The Rooftop: Research of Buyer Behavior and Demographics

BUSN 6820 - Sports Marketing

University of Colorado Denver

May 4th, 2016

Introduction

The Colorado Rockies Rooftop at Coors Field is a general admission area located in the right field upper

deck that features 38,000 square feet, a great view of downtown and the Front Range, three

bar/eateries including CHUburger, Tavern Ballpark, and Jack Daniels Terrace Bar, and sometimes live

music entertainment before games. It has been deemed a great success over the past few seasons since

its conception in 2014, as it often garners almost 3,500 fans a game. The Rooftop draws thousands of

Rockies fans, each coming to The Rooftop for different reasons. We are interested in discovering these

key consumer demographics and seek reasons why or why not they choose to come to The Rooftop.

Objectives

This market research project is intended to strengthen the sustainability of The Rooftop for the Colorado

Rockies. This is an attempt to avoid a decrease in The Rooftops successful trend while allowing the

Rockies to better understand their consumers buyer behavior and who their Rooftop consumers are.

The main objective in this endeavor is to gather primary data from people likely to attend Colorado

Rockies games and to develop suggestions for future strategies that could aid in the success of The

Rooftop. The collection of quantitative data with demographic research and qualitative data from buyer

behavior and motivation is used to develop relationships between variables in order to produce usable

information for the Rockies marketing and sales operations.

This market research has objectives of producing long-lasting value for the Rockies and to create

additional relevant data for their marketing department to draw upon when developing marketing

strategies. Market segmentation using demographics and behavioral characteristics is another objective

in attempts to gain more revenue for The Rooftop and engage fans further.

Methodology

The market research that was performed is in regards to what is driving the success of the Rooftop, from

the customer's perspective. We gathered primary quantitative data as well as primary qualitative data,

and drew conclusions between variables in which a relationship exists.

The two main types of data that were explored are buyer behavior and a survey on demographics with

Rooftop customers. The buyer behavior data was generated in the form of a short interview, in person,
at random. The types of buyer behavior information sought were loyalty, expectations, history, and

motivations. The demographical survey was conducted mostly observationally and contained a limited

amount of questions in the interview. The types of demographic information sought were age, gender,

spending habits, marital status, and location of residence.

A total of 50 participants were surveyed in collecting the data. This was done on two separate occasions:

Sunday, April 23rd (a game against the San Francisco Giants) and Thursday, April 26th (a game against

the Washington Nationals). Each occasion had the goal of 20-30 participants. These participants were

screened to ensure they were on their way to the Rockies game and above the age of 21 years.

Before the interview process, it was highly emphasized that the data generated will not be sold

away to outside entities. These research interviews were conducted outside of Coors Field on public

property.

Interview Questions Used

1. How old are you?

2. What city do you reside?

3. Are you married or single?

4. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how engaged of a Rockies fan do you consider

yourself to be?

5. How many games, on average, do you attend every year?

6. Do you attend games on The Rooftop?

7. Why or why not do you spend time on The Rooftop?

8. What are your favorite characteristics about The Rooftop? (if applicable)

9. What are your least favorite characteristics about The Rooftop? (if applicable)

Professional Interview

To gain a better understanding of the significance of buyer behavior research and the potential of

sponsorship partnerships as a possible way to enhance the sport consumer experience beyond just

increasing revenue, we interviewed Jeff Owen, VP of Sales for Impression Sports and Entertainment. Mr

Owen has a vast amount of knowledge on marketing research, sales, sponsorship partnerships, and
sponsorship activation. We asked him the following on May 1st, 2017:

1. What are some ways to use buyer behavior research to improve the fan experience?

It might not be the entire solution but definitely address technology and apps. Ordering from your seat,

delivery to your seat, sending promotions via push notifications, etc. Also, could talk about how Minor

League Baseball type promotions could be played out at an MLB park. Minor League teams are

notorious for in-game food/drink promotions. My favorite was when I attending games in Maine. The

team picked a player from the opposing team and every time he struck out the beer price in the stadium

was cut in half. The crowd would go nuts every time he came to the plate. These type of promotions

entice purchasing behaviors and enhance the fan experience. Coupons, specials, etc. all entice
purchasing behaviors.

2. How can you uncover if a sports sponsorship is having a positive or negative effect on fans?

To do this officially you need to conduct surveys. Lots of teams do this for sponsor engagement. There

are third party companies that can do it for you, for example Turnkey, http://turnkeyse.com/ . Of course

with social media teams can survey fans directly a lot easier than in the past.

3. What are a few important things to search for when uncovering buyer behavior?

Who, what, where, when, why

Who is making the purchases relevant to the Rockies Rooftop? Basically, the demographics. Not just

age but what are their lifestyles and psychographics?

What are they purchasing? Food? Appetizers vs. Entrees? Beer? Mixed drinks? Local craft brews? Gift

shop items? What do they want to purchase that isnt offered?

Where are they making the purchase? Phone app? At the main bar? From a branded standalone kiosk?

Ordering from a waitress?

Why are they making those purchasing decisions? Price based? Location to the bar/concession
stand/gift

shop? How short the lines are? Product offerings at each stand?

4. What are some good ways to research if sponsorship activation is working effectively?

It all depends on the what the sponsor is trying to accomplish. There are a few main objectives that a

sponsor is trying to accomplish; sales, brand awareness, brand image, hospitality, employee incentives,
etc. For sponsors of the Rooftop, if its a beer/food company they are most likely trying to 1. Sell
product, 2. Brand awareness, 3. Shape their brand image. To measure if its successful just address each
one. 1. Sales how well did your product sell as a result of the sponsorship? 2. Brand awareness how
many people were exposed to your brand as a result of the sponsorship? 3. Brand Image Do a survey
of fans to see if they can recall the sponsor and if they think more positively of that company, or if they
would be more likely buy their products/services.

For non-beer/food sponsors its the same thing. Find out what their objectives are and measure each

one accordingly. In reality, the objectives should be identified in the sales process so when you put

together the sponsorship package it includes elements that addresses each one. It makes for a more

effective sponsorship platform and easier to measure the results in the end.

Data Results
Data Conclusions

- 58% of respondents have been to The Rooftop, 42% have not been to The Rooftop. This

surprised us as we did not anticipate this many people that have not been to The Rooftop. Of all

the respondents that have not been to The Rooftop, all but one person goes to games every

year.

- 60% of respondents are over 35 years old, 40% are under 35 years old. We found it difficult to

get people seemingly over the age of 50 to respond. People over the age of 50 made up only

10% of the data. That figure is not likely to be very representative of the entire Colorado Rockies

fan demographical profile.

- The mean age of respondents was 33.74 years, the standard deviation was 9.9 years.

- The least engaged fans (1-5 rating) are predicted to attend 3.3 Rockies games per year. 35% of

the least engaged have been to The Rooftop.

- The most engaged fans (6-10 rating) are predicted to attend 5.5 Rockies games per year. 74% of

the most engaged fans have been to The Rooftop.

- Age is homogenous when it comes to the level of engagement versus amount of games

attended, a few radical outliers could be considered survey confusion or simply fans of different

teams. People who are bigger fans of the team will attend higher amounts of games, regardless

of age. The Colorado Rockies do not have any problems with age distribution in regards to

people simply attending games.

- Most important aspects that attract fans to attend The Rooftop is the view (10.3%), the social

aspect (7.4%), and the atmosphere (7.4%). This really alludes to the Colorado Rockies selling an

experience and a location, not as much of selling a service.

- Most important aspects keeping fans from attending The Rooftop is that it is a new venue

(43.4%) and that they are unaware of it (34.3%). Those that were unaware of The Rooftop

attended an average of 3.4 games a year, large enough to become interested/engaged. The

Colorado Rockies have these fans at Coors Field enough to make them aware of The Rooftop

and also promoting them to go experience it.

- Favorite characteristics of The Rooftop are the social aspect (15.4%), the atmosphere (12.8%),

and to a lesser extent the view (10.3%) and overall fun (10.3%). Possibly look into amplifying
lesser favorite characteristics such as food (2.6%) and service (2.6%) in order to make a more

rounded portfolio of core competencies.

- Drawing conclusions between what attracts fans to The Rooftop and their favorite

characteristics of The Rooftop, the social aspect is #1 by a large margin (22.8% of all

respondents). 74% of people that attend The Rooftop are single, therefore it is important to

target single people who enjoy socializing at sporting events.

- Least favorite characteristics of The Rooftop are the distance from field/view (27.8%), crowding

of the venue (22.2%), and to a lesser extent the distraction for the game (11.1%) and

accessibility (11.1%). These arent controllable, but one aspect that could be controlled is the

sun (5.6%) by possibly the placement of umbrellas, selling sunscreen, etc.

- Prices of The Rooftop did not seem to have a large representation, positively (5.1%) or

negatively (8.4%) in comparison to the other 24 characteristics. However, age seemed to have a

relationship with prices when it came to the 30 to 35-year-old group. They responded the most

in concerns of prices when it came to their least favorite aspects of The Rooftop and tended to

favor cheap drinks. Outside of this age group, it was not something that showed up in the range

of things to consider.

Market Segments

After analyzing the data and discovering patterns and relationships between variables, we have been

able to uncover specific market segments that can be addressed. These market segments have aspects

attributed to them in order to develop a strategy that can increase revenue in The Rooftop area. These

segments have been created using demographics and behavioral characteristics. The following segments

can be a bridge between the Colorado Rockies sales and marketing operations:

Tyler

Typically, Tyler is a 23-year-old male that lives in Denver. Tyler is usually single. He attends about 8.3

games per year and considers himself to be a big fan of the team and baseball in general. Tyler has been

to The Rooftop, but usually does so as a pregame ritual for the cheaper beer deals before the game

begins. Tyler does not stay on The Rooftop for the entirety of the game. Tyler prefers to go to his seats

to engage in the game and get away from the distractions of The Rooftop. Marketing opportunities for
Tyler involve motivating him to get to the game as early as possible or keep him there during the game

with drink deals.

Ashley

Typically, Ashley is a 32-year-old female that lives in the suburban area of Denver (Boulder, Golden, or

Littleton). Ashley is usually single. She attends about 5.5 games per year and considers herself to be an

average to major fan. Ashley has never been to The Rooftop even though she attends games regularly.

Typically, Ashley is not even aware that it exists. Sometimes Ashley has not been to The Rooftop

because she enjoys her seats and being in the stands. The marketing opportunity available to Ashley is

conveying information that The Rooftop exists and what the experience is like. This includes information

that The Rooftop indeed has seats and is not standing room only. Ashley is simply uninformed about The

Rooftop or misinformed about its features.

Robert

Typically, Robert is a 48-year-old male that lives in Denver. Robert is usually married. He attends about

2.8 games per year and considers himself to be a mild to average fan. Robert has never been to The

Rooftop even though he is aware of its existence. Robert has not visited The Rooftop because it is fairly

new and he simply has yet to make the effort. Robert is likely to be unaware of how to access The

Rooftop. This is a marketing opportunity to get Robert to The Rooftop with some targeted persuasion of

attending and information of how easy it is to get to The Rooftop. He seems open to visiting The

Rooftop, he just needs that extra push in the right direction.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Some overall conclusions that can be derived from the research are:

The Rockies have some untapped market segments that can easily be reached. Tyler, Ashley, and

Robert all have reasons to be at The Rooftop.

Tyler is a baseball enthusiast looking for fun on a budget. The Rockies could devise more drink deals

during the game as opposed to only before first pitch. Perhaps, during games with projected lower

attendance, special promotions could be devised for The Rooftop to him. To deal with the crowds and

lack of focus on the actual game at The Rooftop, Tyler would still come back to The Rooftop periodically
for his drinks and concessions from his normal seating if promotional deals were offered. This also keeps

him as part of the bustling social scene at The Rooftop where there are many people his age, in his

demographical range. The party atmosphere is something that many consumers of The Rooftop enjoy

and what often keeps them coming back. The Ashleys are not aware of what The Rooftop is. The

number of respondents that did not know what The Rooftop is, despite going to games regularly,

signifies that there is perhaps not enough Rooftop advertising in and around the ballpark. This is where

simple signage and in-game promotions around Coors Field could benefit The Rooftop. With how many

games Tyler and Ashley attend, they might end up attending more games beyond their normal range

just to go to The Rooftop as opposed to watching the games. More aggressive promotions of The

Rooftop to recurrent fans would definitely be beneficial in seasons in which the Rockies have a losing

record when fan interest might wane as the season wears on and interest in the game itself might not

be enough of a draw to the ballpark. Simple signage within the ballpark and outside of it directing fans

to The Rooftop can help someone like Robert to want to at least check out The Rooftop for future

reference. Any advertising of The Rooftop should not just be relegated to in, and around, Coors Field

and amplified with outside avenues.

Sponsorship partnerships could be one of the most beneficial ways for the Rockies to build awareness of

The Rooftop.

The Rockies already have some forms of sponsorship working within The Rooftop in the form of the bars

and restaurants that they feature there. A stronger partnership would yield a more synonymous

relationship between a place like CHUburger and The Rooftop. CHUburger could have a tagline on any of

their promotional material outside of the ballpark setting with something such as as seen at The Coors

Field Rooftop. With such a large volume of consumers attending The Rooftop and many not attending

the game, there should be an opportunity for a broad variety of potential sponsorships that do not just

have to be within the arena of food and beverage. As Jeff Owen claimed, the proper sponsorships can be

activated and maintained by gauging consumer satisfaction with a sponsor and of course, by tracking

revenue of the sponsor and The Rooftop. Sponsorship could work both ways with The Rooftop as any

kind of brand that the Rockies might sponsor could be used as another platform for making targeted

consumers aware of The Rooftop. A case of Coors beer could have a slogan such as, tastes better on

Coors Field Rooftop. Proper sponsorships can be gleaned by buyer behavior analysis of Rockies fans,
The Rooftop fans, and of potential sponsors consumers. The possibilities for very lucrative promotions

are numerous and highly variable.