2009 Membership

[Missing Dog]

Re: 2009 Membership

Hi aker39.

But an installment plan is still a commitment -- it's a bit like a mobile phone plan where you're 'locked in', and while many are happy to do that, pre-paid phones still do a roaring trade as some people just like to have control over their long-term spend. Memberships don't allow for this.

And it doesn't address the issue of not knowing your schedule 6 months in advance. I'm sure most of us here have missed games that we've already pre-paid for. If you do your sums, every game we miss in effect substantially knocks up the price of the other games that we go to.

I've already had to miss two home games this year, and will be missing another three due to future commitments. A non die-hard unlike myself would be hard-pressed to justify paying a full-price membership if they know they'll be missing five-plus games.

Yes agree with all of that, but I think you need to compare a football club membership to golf club membership, or tennis club membership or gym membership.

You have a set term, and you can't pull out before the end of the term. You may not play golf for 3 months or go to the gym for 3 months, but you still pay your membership fees.

I just can't see any football club membership working that doesn't include a long term committment, because there are too many fair weather supporters who would just stop.

My suggestions are just off the top of my head without any real research, but it doesn't take a genius to know that somewhere out there is a revolutionary business model for club profitability that is yet to be invented, and it is low-membership clubs like the Dogs that have the greatest incentive to invent it.

I'm sure there are, antd the 1st club to come up with it, will profit from it.

But all clubs have full time marketing & membership departments and have not had any luck to date in coming up with new ideas.

I think if we have any great ideas, we should send them to the club.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

Pay as you go will never work. The Dogs are 0-6, how many people do you think will pay the next 4 months of their membership.

The club offers the next best thing, payments spread over 12 months.

But 'pay as you go' ALREADY exists as an option. It's called 'buying your tickets at the gate', which obviously quite a few people prefer to do instead of buying a membership ticket.

I don't understand why this should be a problem, unless the stadium deal sucks compared to profit from memberships, and this is hardly the customer's problem, is it (I'm talking as if the Dogs are a business here).

If fans are going to the game, it really shouldn't matter how they pay for their seats -- be it membership, or gate receipts, as long as it is divvied up properly. If this all adds up, the only time a membership would be more lucrative for the club would be the extra money they get from pre-paid members who don't turn up as they wouldn't otherwise get that money from an unsold ticket.. but that's borderline dishonest as they are profiting from NOT offering a service.

What are you saying, Ticketmaster & Ticketek fudge the figures they give the club.

They are just a 3rd party, with expertise in selling tickets (some would argue otherwise) that the club uses to sell their tickets. I don't see how that has any effect on membership or club profits.

They don't have to fudge anything -- it's a simple concept of a middle-man taking their cut. The more intermediaries, the smaller the slice of pie that eventually gets back to the club.

Of course, this is theoretically offset by the ticketing specialists like Ticketmaster/Ticketek having the footprint to sell more tickets than the club would do otherwise, but I argue that with the Internet having the universal reach that it does, and the drastic reduction in the number of Ticketmaster/Ticketek outlets over the last five years means that we are not really any better off having our tickets sold through crappy agents (as you've already alluded to) and having to pay them a cut for it.

The club has introduced the bulldog friendly business program as well as the opportunity for members to see the view from their seats before they committ to that seat.

Yes, they could improve things a bit, but I think the club does a good job in most areas, but if you look back over membership numbers for the last 25 years, when all clubs were doing exactly the same thing in relation to memberhsip, Footscray/Western Bulldogs have been at the bottom of the list.

The one stat that I would like to see is the number of bulldog members as a % of our supporters. I think it would be up there with the best of clubs

I completely agree that the club does a FANTASTIC job in most areas, as I've said in my previous post -- it is in this area that I have criticisms, ESPECIALLY since Campbell and David come out every year to lambast 'lapsed members'.

But how can we expect to outstrip the pack when ALL clubs experience relative growth tied to the same business model -- if all the clubs are using the same business model, how are the Dogs supposed to get ahead? If they grow by 100% (which they have more than done over the last 10 years), then theoretically, a club like Essendon would also grow by 100% or more in the same time, using the same business model (I know this is simplistic, but there is a basic logic there...)

The only way the Dogs would get ahead of the curve is if they use a different, more competitive model where we can get first mover advantage and a jump on everyone else. Otherwise, how do we expect our figures to grow when everyone else's (bar Hawthorn whose figures are skewed from a Premiership) has remained stagnant?

Premierships are of course the best boost to membership, but failing that, we are just not creative enough to differentiate from the pack in this area.

Is there some legal requirement that we have to use the AFL's generic membership blueprint?

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

I'm sure there are, antd the 1st club to come up with it, will profit from it.

But all clubs have full time marketing & membership departments and have not had any luck to date in coming up with new ideas.

I think if we have any great ideas, we should send them to the club.

This is not the domain of single 'great ideas', however. A revolutionary business model to change an organisation's core profit vehicle needs some serious high-level corporate strategy experience, someone who has taken a large organisation through the type of change that firms like Toyota or Apple has gone through.

It requires the type of commercial expertise of which, despite the fantastic work all marketing and membership departments do, is surely missing in most footy departments, as it would be a massive cost to the club to get someone like this in. The wrong person would be disastrous, but the right person would change the face of football marketing in the country. Campbell has massive experience, and he would know people like this in his sphere.

Is the risk worth it? I guess the club has to answer that for itself, but if it's whinging every year about being at the bottom of the pile re: membership numbers DESPITE massive overall growth in the past decade and a half (from 8,000 to 26,000), then perhaps that is an investment worth making.

[Missing Dog]

Re: 2009 Membership

Is the risk worth it? I guess the club has to answer that for itself, but if it's whinging every year about being at the bottom of the pile re: membership numbers DESPITE massive overall growth in the past decade and a half (from 8,000 to 26,000), then perhaps that is an investment worth making.

They can have the best marketing/management person in the world, but the one thing that that person can't control is the on field performance, and unfortunately that is the biggest factor in the majority of people who decide whether to buy a membership on a year by year basis.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

If tonight's performance doesn't get people to sign up, i'm not sure what will.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

My mate is a Melbourne supporter and we always come to one conclusion. Success gets you members. We have been crap for a long long time that is the nuts and bolts of it and until we have a couple of cups in the cupboard nothing will change.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

Better half and I spent the night trying to find a pub that was showing the game, one regular place closed for a private function and the other one doing renovations - we ended up at a Irish pub, where we met up with an old timer with the transistor radio (yes it was that old) attentively listening to the game. Anyway, turns out he is not a member, which was suprising considering how passionate he seemed to be. After a bit of hassling from me has agreed to sign up.

I just wish the club would, show the interstate games at WO, we would make the pilgrimage from the North East if it means that we get to watch the game with other doggie supporters, happy to buy a meal and have a few drinks to put some money into the dogs kitty as well.

[azabob]

Re: 2009 Membership

Better half and I spent the night trying to find a pub that was showing the game, one regular place closed for a private function and the other one doing renovations - we ended up at a Irish pub, where we met up with an old timer with the transistor radio (yes it was that old) attentively listening to the game. Anyway, turns out he is not a member, which was suprising considering how passionate he seemed to be. After a bit of hassling from me has agreed to sign up.

I just wish the club would, show the interstate games at WO, we would make the pilgrimage from the North East if it means that we get to watch the game with other doggie supporters, happy to buy a meal and have a few drinks to put some money into the dogs kitty as well.

Brilliant idea, why dont they?

Or do they and don't publicise it?

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

Game Day: 27,401
Total: 30,361

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: 2009 Membership

Game Day: 27,401
Total: 30,361

That must really be the most frustrating thing for Smorgon.

I don't get it, we make a prelim, have a good start to the next season, play attacking footy and membership drops? WTF?

It doesn't make sense.

[Bornadog]

Re: 2009 Membership

That must really be the most frustrating thing for Smorgon.

I don't get it, we make a prelim, have a good start to the next season, play attacking footy and membership drops? WTF?

It doesn't make sense.

So called supporters are a disgrace

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

I wonder if the club are calling the members who has not resigned as member. Last I heard there were
6000 members last year who has not resigned.

What about a half season membership, Bulldogs run home this season are fantastic. nearly all are in
Melbourne.

Come on doggies supporters........

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2009 Membership

I got an email today from the club saying "we've noticed you're not a member, here are our deals we have" etc. Which was annoying, because I am a member, so I'm not entirely sure they're emailing the right people.

[ledge]

Re: 2009 Membership

I got an email today from the club saying "we've noticed you're not a member, here are our deals we have" etc. Which was annoying, because I am a member, so I'm not entirely sure they're emailing the right people.

Sure you are Your trickin.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: 2009 Membership

It's extremely annoying.

We've never been in a better position both on and off the field.

Why wouldn't you become a member?

I understand some people are under financial pressures, but the club has that monthly system which works out to be very affordable.