This piece was sent to me by Ryan Smeets. Its a good find and Ryan poses some interesting questions. Enjoy...
Timberwolves President David Kahn has been criticized over the past few years for a variety of moves. The criticism has been warranted as the team continues to struggle since the departure of former franchise superstar Kevin Garnett. In the 2010 season The Wolves won just 15 games and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Expectations continue to be low for the coming 2010-11 season for a team
Last Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves purchased a full page ad in the Star Tribune. Below is the text:
“The time for talk is over
Okay, not quite. Right after this long-winded letter. Because we do have a lot of good things to talk about.
Fourteen months ago we laid out a plan: First, we would become a running team that plays an exciting up-tempo style of basketball. Second, we would get younger in order to build a team that could improve together and compete for a number of years. Third, we would instill a culture of hard work throughout our organization. Fourth, transparency. We’ll always let you know exactly what’s going on, occasionally via long-winded letters.
That was our plan over a year ago and it hasn’t changed one iota. In the off-season we added young, athletic wing players Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster and Lazar Hayward. They join Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer and Wayne Ellington as guys who can get up and down the floor quickly and shoot the ball from the perimeter. We re-signed Darko Milicic and added Nikola Pekovic, giving us two more up-tempo big men to run with one of the best outlet passers in the game, Kevin Love. We took advantage of our cap room to acquire a potential star in Michael Beasley, who was the number one prospect in his high school class of 2007 and averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds in his one college season. And finally, we added Luke Ridnour, a push-the-pace player who becomes the team’s elder statesman at the age of 29.
We now have more shooting, athleticism and depth at every position, which will make us a better team this season. So will we challenge for the NBA championship this year?
Not likely.
Ouch. This honesty thing is a bit painful. But the reality is, we still need that one dominant player.
It’s possible that that player could already be on our roster. We have eight guys who were selected in the top seven picks of their respective drafts, and the average age of those players is 22. So the potential is there for someone to emerge. But in case that doesn’t happen, we’ll continue to manage our salary cap so that we have the flexibility to make that one move that can change a franchise.
We are confident, however, that this team will be exciting to watch. For the first time in years Wolves fans are going to feel like they’re missing out if they aren’t in the arena. So in addition to player development we’re working hard on fan development, starting with variable pricing and Flex Pack ticket packages that let you pick the games and seats that you want. The bottom line for fans is: We’re making it easier than ever for you to be part of our turnaround.
There’s been a lot of talk this off-season. The naysayers certainly have been vocal. And while we can understand a certain amount of skepticism, we know we’ve turned the corner. And we’re anxious to get after that first tipped ball so we can start to prove it.
Enough talk. It’s time to play.
Oh, wait. We forgot to talk about Rubio.
Next time. “
What do folks think of this action by the Wolves organization?
As a fan how would you react if your favorite team publicly admitted that they were not as good as other teams in the league?
What type of message does this send to the athletes on the team?
From a marketing strategy, is this a tactic that you would utilize for a losing team?
We have all seen bad teams be honest with their fans about the present and future of the organization. The Capitals did something very similar to this a few years ago. Generally, it's a nice way to show your fans that you haven't forgot about them. Having said that, there is a certain way you should do it and I think the Timberwolves crossed the line a little bit. The message was almost too honest with the fans and the tone was a little too informal. The message tries to give hope to the fans, but really the team is saying we need a dominant player that we don't really have. This is not what the fans or the players want to hear. If I was a creating a marketing strategy for a losing team I may implement this plan, but only if the team had a foundation to grow upon.
ReplyDeleteIt is one thing to admit the team is terrible and has got no chance against its opponents. It is completely different to be open about rebuilding, acknowledging the team is not quite there yet, but it is on the right path. And I think the Wolves are doing the latter. When you have a 22-year-old squad, I doubt you are going to affect morale by saying it is unlikely they will have a shot at the championship. They know that. Also, Kahn is not saying it is impossible -- he chose his words very carefully, and went with unlikely.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the letter manages to be realistic and optimistic at the same time. It urges fans to be a part of the Wolves turnaround moment -- almost like saying, "don't wait until we're good and some might say you just joined the bandwagon."
I don't agree that any publicity is good publicity (Dan Gilbert's PR people might agree), but generating buzz around your team with an overall positive message like this one strikes me as a smart move. As sponsor, maybe as a young up and coming company, wouldn't you want to be associated with them?
I have a little bit of a soft spot for honesty and bluntness, knowing of course that it is not always the best strategy from a marketing stand point. I do believe, however, that Kahn's combination of open heartedness and optimism was quite brilliant.
Looks like it's working out so far....http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/143008...season tickets are up big-time interestingly enough
ReplyDelete