Marketing Lessons from the Indianapolis Colts

It’s taken me more than 24 hours to fully process the Colt’s win over the Patriots on Sunday. I have to confess, I spent way too much time (and money) yesterday on ebay, searching for ways to display my Hoosier pride in the lawn of my south Florida home.

Because, despite a marketing campaign launched several years ago by the Colts in their hometown of Indianapolis, where fans were encouraged to “BELIEVE,” I didn’t. I wasn’t even ready to BELIEVE when Joseph Addai ran into the end zone with a minute left on the clock. I didn’t BELIEVE until Marlin Jackson intercepted that Tom Brady pass and slide to the ground in relief and the crowd rushed onto the field. (In my defense, I’m not sure Peyton Manning believed either, as he sat on the sideline with his gaze fixed to the ground before him.)

2004_believe_215.gifThe BELIEVE campaign began with just that simple plea. It morphed in to “Believe in Blue” I wish I had taken mental note of when the Colts launched the BELIEVE campaign, but I can’t. The “Believe” drum has been regularly pounded by the Colts for so long that while I remember my neighbor bringing over a car flag for our car, I can’t pin point the date the campaign was launched.
Because, as a long suffering Indianapolis Colts fan, I’ve been encouraged for years to BELIEVE they could do it. The BELIEVE campaign helped prop up sagging attendance rates. Fan attendance helped boost the player’s performance. It didn’t happen overnight, but Sunday night was the culmination of many years of hard work.
What drum is your business pounding? What message are you sending? Can your customers remember your theme? Is it so ingrained with your business that they can’t pinpoint the day they first heard the message?

Peyton and Coach Dungy have been on the field, doing their thing while the Colt’s office has been spreading the word. The Colts journey to the Super Bowl began years ago when attendance was dismal and few Hoosiers cared about and the head office encouraged all of us in the Indianapolis MSA to Believe.

Posted by Kathy | Filed Under Beyond Marketing 

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