AB I read your comment re TG with interest. I am unsure that I understand the point you are making with regard to TG. You make the point that increasing population in your catchment area will give you a larger target market but you don't see any game changers for CAFC with regard to the TG project. Isn't the TG project just a major population increasing project in this area and that was why PV was focussing on it?
As for the 2012 Olympics, well I can't see any great significance for CAFC either.
I'll answer your question toAirman from my viewpoint. He may or may not agree.
The % of the population in easy reach of Charlton which don't go to football is massive. N.B. its not because most of them are going elsewhere. They just dont go to football. They live everywhere. In Charlton, in Eltham, all over Kent and into Sussex. And a large number of those are already more inclined to Charlton than to any other club. Probably because its in the family or a best mate is a Charlton nut. These are the most likely people you will convert. They are no more likely to live in the Thames Gateway than in Thanet. PV is a great all round businessman, but as far as I know, not so experienced in marketing. Fortunately he's got the Airman, who interestingly, is self-taught, and used to consider marketing as one step up from witchcraft :-)
Another point is that its advisable to find out why they dont go before throwing offers at them so that you address their real problem. That is the whole point behind Valley Express. Geez, just getting back to Eltham used to take me an hour after a Saturday game in the prem. So far nobody has contradicted me that the vast majority of this TG housing is going to be north of the river. I personally think that geographically you'd only target people who live in areas where the journey is less likely to be a nightmare.
And finally something ought to be done about the bloody trains. In a normal European city, the public transport actively caters for football fans. I remember when we were in Stuttgart for the third place play off in the 2006 WC, and we were worried about a Wembley style crush. But we got on an air-conditioned tram, and sat down (!)and 15 minutes later we were outside the stadium, still wondering if we hadnt been going in the wrong direction. At the Valley we are lucky enough to have a station right alongside but the bloody train company does everything possible to dissuade fans from travelling by train. Do something about that and you could target people all the way down to Gillingham (ahem).
[cite]Posted By: PragueAddick[/cite]At the Valley we are lucky enough to have a station right alongside ...
And that should be a key component of our marketing strategy ... just finalised a marketing plan for a very different subject, but this would be the type of plus-point that I would look to include.
Comments
As for the 2012 Olympics, well I can't see any great significance for CAFC either.
I'll answer your question toAirman from my viewpoint. He may or may not agree.
The % of the population in easy reach of Charlton which don't go to football is massive. N.B. its not because most of them are going elsewhere. They just dont go to football. They live everywhere. In Charlton, in Eltham, all over Kent and into Sussex. And a large number of those are already more inclined to Charlton than to any other club. Probably because its in the family or a best mate is a Charlton nut. These are the most likely people you will convert. They are no more likely to live in the Thames Gateway than in Thanet. PV is a great all round businessman, but as far as I know, not so experienced in marketing. Fortunately he's got the Airman, who interestingly, is self-taught, and used to consider marketing as one step up from witchcraft :-)
Another point is that its advisable to find out why they dont go before throwing offers at them so that you address their real problem. That is the whole point behind Valley Express. Geez, just getting back to Eltham used to take me an hour after a Saturday game in the prem. So far nobody has contradicted me that the vast majority of this TG housing is going to be north of the river. I personally think that geographically you'd only target people who live in areas where the journey is less likely to be a nightmare.
And finally something ought to be done about the bloody trains. In a normal European city, the public transport actively caters for football fans. I remember when we were in Stuttgart for the third place play off in the 2006 WC, and we were worried about a Wembley style crush. But we got on an air-conditioned tram, and sat down (!)and 15 minutes later we were outside the stadium, still wondering if we hadnt been going in the wrong direction. At the Valley we are lucky enough to have a station right alongside but the bloody train company does everything possible to dissuade fans from travelling by train. Do something about that and you could target people all the way down to Gillingham (ahem).
And that should be a key component of our marketing strategy ... just finalised a marketing plan for a very different subject, but this would be the type of plus-point that I would look to include.