Stu Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) What does that have to do with the PGA sponsors? The same thing it has to do with DCI sponsors; or WCPCA sponsors. Edited April 9, 2014 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 I understand the relationship pretty well between the sponsors and the PGA. The disconnect is that the products sold by the sponsors don't relate to the game. But in drum corps the sponsors sell products that are directly related to our genre. Sure, it's arguable that there aren't as many Benz-buyers in a typical drum corps stadium as there are watching the Muirfield PGA tournament in Dublin, but what about "lower level" sponsors that do represent the typical drum corps crowd? McDonald's is a good example and I remember their years of prior drum corps sponsorship. One can easily make the case that drum corps' demographic eats lots of fast food, yet we have none among our major sponsors. Chevy, Toyota, Apple, Amazon... they're all in the drum corps demographic. Sure, NetJets is likely not, but why are drum corps major sponsors all connected with music and nothing else in the fan's lives? Could this be because for some reason the sponsorship marketing for DCI is directed at the product on the field as opposed to advertising external products to the fans in the stands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 The same thing it has to do with DCI sponsors; or WCPCA sponsors. Oh, it has nothing to do with them. Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 When you are talking the finances of one small organization of nonprofit competitors to another monster organization of professionals, sure it is silly. Like comparing independently run drum corps to scholastic marching bands? Nice try, but not relevant to the discussion at hand. You made your comment in response to comparisons of tactics, not finances. It is not silly to look for successful tactics in other organizations, even if they are bigger. (That is how they got bigger in the first place.) Imagine if Don Pesceone said back in 1975, "okay, MikeD, I will drop the silly talk about DCI pursuing sponsors". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Are you using "tour event partner" in the DCI context? Can you describe the PGA structure that makes it different? Doesn't it still come down to the number of fans who attend the event? I don't know how much Muirfield pays to host a PGA stop, but I suspect they make those fees, and profit, from the tickets they sell. Should DCI increase TEP contract fees? Is that what you're saying? it's not just the number of fans. You think AT&T is shelling out millions for Pebble beach just for live attendance? hell no, it's attendance and especially TV ratings. that's why you hear people cry when Tiger is out. tiger's in and healthy, ratings are up. That's why with golf you see AT&T, Mercedes, etc....You see blue chip sponsors in that "golfers age' demo...aka older adults, largely male, of a certain income range being targeted....that's why you don't see younger aged products advertised during big golf tournies.... The PGA, NASCar, any sport.....they draw in ratings, and they go after sponsors that fit their demos. DCI doesn't draw ratings, and it's demos are all over the map. You have the legacy fan, a fan of a mostly certain age and income range, you have the recent ageout aka the millienals, and then of course the kids marching. We are in the marketing world's view a headache.....we don't reach enough, and our target demo is split into 3. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 As expenses will CONTINUE to rise for both DCI and its performers, they are also rising in households across America, home of the potential audience. I fear, as so often happened in the past, individual ticket prices will be raised. To me, that step should be a final option. It's an easy fix, but could result in shrinking the size of the new customer pool. I believe drum corps has played that card too often already. Again, expanding the pay-per-view revenue will be key. That way, people can have their "fix" and lessen the total amount they spend on travel, hotels, etc. For example, a couple's typical trip to Indy could require roughly $2500, when most of that outlay goes to entities outside of DCI and its corps. Their pay-per-view purchase still provides DCI most of the same cut it would have received had the customers participated in person. true...but look at the Barnum show...for the last 2/3 years they dropped prices down to $5....and now, there's a huge chance the show goes under because Barnum Fesitval is hurting for $$. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I suspected as much. What strikes me again is how little each of those names have to do with golf. While DCI attracts few sponsors that aren't directly connected to music. Odd, isn't it? it's not what they have to do with golf. It's what they have to do with the target audience golf brings in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Is that why Honda sponsors the Battle of the Bands; to reach wealthy people who have the resources to purchase a vehicle? Nope. That company sponsors the BoB for two main reasons: To reach all in the stands who drive cars and to help out what they see as a noble cause. or to reach out to the tv viewers at home. Honda isn't paying all of that just for 70,000 people in the stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I understand the relationship pretty well between the sponsors and the PGA. The disconnect is that the products sold by the sponsors don't relate to the game. But in drum corps the sponsors sell products that are directly related to our genre. Sure, it's arguable that there aren't as many Benz-buyers in a typical drum corps stadium as there are watching the Muirfield PGA tournament in Dublin, but what about "lower level" sponsors that do represent the typical drum corps crowd? McDonald's is a good example and I remember their years of prior drum corps sponsorship. One can easily make the case that drum corps' demographic eats lots of fast food, yet we have none among our major sponsors. Chevy, Toyota, Apple, Amazon... they're all in the drum corps demographic. Sure, NetJets is likely not, but why are drum corps major sponsors all connected with music and nothing else in the fan's lives? I have said for years two no brainers would Under Armour and a sneaker company. Gatorade or a bottled water company. As DCi is all about health iniatives with the kids, I don't think fast food is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) I have said for years two no brainers would Under Armour and a sneaker company. Gatorade or a bottled water company. As DCi is all about health iniatives with the kids, I don't think fast food is the way to go. That's exactly the wrong way to look at it. Look at it through the eyes of the sponsors - they are looking at who is the audience for the product, not who participates. And when I look around most drum corps/football/baseball, blah blah blah audiences, I see plenty of Big Macs in the house (especially if you have the misfortune to attend a show at Boylan in Rockford, where the 300 pounders are large and in charge of the cramped bleacher seats). So look at DCI's official pitch in terms of what they offer potential partners: More than 400,000 tremendously loyal attendees annually at more than 135 events from coast to coast High-traffic Web site Market position as key influencers in the scholastic music education industry Strong and growing international presence Exposure in magazines and other advertising vehicles Extensive marketing outreach, public relations and grassroots programming presence Wow. More than 400,000 people. Without any other information in terms of WHO those people are, this is not worth saying. Is it 400,000 people with average household incomes of more than $100k? Great. Say so. If not, than the number represents .001% of the population of the United States - not exactly an advertisement of the activity's wide appeal. "High Traffic website" - and how many of them are different than the whoppin' 400k who come to see shows? "Scholastic Music Industry" - so essentially, if you're not selling to high school bands, you're not being recruited as a sponsor? "Extensive" marketing outreach - must be working like gangbusters, since it's delivered a whole 400,000 people to attend 135 events (that's an average of 2900 per event, for those who are doing the math; smaller than an average high school football crowd in most major market towns). I'm not sure what's sadder; the fact that DCI feels ok publishing this lame an outreach, or the feeling that this really might be as good as they can do. Edited April 10, 2014 by Slingerland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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