Phoenix Suns Scores With Ticket Promotions
A good coach works out a strategy to lead her team to victory. The Phoenix Suns’ marketing department functions in much the same way, plotting out a game plan to get fans in seats throughout the basketball season.
In September, October and November, the team promotes season ticket packages, says Niki Adams, senior director of marketing for the team.
“We try not to clutter the market with too many messages and confuse the consumer,” she says.
A two-week push for single game tickets typically happens at the end of September, followed by a renewed push for season tickets, and then partial (anywhere from 3 to 11) game plans from mid-October to mid-November. Holiday plans and gift cards are offered in the Thanksgiving to Christmas time frame, with a renewed single game focus in January.
Via TV, print, radio and online, different special single game packages are also promoted, Adams notes. One trend in sports right now is an “all you can eat seats” package, where fans get all they can eat nachos, hotdogs, popcorn and soda with their ticket. A “guys’ night out” offer gives beer and a free t-shirt with the ticket, while on college night students can get a low priced ticket, a t-shirt and $1 hotdogs. A family pack of 4 tickets, McDonald’s value meals and Suns baseball hats has also been successful (families larger than 4 can add on additional members).
The Suns’ group sales department is also constantly working on coming up with unique programs to engage fans, she says. For example, a recent offering lets groups of fans get access to the tunnel where the players come out of to get on the court. A group of 15 to 20 fans can line the tunnel and be there “up close and personal” as the players run out for a game.
Deep discounting of tickets isn’t something the team does on a whim, and it is only used as a last minute technique, says Adams, noting that it would irritate full price-paying season ticket holders who are loyal to the team.
Promotions are also brainstormed with sponsors. For example, this month Cold Stone Creamery worked with the Phoenix Suns Wives group on a book drive promotion. Fans that brought two or more new or gently used children’s or young adult books to a Cold Stone Creamery in the Phoenix area through March 25 received a complimentary “Like It Creation” with one mix-in.
The book drive culminated at the Suns/Knicks game on March 25 in Phoenix. Fans who brought a book donation to the game (collected by members of the Suns Wives at the arena gates) received a raffle ticket to win one of six Suns’ prize packages.
In the current economy, Adams says sports teams are working a lot harder to get sponsorship dollars. “Advertisers and partner are being a lot more critical about where they spend their money. They have to see a lot more measurement than in the past—they’re driving their decisions more on analytics and less on instinct.”
For more on the Phoenix Suns’ marketing strategy, see the April/May issue of Chief Marketer magazine.
