Further On Up the Road
Earning Your Road Name
After my first extended tour with Trampled Under Foot, I was asked to come out with the band again and oversee the merchandise marketing for a run through the East Coast. I was delighted because I had a few new tactics I wanted to try to increase our sales. On this trip, I brought bigger ideas for the marketing as we loaded up the van and set out this time around.
This tour throughout New England was incredibly picturesque and rather bittersweet for some. The announcement had been made about four weeks previously that TUF was going to tour through the end of 2014 and go in separate directions. The audiences were out in full force to support the band since it had now become more of an unofficial farewell tour and they wanted to experience a live TUF show and that meant TUF Stuff was to be purchased.
The Opportunity
It's just a simple truth everyone wants to get a deal or a freebie on anything if they can. From the the pricing menus developed for the Canadian tour, TUF was offering CD bundles at a discounted price. With approval from the band, I put together a couple of premiums that were based on different price points. Calling it theSummertime Blues Bundles, it provided an option to sell multiple items of merchandise bundled as a three separate package deals.
The Strategy
I designed a double sided table tent that ties together the artwork of the pricing menus and the album artwork of Badlands. It became a talking point for those fans looking for a deal on souvenirs, and the discount was the incentive for many to pick up a couple more items as well. It was a win-win for the fan and the band.
The Relevance
While I still grapple with the variance in sales from one venue to another, I compare similar audiences and venue size to gauge sales overall. With the exception of one show, merchandise sales were consistently higher than the previous tour. The gross revenue increased 60% from the highest gross on the previous tour to highest gross on the East Coast tour. I found the audience's response very positive regarding the merchandising bundles overall. The bundle wasn't locked into only one type of item. It could be a hat, t-shirt and CD. Adding an inexpensive premium to a multiple purchase gave audiences more options for their souvenirs, and a chance to show their support for a beloved band.
With a few months before the band parts ways, the audiences demanded some sort of memento from the last Trampled Under Foot show they saw. I realize it's more than merchandise; it’s a memory.
“Since Lisa began running merchandise for our band Trampled Under Foot, her innovative ideas on marketing combined with her amazing social skills have not only increased sales at our shows but also increased online sales and traffic.”
