" Would Better Marketing Sell More Season Tickets? "

I wasn't going to renew my ST for the first time in donkeys years because for some reason I just haven't enjoyed this season, be it the football (which generally hasn't been entertaining), the atmosphere in the stadium, constantly being told I'm one of the "People In This Part Of The World", all have contributed to me having a less than positive mindset regarding the club.

But in the end I did because City are my team and I know deep down that after the last game of the season whatever happens I will be counting down the days until the new season starts. I bet there are hundreds who post on this board who feel the same but there are obviously thousands of current ST holders who don't and you have to ask what has the club done to try and persuade the missing thousands to sign up.

I know in my case I was getting the bulk standard e-mail from the club counting down the days until the 31st March even though I had already renewed. I have been getting e-mails since informing me that ALL ST sales will stop after I think the 18th April, it's really impersonal and IMO if the club had a professional marketing approach instead of sending out reminders where they are not required they would send out thank you email with a message from TG, GJ or even DJ. Sadly we are a long way from that and the attitude is basically the same as the style of stewards in the stadium it's just rank poor customer service, and more importantly lazy marketing where far to much reliance is placed on supporters just buying ST because they are on sale.

I have watched with interest whilst our friends out west have run a number of ST offers, open only to new ST holders, where they have offered 250 ST for £250 in the corner section of the ground. These tickets sold in days the club then offered a further 275 ST for £275 and they have been sold as well.

Our club instead of repeatedly telling people they have until such and such a date to renew, which in marketing terms is a heavy handed approach, should have tried a different approach IMO i.e. remind them what they lose out on by not buying a ST, load the ST offers up with a bonus or 2 like 25% off a replica shirt and 15% off all purchases in the club shop not 10% if you spend more than £20 like it is now.

The problem is as I see it is that the club has attracted thousands of new fans in the last few years and as Annis has quite rightly said they don't have the deep affiliation with the club that develops over years or decades of watching the club. Our club has only used the same advertising campaigns in recent seasons, if the buy now and we will spend every penny on transfers in January could be described as a marketing campaign, but constantly repeating the same message be it email or match programmes will eventually see lower sales and thats whats happening now.

FA Final and Play Off finals have helped boost sales in recent seasons and no doubt promotion will see a huge demand for ST, but what if we are not promoted what will happen? How will the club be able to revitalise interest?

One way would be to deal with the biggest customer complaint and one that is repeated on this messageboard almost daily and that is the atmosphere in the stadium and the treatment of fans by the match day stewards.

Rule number 1 in business must be handle customer complaints quickly and with a positive attitude. Strive to preserve your relationship with the customer instead of your immediate profit from them. They will reward you with repeat sales and referrals instead of punishing you by telling everybody they know about their unhappy experience ...causing you to lose future customers.

In these difficult financial times the club could do well to take a look at how Norwich City have marketed their season tickets, forget that they are generally a little cheaper than ours, fans have been offered the opportunity to buy their ST with 12 equal monthly payments "Interest Free" and the take up has been huge with approx 22,000 sold, a club record. Could this make a difference for our fans?

I agree with Annis and unless our club gets a grip on this situation we may well be left with attendances around the 15K - 16K next season without promotion and that would be a huge backward step.

Gary/Castleblue Great post and the Club needs to Address this Situation Now.

Great post Castle and I agree with almost all of it. I bought my season ticket on the 1 Feb (day one), paid it all up front (no credit facility) yet for the next 2 months I kept getting 'reminder' Emails to renew which were bloody annoying, not to mention giving the impression that the club had grabbed my money and were now demanding more.

A thank-you Email would have been far better along with 'offer' Emails of club shop vouchers if I introduced a friend who then bought a season ticket.

It is also about time the club brought in the 'top up' facility on your club card. This was banded about at the season ticket presentation at Ninian Park before we bought our first ST at CCS.

Basically at any time during the season any stadium card holder could 'top up' via the club shop or internet account and the cash could then be used in either the club shop or used against the future cost of a ST or a vital cup game.

I'm glad you posted this bit Castle because this is exactly how I feel down there.

because for some reason I just haven't enjoyed this season, be it the football (which generally hasn't been entertaining), the atmosphere in the stadium, constantly being told I'm one of the "People In This Part Of The World"

I also agree, with posters on other threads, that times are really hard at the moment and the 12 months interest free option that Norwich have introduced would be more than welcome in this current climate.

The 18th of April deadline to buy season tickets could shoot the club in the foot, if we stay in this division.

Great post and just about sums it up really ............... altho we used to get vouchers before for money off home shirts etc and still get 10% off with our cards I believe ? I dont think atmosphere can be to blame for the numbers coz lets be honest many of us have renewed when we were in old Div 4 when NP used to have many sub 3,000 attendances ....... I thing I will say tho is from my seat in the Ninian Stand compared to my old seat on the Bob Bank only from the new stadium have I heared the away fans so much , hardly hear them at NP . This is down to the layout of the new stadium I believe ? The deadline dates for ST renewals should be scrapped I think til the end of the season like they were before

Our friends out west have had a number of offers to "New Season Tickets Holders" in the past month and the result has been 1200 new ST Holders by the end of play last night.

Everyone of those new ST as well as getting a one off reduction in the purchase price has been given a free ticket for the final league game at home to Sheffield Utd. Also existing ST holders have been given until 31st May to renew their ST all of which are better examples of marketing than our own club.

We have been told about being able to sell our seats back to the club should we be unable to attend the game and have that money available to offset against future ST but does anyone really believe that will happen. But finding a way to do that and as Tony has said being able to "Top Up" our cards / accounts would be hugely beneficial come the time to renew the ST.

I remember when SH first introduced the "Ambassador" offers there were all sorts of added benefits like vouchers for replica shirts, car window stickers and those ultra cheap keyrings but at least there was an attempt to market the product.

I really believe that there are lots of things the club could be doing today to attract "NEW ST Holders" the corner section of the canton being a good example where a one off price reduction may well see a big take up. The question is are the club more interested in telling existing ST to renew by a certain date than trying to attract new ST holders.

Right now there is every chance that Swansea City will have as many ST holders as us come the end of May and that would be unbelieveable.

Its all about money and marketing at the mo and NOT a lot of customer relations by the looks of it as there are little incentives other than losing your seat or if your new then NOT getting a seat fo next season after Apr 18th ! Its disgusting if you ask me and surely later cut off dates with staggered pricing ( except those of us on the 5 yr freeze ) is the BEST way forward and will keep everybody happy . Some fans renew early to save money ...... others , especially new ST holders , may want to wait until the end of the season to decide which should be their choice and NOT the choice of fledgling football club administrators . Jones and Jenkins keep reminding us how " far we have come " and " where we were " ........... but I remind them where CCFC also were under bad admin management etc !!

Interesting thoughts there mate. At first I was concerned that marketing might cost us more than it would bring in. However, there are innovative ways that the club can advertise and market purely by becoming more of a community club. Giving prizes to auctions and raffles in the area, handing out flyers in schools and businesses etc.

I am not going to have a go at the club on this though because in 12 months alone our marketing efforts have quadrupled so over time, hopefully, they will consistently remain on the increase.

I do understand a lot of people's discontent with the current atmosphere. Personally, I love where I sit because all the people around me are a tidy bunch. However, I can see why others aren't enjoying it. For me, I haven't enjoyed this season because I've felt the standard of football has been lacking slightly and we've become more of a hoof ball team which has died down in recent weeks.

I just think this is the reason the message boards are so great because they pick up on issues like this and help us, the fans, and the club address it.

Its all about money and marketing at the mo and NOT a lot of customer relations by the looks of it as there are little incentives other than losing your seat or if your new then NOT getting a seat fo next season after Apr 18th ! Its disgusting if you ask me and surely later cut off dates with staggered pricing ( except those of us on the 5 yr freeze ) is the BEST way forward and will keep everybody happy . Some fans renew early to save money ...... others , especially new ST holders , may want to wait until the end of the season to decide which should be their choice and NOT the choice of fledgling football club administrators . Jones and Jenkins keep reminding us how " far we have come " and " where we were " ........... but I remind them where CCFC also were under bad admin management etc !!

I absolutely agree this policy of renew by 31st March or you seat will go on general sale for just over 2 weeks and then no further ST will be sold does sort of drive the club down a cul-de-sac, where on earth do they go after 18th April. To say this policy lacks inovation is an understatement.

It does make you wonder if the policy is all about money with the club being happier to sell more seats at "Match Day Prices" and use those higher prices to offset the 5 year price freeze.

It does make you wonder

i agree with you mate. great post. i honestly don't believe that people are not renewing their season tickets because of money issues although there are going to be people who actually can't afford it which is fair enough. we say our attendances are possibly going down next season but i actually don't really believe that because there has been a fair few games that A LOT of st holders haven't turned up so maybe our gates have been a little smaller than we think but i am happy for our gates to go down a little which might result in having a better atmopshere. ive been going down for many years and i have always enjoyed the whole match day experience and last year it wasn't great but i thought it was because it was our first season in the CCS...but sadly it has got worse, i will continue to renew my ST but for me...the match day experience has been ruined by the club along with it's stewards. they are there to do their job but i don't see why the club is trying to ruin the atmopshere so badly that people do not want to go anymore and are reluctant to renew their ST. i really didn't think this sort of thing would ever happen at CARDIFF CITY of all clubs.

The club are proudly pushing and advertising the fact they won the Family Club of the year award and rightly so ...... but how about improving customer relations BEYOND the Family Stand ?

The club are proudly pushing and advertising the fact they won the Family Club of the year award and rightly so ...... but how about improving customer relations BEYOND the Family Stand ?

Good point Martin, after all the every man like all of us makes up the large percentage of ticket purchasers and there are a lot of swing voters to be had out there.

The club are proudly pushing and advertising the fact they won the Family Club of the year award and rightly so ...... but how about improving customer relations BEYOND the Family Stand ?

the club seem to be pushing hard with it's sort of family status especially with the award...but i think they fail to realise that there are around 17,000 other fans in the stadium. they need to wake up.

Family club of the year at home yeah maybe ...... but we still get stupid restrictions etc for away games !

Family club of the year at home yeah maybe ...... but we still get stupid restrictions etc for away games !

I blame Baz...

I agree fully with this post....

One confusion, though....what did you mean by "constantly being told I'm one of the "People In This Part Of The World" ??

I agree fully with this post....

One confusion, though....what did you mean by "constantly being told I'm one of the "People In This Part Of The World" ??

Dave Jones basically he appears incapable of giving an interview without putting the boot in about "People In This Part Of The World"

Just gets on my nerves

He basically wants the glory of saying its ALL his own achievement when Cardiff get promoted ( or not ) !

Here are a few other examples of how Championship clubs are using Marketing Schemes to boost Season Ticket Sales;

Like Norwich City any ST Holder at the KC Stadium can spread the cost of their Hull City ticket over 12 equal monthly payments. Leicester City offer a similar scheme over 10 months but it does require an initial £50 deposit with the balance paid over 10 equal monthly payments.

Doncaster Rovers have run a "Recommend A Friend" Scheme where existing ST holders get a reduction in their ST for every new ST purchaser they recommend. They have also run a raffle where 5 ST holders will have their tickets delivered by hand by any first team player they want.

Leicester City also offer money back on any ticket for a game where a ST holder cannot make the game and through the season they have periodic offers like "A Pie, Pint & Ticket" for £20, there is an offer for their game against Palace next Tuesday.

Portsmouth are offering fans the opportunity to buy their tickets on a 6 month interest free option through Zebra Finance I,m not sure but thats better than anything offered to our fans.

FIRST 2 PARAGRAPHS TOTALLY SOME UP MY FEELINGS, AND I LIKE YOU I HAVE RENEWED

Family club of the year at home yeah maybe ...... but we still get stupid restrictions etc for away games !

i know, it's awful but at times we have a number of fans that do cause trouble but nothing like years ago. look at the swansea game, millwall and bristol....we haven't really done anything wrong but still get treated like shit. hopefully getting to the prem will give us the chance to prove ourselves especially with big away numbers.

Maybe its just me and because I live in Cardiff but I think the marketing has been the best its been for years. Ive had letters, E-mails and there are giant billboards around town and I seen one on a bus.

From Facebook


Adrian Gregory
Have renewed my ticket regardless whether city go up or not. Every1 has been through ups and downs this season thats football thats why we follow it. If city go up like I do think they will then u watch those tickets go.its the glory hunters I hate.iv been at ninian park with 1200 fans.i also think 4 the next 3 remaining home games the club should adapt a stand if u want policy cos its vital that we generate as much noise as possible 4 our team.
3 hours ago · Like · 1 person




Alun Jaffa Griffiths
well said adrian have sat myself in the ground in them days
3 hours ago · Like




Adrian Gregory
‎2 rights m8. We never moaned in fact I loved it better days out. We will always attract new fans but how long they stay loyall is the point m8 through bad times like wrexham on a pissing down friday night about 1000 fans
3 hours ago · Like



Alun Jaffa Griffiths
lol yeah good banter then..myself and annis were on many grim away trips lol
3 hours ago · Like


Rhys Vaughan
this is the area of my study at university, and is the exact reason why I have chosen to my dissertation for my degree on the motivations of cardiff city supporters to attend home matches, cant wait to see the conflicting opinions from proper fans to these silly newbies! although to an extent to go forward they need to in and around the club.
2 hours ago · Like

If we get to the premier STs will rocket. The club will not need to give away any incentives. If we dont go up then they will have to rethink and perhaps come out with some benefits.

Great post Castle and I agree with almost all of it. I bought my season ticket on the 1 Feb (day one), paid it all up front (no credit facility) yet for the next 2 months I kept getting 'reminder' Emails to renew which were bloody annoying, not to mention giving the impression that the club had grabbed my money and were now demanding more.

A thank-you Email would have been far better along with 'offer' Emails of club shop vouchers if I introduced a friend who then bought a season ticket.

It is also about time the club brought in the 'top up' facility on your club card. This was banded about at the season ticket presentation at Ninian Park before we bought our first ST at CCS.

Basically at any time during the season any stadium card holder could 'top up' via the club shop or internet account and the cash could then be used in either the club shop or used against the future cost of a ST or a vital cup game.

i remember Steve Borley talking about the top up facility and thought it was an excellent idea and still do

I don't know if this has affected the take up of season tickets, but a lot has been made of season ticket holders who don't turn up and the club has gone to lengths of Emailing them to point this out.

I was a bit dubious about this practise at the time it was mentioned and it could be very counterproductive when it comes to renewing.

The ST Holder might either be reminded it’s not worth their while having a ST or think the club is being a bit nosey or overzealous and decide not to renew in protest.

I know I felt a bit narked receiving 'reminder' Email 6 weeks after I had purchased next season's ticket, so how would someone for example feel if they received an Email informing them they had missed a home game when they couldn't attend because one of their kids was unwell?

The club has just posted a statement regarding the number of ST sold for next season which is approx 16,000 including the posh seats.

The statement also includes a thank you to everyone who has renewed their tickets and that the club think next season is going to be a record for ST sales.

Personally the statement of thanks is very much appreciated and it is good news to hear that number of actual sales being only just below this season.

Having said all that surely it would be a still be a worthwhile exercise to benchmark our performance against other clubs in the Championship.

Interesting we get another update statement from the club whilst there is a debate taken place on this messageboard.

http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/page/New ... 92,00.html

Good news, lets hope thats (nearly) 16000 premiership season tickets sold

http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10335~2334392,00.html

Good news, lets hope thats (nearly) 16000 premiership season tickets sold

PLUS 1,000 PREMIER SEATS .

Just been told in the last week 1,600 theyve been selling a day. YET Monday/Tues/Wed/Thurs 2 ticket Staff on a day it was so quite
I emailed this Topic/Thread, THIS am to Gethin Jenkins Hmm

Hmm And you believe them, Since Tuesday theyve SOLD THEN 5,000




BUT CONGRATULATIONS (Rem if were not promoted the crowd announcements Next Season,Must NEVER FALL BELOW 17,000)




NO MORE COMMENTS FROM ME.

Hmm And you believe them, Since Tuesday theyve SOLD THEN 5,000

No chance.