The Bills have "shifted" their off-the-field focus this
year "to strengthening their fan base," according to Mark
Gaughan of the BUFFALO NEWS, who wrote that the Bills "are
working to increase their profile, keep their customers
happy and ultimately increase their season-ticket base."
The team's season-ticket base "dropped" to 31,000 last year,
the "lowest total since" '86. Bills Dir of Ticket Sales
Jerry Foran: "I don't know if we'll ever get back to the
57,000 mark we had during the Super Bowl run. But we're
concentrating on getting the season-ticket base back up
somewhere in the 40s. ... My goal is 35,000 this year." The
Bills signed two major off-season sponsorship deals, one
with the Wegman's supermarket chain that allows the team to
sell tickets at 58 store locations, and a four-year deal
with Pepsi which allows for "statewide marketing of the
team." NFL Dir of Club Marketing Cedric Jones: "The Bills
were in the lower tier in terms of marketing. In the last
couple years ... the Bills are in the top tier, the top
third now, in terms of dollars and activation of
sponsorships." Jones, on the team's Pepsi deal: "It allows
the Bills to market to the entire state -- everything from
putting the Bills' schedule on Pepsi cans to magnets to book
covers for schools." The Bills "also are making more of an
effort to have a presence in the community, something that
traditionally has been lacking." Brandon: "Our attitude is
let's be proactive" (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/27).
