Strategy rewards repeat buyers, encourages new fans

Friday, October 31, 2003

By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The Pirates discovered a way to get some applause in late October. They cut prices by $3 per ticket for full season tickets, $1 per ticket on partial plans and by $1 to $5 on 10,000 other seats purchased on an individual basis.

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"Thanks for saving us some money this year," said one of about 500 fans who turned out at PNC Park yesterday to hear about the club's new pricing policies.

Needless to say, he was applauded -- a far cry from the storm of negative reaction the Pirates received for raising prices after the 100-loss season of 2001.

While club officials acknowledge there's much work to be done to put a winner on the field, they announced the price cuts as a way of rewarding fans who have stuck with them and as an incentive to new fans to come to the ballpark during tough economic times.

"From our standpoint, we still haven't delivered anything what we're supposed to deliver. We have to do better on field," said Kevin McClatchy, the team's chief executive officer. "We're trying to reward the folks who have been with us. It's great to have the best ballpark in America. But you want to make sure your fans get into the best ballpark in America."

Under the new pricing structure, the Pirates will have to draw about 100,000 more fans than last season, when they drew 1,636,751, to take in the same amount of money. But McClatchy is confident the price cuts will boost attendance.

Season-ticket holders and those purchasing full plans for the first time will get a $3 reduction per seat per game for seats in the dugout, infield, baseline and left- and right-field boxes. For the season, that amounts to a savings of $243 for each seat.

For the first time, those buying partial plans will receive a $1 per seat discount.

In addition, those who purchase tickets on a per game basis will find that 28 percent of the seats will have lower prices. One of the best bargains will be in the left-field general admission bleachers, where prices have been slashed from $14 to $9. In all, more than 6,500 seats throughout the park now cost $9 -- an enticement for families with youngsters to attend games. Price cuts of $4 per seat can be had in the Pirates Cove, outfield boxes and on the Adecco Deck.

The reductions are part of a new aggressive strategy put together by Mike Berry, who recently became vice president of sales and marketing.

"We think this is a good step in the right direction," Berry said. "It's the first of many steps we're going to take."

Of course, the best marketing tool is a winning club, something the Pirates haven't had in 11 seasons. Although next year's payroll will be lower than last season's $55 million, McClatchy said general manager Dave Littlefield has the resources to pursue free agents to fill some holes until the minor-league system starts to produce impact players.

"He'll have the money he needs to address the areas we need to fill," McClatchy said.

Littlefield cited the world champion Marlins, for whom he was an assistant general manager during their rebuilding, as an example of spending dollars wisely.

"Where we're at is not satisfactory to any of us right now," Littlefield said. "We have to win. We have to improve the product. How you spend your money is more important than [how much] you have."

The financial flexibility the Pirates have in the off-season is the result of trades, some of which were admittedly unpopular. But the team did play at a better pace after some veterans were unloaded.

"It did show people that maybe it wasn't working where we were. It's one of those things we had to make some changes," McClatchy said. "I think the best way to mend fences is performance on the field."

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