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Creativity is King During Slow Economic Times

By: Robin Anderson | 10/06/2008

As the economy continues to worsen and consumers become thriftier than before, American businesses are feeling the effects. Traditional marketing tactics are no longer enough; businesses have been forced to think of new and better ways to attract and retain customers during these uncertain and stressful economic times.

Even professional sports, our country's favorite pastime, have created new tools for retaining their fans. Convincing fans with shrinking disposable incomes to purchase sports tickets has become an even greater challenge than ever. Sports leagues have begun to add another skill to their bag of tricks: creativity. A recent New York Times article profiled the unique marketing tactics implemented by one professional sports league trying to make a comeback: the N.H.L.

Forced to cancel its 2004-5 season after failed negotiations between management and the players union, the National Hockey League has made strides in raising attendance levels to pre-lockout numbers. With the start of its 2008-9 season only a few days away, the N.H.L. is using a few nontraditional tactics to boost its fans' excitement about the 91st season of play.

Of course, the league will be running television commercials – to the tune of a $15 million campaign. But advertising is not the only way the N.H.L. will target its audience this year. As other industries, including sports leagues, have begun to do business on a global scale, the N.H.L. will follow suit. For the second year in a row, the organization's season-opening games will be played in Europe in an attempt to increase the league's visibility to hockey fans around the world.

The N.H.L. has also chosen to compete with another American pastime, New Year's Day football games, by playing hockey in an open air stadium to ring in the New Year. The 2008 New Year's Day game was the highest-rated hockey game in 10 years; the organization is crossing its fingers for a similar outcome in 2009.

As we approach the most advertising-intensive season of the year, I look forward to seeing how far businesses will go to attract customers. No American is excited about the worsening state of our economy, but I will admit, I am excited to see how businesses of all kinds will react creatively to reach consumers this holiday season as they are forced to think “outside of the box.”

Posted in Public Relations