Post by notsorecentconvert on Sept 11, 2014 13:48:12 GMT
Possibly as a result of asking awkward questions on this forum (although I hope they are creative, constructive questions rather than simply troublesome ones), Saint got in touch and asked me if I wanted to pose any questions to Tom Norman and the commercial team.
That was a month ago and two weeks ago I followed up to see what was happening and was told some of them were being addressed. However, I've not seen anything anywhere so thought I'd post the questions here.
So, here goes. I'd still be interested to read answers to all of the questions. Bear in mind the questions were originally devised in mid-August. I've just read that there are to be some improvements to the match programme content, courtesy of the Herts Ad, for example.
1. Is Tom a salaried member of the club's staff? If so, can he outline what a typical week's work looks like?
2. What past work experiences has he brought to his role?
3. St Albans and the surrounding area has a large number of businesses, as well as some fairly wealthy individuals. What attempts have been made to tap into some of the business, commercial and marketing experience that undoubtedly exists nearby. Can he give examples?
4. Clearly non-league football clubs rely on the work of volunteers to survive and thrive. Have attempts been made to build a network of people with different skills, experiences and ideas to help generate money and publicity for the club?
5. There has clearly been an increase in commercial activity over the summer, with a number of new advertising boards around the perimeter. Can you tell us what your initial fundraising target was and what percentage of that revenue has been realised? The increase in the quantity of sponsors is great but can you explain what this means in terms of meeting targets? After all, the matchday experience for a casual fan who buys a ticket and a programme has increased by £3.50, yet the club boasts of significantly increased commercial revenue. The club also says the playing budget has increased but in order to assess any of these statements, we need to know some figures.
6. There are two Coca-Cola logos painted on the wall under the covered terrace. Does Coca-Cola pay for these? If not, why have they not been painted over? After all, Coca-Cola does not need free advertising and these spaces, and in fact the naming rights for that stand, could be sold.
7. This summer there were two new shirts, home and away. However the designs are virtually indistinguishable from last year's. Wouldn't it have encouraged more people to buy a shirt if the design had altered more noticeably?
8. Also, I assume Oaklands College are happy with the way their logo is presented on their shirt but the current trend among league clubs is presenting the shirt sponsor's logos much larger and more boldly. We clearly don't want to deface the beautiful golden jersey and there are regulations that relate to the size of the logo but in terms of delivering value for Oaklands (and demonstrating that value to potential new sponsors when this arrangement ends) shouldn't the logo be bolder and more visible? It's barely visible from the terraces and doesn't show up that well even in photographs.
9. The match programme has increased to 40 pages and has risen to £2.50. The design is professional and attractive but the content much less so. Without picking on individual items, there seems to be a paucity of articles that are relevant to St Albans City and the non-league scene. All the columns give the impression that the club wants to be something other than it is. Frankly, a page on social media and another on the World Cup are a waste. Much of the content has already been available on the club's website or in the local press. Also, putting two full page adverts next to one another breaks with publishing convention and is pretty much a no-no for anyone who knows about how to maximise the benefit for their advertisers. How about more SACFC-related content? There's not even a simple Q&A with one of the players. If you want the supporters to identify with the team, they need to know a bit about them. The programme looks the part but it does not deliver quality content. Have you looked at programmes from the other Conference National and South clubs to get inspiration for ideas?
10. Sticking with the programme… The City at War, an important new publication, and one that forms a part of the club's rich history and heritage, did not have any editorial or advertising presence in the first league match programme of the season. Isn't that an oversight?
11. The post-match audio interviews conducted by Dave Tavener with Jimmy Gray were excellent. As a relatively new fan, I learned so much about Jimmy and his staff and players from these brief interviews. There was just the right balance of journalistic digging from the interviewer to get some meaningful information out of the manager. It's a shame that Dave is no longer doing them and it is not a direct criticism of his replacement but the questions simply weren't as good in the couple of pre-season interviews. Has the club considered that audio content like this is a great way to connect fans to the club? The interviews don't even need to be hosted on the club's site. SACFC could set up an Audioboo channel and then upload a variety of short 4-5 minute interviews with a wide variety of people… from the owners and chairman, management and players and even fans. It would be a slow burner but if an audience was built over time, a sponsor might even be found.
12. Finally, have you considered updating the range of merchandise? I know it's very difficult to commit significant funds to items that may take time to sell but, by having a look in other club shops at our level, you might hit on ways to improve the quality and variety of goods items available to fans.
That was a month ago and two weeks ago I followed up to see what was happening and was told some of them were being addressed. However, I've not seen anything anywhere so thought I'd post the questions here.
So, here goes. I'd still be interested to read answers to all of the questions. Bear in mind the questions were originally devised in mid-August. I've just read that there are to be some improvements to the match programme content, courtesy of the Herts Ad, for example.
1. Is Tom a salaried member of the club's staff? If so, can he outline what a typical week's work looks like?
2. What past work experiences has he brought to his role?
3. St Albans and the surrounding area has a large number of businesses, as well as some fairly wealthy individuals. What attempts have been made to tap into some of the business, commercial and marketing experience that undoubtedly exists nearby. Can he give examples?
4. Clearly non-league football clubs rely on the work of volunteers to survive and thrive. Have attempts been made to build a network of people with different skills, experiences and ideas to help generate money and publicity for the club?
5. There has clearly been an increase in commercial activity over the summer, with a number of new advertising boards around the perimeter. Can you tell us what your initial fundraising target was and what percentage of that revenue has been realised? The increase in the quantity of sponsors is great but can you explain what this means in terms of meeting targets? After all, the matchday experience for a casual fan who buys a ticket and a programme has increased by £3.50, yet the club boasts of significantly increased commercial revenue. The club also says the playing budget has increased but in order to assess any of these statements, we need to know some figures.
6. There are two Coca-Cola logos painted on the wall under the covered terrace. Does Coca-Cola pay for these? If not, why have they not been painted over? After all, Coca-Cola does not need free advertising and these spaces, and in fact the naming rights for that stand, could be sold.
7. This summer there were two new shirts, home and away. However the designs are virtually indistinguishable from last year's. Wouldn't it have encouraged more people to buy a shirt if the design had altered more noticeably?
8. Also, I assume Oaklands College are happy with the way their logo is presented on their shirt but the current trend among league clubs is presenting the shirt sponsor's logos much larger and more boldly. We clearly don't want to deface the beautiful golden jersey and there are regulations that relate to the size of the logo but in terms of delivering value for Oaklands (and demonstrating that value to potential new sponsors when this arrangement ends) shouldn't the logo be bolder and more visible? It's barely visible from the terraces and doesn't show up that well even in photographs.
9. The match programme has increased to 40 pages and has risen to £2.50. The design is professional and attractive but the content much less so. Without picking on individual items, there seems to be a paucity of articles that are relevant to St Albans City and the non-league scene. All the columns give the impression that the club wants to be something other than it is. Frankly, a page on social media and another on the World Cup are a waste. Much of the content has already been available on the club's website or in the local press. Also, putting two full page adverts next to one another breaks with publishing convention and is pretty much a no-no for anyone who knows about how to maximise the benefit for their advertisers. How about more SACFC-related content? There's not even a simple Q&A with one of the players. If you want the supporters to identify with the team, they need to know a bit about them. The programme looks the part but it does not deliver quality content. Have you looked at programmes from the other Conference National and South clubs to get inspiration for ideas?
10. Sticking with the programme… The City at War, an important new publication, and one that forms a part of the club's rich history and heritage, did not have any editorial or advertising presence in the first league match programme of the season. Isn't that an oversight?
11. The post-match audio interviews conducted by Dave Tavener with Jimmy Gray were excellent. As a relatively new fan, I learned so much about Jimmy and his staff and players from these brief interviews. There was just the right balance of journalistic digging from the interviewer to get some meaningful information out of the manager. It's a shame that Dave is no longer doing them and it is not a direct criticism of his replacement but the questions simply weren't as good in the couple of pre-season interviews. Has the club considered that audio content like this is a great way to connect fans to the club? The interviews don't even need to be hosted on the club's site. SACFC could set up an Audioboo channel and then upload a variety of short 4-5 minute interviews with a wide variety of people… from the owners and chairman, management and players and even fans. It would be a slow burner but if an audience was built over time, a sponsor might even be found.
12. Finally, have you considered updating the range of merchandise? I know it's very difficult to commit significant funds to items that may take time to sell but, by having a look in other club shops at our level, you might hit on ways to improve the quality and variety of goods items available to fans.
