SCC Blog

The Stanford Guarantee

Like so many American football fans around the country, I was excited last night when the college football season officially kicked off.  I settled in to watch the Oregon State Beavers take on the Stanford Cardinal on ESPN2 in HD on my DVR late last night.  Inevitably, I ended up taking something from the game that could translate to a discussion topic for the classroom. 

Apparently Stanford, whose football team has won just two home games in the last two years, has extended an offer to fans that can hardly be refused.  If Stanford fans purchase a season ticket package and are not satisfied with the “entertainment value” at home games, they can get their money back.  How do you like that?  A money-back guarantee on football tickets…

The offer, dubbed the “Gridiron Guarantee”, seems like a brilliant idea to me.  Stanford’s athletic department’s director of marketing Bob Carruesco rationalizes the decision like this: “Any way that we can get people to sample Stanford football is something we need to explore.”  It makes sense doesn’t it?  They feel very strongly that they have a product worth supporting if fans will give them a chance.  Based on the performance on the field last night (Stanford upset Oregon State 36-28), it would be tough to dispel that notion. 

From my perspective, this is a great promotion on a number of levels.  With so much competition out there for the entertainment dollar, many sports and entertainment properties are forced to do whatever they can to generate interest and garner attention for their programs.  An offer like this provides an incentive to get fans out to the stadium with a “nothing to lose” attitude.  Because the atmosphere at college football events is second-to-none (most fans would argue it is one of the best spectator sports game-day experiences), coupled with an improved product on the field, exposing consumers to the product at any cost seems like a no-brainer.  There is no arguing that Stanford’s football program is an up and coming program and coach Jim Harbaugh lends the program some credibility.

The guarantee is an excellent PR move.  Most mainstream media outlets (ESPN, sports related websites, sports talk radio) were talking about the promotion yesterday and today.  This also gives them an opportunity to capitalize on some momentum from last year.  Remember, the Cardinal beat USC last year in one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

Besides, let’s be honest.  Is anyone really going to ask for a refund?  I seriously doubt it, especially if they keep playing like they did last night! 

*** Questions for Classroom Discussion ***

1) What is publicity?

2) Why are ticket sales important to a sports or entertainment organization?

3) How does Stanford’s guarantee impact the program’s publicity and ticket sales efforts?  Discuss as a class.

Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Media, Promotions, Public Relations/Publicity, Ticket Sales |

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