Marketing & Promotions

[kreed5120]

I said before when talking about football attendance time is the deterrent, not cost. Sitting on hard bleachers for 2 hours to watch a good, but not great team isn't perceived to be a good use of peoples time (Perhaps offering seat cushions would be a useful promotion). They provide the same timeout and half-time entertainment game after game and year after year. It feels like I'm at a high school game when they announce lineups. If you've been to 1 game, you've been to them all.

 

For starters I feel they need to buy that lighting and sound equipment they rented for the Kent game last year. It helped create a great atmosphere before even opening tip and provided the JAR with a legitimate big time college basketball feel. They should also seriously consider mixing up those sponsor contests. The Pizza Fire promotion is nice because the fans have a stake in it, but I'm sick and tired of seeing the dot race and dress like a Zip. How about trying something new and more original. Also, there are dozens of groups around campus. Can not 1 come in from time to time to provide a change of pace entertainment wise during half-time? Overall the only way to pack the JAR on a nightly basis will be consistently having postseason success, but creating an atmosphere where fans are enjoying themselves instead of just doing something to pass time will provide an uptick.

Edited November 30, 2016 by kreed5120

[Balsy]

3 hours ago, Sportsjunkie330 said:

 

The Cricket. They could celebrate the 1986 OVC Championship

 

1 hour ago, skip-zip said:

That title game against MTSU is still one of my best JAR memories.  That title was so unexpected.  Watching the game against Michigan a few days later might have been just as exciting.  Great memories.  

 

Yup.  3 years before I was born.  8-9 years before current freshman were born.  Sure gonna draw in those new supporters with that!  No-one cares, sorry...or at least younger newer fans do not.  Create memories for them, so they'll be fans for life...not just reliving them for older fans.

 

7 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 They provide the same timeout and half-time entertainment game after game and year after year. It feels like I'm at a high school game when they announce lineups. If you've been to 1 game, you've been to them all.

 

Amen!  That's why my own personal attendance has declined over the years since I graduated...and I live in Akron.

[LZIp]

Sorry old timers (no offense), but follow Balsy and I's lead on this one as we are two of the youngest on the board. As big of a Zips fan as he and I are, we don't give a crap about some OVC championship or some Nagy or Jakubick fellow. There is no name recongition there. If we don't give a crap/know who they are, the average Akron student sure isn't. They don't care about Trav or Dru either. Or Charlie Frye. Jason Taylor..probably because he is well, a future NFL HOFer. John Heisman would probably attract people too.  I was just thinking today how much I miss watching Zeke, but his name doesn't mean anything to any current student either.

 

The promo is targeted towards students and for it to work, it has to be someone the students can relate to. Akron hardly has anyone with name recognition that people care about, so they have to use Lebron. 

Edited November 30, 2016 by LZIp

[Hilltopper]

I thought I might brighten up this conversation.

 

 

[skip-zip]

32 minutes ago, Balsy said:

Yup.  3 years before I was born.

 

Sorry Balsy.  Maybe someone should do a documentary on that 1986 OVC title season, and you young guys can watch it.  I'd love to have something like that to watch myself.  Maybe I'd even see what a mid-20s idiot I acted like at some of those games that year.  

 

But let me ask you this, as an example.  An Auburn football fan knows all about Bo Jackson, and Oklahoma football fans know all about the BOZ.  Even if they are only college students today.  They worship those guys who are the previous legends.  They never even needed to be alive when they played.  So, how come we can't form that connection between fans and players?  And I don't think it's because they went on to NFL mega-stardom.  Archie Griffin tanked as a football player after he left college.  But the folks down in Cowlumbus still worship the ground he walks on.    

 

 

15 minutes ago, LZIp said:

John Heisman would probably attract people too.

 

Ahh.  I wonder if there's any legal hurdles to using him on a Bobblehead?  But that's a great idea.  

[kreed5120]

22 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

Sorry Balsy.  Maybe someone should do a documentary on that 1986 OVC title season, and you young guys can watch it.  I'd love to have something like that to watch myself.  Maybe I'd even see what a mid-20s idiot I acted like at some of those games that year.  

 

But let me ask you this, as an example.  An Auburn football fan knows all about Bo Jackson, and Oklahoma football fans know all about the BOZ.  Even if they are only college students today.  They worship those guys who are the previous legends.  They never even needed to be alive when they played.  So, how come we can't form that connection between fans and players?  And I don't think it's because they went on to NFL mega-stardom.  Archie Griffin tanked as a football player after he left college.  But the folks down in Cowlumbus still worship the ground he walks on.    

 

 

 

Ahh.  I wonder if there's any legal hurdles to using him on a Bobblehead?  But that's a great idea.  

Are you really trying to compare a 2x Heisman winner to an Akron player? Nobody cares about an OVC championship.  If we had a Gordon Hayward type player who led us to national prominance I could see where you are getting at, but we have never had that player.

Edited November 30, 2016 by kreed5120

[UAZippers]

17 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Are you really trying to compare a 2x Heisman winner to an Akron player? Nobody cares about an OVC championship.  If we had a Gordon Hayward type player who led us to national prominance I could see where you are getting at, but we have never had that player.

Exactly. To create a legacy at a school like Akron, a player has to elevate the school to a national level while they are there. Think Hayward, Steph Curry, Adam Morrison, etc. In other words, when a player leads our team to a deep tourney run, then we can start wondering if future fans will care.

[Zip_ME87]

The game stinks because the opponent sucks and I get splinters in my butt on the bleaches, but the lighting, sound system, and half time entertainment are awesome so I'll be there. Really?

[skip-zip]

34 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Are you really trying to compare a 2x Heisman winner to an Akron player? Nobody cares about an OVC championship.  If we had a Gordon Hayward type player who led us to national prominance I could see where you are getting at, but we have never had that player.

 

No, just throwing it out there for discussion.  It's clear that our fans don't connect with our past or present players.  Maybe that can be improved in some way?

 

13 minutes ago, UAZippers said:

To create a legacy at a school like Akron, a player has to elevate the school to a national level while they are there. Think Hayward, Steph Curry, Adam Morrison, etc. In other words, when a player leads our team to a deep tourney run, then we can start wondering if future fans will care.

 

That might be what it takes.  There might not be much else we can do.  

[kreed5120]

3 minutes ago, Zip_ME87 said:

The game stinks because the opponent sucks and I get splinters in my butt on the bleaches, but the lighting, sound system, and half time entertainment are awesome so I'll be there. Really?

 

Quit beating a dead horse. We have the arena that we have. The University clearly can't afford a new one and the city & state have made it clear they aren't willing to pay for it. Any opponent that would make a real impact on attendance (OSU, MSU, UNC, Kansas, or Duke, etc.) would never agree to come here for a regular season game. We had VCU (bracket busters which no longer exists) come in fresh off a final 4 appearance and we still couldn't sell out the JAR. The average student doesn't know the difference between a Cleveland State or Valpo.

 

Atmosphere certainly does matter even if you want to pretend it doesn't. Hundreds of thousands of people turn out each year to watch the god awful Browns. The reason being is that even though they expect to lose, they still enjoy the gameday experience.

[Zip_ME87]

I guess I'm a relic at my age ... I still like to go to a game for the game, and when I'm there I like to be sociable and talk with my friends during times out and half time.

[Zip_ME87]

5 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Atmosphere certainly does matter even if you want to pretend it doesn't. Hundreds of thousands of people turn out each year to watch the god awful Browns. The reason being is that even though they expect to lose, they still enjoy the gameday experience.

 

Check the Browns attendance these days. The majority of the significantly less than capacity crowd show up for the other team not the gameday experience.

 

Edit: Also, I'm not the one beating a dead horse. I was mocking those stating that those things would put their butts in the seats even with a lousy game/opponent. Fans show up to the K.ent game because of the game not the arena or the sideshows.

Edited November 30, 2016 by Zip_ME87

[Dr Z]

8 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Hundreds of thousands of people turn out each year to watch the god awful Browns. The reason being is that even though they expect to lose, they still enjoy the gameday experience.

 

Great players attract the majority of fans, always have, always will. I would have paid to watch Jimmal Ball play at Mason park. 

[kreed5120]

4 minutes ago, Zip_ME87 said:

 

Check the Browns attendance these days. The majority of the significantly less than capacity crowd show up for the other team not the gameday experience.

 

It's like that every year at this point in the season. The crowds will return again at the start of next season like they do every year. 

Edited November 30, 2016 by kreed5120

[LZIp]

33 minutes ago, UAZippers said:

Exactly. To create a legacy at a school like Akron, a player has to elevate the school to a national level while they are there. Think Hayward, Steph Curry, Adam Morrison, etc. In other words, when a player leads our team to a deep tourney run, then we can start wondering if future fans will care.

i can't help but to think what could have been if room was made for CJ McCollum...

[skip-zip]

Good discussion here.  

 

I think what some people forget when we hear "The Browns suck but keep selling out games" is that there's so many season ticket holders.  But those people start to no-show as the season progresses, or leave early.   So, there's a real asterisk to that fact that "Browns fans always support their team....win or lose".

 

Yes Kreed, they will be back in September.  But they might not stay long.

[Sportsjunkie330]

2 hours ago, Balsy said:

No-one cares, sorry...or at least younger newer fans do not.

 

 

First, I was saying the 1986 thing tongue in cheek but since you & LZip act like nobody cares about that, I'll tell you who cares.... 80% of the season ticket holders - the ones that sit in the lower bowl - and spend the money to support that program - and have for 30 years.

 

You already said that you don't go to games anymore. You're like the rest of the students, they don't care either. The people that do support Zips athletics now and will until they're gone are the people that would love to see the 1986 team honored. 

 

I understand that marketing is about drawing new people in and not doing things for the people that are already there (see Progressive Field). But expecting students to come to 6 games for a chance at a jersey of someone who never played there is bad. Most UA students don't go to one game, let alone SIX! The focus should be on bringing in casual fans, kids groups etc, and show them a good time and get them back again. The students don't and will not come to the games.

 

 

Edited November 30, 2016 by Sportsjunkie330

[kreed5120]

9 minutes ago, Sportsjunkie330 said:

 

First, I was saying the 1986 thing tongue in cheek but since you & LZip act like nobody cares about that, I'll tell you who cares.... 80% of the season ticket holders - the ones that sit in the lower bowl - and spend the money to support that program - and have for 30 years.

 

You already said that you don't go to games anymore. You're like the rest of the students, they don't care either. The people that do support Zips athletics now and will until they're gone are the people that would love to see the 1986 team honored. 

 

I understand that marketing is about drawing new people in and not doing things for the people that are already there (see Progressive Field). But expecting students to come to 6 games for a chance at a jersey of someone who never played there is bad. Most UA students don't go to one game, let alone SIX! The focus should be on bringing in casual fans, kids groups etc, and show them a good time and get them back again. The students don't and will not come to the games.

 

 

 

The students are the ones who fund the bulk of the athletics through student fees that are forced upon them. If you neglect today's students whose going to be the one paying for those premium seats 30 years from now? If you want to honor the 1986 team have a half-time ceremony for that. That would be perfectly alright by me. Don't force some jersey with some players name the student never heard of because it pleases some STH that will never be wearing it anyways.

[Balsy]

1 hour ago, skip-zip said:

 

Sorry Balsy.  Maybe someone should do a documentary on that 1986 OVC title season, and you young guys can watch it.  I'd love to have something like that to watch myself.  Maybe I'd even see what a mid-20s idiot I acted like at some of those games that year.  

 

But let me ask you this, as an example.  An Auburn football fan knows all about Bo Jackson, and Oklahoma football fans know all about the BOZ.  Even if they are only college students today.  They worship those guys who are the previous legends.  They never even needed to be alive when they played.  So, how come we can't form that connection between fans and players?  And I don't think it's because they went on to NFL mega-stardom.  Archie Griffin tanked as a football player after he left college.  But the folks down in Cowlumbus still worship the ground he walks on.    

 

Ahh.  I wonder if there's any legal hurdles to using him on a Bobblehead?  But that's a great idea.  

 

I think there is a few built in assumptions there.  Not every student that goes to OSU and Auburn know those things.  Most "die-hard" fans probably do, where they have 300,000 die-hard fans, or Ohio State with 400,000ish die hard fans?  Akron has 2,000ish?  I highly doubt most young people really know the history you give them credit for.  I know from my high school students that out of a 100, maybe 20 are Ohio State fans.  Another 20 are OSU fans because they don't know anything else, and 20 are in social experiences.  (I fell into the third category in HS).  The other 40 kids could care less.

 

Of the 20 that are true OSU fans, maybe 5 of them really know that much history. The majority of the 20 will know current and recent players, but players from 40,50,60 years ago, very few will know.

 

The way the younger fans learn the history is by going to games; by spending time in the environment around the die-hards.  When I went to the Akron OSU game in 2011, I sat next to an 83-year old OSU fan who explained the interesting history of some of the Ring of Honor players (which I didn't care about, but listened none the less because they were kinda cool stories).  I learned at an Akron game that same year that John Heisman had once been a coach at Akron.  I thought that was an awesome fact.  How many young people were at that game...not many.  A couple years ago an elderly woman sat next to me and my girlfriend at the MAC Tournament and explained how the Zips were Runner ups in the 1972 DII national championship game (or something like that?).

 

So you build an atmosphere worth being a part of.  You have players that make the game matter, and you have alumni that give a damn, and give a damn to interact with younger people.  So in short skip, I'd say Culture.  

 

 

 

 

[kreed5120]

5 minutes ago, Balsy said:

 

I think there is a few built in assumptions there.  Not every student that goes to OSU and Auburn know those things.  Most "die-hard" fans probably do, where they have 300,000 die-hard fans, or Ohio State with 400,000ish die hard fans?  Akron has 2,000ish?  I highly doubt most young people really know the history you give them credit for.  I know from my high school students that out of a 100, maybe 20 are Ohio State fans.  Another 20 are OSU fans because they don't know anything else, and 20 are in social experiences.  (I fell into the third category in HS).  The other 40 kids could care less.

 

Of the 20 that are true OSU fans, maybe 5 of them really know that much history. The majority of the 20 will know current and recent players, but players from 40,50,60 years ago, very few will know.

 

The way the younger fans learn the history is by going to games; by spending time in the environment around the die-hards.  When I went to the Akron OSU game in 2011, I sat next to an 83-year old OSU fan who explained the interesting history of some of the Ring of Honor players (which I didn't care about, but listened none the less because they were kinda cool stories).  I learned at an Akron game that same year that John Heisman had once been a coach at Akron.  I thought that was an awesome fact.  How many young people were at that game...not many.  A couple years ago an elderly woman sat next to me and my girlfriend at the MAC Tournament and explained how the Zips were Runner ups in the 1972 DII national championship game (or something like that?).

 

So you build an atmosphere worth being a part of.  You have players that make the game matter, and you have alumni that give a damn, and give a damn to interact with younger people.  So in short skip, I'd say Culture.  

 

 

 

 

 

I agree 100%. I don't drive 30 minutes each way, sit on rock hard bleachers, pay $6 for nachos, $4 for hot dogs, spend $5-$20 on beer at Euro, Score, or wherever just to see a game. If all I wanted to do was just to watch the game I'd sit at home on my nice comfy couch and watch it on my large screen TV which provides a better view than my seat at the JAR. The food and beer is much cheaper at home as well. I could also start the game late and DVR through the commercials and half-time and only spend 1 hour watching it instead of committing the 3-5 hours I do getting ready, driving up, watching the game, and getting home. I spend this extra time and money for the in person game experience. Us millennials expect 2 hours of entertainment at a game, not just the 40 minutes in which the ball is in play.

[skip-zip]

20 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

The students are the ones who fund the bulk of the athletics through student fees that are forced upon them. If you neglect today's students whose going to be the one paying for those premium seats 30 years from now? If you want to honor the 1986 team have a half-time ceremony for that. That would be perfectly alright by me. Don't force some jersey with some players name the student never heard of because it pleases some STH that will never be wearing it anyways.

I understand the student fees.  But our athletic programs would not exist without the people who buy tickets, and the donors and corporate sponsors.  Can you imagine how much those student fees might be if we didn't have this huge outside influx of money?  Or, what our teams might look like, and what they'd be able to do, without the outside money?

[kreed5120]

8 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

I understand the student fees.  But our athletic programs would not exist without the people who buy tickets, and the donors and corporate sponsors.  Can you imagine how much those student fees might be if we didn't have this huge outside influx of money?  Or, what our teams might look like, and what they'd be able to do, without the outside money?

 

I'm a STH and donor (granted I probably give a lot less than most of you, but I'm still young and working my way up the ladder). I'm not saying we don't matter. However, it irks me when I see someone post that we should intentionally neglect the people (students) who both provide the bulk of the current funding and will be tomorrows donors. Seems like a fantastic way to run our athletics into the ground.

[Balsy]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

The students are the ones who fund the bulk of the athletics through student fees that are forced upon them. If you neglect today's students whose going to be the one paying for those premium seats 30 years from now? If you want to honor the 1986 team have a half-time ceremony for that. That would be perfectly alright by me. Don't force some jersey with some players name the student never heard of because it pleases some STH that will never be wearing it anyways.

 

Love this point Kreed, thanks for making it.  I've been saying a lot of this for years.  Current students are the key to changing the culture; and treating them like children...when in reality they are adults, who's opinions and feelings matter.

Edited November 30, 2016 by Balsy

[Balsy]

1 hour ago, skip-zip said:

I understand the student fees.  But our athletic programs would not exist without the people who buy tickets, and the donors and corporate sponsors.  Can you imagine how much those student fees might be if we didn't have this huge outside influx of money?  Or, what our teams might look like, and what they'd be able to do, without the outside money?

 

Akron's student subsidy is like 70% of the annual athletic budget.  It is generous that outsiders like many here, and local corporations make up 30%...and I, like Kreed am working my way up to donating more years down the road, but that's already too high of a subsidy.  Remember we calculated on another thread the subsidy to equal around $800 a year per student, $400 per semester per student.  That's substantial, especially when considering over a 4-year degree (most students taking out student loans) they're taking on a financial burden of $3200 during their college career for an athletics program that most of them will never directly benefit from.  One season in the club level at Infocision stadium is $500.  Almost every student on campus is paying that twice a year.  

 

Do more to cater to the students if you want to improve the culture.  The STUDENTS are the UA athletic program, sorry to say.  I'd personally like to see that change, but that only changes when you get more donors.  You get more donors by having something that's worth a damn.

[kreed5120]

22 minutes ago, Balsy said:

 

Akron's student subsidy is like 70% of the annual athletic budget.  It is generous that outsiders like many here, and local corporations make up 30%...and I, like Kreed am working my way up to donating more years down the road, but that's already too high of a subsidy.  Remember we calculated on another thread the subsidy to equal around $800 a year per student, $400 per semester per student.  That's substantial, especially when considering over a 4-year degree (most students taking out student loans) they're taking on a financial burden of $3200 during their college career for an athletics program that most of them will never directly benefit from.  One season in the club level at Infocision stadium is $500.  Almost every student on campus is paying that twice a year.  

 

Do more to cater to the students if you want to improve the culture.  The STUDENTS are the UA athletic program, sorry to say.  I'd personally like to see that change, but that only changes when you get more donors.  You get more donors by having something that's worth a damn.

 

If you count ticket sales and contributions (according to those numbers), it equals $3.36M or roughly only 10% of the total athletic budget. Most of that 30% is made up from sponsorship, naming rights, media contracts, NCAA Tourney credits, apparel, CFP pool, and other non booster/STH revenue streams.

Edited November 30, 2016 by kreed5120