Mon 30 Jun 2008
There is a great survey on SI rating all the MLB teams on various things including promotions and giveaways. While every market has its unique perspectives, I think you can really pick-up a lot about how fans generally view promotions and giveaways. You can see all the reviews here.
The Milwaukee Brewers got top billing from the survey with more than 68% of respondents saying their promotions were “Above Average” or “Excellent”.
I thought it was interesting that most of the positive notes had to to with clever connections to the team and it’s players tied to promotions. Tired ideas like a straight bobblehead were updated with twists like a “WWE” version of Indians’ DH Travis Hafner, Joe Mauer sideburns, or a George Brett t-shirt jersey with pine tar stains imprinted on the shirt. These ideas reward fans loyalty and add a level of personalization to the giveaway.
Count me in for a shirt honoring a player who is know for sliding and getting dirty that actually looks like their jersey after a game, like Ryan Freel Dirty Shirt Night in Cincinnati.
This serves as a great resource for not only looking at your premium giveaways, but challenging yourself to connect them with the personality and persona of your players and team.
–Cudo
July 1st, 2008 at 2:01 am
Great post. Really interesting data. I agree that the connection back to the players’ personalities is key. It seems as though everyone under the sun has their own bobblehead these days. The biggest challenge for sports teams is to find that unique twist on a standard promo that is going to pique the interest of the fans and create the extra “buzz.”
My vote for best quote from the entire page:
# “Best: Barry Bonds bobblehead. The ‘Head’ was made in actual proportion to his body.”