Jesse Cole: How to REALLY put your fans first
Many sports organisations say they put the fans first, however no one is doing it quite like the Savannah Bananas.
Since Jesse Cole took over this 'very minor' minor league baseball outfit, crowds at their 'shows' have gone from a few hundred to 4,000 sell-outs for season upon season.
The formula is simple - taking out all of the friction fans face in attending an event and replacing it with pure, unadulterated fun.
I interviewed Jesse on a normal workday, he was dressed like this
Every ticket is all-you-can-eat, there is no advertising in the stadium and they have no corporate sponsorship. Almost nothing is spent on marketing, instead, a host of fan-friendly antics and activations garner them attention.
These range from cheerleading pensioners, Dolce and Banana underwear, a breakdancing coach to paying staff to read, putting young people in senior strategic positions and employing a Director of First Impressions.
This may jar with the English concept of sport but do not dismiss this as pure gimmickry. There is a lot to learn from this strange but wonderful fruit.
TOPICS
Introducing the Savannah Bananas, the lowest level of baseball in there US
Wearing a yellow tuxedo every day
"We are not in the baseball business, we are 1000% in the entertainment business"
Why he has no marketing budget
The all-you-can-eat deal to stop you getting "nickel and dimed"
Eliminating friction-points for the fan
Why they have no advertising and, as of February 2020, no partnerships
The decision to name the team the Savannah Bananas
Taking over from a historic baseball outfit where Babe Ruth played
Why having fun is your best business strategy and has improved home performance
The type of coach that copes with the showbiz
How does Jesse hires his staff
The concept of the director of first impressions
Can an introvert work for the Savannah Bananas?
The legend of Bill Veeck
What opposition owners and players make of the Bananas?
Why the Bananas perform better than the average team in comparison to other teams in the League
Creating the right working culture among staff
Why the staff are paid to read
The policy of hiring young and where older staff fit in
Who does Jesse consider as competitors to his shows?
Is the Savannah Banana's model transferable?
How stories are deliberately cultivated to reflect culture
Why you can only judge you marketing by shareablity?
Would learning marketing have actually hampered Jesse's ability as a marketer
What experiments have failed and at what point were they abandoned?
The concept of being 'the only'
Lessons from Walt Disney
Where he wants to take the Savannah Bananas in the future
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