Supporters Marketing ideas & materials ** updated ** : Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:12 pm  

We will try to keep all marketing related ideas and discussions on this thread so as to not lose anything valuable off the front page.

Cheers

Homer 24/10/08

: Wed Oct 08, 2008 5:01 pm  

Talk Sport anyone ?

: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:32 pm  

GF is talking sense and is not running down QRL but suggesting constructive ways to increase the fan base. ORL marketing is very poor, witness the current season chaos when I wanted to renew my ST + 3 others, but was told I can' have seats I picked out since they are reserved for away fans. Hope the away fans turn up, for the first time in many years I am not renewing and will now pick and choose games. Some will have a go at me for this but that is the right of the customer and I have been watching RL for over 40 YEARS (note I did not make every game while a ST holder - but I supported the team). Maybe the corporate box will take my place.

: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:52 pm  

."....but was told I can't have seats I picked out since they are reserved for away fans."

I wonder if you'd claimed you were an 'away' fan who wanted to watch Quins home matches you'd have been sold a season ticket in the seats reserved for away fans? With the next nearest club how many miles away, why shouldn't RL supporters of other clubs, who live in London, go to watch RL at Quins, as neutrals or even temporary supporters of the away team? Perhaps the Club could be more aware of that potential source of spectators?

: Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:56 am  

saints13 wrote:

I wonder if you'd claimed you were an 'away' fan who wanted to watch Quins home matches you'd have been sold a season ticket in the seats reserved for away fans? With the next nearest club how many miles away, why shouldn't RL supporters of other clubs, who live in London, go to watch RL at Quins, as neutrals or even temporary supporters of the away team? Perhaps the Club could be more aware of that potential source of spectators?

I don't think this argument holds true in many cases. I lived in Sheffield for three years, and I can count the amount of time I went to watch Sheffield United and Wednesday on the fingers of one hand. Ditto (to my shame) Sheffield Eagles.

We should be working on developing entirely new supporters IMO. We went down the route of expats before and it didn't work.

: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:57 pm  

Tre Cool wrote:

You do prattle a little bit! I just think fans can do a lot more positive stuff than sl*g off Quins marketing department all the time, they have the best intentions for RL as you do, so let them do their work and we can do what we do...support the team, wear the shirt and talk up QuinsRL.

The problem seems to be that they have no idea about how to persuade more people through the turnstiles. This bloke is full of ideas that seem to make some sense so why diss them?

: Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:42 am  

The Penguin wrote:

your head burying in the sand is duly noted la.

Why are our fans so happy with mediocrity?

Im not, but constantly trying to undermine the work of the internal departments of the club is not helping, especially when we dont have anything like all the facts at our disposal. Im sure they want what is best for the club as we do. If we're so passionate about improving from mediocrity we should do something more than just criticising the club.

: Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:49 pm  

Having read GF's many posts on this subject and after discussing this thorny issue with him privately, I feel it's worth me giving my views on it.

The club took up seventeen years of my life, both as a fan and later as a member of staff. The only period during that time that the club had any sense of purpose and resources regarding building a bigger fanbase was during the Virgin ownership. Various 'marketing gurus' came and went before, during and after espousing variations on the "we've huge potential", "most important rugby (sic) club in the world", "ten thousand within five years" schticks only to be faced with a reality: professional RL in London struggles with any kind of consistant profile and its ability to attract regular support.

The club are continually hamstrung by a lack of finance when it comes to projecting themselves to the eight million or so in the capital. Without a good deal more investment in terms of actual budget as well as bodies to do the jobs, it will continue to struggle. Contrast Quins RU's marketing department with the RL one. Contrast the amount of full-time admin staff working for QRL with their RU counterparts. The club remains under-resourced. It's one of the reasons I left.

The club deserves to do well but I feel it has always tried to fight its battles with one hand tied behind it...

: Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:04 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

do you have selective eyesight or are you just a wind up merchant? Who else should we criticise then? Ken Livingstone? Lord Lucan?

FFS.....The club have been Harlequins Rugby League for three years now.
In that time, we have finished 7th, 9th and 9th and seen our average crowd numbers fall to 3,850 this year.

Put into perspective, we finished 6th in our last year as the London Broncos and averaged 4,000 fans....and before you say anything, the 2005 Broncos were running at break even, the debts were accrued well before then.

As for doing something, I have offered (and had accepted by the RFL but not Harlequins Rugby League) my services free of charge on countless occasions. I have also helped organise leaflet drops. I can only continue to offer and be ignored so many times. If the RFL think that I am "just the kind of passionate person that QRL needs to market the game" but the club disagree.....what else can I do.

Finally......this is a forum where opinions are voiced and if the club choose to view my opinions with disdain, then fine....but remember this, in the 6 odd years I have been a supporter of the club, they have made NO PROGRESS when it comes to attendance figures.......and they have made NO PROGRESS when it comes to public awareness (even on a local level)

Fans action doesnt need to be organised by the club. (i sort of skim read your post so hope I didnt miss anything important )

Couldnt we havea 'crowdbuilder' instead of a 'squadbuilder' thing going organised by the fans?

: Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:15 pm  

I used to be a season ticket holder and did a few things for the club over a number of years and yesterday the club contacted me via e-mail asking if I'd be interested in coming back and offering a free shirt for getting a season ticket.

I thought it was a very good peice of marketing and one that I would accept apart from the fact that my life has changed a lot of late and Quins are no longer the big draw they once were.

If I were the club, I'd offer all the local schools free tickets for students accompanied by an adult. Do this for a couple of weeks, then offer the local kids a discounted ticket with a full payinmg adult.

If this doesn't work, nothing will.