BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan
09-22-2006, 04:32 PM
This past weekend we caught up with Larry Quinn, Sabres Managing General Partner, who discussed a broad range of subjects about the team…
Did you approach this first weekend of training camp with any trepidation, not knowing what may happen in terms of fan reaction? I don’t think the fans would ever be negative towards their team. There are a lot of kids down here, and that’s the best thing about it. Last year I told people that I thought young kids really got into hockey in Buffalo, and for a long time I thought we were lacking that six-year-old and 12-year-old who becomes hooked for life. Corporate buyers tend to be more fickle and they come and go but it’s the young ones who become the passionate fans. Many of our new season ticket customers report that their kids have a real interest in following the team and that was not the case a few years ago.
Do you feel vindicated the way the fans responded to the new uniforms? Not even near that! I never felt bad about the whole process so there is no reason to feel vindicated. As to the hijacking of the team logo before the official announcement, looking back today, this is the best guerilla marketing campaign anywhere. People were talking about the team—there are discussions and passions. Boy! How do you manufacture that? It’s the best marketing campaign you could ever do.
http://artvoice.com/issues/v5n38/puck_stop/q_and_a_with_larry_quinn
Did you approach this first weekend of training camp with any trepidation, not knowing what may happen in terms of fan reaction? I don’t think the fans would ever be negative towards their team. There are a lot of kids down here, and that’s the best thing about it. Last year I told people that I thought young kids really got into hockey in Buffalo, and for a long time I thought we were lacking that six-year-old and 12-year-old who becomes hooked for life. Corporate buyers tend to be more fickle and they come and go but it’s the young ones who become the passionate fans. Many of our new season ticket customers report that their kids have a real interest in following the team and that was not the case a few years ago.
Do you feel vindicated the way the fans responded to the new uniforms? Not even near that! I never felt bad about the whole process so there is no reason to feel vindicated. As to the hijacking of the team logo before the official announcement, looking back today, this is the best guerilla marketing campaign anywhere. People were talking about the team—there are discussions and passions. Boy! How do you manufacture that? It’s the best marketing campaign you could ever do.
http://artvoice.com/issues/v5n38/puck_stop/q_and_a_with_larry_quinn