Entertainment

Case Study

Game Promotion & Entertainment: A Unit 10 SEM Case Study

Following the departure of super star Michael Jordan, the NBA’s Chicago Bulls suffer dismal season after dismal season. Although the franchise finished last in their division the next four seasons, the team still managed to sell out most United Center home games, often playing to

capacity crowds of over 22,000. In fact, the team sold out every home game in 1998-99 and 1999-2000, despite los- ing more than 70% of their games. ¹

How do they do it? The strategy, according to Steve Schanwald, the Bulls’ Ex- ecutive Vice President of Business Operations, is to “keep the fans distracted…it’s a 48-minute game but the fans are here for two hours.” ² The entertainment is all encompassing and can take on many forms, including more than 1,000 different songs pumping over the speaker system, more than 50 television and movie clips (including John Belushi in “Animal House” and Bart from “The Simpsons”), a dance team (The Luva-Bulls), a break dancing team (The BreakaBulls), a male spirit team (The IncrediBulls) and inflatable mascots (InflataBulls). The game entertainment staff also has a number of on-court promotions to keep fans engaged throughout the contest.

One such promotion, the “Dunkin’ Donuts Race”, is a fan favorite. The race is animated on the score- board and features “Dashing Donut”, “Biggie Bagel”, and “Cuppy Coffee”, and fans holding the cou- pon featuring the winner of the race have the opportunity to redeem the coupon at a local Dunkin’ Donuts for a free doughnut.

In addition to the entertainment provided on the court and in the arena, the Bulls strive to keep the entertainment experience alive throughout the stadium. According to Jeff Wohlschlaeger, Bulls Director of Game Operations, the team likes to entertain fans “from the moment they enter the build- ing.” To do that, the United Center concourse must maintain a consistent level of excitement. The Bulls feature a theme for each home game (such as Mardi Gras) and live entertainment acts will per- form throughout the concourse.

Information from this case study obtained from:

¹ http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chicago_Bulls_History-24393-42.html?nav=ArticleList

² Published in the March 1st, 2004 issue of Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.

Case Study Questions

1.) Do you think the Chicago Bulls overall success in ticket sales is contingent upon wins and losses on the court? Why or why not?

2.) The Bulls have effectively implemented a plan for keeping fans entertained. Do you think other sports teams share the same philosophy on keeping fans involved? Why or why not?
3.) Do you think the game operations efforts create other opportunities to generate revenue outside of ticket sales (sponsorship etc.)? Provide an example.

Unit 10 Discussion Question Review

Have you participated in any events that have relied on some type of marketing to attract consumer attendance?

Answers could include:

• 
  Any local festivals
  
• 
  Any local sporting events
  
• 
  Any local entertainment events
  
• 
  Beach volleyball tournament
  
• 
  Independent film festival
  
• 
  Music festival
  
• 
  Shakespeare or other theatre festivals
  

Unit 10 Key Words Defined

Game Attractiveness: Game attractiveness refers to the customer’s perception of the event as a

whole
Game Operations: The planning, organization and execution of game production, presentation, entertainment and promotion

Unit 10 References & Resources:

1. 
   http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2016/08/03/braves-reveal-delayed-game-times-to-ease- traffic.html?ana=RSS%26s=article_search
   
2. 
   http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2011-07-11-kentucky-speedway-traffic_n.htm
   
3. 
   www.myajc.com/news/local/commuters...braves.../TOwgGWCPeR1YYrTpTKlcBN/
   
4. 
   http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2010/10/20101011/SBJ-In-Depth/Park-It.aspx
   
5. 
   http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/nyregion/barclays-center-traffic-plan-cuts-parking-spots.html
   
6. 
   http://cqresearcherblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/should-nfl-do-more-to-control-crowd.html
   
7. 
   http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=460317
   
8. 
   http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/business/07/20/lvms.smartphone.app/index.html
   
9. 
   http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081814aab.html
   
10. 
    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/american-express-to-enhance-fan-experience-with-interactive-technology-at-the-2010-us- open-at-pebble-beach-2010-06-08
    
11. 
    http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/06/20/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/RBS- USGA.aspx?hl=course%20curator&sc=0
    
12. 
    http://weareaustin.com/fulltext?nxd_id=78195
    
13. 
    http://sports-forum.com/news/?article_id=569
    
14. 
    http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/news/pga-enhance-fan-experience-site-across-all-multimedia-platforms-pga- championship
    
15. 
    http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB125271416817105157.html
    
16. 
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-duffy/dodgers-tailgating-ban-a_b_539017.html
    
17. 
    http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2011/06/05/garden_fans_on_the_money
    
18. 
    https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/05/15/In-Depth/Lines.aspx
    
19. 
    http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/08/49ers-giants-raiders-tell-us-has-stadium-violence-made-you- more-wary-about-going-to-a-game/1
    
20. 
    http://cqresearcherblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/should-nfl-do-more-to-control-crowd.html
    
21. 
    http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/07/27/now_ithat146si_entertainment
    
22. 
    Sports Marketing: A Strategic Perspective, M. Shank, p. 178
    
23. 
    http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/07/22/Franchises/Mascots.aspx
    
24. 
    https://www.facebook.com/charlottestonecrabs
    
25. 
    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_613676.html
    

Unit 11: SEM Communications