First of all, I have to address a very irritating issue about the CFL broadcast this year before I return to my regularly scheduled rant. I like to think that I have a high pain threshold, but Carlos from Rona is beyond my limits. Rona is a major sponsor of CFL broadcasts on TV, and I thank them for their commitment. I have always found their stores to be a great choice in the home improvement market.
But the ad that features Carlos walking into a stadium full of people is a simple act of merciless cruelty. Rona, I’m begging you, please get rid of Carlos and add more than one commercial to replace him. My sanity is at stake here.
This complaint brings me to my topic of marketing in the CFL. I get a fair amount of feedback through my website about my football columns. One of the biggest complaints is my propensity to showcase the Saskatchewan Roughriders in my columns. Obviously I have little defense against this accusation, except that the Riders are a hot topic for the league and, as I’ve said many times over the years, I am a Rider fan.
But the real issue is marketing, and this is an area where all other teams have fumbled the ball. Alberta’s CFL teams have made little effort to imprint their brand on Alberta sports fans. Basically they have rolled over and played dead in the ensuing decades after the NHL came to their cities.
They have paid little heed to their long histories in this province and they have shown little interest in reaching out to the fan base outside of the city limits of Calgary and Edmonton. Would it hurt either team to bring a scrimmage or practice to Red Deer once a season?
Most fans would have trouble naming 10 starters on either team, let alone the depth players or special teams guys. Some blame has to be placed at the feet of the media in both cities, but that is where an aggressive team media person should earn his or her keep.
One of the bigger complaints that I have heard from Esk and Stamp fans is their teams’ lack of imagination in merchandise. Both teams stick to a very basic formula and routinely miss golden opportunities to showcase anniversaries or legendary teams from the past. For instance, how can the Eskimos miss with stuff from their incredible dynasty teams from the ‘50s and ‘70s — the ones with so many Hall of Fame players?
The success of the Riders merchandise sales has always been due to their commitment to their entire fan base. They have stuff for newborns right through the senior years and last year’s $7.4 million dollars in sales rivals small-market NFL teams in total sales. They are much bigger than the Oilers and Flames in this department, so it can be done.
I am always happy to see Eskimo and Stampeder stuff on people and vehicles. I wish that I could see more of either here in the heartland of Alberta, because it means that these fans still care about their teams. It’s the same reason that I am glad to receive complaints about my pro-Rider columns — they are from other teams’ fans that still care.
Jim Sutherland is a local freelance writer whose columns appear on Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at mystarcollectorcar.com