Tuesday, June 4, 2013

What Do Sports Fans Want?


Marketing is one of the key tools businesses use to let their customers know who they are, and what they have to offer. The same holds true for Sports Marketing, especially when it comes to getting their fans to “come out” and watch the event. In cities like Miami, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, where traffic is heavy and it seems easier and more enjoyable to watch their favorite teams from home; how do these organizations convince their fans to “come out to the ball game” so to speak? According to an article published by “PRNewser,” Shawn McBride states some sports organizations, like the Yankees, are implementing a customer service based program that resembles Disney World and the Ritz Carlton! Yet, how can this be accomplished through the arena of sports?

One of the similarities between the Ritz Carlton and Disney World’s customer service is learning the ability to recognize a guests unexpressed needs. This basically means, know what you’re customers want before they do. So what does the sports fan want? A lot.

Check out this video:


As you can see the sports fan includes people of all races, ages and financial backgrounds and their wants are just as different as their characters. Is it possible to have a section where shorter individuals like the lady in the video, can enjoy the game? How about the mother who wants an area to take her children if they become unruly and still be able to enjoy the game? How does a sports organization even begin to understand the wants and needs of every fan every time? On a more personal note, I despise the traffic when trying to get to the arena, but unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about this particular aggravation. The one thing that can be done in every situation discussed on the video is empathizing with the fans. Once an organization can relate to their actual fans, they may not be able to meet every need, but if they can provide an amazing experience for the fan, it may be worth it to suffer through the minor inconveniences.

Video retrieved from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzPvFjRZuBA




1 comment:

  1. Great use of video with this particular blog piece Dawn. It is definitely a relevant topic because sports teams and organizations are always looking for more information on their fan base so they can customize promotions, advertising and giveaways. This data makes it easier for the team to also work with sponsors on targeted sponsorships that make the best use of their ad dollars. Another interesting view on this topic can be found in this article from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2013/04/10/sports-and-analytics-fan-experience-matters/

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