There are a wide range of demographics that the CFL marketing department has to consider. The age of the average Canadian football fan is not a readily available statistic, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume the average is about 40 years old.
The CFL has great fans in Canada and all across the world. The league is no doubt very proud when they see an Eskimos jersey in London, England, or a Roughriders flag in Kandahar, Afghanistan. surrounded by our soldiers.
But is it enough? I contend that the CFL is currently failing to market to potential young and middle-aged fans.
The Mobile Revolution
These days, every man, woman, and child has a mobile phone or tablet equipped with a web browser – including my four-year-old son. And anyone with one of these devices scours app stores to find apps relevant to their interests and needs. Mobile phones go everywhere their users do, and rarely have an idle moment. (We can all relate to being ignored by our present company in favour of a wireless device.)
CFL fans are no different, and opportunities for the league to market to fans through their handhelds is limitless. But the league’s web and app presence are about the same as a mystical unicorn: they barely exist.
I know what you’re thinking. “Barely? Unicorns don’t exist at all!” But there are toy unicorns and posters of the great horned equines, right? They exist, even though they are poor imitations of the real thing.
The league has created CFL.ca and the CFL mobile app. But they serve their fans poorly in both cases. I can’t remember the last time either of them, which are largely just mirror images of one another in a different format, provided me with any news or insight I hadn’t previously encountered elsewhere. There are far superior and more timely sources for all things CFL.
Social Media
There are scores upon scores of social media that anyone can use to promote themselves for very little investment. Some of these include Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, Keek, and on and on.
The CFL has little to no presence on most of them, and the two that they do use are, as mentioned before, clones of each another. In the world of web development that is just poor form. Next they will be liking and favouriting their own posts, which if you don’t know is always frowned upon for being either desperate or conceited. I’m sure, if they advertised, the CFL could find a thousand teens, college students, or senior citizens willing to maintain a presence for no pay.
On the Facebook and Twitter platforms, there are plenty of opportunities to engage and interact with fans. There are over 50 Facebook groups dedicated to the CFL and its affiliates. Facebook is a favorite place to interact with CFL fans from coast to coast to coast.
On Twitter, over 250 people use the #CFL hashtag every single day during the season. The best opportunity to connect with your favorite players is definitely on Twitter.
Fans on both netorks have only a slight drop off in interest during the off-season. But do you think you can connect with someone from the CFL? Maybe once in a blue moon. I’d like to hear from captains, All-Stars, coaches, and even management. Heck, give me Cohon or the incoming commissioner. I think it’s a reasonable ask.
The opportunity for the CFL to expand its marketing presence through apps and social media is there, and it has been for five years for the CFL. Will they take it? I have to doubt it based on what’s happened so far. They really haven’t put two and two together yet on how cheap and effective social media and mobile technology can be to engage their current and future fanbase.
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