2017 All Things Lions Marketing & Promotions

[David]

Here is a better effort from the Lions. Clean and effective (as well as a great offer). Kudos to whoever executed this (I saw this today in the Westender newspaper).

I would have called it something catchy like the "5 for 5" promotion, or "High 5" or something to that effect, but that's just me being picky. I don't care if people spent less than I did to attend games, I just want more people in the stadium.




DH

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions are again trying to give away preseason tickets. I got an email today offering up to three tickets to next week's game against Saskatchewan (matching the number of season tickets I hold). Users would have to pay a reduced Ticketmaster charge of $4.25 per seat to redeem them. The Lions try a similar giveaway each year but there are usually few takers.

[David]

Every year B.C. FAN, there is a call for an early start to the season. The call comes particularly loudly from the Prairies, where fans want to avoid sitting in the stands in November in freezing weather. But every year on CFL boards, I push back as much as possible.

Football in June is great for diehards like us. Hell, we'd watch our Lions in March if we could. But June is too early for many people. May (what many CFL fans want) would be even worse. People have just spent a lot of time indoors over the winter - they want to be outside enjoying parks, beaches, outdoor cafes, back yards etc when the weather turns nice. It also conflicts with the NHL (and to a lesser extent NBA) playoffs which hogs the headlines and highlight packages. Like it or not, because of the behemoth NFL, most sports fans view football as a Fall sport.

It's been statistically proven in this market that football attendance spikes after Labour Day. Any movement to move the CFL season back should be met with stiff resistance.


DH

[B.C.FAN]

Well said, David. I agree completely.

[TheLionKing]

The Lions are again trying to give away preseason tickets. I got an email today offering up to three tickets to next week's game against Saskatchewan (matching the number of season tickets I hold). Users would have to pay a reduced Ticketmaster charge of $4.25 per seat to redeem them. The Lions try a similar giveaway each year but there are usually few takers.

If they do away with the Ticketmaster charge, they might get a more positive response. Don't know how feasible it is.

[BC 1988]

Agreed an earlier season start than what it currently is would be a bad idea. I remember the Lions preseason game vs CGY on June 15th 2011.
https://www.cfl.ca/games/1727/bc-lions- ... tampeders/
BC won 24-0. Attendance in CGY was 8,235 and no one would have watched the game on TV, because the Canucks were playing game 7 vs BOS (and the ensuing riot).

All CFL cities except SSK would be crazy to start play while there is a chance their NHL teams go on deep playoff runs. This year game 7 is scheduled for Wed June 14th (and with the home team dominance in every game it looks like it will go the distance.)

[Gridiron Ernie]

I was just enjoying this speed-of-light video -- and got to thinking sometimes what you really want/need (never mind zaniness and cleverness) is just straight-out showcasing of players' gifts and talents. Proper circulation of a video such as this (now on the Leos website) can only help to promote the game-day experience. Wow! the two Chrises (Rainey & Williams) -- for the opposition that spells CRISIS. How lucky are we!
https://www.bclions.com/2017/06/09/best ... e-fastest/

[B.C.FAN]

I was just enjoying this speed-of-light video -- and got to thinking sometimes what you really want/need (never mind zaniness and cleverness) is just straight-out showcasing of players' gifts and talents. Proper circulation of a video such as this (now on the Leos website) can only help to promote the game-day experience. Wow! the two Chrises (Rainey & Williams) -- for the opposition that spells CRISIS. How lucky are we!
https://www.bclions.com/2017/06/09/best ... e-fastest/

That's a great video. I can't wait to see Williams and Rainey on the field at the same time, along with Arceneaux and Burnham. That's weaponry.

[dodger]

took advantage of the free offer yesterday. My section 212 was 98% full. Don't know if they limit how many freebees per section but last year was a much greater selection.

[jcalhoun]

Hey all,

Over the last several years I've become less enthusiastic about the Lions, sort of half-paying attention to what the team is doing. A lot of things have contributed to my declining interest, but the two primary factors are I got rid of cable several years ago and don't have the patience to watch television for three hours anymore (let alone watch endless advertisements), and as ticket prices steadily increased (along with concessions, parking, etc), I gradually came to the realization that attending a Lions game doesn't offer me a good return on my entertainment dollar. Thus have I become an indifferent fan (if you'll pardon the contradiction).

I thought I'd chime in here because I used to write lengthy posts about what the team needs to do to market themselves, but I realize now how off-base many of those ideas were if the aim is to connect with a disinterested public. As I'm now part of that demographic, I thought I'd point out the few instances where the Lions' marketing has gotten through to me, and how I react to it.

As I mentioned, I don't have cable television, so I miss absolutely everything to do with TSN. I used to read three, sometimes four daily newspapers, but now get all my news online. However, I'm on Facebook & Twitter constantly for work. I follow the Lions on both platforms, but none of the items they post online are particularly engaging. They popped up in my feeds enough for me to know they were at training camp, but I was completely surprised to discover they'd played their first pre-season game. I literally had no idea it was on.

Like most people who listen to the radio in the lower mainland, I listen to CBC radio one. Occasionally I flip over to news 11:30 for traffic, but always flip back over before the morning sports guy starts shouting. The Lions get zero coverage on CBC radio, quite understandably. The day after the pre-season game there was one 15 second interview with Wally Buono, and I actually couldn't tell from the clip if the team won or lost the game. There are things the Lions do in the community: their anti-gang activities, their anti-bullying stuff, etc., that practically begs for a 10 minute segment on CBC radio. Scoff if you want, but a single spot on CBC during the morning commute will reach more people than the sports radio station reaches all season.

Where the Lions absolutely do break through the clutter is with their newspaper ads in the community papers. Last year, sadly, several ads appeared for games after they had already been played, but we'll assume for the moment that is the fault of my paperboy & not the team. But the ads are very well done: full page affairs. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but when I flip through my local paper I'm usually in a pretty good mood: I've got some things done and I'm taking a moment to scan through it as a break. No marketing effort the Lions have done in my lifetime has tugged at me quite as much as those newspaper ads. If I break down and go to a game this year, it will be because of one of those ads: I'll look up, tired from a long day, a little buzzed from a drink, and a touch wistful and ask the missus, "would you like to go to a football game?" And before I can think better of it, she'll have planned an outfit, invited friends, and come up with a social media strategy. Those kids get in for $5 tickets will work. But it needs to be a season-long affair.

I was in Save-On Foods last season, and picked up one of the little Lions schedules they have at the till. The clerk made a dismissive remark about football --not aggressively so, but more along the lines of a puzzled 'why would you be interested in that?' (I got the same response from people when I told them I was learning to speak Gaelic). So every time I went in there I made a point of picking one up and asking the clerks about it. "Do people pick these up? Do they have ask about football tickets? Have you ever been to a game yourself? Etc." Nothing. The clerks were mostly kids, but I'd venture that having schedules there actually hurt the Lions' product because of the clerks' indifference.

Now if I were the Lions, I'd see if I could partner with Costco and have a medium-priced section somewhere. (Or even make a section of the upper deck exclusive to Costco customers). The demographics for Costco customers are pretty much what the Lions are after. And there's a prime marketing opportunity for us schmucks standing in line to save money on milk & toilet paper --a big banner, and a staff professional enough that they can get you your tickets (presumably) before they've finished packing your cart.

Anyway, a few thoughts for a Friday night.

Cheers,

James

[B.C.FAN]

For the first time in several years, I ordered a season parking pass through the Lions for WestPark's Lot 39 on Pacific Boulevard across from Rogers Arena. I was happy to see that the pass is good for three hours before each game and four hours after. That's a good incentive to arrive early and try to beat the traffic and parking congestion.

[CardiacKid]

I was in Save-On Foods last season, and picked up one of the little Lions schedules they have at the till. The clerk made a dismissive remark about football --not aggressively so, but more along the lines of a puzzled 'why would you be interested in that?' (I got the same response from people when I told them I was learning to speak Gaelic). So every time I went in there I made a point of picking one up and asking the clerks about it. "Do people pick these up? Do they have ask about football tickets? Have you ever been to a game yourself? Etc." Nothing. The clerks were mostly kids, but I'd venture that having schedules there actually hurt the Lions' product because of the clerks' indifference.

Now if I were the Lions, I'd see if I could partner with Costco and have a medium-priced section somewhere. (Or even make a section of the upper deck exclusive to Costco customers). The demographics for Costco customers are pretty much what the Lions are after. And there's a prime marketing opportunity for us schmucks standing in line to save money on milk & toilet paper --a big banner, and a staff professional enough that they can get you your tickets (presumably) before they've finished packing your cart.

Anyway, a few thoughts for a Friday night.

Cheers,

James

I agree with you in regards to the need for the Lions to have positive "2-way" relationships with their corporate sponsors/partners. It might be a different kettle of fish in regards to their locations in the Lower Mainland but when you walk into a Save-On Foods on the Island there is little or no indication that Save-On is actually quite involved with the Leos. I have and do appreciate the various promotions they sponsor during game days but maybe some of that time, effort and $ could serve the Leos well if it were to happen in Save-On locations.

As for the indifference of the Save-On employee, that I suspect is problematic with the chain. A friend who works with Save-On indicates his particular store had a 50% staff turnover last year. Not indicative of an enthusiastic work-force.

The relationship London Drugs has with the club appears to be "1-way" as well. For example, you visit the BC Lions webpage and see an advertising link for London Drugs; you click the link and it takes you to LD. But do a search for BC Lions at the London Drugs page and nothing comes up. you visit an LD in Victoria and there is nothing to show they have any form of partnership with the Lions. Again that might be different in the Lower Mainland.

A partnership that I thought was smart and was sad to see end was the Lions-Coast Capital Credit Union. You walk in a branch and there was advertising for cheaper tickets for members or give-aways to games as prizes in fund-raisers. It went beyond the Lower Mainland to the Island.

I also agree it is smart to advertise in the free paper. The majority of our friends who have kids, plan their family entertainment based on what they find in those free papers. And who does the bulk of the planning involving kids activities? Moms. At the risk of sounding sexist, tailor paper advertising to a "female perspective" and not what would be considered the typical sports fan.

I also agree in regards to CBC Radio. Yes, not the typical source of sports news but their ratings are consistently high. It would also be an excellent venue for the Lions to really publicize their various good efforts in regards to social issues. They have been at the forefront of this amongst CFL teams and even other sports leagues. Publicize the hell out of it, don't be shy! Become the team that starts the process of making the average citizen think of pro football players as solid citizens and not like the Aaron Hernandez's of this world.

This particular aspect of their work would be far better served by local ownership in my opinion.

Ultimately, the tipping point has come and gone in my opinion in terms of the same-old, same-old promoting and marketing of the team. There is no returning to the familiar to achieve even a marginall success in raising the team's profile. There has to be some truly serious risk-taking and thinking outside the box on the part of Leo's business management.

[squishy35]

Seriously, a buy one and get one free promotion for University and High School students should be carried out at least 2 x per year. It makes a Cheap Date night...... (that doesn't sound right....) for the struggling students but get them out and exposed to the fantastic product that the Lions are. It also may promote future sales of tickets by these same university students who remember what a swell time they had at BC place all that time ago.....

[Belize City Lion]

There is a market that the Lions could tap, if they are smart about how they do it. Weekend Dads. $5 for kids is a purrfect opportunity for the divorced Dad to do something that is fun for the kids AND him, for about the same cost as taking the kids to a movie (that he probably doesn't want to watch).

"Going to a game with Dad" is one of the reasons why baseball became so popular. Back in the day, seats at MLB parks were quite affordable, dirt cheap even if you sat in the grandstand. Working class fathers could afford to take the kids to games. The kids got to eat some junk food, try to catch a fly ball, and Dad got to enjoy a game. That is one of the things that helped romanticise baseball in the American psyche.

[Toppy Vann]

The CFL has a new streaming service and the packages look very reasonably priced as you can buy it game by game at US$2.99 or a team at $36.99 or the entire package at $79.99.

This will no doubt help US and other country viewers big time. Not available in Canada I don't think unless somehow you get by the VPN...but I have no idea on that.

http://intl.cfl.ca/

The BC part of the story is that this is by a firm started by Hugh Dobbie - local entrepreneur who's wanting to stream college sports as well:

http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2017/ ... versi.html