Major League Baseball game attendance has seen its ups and downs over the years. Ballparks are constantly trying to think of the next big promotion to fill the seats in the stadiums. Remember all the player bobbleheads?
Today, I found a post on MentalFloss called Five Ballpark Promotions Gone Wrong. It describes five promotions for both major leage and minor league ballparks that ended badly. In short, here are those five promotions along with a tip that marketers can learn from each:
- 10 Cent Beer Night - 10 cent beers create a drunken, rowdy crowd
- Demolition Disco Night - Vinyl records double as dangerous projectiles
- Ball Night - Balls make even better projectiles than vinyl records
- Cash Drop - Free money falling from a hovering helicopter makes people act a touch aggressively.
- All You Can Eat Seats - Too much food (and possibly alcohol) = vomit
I'm a strong proponent of using common sense in developing your marketing, advertising and promotional campaigns. The marketing teams behind these ballpark promotions definitely left their common sense at home when they came up with these crazy ideas. Unfortunately, some of the promotions ended with people getting hurt or destroying property.
As marketers, we have a responsibility to create programs that will not only help sell products and services but do so in an ethical and safe manner. Honestly, what did they think would happen when a helicopter dropped money onto an eagerly awaiting mob of people? Did they expect each person to carefully and slowly pick up one bill and walk away? Common sense tells you that's not what would happen. Think of children smashing open a pinata filled with candy. Do they casually approach the wealth of prizes, take one and walk away? No, they rush to the pile of treasures in a complete frenzy. Kids love candy. People love money. Common sense tells you the frenzied behavior would be the same with a cash drop at a baseball game as it would be with a pinata at a birthday party.
What should you walk away from after reading this? Don't forget to use your common sense.
You have to wonder what idiot thought of these things.
Do companies continue to employ these people. Makes you think it might be a friend or relative in the position.
A suggestion might be to hand out the promotional items at the end of the game and not when you first walk in.
Another suggestion for the money from heaven might be to give the customers a cash refund when their ticket is purchased.
There must be better suggestions and ideas out there.
Posted by: Carol | July 26, 2007 5:21 PM | Permalink to Comment