Hopefully you guys won't take this the wrong way... Even though the Rocket's are off to a very nice start, basically most of the radio discussion is about why more people aren't coming to the games, here is my theory. Every since I can remember, none of the advertising focus has been directed toward the black community. I am not one to cry 'wolf' but if the Rockets organization wants more people to show up, they must dedicate more funding to advertising in communities other than mainstream. To their credit, the business community has supported the Rocket's for years, and now it's somebody else's turn to pick up some slack, and advertising is the key. When are we gonna see some cool, hip TV ads about the Rocks? I am REALLY tired of the corney dude with the Rocket socks and the deranged kid with the bad hair and freckles. Is this the only fan that the heirarchy hopes to appeal to? I'm only one guy and I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Les and the boys need to listen to a rapper, take a big bootied woman to dinner, pop open a forty, and look to the 3rd ward for a new focus group. I love this team, see you at the game!
The best kind of advertising the Rockets can do is to just win...do what they've been doing to start this season and more people will come. Updating tv commercials probably won't do much good until people realize what a great and exciting team we got. But you got a good point. Should the Rockets start a new campaign they need to definitely tap into previously overlooked markets.
Very good, valid point, I am not 100 percent sure that is the answer. But this is for certain they are doing something wrong, because the attendance is awful. It makes me ashamed to be a Houstonian, and to top it off tickets are expensive. Attendance is bad and ratings are bad, what a sad sad thing. What more could people ask for, the Rockets are so entertaining. Young, athletic, and so far all three of their games have gone down to the wire. But rest assured the 2nd Jordan's name is mentioned the game sells out. The truth is depressing. But o well i we must move on for the rockets are 3 and 1
Hey, I'm white and in my twenties and male, and I'd just like to say, that as a member of the mainstream majority target group, Rockets advertising has always sucked. I totally agree that it has a severe lack of soul and passion. Outside of Gene Peterson's "HOOOOOW SWEET IT IS!!!!" there's really not a lot ot get pumped up about. Catering to the business-class yuppies that show up in the second quarter and leave early to have dinner is a bunch of crap. Am I the only one who thinks of the Ebonics Language lesson everytime the Reliant Energy commercials come on? I'm not saying this is a black/white issue, but it's like they don't have much sense of the love of the game. That's how baseball started winning people back. Forget cheap gimicks and flashy lights, bring back the love. I demand more funk!!!
The answer is ticket prices versus market perception of value in entertainment...plain and simple. This city does not know this team that well, and the tickets prices are way out of line with that. Rocket's mgmt is sticking to prices generated from the Dream era, including Barkley. They are inflated now. We need to be priced like the Clippers and this owner is having a hard time accepting that...but he definitely made a mistake on prices...given this massive drop in attendance in 2 years...and I'm sure he knows that now. He has gone from like 8 consecutive sold out years to his worst year since Dream in a span of 2 years.
I'd be at every single home game screaming my head off if tix weren't so ... MUTHAF*CKIN EXPENSIVE. Damn. WTF is up. This rant has been done before, so I'll stop short. But, some of the more avid hard core fans, don't have very deep pockets. Like me. Damn this whole society that bases so much on money. Or at least until I get mine, then the hell with you poor bastards.
Oh, and before people mention $10 tix again, there are in the neighborhood of 500 of those in the stadium....it is a marketing gimmick! These sell out fast. You'd be really risking it walking up to the window expecting to buy a ticket for anything less than $26. that's outragious!
There is a lot of competition out there for those same entertainment dollars. The Rockets don't have as much perceived value. I also think that having the games on TV, with the quality of big screens and surround systems, and the fun that can be had watching them at a sports bar, has really put a dent in attendence too...
word. I agree w/ anotha brotha too though. Rocket commercials need to appeal to blacks & hispanics too. I'd like to see some minorities in the stands gettin loud!!!!! Like moi!!!!!
DH, do you have league pass? I take it you know the upcoming question. (Something weird: my wife is fine w/ me going to watch a game at someone else's house or at a bar... but she's completely afraid of me having league pass all to myself now that it's dark @ 5:00 p.m.,,, something about me only needing 5 hours of sleep a night or something... also something about "you said only until Barkley retired", "you said only Rockets games", etc. etc.) Anyway, you live.... ???
Heb, Please NO more wife stories my head still hurts from laughter the last time you posted about your wife. Sounds like someone is on a rather short chain, quick get in the kitchen and do the dishes if you want to use the web!!! Smeg
DarkHorse, you wouldn't know funk if it reached out and slapped you across the lips! Just kidding, of course. On topic, I can't see how a commercial for the LIGHT COMPANY has one iota of influence on attendance. I don't even understand why they have a commercial in the first place. Are there people who have decided they can do without electricity? Do they want people to not turn out the lights when they go to bed? What? I lived in Houston for over twenty years, and I can tell you that the ticket-buying public in Houston has traditionally turned out to see winners and not much else. I'm not talking about winning seasons either, I'm talking about contending for at least a division championship or something. There is very little tradition in Houston. It may be a large market, but most of the population has moved in from other locations. Fans may show up for the new arena, but it may take going deep into the playoffs to get butts in the seats.
Yo H-Town, listen up, we got the scoop There's this team called the Rockets, and they love to hoop There's Stevie Franchise, wearin' number three Passin' to his boy, Cuttino Mobley Glen Rice is Nice, he's raining threes Moochie and his 'fro will bring you to your knees We got a new brand of basketball, we're flyin' high Earth quakin', rim shakin', don't be left out to dry Fast Breakin' down the lane, get caught in the spell Come check out this squad, and be sure to yeeeeeeeeeelllllll GO ROCKETS! GO ROCKETS! GO GO GO ROCKETS! Word..... Not bad for a white boy from the suburbs, huh?
Not to make this a race issue, but are the Rockets popular in the Hispanic community (which is very large here)? Management really needs to get the city fired up about this team. Little has been done to address the problem of attendance. Granted, it's tough to convince someone to work all day, then fight Houston traffic to attend a too-expensive sporting event that will get you home late and make you drag ass into work the next day....but other cities are doing it, so why can't we?
Moe- I agree. We aren't like ny,chi,uath or wsome of those cities who just buy tickets and have a 20 yr waiting list. We seem to only support proven winners and I think the public is still wait and see. Hell remember Phoenix a couple of yrs ago? We didn't even sell out a playoff game. I think eventually if we keep winning people will come out. I'm part of that company too because even thouhg i live in galveston, I only attend about 10-15games per yr. I have the nba package and a lot of times I'd rather watch my buffet of games on tv as opposed to attending them. Plus the Rockets are kind of boring which doesn't help either. I know people will bash me on it, but its the truth. They kind of play boring, slow paced basketball like most of the league with the exception of about 5 or 6 teams.
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Where's the love?!?!? lol HEB - Haha... I just have Audio League Pass now, which kind of sucks but it's much better than just the chat or, God forbid, ESPN Gamecast... And I live in Provo anyway... And I'll have all you funk doubters know that I can out karaoke my black roomate singing "Superfreak" every time... RAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I love going to games...but to be honest, the fans in the CC.net chat room are louder than those at the Summit. I'd rather be with 20-50 rabid fans on a computer than 9200 who don't cheer or are too busy discussing business to give a flip about the Rockets and the game! Put a laptop with CC.net chat at my seat at the Summit and I'm there! rH
