Marketing of memberships

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Matabele

Journey Man
Interesting to head down to Mexico and attend a Carlton home game and observe their "membership drive". Things that were a stark contrast to what we see at Manly:

1. An army of professional and well-presented people (eg they weren't wearing their Vinnie's best) in bright T Shirts proclaiming the membership and able to hold an intelligible conversation about the benefits.

2. Several stalls with professional butterfly stand displays.

3. A campaign for kids centred around the clubs most marketable player to encourage them to "kick it like Kouta". ("Be a Beaver Believer" anyone?)

4. Promotion of the memberships with a slick and professionaly produced advert played on the big screens at the ground before, during and after the game.

5. TV ads promoting the memberships.

6. Professional flyers outlining several enticing packages.

7. Carlton's membership: approximately 30,000. (Manly, struggling to hit the 2000 mark).

Food for thought??????????????????????
 
part of that is, its just melbourne, but yes part of that is, league teams in general back offices are not as slick as AFL teams. Dont see that changing any time soon this side of the Spit.
 
Whilst I am an avid supporter of the membership program I fear that our membership numbers have neared their peak. The committed supporters are already in, with a few notable exceptions so in essence they are now trying to commit the "fence sitters" to membership. Whilst you may get them this year, you will have to work just has hard to get the "fence sitters"to renew in subsequent years.

It is always difficult to compare what happens in AFL to the NRL. Clearly with a membership base of 30,000 they have great resources for promotion of their product. Being a member of Football club in Sydney is also not something to which we have grown up with. In Melbourne children become members the day that they are born. Membership is part of their culture. That is not the case at Manly, we are asked to pay $80.00 to be a member whereas in the past we all thought we were "members" by just supporting the team and going to matches. Having said that I have been dissapointed with the manner in which the membership product has been marketed this year but if we have reached saturation point maybe there may be not much more that can be done.

One of the great things they do is provide free buses for members to away matches. Yet with the exception of last weeks match and the game at the SCG they have only needed 1 bus for every other match. In these days of skyrocketing petrol prices you would have thought this benefit would have been better supported. But then again maybe it is because our demographic is no longer as "Northern Beaches" as it once was with the memebers no longer living in the area. The members function in Brisbane was fantastic, well organised and well attended in a great venue. Maybe more of these "member functions" prior to home games could be promoted, with injured players etc being in attendance.
 
The main problem is the club doesn't have a high budget for a media campaign, like the dragons and the Tigers seem to have.

I would like to hear some adds on radio, like other clubs. But apparently it wont fit in the budget.
 
I'm not sure I'd climb onto some of those buses. I reckon I'd feel safer on a train departing Telstra Stadium with the Bulldogs Army!!
 
Collingwood football club has over 30 000 members and averages 45 000 or more to games, how do it? AFL is a religion down there.
 
My feelings are well known on this - I totally agree with everyting here.

Pete the only thing I would say about membership functions is the after mtach functions in the leagues club auditorium should be members only.

I agree the 2000 members are probably the die hards but there is no promotion of the packages and the vision of the football club is the buy the club back - it hardly generates excitement to join up so Scott Penn and Max delemege will get their million invetsments back.

The vision should be around keeping the club strong, survival etc etc.
 
2107 not really.

Look at the percentage

average 45,000 to a game and how many are members? 30,000

that is a huge conversion rate

collingwood - 66.6% conversion rate
Manly - 15.4% given last years average of 15,000 and a member base of 2000


Even changing the sum to an average of 10,000 and a membership program of 3000 only gives us 30%

So is this because it is a religion or because it is marketed well?

I prefer the latter. People attend the games because they love manly and want to see the footy and the team win, a good marketing campaign with high saturation would see that conversion rate pick up I would say a conversion rate of 30-40% would be acceptable and quite good, but the reality is that Manly's conversion rate is lower than 20%
 
I'm not sure I'd climb onto some of those buses. I reckon I'd feel safer on a train departing Telstra Stadium with the Bulldogs Army!!

and you were on which bus that enables to you make this informed opinion? or are you just making an assumption.
 
I saw several of the buses after the Parramatta finals game.

In that case then it would mean that the people you would be afraid to sit on a bus with all come from the northern beaches, our demographic heartland. It would be highly unlikley that they would travel from a lower socio economic enviroment (ie Western Suburbs) to Manly in order to catch a bus back to the Western Suburbs!

Maybe Matabele no longer fits the Manly demographic!
 
No doubt they're a section of the Northern Beaches, but I suspect a minority.

And little wonder the majority don't want to avail themselves of what you state is the only thing going for the membership packages.
 
comparing the afl with league is not the same.

Melbourne worst average crowd would be better than the broncos (leagues best)

I think the funds available are obviously constricting but there are a few changes that could help.

The easiest one having already been stated - after match function to be members only.

But apart from using our players as marketers there isnt much that can be done without funding input.

At 2000 members paying 80 bucks each its only 160K - hence the budget has to be less than that (including all caps, busses, posters etc)

and mata if your scared to ride the bus maybe you mummy could hold your hand
 
fluffy you can still compare conversion rates and percentages.

a conversion rate of 10-15% is pretty pathetic and it should be up at least 30% to be satisfactory
 
Fluffy, it's the protective clothing I'd need to prevent catching communicable diseases that would make riding the bus prohibitable.
 
just stop sleeping with them and you wont catch anything this time

to a point Dan, however these membership numbers have been grown over the years. What was fremantle membership take up in its 2nd full year available? That something more comparable.

Even then in afl you are not seen to support a team unless you are a member - league is different.

Im sure if you chucked half a million at markketing the membership to pepsi he couldnt get a 40% take up on the 15K crowd average.

Its just not 1 factor - its a number.

And the best marketting is word of mouth - with 30,000 members theres a lot more mouths.
 
Are you my stalker Fluff Monster?

I guess you'd know all about STDs. Where is Hopium these days BTW?
 

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