Marketing opportunity

[gingerox]

On a positive note, the club seem to be much more proactive on Twitter with regards to advertising tickets recently. Obviously there's still flaws in the marketing but I suppose social media's now the best place to advertise?

 

[Deleted member 462]

What really annoys me is someone who does this for a living decided to look at the ox4life package and say - figures don’t work on that, we could make more money.

Short sighted beyond belief. Children are literally the future of any club. Get them hooked and u have them there as the package states for life.

Think outside the box, look at the bigger picture, what ever the buzz term is.

Reduce kids tickets across the board make it a cheap attractive price. Yes u won’t make money on that, but neither will u on a empty f*****g seat. Then look at the wider income, that kid wants to come again, kids have to have a full paying adult with them, kids want a program, a shirt, an Oufc woolly hat. And once they have them, they want a new one the following year as they have grown out of it, or their mates have a newer one.

To just sit back and say meh put the price up on kids tickets, is the lazy option. The family room is a brilliant idea and works, u have to get kids in the stadium for it to have the effect it’s meant to.

Rant over

Well put @Dave T ...... when accountants start pecking the heads of decision makers theres only one result,l prices increase....specifically, when it comes to football clubs, the fans, supporters and followers are percieved as cash cows to be mercilessly milked dry... then bullshitted to and hit even harder in the pocket.

HOME attendances lower than last season...... prices substantially increased for ST and matchday tickets.....you dont need to be an accountant to add up what are major contributory factors..... do 'we' get value for money from OUFC on matchdays? I dont think we do, not this season!

Full price advance adult ticket in advance for Charlton away on Saturday £20 , on the day price £23, which is still less than an advance matchday ticket at the breeze block! which is as cold as a morgue before, never mind after, being fleeced yet again

It also has a negative affect in a few other way. By increasing the lounge package myself and other moved. They were when I last heard 25 members down from last season, meaning that despite the increase they are actually making less from the lounges. Add to that they increased the kids prices massively, meaning if I wanted to take my 4 year old along this season it would have cost £350. (More than an adult in other areas) So not only did they lose me, but also a new member who may have grown up and gone on to remain a lounge member.

Merchandise sales was also up last season, was that down to a better range, better advertising ? No it was because we had a really good previous season, fans were happy and connected with the club. Happy fans spend more. And there’s more of them. My first thought on the price increases was, well I’m going to pay it as I’m a sucker and always will (they knew that). But do u know what I’m not going bother getting a shirt this season.

First thing I’d do (after the kids prices) would be to give fans those little things that don’t cost a lot but encourage them to spend more.

Put the money off voucher for the shop back in the season ticket package.

Say u can come to first checkatrade game free or first league game for just £5.

Give the old family area in ssl tickets to charities or emergency service workers for games that are low attendance, it’s a good will gesture and May attract a few back.

Do what I’ve seen recently for Forrest, write to ex season ticket holders, saying we miss u, here’s a pair of complimentary tickets come back and hopefully fall in love with ur club again.

Offer deals saying we have two home games coming up buy both and we will knock £5 off

I’m thick as, and don’t work in marketing, it’s not hard something will work others won’t. But doing nothing gets u nothing

End of even longer rant.
Apologies

 

[Sarge]

On a positive note, the club seem to be much more proactive on Twitter with regards to advertising tickets recently. Obviously there's still flaws in the marketing but I suppose social media's now the best place to advertise?

Assuming everyone has a twitter account ..... is a bit presumptuous , but a move in the right direction

 

[Sarge]

It also has a negative affect in a few other way. By increasing the lounge package myself and other moved. They were when I last heard 25 members down from last season, meaning that despite the increase they are actually making less from the lounges. Add to that they increased the kids prices massively, meaning if I wanted to take my 4 year old along this season it would have cost £350. (More than an adult in other areas) So not only did they lose me, but also a new member who may have grown up and gone on to remain a lounge member.

Merchandise sales was also up last season, was that down to a better range, better advertising ? No it was because we had a really good previous season, fans were happy and connected with the club. Happy fans spend more. And there’s more of them. My first thought on the price increases was, well I’m going to pay it as I’m a sucker and always will (they knew that). But do u know what I’m not going bother getting a shirt this season.

First thing I’d do (after the kids prices) would be to give fans those little things that don’t cost a lot but encourage them to spend more.

Put the money off voucher for the shop back in the season ticket package.

Say u can come to first checkatrade game free or first league game for just £5.

Give the old family area in ssl tickets to charities or emergency service workers for games that are low attendance, it’s a good will gesture and May attract a few back.

Do what I’ve seen recently for Forrest, write to ex season ticket holders, saying we miss u, here’s a pair of complimentary tickets come back and hopefully fall in love with ur club again.

Offer deals saying we have two home games coming up buy both and we will knock £5 off

I’m thick as, and don’t work in marketing, it’s not hard something will work others won’t. But doing nothing gets u nothing

End of even longer rant.
Apologies

All good suggestions and feasible too ....except one, the 'old family area in SSL is occupied ( in places) , among others, my Dad and nephew (and sometimes my Sister) have had STs there pretty much since moving from the Manor

 

[Deleted member 462]

It also has a negative affect in a few other way. By increasing the lounge package myself and other moved. They were when I last heard 25 members down from last season, meaning that despite the increase they are actually making less from the lounges. Add to that they increased the kids prices massively, meaning if I wanted to take my 4 year old along this season it would have cost £350. (More than an adult in other areas) So not only did they lose me, but also a new member who may have grown up and gone on to remain a lounge member.

Merchandise sales was also up last season, was that down to a better range, better advertising ? No it was because we had a really good previous season, fans were happy and connected with the club. Happy fans spend more. And there’s more of them. My first thought on the price increases was, well I’m going to pay it as I’m a sucker and always will (they knew that). But do u know what I’m not going bother getting a shirt this season.

First thing I’d do (after the kids prices) would be to give fans those little things that don’t cost a lot but encourage them to spend more.

Put the money off voucher for the shop back in the season ticket package.

Say u can come to first checkatrade game free or first league game for just £5.

Give the old family area in ssl tickets to charities or emergency service workers for games that are low attendance, it’s a good will gesture and May attract a few back.

Do what I’ve seen recently for Forrest, write to ex season ticket holders, saying we miss u, here’s a pair of complimentary tickets come back and hopefully fall in love with ur club again.

Offer deals saying we have two home games coming up buy both and we will knock £5 off

I’m thick as, and don’t work in marketing, it’s not hard something will work others won’t. But doing nothing gets u nothing

End of even longer rant.
Apologies

All good suggestions and feasible too ....except one, the 'old family area in SSL is occupied ( in places) , among others, my Dad and nephew (and sometimes my Sister) have had STs there pretty much since moving from the Manor

I’m not suggesting they get moved, or an ultra style take over, but I’m sure they wouldn’t object to sitting with a few nhs workers, or cancer research volunteers, or teachers. U can only give away available tickets, but I’m sure they would rather sit in a block with others than in a nearly empty area. I’d happily have it where I am but think it works better if u have people all sat fairly near each other rather than spread out, get chatting with co workers this is alright ain’t it, fancy doing it again next week. While at the same time a good bit of pr

 

[Sarge]

I’m not suggesting they get moved, or an ultra style take over, but I’m sure they wouldn’t object to sitting with a few nhs workers, or cancer research volunteers, or teachers. U can only give away available tickets, but I’m sure they would rather sit in a block with others than in a nearly empty area. I’d happily have it where I am but think it works better if u have people all sat fairly near each other rather than spread out, get chatting with co workers this is alright ain’t it, fancy doing it again next week. While at the same time a good bit of pr

It does get busy there for the 'bigger' games

theyd probably welcome a bit of company at the quieter matches....its brass monkeys there on winter tuesday nights!

 

[Deleted member 462]

I’m not suggesting they get moved, or an ultra style take over, but I’m sure they wouldn’t object to sitting with a few nhs workers, or cancer research volunteers, or teachers. U can only give away available tickets, but I’m sure they would rather sit in a block with others than in a nearly empty area. I’d happily have it where I am but think it works better if u have people all sat fairly near each other rather than spread out, get chatting with co workers this is alright ain’t it, fancy doing it again next week. While at the same time a good bit of pr

It does get busy there for the 'bigger' games

theyd probably welcome a bit of company at the quieter matches....its brass monkeys there on winter tuesday nights!

That’s what I mean, not the big games they look after them selves. But like us the club know full well, as early as fixture release day which games will be low attendances. Now those seats are either going to be empty with no income, or full with no income. 1/ it’s a good will gesture 2/ a great bit of pr 3/ even if u only attract 1 person back to another game, that’s 1 more than u had before. And it’s cost the club nothing, other than a bit of admin to hand tickets out

 

[horseman]

Anyone know what the sales are from season tickets?

 

[carefreeoufc]

As I’ve said on similar threads I didn’t renew my season ticket this year and have no had one email from the club about what’s going on or attending games.

I thought IL as an owner was useless but I used to get bombarded with stuff whether a ST holder or not. I think there even used to be a weekly email from KT before the match or something.

The Unicorn Theatre in Abingdon markets itself better than OUFC.

 

[MJB]

On a positive note, the club seem to be much more proactive on Twitter with regards to advertising tickets recently. Obviously there's still flaws in the marketing but I suppose social media's now the best place to advertise?

Yes KF is doing an excellent job in that regard. It has noticeably improved - particularly with regards to fan interaction.

 

[Craig]

Anyone know what the sales are from season tickets?

Just under 4,800 I believe.

Re: your earlier post. I think season ticket prices are likely to go up again, so I'd be interested to see what approach they will take; it'll be quite a hard sell, coming off the back of a very iffy season, to then get people to pay more next season than they were prepared to this season.

If I had to guess, I'd say around £20 or so. That's based on half-season ticket prices this year, which included 11 games out of the 23. Not an entirely baseless guess, but could be very wrong on my part.

 

[Craig]

That would be a push to far if u ask me, after two pretty heavy rises in two seasons already.

Last year half-season tickets included 12 games and cost exactly half the price of a full season ticket. Great value. So when I saw they included 11 games and weren’t just half the price like last year, but instead had an additional £10-15 lumped onto the price, I was very surprised. Talk about tightening the grip even further.

I agree with you completely, but that’s what my guess is based on.

 

[Deleted member 462]

That would be a push to far if u ask me, after two pretty heavy rises in two seasons already.

Last year half-season tickets included 12 games and cost exactly half the price of a full season ticket. Great value. So when I saw they included 11 games and weren’t just half the price like last year, but instead had an additional £10-15 lumped onto the price, I was very surprised. Talk about tightening the grip even further.

I agree with you completely, but that’s what my guess is based on.

I know someone who brought the first 5 league games, the football was good at that point and I talked him into getting a season ticket. The club wanted full price despite him having brought 5 tickets already. Wouldn’t even knock a few quid off. So he didn’t bother. Said he will wait till half season tickets.
Then as u say he looked at them, and price combined with poor football he decided not to bother. So now he’s been to 6 games. Instead of paying for all 23 upfront

 

[ThatSlopesATwelfthMan]

The official club site features ads for Liverpool FC kit!!!!

The ads on oufc.co.uk come from the doubleclick ad server - looks like mine is configured to show a generic football ad (presumably to highest bidder, currently Sky) + a personalised spot based on browsing history (in my case cat baskets).

There aren't looser rules in play for data obtained via e-commerce transactions. You can only store and process (or use it) for accepted purposes, just like any other data handed over. The data does need to be properly maintained, accurate, and only stored for an appropriate amount of time.

But that said there seems to be very little use of the data we have whether current or not. There is pretty zero marketing of the club, and there don't seem to be there resources there to do so. There is certainly nothing innovative or interesting. Low level advertising (like the Wycombe Twitter ads) is not hard or that expensive. It's not like we are talking about getting Spielberg in to direct a TV ad. It's about creative little things that follow a vague plan.

Ok, not that clear in my original message but for oufc the ability to use the 'soft opt in' allowed under ico regulations (including from may under gdpr) for prior customers who made purchases versus more stringent active consent required for non transactional data is a big deal. It means that there can be assumed consent for marketing to people who bought stuff but not necessarily those who simply joined a marketing list or created an account. Totally agree though that time limits apply and purpose must be refreshed through regular comms

 

[Craig]

I know someone who brought the first 5 league games, the football was good at that point and I talked him into getting a season ticket. The club wanted full price despite him having brought 5 tickets already. Wouldn’t even knock a few quid off. So he didn’t bother. Said he will wait till half season tickets.
Then as u say he looked at them, and price combined with poor football he decided not to bother. So now he’s been to 6 games. Instead of paying for all 23 upfront

So their rigid approach cost them money basically. Crazy really.

How hard would it be to implement something like buy 8 (or 9) get your 9th (or 10th) game free. Ticket stubs have to all be in the same name to prevent abuse, but it would be a good incentive to keep people going to get that free game. Much like in the food and drinks industry. Random idea.

I also think we could do things like reach out to schools and football tournaments, like six-a-sides etc and ask if we can have a visual presence - put flags up, heck provide OUFC crest corner flags. Donate a signed ball to be raffled off, or given to the player of the tournament. I know it won’t reach a massive audience, but there are 100’s of people that attend the six-a-side events in Abingdon. You could even send Olly down there for a photo op with the kids.

 

[Sarge]

So their rigid approach cost them money basically. Crazy really.

How hard would it be to implement something like buy 8 (or 9) get your 9th (or 10th) game free. Ticket stubs have to all be in the same name to prevent abuse, but it would be a good incentive to keep people going to get that free game. Much like in the food and drinks industry. Random idea.

I also think we could do things like reach out to schools and football tournaments, like six-a-sides etc and ask if we can have a visual presence - put flags up, heck provide OUFC crest corner flags. Donate a signed ball to be raffled off, or given to the player of the tournament. I know it won’t reach a massive audience, but there are 100’s of people that attend the six-a-side events in Abingdon. You could even send Olly down there for a photo op with the kids.

Heard Mr Mixter has got access to a few flags?

 

[MarkG]

What really annoys me is someone who does this for a living decided to look at the ox4life package and say - figures don’t work on that, we could make more money.

Short sighted beyond belief. Children are literally the future of any club. Get them hooked and u have them there as the package states for life.

Think outside the box, look at the bigger picture, what ever the buzz term is.

Reduce kids tickets across the board make it a cheap attractive price. Yes u won’t make money on that, but neither will u on a empty f*****g seat. Then look at the wider income, that kid wants to come again, kids have to have a full paying adult with them, kids want a program, a shirt, an Oufc woolly hat. And once they have them, they want a new one the following year as they have grown out of it, or their mates have a newer one.

To just sit back and say meh put the price up on kids tickets, is the lazy option. The family room is a brilliant idea and works, u have to get kids in the stadium for it to have the effect it’s meant to.

Rant over

Well if you’re expecting to sell the club , giving away money for a kids scheme is going to be up to the next owner and up to them how they run the club and set prices.

 

[Common Villager]

Echo most other comments on here about the marketing.

I follow Sarah Gooding on twitter and it’s amazing to see the amount of initiatives Notts County as a club push and the constant interaction with their fans. It’s very reminiscent of how things were here two years ago.

Seems a long time ago now.

 

[MJB]

Echo most other comments on here about the marketing.

I follow Sarah Gooding on twitter and it’s amazing to see the amount of initiatives Notts County as a club push and the constant interaction with their fans. It’s very reminiscent of how things were here two years ago.

Seems a long time ago now.

Indeed, that club is doing some amazing stuff right now.

Getting Sarah back in a more senior marketing role at OUFC would be one of the more important signings the club could make in my humble opinion. Her work would help to bring a buzz back amongst the fan base and create the atmosphere for our young stars to shine.

Lots of people are echoing this important point right now I think. It’s energy and enthusiasm on the pitch, in the stands (and particularly from our younger singers who have been treated shabbily), from the coaching team, in the back offices and in the Boardroom that will help take us to the next level.

 

[MarkG]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-watch-oxford-united-v-1151525