49ers Near Sellout Of Best Tix In Santa Clara Stadium Despite $80,000 Seat License Fee

The 49ers yesterday said that in their new Santa Clara stadium they have “sold 95 percent of the 900 primo club seats that are the second most expensive in all of U.S. sports, behind only the $150,000 seats" at Cowboys Stadium, according to Mike Rosenberg of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The 49ers' “final few dozen $80,000 seats are expected to sell out within weeks.” The team has sold $68M “in seat licenses for its priciest section at the 50-yard line, which equals about half the 49ers' current player payroll.” Other NFL stadiums have “opened without selling all of their priciest seats,” most recently MetLife Stadium in ’09, yet the new Santa Clara stadium is “still a year and a half away from opening.” Legends VP/Sales & Marketing Al Guido said, "Once the Niners went on the run, we certainly saw a spike in sales.” Guido added, "The 49ers have an extremely passionate fan base, and that dates back prior to this run." Rosenberg notes there are two “special sections, on opposite sides of the 50-yard line, where seat licenses cost $80,000 apiece, plus $3,750 a year.” Those seats come with “free food, drinks and parking; access to exclusive club areas, and even passes that allow fans to roam the sidelines behind players during games” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/31).

QUEST VISION: ESPNW’s Kate Fagan reported members of the 49ers’ marketing department midway through the season were “hoping to create a campaign that would capture the imagination of the team’s fans.” The result after “a lot of brainstorming” was a slogan, "Quest for Six," that has “gone viral on Twitter (#QuestforSix) and on Facebook, as droves of 49ers fans have replaced their avatars with the badge.” Graphic designer Ben Mayberry said, "I think why it works so well with people is because it perfectly mirrors our team right now. We are trying to differentiate from the past. This team is trying to create its own story, its own history, while also paying homage to the past." The campaign “might seem like a no-brainer now, but that was hardly the case a few months ago.” The marketing team in recent weeks has been “able to capitalize on ideas and trends that have started organically, whether at the grassroots level among fans, which is where Mayberry first saw the phrase ‘Quest for Six’ being used sporadically” (ESPNW.com, 1/30).