The challenge of working in the sports industry is remembering what it is like to be a sports fan. Sixty-hour workweeks immersed in the business tend to make it a little harder to sit in front of the TV or at a venue and just enjoy the games for what they are … games.
After nearly 20 years in media, marketing and education roles related to sport, I’ve maintained one fanatical vice: hockey. Raised a hybrid Canadian-American, I lucked into the fact that I never covered, worked in or immersed myself in the business of hockey. I can still don a Canucks sweater and watch a “Hockey Night in Canada” doubleheader on Center Ice with little vested interest off the ice. Memories of trips to Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver with my grandfather are the juice that feeds my passion for sport and my appreciation for being paid to follow it.
As you might expect, the last year has been rough. I’ve rewatched every TiVo’d Canucks playoff game. As The Denver Post did, I had my Xbox simulate the entire season (Red Wings over Devils in six). I even extended a European business trip to allow for a visit to Sweden to watch a few NHL nomads in an Elite League game. And despite the deep battles with withdrawal, I vocally supported the restructuring of the league’s economics knowing a forged partnership with players and owners linked to current revenue and revenue growth would be good for both the sustainable health of the sport and its fan base. I was an educated fan who knew the short-term pain was a good long-term strategy.
I also know this lockout wasn’t about a fan like me. Bill Veeck didn’t make his numbers on sport fanatics alone, nor will Mario Lemieux. With a broad North American footprint of franchises, media distribution and promotion, the league will spend more time near term wooing rather than winning casual fans. Our own research at the Warsaw Center suggests the recovery strategies will be similar to what the NBA did post-lockout 1998 and what others have done facing similar “service breakdowns” in sport. The good news is that often well-executed recoveries can result in higher levels of customer satisfaction.
The action plan consists of:
1. Apologizing to the consumers experiencing the service failure.
2. Making it personal.
3. Offering a value-added solution to the problem.
4. Atoning for the inconvenience by offering risk-reducing incentives and/or rewards for repurchase.
5. Following up.
All signs point to the NHL embracing a version of this plan. Players, owners and league executives have all taken a conciliatory tone to fans in the wake of the new CBA. The recently launched marketing campaign “My NHL” centers the brand on the fan in a very compelling way. Locally relevant incentive and price promotions are paying dividends with ticket renewal rates now reportedly ahead of pre-lockout levels. All these efforts combined provide the league a stronger communication channel with its customer base that other properties still struggle to build.
Combined with rule changes, competitive balance, trend-setting creative and more innovative broadcast coverage, the future looks bright for a sport that can, at its best, be the best venue experience in the marketplace. I challenge all of you who are looking for that outlet to be a fan again to join me at the rink for “My NHL.” Game on!
Paul Swangard, an admitted hockey fan, is managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.
