Football
Many community members, including some Zips fans, have showed concern that investing in a football stadium is an unwise use of public money.
Those voices will be amplified if attendance is low, and the team struggles to fill the 30,000 seat venue. That is why the marketing plan for this season is so crucial. Akron has a unique opportunity to ride InfoCision Stadium's momentum in establishing a broader fanbase.
I asked senior associate athletic director Hunter Yurachek to expound on his marketing plan. Here is the Q&A:
Rasor: How does your team plan to market the home opener to public? In other words, what is the specific plan to sell single-game seats against Morgan State?
Yurachek: Currently, the external staff's focus is on maximizing season tickets sales, which continues to go well. We will shift gears and actively begin marketing single game tickets in mid-August. When the single-game ticket campaign is in full swing, the marketing will include an extensive schedule of traditional media (radio, TV, print, outdoor billboards and direct mail) and non-traditional media (e-mail, web and Twitter). Our internal sales force of 10 will continue their summer-long campaign that has included telemarketing for individual and group sales, solicitation at local businesses, speaking at civic events, appearances and inclusion in community festival parades, etc. Also as the single game push begins, InfoCision (the company) will be assisting in a concerted telemarketing effort.
While it is not a part of the marketing plan, the word-of-mouth exposure has been great. Those who have toured the stadium and participated in the select-your-seat program have been thoroughly impressed. InfoCision Stadium does sell itself. We anticipate a person who may purchase a ticket for just the Morgan State will want to purchase a season ticket as well.
Rasor: What is your goal for season attendance average?
Yurachek: Our goal is to average 20,000+ over the six-game home season. However, as we developed the financial pro-forma for the season, we were aggressive while at the same time carrying forth what we thought were realistic goals. We tried to take into account uncontrollable factors such as weather, game times and playing during the week, as well as our good home schedule, specifically with the first game in the facility (Morgan State), Big Ten opponent (Indiana), Homecoming (Ohio) and Kent State. The attendance goal within our 2009 ticket pro-forma is an average of 18,037 per game.
I am impressed with the marketing plan. I would add my ideas for marketing to students, who, as I continue to say, must be a focal point. I recognize they do not pay for their seats. However, there is no substitute for building dedicated alumni. My impression is that Akron's current alumni network is lacking compared to other programs, such as Northern Illinois or Miami. But you don't teach people to be Zips fans 20 years after they graduated; you do it while they're on campus.
How do you do it? Start at the residence halls. Walk door to door. Hand out real, physical tickets, so people think they actually got something. (A large "Students only. Not for resale" disclaimer should deter scalping.) Even the players can get involved. You're telling me that it wouldn't make a huge impression on a freshman to see Ryan Bain show up with a fist full of tickets, saying it would mean a lot to him if you came?
A lot of marketing can be done from the office with a phone call and the signing of a check. But when you're trying to build a program, you must achieve individualized contact. It's more difficult, but it leads to sustained growth. Ten years from now, those students to whom you reached out will be dedicated — rather than disinterested. And they will return the investment that the University of Akron made in their fanaticism.
Coming tomorrow: The long-awaited video of my tour of InfoCision Stadium.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
i hope your right about the marketing plan and it blows the akron and surrounding communities socks off!
We are less than 90 days from the opener when does the marketing campaign begin??
Building the student base is long overdue — no more excuses from administration and students for not participating — the stadium is on campus now!
WINNING HOME GAMES WILL HELP!
a little Proenza Prodding to all University employees for a mandatory – non mandatory attendance at games wouldn't hurt — the university needs the help from everyone.
Yeah, the staff can gather at the new urinals.
I'm not sure what was so impressive with that campaign. They're using all the old methods to move a product. They missed the fourth of July parade in Firestone Park to boot. Follow up questions to a generic "sales are going well" would be – how many season tickets have been sold? -and what is the sales goal for this season? It appears these numbers are moving slowly this late in the game. The east stands had 15-20 pins for dedicated seats late in the seat selection process with large areas open in the west stands as well.
Your student active approach is much more effective for all the reasons you stated. Get the students involved and they could pull in their parents. I'm less inclined to hand over the AD job to a person who doesn't seem to have a sense of urgency in his current job. Is his plan thinking outside the box? Has his plan worked the last three years? Is he making progress in growing Zips fans for future years? His marketing scheme might be good enough for an established program, but Akron needs more work.
Why not use freshmen orientation, student campus visits, faculty/staff games, banner competitions for student groups, partner with your auto sponsors and get tickets out to new car buyers, use "the Don" mayor of Akron to move tickets, etc. Get them to the stadium and they might want to come back. Sending a generic email to faculty and staff is a keystroke away from the deleted file. That's the easy way out. I think he needs to get his hands dirty.
Rasor, do you know how many club seats they have sold? I heard they were very slow. I wonder if they would be willing to accept lower bids on the club seats if ones are not sold. Say $750 a seat. I would be willing to upgrade my season tickets, but $1000 a seat is a bit much at this time.
In all seriousness, I agree wholeheartedly with AZipsFan. This stadium has been on the radar for a LONG time, and there's no reason why such a facility should not be attracting some MAJOR ticket interest. I kid you not, if we build this $60-million facility and 10,000 people show up on a Saturday, heads should absolutely roll.
AZipsFan seems to have far more creative ideas (coupled with Rasor's) to get tickets into students' hands. Thinking outside the box is absolutely essential here.
Hmmm…where are local FOOTBALL FANS? How about high school football games? Give local head coaches 100+ tickets to bring their entire team to InfoCision for a group outing. Go a step further and give additional tickets to those players' families. The first step is getting local people to SAMPLE THE PRODUCT. Once they come and have a good time, you can expect repeat business.
Quote: ["Our goal is to average 20,000+ over the six-game home season. However, as we developed the financial pro-forma for the season, we were aggressive while at the same time carrying forth what we thought were realistic goals."]
So Infocision stadium is suppose to garner another…4,000 to 5,000 fans per game over the previous several seasons at the Rubber Bowl.
Can you aim any lower?
Yurachek should have said – "We will sell out every game. Period. Anything less is unacceptable, and a direct reflection on me. Our opener will sell out. Our Kent game will sell out. The Indiana game will sell out. If we draw Z-E-R-O fans for our other three games, we still should average 15,000. And obviously we won't draw 0. The lack of facilities has long been the crutch for those responsible for football attendance. Those days are over."
"I expect Coach Brookhart to give the University's fans a great reason to come out and fill the stadium. His team's performance is critical to buring up the turnstiles. In return, Coach Brookhart should expect Athletic's Marketing to give his team the greatest home field advantage in the MAC. This is a new era in Zips football. And in Zips athletics. I'm stoked beyond believe to be a part of it!"
If Hunter wants to be the next AD, he needs to ditch the "AD-speak." "Financial pro-forma…blah blah blah." Give me a break.
A-M-E-N to everything Schneider just said.
The new Jacobs Field sold out 355 consecutive games. You're telling me we can't sell out SIX per season in a brand-spankin' new facility? AMEN, people have used the Rubber Bowl as an excuse for not attending for YEARS. Well, folks…that excuse is gone. Got a new one?
I suddenly have severe reservations about Hunter Y in the role as A.D. *or* marketing.
We are in current cigarette and t-shirt negotiations with Schneider's Tool Belt as the new Athletic Director for the University of Akron. Stay tuned for an announcement. Maybe Thursday, Wednesday is going to be too busy with the Rasor video coming out.
@ Jason
The new excuse has already started. "But they don't sell beer for the avg fan"…… Blah Blah Blah If you want to get drunk go to a bar. If you want to see some good college football go to the Info.
Just out of curiosity…if UA Athletics Marketing did NOTHING…absolutely NOTHING to market 2009 Zips football. How many fans would the Zips average?
18k would be easy. So why have the department? To generate financial pro-formas, I guess.
Mayor McCheese, have you ever tried getting drunk on six dollar beers? Most people that are willing to pay $6 for a beer just want to enjoy a cold beer while watching a sporting event. It's the American way. What are you some kind of a pinko?
Schneider…you ask what would happen if UA marketing did absolutely nothing. Well, as far as I *personally* am concerned, that's exactly what they've done. Besides an occasional ABJ ad, I haven't seen the first sign of ANY type of marketing. And I attended the freakin' school.
One thing that will help fill the seats is that there are only 25,000 of them, not 30,000.
To Jason, the sellout streak was actually 455 but point taken, just win baby!
Aiming low so you can look better if you make your prediction or sneak past it is a politicians cowardly plan. That can be seen on cspan daily. We don't need a politician in the AD seat. Go Zips!
Damn! Just as I was about to climb on the bandwagon, and agree that sell-outs were a real possibility…our stand-in AD tells us, "The attendance goal within our 2009 ticket pro-forma is an average of 18,047 per game."
I'm feeling so inspired now, I can give this prediction: Morgan State will not just fail to sell out, they'll be lucky to bring in 20k. Indiana might sell out — maybe, if the Hoosiers bring a 3-4 thousand of their own fans. Sorry folks, but the Akron attitude hasn't changed, and HY is living up to the same old low expectation.
I'm still trying to figure out what pro-forma means. Is that a Browns' play option?
the athletic department needs to stop being afraid of boldly including the name "The University of Akron" in its advertising for InfoCision and other related facilities and programs. Where on the stadium are we to see the words, "The University of Akron"? And, how large will those words be and how frequently will they be repeated around the stadium and on billboards and other mediums? Right now billboards make no mention of The University of Akron. Akron Zips is no longer enough. Change all logos. flags, banners and posters to include our alma mater's name. And include the name of the university in all media.
Also, UA in general needs to see their on-campus stadium as just a start to making the days of small potatoe thinking really be in the past. Think big picture about the campus… the actual campus and not the frigging Polsky Building area. Make it even more integrated and self-contained (ie make it look more like a real campus). Don't stop the momentum. Be commited to expanding the boundaries in a clear and conspicouous way. No room for vaguery about campus boundaries. Be clear in presenting a good, unified view of a true looking campus and not some hodge podge of campus and downtown. Stay clear of downtown and proceed south of exchange as UA is starting to do. Going further east is doable too. And for God's sake build that arena clearly and conspicuously on the UA campus and not downtown. If UA puts that arena downtown, the game is over. They will have just negated if not watered down the effects of having an on-campus stadium…it will be suicide.
My son attends the U.of A, and will graduate in Dec.09. He had a great idea to promote the stadium. A.U. has had a number of students become professional Football players. Wouldn't it be nice and profitable if they were to return to the new stadium after having played at the Rubberbowl, and have a meet and greet, or an autograph signing. Charge at the door and get autographs or pictures, or charge a flat rate, or charge per autograph.
This would be something that could be done in the spring since football season has already started.
Sincerely,
Debra Morelock