The Pirates sell tickets through several different locations. The have a box office that is open daily at the ballpark and also opened before all home games. Tickets can also be purchased online through the Pirates website or your local Giant Eagle. Lastly, for the games that are sold out, fans can purchase tickets through Stubhub or Seat Geek, which are third party companies that allow fans …show more content…
With a current staff of 75, this increase in staff was a good move, especially considering the economy, which has made it more difficult for individuals and businesses to part with money for sports tickets.
More than any other promotional element, the Pirates utilize sales promotions, particularly premiums, as much as they can in their marketing mix. Sixty-three percent of Pirates games have a scheduled sales promotion or community event for the 2014 season (2014 Pirates Schedule, 2014). Most of the Pirates’ sales promotions feature giveaways or premiums, which seems to be the right strategy. Giveaways were found to be more effective forms of promotions than special features (Boyd & Krehbiel, 2003).
Almost all of the Pirates’ sales promotions take place on Thursday through Sunday games, when attendance is already normally higher. However, studies have shown that promotions may be more effective on weekdays. Boyd and Krehbiel (2003) found that weekend promotions increase attendance by 5,862 while weekday promotions increase attendance by 7,751. Teams have typically chosen to offer promotions on dates that would struggle with attendance numbers. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers created six Olympic pin giveaway nights in 1984, choosing games that would normally have low attendance. Because of the demand for the pins, all six games sold out (Shank, 2009). Based on that information, the Pirates …show more content…
Philadelphia Eagles owner Christina Lurie said, “Game days have a huge environmental impact considering traffic, trash, energy and material consumption, and water use. There are also opportunities for education and awareness” (Mullen, Hardy, and Sutton 2014). The Pirates have recognized this as well, with their “Let’s Go Bucs, Let’s Go Green” program, which launched in 2008 (Let’s Go Bucs, 2009). As with the team 's’ other community relation efforts, this program is an important component in promoting the Pirates as a good corporate