The New York Knicks are doubling their marketing budget to $2 million this season to drive business in what has become a more competitive market for the franchise.
“We have challenges,” said Anucha Sanders, senior vice president of marketing for the Knicks. “We have a lot of new players and a new coach, and we need to get out there and market aggressively. We are spending considerably more than in the past, and it’s imperative [to] break through the clutter.”
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| Spike Lee and a less-than-live version of new Knicks coach Larry Brown shoot an ad. |
At the heart of the team’s marketing plan is a campaign being rolled out this week tagged “Knicks Fans Know,” anchored by six TV commercials directed by Spike Lee, who is one of several celebrities featured in the spots.
New York agency SS+K helped create the campaign. Other celebrities in the effort are John McEnroe and actor Jerry Ferrara from HBO’s “Entourage.”
Sanders would not say how many season tickets the team has sold, but she did say the team has seen its renewal rate fall to 85 percent this year compared with 90 percent last year, even though season-ticket prices were kept even with last year’s prices.
Despite a league-leading $104 million payroll, the 2004-05 Knicks again failed to make the playoffs, marking the third time in the last four seasons for the franchise.
The Knicks overall averaged 19,516 fans per game last season, up 1.8 percent from 2003-04.
The return of the NHL puts two teams, the New York Rangers and Islanders, back in play during the Knicks’ season. The Knicks also find themselves competing more heavily in the New York City market with the New Jersey Nets, a team that under owner Bruce Ratner has beefed up its marketing efforts.
The Nets, who plan to move to Brooklyn in 2008, are working to draw business to the Meadowlands from Manhattan. Efforts include a billboard ad campaign in Manhattan and opening a Nets ticket office in Times Square.
The Knicks have noticed. Part of their increased marketing targets fans who might be feeling left behind by the Nets.
“We can do a better job marketing in the boroughs and in New Jersey,” Sanders said. “We are cognizant of what the Nets are doing, and we will capitalize on fans in New Jersey.”
Sanders would not disclose the team’s sponsorship renewal rate.
