I Have An Idea… Make Them Wait

[Ed.: “I Have An Idea…” is a series written for College AD by the author of Brands Win Championships, Jeremy Darlow.]

 

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex…it takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” – Albert Einstein

Einstein might as well be talking directly to you. You’ve succumbed to your own ego. “If you build it, they will come.” You’ve fallen victim to societal pressure. “I want what I want and I want it now!” You’ve become consumed by gluttony. “Greed is good.” But you’re wrong. Bigger is not always better. Specifically when that particular philosophy is applied to NCAA athletic events. Scarcity is an underutilized strategy among a sea of football stadiums that hold over 80,000 fans.  We want what we can’t have. But on the other hand, we take for granted that which is easily available.

Now there are some programs out there that have demand for stadiums well over 100,000, thus have earned the right to build titanic coliseums. But for the majority of college athletic programs, every year is a year in which the administration scrambles to sell as many tickets as possible. Both of the season and single-game variety. Shouldn’t that tell you something? College football attendance across the country has declined for five consecutive years. Fans are opting to watch games from the comfort of their own homes.

There are several reasons and theories floating around the Internet and sports talk shows as to why that is. But, we’re overlooking one simple fact. We want what we can’t have. That’s it. It’s that simple. We want to get into the exclusive club. We want to eat at the restaurant that takes reservations months out. We want to get married at the church that’s booked for the next ten years. We want the social currency. We want the social media content. We want to say we were there…and you weren’t.

 

 

Did you see on Instagram that Joe ate at Damon Baehrel?? How’d he get in??? There’s a ten-year waiting list!

Damon Baehrel is in fact a 20-seat restaurant in Upstate New York that does currently stake claim to a ten-year wait list. Ten. Years. Getting into a restaurant of this caliber, regardless of how the food tastes, is major social currency. One that will undoubtedly find its way onto Facebook or Instagram because of the reaction and envy it will elicit from friends and family. Oh and we looove those reactions. If you don’t believe me, check your social feeds. How many posts does it take before you get to the proverbial “humble brag” from one of your friends? Probably less than ten.

What if attending a game at your stadium elicited the same reaction? I’m not suggesting cutting your seating in half tomorrow. However, if you’re demand is around 60,000 fans and your stadium currently seats 75,000, that’s an issue. Your experience is too accessible. There is no currency associated with attending your game, because anyone can walk up to the ticket counter and buy a ticket five minutes prior to kick-off. However, if you’re demand was 60,000 fans and your stadium held only 40,000, you’re winning. There are 20,000 people left wanting more. Those 20,000 hungry fans will breed more hungry fans. Thank you again, social media.

Sara and Jason are pissed they couldn’t get tickets to the football game. I should try and find my way to one of these games. I clearly need to see what the fuss is all about.

Sara and Jason’s angst just created a new potential fan. Demand breeds demand. We want what we can’t have. And even more, we want what our friends can’t have. Those 20,000 fans left on the outside looking in, if executed correctly, will grow to 25,000, then to 30,000 fans.

The beauty of it all is, as your waiting list grows, so too can your stadium in equivalent increments. That way you’re not losing the level of hype and craving surrounding your events, while still growing your bottom line.

But first, you need to make them wait.