22nd December 2011
I guess you know you're making progress when the Head of Finance starts asking you what fans are saying, but with many of us short of this benchmark, it's worth considering something. Isn't the fact that there are so few measures of fan engagement indicative of a half hearted approach?
It's fair to say that most clubs would simply point to overall attendances. They tend to go up when you win, but you can't control that, so how do you know if your focus on fan engagement is working. Some would suggest that if the team performance is flat over subsequent seasons, then any rise or fall in attendance may be in part due to your extra efforts on fan engagement.
Let's look at two types of fans: the new famiy and the existing long term core fan. New families are entirely objective and, if they've had a great day out, are lkely to tell their friends about it. Therefore, a simple measure of advocacy would suffice (on a scale of 0-10 how likely are you to recommend us to your friends and family?').
For core fans, the relationship is much more generational in character, so the advocacy question just doesn't work - of course they'd recommend you! What's needed is a measure that's more appropriate to their relationship with you as a club. They invest a lot of their lives in you and are looking for that to be reciproacted in the way you, as stewards of their beloved club, respond to them, involve and engage them.
Therefore, why not take a leaf out of one Championship Club's book and ask them on a regular basis how valued they feel by the Club? One suspects that if this exercise is repeated over the years (and you're actually doing something to engage them) the indicator will rise and financial ones will too.
How do you know if it's working, if you don't measure it? That would be our big message for 2012.
Happy Christmas!
22nd December 2011
We're used to hearing the sports industry talk about the importance of attracting the next generation of supporters, but when you put many of the approaches under the microscope there's often the impression that not much thinking has gone into it. However, when the sports club involved has opened up a dialogue with kids (and their parents), prioritised kids' input and involved them in determining what could be done to make their match day even more special, some surprisingly effective solutions have emerged.
As a result of some 'wise beyond his years' comments at a family focus group, one Club now asks a 9 year old fan to 'road test' new kids' products for the Club, review them and write about them for other young fans.
Another club gets kids to write up 'my first match day' while another has a 'junior pundit' who writes honestly about the team, its performances and how they feel about their club.
Motst impressively, one club, who already had a magician doing tricks for their kids pre-match, asked the kids what they thought. Unanimously, the kids wanted to be taught the tricks so they could repeat them in front of their pals. The magician now does this (and sells the 'pocket money' priced items required to repeat the tricks) with the result that more and more kids want to be part of their match day.
Many Clubs are seeing the value of 'kid' consultation across all touch points, from the website to stadium vicinity and from the refreshments experience to what goes on at half time.
After all, kids don't just aspire to get an autograph. Their dream is to play with their heroes, so hat's off to Huddersfield Town, who did exactly that on May 2nd this year, when a team of former players played 200 kids on the pitch at the Galpharm. That's not lip service, that's pure growth.
21st December 2011
The best place for the club’s commitment to fans (and families) to appear is outside the stadium on a match day.
Why not set out what supporters can expect in terms of safety, service and entertainment by displaying, a poster / sign in a highly visible, high profile point on the customer journey.
It shouldn’t be just about the stadium ground rules or a spectators' code of conduct – you should make a positive pledge / commitment to them too.
Isn't it noticeable that the vast majority of signs encountered outside (and inside) stadia are negative in tone (don’t do this, this is forbidden, anyone doing this will be ejected and will have their season ticket confiscated, etc).
This does little to address the concerns that some parents, for example, have that live sport is simply a magnet for anti-social behaviour. Consider, therefore, introducing more positive signage outside the ground: welcome signs, posters describing the Club’s heritage, details of community partnerships, etc. This can also be used to reinforce the values of your Club and the commitment to not tolerate anti-social behaviour or language. So why not make 2012 the year you make your commitment to supporters visible?
21st December 2011
Regardless of the specific role (either assistant or steward) the ability to engage with people is absolutely vital in building affection for the club and a desire to return.
While we appreciate the difficulties in recruiting committed pro-active personable individuals, pre-match briefings should focus on customer service as a core activity, rather than added value.
On many of our visits, there is a lack of stewards around the stadium and those that were there often showed little warmth and engagement with fans or basic knowledge of stadium access points, facilities, places to go to collect tickets, areas appropriate for kids, etc
Make a special effort in 2012 to assess the customer interaction skills of your stewards and / or volunteers, placing the most friendly ones right next to the ticket office (where the greatest number of enquiries are likely to emerge). Recognise those who do the best job and even consider taking a leaf out of the O2 Arena book and emply volunteer 'stadium angels' to meet, greet and engage.
21st December 2011
One of the most enduring impressions we get as we travel around the UK to different matches is the assumption that we've been before. It's football, it's the local club, you must know how to get here, etc.
This default position often reveals itself when we call to book and we're asked 'where do you want to sit?'. Having never been there before, it's often hard to answer that question. And often the problems begin at the website, where once you make your way through the gambling and TV subscription, there's often very little for the first timer.
When we began our odyssey several years ago not one UK club had a new fans' page - something to answer the questions that really matter - such as 'how will I avoid being conspicuous?' 'how can I manage the kids' expectations on food?' 'what can I expect to find on a match day?' 'what's special?' 'what shouldn't we miss?' etc.
Now the game is changing and a number of Clubs (most impressively in the SPL) have now seen the opportunity represented by the first time fan page.
This is an opportunity relevant to clubs at every level of the game - from Premier League to Grass Roots.
Football's historic lack of engagement with supporters has generated complacency in some quarters (even arrogance in some) and creating something like a new fans' page is the perfect way to break the cycle and drive growth.
21st December 2011
Back in 2009 Middlesbrough had just dropped out of the Premier League, away fans were visiting in fewer numbers, the pall of relegation hung over the club and long term niggles such as the fact that many fans only turned up at the stadium five minutes before kick off conspired to occupy the Club's mind.
They did however begin the process of fan engagement that season, leading to an innovative consultation process that began with a detailed 'touch point by touch point' match day survey, the creation of a representative online panel of Boro supporters and a face to face improvement group.
What's good about this approach is the separation of the online panel and the face to face group. The purpose of the former is to highlight issues, identify gaps and provide real time feedback when the Club wishes to get feedback from supporters. The latter works on this feedback and uses the participants' experience to ensure resulting improvements improve the fan experience and help the club become more sustainable, while respecting the values and heritage of the Club.
Thanks to supporter input the above issue was addressed in a unique way. The empty half of the away end was converted into the 'Boro Red Lion' bar to be used on a match day for Boro fans to relax, meet up with friends, enjoy refreshments and a Pub-style Boro quiz too. There have been many enhancements along the way, but the fans appreciate and enjoy it, the space is full at every home game and, significantly, the spend per head is almost double what it is in other parts of the stadium.
So let your supporters take charge of the improvement process in 2012.
15th December 2011
There is a reluctance to engage from the majority of clubs (football, rugby and cricket). In football's case (for that is where we do most of our work right now) it's hard to fathom why. People rely on supermarkets, hotels, service providers, etc, and most are always asking you for feedback. However, the relationship with your club is much stronger than that, so you'd expect even more of a focus on feedback, rather than the icy silence most fans experience.
There are a host of cultural reasons for this, but that doesn't mena it needs to go on even one season longer. Following your 'wake up call' invite some fans in for a discussion, find out which 'touch points' they have the most feedback on and then design a survey around those touch points. Find out what matters most to different types of supporters and use the feedback to drive improvements that meet the following criteria:
1. They're easy (cost-free?) to do
2. They're highly visible to supporters
3. They match the supporters' view of what your Club is about
Next? Please see number 5 in our top ten of club growth fundamentals.
15th December 2011
For the larger sports clubs who sit at the heart of their community and have the resources to make a difference, let's take a different approach to 'service recovery' (complaint handling / problem solving) and deliver something that more honestly reflects what we mean to our supporters.
How many clubs read the local papers on a daily basis to see if there is a community group in need: a youth club that has been broken into, a community centre that has been dmaged in a fire, a centre that has lost funding and is struggling to move forward. Contact them, offer them support (perhaps from your network of business partners, perhaps free tickets for kids at the youth club). This altruism is what you position in the community implies, so never forget the power of this sort of intervention.
On a one-to-one level, rather than basing your service recovery strategy around a 'charter' (which is, after all, simply a basic list of rights) why not invite all complainants into the Club (other than say the most serious ones where police / legal involvement may occur), greet them at the stadium, walk them through the changing rooms on to the pitch and sit down in the dug out to discuss their issue. Regardless of what happens next, that complainant is likely to leave the venue feeling a lot warmer (if they've even remembered the complaint at all).
On a match day, keep a stash of tickets (at all levels - match / hospitality - and in all areas - home and visiting) and then look for opportunities to 'make someone's day', especially if the potential recipient has a problem of some type (brought an extra supporter but can't sit together, kids are looking a little worried, perhaps at their first game, etc). The reason is less relevant than the act. Not only does it reflect your truer role in the community but it builds advocacy for your Club too.
9th December 2011
2. You're a brand. And one with more right than many others to operate at a level of values.
Without going over the old 'brand' routine again, it's clear to me (at least) that while companies like Starbucks, Apple, Virgin Atlantic, etc, focus on experience over product, they have less right to operate at a level of core brand values than football / rugby / cricket clubs, whose 'customer' relationships are way more profound, lasting and meaningful - being generational in nature.
And yet, how many sports clubs optimise this by articulating what they mean to their fans, what this means as a brand and how it can come alive at key touch points for different fans. Brand, to my eyes, is usually only apparent at corporate partnership / hospitality level (if at all) at Clubs.
Cardiff City's 'I'll Be There' call to fans is based in the unremitting loyalty of starving striking miners to their cause during the General Strike in 1926. In the modern day context it resonates with fans who attend games come rain or shine, win or lose. It transcends team performance and acknowledges the deeper connection.
At the execution side of the brand spectrum Middlesbrough FC serve fans with 'parmos' on a match day. These are breaded flattened chicken breasts smothered in bechamel and covered in mozzarella, parmesan and pepper. No other town can point to such a unique local symbol. Boro increased 'per head' concourse spend the season it was introduced - following relegation from the Premier League!
How many 'brands' can cause a Dad and a teenage daughter to jump up and down and hug each other on a weekly basis (or less frequently if they're Sunderland fans like me)? It's all about your brand.
9th December 2011
1: Take the External Perspective
The Football League's achievement of attracting 2 million more family members to matches in the first 3 years of the Family Excellence Awards wouldn't have happened without the clubs being exposed to what it is really like to be a new family attending their first match at their stadia. This 'wake up call' - if targeted at the right people - is capable of getting people not only to see the 'quick wins' out there, but also to take it personally and start to think differently.
Many clubs base their growth on two spectacularly unpredictable unsustainable strategies: winning and discounting. Being exposed to the 'real fan experience' often reveals a hug gap between what the club means to supporters and what it is actually delivering. For example, why do so many season ticket holders feel disenchanted when discounted ticket offers to new fans mount up and all they receive is their annual renewal request? Why not put the power in the hands of the season ticket holders, give them the opportunity to invite a couple of friends for 50% off and watch levels of engagement AND attendances rise?
The wake up call can lead to a cultural revolution inside the club, for that is what is required if the opportunities are to be seriously addressed. Owners, chairman, CEOs, MDs, stadium managers, etc, attribute 'epiphanies' to actually spending time on a match day with fans, while others would only ever eat pies in the corporate area and never touch the ones the fans get at kiosks. Tell me how that attitude supports growth.
It could be argued that football, for example, hasn't shown much goodwill to supporters in 120 years, so trying the logical approach doesn't work. The leaders need to be galvanised. It's all about culture, so getting them to see what it's really like for fans will make a difference. Take the external view.
Previous: September 2011
This is the official website of The Fan Experience Company, a trading division of Mark Bradley Projects Ltd
Registered Offices: 14 Greenacre Avenue | Wyke | Bradford | BD12 9DE
Companies House Registration Number: 0548 7032. Registered in England
