Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Fall 2014 - 48

TAILGATE TALK

Tapping Into Tradition
Knowing gameday customs can help
retailers cast their lines to hook tailgaters.
By Chris Warner, Contributing Writer

n the world of college football
fanaticism, there's an old adage
that aptly states, "Tradition never
graduates." Coaches, players and
teams come and go, but the loyal fan
base remains.
It is one of the tried-and-tested truisms in sports - even losing programs
have their die-hard fans, as well as many
unique school and gameday traditions
that they artfully practice. Savvy sports
product suppliers and retailers are aware
of this constant in the sporting world,
and it is they who conceive related products and embellish brand likenesses by
tapping into this never-ending reservoir
of fan emotion and good feelings.
But how can licensed sports product
retailers hoping to cater to these collegiate fan bases successfully exploit these
natural hooks into the buying mindset
of the average college football enthusiast?
I'm glad you asked.
In 2000, my first book, "Traditions of
the Southeastern Conference: A Tailgater's
Guide to SEC Football," highlighted the
many fan and gameday customs and
traditions practiced by each of the league's
schools. For instance, Ole Miss has tailgating in "The Grove." Louisiana State
University fans always line Dalrymple
Drive to watch the football team walk
down the hill to Death Valley before each
game. Similarly, Auburn University has its
revered Tiger Walk. South Carolina possesses the unique Cock-A-Boose Railroad
Express, while the Tennessee Volunteers
have tailgating on the Tennessee River
amid the vaunted "Floatilla."
And that's just scratching the surface.
Traditions are the blueprints for fan behavior; any clever retailer surely will ca48 Fall 2014

"Traditions are the blueprints for fan behavior."

ter to these identifiable practices when
attempting to market products and services. Each school has an altogether different set of cultural attitudes, customs
and beliefs that make their respective
gameday experiences uniquely enjoyable.
Astute retailers must understand these
fan habits and norms so that they can
successfully think like their potential
customers and meet their everyday -
and gameday - needs.
By having a healthy understanding of
the average mindset from one fan base to
another, licensed product suppliers also
can enhance their chances for retail success. For example, everyone has seen the
bottle opener that plays a school's fight
song via the electrical impulse created
when metal touches metal. In addition
to blending a school's time-honored musical tradition with the opening of a cold
beer, this product is a perfect example
of how draping it in the school's colors
makes it twice as seductive to purchasers

who probably will be buying it to support the ritual of tailgating. These fans
devoutly support their teams and display
their indomitable school pride in every
way imaginable.
As a retailer, educate yourself on your
market university's rich history and
colorful traditions, and tap into this
never-ending river of fan emotion. By incorporating school and gameday pride,
customs, practices and traditions into
your product placements and marketing,
you will help your potential customers
envision the sizzle that successfully sells
your fan base's steak.
As always, Happy Tailgating!
Chris Warner is author of "Traditions
of the SEC: A Tailgater's Guide to SEC
Football Vol. IV" and several other books,
which are all available on Amazon.com
or Kindle. For more information or to
comment on this article, email Chris at
cewarner@mindspring.com.
SportsFan Retailer

http://www.Amazon.com

Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Fall 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Fall 2014