If there is an underdog - a “David”
- in the Phoenix pro sports market, then the Arizona Rattlers fit the bill.
But that’s not stopping Rattlers Managing Partner Mike Galloway and the teams advertising consultants, Matthew Owens and Scott Harkey, from trying to build and maintain a fan base outside of the usual sports business and sports media channels.
The arena football team right now doesn’t have a local television or radio contract. The Arena Football League isn’t on ESPN, TNT or network television. It only gets one game per week on the NFL Network.
The team spent only about $20,000 on advertising and marketing this season, according to Galloway. That is down from previous $100,000-plus ad buys in recent years, and pales in comparison to the marketing campaigns and ad blitzes undertaken by the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals. The $20,000 bought the Rattlers a few billboards around Phoenix. The team also did some advertising trades with media sponsors, including the Phoenix New Times.
Owens said the Rattlers small ad budget has prompted his firm, Owens Harkey Associates, to work out $125,000 worth of trades with New Times, CBS Outdoor (where Rattlers billboards appear) and KDUS-AM 1060.
The Rattlers are averaging 9,200 fans per game at US Airways Center thus far this season, according to Arena Fan Inc. That’s 3,000 less than what the Phoenix Coyotes averaged this season in Glendale.
“We’ve done that without any real advertising”
Galloway said.
