The calendar has turned to January. Snow and ice cover much of the nation. It takes the entire drive from my house to the train station for my car to warm up in the morning. So, naturally, let us turn our thoughts to my beloved 2005 World Champion White Sox, who will begin showing up for Spring Training in Glendale, Ariz. in about a month.
No, you haven't accidentally visited ESPN.com instead of iMedia Connection. I bring up the "Chisox" because the anticipation that baseball fans feel in winter can teach marketers a lot about keeping customers and prospects engaged through the shrewd use of interactive media in the off-season.
Like baseball teams, marketers have their season. Retailers, of course, tend to focus on the holiday season, which takes up all of the fourth quarter these days. Other marketers find the lion's share of business in other parts of the year -- Caribbean travel in winter, tuxedo rentals in June, and so on. Similarly, most marketers have an off-season, a time in which they can expect relatively little shopping and purchasing behavior.
Let's look at some things that baseball teams do in the off-season to keep their fans in the game and see what marketers could learn from them.
Hot stove league
Not long after the last "out" of the Word Series, baseball teams begin the formal process of preparing the team for the next season by trading, releasing, and signing players. Every major new acquisition comes with the obligatory picture of the new player wearing his new jersey over a suit with his agent and the team's general manager on either side. Fans get excited about new players because they bring with them the hope of a better team performance next season or, at any rate, something to complain about on talk radio.
Tip for marketers: As you improve your offerings in the off-season, make an event out of new announcements. Use targeted interactive media to drive your customers to learn more about the products, even if they're not going to buy for several months. Show them how the offering they buy the following season will improve on last year's model. Chances are your competitors aren't making much noise in the off-season, either, so use this time to win the share-of-voice battle.
Santa Claus is coming to bat
Another baseball off-season fixture involves putting a star player into a red suit with a white beard and letting him hand out presents to needy children. Local news crews can't pass up the image of an All-Star playing Santa Claus. Everybody wins -- the kids get presents, and the team gets good PR.
Tip for marketers: You too can use charitable efforts to keep customers involved. Perhaps you can donate product to a deserving charity. Perhaps employees or company officers can make a visible effort for a worthy cause. Whatever the case, use email and text messaging to let customers know how they can contribute or join the effort -- and get some brownie points for yourself as well.
Fantasy draft
The baseball off-season as also ritualized the drafting of fantasy teams, in which really involved fans form leagues and put together imaginary teams whose scores depend on the real-world performance of players. In the draft, the fans take turns picking players before the season begins, which makes them eagerly anticipate Opening Day. These drafts involve much convivial chatter among the owners. These fantasy team owners represent a major part of hardcore baseball fans.
Tip for marketers: Every brand has its own core of fans. Smart marketers should help connect these fans via social networking sites. Invite your fans to join a Facebook group, follow a Twitter stream, or participate in a discussion board. Keep the discussion going by asking for feedback and input. Then keep a close eye on these fans to see what they have to say. This information may help you on your own opening day.
Grapefruit league
Before official games begin, baseball teams send their players to Florida and Arizona to get ready for the season. In years past, spring training quietly played out before a few dozen retirees in the afternoon sun. Now, most teams play before hundreds and thousands of paying customers, often selling out the small parks in which they play. The teams market spring training not only as a treat for residents of pro ball-deprived towns like Winter Haven or Tempe, but also as a destination for home-market fans.
Among other things, fans love spring training games because they get to see next year's rising stars, the ones who may start out in the minor leagues but may eventually develop into team mainstays. The small parks also ensure that fans get up-close-and-personal with the players, an opportunity few will have in the regular season.
Tip for marketers: As the buildup for the main season begins, use the anticipation beforehand to get feedback on your new products. Encourage your customers and prospects to try out your products in-store (for products sold at retail) or online (if applicable). More importantly, ask customers or prospects who have had an in-person experience with the product to give honest feedback online with ratings and reviews. Ratings and reviews serve the marketer in two ways:
- Alerting them to the good and bad aspects of the product, which in turn allows the marketer to adjust the marketing message and address product shortcomings, respectively.
- Serving as word-of-mouth for the product. Consumers increasingly trust consumer-written reviews to get a real indication of a product's value.
Baseball fans like to believe that every team starts in first place on Opening Day. Brands may not have such a luxury, but brands that use their off-seasons wisely can depend on seeing their standings improve as the season wears on.
Chris Marriott is VP general manager of Acxiom Global Digital Agency.
