October 2013 – Devan's Blog

The One and Only, National Football League

Ever since I can remember I have watched hockey. The Vancouver Canucks are my team, and I hate to miss a game. However, during the most recent lock out of the NHL, I allocated my free time to watching the NFL. Now I hate to miss any NFL game, including my Seattle Seahawks.

The NFL has been able to create an entire experience for fans both watching games at the stadiums or on the TV. The entertainment value of these games is not even close to that of the NHL, MLB, or any other major league sport in North America. I would never have thought that I would rather sit down with some friends to watch a football game instead of watching my beloved Canucks.

The NFL and its corporate partners have been able to develop this experience to the extent that fans are engaged both before, during, after the games have been played. Through fan promotions, and fantasy football, fans are literally addicted to the game. I can honestly say, that I have been converted. Not to say that I don’t enjoy my Canucks, but I value an NFL game more than an NHL game.

In terms of fan statistics, 60.2% of NFL fans are male, but NFL marketers have strove to increase female viewership. The NFL has targeted women through adding pink colours to their product lines, and partnering with Nike and Victoria Secret. Marketers from other leagues can learn a lot from the development of the NFL. They have stolen me as a fan, and I can just imagine how many other fans they have converted.

RE: Marketing Albums in the Digital Age

The marketing blog of Kelsey Ingham has perfectly highlighted the struggles musical artists today are having with regards to engaging fans. No longer can artists, and their promoters build up promotions through print media, and network ads. The advancement of the internet, and the ability to share audio and video across multiple platforms has created a black market for the entertainment industry.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media websites are used to create a vibe prior to the release of media, or productions. Reaching thousands or even millions or people, information can be sent instantly, and promotions can be launched across the world while reducing marketing costs.

As Kelsey notes, there have been many promotions that have failed to engage fans, and end up having virtually no effect. Promotions either are too time consuming, or ineffective in terms of creating a loyal following. Fans nowadays wait online for the release of an album instead of waiting outside their local CD store. Artists release single tracks, or previews albums, but the most popular submissions are cover photos of the albums.

The music industry may now be the most competitive for marketers. Fans and consumers must be enticed to purchase the album through Itunes or other platforms. Costing more than $1 per song, technologically savvy consumers would much rather illegally download their media, and this is the fight that the media industry has undertaken.