CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR & MARKETING STRATEGY in game of POOL

The Trends

cajunfats said:
Bill, I'd say "more like 25..." in my best Robert Shaw(Capt. Quint-Jaws) voice.

What Market Research has been done in the past, it would be totally useless to utilize any aspect of it. Trends have changed so much, even amongst pool players in leagues.

There is no organization that is financially capable of hiring a national PR firm that would do a study for Market Analysis. The BCA Trade Association is too small.

Carl
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Agreed Carl,
From the conversations that I have had with people in the wholesale, retail, and tournament industry in pool I see basically a few things.

There is no organization that is created that last long unless its plan works financially and that goes for products too. Even then products can fail for lack of numbers of buyers not necessarily because of failure of the product itself.

Since pool is a wide array of small industries, without guidance the only thing that works is when something is self supporting financially .....bottom line, and further more don't expect to get paid a hefty sum right away for what you do. It could happen but likely its farther down the road than you've imagined. So pool is going to be very slow to change but change is possible.

The most recent thing Ive seen is a thread from the owners of Sand Castle Billiards in Edision New Jersey......Players Playing for Players.

In this concept half of the total sum of the entries...plus a paid entry into the next large event is awarded to the winner of the tournament.

Now that is just simply awesome and if you read further down at the bottom of the page at Sandmans signature you will see a few little sayings....he states......something to the effect that if pool is to succeed that it will be due to and infusion of professionalism. Man how true is that?

That guy found the ticket in my opinion.

For myself as a lover of the game, this is what the forums should be for. For all of us that are industry inclined to help figure out what the winning ticket is. The winning ticket is when it pays for itself and it makes people want to play the game. That is the winning ticket. Its not always about how much money we can get the room owner to add. Pool doesn't pay well at the local level so most of us have jobs or try to. But something like this makes me want to spend a day supporting something that I know is having a positive effect on the game....I would like to see more of these done and some in my neck of the woods.

I'm a fan of the Sandman. I think he found the ticket.
 
In follow up news.....'


Last night at league, I heard Des Moines has ANOTHER LEAGUE started. This one is an in-house league, apparently, at Big Dogs.

There must be a specific reason that this one started up, too.


Jeff Livingston
 
cajunfats said:
Bill, I'd say "more like 25..." in my best Robert Shaw(Capt. Quint-Jaws) voice.

What Market Research has been done in the past, it would be totally useless to utilize any aspect of it. Trends have changed so much, even amongst pool players in leagues.

There is no organization that is financially capable of hiring a national PR firm that would do a study for Market Analysis. The BCA Trade Association is too small.

Carl
Click to expand...

Yeah but getting it from the horses mouth, it was surprising. About half of em had a pool table and at least a combined income of 50K a year, that surprised me. A week in Vegas ain't cheap.
 
Professional pool, in my opinion, requires more than just a few people on a 'local' level to succeed and thrive. And anytime there are more than just a few people involved, there will be compromises made, because everyone will not feel the same about every single issue. This is an example of a situation where individuals may want to look for the best ways to serve the group as a whole, rather than just their own interests.

A good comparison might be a 'corporation' or company made up of dozens, if not hundreds of people all working towards a common goal: producing a reputable product that satisfies the consumer. In essence a successful pool entity would be trying to accomplish the same thing.

Of course the 'small businesses' are important too, and competition is perfectly healthy, but there will eventually come a time in any businesses life where everyone will not agree. And there may even come a point where many businesses in the same industry will not agree. But on the other hand, there are plenty of examples where multiple businesses in the same industry have successfully come together for a common goal despite their own individual stance. I mentioned many of them in another thread....

Got Milk?
Pork, the other white meat.
Orange juice, its not just for breakfast anymore.
The coffee generation
Beef, its what's for dinner

These campaigns didn't dictate to farmer Bob how to run his own business, but they certainly helped everyone in their respective industries.
 
For Sure

Mr. Bond said:
Professional pool, in my opinion, requires more than just a few people on a 'local' level to succeed and thrive. And anytime there are more than just a few people involved, there will be compromises made, because everyone will not feel the same about every single issue. This is an example of a situation where individuals may want to look for the best ways to serve the group as a whole, rather than just their own interests.

A good comparison might be a 'corporation' or company made up of dozens, if not hundreds of people all working towards a common goal: producing a reputable product that satisfies the consumer. In essence a successful pool entity would be trying to accomplish the same thing.

Of course the 'small businesses' are important too, and competition is perfectly healthy, but there will eventually come a time in any businesses life where everyone will not agree. And there may even come a point where many businesses in the same industry will not agree. But on the other hand, there are plenty of examples where multiple businesses in the same industry have successfully come together for a common goal despite their own individual stance. I mentioned many of them in another thread....

Got Milk?
Pork, the other white meat.
Orange juice, its not just for breakfast anymore.
The coffee generation
Beef, its what's for dinner

These campaigns didn't dictate to farmer Bob how to run his own business, but they certainly helped everyone in their respective industries.
Click to expand...

Mr. Bond,
For sure...these famous quips advertised spoke for an entire industry. We just don't have a body that speaks for us.

Got Body?

I'll have a Sausage Biscuit, a Steak Bisquit with Milk, Orange Juice and a Pot of Coffee! Its Pool Day!
 
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I just read this article from one of my fav websites, The Art of Manliness




Here's an excerpt that might help us:



...The design forms what is called a “magic square.” Each of the symbols represents a numerical value, and no matter which way you add the numbers up, they always total 18. If any of the numbers are moved or replaced with another, the tiles will no longer add up to 18, and the square will lose its “magic.” Each symbol has an irreplaceable part to play in contributing to the whole.

I have a replica of the Stirling stone sitting in my office. It reminds me that whatever part I have to play in my family, community, or work — whether it’s a big role or a seemingly minor one — it’s up to me to carry out my responsibilities the very best I can. The Stirling stone also reminds me that true happiness and fulfillment in life comes not from being recognized, but from being useful to the world around me.

For any group or culture to function as it was intended and reach its full potential, everyone must pull their own weight, from those doing the “grunt” work to those at the top of the pile. The idea that you should do your best – even in the small and obscure roles of life — isn’t a particularly sexy principle, but one much needed in our world....
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...American playwright Channing Pollock expounded on this principle 70 years ago:

“Naturally, all of us “want to do something important, but few of us realize that we are probably doing it in our everyday jobs. We have fallen into the habit of thinking that the only important jobs are the “glamor” jobs, or at least the white-collar jobs — the executive jobs. But the essential work of the world isn’t done by jazz-band leaders and radio and movie stars, or even by bond salesmen and our more than three hundred thousand doctors and lawyers. It is done by the man with the hoe and the hammer, by the women who care for those men and their children and their homes, and by millions of other men and women who range from the teacher’s desk to the more coveted desks littered with phones and push buttons.

We are all workmen, and it seems to me that almost any work well done is important. Our civilization is a complicated machine, and machines wouldn’t be worth much if they were made only of shiny gadgets...
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The whole article can be found here:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/09/23/what-eer-thou-art-act-well-thy-part/



Jeff Livingston
 
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Everything stated above is important and makes sense, but it looks like everyone is forgetting what actually drives every sport. It's a huge base of recreative and casual players. Why is basketball so popular while some people don't even consider pool a sport? Because basketball is a part of people's lives and popular culture. It's in schools, it's on all TVs. Every kid plays it, many adults play it. When people are surrounded by basketball they'll become even more interested and regularly watch the championships. They'll study the game more in depth, choose their favorite players and teams. From that point on many talented kids will go high-level amateur or pro. The pro league sustains itself and gets even larger and more popular as new stars arise. It again feeds the popular culture, the production of posters and t-shirts, balls and equipment, games and quizes to win free tickets, and above all, the media. All these sources bring so much cash so everyone connected to the sport and business around it gets payed well, and it becomes everyone's interest to protect and invest in the sport further, including governments and national economies. The circle is closed, it feeds itself and there's plenty of food left for additional growth and development.

To start a similar circle with pool, we need to stop thinking about the pro leagues and top players (who have no place in the popular culture for now) and focus entirely on the average, casual, recreative and bar players. We need to get a lot more players in the game. School teams and competition, local tournaments for everyone, more tables everywhere. Have those installed in school gyms, placed where kids and teens gather etc. More bars, fast foods and restaurants with pool tables. When we get people to play and compete massively around the globe, no matter if they're all bangers and low-level, there will be talented individuals who'll go pro. If everyone plays it, people will start to watch it and demand it. Once it gets on the mainstream TV and internet, there will be tons of money to fund those pro leagues, the marketing and the players. It will expand to the popular culture, and once it gets there, it will float in money and popularity. Then the organizations will finally grow. Circle completed. We only have to make the first couple of steps.
 
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Turn the lights on inside the pool rooms. Eliminate gambling. No booze or drugs.
Until you do that, nothing will change. There's a lot more clean living folks out there than you might imagine. :smile:
 
idea

Push&Pool said:
Everything stated above is important and makes sense, but it looks like everyone is forgetting what actually drives every sport. It's a huge base of recreative and casual players. Why is basketball so popular while some people don't even consider pool a sport? Because basketball is a part of people's lives and popular culture. It's in schools, it's on all TVs. Every kid plays it, many adults play it. When people are surrounded by basketball they'll become even more interested and regularly watch the championships. They'll study the game more in depth, choose their favorite players and teams. From that point on many talented kids will go high-level amateur or pro. The pro league sustains itself and gets even larger and more popular as new stars arise. It again feeds the popular culture, the production of posters and t-shirts, balls and equipment, games and quizes to win free tickets, and above all, the media. All these sources bring so much cash so everyone connected to the sport and business around it gets payed well, and it becomes everyone's interest to protect and invest in the sport further, including governments and national economies. The circle is closed, it feeds itself and there's plenty of food left for additional growth and development.

To start a similar circle with pool, we need to stop thinking about the pro leagues and top players (who have no place in the popular culture for now) and focus entirely on the average, casual, recreative and bar players. We need to get a lot more players in the game. School teams and competition, local tournaments for everyone, more tables everywhere. Have those installed in school gyms, placed where kids and teens gather etc. More bars, fast foods and restaurants with pool tables. When we get people to play and compete massively around the globe, no matter if they're all bangers and low-level, there will be talented individuals who'll go pro. If everyone plays it, people will start to watch it and demand it. Once it gets on the mainstream TV and internet, there will be tons of money to fund those pro leagues, the marketing and the players. It will expand to the popular culture, and once it gets there, it will float in money and popularity. Then the organizations will finally grow. Circle completed. We only have to make the first couple of steps.
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I agree,
I have an idea to try and get retired folks to put in billiard clubs and man them with volunteers and close early at night. It would give them a place to hang out, and would make it possible for educational programs to come in from local schools.

If this could be made to work and I think it could...it could be something that we and I say we...could spread and create some grassroots in the sport...which is what we really need.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Turn the lights on inside the pool rooms. Eliminate gambling. No booze or drugs.
Until you do that, nothing will change. There's a lot more clean living folks out there than you might imagine. :smile:
Click to expand...

No, there's no need to change the existing bars and rooms (though I agree about the drugs part), but we also need to see a lot more tables in those bars and places which usually operate during daytime. It would help as well if we had more pool clubs where people could take up pool as a sport and hobby, just like we have football, basketball and chess clubs.
 
What makes a sport poplar? Passion. Where does the passion come from? Someone to root for. Take the Mosconi Cup. Lets say it was advertised and was televised world wide. Some people who never watch pool may tune in because it USA vs Europe. Now you have something you take pride in and now you may be cheering for a sport you could care less about. People love their states and no matter what sport they are rooting their home team on. So do we focus on countries or states? For me both. I think their could be in place Majors like in tennis or golf. World cups like soccer and pool. I think it starts on the local or state level. Maybe there could be a tournaments at a state level every month. Different games with a point system. Pro and ameratur events. The points leader gets to play in the major events. Now you have tournaments more top level players can play in who arent pros but can hang with them. Not sure that has been proven yet but this could be the chance. People love to root for someone. Lets find out who the best player is from every state ( best player and not best pro player). Tehn let them compete for the US title and the winner competes for the world title. SVB make killer money. SVB has a killer sponsor to play in every tournament. Not every top player has that.
 
jburkm002 said:
What makes a sport poplar? Passion. Where does the passion come from? Someone to root for. Take the Mosconi Cup. Lets say it was advertised and was televised world wide. Some people who never watch pool may tune in because it USA vs Europe. Now you have something you take pride in and now you may be cheering for a sport you could care less about. People love their states and no matter what sport they are rooting their home team on. So do we focus on countries or states? For me both. I think their could be in place Majors like in tennis or golf. World cups like soccer and pool. I think it starts on the local or state level. Maybe there could be a tournaments at a state level every month. Different games with a point system. Pro and ameratur events. The points leader gets to play in the major events. Now you have tournaments more top level players can play in who arent pros but can hang with them. Not sure that has been proven yet but this could be the chance. People love to root for someone. Lets find out who the best player is from every state ( best player and not best pro player). Tehn let them compete for the US title and the winner competes for the world title. SVB make killer money. SVB has a killer sponsor to play in every tournament. Not every top player has that.
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This is excellent. Green for you ;-) now, if we focused on the big picture with a plan like this, and simultaneously started with the changes mentioned in the few posts above, it could work.
 
chefjeff said:
The whole article can be found here:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/09/23/what-eer-thou-art-act-well-thy-part/
Click to expand...

Interesting article. I remember reading something very similar about landing a plane many years ago. It was an article about taking pride in airmanship, in this case, about how to land properly, the way we were all taught to during our PPL exams. I cannot recall the exact wording but the way the author described gently touching both main gear to the ground at the same time, holding the nose in the air until your speed dropped enough to allow the nose to guide itself down to the tarmac struck a chord in me. So many just drop the bird down without any eloquence at all. It's as disgraceful as the man with the $100,000 car and no thought of turn signals.

It reminded me of Mosconi, how he detested shooting a ball along the rail for the corner and seeing it touch a cushion. I think he was a strict man, and a stickler for detail which I admire.
 
What do "we" have existing now that can be built upon?

Leagues

Some good tournaments throughout the year.

Localized and regional events.

Rooms that do great jobs.

What else that can be made bigger/better?



Jeff Livingston
 
I think it would be interesting if some pool halls had someone who taught pool. You could sign up for junior, adult, beginner and advanced classes. However I think they would have to be certified some way. You can be the best player around. Doesn't mean you know how to teach. I know I would be interested. There are some great videos on how to play, bank, kick etc. There is just no feedback when you try to apply the techniques when they aren't working. Local junior leagues. Everyone loves to cheer for their kids. Sure there are plenty of pool halls that would love to see their tables full.
 
chefjeff said:
What do "we" have existing now that can be built upon?

Leagues

Some good tournaments throughout the year.

Localized and regional events.

Rooms that do great jobs.

What else that can be made bigger/better?



Jeff Livingston
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Oh, just a few little things... like... Bringing pool into mainstream sports, popular culture and making it a part of everyday lives and hobbies of average people. Piece of cake!
 
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