Marketing the Coyotes' 2009-10 season

by James Mirtle on Aug 9, 2009 8:00 AM CDT Comment 26 comments

Coyote-marketing_medium

I don't know if anyone in pro sports has a tougher job than Doug Moss this season.

The Coyotes president, chief operating officer and alternate governor since 2002, Moss is charged with marketing and selling tickets for a team in the midst of an ugly bankruptcy fight and which could be playing a lame duck season. In late June, he met with the board of directors of something known as the Western Maricopa Coalition, a group that essentially helps promote business in the region, and talked about the NHL team's importance in the area and its plans for promoting the team this coming season.

His presentation is available here.

The lone mention of the bankruptcy is one bullet point that reads as follows: "Heading into the 2009-10 season work will need to be done to repair the damage and strengthen the team/fan relationship."

No kidding.

The most interesting tidbits in there are some financial figures, although we don't get much context as to how the figures are calculated. Moss, referring to a Coyotes/AMG Impact Study done by ESI Corporation, says the Coyotes generated $2.5-million in tax revenues for various levels of government and 300 jobs, $12.5-million in wages and $90-million in industry output in Glendale. (After midseason layoffs, the Coyotes had only 132 employees last season, so these figures extend presumably to related operations.)

The full study doesn't appear to be available, but one can also assume that the city has already seen it or will shortly, as council meets Tuesday and the Coyotes are bound to come up. Glendale at some point has a difficult decision to make on possible concessions to give to the Jerry Reinsdorf camp.

As for Moss, well, he has been around hockey a long time, serving as the defunct IHL's president, the Sabres president and in a senior business executive role with the Ducks before coming to Phoenix. One of the really tricky things involved here is that, should Reinsdorf take over the team, he's called for Moss's contract to be voided (along with Wayne Gretzky's) and there's been some suggestion his son, Michael, will take over the president's role.

Not sure it gets more difficult than that.

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A pack of 17,000?

I presume that will be the total attendance for the season?

Marketing director for the Phoenix Coyotes. Is there a worse job in sport right now?

by Resolute on Aug 9, 2009 10:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes. Season-ticket holder.

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 9, 2009 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Hockey in Phoenix

Zyllyx, if it comes to the Coyotes leaving, do you think Phoenix hockey fans would support a minor league team, as they have in the past?

I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

by Smoboy41 on Aug 9, 2009 4:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I certainly would because I love hockey. I can’t speak for the rest of the STHs or hockey fans here, though. There is a small but vocal subset of the STHs who despise the idea of becoming a “minor league city,” because they believe once they settle for that they’ll never get another shot at a major-league franchise.

I think their concerns would be tempered greatly if the window were left open for another NHL franchise – preferably an expansion team and not a relocated one, as virtually all of us around here are completely sickened by now of the avalanche of bad feeling cascading on us from Canada because we are, according to one wag, “holding a Canadian franchise hostage.” I think we’re all in agreement right now that the Coyotes franchise is a train wreck that may not even recover in a hotspot like Hamilton thanks to the gross mismanagement it has suffered in its recent history.

While I usually believe that “fresh starts” are white elephants, I think in this case that a theoretical “placeholder” minor league team that kept Jobing.com open and hockey in the local eye while the NHL formulated a plan for a new franchise in Arizona a few years down the road could be a good solution. But that scenario is exceptionally unlikely to take place, I’d guess.

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 9, 2009 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope more PHX hockey fans share your view. Don’t let the business of hockey sour you on the sport of hockey.

I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

by Smoboy41 on Aug 10, 2009 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Separating hockey from the NHL

I got into hockey because of the Coyotes, but fortunately I’ve been a fan of the sport long enough that my love of the game doesn’t depend on the NHL anymore.

The hardest thing about this for me is not so much the Coyotes possibly leaving – at this point, I’m so sick of the whole mess that it almost might be better if they did; it’s the prospect of losing what little professional hockey is left in the Valley. The Roadrunners went under (again) because the new Suns’ ownership didn’t want to subsidize a competing sport in their lousy arena. If the Coyotes leave, the only pro team left is the CHL Arizona Sundogs in Prescott. Now, I could probably make the trip up there but it’d be tough on my kids to do a three- to four-hour round trip, especially with school.

Another sad thing is that one of my kids was really desperate to get into hockey until all this came down. We’re still working on separating the NHL from the game in our discussions – but my kid takes the anti-Phoenix sentiment a lot more seriously than I do (and those of you who have read my earlier posts know how frightening that is!). For my kids, they’re at an age where they’re sensitive to the feeling of not being wanted, and my older kids are reacting really badly to this whole deal. They’re ready to give up on hockey altogether (after all, why bother with a sport that, to them, doesn’t want you around?).

Not an issue for me, though. I have a terminal case of hockey. :)

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 10, 2009 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Aw, now I feel bad for your kids. =(

Tell them at least one jerk from Canada will still have them in the club. ;)

SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there)

by Doogie2K on Aug 10, 2009 5:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So sorry to hear that your kids are taking it so hard. Hopefully, they’ll come around and continue to enjoy hockey in whatever form it takes in Phoenix. All the best.

I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

by Smoboy41 on Aug 10, 2009 6:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Phoenix will always have some form of hockey. Guaranteed. The AHL would be scrambling to get there if the NHL does pull out.

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on Aug 10, 2009 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

zyllyx, it’s too bad that your post could not be read and absorbed by some of the more strident Phoenix critics that populate some of the Boards that I read.

by Gerald on Aug 11, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Those folks you talk about would read it and not care. They have a peculiar tunnel-vision that would sift through it and find things to laugh about. Like possibly that my kid isn’t fit to play hockey if a little criticism is so distressing, etc.

My kid still has a Canada flag taped up on the wall, though, so all you rational Canadians take heart! :)

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 11, 2009 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Regrettably true, most likely.

by Gerald on Aug 11, 2009 6:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ironic Comedy

“We Play You” as a marketing slogan for a struggling sports franchise that may or may not be working behind the scenes to scroo the city, in a league where the commissioner is a habitual truth-stretcher.

by garth the hoser on Aug 9, 2009 4:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

First...

… the team needs to rename itself as the Arizona Coyotes. By using the Phoenix name, they’re excluding the folks in Tucson, Flagstaff, etc. Represent the state, not just a city that you don’t actually play in…

Let's go Caps!

by MikeL-Caps on Aug 10, 2009 8:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

A nice thought...

but I don’t see a lot of folks from Tucson or Flagstaff making the 2+ hour drive down into Phoenix to head to games…although I believe last year they had one of their “season ticket holders of the game” who lived in Tucson…I certainly wouldn’t make that drive for a lot of games, and I really love hockey…

There are plenty of other marketing things the team needs to get on as well…getting a TV contract with FSN Arizona where they actually agree to (1) televise ALL of the games, and (2) in HD would be a nice first step. Then we can work on getting a good pre-game/post-game show and perhaps a weekly show focusing on the players, a la the Eric Byrnes Show, but with a rotating look at the lives of some of the players…I think that would go a long way to marketing the team…they already do a TON of fan events with players showing up for meet-and-greets; I think I’ve met Mikael Boedker at least 5 or 6 times…I have nothing left for him to sign at this point!

World Ph*cking Champs! That was fun - let's do it again...

by Moridin417 on Aug 10, 2009 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing?

by yrmom on Aug 10, 2009 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think more folks might be inclined to make the trip on a weekend if there were a name change. Sure is esthetic, but it is something that can be done without too much effort. Calling a team Phoenix and having them play outside Phoenix is a bit tough.

Getting all of the games on TV would also be good, but that’s got to come from the team. Getting HD for the home games would also be a good thing too. I know here in DC, all of the games are on TV, and the home games (and most other road games where the affiliate is also Comcast) are in HD. Of course, I don’t see the HD home games, instead I see them in person as a STH.

Still, there’s no reason the NHL can’t be successful in the Phoenix area. The easiest way to bosst attendance is to put a winning team on the ice…it takes time, but if they ownership is patient, it can happen. Washington used to trail most teams in attendance, and now, there is a waiting list for season tickets. Winning = sales.

Let's go Caps!

by MikeL-Caps on Aug 10, 2009 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Every time I read this...

I still don’t believe it. Like re-naming the team would matter.

Does everyone outside the Valley hate the Suns because they’re not called “Arizona”?

by bison on Aug 11, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it would be cool if somebody organized a road trip to a game in Phoenix to watch their own team and support the Coyotes as well. I’d go to a game as an excuse to see Phoenix. If some bloggers or fan clubs wanted to organize something like that, a charter bus would be cheap transportation and possibly be a way to grow their own team community.

by ThrashersRecaps on Aug 10, 2009 11:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We chartered a Learjet to take us to a Leafs-Coyotes game for less than it costs to go to the ACC.

Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.

by Chemmy on Aug 10, 2009 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

You could charter Air Force One for less than good seats at the ACC cost.

SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there)

by Doogie2K on Aug 10, 2009 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great idea! After all, the nation needs the extra money… :)

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 10, 2009 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe for a few extra grands, you can convince Mr. Obama to actually watch a hockey game?

by Habs on Aug 10, 2009 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Reinsdorf buys the Coyotes, I’m sure he’ll throw in a Mutts ticket or two with Obama’s White Sox season tickets :P

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 10, 2009 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The more the merrier

I love it when folks travel to Coyotes games. Having local fans come to the games is always the most desirable, but having fans of other teams around (particularly Canadian fans for whom a trip from Vancouver or Edmonton is not a big deal) really helps in more ways than just putting asses in the seats. Many local fans who go to the games still need education on the finer points of the game (icing, anyone?) and the out-of-towners are usually great for helping them to understand them. Canuckleheads and Leakers are usually top-notch at being good citizens of the game as well as the “opposing crowd” and it’s always a pleasure to have them at the Job.

I’d also like to see Red Wings fans from DETROIT make it out to Phoenix if only to shove out the Red Wings fans in Phoenix who can’t name a Wings player since Yzerman and Larionov, but who definitely can (and do) pour beer on kids’ heads and act like… well, Patrick Kane.

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Aug 10, 2009 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs