This is the PowerPoint portion of a presentation my team made during our Sports Marketing course. I was the leader of the group and have since sent the project to the Indians\' President, Mark Shapiro, which he responded to and thanked our team for our work.

1. 3/25/2011
Michael Best Maria Parfenova
Eric Maleczkowicz Patrick Keenan
Justin Wentzel Richard Hood
History
• Cleveland Blues - 1901
• World Series Championships: 1920 and 1948
• Bill Veeck – 1946 -1949
• 12 Indians enshrined in the Hall of Fame
• Glory Days: 1990s
• Rebuilding Phase
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2. 3/25/2011
455
• June 12, 1995 - April 4, 2001
• Sold out 455 straight games
• All 81 home games sold out before Opening Day 3
times
• “Retired" the number “455 – The Fans”
2010 Indians
• 4th place in AL Central; 69-93 W-L
• 1st year manager - Manny Acta
• Attendance 1,391,644
– Lowest total in MLB
– Tied for 2nd lowest based on %
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3. 3/25/2011
2010-2011 Indians
• Core: Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Santana, Grady
Sizemore
• Fans: Loyal to a point – want a healthy and
competitive team
• Value to City: Reminder of the Glory Days
• April 4, 1994 – Jacobs Field
• Capacity: 43,345
• Renamed Progressive Field in 2008
• One of largest video screens in MLB
• 122 suites
• 1997 All-Star Game
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4. 3/25/2011
Theme
• “Progressive Rocks”
– Value for the fans
• Fan appreciation
– Remember “455”
– Closely working with the city of Cleveland
• Blue collar town, football town
• Economy is major influence
Sales Plan Overview
• Tickets
• Sponsorships
• Concessions
• Merchandise
• New Revenue Streams
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5. 3/25/2011
Ticketing Overview
• 2010 performance
• 2011-2012 goals
• Plans for each ticket segment
• Target markets
• New sales initiatives
• Lowest attendance in MLB in 2010
• Averaged about 17,400/game – 40.1% capacity
• Goal: average 50% capacity (21,673)
– 24.5% increase
– 2 million fans by 2012
• How to achieve this?
– Within ticketing: different plans for each ticket segment
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6. 3/25/2011
Season Tickets
• Currently offer full, half, and 20-game plans
• Renewal rates are down
• Expand offerings:
– Smaller packages
– Named after former greats
– Tailor to divisional games or interleague games
• Sell larger packages to current season ticket holders
• Least affected by team performance
• Groups offer great chance to expand grassroots
marketing
• New Initiatives:
– Concession deals
– Pre-game tour
– End of year receptions/meet and greets
– In-game recognition
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7. 3/25/2011
Advanced Tickets
• Tough to sell because of recent
performance and economy
• New Initiatives:
– Build on „loaded tickets‟
– Public transportation vouchers with
tickets
– Sell package tickets
– Improve stadium experience
Day-of Ticket Sales
• Heavily dependent on performance and weather
• Boosting walk-up attendance:
– Social Media
– Promotions
– Up-to-date advertising
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8. 3/25/2011
Target Market
• Current season ticket holders
– Renew their plan for 2011
– Upgrade to better (more expensive) seats
– Upgrade to a larger plan (with more seats or more games)
• Potential season ticket holders
– Increase % of fans with income over $100K
– Suburbanites – huge market in metro area
Target Market
• Advanced Ticket Sales
– Lower middle class
– Families
– Cavaliers fans
• Take their passion and convert it to baseball during
April-September
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9. 3/25/2011
Ticket Sales
• Where to buy now:
– Box offices & 6 team shops
– Indians.com
– Stubhub.com
• New ideas:
– Museums/attractions in the city
– Reach those in suburbs
– Tickets available through smartphone app
Sponsorship Overview
• Current Sponsors
• Current Assets
• New Sponsors
• New Assets
• Activation Ideas
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10. 3/25/2011
Current Sponsors
• Budweiser • FirstEnergy
• PepsiCo • Giant Eagle
• KeyBank • Sherwin-Williams
• Cleveland Clinic • Continental Airlines
Assets
• Ballpark advertising
• Broadcast media
• Community advertising
• Online advertising
• Print media
• Promotions – logos, brand affiliation
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11. 3/25/2011
New Assets/Goals
• Naming rights
• New promotions/giveaways
• New areas for signage
• Increase renewal rate
• Increase number of sponsors
• Help sponsors activate more
New Sponsorships
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12. 3/25/2011
Levi‟s
• San Francisco, CA
– Splash Landing – AT&T Park
• Natural Fit with Team/City
• History of Sports Sponsorship
• Premier Sponsor of Concert Series
– Follows company history
Cedar Point
• Roller Coaster Capital of the World
• Local Institution, World Famous
• 1st Exclusive Amusement Park Sponsor
• Sponsor “Thrilling Moments in Tribe History”
• Work with Indians on joint tickets
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13. 3/25/2011
• Official Tourism Bureau of Cleveland
• Team is very community oriented
• Bring fans in from surrounding areas
• Giveaways – tickets, hotel rooms
• City Event Calendar
• College Nights
• Career Fair
• City’s only major newspaper
• #1 in readership percentage on Sundays
– #2 on weekdays
• Giveaways and raffles
– Historic newspaper prints
– Event calendar with Positively Cleveland
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14. 3/25/2011
Authentic Films
• Local start-up film company
• Young company, growing company
• Fan commercials
• Music videos for local bands – concert series
• Started on East 9th Street in 1920s
• Target market matches the Indians‟ target
market
• Nutrition program with players and young fans
• Foods of Cleveland video
• Premier sponsor of Local Vendors Night
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15. 3/25/2011
• Regional beer started in 1988
• Local identity is huge
• Concession Night
• Cleveland Night
• Social entrepreneurship mission aligns with team’s
commitment to being “green”
Concessions & Merchandise Overview
• Current concession offerings
• New ideas
– Goals/Objectives
– Marketing changes
• Current merchandise offerings
• New Ideas
– Tie-in with promotions
– Marketing of new ideas
– Tie-in with themes
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16. 3/25/2011
Current Concessions
– Club Lounge
– Terrace Club
– Concourse
Options
– Complaints:
• Long lines
• Bad service
New Concession Improvements
• Improve fan experience and increase revenue
– Faster payment options
• Text for food service
• Loadable tickets
– Improve customer service
• Replacing Delaware North with local restaurants/vendors
• Great Lakes Brewing Company
– Sliders
– Craft Brews
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17. 3/25/2011
Current Merchandise
• MLB team shop
– 5 team stores throughout northeast Ohio
– 1 in stadium
• New uniforms in 2011
• Photo store
Merchandise Goals
Each fan means $54 (AVG) in revenue…
…Our Goal
• Increase player presence
– Push the players’ identities to establish favorite players
– Increase fan affinity
– Reach out to community
• Help sponsors activate
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18. 3/25/2011
New Merchandise Apparel
• New Shirts
– Shirts tied to concert series
– “Cleveland” shirts – focus on city as a whole
– Limited editions
– Tribe Tees
– Fedoras – Manny Acta
THE MANNY ACTA FEDORAS
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19. 3/25/2011
New Revenue Overview
• Build off available assets
• Must become more than a
baseball team
• Connect with the city/fans
• Increase overall revenue –
$170 million in 2009
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20. 3/25/2011
New Revenue Streams
• Concert series
– Tie-in with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
• Charge card
• Career Fairs
– Charge companies to attend
• Exhibition Games
– Indians vs. John Carroll; Indians vs. Browns; Softball
tournaments
• Movie Nights
Sales Plan Summary
• Increase overall attendance 24.5%
• Improve sponsorship sales – higher renewal
rates, more sponsors
• Increase individual fan revenue –
concessions/merchandise
• Increase overall revenue through new revenue
streams
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21. 3/25/2011
Promotions Overview
• Sales Promotions
• Advertising
• Social Media
• Public Relations
• Community Relations
Promotions Overview
• Tie-in with theme
• Connect fans to the team and city
• Promotions meant to connect team with fans on a
deeper level
• Drive revenue
– Sponsorships
– Concessions
– Merchandise
– Tickets
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22. 3/25/2011
Current Promotions
• Budweiser Two for Tuesdays
• KeyBank Kids Fun Day
• Dollar Dog Night
• Bobblehead Nights
– Add More
• Bob Feller Opening Day
– Focus on his Opening Day no-hitter
• Student ID Night
• Giant Eagle Advantage Card Night
Concerts
• Sponsored by Levi’s and/or Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame
• Drive attendance to HOF
• Drive attendance for games followed with concert
• New revenue when it’s not a game day
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23. 3/25/2011
Ohio Lottery Nights
• Based on seat location
• Could do several games with many winners or have
few winners every game
• Prizes range from a free hat to full season ticket
plans
Fan Appreciation Night
• Appear to not have Fan Appreciation Night
• Theme of giving back to fans; creating more value
• Emphasis throughout the year on this night – last
home game
• Special prizes for those in attendance
• Connect fans with players
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24. 3/25/2011
Levi‟s Denim Night
• All fans wearing denim receive discount/coupons on
concessions or merchandise
• Good chance for PR with
thousands of fans in denim
• Promotes activation by fans
– helping Levi’s
Plain Dealer Print Night
• Communicate important upcoming events
• Increase awareness of the newspaper and how they
connect with the city and what’s going on in Cleveland
• Commemorative newspaper prints
– 1948 World Series
– Bob Feller’s Opening Day No-hitter
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25. 3/25/2011
Slider Sundays
• Sponsored by Great Lakes Brewing Company
• Ties in with the mascot, Slider
• Concessions promotion – team needs to improve
concessions
Social Media Contests
• Reach fans on Facebook and Twitter
– First 455 fans to tweet “Progressive Rocks!”
– Build fan base on these websites
– Increase ticket sales on game day
• These tickets likely will not have been sold
• Team currently offers discounts to Twitter followers with
similar promotions
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26. 3/25/2011
Cleveland Night
• Celebrate the whole city and its history
• Sponsored by Positively Cleveland and its
members
• Concessions offer microbrews and pierogies
• Concert after the game
• Perfect game for Cedar Point‟s “Thrilling
Moments in Tribe History”
Drew Carey Price is Right Night
• On field games with fans
– “Come on down!”
• Fans bid on prizes
• Drew Carey throws out first pitch
• Goal is to drive attendance
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27. 3/25/2011
Ladies‟ Night
• Discounts for groups of women
• Attendance split very well 53% M – 47% F
• Offer drinks other than beer
• Ohio Lottery prizes centered around spas,
massages
Labor Day Special
• Tribute to workers of the blue collar town
• Discounts for those with time cards
– Merchandise
– Concessions
• “Workers of the Year”
– Work-day stories
– Submitted all year long
– Three winners
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28. 3/25/2011
Advertising Overview
• Social Media
• Traditional Media
• Grassroots/Guerilla Marketing
Current Advertising
• Social Media
– Twitter
– Facebook
• Traditional
– Newspaper
– TV Commercials
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29. 3/25/2011
New and Improved Advertising
• More effective social media plan
• New radio/T.V./print ads that convey new theme
– Cover bands – “Cleveland Rocks!”
– “Thrilling Moments in Tribe History”
– Radio contests
• Up-to-date ads with upcoming promos
– Interactive billboards
Advertising Initiatives
• Grassroots/Guerilla campaign before Opening
Day
– Go around to work sites
– Plaster logo across the city
• Billboards
– Digital & up-to-date with opponents, promotions
– Slogans
• “Indians Fans work 9-5”
• “You work for Cleveland, we win for you”
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30. 3/25/2011
• Indians heavily invested in social media
• Large footprint but small presence
• Need to increase fans/followers
Tribe Social Deck
• 10-person section in LF for those active in social
media
• Application for seat on team website
• First of its kind
• Networking for these ten fans
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31. 3/25/2011
Social Media
• Consolidate team accounts
– @Indians – 10,000 followers by end 2011
• Increase player presence
• Expand “Tribe Social Deck” beyond an exclusive
club of 10 people
• Live Twitter feed on scoreboards
• Blogs by front office
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32. 3/25/2011
•Recycling and trash:
•In 2009, 150 tons of material were recycled
•Environmentally friendly products:
•In 2009, over 42,200 carbon dioxide emissions were
avoided
•Solar:
•First American League ballpark to go solar
•Designed and installed 42 solar panels that provide 8.4
kilowatts of clean and renewable energy
•April 17th: Green Awareness Day
Diversity Speaker Series
Esperanza Scholarship
April 15th: MLB Jackie Robinson Day
May 8th: Faith and Family Day at the Ballpark
June 28th: Diverse Vendors Summit
June 28th and 29th: International Festival
August 7th: Negro League Turn Back the Clock - Hall
of Fame & Heritage Weekend
August 10th: Wahoo Women
September 25th: Catholic Family Day
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33. 3/25/2011
Youth Programs
St. Martin de Porres High School Corporate Work July 1-4th: Cleveland Indians Charities Continental
Study Program Cup
Sandy Alomar Junior Scholarship June 30th: PLAY (Promoting Lifetime of Activity for
Cleveland Indians KeyBank High Achievers Club Youth) Clinic
Cleveland Indians Charities (CIC) June 24th: Pepsi Refresh Project
ImpACTA Kids Foundation June 21st: NEOBSCA All-Star Games
Pronk’s Peeps June 12th: MLB Pitch Hit & Run
Majestic Steel Diamond Improvement Grant June 3rd: Senate League Championship Game
Cleveland Metropolitan School District Baseball May 19th: The Plain Dealer – Tribe Reporter
and Softball Programs for a Day
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) and May 3rd and 4th: Buses for Baseball and Action
Rookie League Programs Team
September 28th: Internship Fair May 2nd: Global Youth Service Recognition Day
August 28th: Shop with a Pro April 23rd and 24th: High School Hardball Classic
July 18th and August 14th: UMPS CARE Charities April 23rd: Global Youth Service Day
July 29th: Wives Association Shirts Off the
Fundraising at the Park
Players’ Backs Jersey Auction
Fill the House for Charity July 24th: Indians Player Appearance and
Indians in the Community Autograph Signing
Community Relations Donations Program June 13th: Father’s Day / Prostate Cancer
Sight Center Project Foundation
December 2010: The Giving Tree May 23rd: Equipment Drive
November 21st: Thanksgiving Dinner May 22nd: Wives Association Tribe Treasures
November 19th: Cleveland Foodbank Visit Auction
November 17th: Cleveland Foodbank Food Drive May 21st: Player Autograph Signing
September 24th: Cleveland Foodbank and Lift May 14th: Indians in the Community volunteer
Up America Local Donation day
September 11th: Komen Race for the Cure May 9th: Mother’s Day / Susan G. Komen for the
August 23rd: Rebuilding Together Cure
August 9th: CIC Celebrity Golf Classic May 7th: Kick-It Celebrity Kickball Game
May 6th: Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl-A-Thon
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34. 3/25/2011
New CR Initiatives:
• FanFest
• Support Local Vendors
• Involve Players and Mascot
Public Relations
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35. 3/25/2011
Keep our fans close:
The Official Site of the Cleveland
Indians  Indians News
Tribe TALK
Indians Mobile
Indians RSS Feed
Indians Toolbar
Keep the media closer:
Cleveland Internet news sites:
Cleveland newspapers:
Cleveland television stations:
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