MFC Marketing and Membership sales

[drdrake 3,160]

Just to highlight how poor our club is doing is this department

My In laws are mad Kangaroos supporters, they took my daughter to their family day and signed her up as a Joey, she also has a demons membership as well. 3 days after they signed her up she got a thank you post card like mail out advising her that they send all membership packages out on the 15th of every Month. On the 19th we got her package. I upgraded my Membership in January and all I have received is my Red and Blue army stuff.

Western Bulldogs have taken out the front and back full page plus the inside of those pages advertising the club and their family day in this weeks Leader local paper which I think covers most of the West.

Our club needs to get more effecient in taking care of the members they have and more aggressive in promoting the club. The two clubs mentioned are in the same position financially if not worse that the MFC.

[Guest MFC4Life]

Its staggering that that this is happening. I sometimes wonder if we have a marketing department at all.

[robbo24 66]

thats funny because Melbourne Kangaroos and the Bulldogs Memberships are all run out of AFL House together.

All cards and mailouts are done together there... you'd expect the standard to be the same across all clubs

[Mousey 47]

It is absolutely a disgrace that this can happen at a Proffesional sporting team.

My god how hard can it be to make the people who pay money to be members of the club HAPPY!

Seriously, i can not believe this stuff happens.

Anyway rant OVER

[Yze_Magic 3]

You Brighton toffs are used to having everything served on a silver platter

Just wait for your membership to come and STFU

[Jaded No More 68,867]

my Red and Blue army stuff.

What stuff is that?

I'm pretty sure I've signed both myself and my dad up to the Red and Blue army but we haven't received anything. Are we meant to?

[Mousey 47]

You Brighton toffs are used to having everything served on a silver platter

Just wait for your membership to come and STFU

WTF is wrong with you, no one was insulting you so back off a tad ey.

I was just pointing out its not the right way to do business, mfc are a business

[gOLLy 401]

Dont worry Mousey hes only 14

[Mousey 47]

oh ok sorry about that.

[Dalrot 85]

You Brighton toffs are used to having everything served on a silver platter

Just wait for your membership to come and STFU

Not a Brighton toff at all but agree with what's posted in this thread.

Took over a month after I purchased my membership to recieve anything at all from the club. The membership department are hopeless.

[TonyMelb 7]

Not a Brighton toff at all but agree with what's posted in this thread.

Took over a month after I purchased my membership to recieve anything at all from the club. The membership department are hopeless.

Here's hoping that there is a masterplan for 2008. 150th year planning should have been established at least 18 months ago. Perhaps is all going to be launched this weekend starting with the family day on Sunday.

However it is puzzling why there has been no marketing or promotion of MFC in past 2-3 months to encourage people to sign up for the 150 anniversary year. Very low key even with existing members & certainly does not have the feel of a special year. Is a great milestone for any sporting club! Lost marketing opportunity clearly!

[The Emblem 1]

Here's hoping that there is a masterplan for 2008. 150th year planning should have been established at least 18 months ago. Perhaps is all going to be launched this weekend starting with the family day on Sunday.

Dead right Tony Melb, Mousey etc.

I think an early launch is particularly important for the Kid's and that our wee dee's [whether they be from Brighton, Baddaginnie, or Boronia] should have their members packs before the school year starts.

We should never forget that life's most important decision - who you barrack for - is often made at a very very very impressionable age.

If every other kid in the schoolyard has their footy clubs stickers, wallets, watches etc our little dee's could feel a bit neglected and discouraged.

We could lose a few and we can ill afford that!

[mo64 5,853]

In defence of the marketing/membership departments, I'm pretty certain that analysis shows that the cost of mass media marketing to generate memberships outweighs the financial benefit. I believe that the club's focus at this time of year is on renewals and lapsed members from prior years.

A cheap and effective strategy for mine is for the club to engage former legends like Lyon, Stynes and Barassi to call lapsed members and MCC/Melbourne Supporters. When Bomber Thompson started out as coach at Geelong, he would personally ring lapsed members. Whilst I not suggesting that Dean Bailey does this, a call from a club legend would be more effective than from the membership dept. or a volunteer.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

In defence of the marketing/membership departments, I'm pretty certain that analysis shows that the cost of mass media marketing to generate memberships outweighs the financial benefit.

About the first comment that gets close to asking how effective some of the other Clubs marketing efforts are. For WB they may have more benefit from advertising in the Footscray local. However I dont think MFC are likely to benefit as much from advertising in the City Weekly.

Its disappointing some posters are ready to stick the boot in without having alot of facts. Has anyone called the Club to seek explanation before launching into a rant on a public website? Probably not. It would be preferable to have memberships out as soon as possible to cater for the whims of some members. However, so long as they are receive prior to the start of the season it should not be an issue. FWIW, no kid at my son's school is brandishing club stickers at present.

Given a new CEO is to be appointed, I think the whole membership and membership service issue needs some focus.

[71 Molloy 266]

Got ours on Tusday, more than happy to wait and the kids are stoked with there new demons gear. Perfectly timed after the xmas rush for mine. Now looking forward to my season guide!

Your sincerly,

One Happy Camper.

[TonyMelb 7]

About the first comment that gets close to asking how effective some of the other Clubs marketing efforts are. For WB they may have more benefit from advertising in the Footscray local. However I dont think MFC are likely to benefit as much from advertising in the City Weekly.

Its disappointing some posters are ready to stick the boot in without having alot of facts. Has anyone called the Club to seek explanation before launching into a rant on a public website? Probably not. It would be preferable to have memberships out as soon as possible to cater for the whims of some members. However, so long as they are receive prior to the start of the season it should not be an issue. FWIW, no kid at my son's school is brandishing club stickers at present.

Given a new CEO is to be appointed, I think the whole membership and membership service issue needs some focus.

Maybe someone ead this thread drdrake as 3 articles have now appeared on HUN website this afternon.

If I may suggest Rhino based on your comments - before you launch a rant on this public website infering we would only make complaints onlinend not contact the MFC directly you might ask the posters first. I call the Club regularly and in particular in regard to memberships, including this issue.

The point of the comments which you may have missed is not to criticise the individual staff of the MFC for non delivery of the stickers etc but simply to question why in all the planning for such an important milestone year why there has not been anything special in last few months. I would have thought that 150th year would be a great opportunity to get lot of first time signed up members (including from the many who follow the Dees but havent joined)as well as lapsed one. Targeting lapsed one alone will not get the 30,000 target. Even to all us diehard Demons this year does not feel special yet.

[Freak 100]

well, i just graduated with a bachelor of commerce- majoring in sport management and MARKETING, so if anyone wants to hook me up with a job for the mighty demons then i'll be willing to take the job and solve this problem. haha

[Guest MFC4Life]

Wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo! Nice Shootin Tex!

[gOLLy 401]

Heres an idea....What about a MFC represenative jump on the forums once a day and tell everyone in one swoop instead of wasting time answering the same question 1000s of time on the phone

[beelzebub 23,313]

Well we will certainly know by seaons end how well the marketing dept has gone. If ever an opportunity was handed on a plate..its this year for the mighty Dees.

Some things for mine dont bode well though.. We dont seem to have taken ownership of this event and seem to be playing second fiddle to the AFL.. i wont mince words.. a pissy littel emblem on our jumper fails to excite of or ignite much inside me.. That 150 ought to hit us ( and everyone ) in the face.. not be hidden away in semi obscurity..

you can bet teasm like Collingwood, Essendon and Richmond would not be so shy !!

Whilst getting a team in a newspaper article may help awareness it hardly qualifies as 'marketing'... granted it can be an arrow..but its not the whole quiver. Publicity does not necessarily equal marketing.

I would have thought this year they might come out with all cylinders firing.. as such I think they could have held family day a lot earlier.

We are supposedly making a big thing of the Chinese connection.. we could have piggy backed something there with New years...maybe even had family day around same time .. All lost opportunites

Id be interested to hear how you mught do things Freak seriously

The international membership is a good idea.. we just need about another 100 of them !!

We dont have deep pockets so the MFC sobs.. well then yo uneed to box clever and leverage maximum effect off of others.. we never seem to do this.

Excuse my ignorance..but is any 'one' at MFC charged with marketing.. or is it whomever is closest to the door ?

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I posted this earlier today on Demonology if the Moderators have a problem with it then all they need do is delete t.

It would be interesting to have the board come out with a statement as to the future direction of the club; I believe that there has been another resignation and that the general morale of the staff is pretty poor. It would be interesting to see just who among the Board has any ideas about new initiatives and if in fact any of the board has put forward any initiatives up to date. It appears that the majority of the present initiatives have been generated by the CEO/staff and that there is an element of complacency among board members.

We do not appear to have been able to tap in to the wealthier of our supporters and this is also a concern, other clubs have done much better than us in this regard. We have blamed Harris for all the resignations at the club but maybe he wasn’t solely to blame.

Anyway I think the club should come out with some sort of directions statement and let the supporters know what it is they have planned for the future, just reducing debt and trying to increase membership by a few thousand is not nearly enough.

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

I posted this earlier today on Demonology if the Moderators have a problem with it then all they need do is delete t.

It would be interesting to have the board come out with a statement as to the future direction of the club; I believe that there has been another resignation and that the general morale of the staff is pretty poor. It would be interesting to see just who among the Board has any ideas about new initiatives and if in fact any of the board has put forward any initiatives up to date. It appears that the majority of the present initiatives have been generated by the CEO/staff and that there is an element of complacency among board members.

We do not appear to have been able to tap in to the wealthier of our supporters and this is also a concern, other clubs have done much better than us in this regard. We have blamed Harris for all the resignations at the club but maybe he wasn’t solely to blame.

Anyway I think the club should come out with some sort of directions statement and let the supporters know what it is they have planned for the future, just reducing debt and trying to increase membership by a few thousand is not nearly enough.

What I would like to know is, does the club have a HR Manager?

[Yze_Magic 3]

I am tipping all you sooks are the toffs that sit in M53 and bag all our players when they do one thing wrong

If you are from bayside, you should be banned from following footy. Worry about your managed funds, 200K sports cars and your trophy wives

And leave the real footy stuff to legends like the great YM

[Yze_Magic 3]

ps. The season hasnt started. You have 4 weeks for you card to arrive. Why do you all need it so badly?

STFU

[Dreamin' Demon 10]

Very low key even with existing members & certainly does not have the feel of a special year. Is a great milestone for any sporting club! Lost marketing opportunity clearly!

I agree. I thought we would be making a big deal leading up to the footy season & be the centre of attention. If it was Collingwood's milestone, we would never hear the end of it.

Bit disappointed.

Lets hope on field in 2008 is a lot more successful