Blog #3

The NFL is building brand loyalty by offering consumers experiences aside from the usual televised games. Steve Olenski of Forbes goes into detail about the inventive way the NFL keeps fans invested in the NFL through experiences at Times Square, New York. "NFL Experience Times Square opened in December 2017 and offers fans an opportunity to become a player via a state of the art 4D theater that contains motion seats, weather elements and recognizable football game scents (Olenski 2018). All 32 teams are represented through this experience so fans can truly feel invested in their teams. Through this unique experience, the NFL is making fans feel a part of something bigger than themselves. It is not just the NFL apart from the fan, but the NFL and the fans are a part of one another, interwoven into each other's lives.

NFL teams each have their own ways to build brand loyalty. Some teams may not have to try as hard as others given the amount of time the franchise has been in existence. Others may need overwhelming success if they have been in the league a shorter amount of time. The Carolina Panthers are one example of a team that relies on playoff success as a way to build brand loyalty. In an interview with the Charlotte Business Journal, team executives said that "back to back playoff appearances bring national attention while strengthening the bonds between fans and team sponsors." (Spanberg 2015). For the Carolina Panthers to continue building brand loyalty, they will need to continue to provide an experience that makes fans believe they are apart of something bigger than themselves. Winning more games and ultimately a super bowl will also play a big role in building more brand loyalty.

References
https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2015/01/panthers-playoffs-building-brand-loyalty.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2018/07/24/this-brand-is-tackling-customer-experience-literally/

Blog #2

Tommy Davis
Professor Vollrath
BUS 210
2/17/2019

Blog #2

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business, yet, they too can improve. When it comes to consumer behavior it is becoming increasingly important for the NFL to recognize that NFL ratings are at an all-time low but at the same time viewership is up (Hartung n.d.). Something has to give. One hypothesis could be that the impact that social justice has had on the league could be decreasing ratings. Given the controversy surrounding players such as Colin Kaepernick and his stance on kneeling, one may assume that He is playing a role in the drive towards lower ratings. Jonathan Barr, a contributor on Forbes, has vehemently denied this hypothesis and instead claims that the poor performance of the major media market teams has contributed towards the lower ratings (Barr 2018). 

This is a slippery slope. The NFL has very limited power to simply "make a team better" if they did that, it would be considered cheating. It seems to me that the league is simply at the mercy of major market teams such as the New York franchises performing poorly year after year. This leaves consumers disinterested in what the NFL has to offer. When considering the consumer decision process and the NFL, consumers recognize that they have a need to watch the sport. The consumer then searches for a team that he or she would best identify with, possibly through the elaboration likelihood model. Perhaps the consumer sees messages from a team that prompts high involvement which in turn results in more attention and deeper processing towards the team of interest. Ultimately this elaboration likely ends in the consumer developing a strong attitude towards the consumer and drives their purchase intentions. The consumer likely won't consider alternative evaluations when it comes to purchasing the NFL's product, as it is the only professional football league. This leaves the consumer almost no choice but to purchase the NFL as their "product". 

It is not clear cut with how the NFL can improve their marketing through consumer behavior. As mentioned earlier, the NFL cannot simply just "make teams better" that bring in more consumers. Rather, they may just have to continue to pour into lesser media market teams that are successful (New Orleans being an example). 

References

Berr, J. (n.d.). The NFL’s Ratings Probably Will Continue To Decline. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2018/08/28/the-nfls-ratings-probably-will-continue-to-decline/

Hartung, A. (n.d.). The NFL Has A Bigger Problem Than Kneeling Employees -- Demographics And Trends. Retrieved February 10, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2017/09/29/the-nfl-has-a-bigger-problem-than-kneeling-employees-demographics-and-trends/

Blog #1

Tommy Davis

The industry I am interested in - Professional Sports / NFL

Analyze the social media presence of the NFL (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook)

1. Exciting Customers
2. Educating Customers
3. Helping customers Experience products
4. Creating opportunities for customers to engage with the brand

 What is the business doing well with social media? What do they need to improve? Use specific examples.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry. Millions of individuals come together on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday's to watch the sport of professional football. The NFL recognizes this and takes advantage of the growing fanbase by creating a strong social media presence. In a thorough investigation of the NFL's social media, I found that they do not generate excitement in their customers through relevant offers, rather, the NFL generates excitement through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook posts that countdown the days until the big game of the week. This is an area where the NFL can most definitely improve. Perhaps they can offer giveaways that other NFL teams have done in the past. One example that comes to mind is the Cleveland Browns. They offered a set of Bose headphones each week for those customers that entered free sweepstakes.

The NFL continually educates their customer on their product, the teams, and players. The league accomplishes this through the articles and videos they share on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In a recent post on their social media, the NFL posted two articles. The first being titled "5 ways the Rams can win the super bowl" and the second "5 ways the Patriots can win the super bowl." By creating articles that educate the customers on who the teams are, and how they can win the game, it sparks more interest in the product (the game) as well as intrigue. 

The NFL allows customers to experience their products through the use of their Youtube and Instagram primarily. Shortly after all NFL games, the league will post instant highlights of each game. This allows fans to go back and rewatch parts of the game they may have missed, or if they were not able to watch it allows them to re-live the experience. 

Lastly, I was unable to find the NFL blog that the textbook pointed out. Though if this existed it would be a great way for the league to engage their customers and possibly help them improve their product. 

The NFL is continually educating their customers through the use of articles, videos and etc. that allow the customer to learn more in-depth knowledge of NFL teams and players. This has helped customers feel more engaged with their favorite teams and players. The NFL also allows the customer to experience the product through the use of their Youtube and Instagram. Posting highlights of the game have allowed Customers to feel engaged with the football season even if they miss the game. The NFL should work toward improving their customer engagement as well as how they generate excitement. These two go hand in hand. As you increase customer engagement, you can increase the customer excitement. These things can be accomplished through things such as giveaways, sweepstakes, and etc. 

References
https://www.facebook.com/NFL/
https://twitter.com/NFL
https://www.instagram.com/nfl/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/user/NFL