advertising the club poorly?

[baldrick]

Just wanted to get fans views on how we advertise the club?

My wife only goes to a couple of games a year unlike me who goes every week but she always mentions how badly the club advertises itself. She has a job that advertises and promotes certain things to do with her work so she might have a point.

This season we have got off to a bad start and attendances are down but are the club doing enough to promote itself? have they exhausted every avenue?

Yes they are building a new stadium with great facilities but can they not attract more people to the home games or sell better merchandise in the mean time.
Where do we advertise the home games in the paper, asda, before the bridge into lancaster is that really enough?
Can the club not get fans to put leaflets through peoples letter boxes or spend more on larger advertisements?
Another idea would be to promote why you want new fans to come down for example
FED UP WITH THE PREMIER LEAGUE CIRCUS COME ON DOWN TO YOUR LOCAL TEAM MORECAMBE WHERE THE REAL FOOTBALL IS!
Also why not give away free tickets for a home game to attract new fans. They could say give anyone who buys the visitor will get two free tickets but advertise whats happening well in advance.
Another idea is have things going on before match days like on the field at the back.
You could have marquees set up and open it up at say 11am.
you could have a bar with sky sports on, cafe selling dinner, stalls selling footballs shirts and memorabillia, bouncy castles, penalty shoot outs competitions for all ages even 5 a sides games (you could even have a mini league going), pole dancers only joking but maybe York Hotel should start that off and many more things.
It wouldn't just be turn up and watch a game and go home its would be a good family day out that would attract new fans cos at the end of the day people want to have fun and the more fun the better. The bad weather could spoil some of the above but maybe only the bouncy castles.
What does everyone think?

[PUNKISDEAD]

FED UP WITH THE PREMIER LEAGUE CIRCUS COME ON DOWN TO YOUR LOCAL TEAM MORECAMBE WHERE THE REAL FOOTBALL IS!

If we start advertising using the above slogan we may find our team being sued under the trade description act at the moment.

Every body locally knows where the groubd is, a win or two would do alot more to the attendances than any amount of advertising!!

[PUNKISDEAD]

The seventh word in my third paragraph should be ground!! sos

[marky]

Don't bring attention to it, just press the edit button and change it

[baldrick]

your right about the premier league slagging off but i don't agree with you on people know where the ground is and don't spend more money on advertising.
I think you missed my point which was;

getting more people to the ground on match days.

An example is four of my friends have taken their kids down to watch a home game.
They support a premier leaugue team but their kids want to go and watch a morecambe game so they take them down.
They go for the first time watch a crap game get cold and don't want to go back again. Not only that they then go and tell people some who may have considered going down not to bother cos its crap.
But if they took their kids down at dinner time and enjoyed the pre match entertainment going on that i suggested maybe they would say the game was bad but we still had a good day.
The kids enjoyed the penalty shoot outs, five a side games and the bouncy castles and i was dry inside the marquee have a few beers watching a game on sky. Maybe they would keep going back then.

[P/T Indie]

I see whay you mean in Germany they all go to the ground 2 hours before kick off and stand around the stadium drinking beer etc and they seem to go for a day out even though it's a home game. If you could throw in a few kids activities as well then its fun for everyone.

[PUNKISDEAD]

I think most dads, or mums, would be better off watching their children playing organized youth football or physically having a kick around with them in the park rather than wasting the family kitty standing around boozing in a marquee for 3 pre match hours watcking their kids on a bouncy castle!!

[sgt major]

It doesnt really matter how well you advertise anything in Morecambe - Apathy rules and if people cant be bothered they wont do owt. Then after the event if you tell them it was on they will say "I dont read the Visitor etc etc".

You realise this about the townsfolk when you have lived elsewhere for many years.

[Christies Child]

It doesnt really matter how well you advertise anything in Morecambe - Apathy rules and if people cant be bothered they wont do owt. Then after the event if you tell them it was on they will say "I dont read the Visitor etc etc".

You realise this about the townsfolk when you have lived elsewhere for many years.

Sir, you are of course correct.

However 'apathy rules' in nearly every seaside resort in the UK including Blackpool. The only possible exception locally is Southport where investement has been designed to move its image away from 'being a holiday resort' more into 'a days destination' place.

The place has transformed itself over the last decade by structured investment in providing what the locals wanted NOT in what a council THOUGHT the locals wanted.

[baldrick]

punkisdead is very negative and lives in the past is that why he is called punk is dead?
Why are people negative about suggesting making match days more fun? i don't understand negative people or never will.
I get his point about leaving your kids on the bouncy castle while you get leathered i ment have entertainment for everyone not just families.
Anyway call it want you want stupid idea? but maybe we could be the first english club to pile on the pre match entertainment.
I didn't know germany had pre match entertainment.

[Wild Bill]

I think that attendances have been very disapointing this season and poor advertising certainly doesn't help. The sign at Skerton bridge still advertised the Chesterfield game on Friday night, surely confusing some part-timers who might be interested in seeing a game. I hope no one turned up by accident but naturally you would assume that if the sign was up on Friday, then there is a game the next day. It would be better if it had a date on too, what competition it was and had a light on it, so it was more visible.

More posters for every game would be another idea. I would happily put up some posters at the uni if someone could post me some. I am sure lots of others would put them up at their local pub, work notice board etc. A few quid in stamps and envelopes might get a few more through the gates.

[parceldave]

I agree with Baldrick , that a lot more could be done to advertise and promote the club better .But if they want to get more people in the ground and especially at this time of year when it is colder (i almost said wetter too,cant be ) then they are going to have to make J.B's more competetive with bars outside the ground . I used to spend a bit of time in there after a match but not as often now because i can get a pint almost a pound cheaper back in Lancaster, dont know if Morecambe is same . Thats just one thing that puts people off going before the game and staying afterwards . I didnt go to Lincoln , but didn't they have some sort of family day and attracted their biggest gate of the season or was it that they were playing Morecambe.

[Number 1]

This sounds very harsh, but there are more good ideas that come out of this forum regarding advertising the club, that ever come from the club itself. The commercial side is a one man band and in my opinion we need a young dynamic person to be at the forefront of selling what should be a landmark season for us. Having stayed up last year, we should be consolidating and making strides forward. Instead the best we an do is another portakabin, and a rehash of the same old stuff and same old ideas. I'm starting to grow weary of the the "Jobs for the boys" attitude shown by the management of the club. We will never be brought into the 21st century until some modernisation takes place.

Sorry if I sound like Negative Ned, but it's an often quoted topic and if the board took on some of the great ideas from this site, I'm sure the club would be advertised an marketed better.

[parceldave]

This sounds very harsh, but there are more good ideas that come out of this forum regarding advertising the club, that ever come from the club itself. The commercial side is a one man band and in my opinion we need a young dynamic person to be at the forefront of selling what should be a landmark season for us. Having stayed up last year, we should be consolidating and making strides forward. Instead the best we an do is another portakabin, and a rehash of the same old stuff and same old ideas. I'm starting to grow weary of the the "Jobs for the boys" attitude shown by the management of the club. We will never be brought into the 21st century until some modernisation takes place.

Sorry if I sound like Negative Ned, but it's an often quoted topic and if the board took on some of the great ideas from this site, I'm sure the club would be advertised an marketed better.

Totally agree with you there , what time is your interview.

[nobbyshrimp]

Also, Christie the Cat is a great addition to the atmosphere for families but I think he should go just that tiny bit further by joking with the kids, randomly handing out or throwing a bunch of cheap sweets into the fans etc etc. Kids love it, they tell their mates and the rest is history. Just helps generate a happy atmosphere for families/kids.

[baldrick]

This sounds very harsh, but there are more good ideas that come out of this forum regarding advertising the club, that ever come from the club itself. The commercial side is a one man band and in my opinion we need a young dynamic person to be at the forefront of selling what should be a landmark season for us. Having stayed up last year, we should be consolidating and making strides forward. Instead the best we an do is another portakabin, and a rehash of the same old stuff and same old ideas. I'm starting to grow weary of the the "Jobs for the boys" attitude shown by the management of the club. We will never be brought into the 21st century until some modernisation takes place.

Sorry if I sound like Negative Ned, but it's an often quoted topic and if the board took on some of the great ideas from this site, I'm sure the club would be advertised an marketed better.

well said employ someone young with good ideas on marketing the club better.

Another idea maybe to get young and upper coming bands to play before the match ive seen that at a premier leaugue ground. Im sure some would be very cheap.

[marky]

Given we've got this and at least next season at Christie Park, it's essential we don't just wait until we move. The club has never been particularly hot on the marketing side and it sounds as if we're still not. We need to get a proper structure in place sooner rather than later. I also believe that there are huge marketing opportunities next season if, as is planned, it is our last at Christie Park. We are part of a wider entertainment business and if the main event isn't great (as it hasn't been this year) then punters have to have another reason for turning up. At the moment the Shrimpettes and Christie the Cat hardly suffice as alternate entertainment for those who aren't regulars.

[thegentlegiant]

Well jump on board the bus!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33186455894

^^^^
Great way of advertising the local team I also agree with better advertising of the games we could see an increase in ticket sales...Why are we not giving schools free tickets now by doing this we are filling the ground and making sales off merchandise.....We need to see more sport in the local community also have fun days get 5 a side teams to play each other on the back fields....Maybe with an incentive to five the winning team tickets to the game.....Your still going to get people down to watch and most likely the losing team will still pay to see the game.

There are lots of different things you can do to increase gate sales and I feel this is achievable.

[PUNKISDEAD]

You are a bit if a shirty character calling me negative and living in the past when you probably do not know me, I am generally very positive about our teams long term progess and although we seem to be going through a rough patch, believe we will pull through it,and when the team start putting a good run together attendances will improve, if i wanted to i could rip ever sentence in your post to pieces , but as a nice positive person i will not... oh by the way, the back field is presently used to host succesful and well run football birthday parties, your beer tent would leave the bar, that has sky sports empty, etc.........

[PUNKISDEAD]

The team give alot of free season tickets to local schools and have done so for several years!!

[PUNKISDEAD]

I actually live in the future, I have just got back from old trafford where we won 2-0 veteran striker Aaron Taylor bagged a brace.....BUT MY SON TWISTED HIS ANKLE ON THE BOUNCY CASTLE!!!!

[baldrick]

never mind punkisdead. im sorry if ive offended you its just your the only person who has knocked my idea. Its all about opinions thats why we have a message board.


Bye the way i went to watch my kid play today and im used as a substitute ref so i don't spend all my time in the pub.

ps i probably know you i may even stand next to u.

[ingleton shrimp]

On the subject of advertising does any one know if there will be any posters available for the up coming home fixtures ?

[Mark S]

I actually live in the future, I have just got back from old trafford where we won 2-0 veteran striker Aaron Taylor bagged a brace.....BUT MY SON TWISTED HIS ANKLE ON THE BOUNCY CASTLE!!!!

Serves him right! Your son shouldnt be on the bouncy castle. By that time he is 23!

All I will say on this subject is no one that posts on here is a qualified marketeer or knows what goes on behind the scenes at the club. It is pure speculation. Everyone at the club works hard with the resources that are available and within constraints.

Please be careful not to criticise any individuals and stick to offering positive ideas.

[marky]

Please be careful not to criticise any individuals and stick to offering positive ideas.

No individual is above criticism. The manager receives it, as do the players, so I see no reason why club officials shouldn't. It is an area we need to improve. Just to restate something, I believe we need to start preparing now for our 'final season' which, by it's very nature, is only going to happen once. The club may already be, but I personally believe we need to take a chance next season and use it in conjunction with special offers. I know this is months away but preparation is key. By the way, you don't know who works in marketing! I don't, but I know 3 people with business & marketing degrees

By the way, the clock on here is 6 minutes fast