B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions have experienced a strong resurgence over the past several years, which culminated with the team winning the Grey Cup last year. Yet, in 2006, average home game attendance dipped slightly. Rethink’s goal: bring back the fans.

There are three types of Lions fans: hardcore fans who never miss a game, hardcore fans who generally watch the games on TV and “bandwagon” fans who attend games only if the Lions are having a winning season. All tend to be male, suburban, blue-collar and between the ages of 25 and 45. Rethink’s plan was to convert more bandwagon fans into hardcore fans who would attend more home games.

The campaign was based on two insights: in the CFL, rivalries with other cities are vital; and fans love the game’s speed and hard, physical nature. Print would focus on the former; broadcast on the latter.

For print, the agency created seven different ads, each showing a dejected rival fan, which ran in newspapers, Skytrain stations and at B.C. Place Stadium. Meanwhile, TV and radio poked fun at how “bandwagon” fans became hardcore fans by “watching and learning” from the Lions.

When this case was written, the CFL season had yet to conclude, but season ticket sales were up 10%. Average attendance was expected to exceed last year’s, and corporate sponsorships were up 42% compared to last year.