Persuasive Images CREATEDATE 2/5/08 10:06 AM - Sports team is more elusive than ever - ?The Elusive Fan? Largest sporting event this weekend Not the Super Bowl Milwaukee vs. ____ 200 million people in China Yao Ming vs. his countryman New technologies Multitasking ? phone, tv, internet, audio Impacting the way sports is produced, distributed Fragmentation On the whole, television ratings of sporting events have decreased significantly 3rd game of NHL Stanley Cup: rating of 1.1/2 ( lowest prime time rating in NBC history Lots of competition Paintball 10 million people in USA, 2 million people worldwide $5 million in gear annually Audience: Men 18-34 year olds Kind of like Halo in real life (socially acceptable outlet for aggression) Perception of ?average joe? ? ?power of the gun? Hierarchy of accessories Individual sport - 3 generations of sports history Monopoly generation: 1900-1950 Lack of distribution channels Options: go to event, listen on radio, read about afterwards Boxing At that time, clearly among the major sports Had to go to the event to see Led to a lot of corruption: able to fix matches Market crumbled with time Baseball, horse racing Television generation: 1950-1990 Gorgeous George Able to see the ?stars? Built an image for himself, story line Turned sports into entertainment Build stories, market around athletic talents Watch sporting events in real time ( lots of advertising $ Highlight generation: 1990-present MLB.tv mosaic Ability to watch 6 games simultaneously In real time Can program to track your fantasy team Customizing sports for the fan Driven by changes in technology, market - How do you solve these problems? Problems Initial exposure Venue is terrible Selling tickets Consumer appeal Selling something you cannot control How do you approach? Embrace the spontaneity Create rivalries Market the things you can control Develop experiences based on the audience ?Fan connections? ( in past, target audiences based on age, gender, values, etc.; now, understand audience in terms of how they emotionally connect to the show Star ? connect to a star, celebrity Place ? same hometown Vicarious experience ? you see what?s happening, experience that vicariously with the audience Ex. UFC Initially: too brutal; toned down, added more of a storyline ? fans begin to connect Hour long show, 12-15 minutes of fighting Has taken on MLB playoff games, NBA, etc., outdone them in ratings Who connects? Nerds Wrestlers, college athletes ( highly paid venue that they can break into Fraternity guys People living vicariously through WWE ( become too soft, unrealistic; evolving into UFC Putting the viewer at the center of the communication experience Emotional connection = what sells product - Brand ? promise of particular experience, product, service to the customer Can build a brand around mostly anything In sports ( not only branding team, entire experience Examples: Chicago Cubs Lovable losers 1970s/80s Played all games during day Facilities stunk ? no parking Team still blew John McDunna (now with Blackhawks) transformed Why go to a Cubs game? Wrigley, nostalgia, family experience Not for the team Essentially an outdoor social club What can you draw on to influence that audience? You have possibilities Draw on those that best influence audience Topoi Whistling Straights Colder, Wisconsin Build a brand of a European style golf course on American soil Promise: go to this golf course, play as if you are in Scotland, Ireland More natural, authentic Taking nostalgia, using it in the digital age Dragon Stadium Public high school in Texas, suburb of Dallas Environmental rhetoric: says something about the team Promising residents and fans that they are a professional level football team, at the high school level Brought in pro coaches, beautiful stadium, turf, training program in middle school, pres box Complicates things: People are going to high school football on Friday nights Not going to college football, watching tv HS football becomes a real contender in market - Strategies: how can we get these peoples? time and money? Eventizing So much clutter in the market place, how do you stand out? Ex. NFL draft Midway between end and beginning of season NBA playoffs are going on Get people to stay connected to NFL Pseudo-event: somewhat meaningless Synergistic experiences: two things that are greater than the sum of their parts Star power: selling people, teams Tough because they get in trouble, switch teams Market owners/coaches The venue itself
