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Thank God Whitney and Wiz are gone.

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ROBBY:
Although it might be a bit premature (Puck Daddy certainly did think so, shout out to Jen!), I thought I would take a break from my Marketing Audit series and put on my predictor hat. Given that I'm a relatively new hockey fan, I can hide behind the mantle of complete and total naievete in making my predictions. And I'm not just making predictions about the Ducks here, I'll be making predictions about the entire Pacific Divison.

Come along with me after the jump and see why I think the Ducks will finish third in the Pacific this year, netting 94 points along the way and sneaking into sixth place in the Western Conference.

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ROBBY:

Earlier this week, we looked at two of the four channels the Anaheim Ducks use to bring their game to fans, the in-house experience and the radio experience. In part two of the "Place" audit, we'll be taking a closer look at how the Ducks are presented on TV and their overall Internet presence.

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via am830klaa.com

ROBBY:

The third installment in our marketing audit of the Anaheim Ducks brings us to "Place." Of all the five Ps, "Place" is perhaps the one component that is most open to interpretation. While some believe that "Place" refers to the physical location where your product is marketed and sold, others take "Place" to mean the channels where your product is marketed and sold. For the purposes of our audit, we'll go with the second perspective (and anyway, I don't think Honda Center is going anywhere anytime soon) and we'll be focusing on how hockey is delivered to Ducks fans.

Anaheim fans can consume a Ducks game in a variety of ways including in-person, via radio, via TV, and via the Internet. Join me after the jump for a quick review and analysis of each of the live and radio experience. I'll put up the TV and Internet review later this week.

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via c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com

This post has nothing to do with the Power Players but I bet this picture got your attention.

ROBBY:

Last week we looked at the Anaheim Ducks through the prism of Price. Today, we move onto another P, People. In the truest marketing sense, "People" refers to those that sell the product. So instead of talking about on-ice, or even off-ice, personnel, we're going to turn our attention to the Ducks and Honda Center staff that actually act as the front-line representatives of the franchise.

Note: I was originally going to do my Product piece today, but with the move of Wiz on Friday and Murray's cryptic comments, I'm hoping (perhaps naively) that the components comprising the "Product" will be vastly different next week.

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ROBBY:

The success of our beloved Anaheim Ducks rests on more than just the on-ice product. Their ability to draw and sustain paying fans, form a strong bond with the community, and generate interest and excitement in the team are all critical to the long-term success of the franchise. While Anaheim hasn't had the woes of some of the other southern franchises (Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta—I'm looking at you), they did experience a precipitous drop in attendance last year. According to ESPN's year-end report, Anaheim ranked 24th in the league in attendance (just between Carolina and Florida). For me, this is cause for concern.

But how can we find ways to improve what the team is doing? We first have to get an idea of where the franchise currently stands.

Anybody who's ever taken a college-level marketing class has had the  Five P's drilled into their head: Price, Product, People, Promotion, and Place. So in this, what I envision to be the first of numerous posts on the subject, I wanted to take an overall look at the franchise from a price perspective to get a sense of how the team is doing.

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Ed. Note: Sick of Bobby pictures, Robby declined to add an AP photo to this post.  I've added the obvious Bobby marketing video.  That lisp is golden.

ROBBY:

So apparently there's some ongoing contractual dispute between the Anaheim Ducks and Bobby Ryan. Maybe you've heard about it? Rather than rehashing what's happened to this point, I thought I would take a different approach. How does this situation impact the Ducks from a marketing perspective and what possible (and realistic) solutions exist to avert losing Bobby or alienating the fanbase.

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ROBBY:

Today, the Ducks held their annual ticket upgrade event. Season ticket holders are segmented by their seniority and are allowed the opportunity to wander an empty Honda Center, looking for available seats. While I was excited to attempt to improve my seats (and I did!), the Open House aspect of the event also intrigued me.

It did not disappoint. Kent French, Ducks TV commentator Brian Hayward, and GM Bob Murray all took the podium to dish on the latest about the Ducks and Honda Center.

Follow me after the jump for info about Bobby Ryan, the elusive third jersey, and planned changes to both Honda Center and Ducks broadcasts.

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via sportslogos.net Please not this. Please not this. Please not this...

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ROBBY:

Months ago in my audition here at Anaheim Calling, I wrote a post about the trend of third jerseys in the league on the heels of news that Reebok had confirmed the production of a third jersey for Anaheim. Today, the Ducks officially confirmed to the OC Register that they will indeed be sporting a third jersey for the 2010-2011 campaign, although details are scarce.

Chief Marketing Officer Bob Watson told OCR that the Ducks will unveil these third jerseys sometime during the season and that they were created with input from the players and the coaching staff. Wagner also threw in the following juicy morsel that seems to hint at what direction the team may be heading with it's third jersey:

"I think the fans will really embrace it based on the fact that there is meaning to it."

Given these recent announcements, I figured it might be a good idea to begin the rampant speculation about what a third jersey for the Ducks might entail. 

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