How the Seattle Sounders Built The Most Successful New Franchise in Sports
by Paul Travis, Interim Marketing Management Executive
Wow… I had sensed that the new Seattle Sounders soccer team was getting traction in its first season — but I had no clue just how well it’s really doing.
Listening to Gary Wright (Sr. VP Bus. Ops. for the organization) give the lunchtime keynote at the NW Growth Financing Conference today was inspiring. He said that 67,000 people watched the game with Barcelona last night, and another recent international team drew 66,000.
They’ve sold 22,000 season tickets, which was a first-year target unheard of in the sport.
Gary said it is being called the most successful new franchise, not in soccer but in major league sports!
To what did he attribute this success — a great logo, good funding, or another such secret?
He shared a completely different definition of “The Four P’s” (not those that form the foundation of marketing).
1. People
2. Process
3. Product
4. Profit
Interestingly, most of the business world is headed in exactly the opposite direction, valuing profit above everything else.
In closing, Gary was quite candid that he had always dismissed soccer until getting wrapped up in it, and convinced me I have to go see what it’s all about. No way will it displace my First Sport (hockey) but the Second is up for grabs.
