The 4 P's: Marketing Science and the A's

by jeffro on Jun 5, 2009 10:48 PM PDT Comment 31 comments

First, I have an advanced business degree (MBA). Not from an Ivy League school. Not from a good school, even. But I have one, even if most of the stuff I learned I never use because my real world job is in Technical Operations and not Finance or HR or Marketing or Accounting. That said, I have always loved Marketing. Mainly because it is a lot like baseball, some science and some magic. In the process of getting that piece of paper I mentioned in the first sentence, I learned a lot about Marketing and so I am about to go off like a pompous ass windbag.

One of the best parts of the science part of Marketing is known as the 4 P's, or the Marketing Mix.

For those who don't want to go and read that drivel I just linked, the 4 P's are Product, Promotion, Price and Placement (distribution). I have read a lot lately on here about the A's approach to marketing. I like a lot of what I have read... suggestions about moving Stomper's Fun Zone, the Festival Area in the parking lot, etc. are all very cool ideas. I thought it would be fun to throw on the Marketing Scientist hat (er, lab coat?) and take a higher level, strategic view of how to improve the teams approach to marketing.

A good first step is to define each fo the P's as it relates directly to the A's.

Price is fairly straight forward. It's what we pay to watch the team. We could always also consider it all the coin we spend on jerseys, t shirts, hats, night lights and bucket liners (Bucket liners?) but I think that would make this pompous rambling way longer than it needs to be. So, ticket prices it is and nothing more will be written about it. Okay, one more thing... The A's have a below average price.

Placement has to do with distribution. That is boring. Especially in the context of ticket buying. Online, over the phone, box office or ... what else? Who cares,

So let's get on to the P's that are interesting.... Product and Promotion.

Product... what exactly is the product? Some folks will say that it is the team. I agree with those some folks. But there is a lot more to the team than how it performs on the field. The premise of this book that some dude wrote back in the day was that the only thing that draws fans is a winning team. Okay... the A's attendance has sucked and they aren't winning. Case closed?

Hell no! The team is more than what it does on the field. I was dancing like a little school girl the day the A's signed Jason Giambi! Because the team is not just the record, but the experience we all share along with that performance. Jason Giambi represented something nostalgic for me and I imagine many other fans as well. When I hear his name I think of a Mike Stanton curve ball flying into the right field "bleachers." I think of my brother sending me text messages like "Jason Giambi just said, 'Sterling Hitchcock this is the upper deck, upper deck this is Sterling Hitchcock.'" during the 2001 ALDS while I sat in night school.

That is not to say that the game is not important, that winning is not important. I am just saying that having a team of players we all care about that wins is better than having a team of dudes we could give half a moldy fig newton about that wins. Right?

In the end, the product is the game itself, being played by players we care about. Of course the product is more than that. It includes the environment in which we watch the game. Touchy subject. Some folks get all angry if I say that environment is a cool stadium in the Bay Area more than a cool stadium in Oakland. So I will just say that regardless of the city the stadium is in, the environment within the stadium is important. This is why I am perplexed when people rail against pee wee golf courses or Coke slides within stadiums. As a parent, I wish the Coliseum had something like this within plain sight of the game so I could pretend to watch my girls while they ran around like crazy banshees in a safe place while I actually followed the game.What 4 year old s going to follow a baseball game? None. They are going to whine the whole time and distract me from the game. Unless of course there is something for them to do while I watch it.

I feel better now. Back to Marketing.

If the product is the game itself, the 3 to 4 hours of action on the field and the players we care to watch, what is effective Promotion?

I'll tell you one thing it ain't... Jordin Sparks.

Now that I got that off my chest, what is it? So Manny Pacquiao bobblehead night was huge in San Francisco... but is that what we need? A one night boost of 11k fans? What sort of promotional approach should the A's take?

To me the answer is the one they are already taking. 860 KTRB and Comcast Sportsnet California are easily the two largest opportunities for the A's to promote the on the field product in a way that drives sustainable fan interest. I don't mean the game broadcasts, those are part of the product in my warped half educated world.

I know, I know... these are not channels to casual fans or corporate box holders. Those are what a new stadium is about... growing the hard core fan base is what the media is all about.

If I was running the A's marketing operation and I needed to get people in the seats now, I'd probably be focusing on getting the repeat customers to repeat buying tickets more often rather than trying to draw casual fans to the concrete donut (or toilet as some call it) we all love. Until there is a new stadium, where ever it may be, casual fans ain't coming out with any regularity. So enough with the Jordin Sparks and more of the Classic Games on CSN California (only play some true classics instead of games from 2007) to inspire folks like me to come out see the next Tim Hudson/Dave Stewart or Rickey Henderson/Miguel Tejada. On the radio side, get some nonsyndicated programming that focuses on the A's on KTRB like straight away. Mark Patrick, who used to host Baseball This Morning on XM, is looking for work and he is an A's fan. Sign him up!

Okay... my pompousness is getting old for even me... Seriously, what would you all like to see on CSNCA and KTRB to help promote our team? How wrong am I? How right am I? What gives? Can someone pour me another Newcastle?

Go A's!

4 recs | Comment 31 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

A's? Market their product?

HAHAHAHHHAHAHHA!

Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.

by Zonis on Jun 6, 2009 12:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Jordin Sparks is a good idea

Ok, maybe you don’t like her as a singer. That’s not the point. The point is concerts draw people. If you get a free concert with a ballgame, then the people who are going to see a concert with a free ballgame (notice the order) will attend the game. Perhaps they’ll enjoy the experience and come back again, perhaps they’ll buy food. At least they buy a ticket. I imagine some of the ticket goes to the artist of course.

The A’s are struggling for attendance. They need to link their product to other high-drawing events. Concerts are a start. Amusement parks are an idea equivalent to the Coke bottle/slide idea you presented. The Orioles have a museum next to Camden. And Camden is in just as nice an area as the Coliseum. The A’s have just as rich a history, maybe richer. What other high drawing (or medium drawing like a museum) things can the A’s link themselves to?

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by vignette17 on Jun 6, 2009 2:20 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Jordin Sparks

When linking your product to another product with the hope of drawing more paying customers, the target market of the team should be a consideration. I personally don’t know anyone who is a big fan of Jordin Sparks outside of my 9 year old daughter. Is that really the target market the A’s are going after? Will bringing prepubescent girls out to listen to Jordin Sparks after the game build a sustainable fan base? If not, will whatever appearance fee they paid her be made up for in increased ticket revenue and concessions/memorabilia sales at that particular game?

I doubt it, but I don’t really know.

Additionally, I don’t think the museum in Baltimore, or an amusement park, are anywhere near equivalent to having a one day concert after the game. Jordin Sparks is more equivalent to a very expensive Girl/Boy Scout Day or Elementary School Day. Both of those kind of days increase traffic at the Coliseum for a single day, The difference is that on those days, there is potentially a larger diversity in the demographic attracted to the game and more potential for repeat customers.

Like I said, my pomposity knows no bounds. I could be wrong and maybe Jordin Sparks will represent the beginning of a new wave of casual fans to the Coliseum and more than just one day of young girls showing up.

by jeffro on Jun 6, 2009 5:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven't studied it or anything, but

my gut reaction is that nine-year-old girls is a very good demographic for the team to be trying to draw. It sounds more beneficial to me than trying to pull in more adults and/or boys. Even if they don’t become regular attendees right away, just that experience of having been to a game will make a difference later when they’re teenagers and have the potential of becoming devoted fans.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jun 6, 2009 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't disagree entirely

But let’s compare attendance to tonight’s game versus the last Wednesday day game when they had Home Run Readers Day with discounted tickets.

by jeffro on Jun 6, 2009 6:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jordin Sparks v. Home Run Readers, etc.

Home Run Readers mid week day game- 30,012
Jordin Sparks Saturday night game- 20,267

There are a lot of other things to consider here… For one how much did it cost it to bring Sparks to the Coliseum/ How much did it cost for the the Home Run Readers tickets the team gave away to get the little ones in the building (did they give them away?)?

What about other Saturday night games?

Arizona played a Fireworks Night game on Saturday May 23rd- 21k

I think whatever the A’s paid for Sparks was more expensive then what it cost to do a fireworks night, I could be wrong. Either way, the fireworks night out drew her, which supports my original point that Jordin Sparks wouldn’t be an effective draw.

by jeffro on Jun 7, 2009 6:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the idea is this

Jordin Sparks fans are probably too young to come to the A’s game and the Jordin Sparks concert by themselves.

That means they’ll probably bring their parents with them.

So the A’s atrract a bunch of adults who might not otherwise come to an A’s game. The adults might start coming to games, or even doing it as a family outing if everyone has a good time.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Jun 7, 2009 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard this comment more than once last night:

“First baseball game!” Maybe it was related to the concert, maybe it wasn’t, but it was still interesting.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 7, 2009 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's nice that the A's finally played an entertaining game, and won, on a promotion night with a lot of 1st-time fans

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Jun 7, 2009 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed, Nick

And I think the fans responded in kind. It wasn’t exceptionally loud but the crowd had its moments.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 7, 2009 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The big problem for all of sports ownership, I think

is that they have very little control over the core of the customer’s experience. A movie producer and theater manager can control nearly everything that goes into giving the audience a good experience at the movies. But a baseball owner can only control what they can control — the ballpark, the food, the cleanliness of the restrooms, the parking situation, cool giveaways/promotions, etc. They can do every one of those things right, and if the team goes out, walks 7 batters, commits 4 errors, and loses 14-1, the fans are going to go home pissed.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Jun 7, 2009 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess...

Jordin Sparks has become the focal point of my little post when I was just trying to make a half sarcastic comment, sweet. Ha!

The only thing I would add is that, while yes it is good to get young folks and families out, the ultimate success of any promotion can be answered by asking the following question: “How much will I spend to get how many more people in the gate?” If you spend $2.4k to get 1,000 more people and those 1,000 more pay $24 bucks a seat you haven’t achieved anything short term. Long term, maybe you have created some number of fans that will come back 10 times a year for the next 15 years but it is hard to know.

In this case specific cas, it was a Saturday night game and it drew less than the fireworks night a few weeks ago. I imagine the fireworks night was cheaper to put on than the Jordin Sparks night and it draws the same sort of “family customers” to the park. Which one created more life long, 10 times a year fans… who knows?

That is all speculation on my part because we don’t know how many of the paid attendance on either night was discounted tickets/comped tickets, etc. We can’t know how many life long fans were created. And, I think that KTRB and CSNCA are actually part of hooking those people into staying and are more effective means over the long term as compared to any one night.

by jeffro on Jun 7, 2009 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

2 things:

more kid-friendly sections,

and more kid-free sections.

I’ll be sitting in the kid-free section, tyvm

"Ascending the pop charts in Belgium, everyone loves Quality Jones. He's got a falsetto voice, and pants full of dirty socks"- The Reverend Billy Lard, from '(Get To Know) Quality Jones'

by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 6, 2009 2:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

How bout turning the right field pavillion into the Family section?

Sell the seats around the foul pole (which are always empty) to families as the no beer, no cussing section. Move Stompers Fun Zone to the pavilion on the right field side of Mt. Davis and sisk boom bah!

I am not sure it woul increase attendance much, and it would probably lower average ticket prices… meaning it would never happen, but I’d sit in that section every time I went with my kids.

by jeffro on Jun 7, 2009 6:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

More than a family area

there needs to be activities, like the stupid coke bottle, the whiffle ball field, or trolly. I know one two and a half year old that agitates to go to a baseball game everyday, but will be disapointed with his next trip to OACC.

by Future Ed on Jun 7, 2009 8:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

seems like they are aggressively going after young kids

now school’s out so they have this concert tonight. When I went last homestand they had thousands of kids there, some sort of reading thing where all these elementary and junior high kids took some sort of test and if they got over a certain score they got to go to the game. Place was swamped, just mobbed…. they even had the second level concessions open, and the lady I bought a pretzel from told me that was because they didn’t want the usual long lines downstairs but full of rambunctious young ‘uns going crazy waiting for a hot dog. Unfortunately, the younger they are the less interested they seem in the actual game, which is sort of a bummer but at least there’s bodies in the seats… beats looking at row after row of empty ones anyway.

My issues with the promotion are many and obvious and can be read elsewhere on AN, no need to belabor the dumbness of the in-venue signage depicting personnel that will likely never play again, the various ad campaigns that serve to highlight both the inability of the team to keep players healthy and the tension with the impending/prospective move out of Oakland when these are negative circumstances your ads shouldn’t be reminding your fan base about, the utter travesty (still essentially unresolved, although improved) regarding the radio station, I could go on but that’s a glass of whine and it’s only 4 pm.

Watching the MLB Channel today, which featured the unexpurgated Game 2 of the 1989 ALCS, it really struck me how much better and friendlier the facility must have been when it was just baseball there… it really drove home how much the current woes truly are about the Coliseum and so forth, and how we are really stuck with a tough situation as long as we play there and Al Davis insists that he wants to also. Just the views of the hills alone made me nostalgic, and I’ve only ever been to one pre-Mt. Davis game, in 1993… the whole telecast today made me really aware of how much better fan experience the place and the team were able to offer with the Coli all to themselves.

OK, back to the marketing (great diary by the way): specifically the Jordin Sparks thing tonight. Obviously I am no American Idol viewer so the music, such as it is, is of no interest to me as an individual, although I could see why they would put her on if they were going after this youth trend like it seems they are, trying assiduously to bring in the 10-15s or whatever. Again, it’s kind of a cognitive dissonance (the A’s, being in a situation where they play in a facility and really a city that the current ownership — for reasons legitimate and illegitimate — outright despise makes for a lot of dissonance) in that the people they seem to be going after are not really baseball fans, it’s more of an entertainment dollar as a whole that they are going after, so you’re getting people to the games but they have little-to-no investment in what’s actually taking place on the field. So yeah, they are there and they cheer more or less when something good happens, but beyond that are you really building a fan base or are you setting up reasons to turn the Coliseum into the Number One School Field Trip Destination in the world?

I suppose some of these kids will engage with baseball on a more permanent basis due to their exposure to the A’s in this context, but I don’t know that the promotions people are really doing the hard work, going after the adult entertainment dollar but finding ways really to tie the promotions in better with the baseball product & not give up so easily on the 21-35s, for instance, who are maybe old enough with the attention spans to be turned into more serious baseball fans once you get ‘em out to the venue. Which is not to say that I’m asking for teen night or a Maroon 5 concert either.

Anyway I will shut up, but thanks again for the awesome & relevant diary.

Hey, I just bought the team from Lew Wolff... who wants to play third?

by emperor nobody on Jun 6, 2009 5:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

"going after the adult entertainment dollar"

Hmmm, now that sounds like a very interesting promotion….

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jun 6, 2009 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I felt the same thing watching the telecast

I noted in the other diary about that game that m 9 year old didn’t even realize it was the same place. It was pretty eye opening for me.

I miss the old Coliseum like a retired clown misses the laughter of a crowd.

by jeffro on Jun 6, 2009 7:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As a graduating MBA with an emphasis in marketing, from a reputable Nor Cal university

I’ll take a loose swing at this ,,

Well, according to the A’s promotions site, there are these special events ..

6/07 Boy Scout Day
6/27 BeerFest
6/28 Little League Day #2
7/17 Dog Day
7/18 Kiwanis Night
8/02 Canadian Heritage Day
8/06 Day Camp Day
8/06 MUG Root Beer Float Day
8/14 Fremont Day
8/15 Rotary Day
8/16 Stitch-N-Pitch
8/21 Italian Heritage Day
8/22 Give Kids a Smile Day
8/23 Law Enforcement Day
9/04 Milpitas Day
9/05 Breast Cancer Awareness Night
9/06 Japanese Heritage Day
9/19 Church Community Day
9/19 Hispanic Heritage Day
9/20 Youth Soccer Day

The problem I see, is that it’s sorta generic. Contrast and compare with the Giants ..

6/12 Until There’s a Cure Night
6/15 Autism Awareness Night
6/16 Irish Heritage Night I
6/19 Singles Night II
6/19 Senior Health Day
7/07 Habitat for Humanity Night
7/07 Law and Disorder Night
7/08 Senior Citizen II
7/09 Crazy Crab Night
7/27 Stitch-n-Pitch
7/28 LDS Family Night
7/30 Law Enforcement Night
8/26 Italian Heritage Night
8/27 Jewish Heritage Night
8/28 Irish Heritage Night II
8/29 African American Heritage Night
9/08 Firefighter Night
9/09 Senior Citizen Day III
9/14 Union Night II
9/16 Filipino Heritage Night II
9/26 Single Night III
9/29 College Night II
9/30 Oktoberfest

Anything jump out at you? Yes, the Giants have at least 3 Singles events, and 2 College nights, as well as 3 Sr Citizens Days. Yeah, imagine promoting to specific age demographics. It’s always killed me that the A’s don’t try to capitalize on the 18-35 demographic more heavily. As a single guy, I’d love to go to a singles themed event at a a baseball game, but if my option is at Pac Bell in a game not vs. the A’s, no thanks. (Yeah, I’m being elitist, but I don’t like to randomly go a Giants game as a diehard A’s fan).

They could have fun educational games for those less versed on baseball, so that anyone who’s not baseball-savvy won’t feel too excluded. Alcohol / a pre-game mixer in the West-Side club would help.

I think they’re missing out on a ripe opportunity, especially with their proximity to Cal. Something they should be keeping in mind is that Cal Football will be temporarily playing in the Coliseum in 2011 (or 2010) while Memorial gets upgraded. It would behoove the Marketing peeps to start trying to attract and acclimate Cal fans to the Coliseum commute with Thursday/Friday night specials/events in September.

The Giants even have more ethnic events. Heck, the Irish and the Filipinos have TWO nights. Looking down the A’s list, they are painfully missing one group – African Americans (unless it’s happened already). Stereotypes aside regarding potential fans there, there’s a missing opportunity to maintain fandom in Oakland itself. The A’s have a rich history of black players and it would do well for their image to pay tribute to that. I’m not too sure about the logistics since security will be a concern (just being honest. The non-PC cynic in me says, what if there’s a guns-for-box seats promo?)

As for kids, they could also have fun and informative games for them. Maybe a small set of baseball cards with players and Stomper. “Grand Slam” (Collect 1B, 2B, 3B, C) get a stamp. “Starting Lineup” get a stamp. “Hit for the Cycle” get a stamp. “Rickey Run” (W, SB, any hit) get a stamp. Trade in stamps, get a coupon off ice cream or a souvenir, etc. They could expand the run-the-bases thing from Sundays to home getaway afternoon games (Thursdays?) They could have scavenger hunts (they’re running around anyways). They could have brief visit the dugout events (a la FanFest) for the kids on certain pregames.

They could even try geographical events, 80 corridor, 680, 24, 880, 580. Basically, if you live in a certain cluster of cities, you get ticket discounts on a certain night.

The options go on and on. There are plenty of ways to have a fun experience and build memories. And that’s essentially what it comes down to. If fans associate good feelings with being at an A’s game, they’re more liable to return. Good feelings are felt when you make new friends or have a good time with the ones you brought. That’s more likely if you have something in common to start with, whether it’s age group, geography, professions, ethnicity, etc. In the process, you hope they become more vested in the team itself.

by Rickeyfan on Jun 6, 2009 11:44 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs

some of the Giants' promotions are downright creepy

Made weirder because at first I read that one halfway down the list as “LSD Family Night”…. hey, only in San Francisco, right? I bet a lot of hitters FEEL like they are on acid facing Lincecum, but I digress.

I like how they have Law and Disorder Night and then later they have Law Enforcement Night… they A’s should do that idea but take it to the next level and have both on the same night.

Hey, I just bought the team from Lew Wolff... who wants to play third?

by emperor nobody on Jun 7, 2009 1:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LSD is just a compound. There's nothing wierd about that.

Of course there’s a few insensitive jokes that one could make about LDS night and ‘bringing the whole compound’.

by LowcountryJoe on Jun 7, 2009 5:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

how effective are those nights?

by jeffro on Jun 7, 2009 7:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would love for the A's to have themed nights

It really does work. I’ve been tempted to go to the Giants’ Irish heritage games, but I don’t want anything with that SF logo. Reading the event description sounds cool… For only $20 you get access to the pre-game party in Lot D, a seat in the Irish Heritage Night section and a souvenir scarf. They also give away bobbleheads (such as Lou Seal knitting for “Stitch-n-Pitch” night) that look like a cool deviation from the four player ones the A’s do now. It seems like a logical, fun way to get more people to the ballpark. I think the Jordin Sparks concert was a step in the right direction (granted I wasn’t there and I have no idea who she is) and I would love to see the A’s do more events and promotions like that.

The horse jumped over the f---ing fence.

by JLaff on Jun 7, 2009 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great observations, Rickeyfan.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jun 7, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Canadian Heritage Day?

FREE KRAUT
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jun 7, 2009 8:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously, eh.

by jeffro on Jun 7, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great comment and great topic--much needed discussion

I’m glad that there’s an opportunity to discuss this topic and I agree with a lot that Rickeyfan says in his post. This is such an important topic to look at, as the foundation of the team is really in its ability to draw fans.

One of the first things I look at in the box score is the attendance, and I’ve lamented for a long time the growing inability for the A’s to draw fans. It’s really embarrassing and when I look at the list of promtions I feel even more embarrased and convinced the A’s will go no where until they build a solid fan base.

If I’m Matt Holliday, I’m not going to consider staying in a city where the average attendance is 15,000, reflecting a lack of interest in the game. How do we ever draw and keep talent when we can’t draw fans?

I don’t live in Oakland but when I’ve visited I was struck at how little of the community feels to be any part of the A’s. I didn’t see guys wearing hats, or stores promoting the team. In fact, I wasn’t really sure the A’s actually played there, simply no energy.

My marketing ideas really reside in connecting with the community. When the A’s form strategic parnterships with businesses, and have the players connect more with the community who will suddenly adore them, people will begin to come to the games. I’d love to read about the players telling the fans to come out and support. Hell, we have a five game winning streak and I want to hear Jason say, " What is up? We’re a good team getting better and I’d love to see this place filled. We need the help of the fans. We’re going to be a good team and with the fans support we will be even better". Then I’d like to hear about the players doing volunteer work in schools, giving away tickets and encouraging the city to get behind the team.

The A’s feel so disconnected from the Bay Area, as if they don’t really belong there. They have to establish their history as important by reaching out and inviting the community more into their special business.

Haleakalu

by haleakalu on Jun 7, 2009 12:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Jeffro

Hope to comment more on this later, but excellent write-up.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 7, 2009 10:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The A's are always up against it

Due to the fact that the Bay Area has a bias for SF over Oakland. It’s hard getting people from the Peninsula and SF over to Oakland, but it’s easy to get people all over the Bay to come to SF. Even in playoff years I had trouble getting Peninsula people to come to A’s games. Also the A’s marketing the past couple years has not been as strong as it’s been in the past (no more fun-as-hell commercials) and there are few strong personalities on the team to build around—it’s great having Giambi back but he’d had to stay here for a few years to make a difference.

I like what haleakalu says above with regard to connecting to the community, and the A’s need to do more of that. And I have to say the A’s don’t help themselves by continually bringing in white bread players that don’t reflect the community they play in. And also, we keep few stars around in general, so fans don’t get a chance to bond with players over time.

I’d love to see more efforts to put the players in the community and a whole lot of giving away ticker vouchers/discounts to schools so that we fill empty seats while building the fanbase of the future. The A’s also need to work on showcasing the history of our past championship teams and stars—an A’s history program in schools would be great.

Lastly, frickin’ tear down Mt. Davis. It hurts both the A’s and the Raiders having it there and in these economic times refurbishing the Coliseum makes more sense than building a new stadium. With enough will a way can be found to get it done.

No matter what success the team has, the A’s won’t be a huge draw (neither will the Raiders) and it’s better to have a packed smaller stadium close to BART than try to create a new venue in the South Bay. But if you build a team the East Bay can relate to, make your young players work HARD in the community (make it easy for them to live near each other with some team condos; Wolff’s a real estate guy and he should know how to make that happen), and do lots of school programs including free and subsidized tickets, the A’s can build their attendance without a new stadium.

by worldblee on Jun 7, 2009 4:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I, for one

Disagree that a team should e built around demographics of the city in which they play. If the whole team was from Ecuador, and they won… I’d be cool with it.

Your other sentiments are not completely untrue but are unrealistic. For example, tearing down Mt. Davis will not happen without the Raiders leaving… and for the city of Oakland’s sake… I hope that doesn’t happen considering the amount of investment they have made into the stadium on that teams behalf.

More likely, the “baseball half” of the stadium is replaced with Mt. Davis West and the 49ers and Raiders share the place. This means the A’s play somewhere else… I am okay with it being in Oakland or San Jose.

by jeffro on Jun 7, 2009 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs