Lions guarantee win over ‘Riders Sunday

[sj-roc]

Fans seem to be evenly split between Like It, Don't Like It and Wait til Monday on Team 1040's poll.

It's changed from when you posted. It's running about 46-28-25 on Love-Hate-Wait at the moment. Low voter volume may be creating volatility.

[notahomer]

I'm a pretty humble person, and a huge Lions fan, and when I first heard this I thought it was a bad move. You always respect your opponent. Even if they buy billboards in your town. Just take it to them on the field.

However, after reading the comments here, and how it is a marketing ploy to boot. (I'm all for promoting the CFL) Then it's fine by me. I guess I'm such a big CFL and Lions fan I tend to forget the League needs bigger numbers to survive and anything to help is a good thing.

Roaring Fan.

You nailed it, IMO. I felt the same way and I've come around too! I'm going to feel a lot better WHEN the Lions win. They NEED this game. They need EVERY game but this is a huge one and WE'RE hosting the Grey Cup this year.

What is encouraging, IMO, NO ONE has asked (yet ) for the free ticket they think I am going to get.

[David]

I admire Angus Reid's honesty. He's no lackey or shill for the club. Last week he called out Khari Jones in his column for lack of a clear offensive structure, and this week takes Skulsky to task for his "guarantee" of victory. Angus calls it a gimmick that's "not sustainable."

Click here for article. This is a very good read.



DH

[Rammer]

I admire Angus Reid's honesty. He's no lackey or shill for the club. Last week he called out Khari Jones in his column for lack of a clear offensive structure, and this week takes Skulsky to task for his "guarantee" of victory. Angus calls it a gimmick that's "not sustainable."

Click here for article. This is a very good read.



DH

He is correct alright, but that hasn't seemed to grab the Lions fans to purchase tickets. This game was going to be hard pressed to hit the 28K mark prior to the guarantee, now 32K isn't out of the question. That is a significant jump in sales for a game that traditionally has been our best selling one over the last decade. While Angus points out what we all know here, somehow that hasn't been enough to move the casual fan from his front row seat watching his HD TV.

The best thing that I like about this hype, is that it gets those who are remotely interested in watching the Lions live to do so. That is the fan that you have to get hooked again.

[sj-roc]

I admire Angus Reid's honesty. He's no lackey or shill for the club. Last week he called out Khari Jones in his column for lack of a clear offensive structure, and this week takes Skulsky to task for his "guarantee" of victory. Angus calls it a gimmick that's "not sustainable."

Click here for article. This is a very good read.



DH

I've heard him on 1040 saying the same thing since DS made his guarantee. I admit he makes some good points in the article but frankly, for all the other positives AR brings/brought on and off the field, I've always found him to be a real wet blanket on the issue of getting people into the building. He openly groused on the news over not having 50k for the 2011 WF. After the 2011 GC win he was part of touring the trophy all over the province; in an interview with the Georgia Straight he spoke highly of fans in far outlying areas, but he couldn't leave it at that and had to take a shot at the Vancouver area ("I met season-ticket holders in Fort St. James and Dawson Creek coming down to every game. We’ve got guys in our own city saying they don’t have time."). And now this. If I owned a company and needed someone to put out there as the public face of my business, he's the LAST guy I would hire.

He complains that the storylines should be on the Andrew Harrises and the Travis Lulays and the John Chicks. Fine. Then shut up about the guarantee and write your article about THAT.

You would think a guy his age who has lived his whole life here (btw I don't recall much marketing of the stars, or marketing, period, during the late 1990s doldrums) would realise that this market doesn't always respond to the on-the-field stuff like he wishes was true. I guess he's eaten, slept and breathed football himself for far too long to understand just how greatly removed he is from the overall mood of this marketplace. The other problem is that it's not clear anything AR suggests would drag fans away from their hi-def and into the building.

[South Pender]

I think that the question about the wisdom of this gambit is an empirical one, and we'll all know the answer about 7:00 tonight. If (a) attendance is 32,000 or better and (b) the Lions win, then Skulsky is a prescient marketing genius. If attendance is < 30,000 and the Lions lose, he is a bum. Of course, the attendance part of the equation is difficult to evaluate since we don't know how many would have shown up without the guarantee. And, of course, there are the other two possible outcomes: high attendance, Lions loss; low attendance, Lions win. I haven't figured out the implications of those yet....

[dupsdell1]

I think that the question about the wisdom of this gambit is an empirical one, and we'll all know the answer about 7:00 tonight. If (a) attendance is 32,000 or better and (b) the Lions win, then Skulsky is a prescient marketing genius. If attendance is < 30,000 and the Lions lose, he is a bum. Of course, the attendance part of the equation is difficult to evaluate since we don't know how many would have shown up without the guarantee. And, of course, there are the other two possible outcomes: high attendance, Lions loss; low attendance, Lions win. I haven't figured out the implications of those yet....

Excellent points DS is taking a risk doing this , I say 35,000 or more he is a genius , anything under 35,000 no good.

This game should sell its self at 35,000 if DS has to do this to get 35,000 against the best supported CFL team in the league and the importance of this game , there is a big problem here in BC . DS next year better go out and hire some big time marketers for this team or this is going to continue for years to come.

[dupsdell1]

Well DS you plan back fired, I hope you do not ever do this again , get a new president please.

[Ravi]

I think that the question about the wisdom of this gambit is an empirical one, and we'll all know the answer about 7:00 tonight. If (a) attendance is 32,000 or better and (b) the Lions win, then Skulsky is a prescient marketing genius. If attendance is < 30,000 and the Lions lose, he is a bum. Of course, the attendance part of the equation is difficult to evaluate since we don't know how many would have shown up without the guarantee. And, of course, there are the other two possible outcomes: high attendance, Lions loss; low attendance, Lions win. I haven't figured out the implications of those yet....

Excellent points DS is taking a risk doing this , I say 35,000 or more he is a genius , anything under 35,000 no good.

This game should sell its self at 35,000 if DS has to do this to get 35,000 against the best supported CFL team in the league and the importance of this game , there is a big problem here in BC . DS next year better go out and hire some big time marketers for this team or this is going to continue for years to come.

They drew slightly more than 33k for this game.

[Rammer]

I think that the question about the wisdom of this gambit is an empirical one, and we'll all know the answer about 7:00 tonight. If (a) attendance is 32,000 or better and (b) the Lions win, then Skulsky is a prescient marketing genius. If attendance is < 30,000 and the Lions lose, he is a bum. Of course, the attendance part of the equation is difficult to evaluate since we don't know how many would have shown up without the guarantee. And, of course, there are the other two possible outcomes: high attendance, Lions loss; low attendance, Lions win. I haven't figured out the implications of those yet....

Excellent points DS is taking a risk doing this , I say 35,000 or more he is a genius , anything under 35,000 no good.

This game should sell its self at 35,000 if DS has to do this to get 35,000 against the best supported CFL team in the league and the importance of this game , there is a big problem here in BC . DS next year better go out and hire some big time marketers for this team or this is going to continue for years to come.

They drew slightly more than 33k for this game.

They likely made about $250K in extra sales, and if they could make more from concessions this would have been even better offset from the clubs perspective.

[silverwolf37]

Stupid move by Dennis, now this loss just looks that much worse !

[David]

I said it was a dumb move before today and I stand by it. Not for reasons off the field but on it. A "guarantee" win is too much ammunition for the opponent. With a master motivator like Corey Chamblin, it was asking for trouble. The Riders looked like the hungrier team today, certainly from the second quarter onward; a team that had been challenged. Called out.


DH

[notahomer]

I said it was a dumb move before today and I stand by it. Not for reasons off the field but on it. A "guarantee" win is too much ammunition for the opponent. With a master motivator like Corey Chamblin, it was asking for trouble. The Riders looked like the hungrier team today, certainly from the second quarter onward; a team that had been challenged. Called out.


DH

All good points (I personally flipflopped on the guarantee). It does make one wonder though. If the Riders bought a billboard etc... THIS YEAR, and motivated 'Guaranteed WIN night'. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT SEASON?

IMO, had the Lions won, maybe billboards don't get bought. But they did get bought and looks like it worked like a charm. Next season? Just let them buy their billboards is what I think. Not that big a deal and losing a guaranteed win hurts (even though a friend is now going to go to a Lions game HE MAY have had to buy a ticket for that he now will get for free, from me).

[sj-roc]

I said it was a dumb move before today and I stand by it. Not for reasons off the field but on it. A "guarantee" win is too much ammunition for the opponent. With a master motivator like Corey Chamblin, it was asking for trouble. The Riders looked like the hungrier team today, certainly from the second quarter onward; a team that had been challenged. Called out.


DH

WADR, do you honestly believe we would have won that game if only DS had kept his mouth shut? We stunk out the joint big time. If it weren't for Tim Brown it wouldn't have even come down to the last play.

As for off the field, I don't think we would have gotten anywhere near 33k without it. I suppose some might call the figure underwhelming but, as was noted when it was announced, it was the 4th largest crowd in the whole league so far this season (and less than 250 away from being 2nd largest). With crowds down almost right across the board this season, comparing to past years is a bit of a flawed exercise.

[jcalhoun]

Hey all,

Two quick notes on this promotion that haven't been mentioned (and a word of warning for the Lions):

1. I hope in order to get free tickets each individual has to give the Lions their address to aid in further promotions.

2. This will be a huge tax write-off for the team, and probably won't cost them a thing,

& the warning:

If there is a service charge on the free tickets, the public is going to be pissed, and any goodwill the team has built up via this promotion will be nullified.

Cheers,

James