Panthers Marketing Survey for Dissertation

[doritoman]

Hello everyone, (Mods sorry if its the wrong forum, but it seems the most relevant forum for this thread, if its wrong please help me place it properly)

If you've got a few minutes, I'm doing an MBA research thesis (wrong thread title) on the Panthers Marketing department (which does extend to things like the "family atmosphere" in the stadium and the pro's and con's that come with it).

It's one rating question, and 4 opinion questions, below. If you want your opinion included in an academic case study and have the time, please just copy/paste the text and fill in your answers. All results remain completely anonymous. Thanks so much!

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How well do you feel the following words describe the Carolina Panthers, on and off the field?

1 = Not At All

2 = Somewhat Poorly

3 = Average

4 = Somewhat Well

5 = Very Well

___ Down-to-Earth

___ Family-oriented

___ Honest

___ Wholesome

___ Cheerful

___ Daring

___ Exciting

___ Spirited

___ Young

___ Up-to-Date

___ Contemporary

___ Reliable

___ Hardworking

___ Successful

___ Leader

___ Confident

___ Upper Class

___ Smooth

___ Outdoorsy

___ Masculine

___ Tough

___ Rugged

Which 3 of the words above do you value the most as a Carolina Panthers fan?

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively encourages fan social interaction?

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively rewards fan loyalty?

What suggestions would you give the Carolina Panthers Marketing Department to improve your overall fan experience?

[2jakefansinva]

Exciting, Tough, Winners.

[doritoman]

Thanks 2jake, but I can only use a complete survey response for results to be statistically significant.

No other takers? The more results I have, the more I have to support existing research about facilitating fan communities by rewarding loyalty and welcoming subculture.

[Kurb]

I would walk the tailgates Sunday.

I will fill this out later.

[FLpanfan]

How well do you feel the following words describe the Carolina Panthers, on and off the field?

1 = Not At All

2 = Somewhat Poorly

3 = Average

4 = Somewhat Well

5 = Very Well

4 Down-to-Earth

3 Family-oriented

3 Honest

3 Wholesome

3 Cheerful

4 Daring

5 Exciting

3 Spirited

4 Young

4 Up-to-Date

5 Contemporary

3 Reliable

4 Hardworking

4 Successful

4 Leader

4 Confident

4 Upper Class

4 Smooth

3 Outdoorsy

3 Masculine

4 Tough

3 Rugged

Which 3 of the words above do you value the most as a Carolina Panthers fan?

Spirited, Leader, Confident

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively encourages fan social interaction?

No.

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively rewards fan loyalty?

No. They've thrown fans out of the stadium for cheering.

What suggestions would you give the Carolina Panthers Marketing Department to improve your overall fan experience?

-Show us that you are dedicated to creating a fun experience for the fans by allowing them to cheer and be rowdy; kick people out of the stadium ONLY as a last resort, and ONLY after they have been warned previously.

-Create an exciting enviroment where fans feel that they can participate by being loud on third downs, rowdy in the stans; essentially the opposite of what we have seen recently.

[MurkN]

How well do you feel the following words describe the Carolina Panthers, on and off the field?

1 = Not At All

2 = Somewhat Poorly

3 = Average

4 = Somewhat Well

5 = Very Well

4 Down-to-Earth

4 Family-oriented

4 Honest

3 Wholesome

4 Cheerful

2 Daring

5 Exciting

4 Spirited

5 Young

4 Up-to-Date

4 Contemporary

3 Reliable

4 Hardworking

4 Successful

5 Leader

4 Confident

4 Upper Class

4 Smooth

3 Outdoorsy

3 Masculine

4 Tough

3 Rugged

Which 3 of the words above do you value the most as a Carolina Panthers fan? Young, Exciting, Hardworking

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively encourages fan social interaction? No they kick out fans for cheering

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively rewards fan loyalty? Well if your that guy who got kicked out and had PSL's since the start of the franchise, I would have to say this is something they don't do very well.

What suggestions would you give the Carolina Panthers Marketing Department to improve your overall fan experience?

1. Let people have the option to wear shirts or not.

2. Stop kicking people out of the stadium for cheering too loudly.

3. Kick people out of the stadium for asking you to quiet down.

4. Get someone on the inside to replace the NFL shield with the Panther logo at midfield.

5. Lower the ammount of advertising during the game.

[doritoman]

Thanks Kurb, that would be great if you could fill one.

I'm in London though, so no tailgates for me until the Skins game. I hope to stop by the Huddle Tailgate then. Been on the "To Do" list for a few years, but I haven't been in Charlotte much since 2003.

[KillerKat]

Does this include stadium atmosphere?

[doritoman]

Thanks Murk & FL

KK, yes. This includes almost anything pertaining to your experience as a fan. The words provided are from an academic study into Brand Personality that I intend to use, showing the team does not provide the right brand personality to match fans' preferences and values. So if you love or hate "stadium atmosphere", you should include it in your ratings, or especially the final "suggestions" question. All non-profane suggestions will be compiled into a comprehensive appendix on my report.

[KillerKat]

Ok, for stadium atmosphere.....

How well do you feel the following words describe the Carolina Panthers, on and off the field?

1 = Not At All

2 = Somewhat Poorly

3 = Average

4 = Somewhat Well

5 = Very Well

_4__ Down-to-Earth

_5__ Family-oriented

Not sure how to answer...

___ Honest

_5__ Wholesome

_5__ Cheerful

_1__ Daring

_1__ Exciting

_2__ Spirited

_3__ Young

_1__ Up-to-Date

_1__ Contemporary

Not sure how to answer these either...

___ Reliable

___ Hardworking

___ Successful

___ Leader

___ Confident

_3__ Upper Class

Not sure again...

___ Smooth

_5__ Outdoorsy (Duh its outside lol)

Not sure about this either...

___ Masculine

_1__ Tough

_1__ Rugged

Which 3 of the words above do you value the most as a Carolina Panthers fan?

Spirited, Exciting, Up-to-Date.

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively encourages fan social interaction?

Only for those damn Vic cards.

Do you feel the Carolina Panthers organisation effectively rewards fan loyalty?

Again, only for the Vic.

What suggestions would you give the Carolina Panthers Marketing Department to improve your overall fan experience?

Tell Richardson this is football, not golf.

[panthers55]

Thanks Murk & FL

KK, yes. This includes almost anything pertaining to your experience as a fan. The words provided are from an academic study into Brand Personality that I intend to use, showing the team does not provide the right brand personality to match fans' preferences and values. So if you love or hate "stadium atmosphere", you should include it in your ratings, or especially the final "suggestions" question. All non-profane suggestions will be compiled into a comprehensive appendix on my report.

If you already have your conclusions before you gather the data, then how do you expect this to be credible? Also how do you expect to sample the average fans experience if you post on message boards. Sites like this hardly represent the average fan. It also needs to be separated by those who attend a game versus those who may not. Using the internet in and of itself seriously skews responses to particular groups making up only a small part of the Panther Nation.

Just sayin........

[doritoman]

Thanks KK! I have to put 3 (Average) for your non-answers. But the more respondents I have the better it is, so thanks.

[doritoman]

panthers55,

You're right that I can't just find results to match a pre-formed conclusion. I've already made my hypothesis based on plenty of other academic research on sports consumer motives, points-of-attachment, new media marketing, brand communities, etc. If the results don't match my hypothesis, then oh well, I was wrong. But they will surely raise other conclusions that can be used for future research. My personal hope is that the results back up my belief about building brand community and swarm marketing...therefore in many cases the "diehard" fans (or bloggers, influential business leaders, etc...who are influential in their circles) are exactly who I want results from, to see if the team is satisfying their needs. As for the credibility of the results: This is not the only source for my simple survey. The survey has been delivered to ~250 people (via facebook) who live in various parts of NC and SC. The survey has been passed through family and friends of mine, who are helping to gather responses from their co-workers, which should capture a broader spectrum of Panthers fans (and even those who only qualify as "spectators")...obviously, without funding and more time, I can't perform a flawless survey. But, people rarely (if ever) do. So any shortcomings and limitations from the respondent data from an academic perspective will be well-documented in the report.

[panthers55]

panthers55,

You're right that I can't just find results to match a pre-formed conclusion. I've already made my hypothesis based on plenty of other academic research on sports consumer motives, points-of-attachment, new media marketing, brand communities, etc. If the results don't match my hypothesis, then oh well, I was wrong. But they will surely raise other conclusions that can be used for future research. My personal hope is that the results back up my belief about building brand community and swarm marketing...therefore in many cases the "diehard" fans (or bloggers, influential business leaders, etc...who are influential in their circles) are exactly who I want results from, to see if the team is satisfying their needs. As for the credibility of the results: This is not the only source for my simple survey. The survey has been delivered to ~250 people (via facebook) who live in various parts of NC and SC. The survey has been passed through family and friends of mine, who are helping to gather responses from their co-workers, which should capture a broader spectrum of Panthers fans (and even those who only qualify as "spectators")...obviously, without funding and more time, I can't perform a flawless survey. But, people rarely (if ever) do. So any shortcomings and limitations from the respondent data from an academic perspective will be well-documented in the report.

You have obviously thought through much of this. My perception is much of the Panthers marketing is geared toward middle class or upperclass white families (seems the majority of folks I see at games). As such avenues like Facebook won't tap them at all which appeals to a much younger crowd. It would be interesting to determine if there were differnces between folks who are PSL holders versus fans in general. Most of the policies mentioned by folks responding to this survey are geared to those who attend the game and are family friendly which may not relate to the average rabid fan but surely reflect many of the folks who actually attend a game.