Sports Marketing:
Columbus Destroyers
Kurt Baker
Matt Collins
Joe DiPietro
Phil Hein
Patrick Kalgreen
Jon Marker
Jason Seaman
AFL Timeline
• February 11, 1981
– James Foster thinks of the concept of an indoor football game while
attending an indoor soccer game at Madison Square Garden.
• April 26, 1986
– AFL test game held in Rockford, IL.
• June 19, 1987
– The AFL debuts with 6-game season and league starts with four teams:
Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite (winner of first “ArenaBowl”),
Pittsburgh Gladiators, and Washington Commandos.
• March 27, 1990
– AFL receives patent and becomes only sports league to play a rivalryfree game.
• August 23, 1998
– AFL makes network-TV debut on ABC and ArenaBowl viewed by over
2 million fans
AFL Timeline
• April, 1999
– The AFL unveils its Mission Statement and a Fan’s Bill of Rights, the first
among professional sports.
– The Buffalo Destroyers debut, going on to a 1-13 record in their first season.
• August 24, 1999
– The AFL approved “af2”, the AFL developmental league, for play in
April, 2000.
• March 5, 2002
– NBC and the AFL announce broadcast partnership, moving the start of the
season to February rather than April.
• May 20, 2003
– The final regular-season average attendance (11,397) up 15% from 2002
figures.
• September 25, 2003
– Buffalo announce its re-location to Columbus.
Destroyers Timeline
• September 25, 2003
– Buffalo announces its re-location to Columbus.
– Legendary Buckeye coach Earle Bruce announced as first head coach
and general manager.
• October 3, 2003
– Former OSU All-American Chris Spielman joins organization as team’s
director of football operations.
• October 28, 2003
– Team announces inaugural season schedule, including 8 home games
played at Nationwide Arena.
• December 8, 2003
– Former Buckeye WR Joey Galloway joins ownership group.
• Friday, February 13, 2004
– Destroyers debut in front of sell-out crowd of 17,171 and lose to
Carolina, 54-53, in a last-second touchdown.
Objectives of Research
• Increase general awareness and interest of the
Destroyers and the AFL among college students in
central Ohio.
• Work closely with Ohio State and other central Ohio
schools to establish a permanent relationship and
presence on campus.
• Create special events and activities for college
students to strengthen their knowledge of the
Destroyers.
Destroyers’ SWOT analysis
Destroyers’ SWOT analysis
• Strengths
– Central Ohio is an
established football market
– National team and league
exposure on NBC
– Strong OSU affiliations
– Play in first-class venue in
central location
– Low ticket prices
• Weaknesses
– Travel for college students
– Low entertainment budget
of college-aged people
– Reputation of Columbus as
a city of failed pro sports
teams
•
•
•
•
•
Columbus Landsharks
Ohio Glory
Columbus Quest
Columbus Stars
Columbus Thunderbolts
– AFL in 1991
Destroyers’ SWOT analysis
• Opportunities
– Cross-promotional
opportunities with OSU
– Potentially large fan base
– Have opportunity to use
team personnel with OSU
affiliations to build
awareness for the
Destroyers
– Make an OSU connection
by using former Buckeye
players
• Threats
– Limited income for students
– Competition from:
• Other Columbus sports
• Other entertainment
activities
AMERICA’S APPETITE FOR
FOOTBALL
• Football is America’s favorite spectator sport (ESPN
Sports Poll)
• More people watch football on television than any other
sport (ESPN Sports Poll)
• 15 million people play fantasy football on line
(FantastFootballExperts.com)
• There are 617 NCAA teams; 58,000 players; 28% of all
male athletes (NCAA)
• There are over 14,000 High School teams (NFSHS)
• There are over 240,000 players enrolled in Pop Warner
football (Pop Warner)
AFL’s Target Market
• A projected 85,000 fan base.
• Their primary age group 40-49
– 70% being male
• 38% of these fans possess one to three years of college experience.
• Destroyers’ favorite radio stations to advertise on are WBZX (99.7),
WTVN (610 am), and WLVQ (96.3).
• Much of the fan base attends rock concerts, bars, and other sporting
events.
– 22% of Blue Jackets game attendees are AFL fans.
– 14.9% of OSU football game attendees are AFL fans.
Survey Results
• Most Listened To Radio Stations
– 99.7
19.44%
– 97.9
12.04%
• Most frequently listened time is evening (42.59%), followed by
afternoon (25.93%).
• TV time most popular was the evening (65.74%), second was late
night (20.37%).
• 37.96% of the 108 surveyed that they were “neutral” to being familiar
to the AFL.
– Only 4.63% considered themselves “very familiar” to the AFL.
• How have you heard about the Columbus Destroyers? (Top 3)
– Word-of-mouth 65.74%
– TV
55.56%
– Radio
50.93%
– 91.67% of surveyed had heard of the Columbus Destroyers.
Survey Results
• When asked the likelihood of attending a game, 30.56% said
“maybe” and 35.18% were in favor of attending a game.
• The most common “maximum ticket price” range was $6-$20
(71.3%).
– Only 8.34% willing to spend more.
• The majority of the surveyed (42.59%) allocate $50-$100 a month
for entertainment purposes (concerts, sporting events, movie, etc.).
• 89.81% interested in a special “College Night” promotion.
• In order of interest, discounted ticket price was the clear leader,
followed by a concert combo, door prize offering, large prize raffle,
and movie combo.
• 75% of people surveyed was men.
Implementation Strategy
1.
2.
3.
4.
Create special opportunities and incentives
for college students.
Create special events held on college
campuses.
Work with local bars/pubs to create special
events at these locations for college students
to build interest in the Destroyers and AFL
football.
Establish a relationship with the various
colleges and universities and their students
by building partnerships with school officials.
Tactics for Strategy #1
• Develop a promotional night focused on college
students that would include a discounted ticket
• Seek new ticket combinations with Nationwide,
Promo West, Arena Grand Theater and
Germain Amphitheatre
• Provide bus or shuttle service to game for OSU
students
Tactics for Strategy #2
• Work with campus activity or Greek coordinators to
create a large campus event such as a flag football
tournament, with the winners receiving a lucrative prize
and recognition at a Destroyers home game.
• Involve other local media, such as WAZU to promote
events
• Utilize Ohio State or other local campuses for a “test run”
of an event
Tactics for Strategy #3
• Find the best potential location at campuses for this type
of event, focusing on cheap deals for students, door
prizes, and food baskets.
• Include public figures in these types of events, such as
radio and television personalities or Destroyers Dance
Team
• Look for potential tie-ins with Anheuser-Busch, such as
koozies, glasses, and signage.
Tactics for Strategy #4
• Establish relationships with campus coordinators
to help plan events and create methods of
messaging to the student body
• Become involved with the club and intramural
football programs
• Discover ways to utilize the mass-e-mail
capabilities of most colleges
Conclusion
• Ultimately, the success and growth of the
College Marketing program will be the
result of the following:
– increased campus presence
– unique events centered around Destroyer
football being established at campus locations
and/or bars
– providing fun and worthwhile events and
activities for college students that peak their
interest in Destroyer football
– establishment of long term relationships with
key college personnel