — nor has anyone else since then, for that matter, except for Toronto 1989/1992, which went so well they didn't return for 15 years.

[BC 1988]

I don't have my ticket stubs with me but according to Wikipedia 2011 Grey Cup ticket prices ranged from $125 to $375 for the general public, and from $100 to $295 for Lions season ticketholders. This year, according to bclions.com, regular GC ticket prices range from $150 to $350, while season ticketholder prices range from $135 to $360. That's a substantial increase over three years.

The '11 price was $125 all-in for the lowest non-ST range, this year it's $157.50 +$20.50 fees=$178.00.

[notahomer]

http://www.bclions.com/page/bc-lions-viewing-party

Maybe they've been doing this all year, or maybe a new idea. Doubt I'd ever go simply because I like to be able to focus on the game and I'm not so sure that happens in a bar like setting. Not to the extent I like to watch anyways....

[sj-roc]

http://www.bclions.com/page/bc-lions-viewing-party

Maybe they've been doing this all year, or maybe a new idea. Doubt I'd ever go simply because I like to be able to focus on the game and I'm not so sure that happens in a bar like setting. Not to the extent I like to watch anyways....

They've had at least two or three of these already this year; one was at Original Joe's Broadway/Cambie location, another was somewhere downtown, other than Rosie's, I think (they like to move them around among their pub/restaurant partners). I'm not really much one for the sports bar experience, either. Often hard to find a place with sound and the game can become secondary to the gathering as you say. Plus, I've never been one to need to drink to enjoy the game (when I'm watching at a bar and having a drink, I'm drinking because I'm in a bar not because I'm watching a game), and on top of that pub food is something I can't really have anymore. So it just doesn't add up to much of an enhanced experience for me.