The Jaguars have "worked hard to cultivate a younger audience," and as they enter their 21st season this fall, they will "finally have a fan base that has truly grown up with the team," according to Hays Carlyon of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Carlyon: "Generation Jaguar has arrived." Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell said that the lack of a youthful base "was noticeable after he attended several fan events in the few months after being hired on Jan. 8, 2013." Caldwell: "We felt like we needed to engage a younger community here in Jacksonville. The last two years, we really feel like it’s come into its own. We have a good young fan base. That will drive this organization for years. Their kids will grow up Jaguars fans. Hopefully, we start to get some success and it becomes a generational thing." Carlyon noted the team "aggressively targeted a younger audience in several ways," the most noticeable being the $63M in upgrades at EverBank Field last year that included "two gigantic video boards, two pools and 16 cabanas." The Jaguars also "added stadium-wide WiFi and a Fan Cave designed with fantasy football players in mind." Jaguars Senior VP/Fan Engagement Hussain Naqi said that all those elements "were designed to speak to millennials." The Jaguars have "adjusted how they try to reach millennials, raising their investment in digital media" by 34% over the last two years. Naqi said that the team’s strategy "is working, as Pandora was their most effective medium in retail traffic last year." He added that a "big point of emphasis has been data collection." The Jaguars "require registration for all their free events such as open practices, movie night at EverBank Field and the draft party." Naqi: "That information allows us to learn more about who is coming and who is speaking to us" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 7/12).
