Reasonable reasons to be cheerful
Rob Fielding says that recent news and developments at the club are promising and worthy of praise.
Rob Fielding writes…
Is your glass half-empty or half-full at the moment?
While I can understand many of those concerns, I must say that I feel a “glass half-full” person at the moment because I think there are signs of improvement on the PR and marketing front…
If you are erring towards the negative side, I guess it’s due to uncertainty over the Micky Adams’ contract, disillusion with the club’s PR, concerns over the long-term plans for the club and worries about the strength of the squad next season.
While I can understand many of those concerns, I must say that I feel a “glass half-full” person at the moment because I think there are signs of improvement on the PR and marketing front.
Yes, the season ticket changes may have been reactive (a reaction to poor sales) rather than a proactive campaign…
Yes, the Adams contract saga drags on and on (and by definition also casts doubt on some key players’ futures)…
But I do think we need to welcome some of the news in recent weeks:
- There’s been a smooth change of kit supplier with a well-run teaser campaign leading to Friday’s big reveal.
- The season ticket changes show a flexibility and a willingness to change that offers much encouragement as to how the club will manage its relationship with the fans
- Perhaps as a combination of the two, there’s been a little more of the “feel good” factor at ValePark and that too can only be a good thing
After all, without a “feelgood” factor there is always the worry of the club slipping into a vicious circle – that is… fans disillusionment prompts poor ticket sales, which reduces the quality of players, which causes poor performance on the pitch which causes fans disillusionment (and so on)… So, for me, it’s good to see the club try an upbeat and positive approach.
However, while I welcome the club’s recent innovations, there’s always room for improvement…
However, while I welcome the club’s recent innovations, there’s always room for improvement. For example, a season ticket promotion for a game on Friday night really needs to be announced earlier than the previous day. In future, I just hope the club plans its marketing well in advance, uses all available media and thus allows enough time for the message to get across to the widest possible audience (and in this case, allowing those perhaps undecided enough time to make their minds up).
But having said all that… well done to the club for listening, reacting and showing promising signs of a better and more productive relationship with the fans.