Sports Marketing:Columbus Destroyers

Kurt BakerMatt CollinsJoe DiPietro

Phil HeinPatrick Kalgreen

Jon MarkerJason Seaman

AFL Timeline• February 11, 1981

– James Foster thinks of the concept of an indoor football game while attending an indoor soccer game at Madison Square Garden.

• April 26, 1986– AFL test game held in Rockford, IL.

• June 19, 1987– The AFL debuts with 6-game season and league starts with four teams:

Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite (winner of first “ArenaBowl”), Pittsburgh Gladiators, and Washington Commandos.

• March 27, 1990– AFL receives patent and becomes only sports league to play a rivalry-

free game.

• August 23, 1998– AFL makes network-TV debut on ABC and ArenaBowl viewed by over 2

million fans

AFL Timeline• April, 1999

– The AFL unveils its Mission Statement and a Fan’s Bill of Rights, the first among professional sports.

– The Buffalo Destroyers debut, going on to a 1-13 record in their first season.

• August 24, 1999– The AFL approved “af2”, the AFL developmental league, for play in April, 2000.

• March 5, 2002– NBC and the AFL announce broadcast partnership, moving the start of the season to

February rather than April.

• May 20, 2003– The final regular-season average attendance (11,397) up 15% from 2002 figures.

• September 25, 2003– Buffalo announce its re-location to Columbus.

Destroyers Timeline • September 25, 2003

– Buffalo announces its re-location to Columbus.– Legendary Buckeye coach Earle Bruce announced as first head coach

and general manager.• October 3, 2003

– Former OSU All-American Chris Spielman joins organization as team’s director of football operations.

• October 28, 2003– Team announces inaugural season schedule, including 8 home games

played at Nationwide Arena.• December 8, 2003

– Former Buckeye WR Joey Galloway joins ownership group.• Friday, February 13, 2004

– Destroyers debut in front of sell-out crowd of 17,171 and lose to Carolina, 54-53, in a last-second touchdown.

Objectives of Research• Increase general awareness and interest of the

Destroyers and the AFL among college students in central Ohio.

• Work closely with Ohio State and other central Ohio schools to establish a permanent relationship and presence on campus.

• Create special events and activities for college students to strengthen their knowledge of the Destroyers.

Destroyers’ SWOT analysis

• Strengths– Central Ohio is an

established football market– National team and league

exposure on NBC– Strong OSU affiliations – Play in first-class venue in

central location– Low ticket prices

• Weaknesses– Travel for college students– Low entertainment budget

of college-aged people– Reputation of Columbus as

a city of failed pro sports teams

• Columbus Landsharks• Ohio Glory• Columbus Quest• Columbus Stars• Columbus Thunderbolts

– AFL in 1991

Destroyers’ SWOT analysis

Destroyers’ SWOT analysis• Opportunities

– Cross-promotional opportunities with OSU

– Potentially large fan base– Have opportunity to use

team personnel with OSU affiliations to build awareness for the Destroyers

– Make an OSU connection by using former Buckeye players

• Threats– Limited income for students– Competition from:

• Other Columbus sports• Other entertainment

activities

AMERICA’S APPETITE FOR FOOTBALL

• Football is America’s favorite spectator sport (ESPN Sports Poll)

• More people watch football on television than any other sport (ESPN Sports Poll)

• 15 million people play fantasy football on line (FantastFootballExperts.com)

• There are 617 NCAA teams; 58,000 players; 28% of all male athletes (NCAA)

• There are over 14,000 High School teams (NFSHS)• There are over 240,000 players enrolled in Pop Warner

football (Pop Warner)

AFL’s Target Market

• A projected 85,000 fan base.• Their primary age group 40-49

– 70% being male• 38% of these fans possess one to three years of college

experience.• Destroyers’ favorite radio stations to advertise on are WBZX (99.7),

WTVN (610 am), and WLVQ (96.3).• Much of the fan base attends rock concerts, bars, and other sporting

events.– 22% of Blue Jackets game attendees are AFL fans.– 14.9% of OSU football game attendees are AFL fans.

Survey Results• Most Listened To Radio Stations

– 99.7 19.44%– 97.9 12.04%

• Most frequently listened time is evening (42.59%), followed by afternoon (25.93%).

• TV time most popular was the evening (65.74%), second was late night (20.37%).

• 37.96% of the 108 surveyed that they were “neutral” to being familiar to the AFL.– Only 4.63% considered themselves “very familiar” to the AFL.

• How have you heard about the Columbus Destroyers? (Top 3)– Word-of-mouth 65.74%– TV 55.56%– Radio 50.93%– 91.67% of surveyed had heard of the Columbus Destroyers.

Survey Results• When asked the likelihood of attending a game, 30.56% said

“maybe” and 35.18% were in favor of attending a game.• The most common “maximum ticket price” range was $6-$20

(71.3%).– Only 8.34% willing to spend more.

• The majority of the surveyed (42.59%) allocate $50-$100 a month for entertainment purposes (concerts, sporting events, movie, etc.).

• 89.81% interested in a special “College Night” promotion.• In order of interest, discounted ticket price was the clear leader,

followed by a concert combo, door prize offering, large prize raffle, and movie combo.

• 75% of people surveyed was men.

Implementation Strategy1. Create special opportunities and incentives for college

students.2. Create special events held on college campuses.3. Work with local bars/pubs to create special events at

these locations for college students to build interest in the Destroyers and AFL football.

4. Establish a relationship with the various colleges and universities and their students by building partnerships with school officials.

Tactics for Strategy #1

• Develop a promotional night focused on college students that would include a discounted ticket

• Seek new ticket combinations with Nationwide, Promo West, Arena Grand Theater and Germain Amphitheatre

• Provide bus or shuttle service to game for OSU students

Tactics for Strategy #2• Work with campus activity or Greek coordinators to

create a large campus event such as a flag football tournament, with the winners receiving a lucrative prize and recognition at a Destroyers home game.

• Involve other local media, such as WAZU to promote events

• Utilize Ohio State or other local campuses for a “test run” of an event

Tactics for Strategy #3• Find the best potential location at campuses for this type of event,

focusing on cheap deals for students, door prizes, and food baskets.• Include public figures in these types of events, such as radio and

television personalities or Destroyers Dance Team• Look for potential tie-ins with Anheuser-Busch, such as koozies,

glasses, and signage.

Tactics for Strategy #4

• Establish relationships with campus coordinators to help plan events and create methods of messaging to the student body

• Become involved with the club and intramural football programs

• Discover ways to utilize the mass-e-mail capabilities of most colleges

Conclusion• Ultimately, the success and growth of the

College Marketing program will be the result of the following: – increased campus presence – unique events centered around Destroyer

football being established at campus locations and/or bars

– providing fun and worthwhile events and activities for college students that peak their interest in Destroyer football

– establishment of long term relationships with key college personnel