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/