Rory Sloan Explores Ticket Touting

I have read plenty about ticket touting in the press recently and have always struggled to share the same opinion as the majority of the industry. This is probably the result of very different objectives I have from those of more traditional event organisers. Few of the events that RPM run are looking for any financial return from ticket sales; doing one off spectaculars for brands works in a very different way from running a profitable festival or tour. Our and our client’s payback comes from increased brand loyalty and brand advocacy. The fact is we often charge simply to ensure the tickets have a worth and we get the capacity we want.

The drop off from free ticket events is always high and can be difficult to plan for, but what I find far more surprising is that the drop off from paid for ticketed events still remains at about 10%, and hasn’t reduced in the current economic climate. For a lot of events that we run, the actual event is just the tip of the iceberg and the true value of the project comes from the word of mouth, press coverage and social media amplification of the event. With all this in mind the closer we can get to capacity the better the result of the event. If someone has a ticket to one of our events which they buy three months before the line up has even been announced, why shouldn’t they sell it on to a mate if it turns out they can’t or don’t want to go? It suits me much better if they do.

In the past some of the arguments against ticket touting have been around individuals cornering the market and limiting supply in order to inflate the ticket prices. My limited understanding gleaned from A-level Economics taught me about the principle of supply and demand. If it really is the case that supply is likely to far outstrip demand then the promoter should be looking at holding the event in a venue with a larger capacity. If that’s not possible, then they should look to repeat the event. Alternatively, if none of those options are available they can always increase ticket prices, within reason.

It is much easier these days to control who gets hold of the tickets. We often organise ticket sales for events through Facebook so you know who is coming to the event. It also means you can limit the number of tickets sold to individuals and stop people buying up large numbers. Similarly, technology such as RFID enables consumers' Smartphones to become their ticket, which stops them from being sold on so easily. Alternatively event organisers can go down a public ballot route like the Olympics, Wimbledon or Glastonbury. There are still the corporate/partner tickets that can be abused at these events, but that is a whole different issue, and should be dealt with contractually between the event organiser and the partner/sponsor.

I realise the Olympics has brought in special laws to fine touts up to £20,000, and I certainly wouldn’t encourage people to break the law, but it is down to individual event organisers to decide whether their tickets can be re-sold. Personally I think it is just as criminal as ticket touting and tantamount to theft to not allow someone who, for whatever reason, has decided not to attend an event they have paid for and are refused a refund. The idea that you can only pass tickets on for free is outdated and I can only hope that the rise of websites like Viagogo will reduce organisers’ resistance to ticket re-sales and also ensure consumers are not out of pocket.

How Can Retailers Step Up Their Game?

RPM's Head of Retail Engagement, Simon Couch, believes retailers must step up their game to create relevant in-store experiences, ensuring shoppers are truly engaged and willing to remain loyal.

“I agree with Helen Edwards’ column, (Marketing Magazine, 18th January) on the importance of engaging the shopper and establishing innovative ways to create an exciting shopping experience. She rightly argues that consumer ‘infidelity’ is on the increase, and retailers must step up their game in order to build and retain loyalty. So beyond slashing prices how do they do it? Retailers, whether large or small operators need to ensure their brand remains versatile and ‘in tune’ with their local communities.

An effective way of doing this is tailoring their offering to the retail calendar using creativity to create a point of difference on the high street. 2012 especially represents great opportunities to do this. Take the Diamond Jubilee, which falls on the 5th of June Bank Holiday; the week the Euro 2012 Championship commences. Here for example there is a great opportunity to match quintessentially English products (such as Pimms, union jacks or scones) with more general summer season products (such as BBQ’s or gazebos).

To really stand out from the crowd, retailers must think locally. These are national, even global, events but be sure to make them relevant to your local shopper and community. Be reactive to news and events, find out if there are Jubilee street parties or Olympic screens, and be the champion. Create relevance and impact and sales will follow”

RPM in Communicate Magazine

Our Head of Creative, Neil Hooper, has been featured in this month's Communicate Magazine in which he analyses the slick new re-brand of the Imperial War Museum. To read his full review, have a look at the coverage on the Communicate website or check out pages 38-40 of the magazine.

RPM in Retail Week - Shopper Engagement

Our Head of Retailer Engagement, Simon Couch, gives advice to retailers looking to create stand out and build shopper engagement using a minimal budget. He urges retailers to remain reactive to events on a local and national level such as The Diamond Jubilee and The Olympics, and create synergies with these through relevant messaging, exclusive offers or bundle deals. The coverage is soon to be featured online which you can check out by clicking the following link: www.retail-week.com/surgery.

Social Media Captures Moments of High Engagement

In Rob Wilson’s piece on the benefits of pretesting, he shows us that by gaining consumer insight through focus groups pre-campaign, brands are able to create engaging, relevant activity that taps into a consumer need, instigating brand behaviour to fulfil it. This is all very well for pretesting, but is the same market research as effective for post-campaign measurement? How can market research, post-event, tell us how engaged consumers were during the height of a campaign? This is where social media comes in. With its real-time feedback and ability to have constant streams of conversation, social media is arguably more effective when it comes to capturing exactly how consumers felt right in the moment of engagement than a survey taken a few days later or even a few hours later.

Arguably then, market research is decontextualised, and as a result brands should always look to incorporate social media into their campaigns for this very reason. Despite what some may think, this doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Brands should always create a hashtag on Twitter for each event, which would help raise the profile of a campaign by drawing all conversation into one place. The hashtag also makes it easy to track and monitor from an evaluation point of view, and it encourages people to keep referring back to your event after it has finished. Facebook is also useful for gauging real-time feedback. Creating a bespoke Facebook page for an event/campaign and encouraging users to upload photos or comments is a great way to track what they really think, right when it matters the most.

Listening to people in social media works because the comments or feedback are made at the moment of high engagement. What you learn from this kind of medium cannot be gathered through research.

2012: The Year of the Consumer

Thanks to an increased number of social media platforms, consumers have more opportunities than ever before to voice their opinions, views and feedback, which is dramatically affecting business models. Where brands once talked and consumers listened, the opposite is now true, and brands have come to expect that their marketing strategy or product development plans are dramatically shaped and determined by the needs and desires of the consumer.

What’s more, consumers have also come to expect and demand a voice from the brands they interact with. Companies therefore need to be open to consumer dialogue and present multiple platforms to support this. Never before have brands been so focused on the consumer need, and they must aim to engage consumers through a path to participation, allowing them to be valued and heard. Brands must show consumers that they strive to make positive actions from feedback, even if it is negative. Negative feedback is an opportunity for brands, not a nuisance.

Recent Press Coverage

2012 is kicking off to a great start. Our Head of Retailer Engagement, Simon Couch, has been featured in this month's 'Bar Magazine' discussing the growing trend towards lower ABV products. Simon argues that consumers are becoming increasingly diet conscious, and as a result, brand owners are under growing pressure to increase their ranges to include products suitable for the health-conscious consumer. You can read his comments via the e-mag here.

Our Pop-Up team has also hit the headlines this month. Their hints and tips on creating a temporary retail space around the time of the Olympics have been included in 'Retail Focus' magazine, in which they also discuss why pop-ups should be a key part of a brand's marketing strategy.