The Heart of Boston

http://nesn.com/fenway-park/

In exactly thirty-nine days, it will be the start of the Major League Baseball season.  In honor of this exciting occasion, I thought that it would be smart to focus on the heart and soul of Boston; The Red Sox.  However, because this is a marketing blog and not a sports blog, I will not be focusing on stats of players, or the Red Sox's best season.  In fact, I will be focusing on their worst season and what their marketing department had to do in order to make sure they kept their ticket sales. 

Background Information:

In April 2013 the Red Sox Nation started the season with the hopes of getting yet another World Series trophy.  However, those dreams were quickly shattered as the Red Sox dropped their first eight games of the season.  Everyone hoped that the Red Sox could pick up some wins and be back to normal, but it never happened.  They ended there season in early October with a 69-93 record, the worst in Red Sox history. 

Red Sox Nation was at a loss.  How could their beloved team, who has been a contender for the  past decade, seem to have given up?  Social media blew up with complaints about the manager, the players, and most importantly, how people were not going back to watch a team that would never win.  

The Marketing Department Steps in:

Through all of this, the Red Sox marketing department were reading the comments of the fans and knew if they did not do something, ticket sales would plummet.  They reached into their hat of tricks and pulled out a few very good ideas.  

The first was an expansion of something that the Red Sox do every season.  Through their sponsors the Red Sox give out pocket sized schedules.  These schedules highlight every home and away game the Red Sox have and give the times.  However, in 2013, the schedule had a flip side to it.  On the opposite side of the schedule was a picture of either David Ortiz or Dustin Pedroia.  These two individuals were the faces of the organization.  Both were well known for there playing, and were known to the Red Sox Nation as players who could get the job done when needed.  With the picture the marketing department thought it would be smart to put a slogan saying, "162 Chances to Restore the Faith."  Or they could say, "What's Broken Can Be Fixed." This was a very subtle hint to give Red Sox Nation the idea that the team would be able to turn their franchise around and make it a winning team again. 

The Marketing ploys would not stop there.  The Red Sox began to run campaigns such as "Call All Kids" month.  Basically, all kids with A's and B's on there report cards would receive free access to the game.  This was provided by Hood.  This is a great idea because now the parents have to buy tickets to the game, but the children do not.  

The next idea was "Futures at Fenway."  This is an event that only costs five dollars for a ticket and you can watch the Red Sox Minor League teams play at Fenway.  Individuals that choose to do this will get a Fenway Experience without having to pay the crazy ticket prices. 

This last example is probably my favorite.  Its called "Welcome Back Fans." Basically, the Red Sox offered five dollar beers for all adults.  This is incorporating the idea of having a hot dog and a beer to relax at the game.  This was the best idea because most adults knew when they drink they have to eat. This would, in return, boost sales dramatically. 

The Outcome: 

For those who don't know, the Red Sox turned around and won the World Series.  The third World Series championship in nine years. 

http://bunow.com/2013-world-series-review/

All of the information was provided by:  http://www.chiefmarketer.com/social-data-shapes-red-sox-2013-marketing-plan/

Picture of 2013 pocket schedule: https://pt.pinterest.com/explore/sox-schedule/

L.L. Bean: A Company that took Great Strides and Succeeded

Introduction: 

As promised in my first blog post I will be focusing on companies that have been formed in New England and have flourished over the years.  Today my focus will be on a company that is near and dear to most of our hearts, but really closer to our souls.  The soles of our shoes that is.  I am talking about L.L. Bean.  A New England company that seems to have taken the world by storm ever since they were created. 

A Brief History:

Leon Leonwood Bean

In 1911, and avid outdoors-man named Leon Leonwood Bean, from Freeport, Maine came home one night after a long day of hunting to find that his boots were soaking wet and his feet to be extremely cold.  At that moment he realized that something had to be done.  He could not go back out into the woods knowing that he did not have the proper attire.  The question was, how could he make his boots so they would not allow water, and snow to seep into them? With help from a local cobbler, Bean was able to stitch leather onto workmen's rubber boots, creating a boot that would get the job done.  Thus, L.L. Bean was formed.

In 1912, Bean began to produce these boots in his basement of his home.  To get the word out about his company, he obtained the addresses of avid outdoors-men, like himself, and sent them a three page catalog.  In other words, his target market was simply local men that were frustrated with not having the proper shoes for hunting.  From this catalog he received one hundred orders of boots.  Sadly, ninety of the boots failed.  This means ninety boots were returned for a full refund.  As awful as this sounds, Bean did not seem to upset about it.  Bean could have lost everything, but he knew that consumers/ customers would spread the word about his boots, so he knew that he had to stand behind his product.

After some tweaks to his original design, Bean began to have success.  Word began to spread about a product that was of high quality and was back by a one hundred percent back guarantee.  By 1934, Bean replaced the simple three page catalog with a 52 page catalog, which included anything from boots to fly fishing gear.  From here on L.L. Bean has seemed to keep on succeeding with whatever they do.

The Present:

One hundred years later, L.L. Bean still holds the same values as when they were first started.  They want to, "Sell good merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings and they will always come back for more" Leon Leonwood Bean.  L.L. Bean still uses the word of mouth to get word out about their products.  For example, her is a link to there blog, where customers can write any questions comments or concerns that they have. L.L. Bean Blog  

Besides word of mouth L.L. Bean does have some other tricks up there sleeves.  For example, L.L. Bean is partnered with professional sports teams like the Boston Red Sox, and even the U.S. Olympic ski team.  These partnerships allow not only Red Sox Nation, but the world to know about L.L. Bean's quality products.  One could say that quality teams are supported by a quality product. 

Information Provided by the L.L. Bean Website.

Photo of Leon Leonwood Bean: https://www.llbean.com/customerService/aboutLLBean/company_values.html?nav=ln

Photo of the L.L. Bean Tarp: http://blog.aglamslam.com/2013/10/03/l-l-bean-designs-red-sox-boots-made-from-fenway-100th-anniversary-rain-tarp/

Photo of the L.L. Bean Logo:http://tanglewoodhall.com/activities