PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Fan Experience Improvement Project
Goal: Improve the spectator experience at Citizen’s Bank Park
Summary: I worked with the Philadelphia Phillies Business Analytics team, as part of an MBA Competitive Technical Intelligence course at Thomas Jefferson University, to identify new fan experience opportunities at Citizens Bank Park.
Our team focused on the design of in-game and stadium experiences that would increase fan engagement and satisfaction. My specific role as the team leader focused on model development, strategy and all of the design and production of the deliverables.
The recommendations we shared with the Phillies provided the organization with new insights and fan data to better target key market segments throughout the Philadelphia region.
Key Opportunity
Our project team identified areas of the fan’s experience that could be enhanced at Citizens Bank Park. We applied business models and collected primary data on the regional fan experience, including factors related to price, convenience and overall satisfaction. From this analysis, we identified the need to define and develop select fan personas to design new improvements for the fan’s ballpark experience. We also developed other recommendations to improve fan engagement.
“If it’s memorable, it’s shareable”
- Michael Harris, VP of Marketing & New Media, Philadelphia Phillies
Our team explored aspects of the fan experience that could be further researched and supported. We identified fan personas to collect experiential data from patrons of Citizen’s Bank Park who attended Phillies games. We also identified some of the opportunities for improving fan engagement while in the ballpark by applying several different business models. SWOT analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and PESTEL analyses provided more context to define what fans wanted to experience at the ballpark.
Understanding the Environment
Using the Porter’s Five Forces model, I outlined the competitive environment for the Phillies ballpark operations. The competitive landscape considers what other entertainment options fans might select over attending a Phillies game within the context of weather, price and convenience factors. Porter’s Five Forces helped frame our recommendations and narrow down the scope of focus to understand the competitive landscape.
Porter’s Five Forces model helped uncover many of the factors that influence fan attendance and engagement throughout the Major League Baseball season. We gathered insights from this model to help create our personas of ‘typical’ fans who might most regularly attend the ballpark. By using other tools such as empathy and journey mapping, we were able to align our recommendations with the perceived needs of fans.
Because of the options related to major sports franchises in Philadelphia, fans can vote with their wallets to replace a Phillies game with other sporting events, dining experiences, shopping or other cultural attractions within the region. However, due to the passionate nature of Phillies fans, when the ballpark experience is optimized, fans will come to the ballpark in droves.
Porter’s Five Forces revealed that the competitive rivalry for baseball was generally ‘medium’ for much of the summer months, but can be influenced heavily by the overall success and ‘likeability’ of the team roster.
Considering the environment, economic and social factors for each fan allowed us to bring the most targeted suggestions to the Phillies operations team.
The PESTEL Analysis Model helped us to consider the factors and opportunities related to other environmental influences, including political or legislative considerations, social and economic best practices, the adoption of technology, sustainability requirements, and other legal matters as required from Major League Baseball or other entities.
POLITICAL: City/Municipal codes, funding, safety guidelines, taxation, political lobbying/pressure
ECONOMIC & SOCIAL: Income & regional requirements, player/employee relations, brand loyalty, alternative entertainment, league requirements, merchandise and sales
TECHNOLOGICAL: App development, cloud-data storage, content development, access and sharing requirements
ENVIRONMENTAL: Traffic analysis, emissions/waste profile, green certifications, environmental impact surveys
LEGAL: Privacy laws, copyrights and trademarks, market boundaries and service agreements
Developing Fan Personas
After the initial design and information gathering phase, my group identified two primary user personas which the Phillies could reference as they improve or modify the ballpark experience. These personas were intended to represent a wider cross-section of the region’s fans to help the Phillies operations staff to develop appropriate promotions or content. Our personas were based on survey feedback collected from 73 respondents living in the tri-state region (PA, NJ & DE). Based on the survey data, we were able to segment ‘typical fans’ through ‘Center-city Carly’ and ‘Suburban Steve’.
CLIENT
Philadelphia Phillies Business Analytics Team
ROLE
Team leader, designer
TACTICS
User Personas
Survey & Feedback Collection
Modeling & Data Analysis
Competitive Technical Intelligence
Choosing a Strategy
Our project team was invited to meet with the Phillies Business Analytics Team to review their existing fan engagement initiatives. We learned about their data warehouse along with some of their analytics-based efforts to maximize profitability from ballpark operations, including concessions sales, ticketing and strategic planning.
Center City Carly:
This persona was developed to represent the interests of younger, college-aged fans that live within Philadelphia city limits.
Suburban Steve:
This persona was developed to represent blue collar or middle class families within relative distance of Citizens Bank Park.
Preparing our Recommendations
My team created recommendations to the Phillies team that spanned across three focus areas:
Fan engagement
Facilities improvements
Ballpark sales & revenue
I led the development of our presentation deck and reviewed all of the content and layout to present our recommendations in a clear and engaging format.
What did the data indicate?
We collected data in the form of a survey where we polled 73 respondents living in the tri-state area, who each identified as a Phillies fan. We used these data to understand how fans spend their time at the ballpark and which activities or engagement opportunities may be of most interest to them.
We interviewed members of the Phillies organization to learn where they currently experienced challenges and compared these deficits to the most-identified areas of improvement shared by survey respondents. From these recommendations, we were able to develop our list of initial fan experience suggestions.
Conclusion & Findings
Viewing the fan experience from a design thinking perspective allowed my team to consider the broad and specific factors and influences that affect fans over the course of a Major League Baseball season. We considered and mapped the emotional connections of fans within the ballpark, relating to their unique economic, social and personal passions for baseball and/or entertainment throughout the summer months. We proposed recommendations to increase and leverage the emotional connection felt by many fans regarding the City of Philadelphia - bringing regional brands and popular culture into in-stadium entertainment. We also explored how the Phillies could further leverage ballpark experiences, including the integration of social media and in-game fan engagement choices such as gamification, to increase revenue and overall attendance at Citizens Bank Park.
Special thanks during this project to the Phillies Business Operations Team and Marketing departments for providing access and opportunity.