It will be an interesting spring for the New York Red Bulls. Not only did their biggest name, Thierry Henry, retire, but they have had a change in management on the field and now have the added challenge of having another franchise, New York City Football Club, getting started across the river at Yankee Stadium.
How will the Red Bulls deal with challenges like this to not just stay brand relevant but to grow in a crowded marketplace? As training camp begins, we caught up with Joe Stetson, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, to find out.
You have worked at Madison Square Garden and several media companies and now with the Red Bulls, what is the biggest difference between The World’s Most Famous Arena and Harrison?
I was very fortunate to start my career at Madison Square Garden as a 19 year-old intern. I spent almost 12 years growing up at The Garden during some great times as well as experiencing some real educational challenges. Working on the media side of the business provided me with opportunities to collaborate with all the divisions within the organization. All of their properties were well established already. Hence, it was important to maintain its standing as The World’s Most Famous Arena with new competition in the form of new venues, regional sports networks and teams entering into the marketplace. I got to work on a lot of exciting projects to help evolve the brand to navigate a newly crowded landscape.
The Red Bulls are a young franchise in a young league (both entering their 20th seasons) and I now have the unique opportunity to help create a legacy with the club, Red Bull Arena and their already passionate fan base as opposed to building on a legacy.
How does NYCFC now coming in effect the media marketplace for the Red Bulls?
New York City is the most crowded sports market in the world. Now there are a dozen professional major sports teams in the NY Metro area vying for media coverage. Many fear our share of voice within NY Sports Media will shrink as the two teams will cannibalize each other’s efforts, but I truly disagree. I actually think NYCFC’s presence will only amplify the soccer conversation (specifically MLS soccer conversation) in the marketplace and I predict we will experience a “Rising Tides Lifts All Boats” (to quote JFK) situation with the Red Bulls benefiting from the emergence of MLS’s 20th franchise.
The club had a successful 2014, with Henry leaving what are your biggest challenges from a perception standpoint with fans?
The biggest challenge will be human nature. Changes scare people… that is human nature. Sports force people to test their patience with an offseason. Some offseasons can be the most exciting time for fans… anxiously anticipating what’s to come (“There is always next year”), yet some offseasons can be scary… riddled with changes that create unknowns and fear of what could happen. The biggest challenge will be our fans experiencing the latter. The retirement of Thierry Henry, a new Sporting Director, a new coach and some new players to add to an already exciting core team could evoke some uneasiness. But we are confident that this team now has a strong path that will lead to long term success and a championship culture.
Where does the branding of the Red Bulls in NY fit into the landscape. Is NJ more important from a fan activation standpoint?
New York and New Jersey are both very important. We look at the NY Metro area as our fanbase’s territory and we have been cultivating it for 20 years now. Our Youth Development programs are the best and most effective in the country, reaching over 35,000 children and over 50,000 parents in 128 Zip Codes with coverage in New Jersey, New York and Long Island. Our season ticketholders span from Binghamton, NY to Western Pennsylvania. We are truly a regional franchise with balanced representation in both NY and NJ that will continue to grow each year but we are incredibly proud of our New Jersey roots and home.
What are the biggest challenges you have in selling MLS in the marketplace?
The crowded marketplace with 12 professional sports teams (mentioned earlier) is one major challenge but I actually consider the competition to be much broader than just sports. I consider NY’s litany of options for people to spend their time (Broadway shows, family shows, museums, etc.) to be our extended competition so we want to take the approach of welcoming people to experience watching live professional soccer in a beautiful soccer venue as a great experience (for family, friends-night-out, date, business, sporting, entertainment, etc.).
What successes are you most proud of since coming on board?
I’ve been able to be a part of a major shift in business culture that the General Manager, Marc De Grandpre, has established since his return in April leading to some franchise new highs:
Red Bull Arena record attendance and revenue in a regular season match (Sept. 20, 2014 vs. Seattle Sounders)
Red Bull Arena Record attendance and revenue in a match (Nov. 23, 2014 vs. NE Revolution – MLS Eastern Conference Finals).
What I’m most proud of is the development of the three departments that I oversee (Marketing, Communications and Multimedia) and the professional growth of my group members in just the 6 months I’ve been here. I have a really talented team that is going to do some incredible things, not only for our organization, but in our industry for many years to come.
Soccer has become so big in the area outside of what MLS has done. How do the Red Bulls capitalize on the growth of the sport with fans who may now yet be interested in MLS, but love Chelsea or Barcelona?
This is a real tricky area. New York area fans are probably the most intelligent, savvy and loyal fans. Converting a fan from one team to another (in the same sport) is a daunting task. There is a very large international soccer fan base in the New York area that needs to be addressed. But, following the success of the World Cup coverage in this area, there is (now) also a very large casual sports fan base that might not have an allegiance with an international soccer team. These fans might be primed to adopt a local soccer team as their own. I feel like focusing resources on this audience is going to be key to growing our fan base.
Where does marketing to the Latino audience fit into the Red Bulls plan for 2015?
The Latino audience is a major priority for us in 2015. We are focusing on improving our efforts and marketing effectively to the very diverse and evolving Latino population. This audience currently makes up almost 1/3 of our fan base and we have barely scratched the surface. There is a huge growth opportunity here.
What are the biggest changes or innovations fans will see in 2015 from the Red Bulls?
-Improving the fan experience at Red Bull Arena
-Increasing quality digital content for our fans
-Celebrating our teams history and embracing the teams past
-More opportunities for the team to have one-on-one engagements with our fans
For all the details on the club as the preseason begins visit New York Red Bulls.
