Does anyone really think that this year’s Superbowl managed to be the number 1 most watched event of all time because the actual athleticism on display was superior to year’s past?
Does anyone think that the main draw was really about the football itself?
Or do you suspect, as I do, that it was story behind the teams and behind the game that drew people in? That the emotional connection we all shared for the struggles faced by a post-Katrina New Orleans brought in far more viewers than the actual football itself?
Bottom Line: Emotional Connection and Story sell more tickets than sheer athleticism.
Living in the South, I can say that College Sports (and especially college football) are a much bigger deal down here than most pro sports. Alumni have a much greater emotional connection to their College teams than any pro team. And frankly, there’s also a sh*t-load more rivalries amongst college teams. Emotions run high when Alabama plays Auburn, or Florida plays Florida State or Texas plays the Aggies, and so on.
If the NFL were smart, they’d figure out how to create more of that. More rivalries, more emotional connection, better write-ups of the story behind the games.
And what they’d avoid at all costs is a strike or “lockout” that could sever emotional connections amongst the majority of their audience. They’d also want to squelch the kind of player free-agency that breaks the spell of team-loyalty. If the players don’t care who they play for, why should I care who I root for?
Obviously, this stuff extends well beyond football…
What kind of emotional connections are you creating with your customers? What kind of story are you telling?
P.S. Here’s another 5 Lessons in Success from Super Bowl XLIV Champion Saints
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