So I was reading a site called "Deadspin" this morning, and happened upon a comment post about our own Philadelphia Soul. It wasn't about how well the team has done this season or Tony Graziani pouring Patron shots on girls at a bar; it was about what CNBC's David Rovell thinks might be the best sports promotion ever.
The entire hometown of Philadelphia Soul star wide receiver Chris
Jackson has been invited by the team to attend its Divisional Playoff
game at the Wachovia Center on Saturday, July 5 as part of Chris
Jackson Day. The Borough of Morrisville has a population of 10,096 and
team President Ron Jaworski is offering everyone to pick up free
tickets at a community celebration this Tuesday afternoon, July 1, at
Williamson Park. [Soul Press Release]
Here's how the math works. The stadium fits 16,000 fans. Team general
manager Rich Lisk told me all 8,000 season ticket holders have a ticket
to the game as part of their package. In order to motivate fans to show
up, the game will just happen to be the game where season ticket
holders can pick up their Bon Jovi-Jaworski signed mini helmets.
Everyone's not going to show up (I'd guess less than half), so they
easily have enough tickets to giveaway seats to Chris Jackson's
neighborhood. As to motivate non season ticket holders, who don't live
in Morrisville, the team is giving discounts to people who grow "Soul"
patches.
I'm not a big fan of the soul patch, but both of these promotions represent some smart, creative marketing. Go Soul.
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I still think they should find a way to incorporate this: