Destroyers ad campaign makes light of losses

Business First

1/24/00

By Rick Maloney

New ad campaign pokes fun at Destroyers.  Perhaps no sports team in Buffalo ever launched a marketing campaign with the hyperbole of the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers, promising to "take the harbor by storm."
That idea quickly sank as the expansion team managed just one victory in its inaugural season.  As the team prepares for its second year, a new media campaign has hit the airwaves and the Destroyers are proving you can laugh at yourself.  Owner Mark Hamister said market research indicated poking fun at their plight might be the best solution.
"You can't hid from 1 – 13 and it's foolish to act like you should," said Hamister.  "We do think we provided a great level of entertainment despite the record."
The "tag" line at the end of the two spots reads, "… New talent, new dedication, new attitude.  Buffalo Destroyers arena league football.  We'll be a lot better than last year.  But then we'd almost have to be!"
The spots were developed by Paragon Advertising, a local ad agency known for its work on media campaigns for Mighty Taco and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.  The challenge was how do you promote a team that won just one game?
"The sport is a lot of fun and I thought that was the key," said Paragon President/Creative Director James Gillan.  "If you had fun with the whole thing it would reflect back on the product itself, not taking it too seriously."
What helps make the spots work is the style, a script and musical theme similar to that of NFL Films, featuring a monotone voice read, done by announcer Tom Donahue.
"I was in a meeting where someone though it was NFL Films and I've had more than six people ask if that was Jeff Kaye (a former WBEN radio morning host who has carved a niche as a lead voice on NFL productions)," said Gillan.
The question now is will this campaign sell tickets?  The spots hit the airwaves two weeks ago (there are two on radio, another for television with a supplemental print ad also scheduled) and have no designated stop date.  Destroyers ticket prices are basically unchanged for the 2000 season with the exception of end zone bowl seats at Marine Midland Arena.  Those seats have been reduced to $10 per game from $15.  Season tickets remain as low as $50 for seven home games.
The Destroyers established an Arena league record for an expansion team with season ticket sales topping the 12,000 mark.  New season ticket sales number over 800.  Hamister said he's hoping for a renewal rate of 85 percent, close to the league average of 87 percent.
"For us to even get to 85 percent we're going to have to work at it.  If we didn't work at it, we'd probably be closer to 70 (percent)," he said.
Additionally, Hamister said as many as six new corporate sponsors are signed and he anticipates re-upping 90 percent of those companies that were on one-year contracts with the team.  The majority of the corporate marketing deals struck by the Destroyers are multi-year.