The sweat literally drops off your earlobe and hits the ground. The back of your shorts begin to get sticky by the second inning and the thought of extra innings starts to make you grumpier than Kobe Bryant when he doesn’t win an NBA title.
That description can only mean one thing!
The dog days of summer in the Major League Baseball world have arrived! Every June through the end of the summer the nights get hotter, the games seem to get longer, and a certain number of baseball teams fall out of contention in the major league baseball landscape.
There are 162 games in baseball. There are teams that with over 100 games left in the season still have plenty to play for, but their season is not going anywhere and the fans become bored.
More importantly the fans start to show up only half the time, or in the Miami Marlins case hardly ever! (No joke that’s a picture from the Miami home opener.)
Where do teams go to attract some fans?
I suggest taking the Triple A Baseball route and focus on FUN!
Triple A baseball games are still very high level skilled players competing, but the games have a certain laid back and fun atmosphere to them from a fans perspective. The players and coaches are still going at it but the teams do an incredible job in the marketing of their teams and games to make them just as much about the atmosphere as the games!
Don’t take yourself too seriously Major League Baseball
Sometimes the MLB likes to take themselves a tad too seriously. But if some of the teams that will be looking to fill empty seats for the dog days of summer to finish out the last few months of the season loosening up and taking a queue from their AAA affiliates might not be such a bad idea.
Here are my Thoughts:
- Draw one fan to throw out the first pitch once a week all summer long. Fun, easy, and an idea that might get people pumped to show up. Every time you buy a ticket you get registered and if you win you get great seats for 4 of you to come and watch your big moment of glory!
- GO NUTS NIGHT! Every fan gets unlimited peanuts with their ticket. One fan on every inning break gets drawn for an autographed baseball.
- 7th Inning Stretch Celebrities. Why every place doesn’t take a note from Harry Caray and get celebrities in their to sing the 7th inning stretch is beyond me. But here’s my take…one fan gets to do it with them and they do it from home plate instead of up in the box.
- Reward your most loyal fans for a wretched season. If you really are having a terrible season you aren’t supposed to take advantage of your season ticket holders…instead you need to apologize to them, be remarkable to them, and do everything you can to make it known how much care about their business. There are a multitude of ways to do that but don’t just cross your fingers that they will be renewing at the end of the year.
- Go for excitement. Have concerts after the game, do free taxi cabs on two dollar beer nights, and bring back legends from the years that you were good.
Bottom Line: Nothing is going to replace a winner and that’s what you really need on a consistent basis.
But if this season is into the Dog Days of Summer and you have a lost season on the horizon it might be best from a sports marketing and business perspective to learn from your triple A friends and make the rest of the season as much fun and entertaining as possible!
Thanks for reading everyone! Any other thoughts or ideas?? Leave your comments below, email me at mike@marketingfunwithmike.com or tweet us at SportsNetworker.
And if you want to learn 10 ways to get better at sales today, then snag a copy of the tastiest sales and marketing book out there today! Hot Dogs, A Little Marketing, and A Lot of Fun by yours truly Mike Rudd!
Thanks for the article Mike. I agree with you full hardheartedly that the MLB needs to stop taking themselves so seriously and learn from their Triple A counterparts. They could also take some lessons from Single A and Double A teams as well.
The thing that always impressed me with Minor League Baseball is that they seem to provide the full entertainment package for an inexpensive price. Sure having a winning team is the best way to bring and keep the fans but providing good food and good drink along with family fun entertainment throughout the entire game is just as important. To me it seems that many MLB teams are lacking in providing the full package for their fans and the MLB’s dwindling numbers are proof.
I couldn’t agree more! Thanks for the thoughts and for sharing…
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Thanks for the support! Not sure I understand your questions but feel free to email me and we can chat at mike@marketingfunwithmike.com
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A must read article!
No problem glad you enjoyed! Keep in touch on here!