2017 All Things Lions Marketing & Promotions

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TheLionKing
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Lions offering $5.00 children's seats to 5 games this summer. Good to see the Lions trying to win back young fans. Long overdue.

NOTE - have started a new thread for the 2017 season. Locked down the 2016 Marketing and Promotions thread so there's no confusion about where to post. Thanks, Mod Team.
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B.C.FAN
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TheLionKing wrote:
Wed May 31, 2017 1:20 pm
Lions offering $5.00 children's seats to 5 games this summer. Good to see the Lions trying to win back young fans. Long overdue.
It's a great promotion if it's marketed properly at young families with kids. That's the generation of adults that's most likely to follow the NFL.

Here's an excerpt from the team's announcement:
Following last year’s tremendous response to the $5 home-opener youth ticket, the club is very excited to announce that all summer home games in 2017 will feature a $5* ticket available to kids 12 and younger.

The summer special includes five games and kicks-off with the team’s preseason tilt versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday, June 16.

Also included in the promotion are the Lions’ home-opener versus the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday, June 24, a visit by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, July 21, a Saturday afternoon clash against Saskatchewan on August 5 and a big West Division showdown with the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, August 18.

“Ensuring games are affordable for the entire family is a top priority for our organization,” said VP, business operations, George Chayka. “Not only is our $5 youth ticket going to be a great way for everyone to see the Lions this summer, each game is a critical one against a different West Division rival.”

*Children attending the game must be accompanied by an adult. Offer cannot be combined with other promotions. Tickets cannot be used by persons over the age of 12 and will be verified upon entry to stadium.
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DanoT
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I went to a Grizzlies game in year 1 or 2, I think, and I was amazed by the number of 8-12 year olds lead a parent around by the hand, so to speak.

So, yeah I think for sure this type of promotion is long overdue.

Cheap kids tickets with a paying adult is the best way imo to discount tickets without devaluing the product.

They need to sell up to 3 kids tickets per accompanying adult.
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David
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This is so ironic. If they'd marketed the team better, they wouldn't need a "Who Is?" caption below each player's face. :roar:

Image

So this is the 2017 ad campaign as far as I can tell (appearing in SkyTrain stations). The caption on the bottom reads "The next game will tell us."

Well, we have always talked about marketing the players more, but it's pretty sad the central assumption is that these guys exist in a shroud of mystery. Can't imagine "Who is....(Horvat, Miller, and Henrik Sedin)."


DH :cool:
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almo89
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$5 tickets for 5 games for kids is a great start for marketing. Hope they promote it though and get the word out. Would have loved to see them do it for all game, but we'll see how well the 5 games do.
Lloydaceace
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Skulsky says a buyer is just around the corner. Any thoughts who it might be?
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Alputt
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Was stoked to receive my season ticket package in the mail today! Also the $5 kids promo is awesome, Have already told friends with young ones about it who are going to take advantage.
TheLionKing
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No swag in the package. Just the ticket pass and a couple of player cards and 2 for 1 coupons.
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David
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Lloydaceace wrote:
Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:49 pm
Skulsky says a buyer is just around the corner. Any thoughts who it might be?
If it's coming from Skulsky, it could well be Moray Keith's group (of which Skulsky is rumoured to be a part). I only say this because Skulsky is no longer the voice of the Lions (Chayka is).

Mind you, I've been hearing "almost," "nearly," "could be," and "should be" for the past 3-4 years, so I take this with a grain of salt. Actually, more like a bucket of popcorn at the movies worth of salt. :popcorn:

Out of curiosity, where did you here this?


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SammyGreene
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David wrote:
Fri Jun 02, 2017 11:27 pm
Lloydaceace wrote:
Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:49 pm
Skulsky says a buyer is just around the corner. Any thoughts who it might be?
If it's coming from Skulsky, it could well be Moray Keith's group (of which Skulsky is rumoured to be a part). I only say this because Skulsky is no longer the voice of the Lions (Chayka is).

Mind you, I've been hearing "almost," "nearly," "could be," and "should be" for the past 3-4 years, so I take this with a grain of salt. Actually, more like a bucket of popcorn at the movies worth of salt. :popcorn:

Out of curiosity, where did you here this?


DH :cool:
He was one with Taylor and MOJ from Kamloops on Thursday.

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040- ... 3-1.768254

Comment was something like he believes the sale will be sooner rather than later. But in Braley terms that might mean 1 year or not 2 the way this has drawn out.

As you mentioned David, I'm still not sure if Skulsky actually wanted to retire or has stepped away from his presidential duties as part of Moray Keith's group to purchase the team as LU reported just over a year ago would have to happen.
Did say Chayka was now looking after the business side of the operations (interesting though the latest season ticket email from club had no signature at the bottom and that was usually Skulsky).

Also mentioned how the club is challenged to provide coverage of the team like never before (enter Matt Baker) with "beat writers" no longer attending daily practices or potentially even making road trips.
TheLionKing
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SammyGreene wrote:
Sat Jun 03, 2017 5:43 am


Also mentioned how the club is challenged to provide coverage of the team like never before (enter Matt Baker) with "beat writers" no longer attending daily practices or potentially even making road trips.
Television coverage is practically non-existent. Both CBC and CTV has done away with their sports department. Global with Squire Barnes at the helm has provided some coverage but Barnes in more interested in becoming a comedian and flirting with the news anchor.
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Gridiron Ernie
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TheLionKing wrote:
Sat Jun 03, 2017 3:34 pm

Global with Squire Barnes at the helm has provided some coverage but Barnes in more interested in becoming a comedian and flirting with the news anchor.
LOL -- TheLionKing you couldn't have put it better! Gotta' wonder if that's Global's sorry notion of chasing bad-taste medicine (i.e. sports in general/Leos coverage in particular) with something, um, sweet... (?) Whenever I might random see that row of talking heads (Barnes & Co) filling the screen I run screaming from the room...

But, yeah, seriously, it's a drag to not anymore regularly see the likes of Beamish and Ulrich with their notepad recorders in among those TC media scrums and gaggles. A lot of different things play into this being the case, but, when the dust settles, it's a loss.
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Belize City Lion
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Just heard the radio ad "Who is Jon Jennings?". OMG it is HORRIBLE! "Is he an auto parts worker, or a gunslinger?..." WTF are the Lions, their marketing department, ad agency (if they have one), and the writer who penned that crap thinking?

You don't build your brand by telling people your biggest star is unknown in the market. You don't throw away all the equity from last season, where Jon Jennings emerged as one of the league's top quarterbacks, by saying "the next game will answer the questions". Especially not in a league that has a problem with players being a flash in the pan.
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Honour Dewalt
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Ya, I really didn't like that radio ad when I heard it. And I really wanted to after seeing the posters beforehand. I just don't think it sounds good. Even the guy they used to voice it doesn't sound that good to me. But then again, the Canucks ad about how "we don't play half game" is pretty bad too. And they often do play half a game. So these things are always gonna be scrutinized.

The one thing I really wish they'd do, is not so much a marketing thing, but on their jerseys, if they swapped the Adidas logo for the BC Lions logo on the back of the jerseys, they'd be purrfect. Just make the logo a bit smaller and it would fit there. The Adidas logo under the numbers would look fine. I just find the Lions logo under the number too strange.
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David
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:whs: Couldn't agree more, Belize City Lion! The "Who Is....?" campaign sucks. It's like a painful time-travel back to the late '90s when the club was toiling in anonymity and were desperate for fans, crying "uncle" with useless desperation ploys like the "Come Back To Football" campaign. :thdn:

I know we've been saying for years that the Lions need to market their players. And they should have. But I believe NOW is the time to pivot. The club needs to show casual fans that going to Lions' games is FUN! It's all about fan engagement. How are they going to get the fence-sitters off their couches and back to BC Place? **Hint,** "Who Is....?" ads ain't gonna cut it. That's for s*%t sure!

They need to do TV ads featuring (younger) fans streaming out of BC Place after a win, saying to the interviewer how much FUN they had, how GREAT the game was etc., just like those movie ads years ago. Or like the A&W ads today. Man (or woman) in the street. Fun is infectious. The perception among those who don't go to games is that the Lions play in a half-empty morgue. Spice it up a bit. Get the word out there. It's fun!

Here is my idea for their print ads. It's all about showing a fun atmosphere. The 2017 team slogan should be, "All Rise!" This implies to the reader that the BC Lions are so exciting, they'll bring you out of your seat. Stand as one. This is very rudimentary, I'll admit. Literally took me 5 minutes to create, but you get the idea....

Image

DH :cool:
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