Mark Bradley: How to create a ‘Fan Experience' strategy
The phrases ‘fan engagement’ and ‘fan experience’ were rarely used in sports before the turn of the millennium. Certainly in the UK, a winning team was considered the key, if not the only, driver of supporter satisfaction.
That has changed in recent years and the Fan Experience Company have been at the vanguard of this movement. Director Mark Bradley has wide experience in challenging environments across England and Europe. His vision is not just Family Stands and face-painting, he argues that a coherent fan experience strategy will reap a commercial return, especially for those clubs operating outside the upper echelons of the Champions League.
TOPICS
What do we mean by the ‘Fan Experience’?
Why they are obsessed with families and use them as a catalyst
The concept of “emotional loyalty” and how it benefits clubs - “We can’t treat away fans well, they are the enemy!”
Is football trying a lot harder now?
Why women’s football should not follow the example of men’s game
The problem of getting fans to reconnect
The basis of a fan engagement strategy
Answering the question: what makes your club distinct?
The principles: club meaning, fan experience, reaching the community
The pillars: why, focus and feedback
Explaining the Net Promoter - a standard tool in customer-facing businesses
A special social media KPI - what percentage of criticism is defended. Feedback as a catalyst for change
The importance of visibility from senior staff on matchday
What are the touchpoints in a fan experience strategy
Finding info/ticket purchases
Social media
The last mile of the journey
Retail/Merchandise
Food&Beverage
Experience inside stadium - stewards/concourses/entrances
Two things a clubs who no money could put right now for free
What is the role of a Supporters Liaison Officer? Having the resilience to deal with the intensity of fans
The ‘first game’ schemes in the English Football League
How to make eSports part of the matchday experience
The potential split between the top six chasing the Champions League and the need for great sustainability outside it