These are the people, the ideas, the authors, The books, the companies, & THE EXPERIENCES that have INFLUENCED MY STRATEGIES as a MARKETING professional.
Howard Schultz - Starbucks CEO
My time at Starbucks was transformative because of this man. Much to love and emulate from my experience and interactions with him personally - and for him to take the time to answer my questions of him in an informal conversation. He listened and asked questions back on my thoughts I shared with him. I worked at Starbucks when they made their first ever round of layoffs in a big downturn in the economy. The reason I use the transparency quote, as I do not feel enough sports teams get this one right. The other tactic I love at Starbucks is “surprise and delight” - doing so because you can and it reinforces who you are. ALL employees were authorized to do so and an amazing culture to be a part of.
““We created a real sense of tribalism within the front office, the players, the staff, where we all felt we were making an important contribution to the outcome of the team on and off the field and creating a sense of ownership. And that translated to the fans … The line in Chicago is ‘Tradition. Honor. Passion.’ And certainly because of what we did on the field, but also because of the honorable relationship with the community, and nurturing a young supporters organization, we were able to create that sense of tradition and passion in very short order.””
I was lucky enough to work with Peter in assisting to build, from scratch, what became Indy Eleven. I was on the leadership team for the Brickyard Battalion, the supporters group that existed to support professional soccer in Indianapolis long before it came to fruition. I learned the importance of building a community around your club, where to create strategic partnerships in your communities, and most of all, the importance of soccer supporter culture.
David Meerman Scott - “Fanocracy”
““To be successful in a world where fans rule, we must be convinced that relationships with customers are more important than the the products or services we sell to them.””
““You can’t work with anyone if you don’t know who they are and what they love.” “When customers have the opportunity to establish an emotional bond with others as a result of doing business with you, it sticks.”
This book helped shape how I feel about the “monetization” of fans. When you ask someone to invest time or money into your experience, its also important to note you are asking for some emotional capital as well. Whether that is standing up and cheering on 4th down defensive stop when you ask, or standing and singing for 90+ minutes. I have always liked the word supporters over fans, as supporters indicates they are taking action on your behalf. Clubs should continue to personalize the experience, and create genuine relationships with their supporters and future supporters alike.
The Heath Brothers - “The Power of Moments”
““What’s indisputable is that when we assess our experiences, we don’t average our minute-by-minute sensations. Rather, we tend to remember flagship moments: the peaks, the pits, and the transitions.”
“To elevate a moment, do three things: First, boost sensory appeal. Second, raise the stakes. Third, break the script.”
“The ‘occasionally remarkable’ moments shouldn’t be left to chance! They should be planned for, invested in. They are peaks that should be built. And if we fail to do that, look at what we’re left with: mostly forgettable.”
“To exceed customer expectations and create a memorable experience, you need the behavioral and interpersonal parts of the service. You need the element of pleasant surprise.”
“To increase positive variance is to welcome humanity and spontaneity into the system. And that means giving employees license to break the script.””
I cannot stress enough the importance of how much I feel this directly relates to the live sports experience. There is a fine line between tradition and tired, and you need to make sure the traditions are not around because YOU like them, but your SUPPORTERS do. This is just as much about having a customer service mindset first and enable everyone to be able to activate on it as they deem necessary.
Donald Miller - “Building a Brand Story”
“‘’As a brand it’s important to define something your customer wants, because as soon as we define something our customer wants, we posit a story question in the mind of the customer: Can this brand really help me get what I want?’’”
A great reinforcement of “its not about you” its about what you provide for them. Who is the hero in your story? How do your customers see themselves in your experience? Questions we need to stop and ask in our creative strategies as well.
Disney Institute - “Be Our Guest”
““You don’t build it for yourself. You know what people want, and you build it for them.” ”
I am 100%, absolutely, and without any pause, love Disney. I am “that guy”. I love the experience, the customer service standards, and I never leave disappointed, even though I know I just spent a small fortune on every visit (reminder: 4 kids). Walt’s fundamentals for success still ring true today as it should for every sports organization. You build the best product you can (on and off the field). You give your people effective training to support the delivery of exceptional service (including the one’s you manage indirectly or outsource). You learn from your experiences. You measure. And you celebrate success. You never stop growing. You never stop believing. At the end of the day, we all must satisfy our guests/fans/supporters—and convince them to return and recommend us to others—or risk losing them in the long run. This is a long game, one that is played daily with every action, and should be with purpose.
Bing Russell & The Portland Mavericks
If you do not know this story its inspiring for all the right reasons: following a passion and enveloping others into that passion and building a community around your experience. Bing was both inspirational and groundbreaking: a front office staff with diversity and representation, player care before there was real player care, and building a fan/supporter base for a Single A baseball team AFTER the Triple AAA affiliate left because of “lack of interest” and all of this before I was even born. His story, this team’s story, and player’s stories - playing for the PASSION of the game. Teams like the Savannah Bananas owe people like Bing a tip of the cap.
Simon Sinek
““People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”
“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”
”We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.””
There is not enough webpage to note how much these two books have influenced my purpose in my career, & I only wish I had discovered them sooner. For those looking to target Gen Z, these are must reads. “Leaders Eat Last” is centered on servant leadership, and tells of great stories of its use, demonstration and effectiveness. These books have influenced my opinions on actions versus rhetoric, my community relations strategies, and how I chose to lead my team every day.
The Grateful Dead & Phish
Why these two bands you may ask? It’s more than just the music alone, but the scene, innovation and experience both of these bands brought to the overall experience of music has been and continues to be innovative. You ask a fan of EITHER of these bands, they can tell you exactly how many shows they have been to. You know what? Many of YOUR fans/supporters know the exact same thing.
Ever heard of the “Wall of Sound?” (see the above) Letting people tape their shows in order to assist in building a community around them? Concert festivals today are built around what they have innovated. What other band leader (Trey Anastasio of Phish) during a pandemic puts together a series of shows to raise money for the establishment of a drug treatment center just because he missed playing live music for their fans. Phish also released a surprise album on April 1, 2020 during the pandemic just because they knew people needed it. Surprise and Delight your fans and supporters - it pays dividends.
Not that I expect everyone to enjoy soccer-related content, but this show is just as much about life, coaching, development, and is just darn funny. This scene really spoke to me, as it is very much my essence of what I believe - always be curious, always ask why, always ask could it be done better. Lead not follow, regardless of the circumstances, and be AUTHENTIC and true to you.
The Indianapolis 500
“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” - MARIO ANDRETTI
and yes - I am still a Rick Mears guy.
Call me biased as a native Hoosier, but name one other event of this size and scope you have ever attended in your lifetime. Unless that event was The Indy 500, you probably haven’t had the chance to do that just yet. Now imagine the undertaking an entire team, staff, community and city plan for year over year to ensure the experience is as magical as the last. This 105th running was a “sigh of relief” for sports this year, especially after coming out of Covid restrictions to still safely and responsibly host 135,000+ plus people at an event this is typically north of 350,000+ attendees. The imbedded sense of tradition and the investment by Roger Penske into the entirety of the venue will only serve it the next 100 years to be the event you must see and be a part of in your lifetime.