In Mar 2005, blog sites were a relatively new thing, and Team Marketing Report staff wanted to give one a shot. Over the next several months, TMR’s staff posted numerous stories and other sports business thoughts as the “Team Marketing Blog.” We have saved all of them and re-posting each of those individually for your reading enjoyment. Please note that links are from the original 2005 posts and many may no longer work.
Below is the entry from Apr 12, 2005, from Executive Editor Becky Wallace…
Park It!
When the Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons moved into Lackawanna County Stadium in 1986, traffic wasn’t a problem.
In the nearly two decades since, a movie theater, a handful of businesses and a bevy of restaurants have been constructed and made getting to the stadium difficult.
“Montage Mountain Road was not built for high traffic. It’s only three lanes,” said Mike Cummings, Director of Media Relations for the Red Barons. “It was getting quite congested around game time.”
To help reduce the amount of time it took patrons to get into the stadium, the team waived the parking fee and increased ticket prices by $1 to help buffer the lost revenue.
When I spoke with the team yesterday, I also suggested they might want to follow the example of the Atlanta Braves. Last season, the Braves sold a sponsorship to Lexus for an all-Lexus lot. Fans who drive the specific brand can park for free in the designated lot.
It’s possible the Red Barons can use the same concept and reward drivers of a specific make of vehicle with a coupon for a free drink, discounted ticket or whatever the sponsor deems reasonable. I’m sure a dealership would jump at the chance to thank its customers for loyalty to the brand.
If you are facing any specific issues with sponsorship, marketing or any aspect of your business, post your questions here. One of TMR’s editors, or one of your peers, may have a solution you can use.
— Becky Wallace
Links:
http://www.redbarons.com/redbarons/showsection.asp
http://braves.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/atl/ballpark/directions.jsp
And for those notoriously bad drivers that jam up the works on game days…
http://pbskids.org/rogers/R_house/trafficautomatic.htm