Question: Since their dismal beginnings in 1896 when they played near a swamp (earning the name Mud Hens in honor of the coots inhabiting the marshy land), the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens have become one of the most successful minor league baseball teams in the country, and their games some of the best attended. How did they leverage their climb from such a murky start? In a word: marketing. With their two slogans, "Toledo's Family Fun Park" and "Experience the Joy of Mudville," the Mud Hens harness the twin themes of family and history. These days, the Mud Hens are the Triple-A affiliate of the major league team the Detroit Tigers. Because the Tigers do all of the hiring and firing of players, trainers, and medical staff, the Mud Hens' home office can focus all of its energy on improving the image and profitability of the Mud Hens enterprise.
The Mud Hens do not have the star power of the major league teams (aside from their popular bird mascots, Muddy and Muddonna), so marketers must seek another way to promote the games. The games are advertised as wholesome, affordable family fun-an alternative to bowling or going to the movies. People of all ages can come to the games and socialize while watching potential up-and-coming baseball stars develop into mature athletes. Because there is no star paraphernalia to sell, most of the marketing attention is paid to promoting Mud Hens merchandise, like T-shirts and hats, along with food and beverage sales. In fact, the team has been the league leader in ballpark merchandise sales since 2000 and ranks second in the minor league for overall merchandise sales. The on-premise Swampshop offers fifty styles of T-shirts and sixty styles of baseball caps in all sizes. Truly avid fans can shop online from anywhere in the world as well. The league's continued sales and revenue growth stand in contrast to an overall downturn in attendance and purchases at minor league baseball games. This statistic attests to the strength of the Mud Hens' marketing strategy.
They promote directly to advance ticket buyers in order to target those people who are apt to buy tickets early, buy in quantity, and spend cash at the games. Other marketing channels are the more traditional radio, television, and print media. The Mud Hens enjoy an especially close relationship with local newspapers, where a prominent story about the team is almost guaranteed whenever the Mud Hens have a home game. When the team decided to build the new Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo, they knew that the move would generate additional excitement about the team. To accommodate and encourage increased spending at games, planners mapped out a huge 3,000-square-foot Swampshop to comfortably accommodate all consumers. The move to the downtown area has dramatically increased overall attendance rates, which have doubled. All of these strategic maneuvers are part of integrated marketing communications, which entails coordinating promotional and marketing efforts so as to have maximum impact on customers. Clearly, the Toledo Mud Hens know their market, because they are consistently one of the high-revenue generators in the minor leagues. Because the Tigers take care of most of the administrative tasks, the Mud Hens' staff can focus nearly all of their efforts on successfully using the promotion mix (advertising, personal selling, public relations, and promotion) and buzz to get people flocking to the park. The promise of affordable, wholesome family fun has clearly struck a chord with people in this working-class section of Ohio.
Games have also been a big hit with corporate season ticket holders as a way to reward employees or to provide a congenial atmosphere for meeting with clients. The Toledo Mud Hens value their role as a community partner. They have made significant impact in the Toledo-area community. Other than making community appearances, the players have also participated in the "Drug Prevention Program." This program was done in association with the city of Toledo Police Department, Lucas County prosecutors, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Representatives from these organizations as well as Mud Hens players talked with kids about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. In honor of former Mud Hens General Manager Gene Cook, who passed away in 2002, the Mud Hens organized the 3rd Annual Baseball Camp for kids who normally would not have had the financial resources to attend such a camp. The Hens also raised around $30,000 for local charities by conducting four jersey auctions and one memorabilia auction during their "Fandemonium" event in January 2008. Other than this, they have formed the "Muddy's Knothole Club," which provides game tickets and meals to underprivileged children in the community.
In fact, over the past four years, more than 15,000 underprivileged children have been able to attend a Mud Hens game. The Mud Hens have also worked with organizations like Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center, American Heart Association, and many more in order to raise awareness about important community issues. The Mud Hens also recognize people within their team who make an effort to contribute to the community. They most recently gave the Helping Hen award to the Mud Hens Pitcher Ian Oastlund for his work in the Toledo-area community.15 For more information about this team, go to www.mudhens.com.
1. What are the promotion ingredients that the Mud Hens include in the team's promotion mix?
2. In what ways does the Mud Hens' support of the community help to promote the team?
3. What are some additional ways that the Mud Hens could use to promote the team?