^^^ Speaking of great weather, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is this weekend in GG Park and it's FREE. I really wanted to go on Sat but there's a 1 p.m. game. I have to say if I were a more casual Cal fan I likely wouldn't go to the game.
Here's a related question: do you think more Cal alums will go to HSB or to the WSU game?
Competing against FREE in great weather in NorCal, very tough proposal.
^^^ Speaking of great weather, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is this weekend in GG Park and it's FREE. I really wanted to go on Sat but there's a 1 p.m. game. I have to say if I were a more casual Cal fan I likely wouldn't go to the game.
Here's a related question: do you think more Cal alums will go to HSB or to the WSU game?
Competing against FREE in great weather in NorCal, very tough proposal.
Sure....but lets remember that the Bay Area is an urban area pushing 6 million. PLENTY of eyeballs to go around.
I completely agree with that. Every product is unique and different. It is just to suggest that adopting the stance "wining is the only thing that works" is just going to lead to HUGE disappointment.
OK....so lets brainstorm here for a minute. Lots of great things about UCB on a fall day but let me offer.....
A) We have GREAT weather. Lets face it. September and October are, by far, the best months of the year weather wise.
B) We have a WONDERFUL campus with LOTS of grass and open space. Less than in decades past but it is still a place with lots of options.
C) We have a history of being a community with an appreciation for great food.
So.........
What if the next afternoon game why not make it
"Food trucks/booths and picnic/tailgate day". Set them up dispersed in multiple locations all over campus. Get a map out on line. Get sports participants to man info booths in case people want to know where to go for a certain truck or booth. ENCOURAGE folks to come, grab some good grub and picnic on the campus. Continue that theme by encouraging a set number of trucks to set up on Whittier and, after the game, encourage attendees to come down and purchase some food and hang out with fellow cal fans.
THAT is the way you treat your fan base. Nothing there about winning and losing. Lots about doing what can't be replicated by the niners or the raiders - enjoying some good grub in a beautiful setting before (and after) the game. Hell, let the Greeks get in on the action - encouraging THEM to contact/contract with food trucks to set up shop at some of the houses to get the "southside" crowd.
Excellent thinking, Townie!
I do have to say, however, that comparisons between the Giants and the A's or Cal ignore location. San Francisco is one of the major tourist attractions in the country and the park is one of the major attractions in the city-like Wrigley and Fenway. The Giants have national recognition as does the park. A parking lot on the Nimitz is not a destination no matter how many Joe Rudi bobbleheads you give away.
They signed contracts with "CAl Dining" to provide the food in the stadium adn this year have cancelled all independent Vendors. They are so desperate to appease whoever provides the food that no competition is allowed. We get Pepsi and No Coke. We get cold food. There is no decent Ice Cream. Minute maid frozen Lemonaide is gone replaced by an awful mess called "Lemon Chill". All they vend is Cotton Candy and watered down sour lemonaide drinks. I could go on and on but I don't buy anything in the Stadium.
My guess is Food trucks would shatter the egos of the crap food vendors.
^^^ Speaking of great weather, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is this weekend in GG Park and it's FREE. I really wanted to go on Sat but there's a 1 p.m. game. I have to say if I were a more casual Cal fan I likely wouldn't go to the game.
Here's a related question: do you think more Cal alums will go to HSB or to the WSU game?
Competing against FREE in great weather in NorCal, very tough proposal.
You can also go to HSB on Sunday so split the difference.
You can also go to HSB on Sunday so split the difference.
I might still go on Sunday but there were a few acts I wanted to see Sat.
Any way, my point is FREE and good in good weather in the Bay Area is hard to beat and if I weren't a serious Cal fan, I'd likely just go on Sat.
The other thing, when the weather is particularly nice in Sept/Oct, there's a lot of free stuff to do like taking a hike/lunch in Point Reyes is very nice and the cost is gas money.
They signed contracts with "CAl Dining" to provide the food in the stadium adn this year have cancelled all independent Vendors. They are so desperate to appease whoever provides the food that no competition is allowed. We get Pepsi and No Coke. We get cold food. There is no decent Ice Cream. Minute maid frozen Lemonaide is gone replaced by an awful mess called "Lemon Chill". All they vend is Cotton Candy and watered down sour lemonaide drinks. I could go on and on but I don't buy anything in the Stadium.
My guess is Food trucks would shatter the egos of the crap food vendors.
Agreed. I expected better food with the renovation. What they are serving this year is a disgrace. Lukewarm to cold, barely edible, over-priced junk food. Another reason to re-think my season ticket purchase.
They signed contracts with "CAl Dining" to provide the food in the stadium adn this year have cancelled all independent Vendors. They are so desperate to appease whoever provides the food that no competition is allowed. We get Pepsi and No Coke. We get cold food. There is no decent Ice Cream. Minute maid frozen Lemonaide is gone replaced by an awful mess called "Lemon Chill". All they vend is Cotton Candy and watered down sour lemonaide drinks. I could go on and on but I don't buy anything in the Stadium.
My guess is Food trucks would shatter the egos of the crap food vendors.
Again confirming that whomever Sandy has in the AD office doesn't have a CLUE about how to market what is, essentially, entertainment. Guess? A bunch of ex-jocks with ties to an institution (ND) that doesn't have to market itself/try hard. I REALLY hate to say it but if you want to see marketing done right it is at SDSU basketball.
Again confirming that whomever Sandy has in the AD office doesn't have a CLUE about how to market what is, essentially, entertainment. Guess? A bunch of ex-jocks with ties to an institution (ND) that doesn't have to market itself/try hard. I REALLY hate to say it but if you want to see marketing done right it is at SDSU basketball.
... or go to a football game in the south or even the midwest.... Much better gameday experiences... Just the intro at TN was awesome... and when Nebraska takes the field the introduction is electric... They need to sell less Ashby lumber and make it a ton of fun...
Also, I bought nachos this year and got a tiny amount of cheese on it... I told them to hook a brother up and they said they couldn't... It was insane... I will certainly not buy food there again. Period.
Luckily, there is hope. RIGHT ACROSS THE BAY the Giants are showing that one CAN draw (this year, 3,326,796) even if you are 10 games under 500 and out of it as of mid-July. You do so by RELENTLESSLY making it "fun" and marketing what you have OTHER than Ws.
Whoa, there. Have you forgotten that the Giants won the World Series 2 out of the last 3 years? Don't you think that has something to do with the crowds this past season? Cal hasn't won crap in 75 years, other than a handful of minor bowl games. If we had won a Rose Bowl in the past year or two or even a BCS bowl or two, don't you think we'd have bigger crowds during this"down" year? You can do all the fancy marketing you want, but without at least a winning record or preferably a few major bowl victories, people will stay away. During Tedford's best years, I recall the Memorial Stadium attendance being very good.
Whoa, there. Have you forgotten that the Giants won the World Series 2 out of the last 3 years? Don't you think that has something to do with the crowds this past season? Cal hasn't won crap in 75 years, other than a handful of minor bowl games. If we had won a Rose Bowl in the past year or two or even a BCS bowl or two, don't you think we'd have bigger crowds during this"down" year? You can do all the fancy marketing you want, but without at least a winning record or preferably a few major bowl victories, people will stay away. During Tedford's best years, I recall the Memorial Stadium attendance being very good.
Except that the Giants have drawn well prior. You can say "well there was Barry....and there was Timmy...etc. etc..."
But I tend to think it is that they RELENTLESSLY work on branding and marketing....and that makes sense because unlike EVERY OTHER MLB franchise they have debt on their stadium to finance (as opposed to taxpayer handouts). They can not AFFORD to tie attendance to buts in seats.
One example - a bunch of franchises would never have embraced The Thong....the Giants relish it.
What exactly is there to market to a non- cal alum?
1) Parking - not good 2) Food - decent (certainly better than the LA and Arizona venues) 3) Tailgate areas - not good 4) Traffic control and access - bad 5) Game experience - I like the stadium, sight lines, setting, etc. Though some may find this hard to believe, there are less ads than other Pac 12 venues. The acoustics are good. I found access to my seats excellent (try saying that at either LA venue). Bathroom are good on only 1/2 the stadium. Small scoreboards.
How much of the bad stuff is in Cal's control? They are trying to improve parking (I can't get into it here), but the COB has been a real impediment. Tailgate area - the campus is the way it is. The stadium is not surrounded by a lot flat grassy areas to tailgate. Traffic control and access: FU COB. The scoreboard sizes were limited by the EIR due to the Hill People. Not sure what to do if you don't like the food. Bathrooms are not changing w/o another project EIR, etc.
Bottom line: win baby win. Lot of good posts here.
As I have stated before, college football should be promoted for the spectacle/experience that it is. We are different than the NFL because we have the campus, the pre-game rallies, the Cal Band, the Cannon, Card Stunts, decent looking cheerleaders, mic-men, one bonfire rally, and an absolutely beautiful setting second to none in the Bay Area. But we are whoring out the experience and have made the game day experience in the stadium too much like the very things we should be differentiating ourselves from. The Band hardly gets heard anymore. We have overly loud commercials, piped in music, way too many "promotions" that are almost the same as commercials, generic programs (I buy one at the beginning of the season, and MAYBE another for a particularly good game), and all of this is worsened by games with unexciting programs like Portland State (where we barely won) and too many losses. Marketing has to appreciate and promote the atmosphere of the Cal game day experience, (including the events surrounding the game) instead of twisting and adapting it to increasingly resemble the NFL. If I want an NFL experience with commercialism, promotions, no band and constant bombardment of announcements, the Coliseum is close by and accessible. But I don't drive up from L.A. for the NFL experience. I drive up for a celebration of college (most particularly CAL) football. I think marketing has missed the boat and if they don't right the ship soon (a little "boat play on words") the ship will sink. I hope they get this thing right, and get it right soon. (And yes, Sonny is going to have to start showing a competitive team THIS year, and have a winning record next year, or nothing else will matter).
... or go to a football game in the south or even the midwest.... Much better gameday experiences... Just the intro at TN was awesome... and when Nebraska takes the field the introduction is electric... They need to sell less Ashby lumber and make it a ton of fun...
Also, I bought nachos this year and got a tiny amount of cheese on it... I told them to hook a brother up and they said they couldn't... It was insane... I will certainly not buy food there again. Period.
During the 'hot' game (PSU, NW? I forget) my wife bought a $5 diet coke and then went back, after she finished it, and asked for some ice in the cup. She was told "just this once, but don't expect to come back and get more ice." It's like they are trying to **** off season ticket holders.
1) Parking - not good 2) Food - decent (certainly better than the LA and Arizona venues) 3) Tailgate areas - not good 4) Traffic control and access - bad 5) Game experience - I like the stadium, sight lines, setting, etc. Though some may find this hard to believe, there are less ads than other Pac 12 venues. The acoustics are good. I found access to my seats excellent (try saying that at either LA venue). Bathroom are good on only 1/2 the stadium. Small scoreboards.
How much of the bad stuff is in Cal's control? They are trying to improve parking (I can't get into it here), but the COB has been a real impediment. Tailgate area - the campus is the way it is. The stadium is not surrounded by a lot flat grassy areas to tailgate. Traffic control and access: FU COB. The scoreboard sizes were limited by the EIR due to the Hill People. Not sure what to do if you don't like the food. Bathrooms are not changing w/o another project EIR, etc.
Bottom line: win baby win. Lot of good posts here.
Grrr...this gets at how years of not trying have led to such low expectations.....
1) Between Maxwell, Whittier and the Softball field there is PLENTY of room for beer gardens, family fun sites, picnic grounds, band stands, dancing girls, Burning man exhibits, etc. etc. etc. They could do SO much with some creative ideas. I know they have the family fun zone at Maxwell...which is OK but could be so much more with some investment and creativity.
2) Would require some effort (possibly) with the COB but why not close down a serious section of the streets around the south side (College/Dwight/Prospect?) and create a true "street festival feel?
3) I know tradition would preclude it (and possibly booking issues) but what about a serious "morning kick off and band concert" at the Greek. Use the parking lot above it for food trucks. Take a while to revise the tradition but playing at Sproul and then hiking up isn't THAT attractive for some folks.
4) Heresy but I would also like to see things changed by the Band on game day. What about having the traditional "kick off at Sproul but then route them, MARCHING and PLAYING, through Sather Gate over to Doe/Memorial Glade...play....then March up to Mining Circle....play...and then up to the stadium/Greek. Get the WHOLE CAMPUS involved and, again, provide that extra "umph" to tailgating.
5) Numerous suggestions for how to enhance the in-stadium experience all good and all worth pursuing.
Let me leave you with this. Because I think it captures precisely a great tradition that CAN"T be replicated at home, is probably fun as hell to be a part of, and, even if the badgers are getting crushed, still would leave warm fuzzies in your heart and encourage you to get your butt back to the stadium in the future.
Oh yeah - their students are in the end zone....still show up just fine....and make a HELL of a lot more noise than ours EVER have ;-)
What exactly is there to market to a non- cal alum?
Well if we have great players, we can showcase the next Aaron Rodgers. The next Tony Gonzalez. Or to witness history, see how a Heisman trophy is won. And if we play 1-11 ball....... :headbang
Originally Posted by HaasBear04 View Post What exactly is there to market to a non- cal alum?
That college football is FUN!!!
Lets look at it this way. Currently only about 25% or so of the US population has a BA or more. Among those, the vast majority are from NON BCS schools (just simple math, those hundreds if not thousands of BA granting institutions are graduating SOME people). And yet ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox find it profitable to spending BILLIONS securing the right to buy TV rights to football games and put them into people's homes.
Simple math suggests that every weekending tens of millions of people tune in (and likely root and emotionally invest) in schools they did not attend.
4) Heresy but I would also like to see things changed by the Band on game day. What about having the traditional "kick off at Sproul but then route them, MARCHING and PLAYING, through Sather Gate over to Doe/Memorial Glade...play....then March up to Mining Circle....play...and then up to the stadium/Greek. Get the WHOLE CAMPUS involved and, again, provide that extra "umph" to tailgating.
Not sure what you are asking on this one. The tradition is the band leaves Sproul, marches through Sather gate playing their drums and singing songs all the way through campus. They march past Doe, to the Mining Circle where they play a song, then up to the Greek Theater and on to the stadium.
After the game they also march past Bowles over to Bancroft and down to Sproul.
Not sure what you are asking on this one. The tradition is the band leaves Sproul, marches through Sather gate playing their drums and singing songs all the way through campus. They march past Doe, to the Mining Circle where they play a song, then up to the Greek Theater and on to the stadium.
After the game they also march past Bowles over to Bancroft and down to Sproul.
They've done this for decades.
The game I was able to attend last year, the Band played its traditional concert at Sproul and then sort stood around and wandered up in random groups to an assembly point to the west of Boalt.
Why did they televise Cal oregon at the same time as 3 other Pac 12 games?? 7-7:30? I thought I heard some games might start at 11 am? Wouldn't that have made more sense given the weather etc? Since I was watching the Cal game I was unable to watch the other Pac 12 games. Is this what they want???
Thank You!!!! As I sat in my recliner I wondered the exact same thing. Or did the Conf slash Pac12Net just give up figuring most real CFB fans would be watching other (better) games like GA/LSU, OK/ND, or even OSU/Wiscy?
As for this thread's original posters point about kickoff times: I agree 110% about it killing our attendance. I'm not sure if I will ever attend a game starting at 7 or 730pm. With 4 hour game times not unusual now that means I'm not getting home until about 130 - 200am living here in St Helena.
However, he makes an error stating that a 1pm kickoff is changed at the last minute to 7:30pm. Only the first 3 games have a kickoff time scheduled before the season starts. There are rare exceptions. All other games get a kickoff time set anywhere from 6 to 13 days ahead of the game. Our home game with Oregon State on the 19th might have a kickoff time set on Sunday the 6th, but definitely by Monday 13th.
The TV Contracts are great, but come with huge drawbacks.
What exactly is there to market to a non- cal alum?
Cheez, you went to Haas?
Market Cal to parents who want their kids to go to an elite university. Exposing these parents to Cal football is an excellent way to introduce not only them, but their kids to the possibilities of attending Cal and the future professional benefits such social activities provide.
Cal Football already established a kid friendly environment but mostly marketed that to existing alumns.
However, the Bay Area is full of professionals transplanted from all over the world, as well as non-professionals seeking tools to inspire their children to academically succeed in an ever more competitive market. Just as Cal sells the excellence of the American University system worldwide, we should also be selling the social benefits of American football both locally and worldwide.
College Football is uniquely American but it is not easy to understand for the foreign born, and even harder to attend in person for the un-indoctrinated.
There is a rich market out there. It just needs to be tapped.
There are beer gardens at Maxwell. Other Food booths, too.
There is. INHO, In an ideal world I would relocate the beer garden from Maxwell up to Rugby field but that might be too close to the students and well...not the right image. the food booths when I have been to Maxwell have been of the "kettle korn" variety. I would go more upscale focusing on food truck/Berkeley food establishments.
What I would really like is to figure out SOME way to get the tradition of tailgating into the mix. Really hard because we don't have an obvious place....interested in how places like Camp Randall handle that - given that they also don't have a huge open space right near the stadium to easily accommodate tailgating but, of course, have a great tailgating culture at U of Wis. But one of the things you can not experience except in person and which is pretty unique to football is the tradition of tailgating.
Market Cal to parents who want their kids to go to an elite university. Exposing these parents to Cal football is an excellent way to introduce not only them, but their kids to the possibilities of attending Cal and the future professional benefits such social activities provide.
Cal Football already established a kid friendly environment but mostly marketed that to existing alumns.
However, the Bay Area is full of professionals transplanted from all over the world, as well as non-professionals seeking tools to inspire their children to academically succeed in an ever more competitive market. Just as Cal sells the excellence of the American University system worldwide, we should also be selling the social benefits of American football both locally and worldwide.
College Football is uniquely American but it is not easy to understand for the foreign born, and even harder to attend in person for the un-indoctrinated.
There is a rich market out there. It just needs to be tapped.
Exactly. As one of those target people, I can say you are right on. When we moved her my wife and son stayed in Ohio for the fall semester, so I bought them Cal gear as presents to smooth the transition for my third grade son. Now he's a jr and I want him to look at Cal, so he's gone to games, swim clinics, debate workshops/ tournaments, etc. I want him to feel at home there when he makes his college choice. SELL BERKELEY. Sell the Campus. Push places like Pyramid to give rides up to the stadium. You have to do more than build it for people to come, but marketing a great public university shouldn't be that challenging.
