This is not exactly scientific, but when you look around Target Center and maybe three of 100 spectators are wearing anything to indicate an appreciation for the team or an individual player, it shows the immense brand building that remains for the Timberwolves in this extra-competitive sports market.
The replica jersey or uniform top has become the apparel of choice for fans watching the Vikings in the Metrodome, the Wild at Xcel Energy Center and, now more than ever, the Twins in Target Field.
This show of affection is accompanied by what are mostly expensive tickets to watch these well-supported home teams.
Read the rest of the article here.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/105317188.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUqyE5D7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_27EQU
The replica jersey or uniform top has become the apparel of choice for fans watching the Vikings in the Metrodome, the Wild at Xcel Energy Center and, now more than ever, the Twins in Target Field.
This show of affection is accompanied by what are mostly expensive tickets to watch these well-supported home teams.
Read the rest of the article here.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/105317188.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUqyE5D7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_27EQU
In a 2 paragraph response (a minimum of 5 sentences for each paragraph), answer the following questions. In paragraph # 1, consider the marketing strategy disucssed in the article to generate interest in the Wolves. Other than cutting ticket prices, what would be 2 other marketing strategies you would employ to bring people to the games. Hint, think about the 5 P's of marketing! Be specific with your thoughts.
In paragraph # 2, you will now put on your team franchise owner's hat. If you were to start an NBA expansion franchise with a brand new arena to play in, what city would you choose? Why? Next, describe your marketing strategy for the team. What would be your main focus? Promoting the team, the individual players, the arena, or something else. Why would you choose this specific strategy? Be specific with your thoughts.
Please sign your name to the bottom of your blog entry.
A marketing strategy would be having a special event for the fans at the stadium. I think this would work, because fans are looking for more entertainment when they go to the games. They want to enjoy the game but before that they might want to do something more exciting. Another marketing strategy would be giving away for items for the first thousand people who come into the stadium. This strategy could work, because a lot of people love free things, and especially if it comes from their favorite team. Some items would be posters, scarves, flags, or maybe a free program.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to have my own franchise with a new brand arena, I would have my arena in Washington D.C. I love Washington D.C; it’s the place where I grew up in and for it would be really special to have my own arena in D.C. My marketing strategy for the team would be to have special events before game time, lower the price for tickets if the team is not playing very well. My main focus would be promoting the team and the individual player for the fans; because the fans would want to see their favorite player do something other then just playing. They would want to see there team succeed in the game and take victory.
Anna Vallejo
If I had to choose a basketball franchise it would be something related to Virginia. Since the only team that really represent Virginia is DC. The city wouldn’t really matter as long as its in Virginia. Depending on how many teams are in the nba at the moment I would determine my rivals. My rivals would be somewhere along the east coast.
ReplyDeleteInstead of lowering tickets I would lower down season passes with backstage access. I would give them a mini show before the game to keep them entertained. Instead of wasting a lot of paper I would make it recycle paper. I would give them free gift cards and toys for the little kids. I would give them buy one get one free offers.
I think that the timber wolves could do a lot more to get a bigger fan base. If people are buying replica jersey for the Vikings to timber wolves games that where you know that there is a problem. I think that lowering there season ticket sales is a better idea to get more people to buy tickets. But really the only way to get more fans is to have a good team. Nobody wants to watch a bad team play so the only way to get more fans is to get a better team.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the owner with a brand new arena I would put the arena in a place where there are a lot of people, like a city. If you put it in a city then more people would be around so more of them would come to the games. I would also make sure that my roster is full of good players that will get the team to a championship game. I would make sure that those players are doing advertisements. That is what I would do if I was the owner.
Abel Henok
I think the TimberWolves could try to bring more excitement to the games like maybe having a raffle ticket and who ever has that ticket is able to meet the team after the game. They could also maybe give away a team Jersey with that player signature on it or maybe a team ball with the whole team signature.
ReplyDeleteThe city that I would chose would be Las Angles because L.A is big city and a lot of people know about that city. So it might bring a lot of attention to the team. Try to get the team to do a lot of charity work or donations because that would give the team a good image and let the people know that we care about our city and community.
Cutting ticket prices is a great way to build the market of the Timberwolves. Other than this another strategy would be to appeal more to youth also. A way to do this would be to maybe have a little dribbler’s league relating to the Timberwolves. This would get kids involved and all parents love watching their kids. Having these mini games for kids at half time of home games would really gain a good fan base. Having giveaways during the games is another great strategy. Raffles are a great way to get fans interested because if there is the chance to win a great prize everyone gets involved.
ReplyDeleteThe city I would choose for my new arena would have to be in Dallas Texas. Not because I like the Cowboys but because everything is bigger in Texas. That line would be my motivation to build the biggest and nicest arena that the United States has ever seen. After building the arena I would start to promote the team. The team is what is going to be playing in the arena therefore I will need to promote it. As a strategy I would make brand new jerseys that would appeal to the public. New jerseys would be a good strategy because change is good and most people like it.
The Timberwolves are becoming smarter in the way they satisfy their fans with clothes and apparel. Such as they are giving replica jersey tops for their fans so its basically a replica of the team jerseys which is pretty awesome. The two marketing strategies I would use to bring people to the games would be to give them free items such as t-shirts and another way would be to lower the prices of food and drinks.
ReplyDeleteIf I had an NBA team I would make the home city New York this is so because New York is such a big large city and thus would have a lot of fans and having a lot of fans means that you would have more income. To promote my team I would use commercials and advertisements to get more fans and represent and advertise the team to the public.
The marketing strategies that the Wolves are using include cutting ticket prices and displaying memorabilia. Cutting ticket prices has helped the Wolves get 2200 more fans then expected. This is huge because these fans will produce a better atmosphere and more hype about the Wolves so other people will go. The sports memorabilia that they showed was not good because it was getting the fan hyped for football not basketball. Other strategies would be special promotions on weekdays like buy 2 hot dogs get a free soda. Others could be a contest to win front row seats to a game.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to start a team it would be in Huntington Beach California. When I visited there the people were very chill. I think the laidback attitude would work with any type of sports team. We could have local schools come in to meet the players and have a Beach Bash type of tournament. Including local flavor with sports teams is very important so the fans are aware and excited.
Maggie Sawyers
In the article they are using an extremely uncommon way of marketing to bring in new fans and more dedicated fans to their stadium. One thing they are doing is redoing their entire roster. While many well established teams like the Heat, they would never do this especially because their roster is one of the main things bringing in fans. One strategy I would use to bring in fans is have hats made by a company like Geico given out at all the games, so we get no money from the advertisement but Geico pays for the hats and it draws fans in. Another idea I would use for bring fans in would be changing the logo.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a franchise owner of a basketball team I would have the new arena for my team built in New York City because while they may already have a team that hasn’t stopped them from having more than one, and its not one dominant team in New York either, both teams are extremely successful for both baseball and football. My marketing strategy would be anything to bring the fans in. I would pretty much do a lot of giveaways of bobble heads of the players. For advertising purposes I would advertise the new arena and later on when we gain good players that are well known I would have bobble head giveaways and used jersey raffles at the games.
Andrew Frawley
The Timber Wolves’ marketing strategy was cutting ticket prices. They earned a lot more fans by doing so, even though it hurt their income. They prefer to have more fans in the atmosphere though. 2 other strategies I would use is making promotions and holding special events. Some of the promotions would include winning a raffle to hang out with the team afterwards. Some special events would be entertainment during half-time or events on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely establish my franchise in New York City, New York. NYC has so many people in the city and a lot of loyal fans. I would make the focus on the players. After all, they’re the only ones that determine how successful our franchise will be. I would make sure my players feel comfortable and like they have a second home. I also want the fans to love the players and the franchise as well.
Luis Reyes
Apparently the Timberwolves have quite a bit of things to do to improve before the season starts, and that includes making money. Just lowering ticket price might not do much help to the Wolves, since they will still lose money off of each ticket, but gain for each extra person that buys. The Wolves should do quite a few more types of promotions, so that they could make the money that they needed, rather than just a few hundred thousand dollars. If I were the owner of the Wolves, the first thing I would do would be to start hosting contests during the games. Also, let some other companies advertise more and host their own little contests, so that they get to advertise and you get to make more money. Another thing I would do would be, if I had enough money of course, to make a new stadium. New stadiums are always extremely popular, and creating one would be a great idea if you had the money.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the owner of an NBA team, I would host the stadium in Boston. Boston is most likely one of the largest cities in the United States, and are huge basketball fans. With a new stadium, they would be even more interested, making them want to see it in person. First, I would start off by trying to draft some of the most popular players in the NBA. Individual players have a huge impact on the association, and just getting one amazing player can raise a team’s popularity by a substantial amount. Next I would start to advertise the team’s name, by making commercials and billboards. Finally, I would start to host a few contests during half time every now and then.
-Jack O'Donnell
The Timber Wolves cut their ticket sales to increase their fan base and increase the amount of people talking about their team. With a newer team and new players they need some new strategy to market their team. If they spent money in T.V. advertising and maybe a new marketing staff they could possibly improve their total payout. If they advertise and create a new promotion, they could increase their fan base.
ReplyDeleteIf I started my own team I would start in a city where basketball is very popular, probably Los Angeles or somewhere in California. I would choose Cali because they have a huge population and many, many potential fans. I would market the team and place T.V ads in local areas. The Stadium would be located near a busy road where many people would have to pass it on their work commute.
Luke G
With the lack of support for the Timberwolves franchise, the team needs to do something to get this franchise rolling. Since the lack of jerseys or Timberwolves apparel is at the game, the organization should have a promotion that the first 5000 fans to a game get a free Minnesota Timberwolves jersey. This would increase the number in fans. Also it would increase the amount of apparel that the fans have. This would increase the amount of apparel and in turn would increase the amount of fans. This could do great things for the Timberwolves franchise.
ReplyDeleteI would start a franchise in San Francisco. I would choose this city because it is a city with a large population. Also this city has proven effective to host the San Francisco 49ers therefore it should have the fan base to support a basketball team. I would start by promoting the new arena. These days with ESPN and all the different sports websites, the players are promoted both by themselves and by the sportscasters. By promoting the arena people would be interested in the arena and the technology involved. People love to be pampered and by promoting the arena in this way people would be more likely to come to games.
~Matt Ganskopp~
Timberwolves marketing woes
ReplyDeleteThe Minnesota Timberwolves slashed down ticket prices in an effort to bring in fans of the basketball team. Apparently, that is the problem. There are not many supporters of this lost franchise which has seen it’s roster re-done twice since the departure of Kevin Garnett, who is now with the Boston Celtics. Even after these price lowering promotions, they seem to not have the correct approach.
I believe that they should do more to show the fans how much they believe in the teams future. Isn’t that how you sell something, by showing belief in your product? They need to bring in bigger names, start promotions, giveaways, get into social media, and other things to bring a new prospective and perception of the team than before. These simple methods have done a lot for other sports franchises, like the Heat, Celtics, Bulls, and others.
I think that the marketing strategies used by Richard Sennott are good because it puts the Timberwolves in the market. It makes sports fan think about going to Target Center to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves. Another marketing strategy that I would use is meeting the players. Not many teams in the NBA let their fans interact with the team. So letting people talk to the players is a very cool thing. Another marketing strategy is giving out free stuff. Because not a lot of people who go watch the Timberwolves has team spirit stuff, I will give them one for free. It also creates a better environment at Target Center.
ReplyDeleteIf I owned a NBA team, the city that I would choose would be in Las Vegas, Nevada. One reason is because there are no professional teams in Las Vegas. It will create a lot of excitement in the city and a lot of people would want tickets to see the team play. And the brand that would have the rights to the name of the arena is the hotel company Hilton. One reason is because they are very famous. Another reason is because they have a lot of hotels in Las Vegas, and people know the company.
-Jaime Avila
Other than cutting ticket prices for the timberwolves they could give out free stuff at the games like shirts or other cool things. Like they do at the nationals games every once in a while. Another thing they could do is talk about there new team and maybe people would come like on commercials or on the radio. Then if they won games I bet people would come.
ReplyDeleteIf I started a francisce it would be in Pittsburgh. It would be there because that city could use a basketball team the only sport they do not have also its my favorite city. I would market all are players on tv and give stuff out to the fans that buy season tickets like free jersey and shirts. Im sure that real nba fans would come. Since they just came to the town they would sell out like the nats did when they came to Washington.
Keith krause
The marketing strategy for the Timberwolves in this extra-competitive sports market isn't the they at great they need to be more specific to the fans. Also they need to have an event for the players and the fans to get together so the players can make they happy by being their with them.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the owner with a brand new arena I would put the arena in a place where there are a lot of people like place in new york or some place with lots people so the team can have lots of fans. but if i put it at a place that their is no fans for the team no one will be talking about my team about good things they only talk about how it doesn't have a fan and other staff.
Dagmawe Teklu
I think that this is a great idea! You can always get fans with cheap tickets. They just love going to sports events, but helping out by lowering costs will bring more revenue than you lost. As long as you can focus on the youth, revenues will go up ten-fold! Children 10 and up should all be fans. The way you can get them to be fans is include a special family deal, bring in at least 2 children with two adults and have a 10% reduced ticket for the kids. You can also just have child-sized jerseys for a mainline product, and later in life they will be diehard fans. Soon, you will have the whole of the next generation’s fan base.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely put the new stadium in the most population enriched area near the fan base that I could find. The players would need to be top notch, and I would pay any amount to see them make it to the championship. I would include many sponsors to pay for me, and do everything in my power to see that the fans react to the changes in a positive way. I would have halftime shows with benched players participating in fan enriched activities, like dunking them in a pond of Gatorade or something else. Maybe have a shoot off competition for real people to come on court and shoot against each other in a friendly manner. Endless possibilities for the halftime show.
Danny Marcinek
The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying out new methods to try to get more fans to support the team. The owner is trying to make more sales on replicated jerseys to make more currency. Personally I think this is a good decision for the franchise because it will bring more money in and it will keep the fans entertainment. This will be a good business choice for the city,
ReplyDeleteIf I were to start a new NBA franchise I would choose to operate the city of Las Vegas. I would choose Las Vegas because it is a popular city and lots of visitors come in. My main focus would obviously getting a championship. But publicity would be almost as important. I would get as much press as I could.
-Nick Booker
The timber Wolves cut their ticket sales to increase their fans and amount of people talking about thier team. They are doing this to improve before the season starts because they need more money. They are also re doing their entire roster, which is very unusual. Normally teams dont do that because their roster is one thing that brings in fans. Cutting ticket prices gained the Wolves 2200 more fans.
ReplyDeleteIf i ever started a sports team anywhere i would do it somewhere where everything is laid back. Where there is also not much to do. If a football team is the only thing in the area then this would make football games a main attraction to people that live there.
Andrew Foster
Another marketing strategy I would use to bring people to the games is one of the 5 P’s or marketing, people. People are the main focus when you want to make profit. I would focus on the people and make sure that they are given everything that’s needed to know about the team, ownership, season and everything else. People/consumers/buyers always come first in business. The other marketing strategy I would use is price. In this, money scarce economy, people wont buy tickets that are priced too high. I will focus on making ticket prices reasonable. We want to keep our fans all year so another main focus with ticket prices, is adding incentives to season ticket holders.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to stand an NBA expansion franchise with a brand new arena to play in, I’d chose the city of Los Vegas, NV. I’d choose this city because I know people that come here, come to spend money. My main focus is to promote my new team. I want everyone to get to know the players. I would also like to promote the awesome arena that is going to open. A great environment and loveable players are two very important things when you’re trying to attract fans.