Would it be beneficial for the Prince George Cougars and/or Spruce Kings to implement an idea from the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats which offers an enticing season ticket package?

 

The Bobcats recently announced a buy-one, get-one-free deal where fans who purchase a full price season ticket for the 2012-13 season receive a free season ticket for the 2013-14 season.

Hearing that promotion sounds tempting for fans, however there is a need to act quickly because in the smaller print is that the deal is only made available in “select sections”.

 

The Bobcats have struggled to field a winning team and consequently have suffered at the gate; they are just 25^th in attendance (14,757 per game) which is only 77.4 per cent capacity.

 

The Cougars and Spruce Kings have also struggled competitively in their league and in turn this results in attendance concerns. The Cougars ranked last out of 22 WHL teams in the 2011-12 season with an average crowd of 2,047 which was far below the league average of 4,716. The Spruce Kings ranked 9^th out of 16 in the BCHL with an average of 947 fans for 32 home dates (including playoffs) but that was nearly 200 less than the league average of 1,116.

 

In other words, there is a similarity to the Bobcats difficulties in basketball to the Prince George teams in hockey.

 

Since the promotion was announced, season ticket sales are up “north of 50 %” Pete Guelli, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer for the Bobcats told the New York Daily News.

 

Certainly there are pros and cons to what some may perceive as a “gimmick offer”. Promotions like these are designed to initiate conversations and create a “buzz” in the off season.

 

One could argue that there is no guarantee that the Cougars will still be in Prince George for the 2013/14 season but no one can stop the rumours that they will depart even though there have been many denials from ownership.

 

The bottom line here is the Bobcats need more people in the stands and so do many other franchises like the Cougars and Spruce Kings.

 

Is this 2-for 1 idea radical? Sure. Is it a reasonable offer? Yes. Will it create the desired effect of a strong partnership between the team and its supporters? Well, that’s the gamble.

 

Let’s say the Cougars and/or Spruce Kings offer a special pricing in limited sections for either one week or even one month in the summer. If the idea is successful, it’s a win-win and there is an option to expand the deal at some point down the road. If the concept does not receive much fanfare very little has been lost.

 

I am not suggesting this two-for one promotional plan in Charlotte can be a saviour for either of the two junior hockey franchises in Prince George. However, I do suggest that there are a lot of unconventional marketing ideas from many sports teams, so a modification of one of those concepts may lead to success for the Cougars and/or Spruce Kings.

 

Sometimes the status quo isn’t good enough. In order to achieve a goal there are associated risks.   Albeit, this may be an overused cliché but “nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

 

 

***** 

 

There are some players that thrive under the pressure and produce on the biggest stage. Twenty-two year old rookie Adam Henrique is one of those clutch performers. Henrique has four goals in the playoffs with three of them game winners. He tallied in overtime in game seven against Florida to eliminate the Panthers in round one. The 6-foot ,195 pound native of Brantford, Ontario scored in overtime in game six against New York to eliminate the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Henrique did it again with his team on the verge of being swept by the LA Kings in the Stanley Cup Final as he snapped a 1-1 tie with 4:31 to go in the New Jersey 3-1 victory. The Devils are still extreme long shots to beat the Kings but Henrique has seen miracles before. Just two years ago he was part of a team that rallied from a 3 games to none deficit in the 2010 OHL playoffs when the Windsor Spitfires defeated the Kitchener Rangers before eventually winning the Memorial Cup.

Henrique, just a third round draft pick (82nd overall) in 2008, is a finalist for the Calder Trophy. He comes from the same hometown as #99. Of course he will never come close to being a Gretzky type of player, but one gets the sense he is one of those rare players that understands how to seize the moment under the most crucial of circumstances.

  

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Dwight Perry of the Seattle Timeshttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sidelinechatter/

 

 

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Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, Californiawww.leftcoastsportsbabe.com

 

 

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