December 14, 2011 | Volume 10, Issue 15

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Dear Faithful Readers,

Competing with the couch...this is and always will be a never ending battle between sports teams and their respective fans. How do teams remain in front of evolving technologies? What incentives or additional benefits can teams use to entice fans to see their games live? We might not have all the answers, but today's feature is a wonderful start. I've had experiences at live sporting events where I've become confused with a play on the field or a call by an umpire and since I'm in the stands, have no access to further detail or commentary to describe the reasoning on what happened. As you will read below, the Saints identified Live Sports Radio as the perfect product to solve this issue and as a result, improve the live fan experience!

Enjoy the Feature,

Joe Shapero
[email protected]

P.S. Shameless NSF plug…our 2012 Agenda Brochures are in the mail! If you are just too darn impatient, click here to view the web version of the brochure. List of Keynote Speakers, Breakout Sessions, the Budweiser Gala, NSF Trade Show, Behind the Scenes Tours...the brochure covers everything that will be in OKC!

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Saints Bring A New Dimension To The In-Stadium Experience

The New Orleans Saints turn to Live Sports Radio to bring in-stadium audio to their most loyal fans.

CONTACT

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Michael Stanfield
Vice President of Ticket and Suite Sales
New Orleans Saints
Phone: (504) 731-1770
Email: [email protected]

Jim Knapp
President
Live Sports Radio
Phone: (248) 273-4700
Email: [email protected]

ORGANIZATION

New Orleans Saints

PROGRAM TITLE

"New Orleans Saints - Live Sports Radio"

OBJECTIVES

The camaraderie of 90,000 fans on game day can give any NFL junky the chills; for those of us who live for Sundays, there is no experience quite like attending a game. This is why it is so baffling to see four consecutive seasons of declining attendance at NFL games. Many sports marketers believe the technological advancements in the home viewing experience over the past decade are to blame. At-home accessibility to high definition TVs, instant access to stat updates (vastly important to the millions of fantasy football enthusiasts), and a channel that allows viewers to watch multiple games are a few of the improvements that have made watching from home, a cheaper and more enjoyable experience than going to the stadium. To overcome this interesting trend, the New Orleans Saints sought to enhance the fan experience and reward their most loyal customers by providing a new dimension to watching the game from the stadium.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

To accomplish this goal, the Saints partnered with Live Sports Radio, a pre-tuned radio that provides live commentary to fans in-stadium. The radio goes on one ear and can be custom branded for any team. Michael Stanfield, Vice President of Ticket and Suite Sales for the New Orleans Saints, believes that the simplicity of the radios is their strongest attribute, "Instead of looking down at a device, fans are able to focus on the game while hearing the live feed. This gives them a better understanding of the game," says Stanfield. "Sometimes people overanalyze an app, but the radios are easy and cost efficient." The radios allow fans to enjoy the excitement of attending an NFL game live while hearing the same commentary available to fans watching from home.

The Saints purchased 5,000 Live Sports Radio's to use as an investment in their season ticket holders and to generate revenue. They gave away 4,000 radios to season ticket holders and kept the remaining 1,000 radios to sell at retail locations throughout the stadium. The Saints branded their Live Sports Radio with a custom Saints logo. The custom branding was put on the box, lanyard and radio.

The New Orleans Saints custom branded Live Sports Radio and lanyard!

MEDIA

The radios had minimal advertising and were solely promoted in the retail locations throughout the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

PARTNERS

The Saints partnered with Live Sports Radio in order to fulfill this promotion. The devices not only enhance the fan's in-game experience, but also provide a unique branding opportunity for sponsors. The radio, lanyard and box can be branded with a sponsors logo and customized messages can be rebroadcasted to everyone with the radio, essentially putting your sponsors "in the game". "The value with the radios on the sponsorship side is that fans can use the product outside of the stadium as well, depending on the model, which helps extend the legs of the in-stadium sponsorship," says Jim Knapp, President of Live Sports Radio.

In addition to enhancing the in-stadium experience and sponsorship activation, teams have used the radios as an incentive to renew season tickets early and generate extra revenue. The Radios are a great platform to accomplish multiple marketing objectives at one time.

RESULTS

After two games, the Saints had given away 4,000 radios to season ticket holders and sold out of the 1,000 radios they had withheld for retail sales. "Fans loved the radios," said Stanfield. "At $15 a radio they are efficient and affordable, giving our fans a high perceived value."

Click above to hear a live game WITH LSR.
Click Here to learn more about Live Sports Radio.

Click above to hear a live game WITHOUT LSR.
Click Here to learn more about Live Sports Radio.

LOOKING AHEAD

As technology continues to change and 3D TV's further enhance the at-home viewing experience, teams will increasingly need to compete with fans watching the game from home. Knowing they need to combat this growing trend, and seeing the added benefits the radios have provided to their fans, the Saints plan on ordering more radios for their fans to enjoy next year.

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