Student Swap
My objective was to increase ticket sales for a typical Gopher Men's Basketball game over winter break against Rutgers by 5%. While also creating a relationship with the younger fans.
SLOGAN:
AUDIENCE:
I came up with the slogan "Student Swap" because the whole goal of the project was to attract 16- to 18-year-olds to a Gopher Men's basketball game. To draw attention to the game, certain incentives must be provided. One I came up with was to swap out the student section at a Gopher game with a block of seats for high school students. This concept will not only attract new fans of this generation to the game but will also deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The target audience for this project was an age group of 16–18-year-olds. The sole reason for targeting this generation is that they usually never attend Gopher's Men's basketball games. Many factors play in when it comes to teens deciding not to attend, which is why I sent a survey out to this age group to collect feedback as to why they don't attend games.
IDEA
Provide four incentives at a Gopher Men's Basketball game over winter break to attract the younger audience. These incentives include a ticket package with a meal voucher, a block of seats in the student section, a t-shirt, and a discounted ticket for $25. These activities will occur during a Gopher basketball game over the break when we face Rutgers, a team that won't draw a typical number of spectators. I decided on winter break since the majority of college students will be going home for break, and high school students will be out of school for a couple of weeks. This makes it the perfect time for this age group to see a game when they have nothing else better to do.
INCENTIVES
MEAL VOUCHER
We will welcome high school students to join in a student section for our own Minnesota Gophers boy's basketball team during a game versus Rutgers over winter break. Many incentives will be included with a ticket for this game to ensure an engaged audience. A dinner voucher will be one of these incentives. Students will receive a hot dog, chip, and soda with this voucher if they are hungry. Following the analysis of my data, it became clear that students desired a food option with their tickets.
STUDENT SECTION
The high school student section will be the main event, attracting high school students from all throughout Minnesota. The seats originally designated for college students will be converted into high school students' seats. The majority of high school students who were interviewed claimed that they preferred their home games due to the energy created in the student section. Why not include an area where people may support their state college team and give them the same enthusiasm? Many children will take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime chance.
T-SHIRT
Every single person enjoys a free t-shirt now and then. While reviewing my survey data, I discovered that the majority of high school students enjoy attending games and receiving free t-shirts. Since t-shirts are thrown at most basketball games, why not use them in this one? When tossing t-shirts at our student swap game the cheerleaders will concentrate on the student section. We'll be sure to toss 20–25 t-shirts into the section in the hopes that these students will take one home with them. They will not only receive a free shirt, but they will most likely wear it to school to promote our brand and team! This is a great way to engage the crowd and produce more ticket sales if they know winning a free shirt is involved with their ticket.
DISCOUNTED TICKET
Most students prefer to attend games where ticket prices are lower, and the data I gathered revealed that the majority of students requested low-cost tickets. The average ticket cost was $12.38 for 16-18-year-olds. After factoring in the additional charges, such as the seat, meal voucher, and t-shirt, I arrived at a figure of $25. This fee includes everything I just mentioned, including a wonderful time! Given what the high schoolers will receive at the game, this is an excellent value. With this price point and a projected attendance of 100 students, I expect to make an additional $2,500 before expenses and fees are deducted. Without this promotion, we wouldn't be able to make this extra money.
