willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) Is it possible to come up with an effective campaign that appeals to everyone on a budget of next to nothing? KSK......for a creative and innovative thinker, it would definitely be possible. It would almost certainly involve a pretty risky, dare I use Ando's terminology "edgy", strategy. I haven't heard enough coming from the club to suggest that a strategy like that is being considered or even developed. I think they might have one more chance this season if they're willing to risk it. Needs to be before the end of the year, though. Question is, do they have the balls to take the risk?? Fortune favours the brave.......the greater the risk, the greater the reward! Edited November 5, 2012 by willo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 KSK......for a creative and innovative thinker, it would definitely be possible Sorry. I should rephrase that question. Do we have anyone at the club capable of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 We got to give it some time. As i understand it, the Marketing Manager is new to Australia and our way of life. He probably doesn't understand the Melbourne Sporting Culture just yet. But i agree with KSK the "We Will Rule This City" is ridiculous. To me, it doesnt stand for who we are and what we're trying to achieve. The CEO has always said that we understand we are playing 5 years behind Victory, yet our slogan for this season is We Will Rule This City. Just doesn't make sense. The club should have got someone local help him. A year of marketing wasted. Interesting comments here. I personally don't know who the Marketing Manager is, or where they're from, but if this comment is true that they're from outside of Australia, and they in fact don't understand our sporting culture and the Victorian, let alone Australian market.......well fuck me, the Heart have some explaining to do. The marketing was very silent, barely a blip on the radar. I think it also goes without saying having a local, if not someone at least savvy with their knowledge of our market, should have been used. Anyway, as I've said, there is possibly time if they're ballsy enough to try some things this season - sooner rather than later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Sorry. I should rephrase that question. Do we have anyone at the club capable of this? Mate, by the sounds of it, I think the short answer is no. And if there is, well what the bloody hell have they been doing the past 4 months?? Speculate to accumulate, Heart. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I called the club two weeks ago and was put through to him. I think he's Irish or something. I knew something wasn't right when i asked him if the club was excited about the Grella signing. He answered "Ai, another defender always helps". I was confused so ended the conversation. Anyway, he said he put all the pre-season campaigns together and i questioned him on the reasons behind some of the work put together. He shoved teh answer aside saying something like Rugby in his homeland is bigger than football here so he knows what hes talking about. Not sure if he meant league or union. I assume he comes from that sport. Which again, is a concern. I agree with willo, sure what is wrong with locally based marketers who have knowledge of our culture and our game. The club has got it wrong on two fronts. Just to be clear.....I'm not against someone who's originally from overseas doing it........or saying that they are immediately not capable of putting together a half decent marketing campaign.......but it definitely helps to understand our market. And if they did have market intelligence and research that provided them with that knowledge, then they appear to have used it abysmally and missed the mark. I want the Heart to succeed on and off the field......it would be nice to see them definitely get it right once or twice this season and build from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando Posted November 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Remember guys, the idea of this thread is to work on better outcomes, not to completely criticize. A bit of constructive criticism is fine, but let's keep it positive. Ideally once we reach a critical mass of ideas, I'd like to collate them all in to a document to present to the club. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biancorosso7 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) I know this is probably pushing it, but the guys that do the HeartCast do a massive amount of promotion of the Club through their podcast. I wonder if the Club would be keen to assist them in improving their podcast, and maybe even making it a 30 minute tv show on C31, simulcast onto the podcast, or a YouTube weekly show. Opens up a viewer audience, appearances by players, platform for other promotions run by the Club and maybe even further sponsorship packages. Do any of the other A-League clubs have weekly TV/YouTube shows? Additionally, do we have any "sister clubs", like they do have in certainly Italy, but I assume other European Leagues? Edited November 5, 2012 by biancorosso7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) Remember guys, the idea of this thread is to work on better outcomes, not to completely criticize. A bit of constructive criticism is fine, but let's keep it positive. Ideally once we reach a critical mass of ideas, I'd like to collate them all in to a document to present to the club. See my earlier post, I've provided thoughts/ideas on some markets to target. I assume they've conducted some market research in the last 6-8 mths, could be time to do so again in the immediate future and get back out to the market. I know that Deakin Uni have in the past, and do assist sporting clubs and organisations through the Sport Management faculty with this sort of research to assist their development. Now, I know we're connected with LaTrobe, and they have the Leisure & Tourism Management area......don't know the quality of LaTrobe's data and research ( I do know Deakin's is excellent), but I would like to think Heart is using these networks to their advantage. I know Heart had a crack at their campaign for this year with the billboards, the new ad for TV/Internet, and I do hear the odd ad promoting a Heart game on SEN. It is disappointing as a Heart fan that often Sports Today (I rarely listen to it these days) and SEN to a lesser extent, predominantly talk about Victory. I also know that Scott Munn at times last season rang into SEN talkback, which was a great initiative on his part and one which I applauded. More of the same Scott and other would be warmly welcomed to rectify the imbalance and tip the scales back towards Heart's favour. A little more proactivity to benefit ourselves. Finally, It would be great to see the club have another stab at a campaign reaching a greater audience. Let's call it Phase II of their existing marketing strategy. Again, that is assuming they're not already about to launch the next phase which none of us are aware of. I now wait with keen anticipation..... Edited November 5, 2012 by willo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) People might be interested to read the profile of one of our previous managers in the field: http://www.linkedin....ynon/17/935/751 and this was the mob behind 'For the Love of the Game' a few weeks ago: http://mumbrella.com...ve-heart-119234 FYI. Do we still have the 'Fan Engagement Manager'? If we're thinking of a new advertising campaign, I'd suggest we consider including the Leader newspaper group. It's delivered free to most households in Melbourne on a weekly basis. Edited November 5, 2012 by jw1739 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) People might be interested to read the profile of one of our previous managers in the field: http://www.linkedin....ynon/17/935/751 and this was the mob behind 'For the Love of the Game' a few weeks ago: http://mumbrella.com...ve-heart-119234 FYI. Do we still have the 'Fan Engagement Manager'? If we're thinking of a new advertising campaign, I'd suggest we consider including the Leader newspaper group. It's delivered free to most households in Melbourne on a weekly basis. Mate, she's not a bad sort. I'll give her that much!! As for the other article on the campaign, I sort of see what they wanted, but it was too safe, to much sameness....not enough passion in the delivery. Which sort of goes against its pitch. Anyway, I've said more than enough. Edited November 5, 2012 by willo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I know Heart had a crack at their campaign for this year with the billboards, the new ad for TV/Internet, and I do hear the odd ad promoting a Heart game on SEN. It is disappointing as a Heart fan that often Sports Today (I rarely listen to it these days) and SEN to a lesser extent, predominantly talk about Victory. I also know that Scott Munn at times last season rang into SEN talkback, which was a great initiative on his part and one which I applauded. More of the same Scott and other would be warmly welcomed to rectify the imbalance and tip the scales back towards Heart's favour. A little more proactivity to benefit ourselves. If anyone knows which shows provide good talkback oportunities they could list them here and we could move the conversations towards Melbourne's premier club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 If anyone knows which shows provide good talkback oportunities they could list them here and we could move the conversations towards Melbourne's premier club. I know "The Four Diego's" have just come back onto SEN on Sunday between 5-6pm, talking the world game. Otherwise anytime on SEN is a good time. And then you have Sports Today on 3AW between 6-8pm. Fans ringing up/texting through to the show either commenting about Heart and its players, or asking questions about them more often would be a good thing. Maybe the club could look at running a weekly hour-long show all about Heart, as Melbourne Storm does. I know SEN might be nervous about having fans of the morons turn off, but at least we could try. And some giveaways/incentives from our sponsors on match day to entice people to come.......and let the sponsors engage with what is supposed to be its target audience. e.g. Westpac could have a prize of $2000 in a managed fund, or something similar, for a lucky attendee. How about Hyundai giving away a car......you just have to be at the ground. I know these aren't new ideas, but surely some of these could help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biancorosso7 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 SEN does do a fair few "soccer" sessions. They do have one of the 4 Diegos on weekly, but that's a more generalist chat show. Didn't we have the Heart Half Hour last season on a Sunday night on SEN? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toogood18 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 We did have that, but it hasn't been back this season for some reason. I just wish they would give us some air time, all their football talk is about the visitors unfortunately, this has to be fixed IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Agree. We need a slot on SEN. They have The World Game hour on Harf Time with Warren Diego. Big Victory supporter. We need a "football analyst" with street cred to also have his say on the Heart. Suggestions? Viduka is a Heart fan......I reckon you could say he has street cred......although he has slipped into a very quiet retirement. Apart from the very occasional citing at a Heart aftermatch function. There are a couple of people working on SEN later at night - mainly weekends - that seem to be more Heart oriented, however during the prime time timeslots for Morning Glory, Harf Time and The Run Home, it's largely Victory and then daylight. Can't say I know too many other high profile Heart fans with street cred. Bon Jovi and Usain Bolt??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biancorosso7 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Why can't the fans be proactive about it? Just like the HeartCast boys (and girls) have done? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Kappa getting more involved would be good too, no doubt. One difficulty is though that the sponsors need to also see some value in the activity. If we struggle to get good numbers in the first place, attending games live and watching on TV, then they are less likely to spend money on a small market. Kappa are obviously launching (or possible re-launching) their brand in the Australian market, and we happened to be one of the clubs available. Maybe we also presented a good option for Kappa......for the sake of this, I'll say they were throwing themselves at Heart to wear their product......but I really don't know. Maybe an ad/s with Viduka.....and possibly Skoko as another former Socceroo and ex-Heart player getting involved and creating a call to action for fans, both new and existing. That's one of the keys, or marketing needs a call to action. What is it the club wants them to do?? The answer is probably twofold.......firstly, come and watch Heart games and share your passion for the sport (see, I even included some of the existing strategy)......secondly, become a Heart fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willo Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) Why can't the fans be proactive about it? Just like the HeartCast boys (and girls) have done? That's a great point Biancorosso......the fans, as well as the club, need to be proactive about these issues. And this thread is lending itself in a strong way to that. Heart fans can be proactive in a couple of key ways:Attend games in numbers, and continue to encourage friends and family to come along too. Strength in numbers is a great thing and good at games.Watch games on TV.......higher ratings for our games also helps to build the strength of the club as market to which companies want to connect.Actively participate/engage with the radio programs - phone up and also texting your views and questions on a regular basis. Again, we can help shape the discussion if we set the tone to be red n white. Furthermore, if you use twitter (I don't, but for those that do) and watch coverage on Foxsports (I do watch occasionally), make sure your sending questions to Bozza and Co.....i'm sick to death of hearing them comment about Sydney FC and how good their bandwagon of tens of thousands is now that Del Piero is in town. Again, help set the town, shift the balance back in our direction.Use the Heartcast as a platform to push the club and SEN for airtime for a dedicated Heart program.Get the club to have more pre-game interviews, etc, with players and key people in the club or the sport. I don't know about anyone else, but at the last home game, it was good to actually have Grella interviewed in front of the terrace. A few more things like this from the club would be good. Should be too hard for them to arrange.......and as fans, we need to show our support for it so that it continues. We need to demand to be spoken about.......and performances on the field will certainly help with that. A few more cracking goals like Tadic's on the weekend - and at home games - will definitely help! I need to get back and actually do some work......so that's it for now. Hahaha Keep up the good work! Edited November 5, 2012 by willo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biancorosso7 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) If you are going to have more of the pre/post match interviews, you need a guy with a camera, who's feed goes onto the big screen, because truth be told, I could not give two hoots about what the bald man with the smooth voice says on match day if I can't see who he is talking to/what he is talking about. Edited November 5, 2012 by biancorosso7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I think in general we are forgetting that the club can't appeal to all the different groups through 1 single marketing campaign,the club itself needs to hold frequent campaigns in order to attract more and more members. Of course there are things that the club can do for all the different groups such as free parking and transportation, good cheap quality merchandise sold at the club grounds and what not. But we as fans need to help the club in order to achieve these things. For example the club can focus on attracting families through more family orientated events such as day outs and show that the entire family can enjoy the game, and of course Heart. But for example Yarraside can appeal to the more active group by explaining whats its like about being part of the Yarraside, etc. We can attract the more "hooligan" groups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) If you are going to have more of the pre/post match interviews, you need a guy with a camera, who's feed goes onto the big screen, because truth be told, I could not give two hoots about what the bald man with the smooth voice says on match day if I can't see who he is talking to/what he is talking about. And not many people listen to him anyway. I think if you're going to have people spruiking the club then there's none better than the coaching team and the current players, especially the captain. Viduka and Skoko might have been great players, but I don't think people associate them with Heart. Now we look as though we've got the Christmas Derby on the calendar, what better way than to promote the two Melbourne clubs, therefore ourselves, therefore the game of football in this town, by having a collection in aid of the Royal Children's Hospital on game day? 29,000 fans each putting in a couple of dollars or their loose change as they buy food and drink, and on, say, Boxing Day the players visit the children in hospital giving out Heart teddy bears and the like? My suggested slogan is 'Have a Heart this Christmas...' We could even run this in Westpac branches as well. I can't think of a better way of getting our name up there in the mainstream media. It also sits conveniently in the middle of the season. Edited November 5, 2012 by jw1739 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando Posted November 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I gather there's a low-key Heart focused street-art group doing the rounds. @ Vlad - can you expand on your comment re Y-Side? We actually have three bays allocated as 'active' this season, but we only have one truly active bay. I'd love to be able to change that. I think a few people mentioned a 'carnival/festival' atmosphere. I think that's what we should be aiming for, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belaguttman Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 We may be stuck with the stadium marketing monopoly but how about some half-time music? Brazilian, Argentinian, Liberian as well as some new bands? We may think that we have small crowds but 5000 people is a huge audience for many of these bands. They can play whilst the little kids still play football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) @Ando, I'd love to mate. I think that many of the things that people have been mentioning in this thread have been amazing ideas about how to bring new active members to the club but I think that all the things suggested should go through 100%, so yes bringing in the South Americans, the Asians, the Africans, the families and all these bands/carnivals/festivals should happen. The Yarraside and the club should be working together toward this. But at the same time, most clubs around the world, whether they are football clubs or any other sport have the “passionate support group” which for Melbourne Heart would be the Yarraside. These are the people that are more than just fans, they are dedicated, loyal and in a sense even addicted to the club. As the club develops the Yarraside should also grow. We should try and make the Yarraside grow as much as possible by trying to attract people to joining the Yarraside, so maybe the Yarraside can organize a few events itself to show what we are all about? I guess overall my point is that the Yarraside should work together with the club officials to make the club grow. But also we should work toward finding a way to make us grow. Also if anyone is good with editing it would be nice if somebody could make a nice promotion video for the club and/or Y-side. Something like this maybe? Here are some of the ideas that I found on youtube that would really look great on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwcWccVrXZw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWzBHqYNZik Edited November 5, 2012 by Vlad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
United Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 What aboutt handing out confetti at the entrances and flooding the pitch, ala boca juniour style? I think making that a habit at all home games would be awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 What aboutt handing out confetti at the entrances and flooding the pitch, ala boca juniour style? I think making that a habit at all home games would be awesome. Great idea, but would depend on what stadium management agreeing with it I would imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 This is possibly the best promotional campaign I have seen. I would love to see a promo vid for us done in this style. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodiek96 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 maybe if we want more people to come to games and make abit more money how about getting the whole terrace involved with chants and everything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toogood18 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 What we should do is get a show on SEN with David Davutovic. I know for a fact, as in our annual magazine printed by the club in the first year, his name was on the cover as a foundation member. He is also a good football journalist. Get him and someone else on for half an hour, get some exposure. I know we have a link with La Trobe Uni, but seriously we can't train in Bundoora. No one (media) goes to Bundoora, yet Channel Seven, Nine and Ten are always at visitors training because they have an accessible location. We have to stop pretending we are the little cousin in this city. The sooner we get out of the shadow of the visitors, the quicker we'll grow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
United Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Great idea, but would depend on what stadium management agreeing with it I would imagine. It would indeed but a little initiative can be shown and just do it, if they see the success it could be and giving the club a sense of identity they may push to promote it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) It would indeed but a little initiative can be shown and just do it, if they see the success it could be and giving the club a sense of identity they may push to promote it. Yes and no. Making an ad of that nature would require some serious dedication and access to areas of the ground that your average punter would never have access too. You would also need to bring in film equipment that you could not just take in your backpack. I dont have film equipment, but I am pretty handy at editing. Maybe I should try and get my hands on some film equipment and give it a bash instead of photography. ^ * Actually, no I take that back. Film making is such a long and often tedious process, doing this in my spare time would be close to torture. If anyone wants to have a go at filming I will be more than happy to help where ever I can though. Edited November 5, 2012 by KSK_47 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baresi Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I dont have film equipment, but I am pretty handy at editing. Maybe I should try and get my hands on some film equipment and give it a bash instead of photography. ^ * Actually, no I take that back. Film making is such a long and often tedious process, doing this in my spare time would be close to torture. If anyone wants to have a go at filming I will be more than happy to help where ever I can though. Same boat. Can't shoot, but will edit if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaliMate Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 He is also a good football journalist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel21 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 What aboutt handing out confetti at the entrances and flooding the pitch, ala boca juniour style? I think making that a habit at all home games would be awesome. Streamers handed out pre game, something different for once, as supporters we go through the motions too conventionally, endorse a bit of originality and this will in turn create an unique heart atmosphere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I'd be amazed if the club did not have a lot of promotional material that it already uses to potential new sponsors, potential new corporate members, etc. etc and I'd be equally amazed if that material was not tailored for the specific audience involved. And we already have videos aimed at 'football people.' I think the marketing challenge is not so much the material itself but rather ways of finding new audiences that the club hasn't thought of so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baresi Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Streamers handed out pre game It would be great if they did this with newspapers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 And we already have videos aimed at 'football people.' We do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Looking at things from a different perspective, I have just been looking at our current TV campaign. I dont think its great, but I dont think its that bad either. And I suppose it does do what it sets out to do- appeal to everyone without being too bland. Has it helped anything? Nup. So why has it not helped? Is the message not reaching the people we want it to? or Is it reaching the people its intended to reach but they are not interested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 There's some interesting comments about blandness, and trying to appeal to everyone. What is the club focused itself on being the club for Melburnians, or at least used that in its marketing spiel. I know they do a hell of a lot of work in regional areas with community programmes, but if you live in Bairnsdale, how many games a year will you attend? If you live in Brunswick/Armadale/Burwood, and you want to follow Heart, you'll get to a lot more games. The city is currently undergoing a massive population increase. A targeted campaign at Melburnians might do the trick? Use the City's coat of arms, look at the history a bit more etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) A targeted campaign at Melburnians might do the trick? This was kind of what I was getting at before. I dont think the club even knows who it is marketing to, so how the hell are we supposed to? As much as I agree that our public image needs a lot of help, I think that is more up to the club to worry about and sort out. As interesting as I find this topic, deep down I know I am wasting my brain cells, because its not as if the club are going to take marketing strategy tips from us anyway. We can make as many websites, youtube videos, posters etc as we want but the club wont give them a second look unless it fits into what they think the clubs image is. Edited November 6, 2012 by KSK_47 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.