Recently I received a season ticket pack in the mail. The package included a letter signed by BRFC Head of Sales and Marketing Mr Simon Williams. The letter pointed out the positive difference between BRFC's season ticket prices and those of Bolton, Burnley, and Preston.
None of those clubs are any threat to Blackburn Rovers support levels. BRFC marketing chiefs are being highly short sighted viewing those clubs as a threat. That is after all why they were mentioned in the season ticket letter in regards to the price comparison.
Bolton Wanderers offer nothing to the Blackburn public which is of greater appeal. They haven't won any major trophies in the past several years unlike Blackburn Rovers. Neither side is likely to achieve anything higher than UEFA Cup qualification without a takeover.
Burnley should be seen as a natural catchment area rather than a threat to support. Of course they just got promoted but they aren't established. By no means will their stay in the Premier League be long term. If it is then obviously the catchment area boundaries would have to be revised but for the time being that is not the case.
It's an even bigger joke that the BRFC marketing chiefs appear to see Preston North End as a bigger threat to support than Manchester United.
People in Blackburn who don't like football are usually in one of three categories.
1. They don't like football which makes them irrelevant in the marketing scheme of things.
2. There allegiance is unusual perhaps due to previously being based in a different area of the country. A family of Newcastle United supporters for instance who find themselves based in Blackburn are no threat to BRFC's catchment area however.
3. They support one of the regular top 4 clubs. Manchester United as the nearest club in that category should be seen as the biggest threat. Of course Manchester United shirts can be seen in many areas of the country but the difference is those areas aren't the home of an established Premier League Club.
BRFC have played in the same league as Manchester United for 15 of the past 17 seasons. BRFC have also beaten Man United to a major honour in this period. So why then are BRFC supporters oblivious to the threat their support possesses? Why not even go as far to make people wearing Man Utd shirts feel highly unwelcome in and around the town centre or any urban area? Kids won't wear Man United shirts to school if other kids treat them as outsiders rather than tolerating them.
Most of those supporters are unlikely to go to Old Trafford. More likely to sit at home watching on TV due to the waiting list or more likely of the armchair fan status.
However at such low prices BRFC should be appealing to this "barmy armchair" brigade (A phrase previously used in a BRFC season ticket radio commercial) and instead of adjoining themselves to the axis of evil should be lured to Ewood.
I saw Man United shirts in Blackburn town centre this past week but no Preston shirt. So why are BRFC making a point out of comparing prices to Preston? Who the hell in Blackburn would decide to support a Championship side like Preston? Maybe the marketing chiefs need to have a look around Blackburn and they might just see what the real threat is instead of being so unbelievably short sighted.
At least the letter never mentioned Wigan Athletic which like Bolton is based in the Greater Manchester area. An area which strangely enough contains the city of Manchester itself. Wigan of course consider a rugby club in the same town as their main rivals. Try and make some sense out of that because I sure as hell can't.
The ticket prices don't mean the club is free from criticism. I would rather pay a higher price with decent funding contributions by the owners than a lower price and no funding. It is also no excuse for lowering the wage bill. Even raising it by 1 pence (the Walkers would lead you to believe that's their entire fortune) would be a better direction to take than reducing it.
13 Million is the speculated transfer budget for this summer. How much would it have been if Cruz and Derbyshire (good riddance to the latter) weren't sold? Zero? That just further proves there is no bigger issue concerning this football club than a takeover.
The club has improved in some areas recently. The Ewood Roverstore has seen a considerable improvement since an awful partnership with sportswear outfit Sports World (both Roverstore and Sports World very creative names)
Another outlet is due to be opened within the Mall Shopping Complex based in the town centre. Something which is long overdue.
As for marketing phrases BRFC have tried numerous things. This included using recorded messages in public transfer shelters by Graeme Souness a few seasons back.
One recent tagling has been "we believe" in numerous things all relating to football is for fans. I don't believe it's a poor tagline at all.
Another tagline I would suggest would be "BRFC Attitude" with a smaller tagline underneath reading Premier League Mindset, Premier League Mentality.
By attitude I mean everything that is not low key. This is a Premier League club and it's about time it started acting like one.
Of course to say the current owners are low key would be an understatement. That's another issue why do we hardly ever hear from the owners? Why do the fans stand for it?
Club staff can act as a mouthpiece. John Williams for instance. I imagine the Walkers greet him with "howdy poodle" before instructing him to say how little transfer funding will be available again. I wish he wouldn't keep standing for it but if the fans won't criticise why should he?
But there is only one marketing phrase BRFC should be using. The phrase I suggested above is along the same lines in terms of meaning. I would however suggest the man synonymous with the following phrase had a slightly higher value and influence attached to his name.
Think BIG.
What better than using the tagline which summed up Jack Walker's life philosophy. It was his favourite phrase and BRFC need to take full advantage of it's marketing potential. Jack didn't use the phrase as a marketing slogan since his actions spoke louder than words.
The problem is some BRFC fans are very small minded and entrenched in local mentalities rather than national.
Using think big as a marketing slogan might serve as a reminder that parochial mentality is not the way forward for a Premier League football club.
Then again the owners have gone against Jack's wishes in every other conceivable way so they are unlikely to adhere to using his favourite phrases as a marketing platform.
I just hope any future owners understand the significance of Jack Walker and also share the same mentality. Obviously many wealthy individuals couldn't have mad their fortune without knowing how to think big.
Relating to the earlier remarks about catchment areas that's exactly what the rest of Lancashire should be. It's clear Jack Walker saw it that way using slogans such as “Pride Of Lancashire” in an attempt to swell the support depth. He was not however thinking along the lines of merger like one fool on a BRFC supporters website.
Jack also intended to raise the capacity of Ewood Park by rebuilding the Riverside Stand.
This work was intended for 1999 but relegation delayed it. In 2002 the average attendance was higher than in 1998-99 but no capacity increase was forthcoming.
Would it have made sense? That's not the question. The question is would Jack Walker have wanted the stand rebuilt? Since the 2002 average attendance was higher than in 1999 I have no doubt he would have proceeded with the rebuilding.
Yet another of Jack's wishes that haven't been carried out.
The Ewood boardroom however still has the model of a rebuilt Riverside Stand. So clearly it's something that hasn't entirely escaped the club's attention.
Earlier this summer Stephen Warnock was being linked with a move away. So what do the BRFC marketing geniuses do? Let him model the club away kit of course!
Granted Warnock hasn't gone and I would bet he will still be here at the start of the season but talk of a transfer has died down in recent weeks.
That wasn't the case when the advertising shots were taken.
What about lottery sales? Easy enough to get a lottery ticket on match days. Are the prizes OK? Not too bad?
Same couldn't be aid for the club radio station which runs on a restricted license for match days only. I rarely listen to it and the last time I did it seemed to be plugging outside sponsors more than the clubs own merchandise.
It also offered the fabulous prize of a £10 HMV voucher. No doubt that had the entries flooding in. That suggests 2 things.
1. The owners probably chose the prize
2. The club wanted as few entries as possible.
The club website itself serves as a marketing tool, merchandise, etc are done through a separate website named One Rovers. Perhaps BRFC aren't oblivious to the threat of Man United after all since they have used a similar slogan One United.
Granted they have taken this to ridiculous levels where even the likes of Liverpool fans refer to them as United not realising how much it means financially to Man United from the all important marketing standpoint.
BRFC should try and monopolise the name Rovers. I don't agree with Man United holding a virtual monopoly over the use of the name United but it's worked for them. Of course they also managed to exploit a plane crash to their benefit so there's no low they won't stoop to marketing wise.
As for the BRFC club badge as far as I'm concerned (rather biased standpoint admittedly) it's the best in the world. There's certainly no need for any changes there.
I've seen many supporters of other clubs comment on their admiration of the BRFC logo. The blue and white halved shirt design is regarded as an all time classic in football.
So in assessment does Simon Williams, head of marketing deserve his well paid position? How did he get into the position in the first place?
I'm sure the fact he is the son of chairman John Williams has absolutely nothing to do with it……
This club needs a overhaul but nothing major is going to be done while the current owners continue to completely neglect the club.
So in that case where will a full scale marketing overhaul for Blackburn Rovers come from?
New owners of course.
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