Why does the Premier League feel like a domestic competition?
185: 28 April 2023
Hey y’all!
Crazy week, but lots of stuff to get to this week.
A little sports-heavy this week, but the Premier League stuff applies to everyone and the arts marketing example is key!
Work with me:
To the Tickets!
Bonus: Spurs offer their fans a refund: What’s your take?
I. The NJ Devils’ long-term plan pays off:
There are a number of ways that the Devils’ strategy played off.
Allow me to highlight a few of them:
Focus on a direction: The first step in the Billion Dollar Strategy framework is knowing what success looks like. The Devils had a long-term plan to be prepared for the moment when their team’s performance on the ice matched up with the improvements that they made off the ice.
A different approach to groups: Two things stand out to me here. One, they focused on giving groups benefits similar to STHs. This makes sense because these groups might be coming once or twice a season and it is a big event…it elevates the experience creating a greater likelihood that they’ll come again. Second, recognizing that groups are “light” buyers but their mass makes them a huge opportunity. This gives them a larger amount of attention.
Changing the product: Smaller premium packages. That’s a good place to start because many businesses are looking for ways to downsize their packages anyway. I’ve gone through the data on this stuff, but in many areas, there is just way more opportunity for small businesses/less than full season packages…this is an area you should focus on.
Why this matters?
The world has changed. The way you sell tickets should change as well.
The first step: Define success for your organization.
The number one question I get from people when we start talking about how they can sell more tickets/focus their organization is, “Where do I begin?”
Is this true for your organization?
Let me know.
If I find that this is common, I’ll put together a training on the topic.
II. Why does the Premier League feel like a domestic competition in the USA?
I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.
Is it true?
I don’t know, but I do see more shirts with European football crests than I do with American sports teams in my travels to most cities. The exception seems to be Boston.
Why is this happening? Marketing, that’s the quick answer.
Let me give you 7 reasons I see for the success of the Premier League:
Timing: Premier League matches are over in 2 hours. The action is constant. Also, due to the time zones, you can watch your club and still have the rest of the day.
People: When I first started going to England for business regularly in 2017, I met David Lynam for drinks. He’s a Spurs fan. Then, the next day, I met Simon Mabb. Simon is another big Spurs supporter. He told me about this exciting football with England’s up-and-coming striker, Harry Kane. The first time I saw Dele Alli, I was sold. The sport when you follow it feels much more human.
Stories: This is where so many American sports miss the mark. The Premier League embraces the history. This is brand management 101. Old Trafford is one of the 5 most famous stadiums in the world and mentioning the name evokes emotion. Promotion and relegation battles, evoke emotions. Stories are meant to evoke emotions…and the Premier League does a good job of using that.
Rise of Soccer in the USA: I’m on the board of the DC Soccer Club, one of the largest youth soccer organizations in the country. We are likely to serve 5,000 or more kids in the next year. Teaching soccer, developing players, and expanding the game. Soccer is a growing participation sport in the States. This is a top of the funnel opportunity that, frankly, MLS misses the boat on, leaving the road open for the Premier League, and, to a lesser extent, La Liga.
NBC’s decision-making around presentation: NBC has been true to the Premier League. They present the sport in a way that is unique, distinctive, and authentic. That’s differentiation. They are not trying to be another NBA, NFL, or NHL. They are the Premier League. That helps.
The American melting pot: When I’m at the pitch for Cormac’s travel practices, I’ll have conversations with my buddy from Eastern Europe who follows Inter, a guy I know from Africa that is a big Chelsea fan, a French woman that supports Arsenal, a kid from Copenhagen that supports Liverpool, and there’s me…and American that supports Spurs. People from all over the world come to America, bringing their traditions, fandoms, and interests. This helps spread the Premier League’s message.
A certain amount of luck: Sometimes being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference in the world. For the Premier League, getting to the States so early, with the right product, when streaming and TV exploded was a huge thing that you could hope for, but you could never plan with a 100% certainty.
A word of caution: The Super League, “legacy fans”, and other Americanized sports concepts could bring the whole thing down.
The soul is what makes the Premier League great.
Don’t lose it.
III. Arts Marketing is too “me focused”:
The customer is the key. Your opinion doesn’t matter.
What you want, doesn’t matter.
Your opinion, is likely dangerous.
Why do I come back to this?
The customer is spending the money. Your marketing should reflect their needs.
The untapped market of non-customers is huge. You need to know what they are considering and buying as alternatives to your productions. You don’t do this by saying, “I know what the customer wants.” Because if you’ve got tons of empty seats, you obviously don’t. Put your ego aside and listen.
Not listening to the market is likely costing you opportunities. I’ve done a number of research projects in the last 2 years where the assumptions were wrong or there were huge opportunities that were being missed because the research needed updating. Listening to your customers is an all time job.
Don’t trust me, trust my marketing professor then!
IV. TPC Australia becomes Ticketing Australia:
Great conference in a great location and has a new name.
This year: October 25-26.
I’m going to look at going down this year.
I’ll likely build a few days in Melbourne and a couple of workshops into the mix there.
Also check out NATB: The World Ticket Conference in Nashville from July 16-18.
I’m looking at attending this year because I need a good excuse to visit Nashville.
Your feedback is welcomed: What are you looking to learn at conferences right now?
What are the top issues you are dealing with?
Let me know by hitting reply and sending me a note.
V. Links
‘The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window’ has a number of accessible price promotions:
Language matters. These are more promotions than discounts, but being unique is a way to create the opportunity for people to see your show.
This is an experiment worth watching to see how well it does.
Why does this matter?
It does create buzz for the show.
It does provide folks with an opportunity to see the show at a price point that is achievable for more visitors.
It is unique and creates some forms of friction that might help the tickets get distributed in the way that the producers want.
Also, I’d like to see this show. I’ll try and see it when I’m in NYC in a few weeks.
Free tickets, I couldn’t say it better myself:
To add: discounts don’t create demand. The best they do is pull demand forward.
Meaning, you lose twice.
You make a sale at a lower price.
And, you don’t make later sales that would have happened at full price.
I’ve pushed this idea for years: the Capitals did it once…now the Mets:
Why?
If Cormac had received a Yankees’ onesie at birth at NY Presbyterian, we’d be going to the Bronx.
Instead, the TV was on sports and he heard the Yankees and started crying. So we stuck with the Mets.
These emotional moments can start a lifelong relationship. All kidding aside.
It is a low-cost way to have a high-impact marketing moment.
And, it is fun and awesome.
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