In our household, it was a rough weekend. I’m not naming names, but some people in this house take sports very seriously. I’m talking, “If the coach had just listened to what I was yelling from my couch we would have won this game” serious.
My husband’s college football team had an unsettling loss. I’ve been advised not to discuss it ever again. And then… there was baseball.
My li’l sports nut.
In this household, we’re Yankees fans. There is no discussion of another team. I wasn’t brought up to be a Yankees fan – or even a sports fan, for that matter. It wasn’t until my son was about three years old and started explaining sports to me that I even took an interest. I’m still not totally clear on the rules and the calls, but I’m in it for the culture, the American Pastime of it all. The food, the sounds, the organ: I happen to love the culture of baseball. Throughout history, it seems to have been the constant.
This season, my son informed me of this new player, Aaron Judge, who (in his eyes) is sure to be the next Jeter, and we watched his ups and downs all summer. When the playoffs came this fall, the two nutty sports fans in my house were cautiously optimistic but more than a little surprised that the Yankees made it in. Several late nights and long games followed. And then came Saturday night and Game 7 against the Astros. If you follow baseball, you know what happened. Whether you follow or not, I can tell you there was definitely a feeling of gloom in our house yesterday morning.
So here we are on Monday.
As you know, when you shop online, you get added to mailing lists so it’s never surprising to me that I get emails from all the sports teams for whom my son cheers. And this is where we get to the point (sorry for the long windup).
MLBShop.com sent out an email this morning with the subject line, “Look On-Field Official in Yankees Authentic Collection.” What is this, some kind of joke? Did an Astros fan send this – or worse, a Red Sox fan? Is this supposed remind a Yankees fan of the nightmare of coming so close only to lose it all? The Yankees season is over so there is no “on-field official” for this team – not this year.
Listen, I get it. The person running the online store has got to move inventory. Pitchers and catchers don’t report for spring training for four months. But to send it now, when perhaps Yankees fans aren’t in the mood to wear their team logo while they’re busy licking their wounds?
Timing is everything. You’ve got to catch people at the right time for purchasing. And with baseball – with any sports actually – emotions are high. So give the fans a minute to catch their breath. They’ll be back – and they’ll buy. The kids who are fans will grow and will need a bigger jersey, the new styles will get people to click and the sale items might get them to buy older inventory. But just be kind to your fans. Think about the timing of your marketing message before you shove your brand down someone’s throat.
Purchasing from you – no matter your product – has to feel good. Put a little emotion into your marketing and you just might see some different results.
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