Straight from His Inbox: Five Questions with Chris Grosse
We're talking all things Attendance, Atmosphere & Brand with Penn State Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing, Chris Grosse.
Rob: What has been the biggest change in sports marketing/branding you've seen from your start in the industry until now?
Chris: I am showing my age here, but cell phones. When I started out with my first full-time job in college athletics in 2005, cell phones were just used for phone calls, and maybe texting (if you were a trendsetter). I think the evolution of mobile devices has changed the way we operate. Cell phones have changed the way we advertise, communicate, consume information, and experience games.
Rob: In your eyes, what is the perfect gameday driveway-to-driveway experience for fans?
Chris: I think this is a great question and it is worded correctly because your experience as a fan coming to an event really does begin the moment you leave your home. In my opinion, the perfect gameday experience would be one in which the fans cannot recall any operational frustrations that they had during their fan journey. Some of it we can control, like the customer service they receive when they enter the arena or the volume level of music in-game, and some we cannot, like if there is an accident on the highway during their trip in, or if they forget their tickets at home. Creating positive memorable experiences along the way is so important to the experience for the fans. Did an usher give your child a pom-pom on the way in? Did you make an appearance on the videoboard? Did the mascot visit you in your seats? Did you enjoy the team intro video? All of that goes into creating a positive gameday experience. We (sports marketers) have the responsibility to try and create those memories for as many fans as possible.
Rob: In today's world, what inspires someone to attend a sporting event?
Chris: It obviously varies from person to person, but at it’s core, I believe a sporting event is about community. Whether you are attending a tee-ball game for your kid, or the Penn State White Out football game with 107,000 fans, the essence of sport is that is it something that brings people together.
Rob: You're known for outside-the-box promotions that often go viral. What is your creative process like? How do these ideas come to you?
Chris: While the ideas usually develop in different forms or fashion, what we do with them to bring them to a reality usually follows the same path. Most of the ideas come from every day observances, such as “Hey dad, why are you still wearing Cargo Shorts?” or “Why do I keep hearing so much about Kale, it’s disgusting” or “Hey, these Zoom calls might be cool if we ask our fans to wear all Penn State gear”. After that, it is taking that initial idea and fleshing it out to make it fit into an event or an initiative. Usually after an idea comes to mind, I very quickly start to bring in others, with different perspectives and from different departments, to discuss the idea and see if it might be something we could execute on. The sooner you get others involved in the creative process, the easier it is to build out the promotion and get buy-in from your peers. Along the way, there needs to be checks and balances, especially if you are doing something a bit edgy. Sending the idea up the flagpole, once you have the basics worked out, is important to achieving approval from above. After all of this collaboration, we end up with full-blown promotions that are ready to be brought to the public. The “Blue White Virtual Tailgate” initiative, for example, took about 2 weeks of prep work before it was ready to be announced. Sometimes the runway is a bit longer, but other times you don’t have the luxury of extra time and need to get people involved quickly.
Rob: We're all aware of uncertainty in our industry regarding the fall and winter schedules. In reduced capacity scenarios, how will your team continue to be creative in the ways you drive attendance? What will a 360-degree theme game look like in this new climate?
Chris: This is the million dollar question right now, and I am not sure any of us have the answer quite yet. I do know that when we are given the directive on how gameday must look from a safety standpoint, that my marketing team will make the best out of what is given to us. I think sports marketing professionals, by nature, work best under pressure in dynamic work environments. I know all around the country, and the world for that matter, sports marketers are all in a similar place with trying to figure this out, and we will be able to share ideas and best practices with each other. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be able to develop a fan experience that takes into account new safety protocols, but also supports our student-athletes and provides memorable experiences for our passionate fanbase.
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