A study of the fan's perceptions of promotions of an independent minor league baseball club

Abstract

The intent of baseball marketers is to promote and sell a memorable experience. An experience that would be memorable enough to encourage return visitors. A Member of the Independent Northern league, the St. Paul Saints Baseball Club, depends upon creativity, humor, and authenticity in order to create an inviting atmosphere, maximize attendance levels, and generate profits through promotion. Although the marketing dollars of a parent team would provide a foundation, the Saints value their marketing independence and they highly regard the opinions or perceptions of their fans. The perceptions of the fans is an information tool that allows the Saints organization to determine if their marketing efforts coincide with the entertainment needs and wants of the fans. The purpose of this study is to identify the St. Paul Saints’ fans’ perceptions of current promotional methods. Perceptions were gathered from a large diverse fan base and then analyzed in regards to perception differences of target market groups. The procedure used in this study was a systematically distributed survey to Saints fans during the game. The fans were asked to indicate whether or not they have any interest in participating in on-field promotions, rank possible game time themes, indicate which promotional giveaways would encourage attendance, and rating the on-field promotions for entertainment value. Next the survey asked the fan to volunteer demographical information that allowed the researcher to describe the market. Finally the survey asked the fan who they came to the ballpark with. This question provided the segmentation of three market groups including family, friends, and the large group (i.e. Corporate, Club, and Organizations). This study generated interest and the need for future research along with implemental results. The results revealed that fans have a relatively high level of interest in participating in on-field promotions, a potential relationship between socialization and promotion, the favoritism of giveaways that associate the fan with the players, the preference of on-field between-inning contests, and significant perception differences of the target market groups.