The Best Game You Can Name (NHL Lockout)

   The puck dropped on Saturday night for the first time since the 2012-2013 NHL lockout ended, and teams are doing their best to entice fans back with free ticket giveaways, open practices to the public, autograph signings, and apology letters. After a 113-day lockout and 1,020 missed games, the NHL is faced with a public relation nightmare.  With only 48 games guaranteed for each team this season, NHL marketers are going to have to do their best to fill those seats with fans and get sponsorship dollars back in their pocket.  

   The NHL players had an estimated total loss of about $400 million, and you can double that for the league. Marketing departments of the NHL are doing their best to encourage fans back to the rink.  Here in Toronto, the Leafs held an open practice last Thursday that attracted 1,400 fans; they will be also giving away about 1,000 tickets to Monday’s home opener through various promotions against the Buffalo Sabers. Among giving away commemorative scarves at the game, 1,500 season ticket holders will be seeing the first game free of charge. In less traditional hockey markets like Chicago, the Black Hawks are giving away 1000 autographed jerseys, and a lucky fan in San Jose is going to be selected to drop the ceremonial puck in their home opener.

   Whatever ways NHL marketing departments decide to coax fans back to the game, sponsorship dollars will not flock back until companies see that faith has been restored in fans’ loyalty across the league. The NHL must been seen as a stable enterprise, with the ability to provide an interrupted season to the good ol’ fashioned hockey game– after all, they’re what drives the fans.  

The Dawn of Mobile Marketing

As the dawn of the smartphone age sets in, there are more tablets and smartphones than personal computers. Mobile platforms are building at increasing speeds, and industry giants such as Facebook and Twitter are building their mobile capabilities to meet the amplified demand of this consumer trend. Marketers need to keep up with one of the fastest growing trends in marketing today, or risk being left behind. Today, smartphones and tablets are two of the fasting growing consumer products on the market. In a high-paced world, where people have less and less time to be reached and influenced by the  more traditional forms of media;  marketers have yet another tool through which to distribute their advertising. Thanks to the advancement of mobile search, apps, SMS and mobile websites; the ability to stay connected with consumers has never been so easily attainable. In the near future, mobile marketing may be poised to surpass television as the most dominant consumer access point. Mobile searches account for more than 50% of searches on the web today; which is an enormous amount of consumers that can be reached through their existing mobile devices.

In order for marketing campaigns to be successful, they must integrate mobile marketing into their campaign strategy. One of the greatest things about mobile marketing is the ability to connect with consumers on a personal level, helping them use their mobile devices to get information and to make their purchase decisions. Driving traffic to business, product or service is one of the most vital components in measuring the success of any campaign.  Running part of a campaign through mobile media is now an integral part of marketing strategies. Targeted mobile advertising is cost effective, measurable and drives conversations between consumers. Combining mobile apps, mobile websites and SMS messages can lead to success in a new campaign.