A glance at who is skating where in the GPs

[Mathman]

Obviously ISU has a different perogative than yours and many fans'. They want the GP events to be showcases for top skaters/stars and be commercially successful, not to be confused with skaters' development programs.

In this I think the ISU has made a commercial misstep. Their market strategy is, "come and see last year's champions."

I think better marketing would be, "come and see next year's champions."

 

[janetfan]

In this I think the ISU has made a commercial misstep. Their market strategy is, "come and see last year's champions."

I think better marketing would be, "come and see next year's champions."

It's possible both of those strategies could be successful and maybe there are other factors more important.

Here is an article I just read about rising soccer star, Alex Morgan and it makes a good point which also seems to apply to figure skating.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-it-girl-lacks-true-staying-power-as-hot-item

"Alex Morgan is setting the internet on fire, but it’s only going to last for a few weeks. Eventually, win or lose, she’ll flame out. Not because she’s not talented, beautiful or completely marketable. It’s because with all marketing it’s out of sight, out of mind."



There was a time when we felt like we grew up with skaters like Michelle and Sasha and we saw them not just at Natls but throughout the season at various pro-ams, touring with COI and when Skate America was still an event that was of interest to casual fans.

Can we say that Mirai, Rachael, Ashley and the other skaters of this generation have had the same exposure?


I hope the article is wrong about Alex Morgan and the other girls from the USA Natl soccer team and to an extent part of it hinges on whether USA wins on Sunday.


I don't mind the rule changes for the GP this season and it is better to try something than to do nothing. And the format can be changed back if ISU does not feel it has been $uccessful.


Here is a link featuring Alex scoring one of the best goals I ever saw (by a man or woman).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjtLbBBdy0U

The clip is long but the goal is shown right at the begnning and from several angles. The rest is similar to montages we see fans do for their favorite skaters. There are a surprising amount of clips about the USA Woman's soccer team and I guess that is due to the World Cup.

 

[Violet Bliss]

In this I think the ISU has made a commercial misstep. Their market strategy is, "come and see last year's champions."

I think better marketing would be, "come and see next year's champions."

What about this year's champions?

What they are marketing are the reigning champions and medalists, all potentially this year's champions. In sports and entertainments, it's all about star power. Winners take all.

ISU is desperate for cash right now, still recovering from loss of Worlds in Japan and dealing with consequences. I just hope everything gets back on track and all shortgun tactics get reviewed and adjusted.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

In this I think the ISU has made a commercial misstep. Their market strategy is, "come and see last year's champions."

I think better marketing would be, "come and see next year's champions."

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

That's the biggest flaw with the changes made this year. They're all backwards looking (see Scott Hamilton's ICE Championships). While I think a healthy respect should be paid to the past greats (they paved the way for the current greats), this isn't the way to do it. Massive fail on the ISU part.

 

[janetfan]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

That's the biggest flaw with the changes made this year. They're all backwards looking (see Scott Hamilton's ICE Championships). While I think a healthy respect should be paid to the past greats (they paved the way for the current greats), this isn't the way to do it. Massive fail on the ISU part.

But what do you do with a sinking ship? Bail harder or try something different?

Right now Japan is reported to be going bonkers over their Ladies soccer team. If they win, their great captain Sawa will undoubtably pass Mao or any other skater as the most popular female athlete in Japan.

I think it is happening again here in USA as well as our girls made the front page of the NY Times after the last game.
Sports, and particularly women's sports are doing better than ever.

Skating has to figure out a way to become more relevant in certain markets. Personally I think when Speedy and ISU killed off pro skating in USA they made a huge miscalculation.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Mathman, by your theory the ISU should be marketing the JGP and Junior Worlds. Why are you sure these will be commercially successful? Do you think people will flock to these events with excitement?

 

[seniorita]

The only time I went to Junior Worlds was in Netherlands 2010, and the arena was as full as it could be, people were sitting on the steps also , which was very surprising but i had the best time!

 

[Violet Bliss]

The only time I went to Junior Worlds was in Netherlands 2010, and the arena was as full as it could be, people were sitting on the steps also , which was very surprising but i had the best time!

This sounds great! The Dutch were probably thrilled to have a major competition where they were.

How much does the ISU receive for a Juniors event compared to the corresponding Seniors one?

 

[seniorita]

Is the ticket price indicative? i remember it was only 10 euros per day.
Holland had also a young ladies athlete competing that she was popular, but I cant remember her name.

 

[Mathman]

Do you think people will flock to these events with excitement?

About the same as the Grand Prix events.

 

[janetfan]

About the same as the Grand Prix events.

That sounds about right to me. In most countries at the moment there is a limited amount of fans who might wish to attend either event.

People who like sports, even women and young girls, traditionally the biggest skating fans are watching other sports.
Attendance in Germany at the WWC was great even after the Germans were eliminated by Japan. The stadiums have been full and the crowds enthusiastic.

But why not, they are seeing a good product.

Let's face it, trying to present skating as a real sport rather than an artsy styled pageant is not going well. Fans might like it in some places but many major markets simply don't buy it.

Skating was different from other sports and that was always what made it special.
Fix the scoring system, bring back more emphasis on musicality and dance-like gracefulness and skating will come back.

Trying to pass off figure skating as an athletic contest similar to speed skating was and always will be a mistake.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

^^^
One of the magic things for figure skating is that its Fan Base has changed. It's not as glamorous as Henie brought to it even without competition.

Competitive Skating became popular with Wide World of Sports especially with the short dresses and sequins and there was a Winner to boot. Not unlike the pagaents which were also on TV being judged by consensus.

We still have the TV, the short dresses with sequins, but it doesn't pay for Prime Time, and no sponsors interested. The Fan Base has been severely reduced for TV, and I am wondering if the LIVE fans have also deserted figure skating. We must check out the attending crowds.

Marketing for attending was never an issue before, nor were there any tv promos of the event. But if it works, so be it.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Hernando, if you're asking me what I'd do to make figure skating a more popular/attractive financial entity, I'd say that the ICE Championships are a good thing, but the move on the GP circuit isn't.

 

[seniorita]

Maybe they should add cheerleaders before every group?

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Hernando, if you're asking me what I'd do to make figure skating a more popular/attractive financial entity, I'd say that the ICE Championships are a good thing, but the move on the GP circuit isn't.

You seem to be saying that Figure Skating only needs individual National championships, and a Worlds championship.

That's pretty much what FS was all about in the early years. Any other skating was done by the professional Big Shows. Fans waited for the next World Champ to join an ice extravaganza where they will see the champ in their home town arena. It was a simplistic method of presenting figure skating: Nationals - Worlds - Ice Capades.

Would that satisfy the dwindling die-hard fans of today? and more importantly, would it encourage new fans to again watch figure skating on TV if the sponsors were impressed? TV requires ratings to view any kind of show. It is sponsored driven.

And, the fans of LIVE skating, are they really deserting FS? Changing times mean changing fans.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Sorry, I think the GP circuit is worthwhile, but limiting entrants wasn't. That's the move I was referring to.

 

[janetfan]

Hernando, if you're asking me what I'd do to make figure skating a more popular/attractive financial entity, I'd say that the ICE Championships are a good thing, but the move on the GP circuit isn't.

I have no doubt the changes in the GP selection upset some members at GS.

I also have no doubt that 99.999% of the American public is unaware of these changes along with the vast majority of casual skating fans.
I don't believe Skate America will be any more or less popular with the new selection rules.


So you don't like the new GP selection rules. I don't like or trust anonymous judging run by confessed cheaters.

But I still watch and so will you.

The opinions of a few die hard skating fans has little relationship to what can make skating more popular.

 

[janetfan]

^^^
We still have the TV, the short dresses with sequins, but it doesn't pay for Prime Time, and no sponsors interested. The Fan Base has been severely reduced for TV, and I am wondering if the LIVE fans have also deserted figure skating. We must check out the attending crowds.

Marketing for attending was never an issue before, nor were there any tv promos of the event. But if it works, so be it.

US Soccer along with ESPN and Nike began promoting the Women's World Cup a year before the event.

They have spent alot of time, effort and money shaping the image of the team and the sport.

The commercial "Real Girls" says alot and seems in touch with the times. No talk of nervous, anorexic little princesses here.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxs1vFaowog&NR=1


Nike has run several different commercials for the past year with the theme "Pressure Makes Us" as a build up to the World Cup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E851cINimc0

ESPN has done profiles on every member of the US Women's team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BoHGblAMiA


and Sports Illustrated did a photo shoot with the team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H11XT7l9h-M&NR=1


I could post a hundred more links with promos for the US Women's soccer team. It is no accident they are the talk of America at the moment as real effort went into promoting them.


In skating we see very few promos and nothing done to shape the image of the skaters or the sport.
A series of Nike commercials shows what soccer players do in training on the field and off.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see Frank Carroll running a training session, to hear his thoughts along with a few of his skaters?

Since most casual fans have never skated competively some insight into how hard skaters train and what good athletes they are could open some eyes and create some interest if not more respect.

Instead most TV viewers are left only with the image of sequins and makeup......what a crime IMO against our skaters.

US Skating should have left NBC years ago and moved over to ESPN. More should have been done with a sponsor like Nike or whoever they could get to help create and shape a stronger and more contemporary sporting image for skating.

If skating wants to be a real sport they need to do something to create and shape such an image. Times change and skating's image has not changed with the times.

What is left is a hangover from the Ice Capades era of fluff and feathers.

 

[Olympia]

Hernando, that's a wonderful example, women's soccer. And you're right. On the face of it, who'd think that the general audience would take notice of women's soccer--on the face of it, a game in which teams play for hours to achieve a score of 1-0, and as if that weren't esoteric enough, the players are girls? But if viewers know what to look for, the competition becomes riveting. A good marketing campaign brings the sport to wide attention, and then the skills of the athletes do the rest of the job.

And that can't be done with skating, where people spin three times in the air and land on one foot, on a blade like the edge of a knife? What's wrong with skating organizations that makes that such a tough task?

 

[Mathman]

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