Season Tickets

[Husky25]

Dan, These marketing ideas you have cost money. You are depriving the marketing department of a valuable resource. I don't deny you your passion. It is passion, misguided though it may be.

Protest via boycott, simply does not work unless you can influence a sizable percentage of the population and your target is aware of (and affected by) the boycott. Warde Manuel is not directly affected, but the team, and the marketing budget is. That is why it was such as stupid idea when people wanted to not go to games last year because of their misgiving over the coaching. The program already had their money, and besides that, Manuel heard the fans. While he did not fire Coach Pasqualoni (probably due to a cost analysis), he did force a shake up and made it known that another non-bowl season would not be tolerated. You want Coach Pasqualoni fired? What if it is warranted in January, but UConn only has $749k? They are missing your grand to complete the job...

And when you say this:

My family has a emotional aspect to it like many here. I simply don't.

You are only kidding yourself. The type of passion that you bring to this board oozes with your emotion.

 

[Husky25]

But yes, it's my fault they are season tix holders not the school they went to. And this folks is why uconn fans are laughed at on other messages boards and uconns commitment to football is laughed at on other boards and here's a good one maybe this is why uconn is in the AAC.


You mention UConn fans should follow Michigan (and other big football schools) fans around for a month, that we would be amazed. I think you would be amazed, cause they support the program no matter what. Do you think that if Michigan fans didn't like the AD they would stop going to games to teach the university a lesson? No, that's just dumb. If anything you are hurting the program. UConn has never sold out for the season so the administrations expectations for attendance aren't high-and when the administration sees such poor attendance they won't blame the AD, they will blame the fans and you will just be postponing any additional funding and attention the university gives to the program and making other conferences not look at us as a legitimate potential conference addition. Not to mention hurting recruiting even more, cause these kids want to play in front of people and not in front of an empty stadium. Think before you post.

I don't particularly like WM so far, but you blaming him for everything is just not well thought out. You talk about all these marketing plans but fail to realize that every department is given a budget so they can't just do whatever they want when it comes to marketing - and you do realize that he is in charge of all the athletic programs at the university and everything that goes along with being an AD (ie scheduling, hiring/firing, attending events on top of marketing and everything else).

Lastly, I come to your quote above. Maybe other fans and fans on other message boards laugh at us cause we don't fill the stadium cause our "fans" don't like the AD, or the new logo, or the new uniforms. It's "fans" like you that give other fans a reason to laugh at us. maybe the reason we are in the AAC is cause some "fans" only support the program and go to games when it's easy an convenient to cause we are winning. If we sold out all our games (or have close to a sellout every game) regardless of record and opponent, other conferences would see we have a bigger fan base then they thought and would maybe look at us for expanding their conference. Don't you realize that the bigger the following (which includes selling out games) brings the university to the attention of other schools and brings better recruits (and vice versa) the bigger the fan base (including consistenly selling out games) brings better recruits which leads to winning more games and makes other conference consider us more seriously.

Agree with all except the never sell out part. I believe UConn did "report" 100% capacity in 2005 and close in 2006.

 

[UConnJim]

I've already said what I think about fans like HFD, so I won't go there.

I do think most people do not give UConn fans the credit they deserve for building a fan base for football. This is going to be the 11th season of UConn football at the Rent. UConn has developed a fan base from, say 12k to 14k fans at Storrs in 1AA to almost 40k per game at the Rent. This is a tremendous accomplishment and attendance taking a step back over the last couple of years shouldn't be a surprise given the lack of quality opponents at home, a couple of losing seasons, a horrendous offense, and a bad economy.

Do you know how many ranked opponents that UConn has played at the Rent? 6. In 10 seasons, UConn has played 6 ranked opponents and only one of them was ranked in the top 10, WVU in 2006 at #4. In the last 3 seasons, UConn has played ZERO ranked opponents at home. That is ZERO in three seasons. ZERO ranked opponents + two losing seasons + a horrendous offense + a bad economy = a decline in home attendance. This would happen at almost every FBS school.

I do think UConn is doing a better job marketing football, but it's not perfect and I do expect continuous improvement. (Personally, I would put a limited number of individual game tickets for sale and let them sell out quickly to create some buzz and perhaps drive more season ticket sales.) I like that the scoreboard is being replaced. I like that a new offensive coordinator was hired. I do realize that Warde Manual was saddled with PP and in college football, you can not fire a head coach after two seasons, unless the seasons were 0 or 1 win seasons. Some on this board may not like that fact, but if you are going to attract a decent coach in the future, you can not show that you fire a coach after two 5-7 seasons. But, PP has to produce this year or I think he's gone.

As for this year, this could be the first year we have 2 ranked opponents visit the Rent, Michigan and Louisville, which both could be ranked in the top 10. In addition, we have Rutgers and Maryland visiting this year. If we had experienced success last year, had a decent offense, and there was some preseason buzz, I would have expected the season to sell out. Well, all of that has not happened, thus, I think we will see 3 sellouts or perhaps 4 sellouts this year.

 

[Dann]

Dan, These marketing ideas you have cost money. You are depriving the marketing department of a valuable resource. I don't deny you your passion. It is passion, misguided though it may be.

Protest via boycott, simply does not work unless you can influence a sizable percentage of the population and your target is aware of (and affected by) the boycott. Warde Manuel is not directly affected, but the team, and the marketing budget is. That is why it was such as stupid idea when people wanted to not go to games last year because of their misgiving over the coaching. The program already had their money, and besides that, Manuel heard the fans. While he did not fire Coach Pasqualoni (probably due to a cost analysis), he did force a shake up and made it known that another non-bowl season would not be tolerated. You want Coach Pasqualoni fired? What if it is warranted in January, but UConn only has $749k? They are missing your grand to complete the job...

And when you say this:


You are only kidding yourself. The type of passion that you bring to this board oozes with your emotion.

My family members give to uconn, I give to my alma not uconn. It's different. A lot of fans view there tickets as donations of a certain size. I don't. I view tickets as tickets to a sport I want to watch.


I love ppl here think now. Never went to a game and need a hand out or something. To funny. I got season tix from 08 till last year in my group. The last year I ate a lot of them with school and in 2009 I had a couple weekend some major eating also on good games. Just how it was for me and what I had to do. I can afford tickets. Lets stop all the bs. I simply chose as of now not to buy.

Honest question, tell me why I should buy tickets? I know as a somewhat knowledgable fan that I can buy a Michigan ticket on line somewhere. And then I now Michigan fans are going to dump the rest of the season for cheap. I mean honestly, what stops me from buying a Michigan ticket and then walking around the stadium looking for yellow shirts and making them offers to buy the rest of there seasons tickets with some nice story about my friends needing them. Give them a cell number and email and bam. Cake.

You guys can rip all u want. But this happens. The stands will tell the story early on. Then based on what p does will dictate them the rest of the season.

Whaler tells it like it is always. Some times I argue with him but he's not wrong.

Father's Day promotion? Good. The freebie? Bad. Simple as that. I mean we have a new logo out right? What better that a new logo t shirt or hoodie or something as the freebie? Has the same value doesn't it? But one of them you wear around and pump your favorite school/team. The other you annoy friends about a school they have never heard when all they heard about was Michigan all off season anyway. Yea, that's really a good strategy.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Me personally, I will not buy tickets until warde does something good or gets fired.

And now we know what kind of fan you really are. A fair weather one.

Never been easier to hit the ignore button in my life.

 

[Carl Spackler]

North Carolina was ranked when they came in. WVU has been ranked a few times coming in. The last official sell out, to my knowledge, was the Cincinatti game in Nov. 2010.

Neither team was ranked - us or them - we were 7-4, they were 4-7. It was as cold day, the saturday after thanksgiving - noon kickoff. Pretty much every bad scenario you can think of for poor attendance. It was sold out. THe reason? We were on a 4 game win streak. It's the last win streak we've had.

If you don't win though, you need other reasons to draw people to the stadium. It's that simple.

 

[junglehusky]

I think it's pretty obvious the freebie tickets are primarily to get some butts in the seats so the stadium is at least half full in the third quarter for a I-AA opponent that nobody cares abou. Secondarily - to get new fans who haven't been to Rentschler something to think about for entertainment options.

 

[Dann]

And now we know what kind of fan you really are. A fair weather one.

Never been easier to hit the ignore button in my life.

Without "fair weather fans" the rent doesn't fill up 40k yet to date in uconn football. They are 10-15k of your base right now. They are the ones who sell your. P,ace out and when you have a good product, entertainer capture them they become more serious fans and buy season tix. You must work for uconn because u don't understand how it works. Lets turn off all fair weather/casual fans. Yea screw them. We don't need there money.

 

[UConnJim]

North Carolina was ranked when they came in. WVU has been ranked a few times coming in. The last official sell out, to my knowledge, was the Cincinatti game in Nov. 2010.

Neither team was ranked - us or them - we were 7-4, they were 4-7. It was as cold day, the saturday after thanksgiving - noon kickoff. Pretty much every bad scenario you can think of for poor attendance. It was sold out. THe reason? We were on a 4 game win streak. It's the last win streak we've had.

If you don't win though, you need other reasons to draw people to the stadium. It's that simple.

Here are the ranked opponents we have seen at the Rent by year:

2002: Zero
2003: Zero
2004: #17 WVU
2005: #16 Louisville
2006: #4 WVU
2007: #11 USF
2008: #25 Pitt
2009: #19 UNC
2010: Zero
2011: Zero
2012: Zero
2013: Possibility of two top 10 ranked teams, Michigan and Louisville

 

[Dann]

I think it's pretty obvious the freebie tickets are primarily to get some butts in the seats so the stadium is at least half full in the third quarter for a I-AA opponent that nobody cares abou. Secondarily - to get new fans who haven't been to Rentschler something to think about for entertainment options.

The point is, new fans are not going to buy watching p run it up the middle vs Towson as entertaining. Maybe they enjoy the tailgate? Ok, but they can drop there tailgate in there driveway and invite the neighborhood over and do the same thing.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Dan - the biggest reason, by far, why anyone buys tickets, is because they want to go the game(s). Not sure where else you really want to go with this. The father's day gift idea is a good promotion, I think it was misguided, but we've been over this - no?

The solution here, is for every fan that recieved this email - to forward that email about the promotion - to someone they know that may be interested, and is a NEW buyer, or a returning buyer - that has not yet purchased tickets this season.

You are very keyed in on pointing out mistakes, that's good - but it's a much better habit, to point out a mistake once, and then focus all your energy on how to fix that mistake, rather than repeating what the mistake was over and over.

Everyone take the info here, and forward it to people that might be new buyers, or people that have bought before, but haven't bought season tickets this here. and I'll go out on a limb and say that people that pay attention to this website, have gotten the message.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Here are the ranked opponents we have seen at the Rent by year:

2002: Zero
2003: Zero
2004: #17 WVU
2005: #16 Louisville
2006: #4 WVU
2007: #11 USF
2008: #25 Pitt
2009: #19 UNC
2010: Zero
2011: Zero
2012: Zero
2013: Possibility of two top 10 ranked teams, Michigan and Louisville

I know we've had this discussion before too.

You know what I'd like to see!

2013 : say......5
2014: 7
2015: 7
2016: 7

Etc......the team being ranked in all those home games? UCONN!!!!!

 

[noeynox]

Honestly, I see nothing wrong with what Dan is doing here. I made similar decision when I stopped attending men's basketball games because I felt they kept pushing you further from the court. They sold good seats to corporations/donors who didn't attend or resell tickets. I had to pay exorbitant $$$ on the secondary market to sit in nosebleeds for UCONN vs Gtown, while looking at tons of empty seats down low. It infuriated me and I made a decision to watch on TV from then on.

Different reason, but bottom line is they pissed me off so I won't attend.

 

[Dann]

Honestly, I see nothing wrong with what Dan is doing here. I made similar decision when I stopped attending men's basketball games because I felt they kept pushing you further from the court. They sold good seats to corporations/donors who didn't attend or resell tickets. I had to pay exorbitant $ on the secondary market to sit in nosebleeds for UCONN vs Gtown, while looking at tons of empty seats down low. It infuriated me and I made a decision to watch on TV from then on.

Different reason, but bottom line is they pissed me off so I won't attend.

Your a fair weather bozo. You shouldn't waste your time here. What a jerk you are. How dare you not give a lot of money to uconn without the product that you like in return.and 20 other insults, cheap shots. Some from high horses and some form crack heads....

 

[UConnJim]

BC has faced the same problem as UConn with lack of ranked home opponents:

2007: Zero
2008: #17 VT
2009: Zero
2010: Zero
2011: Zero
2012: #17 Clemson, #4 ND

 

[Dooley]

I don't care if someone decides to cancel their season tickets. I choose to use my entertainment spending budget towards UConn football. I go to 3-5 basketball games a year when tickets are fairly priced and in a decent section/row, but I have never bought season ticket packages to XL or Gampel. I buy football season tickets for one simple reason: I like to watch football (two simple reasons if you include that I like to drink beer and eat food). I'm a Patriots fan but never go to Pats games because NFL football is better watched on TV these days than shelling out $100+ on 300 level nosebleed seats. I go to UConn games because I love the view from our seats and we are in the last row of the lower bowl so we get "free" chair backs, without having to pay chairback prices.

HFD, I think the reason why so many folks here are upset with your statements is because one of the reasons that we've all heard in CR as to why UConn has been snubbed so far is that we have a fickle fanbase. I'm not calling you fickle, please note. The "fickle" comes from our attendance decline in all money sports, our subpar showings in road stadiums, and the negative press we received from Fiesta ticket sales. I know you'll be at the Michigan game and you will probably find your way into the stadium for MD, RU and Ville too. I don't care if you do it by buying season tickets or buying from a scalper. But I think the hostility stems from your putting a face (although I'm not convinced that your avatar pic is you!! ) to the premise of declining attendance (i.e. - declining season ticket numbers). We all know you love UConn and hate Warde and that's fine. But, honestly, you have to expect some negative reaction when you post negative things. We all get a heavy dose of negative when we leave the Boneyard and go to national sites' message boards and discuss UConn, so I don't think we want much negativity here within our own fanbase. And yes, I have my UConn colored glasses firmly on!!

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Your a fair weather bozo. You shouldn't waste your time here. What a jerk you are. How dare you not give a lot of money to uconn without the product that you like in return.and 20 other insults, cheap shots. Some from high horses and some form crack heads....

You can do whatever you want with your money. But don't expect anybody here to lend you an ounce of credibility. You've been saying you're not buying season tix for months now (before you were banned). I'll be honest that's when I stopped taking you seriously. Others are now catching wind of this and I don't think you'll be left with many sympathizers.

There's a lot people on here who I disagree with often here but the main theme is that everyone supports the program, goes to games, and is emotionally invested. What you are doing is more damaging to the program than you even realize. For people who spend their hard earned money on tickets, it's tough to listen to a whiny b!tch who complains about EVERYTHING while sitting home on his couch. You think you're acting "big time" with this stupid protest (that will go nowhere, btw), but really, you're not. Not even close.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I'm not calling you fickle, please note. The "fickle" comes from our attendance decline in all money sports, our subpar showings in road stadiums, and the negative press we received from Fiesta ticket sales.

I wouldn't call him fickle either. That would be an insult to all the fickle fans out there.

 

[Husky25]

My family members give to uconn, I give to my alma not uconn. It's different. A lot of fans view there tickets as donations of a certain size. I don't. I view tickets as tickets to a sport I want to watch.

I get my tickets through a friend who built up his points. I donate the $100 or $150 because that is a prereq. for my 3 year package and the blue lot pass. By the way, I've never paid remotely close to $500 per seat, even with the donation and I split the cost for a 3rd ticket. I sit 5 rows from the field on the 30 yard line. I have no idea where you get $1000 for 2 tickets, unless you pay to be in the Blue Chairbacks or behind glass...But that's a different discussion.

I love ppl here think now. Never went to a game and need a hand out or something. To funny. I got season tix from 08 till last year in my group. The last year I ate a lot of them with school and in 2009 I had a couple weekend some major eating also on good games. Just how it was for me and what I had to do. I can afford tickets. Lets stop all the bs. I simply chose as of now not to buy.

Honest question, tell me why I should buy tickets? I know as a somewhat knowledgable fan that I can buy a Michigan ticket on line somewhere. And then I now Michigan fans are going to dump the rest of the season for cheap. I mean honestly, what stops me from buying a Michigan ticket and then walking around the stadium looking for yellow shirts and making them offers to buy the rest of there seasons tickets with some nice story about my friends needing them. Give them a cell number and email and bam. Cake.

You guys can rip all u want. But this happens. The stands will tell the story early on. Then based on what p does will dictate them the rest of the season.

Then just f'in say that!!! I could not care much less if you do buy seats directly from the school or not. That's not why people are b1tching. It's the song and dance behind it about not buying because of Warde Manuel. It's old and, worse, lacks merit.

The route you suggest above is a valid one...but it is also a 1t move. If you're going to boycott, then own it and follow through. Don't rip the athletic dept., spouting off that they don't get it and you can do better. But when push comes to shove, you end up watching through the knot hole in the fence. Put your name on it.

Here's the thing, Dan. It is 100% evident that this is not what you actually want to do. As a non-alum resident, you actually care about UConn Sports for whatever reason. You obviously have passion, but the way you convey that passion, is Little Boy Who Cied Wof-ish. People are tuning you out because its the same message every time in a forum where there are few, if any, real decision makers when it come to the Program. Know your audience.

Whaler tells it like it is always. Some times I argue with him but he's not wrong.

Father's Day promotion? Good. The freebie? Bad. Simple as that. I mean we have a new logo out right? What better that a new logo t shirt or hoodie or something as the freebie? Has the same value doesn't it? But one of them you wear around and pump your favorite school/team. The other you annoy friends about a school they have never heard when all they heard about was Michigan all off season anyway. Yea, that's really a good strategy.

No, it doesn't have the same value. A ticket and shirt may cost the fan the same, but the ticket costs the school next to nothing greater than what they are already obligated to do. The shirt manufacturer needs to recoup its costs and make a profit. Someone (either the fan or the school) has to pay for that. The school does not make a profit on a free ticket, to be sure, but the seat still exists and the ticket is still printed. Whether it is given away or it goes unused makes no difference. I don't think the school gets a cut of the concessions (They haven't in the past) so there is no real benefit other than to fill the stands for a less attractive game. Cost-Benefit wise this promotion is a no brainer, provided capacity is there...which it apparently is.

I don't understand the last sentence. You think no one has heard of UConn football within the state boarders of Connecticut?

 

[Husky25]

The point is, new fans are not going to buy watching p run it up the middle vs Towson as entertaining. Maybe they enjoy the tailgate? Ok, but they can drop there tailgate in there driveway and invite the neighborhood over and do the same thing.

Wait until you are married and have kids. Those of us who are know this is not an option.

 

[Dann]

I get my tickets through a friend who built up his points. I donate the $100 or $150 because that is a prereq. for my 3 year package and the blue lot pass. By the way, I've never paid remotely close to $500 per seat, even with the donation and I split the cost for a 3rd ticket. I sit 5 rows from the field on the 30 yard line. I have no idea where you get $1000 for 2 tickets, unless you pay to be in the Blue Chairbacks or behind glass...But that's a different discussion.
.


Then just f'in say that!!! I could not care much less if you do buy seats directly from the school or not. That's not why people are b1tching. It's the song and dance behind it about not buying because of Warde Manuel. It's old and, worse, lacks merit.

The route you suggest above is a valid one...but it is also a 1t move. If you're going to boycott, then own it and follow through. Don't rip the athletic dept., spouting off that they don't get it and you can do better. But when push comes to shove, you end up watching through the knot hole in the fence. Put your name on it.

Here's the thing, Dan. It is 100% evident that this is not what you actually want to do. As a non-alum resident, you actually care about UConn Sports for whatever reason. You obviously have passion, but the way you convey that passion, is Little Boy Who Cied Wof-ish. People are tuning you out because its the same message every time in a forum where there are few, if any, real decision makers when it come to the Program. Know your audience.



No, it doesn't have the same value. A ticket and shirt may cost the fan the same, but the ticket costs the school next to nothing greater than what they are already obligated to do. The shirt manufacturer needs to recoup its costs and make a profit. Someone (either the fan or the school) has to pay for that. The school does not make a profit on a free ticket, to be sure, but the seat still exists and the ticket is still printed. Whether it is given away or it goes unused makes no difference. I don't think the school gets a cut of the concessions (They haven't in the past) so there is no real benefit other than to fill the stands for a less attractive game. Cost-Benefit wise this promotion is a no brainer, provided capacity is there...which it apparently is.

I don't understand the last sentence. You think no one has heard of UConn football within the state boarders of Connecticut?

The money was tickets, drinks, food, gas the overall cost ballpark for me for the season compared to staying home. Was not just tickets. My point in all of this is that this decision is what a lot of fair weather casual fans are weighing that ppl here don't understand and continue to ignore or just come right out and say to which is the funniest and dumbest thing to date I have seen here. Hey your casual, f your mother and don't ever come to a uconn game ever. Great. Just great. I bet your invite to a non league is coming 2moro you clown.

I was a none and I became a diehard over time. I started to care and follow what other fanbases were doing. I wanted that for uconn. I wanted the stadium rocking between the 3rd and 4th to sandstorm up 3 vs a ranked team on ESPN at 10pm. I wanted to be drunk off my asz in the parking lot playing pong having a good time. I want the best pulled pork possible off the grill. I was hooked. But the past couple years slowly let me fall off because I am no longer hooked. The product is stale from the environment in the parking lot to the product on the field. It's obvious and ppl here for some reason defend it. I want to love uconn again sports wise. But why should I right now? We split our home bball area and each has a diet fault to it. Our fball stadium is away from campus so as a non alum for me I view it as never really getting to see where my parents went to school and just like going to a giants game. Just some stadium offa highway exit with nothing around it game day wise. Uconn is slowly letting me off the hook. Bottom line. I was a lot more hooked then many others because I came here and engaged with all of u and enjoyed recruiting.

The shirt is worth more than the ticket to townson. The ticket shows a new fan a crappy ball game. That won't hook them. A better game would. The shirt gets worn and that advertising pays for the life of the shirt back to uconn.

The last sentence. I think most have heard of uconn football. What I'm saying is most also have not bought into it. So what they heard all off season is can p turn the ship around and hey Michigan is visiting. Big time. Blah blah. So as a non follower when you hear Michigan is visiting that gets your ears for a second. Then your friend invites you to the Towson game. Who is Towson?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Free tickets are a dangerous route, because offering free tickets to a sporting event, is going to attract the kind of new buyer, that's unlikely to become a regular buyer. It's not the best route to go in generating motivation to be tickets.

Call me crazy - but I'd be happy to see the "free" ticket motivation disappear and be replaced by something with value.

The first thing always though, is to figure out what target population of ticket buyers you're going for. That's the only fault I have with this promotion - I'm not really sure who they're after. It seems like an ad going for new buyers, but it seems like it was targeted to return buyers, or worse - buyers that have already purchased tickets.

If I'm going for return buyers, (people that have purchased at some point in the past, and are on an existing email / mail list) - but have not yet bought any tickets this year?

An offer of an on field pass, is a great idea. I guarantee that if I had not renewed yet, and I planned to, and I got the email for an on-field pass if I renew - in the next week - I'm probably doing it.

But the free tickets thing? New buyers? Offering free tickets and things like that to new buyers always makes me nervous, and I agree 100% with whaler on it - I'd like to see that go away, it devalues the ticket. SUch things should only be geared to new buyers anyway - you don't want return buyers paying less than what they've been willing to pay in the past. It's bad business.

How about buy 2 season tickets before date, and have the option of purchasing two more at 50% discount. That might be get people to think about adding more to their existing Whatever. Attach some kind of value to every ticket. If admission to the venue were free, there wouldn't be a dollar amount printed on the tickets.

ANd again, I get annoyed, because I don't get paid to do this for UCONN, adn I know there are people in place that earn salaries, that should have this basic kind of knowledge when it comes to sales.

 

[Carl Spackler]

god damn it - it's like godfather 3 - I thought i was out - but I got pulled in again.

I hope everybody that has read this promotional offer, and/or has received the actual email - forwards it - NOW - to as many moms, dads, kids, etc that they can think of, that don't already have tickets for the 2013 season.

That's it. Mistakes pointed out. Lessons learned, hpefully not to be repeated. Solution presented, and acted on. DIscussion over. Next issue.

 

[huskymedic]

The first thing always though, is to figure out what target population of ticket buyers you're going for. That's the only fault I have with this promotion - I'm not really sure who they're after. It seems like an ad going for new buyers, but it seems like it was targeted to return buyers, or worse - buyers that have already purchased tickets.

UConnHuskies 10:09am via HootSuite
Does your #Dad deserve more than a tie for #FathersDay? OFFER: ow.ly/i/2mnJw ORDER: ow.ly/m2bfA #UConn #BleedBlue

I think they are clearly looking for new season ticket buyers... not return buyers.

I completely agree with the mindset they can reinforce among current season ticket holders that if I wait till the last minute to renew/buy I might get a better deal or a freebie.

 

[Husky25]

The money was tickets, drinks, food, gas the overall cost ballpark for me for the season compared to staying home. Was not just tickets. My point in all of this is that this decision is what a lot of fair weather casual fans are weighing that ppl here don't understand and continue to ignore or just come right out and say to which is the funniest and dumbest thing to date I have seen here. Hey your casual, f your mother and don't ever come to a uconn game ever. Great. Just great. I bet your invite to a non ty league is coming 2moro you clown.

If nothing else you certainly have passion...

I, for one, do not include food, drinks and gas in the cost of the games. If you were not at the game tailgating, would you not have breakfast or lunch? Would you not have a few beers if you watched the game from your sofa? Purchasing overpriced concessions is your own choice. but the tailgate is only a venue for activity you already planned on doing. You may not drive to the stadium, but are you a hermit? The gasoline gets used...trust me. It's all sunk cost. The only true variable is the cost of the ticket and potential donation.

I was a none and I became a diehard over time. I started to care and follow what other fanbases were doing. I wanted that for uconn. I wanted the stadium rocking between the 3rd and 4th to sandstorm up 3 vs a ranked team on ESPN at 10pm. I wanted to be drunk off my asz in the parking lot playing pong having a good time. I want the best pulled pork possible off the grill. I was hooked. But the past couple years slowly let me fall off because I am no longer hooked. The product is stale from the environment in the parking lot to the product on the field. It's obvious and ppl here for some reason defend it.

Where were you all season last year? Many, if not most, got fed up with Coach Pasqualoni....I don't know what you do in the parking lot. That's your business, so it is also up to you to change your own environment. It's your tailgate.

I want to love uconn again sports wise. But why should I right now? We split our home bball area and each has a diet fault to it. Our fball stadium is away from campus so as a non alum for me I view it as never really getting to see where my parents went to school and just like going to a giants game. Just some stadium offa highway exit with nothing around it game day wise. Uconn is slowly letting me off the hook. Bottom line. I was a lot more hooked then many others because I came here and engaged with all of u and enjoyed recruiting.

That's a cop out and you know it. First, the basketball environment is completely different and we're not talking about basketball. Second UConn is an open campus. Its not a gated community. Take the initiative and go up there. You talk about an on campus stadium where people are walking around and taking tours and reminicing. I wouldn't mind it, but the infrastructure is not in place and would take the $15 billion just awarded UConn to build it. That money is going to the acedemic side to achieve AAU status to be more appealing to the Big Ten. Isn't that what the goal should be? Shouldn't that trump the short term dumpster fire of 2013-2014? Besides that, how many tours do you think people will take? How often? One per year? maybe one every two years? Be honest...

The shirt is worth more than the ticket to townson. The ticket shows a new fan a crappy ball game. That won't hook them. A better game would. The shirt gets worn and that advertising pays for the life of the shirt back to uconn.

I've already agreed that the shirt is worth more to the fan...But the ticket doesn't cost the school anything. It's a no-brainer. Don't mistake cost for value. I don't think anyone disagrees that the in stadium experience needs work, including the product on the field. I have no choice but to take Warde Manuel at his word and changes will be made if this team is not successful this year.

The last sentence. I think most have heard of uconn football. What I'm saying is most also have not bought into it. So what they heard all off season is can p turn the ship around and hey Michigan is visiting. Big time. Blah blah. So as a non follower when you hear Michigan is visiting that gets your ears for a second. Then your friend invites you to the Towson game. Who is Towson?

One has nothing to do with the other. Look at it this way, You show your friend a good time at the Towson game with the things you can control. (You can't control the product on the field). He/she has a good time playing beer pong and eating the best Po' Boy this side of the Mississippi (as you say you do). When they ask about Michigan, you tell him/her, that the Michigan game is a special circumstance and you don't have an extra ticket. You'll work on it, but can't make promises. You cannot force other people to spend their money. Ergo, I couldn't care less if you buy season tickets or not, but you are doing it (or not doing it as the case may be) as a sign of protest. I only ask that you own it and follow through...That also means you can't watch the TV broadcast either, because UConn gets a portion, the a pittance that it is, of the TV revenue too.

 

[Carl Spackler]

UConnHuskies 10:09am via HootSuite
Does your #Dad deserve more than a tie for #FathersDay? OFFER: ow.ly/i/2mnJw ORDER: ow.ly/m2bfA #UConn #BleedBlue

I think they are clearly looking for new season ticket buyers... not return buyers.

I completely agree with the mindset they can reinforce among current season ticket holders that if I wait till the last minute to renew/buy I might get a better deal or a freebie.

I agree - to me - it's clearly a promotional move geared toward generating first time buyers - and for that - I think it's a pretty darn good move. I hope it generates buyers.

I actually received the email a while ago, at least a week ago, probably longer. I forwarded it to people that might be interested, because I bought my own tickets 3 months ago, and then didnt' think about it again. - and that's a problem, that I really didn't think about. It was reflex. But I'm kind of annoyed about it now.

Because why did I get the ad? That's the issue that whaler hit on, and I agree with. Who are they really marketing too? Why?

I'm guilty of the same mindset and not thinking about what they're doing either. There's no reason why a regular season ticket holder, that already has purchased season tickets - to be hit with a marketing ad - like this, unless it was a calculated shotgun approach ad, across all potential and existing buyers.

I reflexively passed it on, becuase like Pavlov's dog, it's what I"ve been conditioned to do.

Much better to actually make a promotion that's for a specific ticket buying population, and then actually deliver the promotion to that target audience - but it costs money.

All said - having stuff like this happening regularly, is much better than nothing - it only becomes a problem is you don't learn from what you're doing, and you're not compiling a very detailed database of your ticket buying population.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Where are they supposed to get the email addresses from? You send it to the people that you've collected said info from. This includes season ticket holders.

Unless we hire Eric Holder as the new AD, we will not have access to private email addresses of the entire state of CT.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Where are they supposed to get the email addresses from? You send it to the people that you've collected said info from. This includes season ticket holders.

Unless we hire Eric Holder as the new AD, we will not have access to private email addresses of the entire state of CT.

There are plenty of ways to access public info. The athletic department has a budget, and some of that budget is going to go to athletic ticket marketing. How much that is, I don't know, but you can pay a fee, not too high, and get teh names and street addresses of everyone in the state that has purchased a new home within the past year - 2 years - etc. pretty easily.

Since we're going to beat this horse until it resurrects from the dead, and I know I"ve suggested this before, I would take a portion of the budget for marketing, and every year, send out regular mailers, periodic ads for ticket sales, to every single real address that pops up as a new home buyer in the state of CT. That's basics for targeting a new popultian of potential new ticket buyers. Will you get cross over, of people that already buy tickets? Rarely.

To me - that kind of audience is what this kind of marketing scheme should have gone too - with just the freebie tickets involved as a kicker.

I would hope that the department has a database that can query the email addresses of past ticket buyers, and sort through current ticket year purchases, vs. those that haven't bought tickets for the current year. I really don't know if that exists - if that digital data compiling and sorting capability doesn't exist in our ticket office, it should get in place now.

When somebody renews their season tickets, or buys season tickets for the first time, they should drop out of the rotation of advertisements like this, for that year.

The data manipulation systems that I'm talking about exist, and if we don't have one, we need one, and we need people that know how to use it properly, to generate powerful, and specifically directed advertising campaigns at specific populations.

ANd to answer your question jimmy, the way you start compiling email addresses, is that whenever anyone goes to the website, you require a valid email to be entered to browse for tickets.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

ANd to answer your question jimmy, the way you start compiling email addresses, is that whenever anyone goes to the website, you require a valid email to be entered to browse for tickets.

So you want people to be required to ENTER a valid email address to even BROWSE for UConn football tickets. Am I understanding that correctly?

 

[Husky25]

Where are they supposed to get the email addresses from? You send it to the people that you've collected said info from. This includes season ticket holders.

Unless we hire Eric Holder as the new AD, we will not have access to private email addresses of the entire state of CT.

With all due respect, Jimmy. That's a poor attempt to fit politics where it don't belong. E-mail addresses are probably categorized between commercial and personal, but they are not necessarily private, per se. There are companies that drum up leads all the time for specific purposes and I'm sure UConn has alumni lists where some people have left an e-mail address. The proof is in your spam box. Some get through, some don't.

Be that as it may, there is no stopping the School from doing an old fashion mass mailing either.