The New Orleans Pelicans are weathering several storms brewing around the Smoothie King Center and they do not all revolve around Zion Williamson. Ben Hales (Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans) and Jen Martindale (Vice President, Brand Strategy at New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans) took an hour with me to address the concerns of the team’s fans and outline their marketing strategy as pandemic protocols are less restrictive.
Click here to read the story at forbes.com.
Discussion Questions:
- Why might Pelicans fans be frustrated?
- What is customer service?
- Why is customer service important?
- What is fan experience?
- What is the organization doing to improve the fan experience on game days?
- What challenges are they facing, according to this story, in developing and executing a fan experience strategy?
- What is communication as it relates to the business of sports?
- Why might a sound communications plan be important to the Pelicans organization right now?
- What type of information might they want to communicate to fans and how might they deliver that information? Be prepared to discuss your answers in class.