The Indians' front office is "trying diligently to find
ways to improve fans' 'baseball experience,'" according to
David Adams of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, who writes the team
is conducting research with CA-based research firm J.D.
Power & Associates. The team, which has been conducting
market research since '90, is using its latest endeavor in
an "unprecedented" way. Fans are being asked to fill out an
"extensive" five-page questionnaire, consisting of 100
questions ranging from food quality to parking availability.
The Indians handed out "about" 30,000 similar questionnaires
last year and 9,000 were returned. New this year are
questions on fans' "perceptions of the team's on-the-field
prospects" and the "quality of Indians team management and
commitment to winning." Other questions cover the price of
tickets, food and merchandise. Indians Dir of Advertising
Valerie Arcuri: "We felt like now was the time to start
planning for the future. We can't expect the good times
we're having now to last forever" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL,
4/16). The Indians will air a new ad campaign throughout
Northeast Ohio that is "playful, goofy and uniquely
Cleveland." The 15- and 30-second spots "will run only in
the Cleveland-Akron-Canton viewing area for about seven
weeks starting the last week of May." The spots, written by
Marcus Ads and produced by Cornerstone Pictures, feature 2B
Robbie Alomar ironing his brother Sandy's jersey and SS Omar
Vizquel doing ballet (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 4/16).
