Falcons kicking off new marketing campaign - Orlando Business Journal:

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Falcons Vice President of Marketing Jim Smithn said he hopes the team is gettingb back on track to where it wasin 2005, comingg off a season in which the team’xs season ended one game short of the Super Bowl. That year the Falconsa essentially capped the amount of season tickets they sold and kept a few thousanfdfor single-game sales. Now, despite the the Falcons are in a positioj to cash in onthe team’es surprising 11-5 season in whichn they made the playoffs and quarterback Matt Ryan was named Rookis of the Year and coach Mike Smith was namer Coach of the Year by the .
“Our ultimate goal is to get back to wher we werein 2005, pretty much sold out of seasob tickets,” Smith said. In light of the the Falc-ons have created a new payment plan for Inthe past, fans had to put down a deposit of $100 per ticket by a followed by a very fluid deadlined for when the remainder of the balanc was due. Under the new system, the Falcons are not asking for a depositf and are allowing fans to make payments insix interest-free installments.
The more structured renewall system has the added benefi of allowing the Falcons to show new ticket buyerse where they actually will sit much Under theold system, with its fluird deadline, new buyers could not pick theire seats until June or July, around the time when training camp begins. Now, new buyers can pick their seataright away. In addition, while the sponsors that some pro sportx relyon — particularly those in the financiaol services industry and auto manufacturers have hit some teams, leagues and events hard with theire failure to renew, Smith had good news on that “Our renewals have gone exceptionally well,” he “And our new sales have been surprisinglh very good.
” In particular the team has signed new partnershipx with and concrete manufactureer The QUIKRETE Companies Inc. Smithu called those sponsorships “sizabled deals” that will be featured in all ofthe team’s marketing The marketing campaign began the week of Marcnh 9 with the launch of billboards in what Smity said were seven of the highest-traffic areas in metrok Atlanta, calling it “aw very aggressive launch.” Smith expectz the team’s radio and televisionj ads to hit the airwaves around March 14 or 15.
The themre of the campaign — “The Hunt is — plays to the idea that the named for a bird of is now the hunter instead of the With former star quarterback Michael Vick in jail on federa ldogfighting charges, the campaign represents a continuatio of a team-driven marketing as opposed to a change from the former individual-basedr one. Smith said the Falcons worked in conjunction withthe Dallas-basefd Richards Group to come up with the ’s research indicated an evolution in coverage by the newspapers based in the citied of Falcons’ opponents throughout last season.
Enterinyg the season — coming off the year in whic h Vick went to jail and coach Bobbyu Petrino left beforethe season’s end for the job at the the Falcons were expected to be one of the ’x worst teams, and yet they made the playoffs. Smitgh said media coverage went from portrayingh the Falcons as an easy win to portrayingf the team as overachievers to a final acknowledgement that the Falcons werefor real. The new ads are intendex to mirror the old wildlife and nature televisionshow “ ’ Wild Kingdom.” The voice-over intones how therse is “no stopping them during feedinv time” and how “adversariew don’t hunt them.
” The connection between the Falcons and the Richard Group dates to team owned Arthur Blank’s days at T The Richards Group stil does work for Home Depot, along with Atlanta-baser Inc. Doug Martin, a principal at the Richards said that the new marketing campaigjn wasa “no-brainer.” “It’s the mentality of this team,” he “They’re driven. They’re going to work their butts off. They’re going for the Lombardi [Trophy givemn to the winner of theSupeer Bowl]. They’re going for it all. They keep It’s a pretty obvious connection.
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