Building a Fan Base

[gkelly]

Imagine that US Figure Skating (or any other federation) decided that one top priority should be building a fan base for figure skating.

What would this mean? What kinds of programs or resources should they develop to attract and keep fans?



Some considerations:

Should the focus be more on attracting more casual fans? On converting casual fans to diehard fans? On rewarding diehard fans for their devotion?

Should there be more emphasis on human interest and entertainment value, or on disseminating technical knowledge?

What would be the value of a larger fanbase? More income through higher TV ratings and broadcaster/sponsor fees, or through ticket sales and streaming video sales? Larger potential volunteer base for the work of the association? Larger pool of potential skaters? Or…?

Can fans be welcomed into the skating community, or will they always be outsiders? How much/what kind of access is it appropriate to give outsiders to children’s sports activities, or even to over-18 elite athletes’ preparation processes in the off season?



Where would you start if you were put in charge of the process?

 

[Carolla5501]

Well I don't think the 'how much access is appropriate" argument carries a lot of weight. Just like in other sports fans can attend without having "access" and there's no need for them to have access. I go to college football games as a "fan" that does not mean I have ever actually met the players (nor do I feel the need to have intimate details of their lives as skating fans seem to want) So "access" to the athletes is NOT required for fan base, that's just a myth we have on here that we are somehow entitled to "know" and "judge" LOL! Honestly, I don't interact with the skaters unless I run into them in a hotel and even then all I say "good luck" or "congratulations". I personally find it a little creepy that some fans my age seem to want to be "friends" I am old enough to be a grandparent to some of these kids!

Values are easy to see. NBC/ABC/ESPN etc.. will pay MORE $$$ to broadcast popular events. Cities would be willing to give more perks to get events. (And I feel like USFS has to beg people to take SA for example) Sponsors are willing to pay more to be associated with "popular" events.

The big problem is the perception, right or wrong, that all to often what the skater puts on the ice doesn't count. (AKA as "we go in a back room and pick the Olympic team")

And I don't believe it can't be done. Women's Gymnastics seems to have a stronger fan base and I watched an event last weekend. The scoring is arguably much more complicated then skating and there also is some "bias" Of course, success helps. Men's gymnastics is not that popular and I think the big difference is "wins". We have produced the last few Olympic Gold Medal teams and won a good number of individual medals. A rising tide lifts all boats. US skating arguably hasn't had a women's "star" since Michelle walked away. (One World medal isn't going to get us there). And while Ice Dance has some "stars" it's lacking the 'big trick' aspect the casual fan likes.

But it can be done. Look at Nationals a few years ago in Boston. Great crowds, lots of events were either sold our or at least very full. That's impressive to advertisers and media. Greensboro had great attendance. San Jose, in spite of lots of "hype' and "denial" by USFS and the LOC was NOT that well attended. When you look at the differences a couple of things jump out. One was for both Greensboro and Boston the LOC was REALLY committed. However, if you look at San Jose they did things like announce "we probably won't even bother to sell a weekend package or single events as we will sell out". If Detroit has good attendance I will be SHOCKED as they can't even be bothered to show up at events in their home town to try to peddle tickets LOL! I think however, USFS has to quit hoping the locals will get it together and step up. They really need to be the "owners" and quit depending on LOCs and then acting upset when things don't go they way they want (I was in Omaha where a USFS person complained bitterly to me in the hotel elevator about the poor attendance because the LOC had not done what he thought they should... I kept my mouth shut and didn't say "what did you do" LOL!)

 

[gkelly]

So how would you make the events popular? What would you emphasize?

 

[just tuned in]

Last year, there was a regional (maybe sectional, I forget which region/section) at a rink with multiple ice surfaces where simultaneously to the competition, the facility was busy with other events on the other surfaces. Birthday parties, public sessions, hockey. All those folks -- to some degree -- are aware of skating as an activity and WERE AT THE RINK AT THE SAME TIME AS THE COMPETITION.

I wonder if the USFS made any effort to highlight the competition to people who were at the rink.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Some engagement ideas for physical events:

• Better marketing and outreach to communities that are not white, old, and straight.
• Put events* in major cities that are easy to travel to and have plentiful mass transit options.
• Fill the arenas: Offer ticket prices and packages at a lower price point. Nothing sucks more than seeing empty seats on broadcast television.
• Develop a live score tracker app so fans can follow along + help educate newcomers

*I am well aware of how USFS bidding works, blah blah blah. Maybe instead of making LOCs bid, USFS just designates certain cities for National/Int'l events to save cash and develop stronger business partnerships in those areas?

Digitally, I think USFS is getting better at this. Gotta give credit to Sora Hwang, who does all the social for the organization. She's really striking the right balance there.

I think sunsetting IN was the right move, and I'm stoked about the new NBC platform, since it will function much better and across more types of devices. Better late than never. I hope they can figure out how to effectively archive all the old content. At this point they might as well just put all the old competitions up on Youtube, eliminating the need for a bunch of murky fan vids.

Steal this idea someone (but let me build your UI): Would love to see someone develop an app that lets fans "judge" events as they happen. See how your friends scored, see who was closest to the final scores, etc. I just keep thinking of how popular HQ Trivia is and how skating could capitalize on something similar.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Last year, there was a regional (maybe sectional, I forget which region/section) at a rink with multiple ice surfaces where simultaneously to the competition, the facility was busy with other events on the other surfaces. Birthday parties, public sessions, hockey. All those folks -- to some degree -- are aware of skating as an activity and WERE AT THE RINK AT THE SAME TIME AS THE COMPETITION.

I wonder if the USFS made any effort to highlight the competition to people who were at the rink.

Hockey players do not give a f*k about figure skating.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Develop a live score tracker app so fans can follow along + help educate newcomers

LOL I'm quoting myself but I just wanted to add that when I was at SkAm in Lake Placid last year, the thing I missed the most was the technical element box. Would have been great to just have an app handy in the moment to see what was under review/etc.

 

[Carolla5501]

Hockey players do not give a f*k about figure skating.

No but their aunt who came to watch them might care. (And she probably won't have to curse about it to care LOL!)

And actually NBC did have live data on their APP last year to help you score along if you wanted!

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

And actually NBC did have live data on their APP last year to help you score along if you wanted!

I know NBC does it for Nationals, but I wasn't aware that they offered it for Skate America. Or if they did, it wasn't promoted at all to the audience.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

@Carolla5501 I can only speak about my interaction with hockey crowds, and for the most part they don't tend to cross over, unless someone in their circle figure skates. Maybe it's different where you are?

 

[Carolla5501]

I know NBC does it for Nationals, but I wasn't aware that they offered it for Skate America. Or if they did, it wasn't promoted at all to the audience.

Honestly I don't know. When SA is in Lake Placid it's too hard to get to so I don't even look into attending.

And obviously I crossover from Hockey to Figure Skating. Perhaps the problem is that we have "stereotyped" Figure Skating fans into a box? That's not going to help grow the sport either.

 

[gkelly]

Does "grow the sport" mean making the sport itself (i.e., participation) bigger and more robust?

Or growing a larger audience for a manageable number of recognizable elite athletes?

Deepening investment of casual viewers who enjoy watching skating during and maybe leading up to the Olympics, to get them to invest in identifying as skating fans and watching in off years, more than just championships?

Deepening investment of committed fans who already seek out more than what television has to offer, to get them into rinks for events that benefit from audiences, to get them to spend money at different price points on watching skating and various other services beyond just providing eyeballs for advertisers?

Is it possible to do all at once? Can different initiatives focusing on different target audiences complement each other? Where might they conflict?

 

[Willin]

Last year, there was a regional (maybe sectional, I forget which region/section) at a rink with multiple ice surfaces where simultaneously to the competition, the facility was busy with other events on the other surfaces. Birthday parties, public sessions, hockey. All those folks -- to some degree -- are aware of skating as an activity and WERE AT THE RINK AT THE SAME TIME AS THE COMPETITION.

I wonder if the USFS made any effort to highlight the competition to people who were at the rink.

Idk about singles qualifying competitions, but I’ve certainly been in situations where I’ve been at a rink for a synchro competition, passers by and public session skaters get curious, but they can’t watch because the competition requires a feee to watch.

Ultimately though I agree that winning is a big part of it. If USFSA wants to be more popular they need more winners. They also need winners with a personality or an interesting story, which is something they lack.

 

[overedge]

I was thinking about this when I recently came across one of those videos from a USFS training camp where all the skaters do a choreographed dance to a current hit song. Clearly I am not the demographic this sort of outreach is targeting (although I happen to like the song), but I wonder how effective this kind of "look what fun people they are off the ice" marketing is - the same thing with the Carpool Karaoke type videos.

Quite honestly my thought in watching the music video is that it must have taken some time to plan, rehearse, shoot, and edit, and maybe that time could have been spent on other things at camp....

 

[Sylvia]

I was thinking about this when I recently came across one of those videos from a USFS training camp where all the skaters do a choreographed dance to a current hit song. Clearly I am not the demographic this sort of outreach is targeting (although I happen to like the song), but I wonder how effective this kind of "look what fun people they are off the ice" marketing is - the same thing with the Carpool Karaoke type videos.

Quite honestly my thought in watching the music video is that it must have taken some time to plan, rehearse, shoot, and edit, and maybe that time could have been spent on other things at camp....

This video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6U4ipi3WNM

I believe it was the team building exercise at Champs Camp last year?

 

[overedge]

This video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6U4ipi3WNM

I believe it was the team building exercise at Champs Camp last year?

Yep, that's the one. And if it was a team building exercise, then I would also wonder about the value of team building when they all likely know each other pretty well already.

 

[Sylvia]

Yep, that's the one. And if it was a team building exercise, then I would also wonder about the value of team building when they all likely know each other pretty well already.

There were 8 first-time attendees at Champs Camp last year: Bradie Tennell, Vincent Zhou, Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter, Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons, Deanna Stellato and Timothy LeDuc. BTW, USFS didn't release that video until after the 2017-18 season had ended.

Digitally, I think USFS is getting better at this. Gotta give credit to Sora Hwang, who does all the social for the organization. She's really striking the right balance there.

I agree that USFS upped their social media game noticeably this past season and Sora was instrumental. ETA that she has a new and snazzier job title this year: Manager, Digital Content and Fan Engagement

 

[skatingguy]

Well I don't think the 'how much access is appropriate" argument carries a lot of weight. Just like in other sports fans can attend without having "access" and there's no need for them to have access. I go to college football games as a "fan" that does not mean I have ever actually met the players (nor do I feel the need to have intimate details of their lives as skating fans seem to want) So "access" to the athletes is NOT required for fan base, that's just a myth we have on here that we are somehow entitled to "know" and "judge" LOL! Honestly, I don't interact with the skaters unless I run into them in a hotel and even then all I say "good luck" or "congratulations". I personally find it a little creepy that some fans my age seem to want to be "friends" I am old enough to be a grandparent to some of these kids!

I think it's a lot easier to maintain the fan base of team sports because people cheer for the team, in many cases no matter who is on the team. It's probably why the top sports around the world are mostly team sports. Individual sports can gain and lose fans based on the popularity and profile of their top athletes. Having an athlete that people identify with and connect with can draw in new fans.

 

[Rock2]

You raise the right questions in terms of what demo do you want to go after. Casual fan? New fans? Men? Younger? Need to research why fans aren't into it (as much) and address the issues.

It's no secret that sports is a form of entertainment and in relatively major sports, they are star-driven. Stars are built through exposure of appealing athletes who get results. All that means you need to have high performing athletes who are optimally packaged both on and off the ice. USFSA would have to evaluate its role in that process while letting athletes be themselves.

You can build in-arena attendance by providing other forms of entertainment with competitions. I don't think that's a huge priority though. TV ratings drive so much more revenue than ticket sales, so you want to build a TV audience.

There are many other things that can be done (demystify the sport and scoring etc) but those initiatives would be prioritized based on research findings.

 

[overedge]

There were 8 first-time attendees at Champs Camp last year: Bradie Tennell, Vincent Zhou, Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter, Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons, Deanna Stellato and Timothy LeDuc. BTW, USFS didn't release that video until after the 2017-18 season had ended.

I'm sure, though, that many of those first-time attendees already knew others at the camp from regional/sectional (or even local) competitions. Admittedly that is not the same as meeting them in a more personal direct context, but I don't think they were completely unfamiliar with all of the other participants.

I don't want to focus unduly on the video in the context of the issues that @gkelly is raising, but to me it does represent some of what is being wrestled with here. Does this sort of outreach build a bigger fan base, at least to the extent that the resource allocation is justifiable? Does it build devotion among the already-devoted fan base, and is that an important/productive use of resources? Does the audience need to see skaters as "real people" (at least to the extent that's shown in a choreographed/edited video) to be appreciative of their skating, or to continue to follow their skating?

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

I don't want to focus unduly on the video in the context of the issues that @gkelly is raising, but to me it does represent some of what is being wrestled with here. Does this sort of outreach build a bigger fan base, at least to the extent that the resource allocation is justifiable? Does it build devotion among the already-devoted fan base, and is that an important/productive use of resources? Does the audience need to see skaters as "real people" (at least to the extent that's shown in a choreographed/edited video) to be appreciative of their skating, or to continue to follow their skating?

At my job (which is in marketing for a museum/academic institution), a lot of the choices we make about the content published is based upon identifying audiences and whether it checks off certain criteria to meet our internal initiatives. From my perspective, the video (ITA let's not beat this to death) fits into all those things you just described. It might be for devoted fans, casual viewers, and a whole host of audiences that USFS has identified (that we may not be privy to).

 

[missing]

I don't understand why the USFS expends time and money on team building exercises. Figure skating is not a team sport.

For me, the default sports comparison for figure skating is tennis. There are a number of choices the tennis PTB have made that the ISU might want to consider.

First of all, tennis is somewhat local and largely international. Roger Federer might be more popular in Switzerland because he's Swiss, but his fandom is international and probably doesn't much care where he's from. Tennis competitions don't limit their competitors based on nationality. The upcoming Cincinnati event isn't saying, We must have 3 men and 3 women and 3 men's doubles teams and 3 women's doubles teams and 2 mixed doubles teams who are American. And certainly the Grand Slam events, while leaving room for the host country to pick a few locals, doesn't limit its selection to only 3 from each competitive country.

So it's worth considering dumping those national limitations at GP events and at Worlds. Skate America isn't an American competition; it's a world competition. Why must 1/4 of its men and women be from the U.S.? If there are 5 brilliant Russian women, why is Russia only allowed to send 3 to Worlds?

Secondly, tennis a number of years back looked at its competitors and decided it no longer wanted teen phenoms, so it restructured its competitive rules to limit the number of events young teenagers could compete in. Its decision was based (at least in part) by the young teenage (mostly girl) stars burning out or becoming too injured to have long term careers. By doing so, players were able to extend their careers, which allowed them to build up their championships and increase their name recognition. Tennis would be a much different sport today if both Williams sisters had retired at 21 or Federer and Nadal at 25. Instead the best tennis players play into their thirties and the tournaments benefit by being able to promote the participation of those stars.

Plushenko and Hanyu and Kwan turned their careers into legends by competing successfully at more than one Olympics and by competing successfully at major events in between those Olympics. Lipinski and Hughes and Sotnikova and Urmanov and Lysacek built up to their Olympic golds but didn't sustain afterwards. If the sport will benefit from recognizable stars, give the stars a chance at a long successful career.

Finally one of the things tennis does extremely well is player challenges. The ball is called out, the player thinks it's in, the shot is shown on a giant screen so everyone in the stands and watching at home gets to see and the call is upheld or overturned. Audiences really seem to enjoy it.

Perhaps the ISU could do a trial run on challenges. Let's say it allows the skater (or more realistically the coach telling the skater) in the kiss and cry to challenge one call, either on take off edge or underrotation. The challenged jump is displayed on the big screen for the crowd and the home audience to watch. The commentators get to chat about it ("I don't think the skater has a chance on that review but it's worth the risk." "I don't know, Tara. I think the skater would have been wiser challenging the lutz entry, since there's more points to be gained."). The review takes one minute or less, and maybe the call is actually overturned. This gimmick (and trust me, I know it's a gimmick) gives the audience something more to be excited about, as well as educating all us casual fans who don't recognize a flutz or an underrotation.

Tennis and figure skating are obviously not the same sport. But the idea is to examine decisions that have helped popularize tennis, or any other comparable sport, and see what variants of those decisions might help promote figure skating.

 

[PDilemma]

In the U.S. we need broadcasts that treat it like a sport. The Tara & Johnny Show is not the kind of commentary you get on other sports. The human interest angles and the silly know the skaters stuff is not part of your average football broadcast. That stuff is partially due to networks thinking that is what women want when they watch sports. As a woman who watches baseball and college football, I'm just fine watching those two sports where I rarely (and usually never) get a dramatic vignette of players walking on beaches looking pensive or in a "truth booth".

Broadcasts also need to be timely here and include more of the event. The four free skates a day after the competition is over and the results are known (or sometimes a week after) is not enough. Not as many people would watch football either if all we got was the 4th quarter 1-7 days after the game was played.

 

[Tinami Amori]

What kinds of programs or resources should they develop to attract and keep fans?

Bring in the girls... ... Las Vegas style, to each major US competition, to do short numbers at the start and during breaks.
http://www.neubauer.at/uploads/pics/holidayonice_02.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kaKhbV_D...coQePC3ubPIUeNuG02XxwCLcB/s1600/MDS01277a.jpg

 

[Lizziebeth]

PDilemma has touched on a major pet peeve of mine. Severely edited and chopped up events shown on TV days after the event is over wasting time listening to inane commentary. Real followers of the sport have already seen the entire thing on the internet. I don't waste my time watching TV broadcasts.

I know that events are on the other side of the world so they may be delayed instead of being on in the middle of the night, but they should run it as a tape delay instead of doing the lousy editing.

I agree that skating could benefit from watching what is done in other sports and treating it more professionally. Tone down the dumb commentary that seems to be all about the personalities doing the commentary and not about the athletes. Tanith is a good example of someone who does this very well.

 

[UGG]

I think the first thing is we need skaters who produce results and have star quality, or at least one or the other. No one is going to be interested in Bradie Tennell skating programs like Cinderella at 20 years old and placing 5th-6th at worlds the next 3 years except for maybe her mom. Sadly, the U.S just does not seem to care for Ice Dance which has been the most successful discipline in recent times.

Hopefully Nathan Chen can save US Figure Skating.

 

[Debbie S]

At my job (which is in marketing for a museum/academic institution), a lot of the choices we make about the content published is based upon identifying audiences and whether it checks off certain criteria to meet our internal initiatives. From my perspective, the video (ITA let's not beat this to death) fits into all those things you just described. It might be for devoted fans, casual viewers, and a whole host of audiences that USFS has identified (that we may not be privy to).

Agree (I'm also in marketing ). And I agree Sora is doing a great job. And I don't understand why USFS didn't release the video right after Champs Camp (it's not like anything in there was a secret).

USFS has a great opportunity with its "Fan Zone" page to engage current and potential audiences. I'm sure Sora is hard at work planning ahead...IME, the obstacle to creating/distributing content via new media (b/c there are associated expenses, plus time) is convincing those with a traditional view/expectation of marketing of the value - results and how they will be measured and what does it all mean to the bottom line. USFS is a traditional org, slow to embrace digital, and it shows. There is the promotion of comps, to give fans the info they need to watch and to attract new/casual fans and get them to tune in - they won't know to watch if they don't know it's happening. And then there is the promotion of skaters themselves, where I think USFS has lagged the most. Skating isn't going to attract traditional (or extreme) sports fans who want to see action or speed (i.e. who crosses the finish line first). I think the key is promoting the personalities - fandom went through the roof after the 94 Olys b/c even after the Tonya/Nancy drama died down, fans liked watching the skaters. Michelle Kwan became a household name and fans kept tuning in. And it wasn't just the ladies - Todd, Michael and Rudy developed a big fan base, and I remember Meno/Sand's wedding was featured in People magazine.

Sure, the fact that the network put skating on TV so much gave it more visibility, which in turn attracted more fans, and the networks wouldn't have been as likely to invest if the 94 Olys hadn't drawn the interest it did, and yes, this was before social media and Netflix and YouTube, when people still watched TV....but just because there are more outlets now doesn't mean skating is doomed, USFS just needs to find a way to feature skating through new/different channels, especially if they want to engage a younger audience. Which doesn't mean ignoring traditional channels. But with the viewing audience attention fragmented, skating needs to branch out.

And yes, USFS and the networks could be doing a better job of explaining the sport and the judging system. The problem is that Tara and Johnny clearly dislike (and in the case of Tara, didn't compete under) IJS and they'd rather do color and make everything about them. Tanith does a much better job of explaining the finer points, as does Ben - I wouldn't mind them doing to commentary for all disciplines (they were singles skaters once ).

I don't understand why USFS and the networks don't capitalize more on ice dance - it's been the most successful U.S. discipline since Torino and that looks to be continuing (unless TPTB are tired of North American dominance and decide the next quad should be all about P/C vs S/B, but that's a discussion for another thread). I assume the networks think it should be all about ladies (and maybe Nathan) and USFS responds accordingly....I wish someone would slap the NBC execs....although with the FD scheduled to be shown live in prime time on Sat night at this coming year's Nats (and there are no football games on that day except for the Pro Bowl, and it's on ABC ), there could be a change in thinking.

 

[mysticchic]

They need to make the cost more affordable for families to attend. 60-300 for 1 ticket with another 40 to park and that is for 1 event. No way could I take my grands.
They need to make it more youthful. Music sells. Quit already with the music from 50-100 years ago. i fall asleep when too many violin or piano music. Maybe even have a concert between events.
What about trick competitions?
Update costumes and quit making girls look like ballerinas.
Before and after events have an open skate or let little kids skate (like running the bases in baseball)
have workshops with skaters and coaches
make the skaters more relatable for young people.
hire a PR team and a local ad company. (hand up for Detroit)
transportation to events.

 

[overedge]

Shuttles! It's all about the shuttles!!

But on another note.....is there any evidence, from skating or other sports, that fan engagement through social media actually increases viewership and/or event attendance? I can't put my hands on the sources at the moment, but IIRC there's some marketing research that suggests there isn't a strong correlation between online engagement (e.g. numbers of Facebook follows/comments, YouTube views, likes/shares) and product sales.

 

[mysticchic]

a couple of more ideas-
Instead of the skaters trying to market themselves, USFS markets them all. I had an idea 2 years ago that was totally blown off. Romance novels are one of the biggest genre of books. Have the ice dance and pairs teams on covers of the novels. The publishers pay well for models. Not novels like 50 Shades. Harlequin has nice christen types. They have a huge readership and money.
Team events could be made fun.
Bring back pro events. Give Michelle whatever she wants to skate once or twice a year.
Get rid of Johnny and Tara. Uncle Dick made you feel for the skater out there. he got excited.