Is it a good idea for the New Orleans Saints to raise ticket prices for their upcoming 2018 season? Well, that’s what they’re going to do and whether it is a good idea or not, only time will tell.
First, there are some questions that need to be asked. Will this affect fan attendance and the desire to buy tickets? How will this change affect the organization? How will the fans respond to this type of increase? The Saints organization is raising ticket pricing and are giving reasons such as trying to get back on the same level as the rest of the NFL and to increase revenue levels to give back to the fans on an experience level. This marketing stunt of increasing the price will cause mixed emotions and thoughts throughout their fans. This increase does benefit the organization in the sense that it will cause a lot of chatter among fans and will get them talking about the team more. So maybe they do know what they’re doing.
According to my past experience with ticket pricing, an increase doesn’t necessarily affect season ticket holders and suite holders as much as it does fans who buy tickets on a game to game basis. However, more than likely the biggest increase will be for the people already paying more money for the better seats and for those paying for the more general admission seating would see less of an increase. Some fans may see this increase as not even worth it to buy tickets anymore and some may just be loyal, dedicated fans who will buy tickets no matter the cost.
Ben Hales the VP of marketing and business development for the Saints says that, “For this increase that’s coming up right now, it’s an average of $9 a ticket per game. We communicate really specifically with each season ticket holder so they know exactly what their increase is, what the payment process is.”
The major key with change is communication and communicating with the fans what is going on, people just want to feel a part of the process. The Saints knew that once they increased the prices there would be talk as to why this happened. I think they responded well in having good explanations and reasons in order to keep the fans buying and wanting to come to the games. They are saying that the increase is mainly for the fans themselves and to help with their game day experience and even touch up the stadium a bit. Not a new stadium by any means but to add a few upgrades. I don’t know though. Is this true or are they just trying to make more money?
Statistics show from their more recent years that they are indeed below the average pricing for ticket sales in the NFL and their last price increase was in 2016 so maybe they are due for an increase at this point. I also believe that they are trying to make the pricing and increase fairer by using analytics and technology to make the seats with the better views more expensive. The Saints organization is also smart because the saying, “timing is everything” absolutely applies here. Now is the perfect time to increase ticket prices because tickets are in high demand and the fans might be willing to pay more this year due to the recent success the New Orleans Saints team had in their 2017 season. The Saints finished with a record of 11-5 and first in the NFC South giving their fans a glimmer of hope for this upcoming season despite the projections from Bleacher Report predicting the team not to finish as well as they did last season. But who knows? These are just predictions based on the competitiveness of the NFC South for 2018.
Michael Stanfield the Senior VP of sales stated, “It’s important to act on fan surveys,” Stanfield. “When you ask questions and you get feedback, you got to act on it. You can’t just ask for the information. If you’re not acting on it, it’s not even worth asking for the information.”
No one is ever really sure how the fans will react to these type of changes or just change in general because that’s the great thing about human behavior, it’s unpredictable. You can plan for it as long and as hard as you want but you never know how a human is going to respond to different situations. I don’t know, we’ll just have to see how the fans respond to the pricing increases.
Sources:
Sports: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 
The average NFL ticket price is continuing to grow whether the fans like it or not, but it still seems that fans are willing to bite the bullet and pay for these tickets. Maybe with the Saint’s tickets being so low it may hurt them because fans will be expecting these low prices because they have kept them low for many years. I can see why there are doing this because fan experience is what keeps the fans coming back in the long run. You want to supply the fan something they can’t get on the couch at home and that is experience. In Dallas tickets are probably higher than the league average because they are trying to pay back that billion-dollar stadium. The NFC South is going to be good this year and I think we can look back to this past Sunday with Dallas vs Carolina. Shots fired.
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Yes, yes the Cowboys are off to a rough start but it’s just one game. They have the whole season to prove what they’re worth.
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I think the Saints increased their ticket prices at the right time since they did have a 11-5 record fans will be willing to pay more to go watch them. NFL tickets are increasing in price for majority of teams and I believe the Saints have a strong enough fan base that it won’t effect them negatively. I agree they should make their fans part of the experience so they know how the money they are spending will better their experience when they do attend games. If your team wanted to raise ticket prices where would you like to see the money go to make your experience better?
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Honestly, I want to see my money going to concessions because those prices are ridiculous! On a serious note, I really don’t know where I’d want the money to go. Maybe game memorabilia from the game? Something to take with me to remember it other than just my ticket.
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Howdy!
I loved reading your blog and your reasoning behind why you think this is occurring! I am actually attending a Saints game in November and noticed the price difference as well. I think that the ticket prices in all sporting events is on a constant fluctuation (mostly up though) depending on demand, the loyalty of the fans, and willingness to pay.
Do you think inflation plays a part in the growth or just the willingness to pay and the demand that increases it?
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There are always going to be individuals unhappy with ticket pricing, just like you stated the game-to-game buyers will never be satisfied but it is important to still hear their message. It is extremely hard as an organization to improve the overall fan experience without the necessary information and extra money to throw around. Whats very interesting is the fact that they haven’t had a price increase in two years, especially after a very successful season, is pretty fair. I just hope the actual ticket price went up and not the concessions as well because that’s where the real thieves are at.
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