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Click the image above to check out the the Columbus Blue Jackets!
Dear Faithful Readers,
Last week’s article, showcasing the top sports advertising of the past year, seemed to really grab the attention of our readers… according to the remarkable number of views we received! If you didn’t get a chance to check out the winning campaigns from the 2013 ADchievement Awards, you can view them here.
We’re all looking for the most creative ways to keep our customers engaged and ultimately, positively affect our bottom line. Which leads me to this week’s story on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ thoughtful 2013-2014 marketing campaign. Not only did the Blue Jackets find a way to appeal to their passionate and committed fan base, they saw an unprecedented franchise growth in their season ticket holders.
Keep reading to find out how the Blue Jackets utilized the talent they had in their own front office to increase their renewals and STH’s at a surprising rate.
Enjoy the feature...
Erin
[email protected]
P.S. - Want more revenue generating ideas? Follow @NatlSportsForum on Twitter to get more helpful insights on #sportsbiz, #sponsorship and more!
PROGRAM TITLE
Columbus Blue Jackets
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OBJECTIVES
Ticket sales are challenging. Especially in “dry” season when stadiums haven't seen a fan in months. Selling tickets for an NHL team during the summer can be even more difficult because not only is it off-season, but 100-degree weather doesn't exactly put hockey on the mind of consumers. As a team, you have to be able to sell year-round, and a successful selling strategy is essential in increasing new season ticket revenue along with your overall bottom line.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were tasked with creating an off-season campaign to increase STH's for the 2013-2014 season. The results? - A successful marketing campaign to bring more fans on board for a rising season and an ROI previously unseen by the Blue Jackets franchise.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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Coming off a promising hockey season, the Blue Jackets marketing staff sat back and thought about how they could capitalize on what their team had done over the past year. Knowing it would be a waste of potential if they didn’t seize the moment and turn the team's recent success into marketing gold, they needed to come up with a new campaign that would get the fans excited about next season. Taking advantage of both the team leadership and the loyalty of the fans, the Blue Jackets decided to run their promotions with one directive: emotion.
“We are here in the midwest and people respect honesty, candor and a genuine team effort. People in Columbus have a deep love for the city... there is real pride here,” said John Browne, Senior Vice President and CMO for the Blue Jackets. Browne and his team wanted to get away from the traditional “buy tickets now” tagline and get the fans on their side. They needed a campaign specifically targeted to drawing the emotion out of the fans. And who better to promote than the team's own players and management? The Blue Jackets first and greatest idea was to use their President of Hockey Operations, John Davidson, for their commercial ads. Check them out here to see what he is all about.
Davidson was the perfect candidate for the centerpiece of the commercials as a former NHL goalie for the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers as well as a broadcasting HOFer with experience in Olympic and Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. He was exactly what the Blue Jackets needed as someone who the fans could connect with. “After the first shot, we realized he was perfect for us,” said Browne, “his communication skills are excellent, he has a bit of a celebrity persona and the fans connect with him. When he talks, you want to listen.”
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The Blue Jackets used Davidson and a few other players in commercial spots capitalizing on team emotion and connection to the fans. In accordance with the videos, there was a radio campaign with similar audio to the commcercials, creative print, digital ads and other traditional marketing collateral. As you will see in the results section below, this genuine, emotion-based campaign was big money.
Click above to see John Davidson's Commercial!
PARTNERSHIP
The Blue Jackets partnered with treetree, a branding and ad agency that specializes in unique projects such as this. Teaming up with treetree was a great decision from the Jackets' perspective for many reasons, but namely, they live and breathe the Columbus community just like the fans, so they know exactly how to target them in a way that will resonate. “Our overall messaging strategy was simple; it's all about the love, the pride and the experience that the indiviuals have for this sport, team and city. We wanted to bring that energy alive and leverage the strength and emotional support that the team and town have,” said Tiffany Wise, Chief Creative Officer at treetree. Wise and her team created this imagery and the messaging as a boilerplate that the Blue Jackets were able to then take and run with.
RESULTS
The campaign helped the Blue Jackets increase their full season ticket base from 7,000 to 8,500, a more than 20% increase over last season. They also saw 93% renewal rates for season ticket holders. Great year over year numbers for any marketing campaign.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Blue Jackets foresee a future with treetree and their emotion-based campaign. They plan on making more videos and interstitials with players on the team and are toying with the idea of a fan perspective advertisement, demonstrating what it's like to be at the game and how they show their passion for the team. The emotional stance has been a huge success for them and the Blue Jackets are looking forward to growing the campaign as they get deeper into the season and hopefully the playoffs.
CONTACT
For more Information, contact:
John Browne, Senior Vice President/CMO, Columbus Blue Jackets
Tiffany Wise, Chief Creative Officer, treetree
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