Celtics officials "feel pressed to try new marketing strategies" as the team currently is "unable to sell fans on marquee names and championship dreams," according to Callum Borchers of the BOSTON GLOBE. However, team officials also "feel the weight of a distinguished legacy." The Celtics this season have seen a "slight decline in attendance, a revolving-door roster, and a losing record for the second straight season." But Celtics President Rich Gotham said, "There's a kind of unwritten Celtics sensibility under this umbrella of what Celtic pride is all about, and part of it is not being schlocky or cheesy. We see things that other teams in our league do, and we're just like 'Couldn't do that.'" Borchers notes the Celtics are averaging 17,376 fans per game this year, 93% of capacity but down from 97% last year and 100% "the previous six seasons." The team several times this season has "offered discounted tickets through Groupon to help fill seats." The Celtics for a midweek game last month "bundled tickets with passes to a pregame party by Paint Nite," a startup business that runs "painting workshops with cocktails." The team knows "every move will be scrutinized and debated by a passionate fan base, which is why new branding proposals are thoroughly vetted" by several members of the front office. That "brain trust" includes Gotham, CMO Shawn Sullivan, VP/Strategic Marketing & Business Operations Matt Griffin and VP/Ticket Sales & Advertising Mackenzie Henderson (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/11).
