“Be The Thunder”A Case Study
John R. Luecke, APR, High Point UniversityTyler Blackshaw, High Point University
Charles University, 3 April 2014
“Be The Thunder”
2013 Bronze Effie WinnerClient: Tampa Bay Lightning
Agency: 22squared
The Client
Tampa Bay LightningNHL teamFour-year decline in attendancePrior to campaign ranked 18th in
attendance out of 30 teams2010 - New Owner, GM, and Coach$40 million stadium renovationsTwo-year plan to turn franchise
around
Agency
22squaredFounded in 19226th Largest
Independent Ad Agency in US
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
2nd Office in Tampa Bay
300-plus employees$600 million in billings
Case Study Structure
1. Client’s Situation – Problems or Opportunities
2. Research
3. Target Audiences
4. Objectives
5. Message
6. Tactics – Paid, Social, Owned, Earned Media
7. Evaluation of Results
Problems/Opportunities
Overcome fan skepticism and build support for the new direction
Popularize a cold-weather sport in a warm-weather town
Galvanize a transient community around a local team
Research
ESPN NHL Attendance Report 2011
Agency Superfan Interviews, June 2011- skepticism over new ownership
Agency Stakeholder Interviews, June 2011- other entertainment options
Research
US Census Bureau American Community Survey- Number of people moving in and out of Florida
Experian Simmons and Scarborough syndicated data- Number of visiting team’s fans
Social Bakers- Facebook engagement rank
Brand Keys loyalty study, 2011- Fan loyalty
Research Results
Community was interested and passionate for hockey but felt disconnected from the local team.
Must create a campaign to fuel a fan-base culture that showed fan support matters.
Target Audience
Tampa Bay hockey fans interested in the sport but not associated with Lightning
Typical hockey fan as defined by Experian Simmons and Scarborough syndicated data: “an active, ‘work hard, play hard’ male with no children”
Audience Segments
Superfans- know hockey and attend over 20 games a season
Swing fans- less knowledgeable/involved in hockey. Attends between 1-10 games per season
Key Objectives
Grow attendance and interest regardless of team record. Home attendance and TV viewership during
last year’s winning season were used as benchmarks. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
KPI: - Increase average home attendance over past year benchmark of 17,268
KPI - Increase TV viewership among target by 12% over past year
Tools: Lightning attendance data and Scarborough TV viewership data
Key Objectives
Increase sellouts. Season ticket sales and sellouts also contribute to long-term loyalty.
Key Performance Indicators
KPI: - Reach 10,000 season ticket sales prior to past year benchmark of Sept. 1
KPI - Increase sellouts by 30% over past year’s
benchmark of 11 games
Tools: Lightning sales data and NHL.com reporting
Key Objectives
Increase community engagement. Rely on social metrics as community engagement measure.
Benchmarked KPIs against another NHL team with robust social media programs: the Detroit Red Wings.
Key Performance Indicators:
Increase Facebook fan count by 20% from beginning to end of season Sustain engaged Facebook fans at least 0.1% average during the
season Increase Twitter followers from 30,000 to 60,000 by end of season
Tools: Social monitoring services Wildfire, Social Bakers, Facebook Insights, and Lithium (Twitter)
Measuring Engagement
Main Message
“Powerful fans are an essential element of a powerful team.”
“Be The Thunder” Plays off team nameGives audience a purpose: Make
noise!Made the fans part of the team not
just spectators
Tactics – Paid Media
TV and cable spots on fall premieres and 1st run episodes
New Tampa Bay Lightning SpotFirst Be the Thunder SpotBe the Thunder Spot
Used “trade-outs” with media
Tactics – Paid Media
Newspaper Ads: “Invest in throat lozenges” run on front page, bottom strip
Tactics – Paid Media
Digital Billboards: customized messages for upcoming games near stadium and high traffic area
Tactics – Social Media
FacebookFacebook “Thunderizer” App
YouTube Channel
TwitterTwitter Scavenger Hunts
Tactics – Owned Media
Web page
Promotional items for season ticket holders
Tactics – Owned Media
10,000 Lightning jerseys given to season ticketholders
Embedded RFID chips in sleeves
When worn to a game, ticketholder gets a discount
Lightning is Striking with a chip up its sleeve. (2011, December 8). ISO&AGENT, p. 19.
Tactics – Earned Media
News Release to local papers
Tampa Bay Times and the Business JournalNEWLY ENERGIZED LIGHTNING MARKETING CAMPAIGN CALLS ON FANS TO ‘BE THE THUNDER' THROUGHOUT 2011-12 SEASON
TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled its ‘Be The Thunder' marketing campaign for the 2011-12 regular season today, calling on all hockey fans throughout the Bay Area to come together and be loud in support of the Bolts all season long as the highly-anticipated start of the regular campaign quickly approaches.
Launched as the direct result of countless interviews with the same raucous crowds which packed the St. Pete Times Forum each night during an exciting and improbable playoff run, the ‘Be The Thunder' campaign features a refreshed focus on the team's identity and its brand, highlighting and paying tribute to the Lightning's passionate fan base. Both the exterior and interior of the St. Pete Times Forum are being transformed to offer guests the best fan experience possible, presenting signage consistent with the campaign throughout various parts of the building.
Tactics?
Thunder sheet for fans
Strengths of Message and Tactics
Demonstrates that team and new owners are interested and care about fans
Involves residents
Promotes brand loyalty
High viewer rate
Communication Theories
Elaboration Likelihood Model (1)
Peripheral route
Motivation Theory:Sensory Gratification- boredom
or apathy to excitement (2)
1 Petty, R. E. & Cacioppo, J.T. (1986). Communication and persuasion: Central and peripheral routes to attitude change. New York: Springer-Verlag.
2 Rossiter, J.R. & Percy, L. (1991). Emotions and motivationa in advertising. Advances in Consumer Research, 18:100-110.
RESULTS
Grow attendance & interest regardless of team record
Despite worse record from prior season, Tampa Bay: Saw a 7% Increase in home attendance
from last yearMoved from 18th in the league to 13th in
attendanceIncreased 57% over last year in TV
viewership
Criticism
Does not track the target audience’s television viewership
Does not account for away team fans at games
Upon closer examination the Lightning only went 12-10-2 in home games for the 2012/2013 season. 8th worst home winning percentage in the league
Increase Sellouts
Reached 10,000 season ticket sales 3 weeks earlier than last year
Doubled season ticket sales from prior year
Sold out 20 games, 50% increase over last year
Criticism
Season ticket sales came after the team’s first playoff appearance in almost 5 years skewing results/interest
Does not specify which games sold out
Once again does not account for opposing team’s fans
Increase Community Engagement
Facebook fans grew 26% (by comparison Red Wings grew only 14% in same time frame)
0.27% avg Facebook engagement rate (Red Wings: 0.11%)
Twitter followers grew by 103% (Red Wings: 90%)
Criticism
Keep referencing Red Wings’s percentages but not actual numbers. A smaller percentage of a larger portion could still be a greater number.
For example:Facebook
Red Wings currently have over 1.5 million likes/followers
Tampa Bay Lightning: Just over 330,000
Twitter: Red Wings: 386K Tampa Bay: 141K
Long Term Impact
bethethunder.com for Season Ticket Sales
#BeTheThunder hashtag still in effect
Strengthened the brand and fan support: 2012/2013: 8th in attendance 2013/2014: Currently 10th
22squared still works for the Lightning
“Be The Thunder”
2013 Bronze Effie WinnerClient: Tampa Bay Lightning
Agency: 22squared