Question
Help with case study questions! I just need a different perspective then mine :) The Scenario: You are a leading consultant for Raise Your Game,
Help with case study questions! I just need a different perspective then mine :)
The Scenario:
You are a leading consultant for Raise Your Game, Inc., a respected sport management consulting team focused on partnering with sport and entertainment properties to develop strategies for revenue maximization. Your team is widely known as the industry gurus regarding ticket packaging and pricing strategies that drive fan consumption and engagement with sport properties.
The Client:
The University of Illinois Athletics program partnered with your team to build a sales and marketing strategy that would increase their rate of repeat attendees for Mens Basketball. Established in 1905, the University of Illinois Mens Basketball team is one of the more storied programs in collegiate history, with two national championships (1915 & 1943) and 17 Big Ten Championships. From 2000-2007, Illinois had an 8-year consecutive run of competing in the annual NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament. This dominance was led by prominent basketball personalities such as head coach Bill Self and players Deron Williams, Brian Cook, and Dee Brown that produced one Final Four and one Elite Eight appearance. Since 2010, the Illinois Mens Basketball program returned to the NCAA Tournament only twice during the span, losing in the 2nd round both times.
Following two consecutive losing seasons and a 14% decline in their season ticket base, Illinois Athletics needs to find ways to keep the fans that are currently coming and entice 1st time attendees to keep coming back in order to grow their fan base back to prominence.
A New Era of Illinois Mens Basketball
Since the conclusion of the 2016-17 Mens Basketball campaign, Illinois program executed a number of strategies to freshen the program and reengage fans. In March 2017, Illinois hired a new coach, Brad Underwood, to take the helm of a young basketball team. The hiring spurred a new season ticket campaign encouraging fans to Answer the McCall by donating to the Mens Basketball Excellence Fund or purchasing season tickets to have the chance to win prizes. Brad is a rising star in college basketball coaching who has been a key piece of three successful programs in his career. He has earned a reputation as a relentless worker, a great teammate and colleague and a confident leader of young men. Matt has worked with some of the most respected coaches and administrators in the country, who loudly sing his praises. Coach Underwoods appointment begins an exciting new chapter for our tradition-rich men's basketball program at Illinois, noted Josh Whitman, Illinois Director of Athletics.
In addition to a coaching change, Illinois engaged Daktronics, a prominent digital display company, to modernize the 25-year old State Farm Center. This included the installation of four new video displays including a new centerhung videoboard. Alan Pandiani, the Associate Athletics
Director for Sales and Fan Experience, commented, the new videoboards provide us the opportunity to truly innovate our in-game experience. Fans can expect a more integrated experience with higher quality videos, fan engagement activities, and social media integrations.
Current Ticket Strategy and Results
Over the past 5 seasons, Illinois Mens Basketball program experienced a decline in their season ticket and single game purchaser base by 11% and 50% respectively. However, Illinois has maintained a high renewal rate with a 5-year average of a 90% renewal rate for season ticket holders. This is off-set by a consistent challenge to sell new season tickets and keep 1st year accounts year-over-year, further highlighted by the fact that only 10% of season tickets sold over the past 5 seasons were categorized as new accounts.
For the 2016-17 season, Illinois renewed 90% of their season ticket holders and welcomed 5% of their season ticket base as 1st year accounts. To further increase the value of the season ticket package, Illinois introduced renewal pricing, flexible season tickets, ticket holder gifts, behind-the- scenes tours, on-court experiences, personal account representatives, and event priority benefits. The flexible season ticket allowed fans that couldnt attend a game, the option to exchange their ticket for a game that they would be able to attend later that season. This led season ticket holders to attend 82% of all home games during the season.
Previous to the 2016-17 season, most fans received mass communication from athletics that distributed a variety of content from post-game recaps, ticket offers, and other news. Over the past 12 months, Illinois altered their communication strategy to provide targeted content to fans that best fit their relationship with Mens Basketball. Specifically, the 22% of single game purchasers that were 1st time attendees received an automated message thanking them for attending and providing additional information on upcoming games. This differed from the victory recaps that the general fan would receive.
To facilitate interest in attending multiple games, while not committing to a full season ticket, Illinois offers 3-game and 5-game mini plans. Over the past 5 seasons, mini plan purchasers grew by 47% with a near perfect 50%/50% split between 3 and 5 game purchasers. Although the min- plan package exists, Illinois is challenged with converting multi-game attending single game purchases into mini plan holders.
For instance, the average single game purchaser attended 4.3 home games during the 2016-17 season, while still not being a mini-plan purchaser. In support of ticket marketing, sales, and service strategies, Illinois employs a staff of two full-time sales representatives and a database marketer. This staff is charged with reaching out to Illinois database via outbound phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and email to engage fans and expose them to ticket opportunities for Mens Basketball. Our goal is to better understand existing and potential fans of Illinois and cater customized ticket recommendations that best fit their needs, said Chris Tucci, Manager of Database Marketing and Analytics. Currently, this is accomplished by segmenting our database based on their behavior and purchase history to deliver what we would believe is the ticket package that best suits their needs.
Once at the game, Illinois leverages a mix between a traditional college sports environment and a modern sporting event with interplay between the band and their new digital videoboards. However, the game day experience is quite typical to most sporting events that include t-shirt tosses, team videos, in-arena fan cams, and fan contests on court. To educate fans in the building about future games and ticket opportunities, the game script includes multiple PA reads discussing mini plans as well as next home games for Mens Basketball, Womens Basketball, and Hockey.
Typically, Illinois discusses the next Mens Basketball home game four times during the entirety of the game experience.
It is vital to our university community and the surrounding communities that Illinois Basketball returns to the vibrant experience that our fans reminisce about from the 1990s. With Raise Your Game, Inc.s insight on how we can better engage current attendees during the game to come back, Im confident that we can grow our ticket purchasing base. Our first goal is keeping the fans we have coming back, then we can focus on bringing on new fans. said Alan Pandiani.
Data:
To assist with your analysis, Illinois has provided the following data: A script of a typical game presentation 5-year historical ticket sales data Current ticket prices for the 2017-18 season
Historical ticket prices for the past 5 seasons
Case Study Questions:
1. How can Illinois increase the avidity of fans during a game day experience to drive repeat attendance? How can Illinois better engage 1st time attendees to encourage them to come to a 2nd game?
2. What can Illinois do in-venue to enhance the game day experience?
3. What alterations would you make to Illinois current ticketing offers to increase the likelihood of fans to buy and attend more games? How would you assign variable ticketing pricing to the games on the 2017-2018 schedule and how would this impact how you package your different plans? (see page 11).
4. What marketing strategies would you recommend to move fans up the escalator more season tickets, more mini-plans, less reliance on single game?
5. For the 2017-18 season, Illinois has acquired a $15,000 budget to execute targeted marketing campaigns. What are ways that you would recommend Illinois utilize their budget for greatest return on investment?
Complete Analysis will address the following:
Demonstration that you understand the issues confronting the client
Solution includes creative outside the box strategies to address the issues confronting the client
Presentation will provide recommendations for increasing avidity of fans on game day
Presentation will include strategies for encouraging 1st time attendees to return
Presentation provides effective recommendations for alteration to current ticketing options
Solution includes a specific plan for execution of marketing budget
Presentation has effective verbal and visual flow
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International Financial Reporting Standards An Introduction
Authors: Belverd E. Needles, Marian Powers
3rd Edition
1133187943, 978-1133187943
