Innovations That Became The Norm: Part 2 - Why Do It?
Last week, the first part of this article ‘Just Do It’ looked at the innovations in the fan experience over the last half century that have become the norm.
Almost. The final one - fan feedback - is hardly the norm yet, but it’s well on the way. It is a classic example of something that wasn’t happening much – if at all – but has quickly gained momentum as clubs see the clear benefits. And while we’re far from every club having a ‘you said, we did’ section on their website, there is a growing sense that asking for feedback, whilst a little scary and thus avoided for a long time, is actually a big positive for clubs.
But why? Well, imagine the alternative instead. Most fans – most people – won’t complain or say anything if they don’t like something. Worse, they won’t say anything even if they have an OK experience, or even a good one. So without feedback, we just have to presume they are happy whereas, in truth, they might have hated it.
As Benny Hill once said; just because nobody complains doesn’t mean all parachutes are perfect. It’s a dangerous game to play. Although within football almost everyone complains about parachutes.
But without feedback, we also don’t know how to improve things. That’s the ‘why do it?’ right there. Fans can point out their issues, that the club might be unaware of, or provide ideas that will enhance the experience, and that the club might not have thought of.
Who wants more fans?
I often ask, whether I’m talking to an individual club or many clubs, the same two questions.
1) do you want more fans?
2) do you want your fans to have a great experience?
Few people – if any - say no to either. Even clubs who are lucky enough to put up the ‘Sold Out’ signs want more fans, because the ones they have won’t be there forever, and because when there’s a less attractive league opponent or cup tie, they need to fill the potentially empty seats.
For the vast majority of clubs, sold out signs are required very often. The occupancy rate in EFL stadiums last season was well under 70% for example. That’s a fair few seats to fill.
And who doesn’t want their fans to have a great time? If for no other reason that it’s the right thing to do? But there are lots of other, more specific and tangible reasons; many that have a pound sign attached. Let’s look at four answers to ‘why do it?:
It Makes Money
In the previous article, the fan zone was held up as the best example of an innovation that many clubs were resistant to at first. But it’s one of many. I remember quite a few ‘how much will it cost?’ conversations about fan zones but as soon as clubs saw the potential revenue, that changed very quickly and a lot of clubs are wondering why they didn’t have one years ago. That’s true of much innovation; afterwards it seems so obvious that it would work.
Fans Want It
Unlike the Club World Cup, and Socios, most innovation happens because it’s something that the fan wants as much as the clubs. Part One looked at some key innovations that fans have really brought into from day one. Fan zones give them a reason to come to games earlier and increase dwell time, and also make the pre-match more entertaining. Mascots are great for younger fans who might otherwise be bored. Fans are obsessed with replica kits, and not just the younger ones. Yes, the club benefits too but if fans don’t want something, it seldom happens and is rarely successful even if it does.
It Changes Behaviours
This is where it gets really interesting. At the Fan Experience Company, we talk about ‘marketing getting fans to games, and the experience making them want to come back’. That’s huge. So many clubs obsess about how to get fans to the stadium and use email, socials etc to do so but spend far less time – and a lot less money – thinking about ways to keep them coming. Yet the experience at the stadium will have a massive impact on future behaviour, even more so than the result. A fan in men’s football goes to an average of 2.6 games per season (1.3 in the women’s game) which means a LOT of people are going to one or two games. But while the first two reasons above are pretty obvious, this one has proved difficult for clubs to get onboard with, many preferring to believe that ‘we’ll be fine as long as we win on Saturday’ and that winning* football is the only answer.
*Note: not all teams win every week. On Saturday (13 Sept) in the Premier League, EFL, National League and the four Scottish Leagues, 146 clubs played. Do you know how many won? 44. The number of clubs who were at home and won was just 22 out of a possible 73. That’s a fraction over 30%. So, put another way, if a club wants to rely on winning to keep its fans happy then it only has a 3/10 chance of being successful. Not great odds.
It Adds Value
Clubs often misunderstand what value really means, even though it’s used a lot where fans are concerned. Adding value is really adding something that wasn’t there before. Fans like new things, and like to see there club being progressive (on and off the field) and differentiation can be a source of pride for them as well as the club. It also means the club is growing and moving forward - and in an industry where it’s easier to wait, this is also a way a club can be a leader and show the fans - and wider footballing world - that they care about them enough to create new experiences for them.
Food for thought? It ought to be. What it really tells us is that the improvements that are made, and continue to be made, at grounds up and down the country are vital to the overall growth of attendances and wider interest in the club.
What is Innovation anyway?
We tend to think it’s about new tech, but it’s so much more than that. There are a few definitions but the one I like most is:
‘The process of translating ideas into useful – and used – products, processes or services’
This simplifies it nicely. There is a reason that the innovations in Part 1 became the norm. It was because they worked, and fans benefitted as much as the clubs did from them. The danger is in thinking that the innovation has to be something more complicated. New ideas can be small and easy to implement; they don’t necessarily have to blow people’s socks off.
But sometimes, clubs are nervous with both big and small ideas. There is a fear of being first mentality that dilutes innovation and is probably why football is way behind other industries who are prepared to try things. A few very notable exceptions aside, clubs tend to wait to see how things go somewhere else, then have a fear of missing out (FOMO) when it works, and all the clubs suddenly want to get involved in it.
This is a more expensive path in the long run, as the product or service will be more costly when it’s matured, while the club miss the unique opportunity to be the leader in something.
Maybe the biggest barrier is confidence. It’s easy to put something off if we aren’t sure it will work. And innovation is, by definition, not proven and carries a certain amount of risk. We saw with fan zones that there was trepidation to begin with, but now they are almost a ‘must have’ at a stadium.
The fan zone is a great example of how clubs can decide which innovations they should be taking forward.
So, just ask four simple questions:
Do (or will) fans want it?
Will it change their behaviour?
Will it make the club money?
Does it add value?
Three yes’s and there’s really not much more you can ask for than that.
Next Week: Part 3 – Just Do What?
