About Me
Hello!
My name is Andrea Galarneau. I am finishing up my undergraduate degree at Ryerson University in Professional Communications. Throughout my degree, my studies have been focused on the sports and entertainment industry. I am passionate about them both and am eager to understand what makes them two of the most talked-about industries in the world.
I have lived in Toronto my whole life and I am lucky to have had an array of professional sports teams to choose from and to have Festivals like TIFF to attend. But through my travels, I have also had the opportunity to consume the sports and entertainment industries. Whether it was at a Cleveland Indians game or at Jennifer Aniston's Hollywood Walk Of Fame handprint ceremony, I am always looking for more!
After the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship, I have been looking for ways to incorporate their win into my studies. With my Minor in Public Relations, I have become interested in understanding both ends of the supply chain, both from the perspective of consumer and the supplier. With that, I decided to focus my senior capstone project on a audience analysis of two of Toronto's beloved teams: the Raptors and the Leafs.
Thank you for stopping by and reading about what I have been up to!
If you have any questions or just want to chat, feel free to contact me at andrea.galarneau@hotmail.com
Audience Analytics Research
This research is aimed to examine the audience analytics of the Raptors in comparison to the Leafs. The nature of this study was founded with the intent of comparing numerical data of the two sport organizations to understand what it means to be a sports fan in Toronto and how this meaning can be influenced by governed institutions, particularly MLSE. It is intended to evaluate the relevance of audience targeting in the sports industry and to understand what influences a major leagues’ fan demographics.
methodology
Research Design
This research will followed a quantitative method of data collection and analysis because it tested theories and assumptions drawn from secondary research. This process will be administered by observing and surveying the commonality and differences of these particular groups of fans. This enabled the confirmation of theories of why teams continue to target new fan demographics, despite the insurance established by loyal fans. The quantitative, positivism method is ensued by the implementation of actions on the basis of variables developed in the planning stage. Thus, the following techniques established would produce quantitative data that resulted in an empirical representation of the abstract idea of sport audience demographics.
Data Collection
Surveys: A digital survey was disseminated on social media over a two-week period of data collection. The survey received 105 anonymous respondents.
The survey was divided into four sections:
Observational Research: The observational research was conducted informally in attendance at a game in both leagues. I observed fan behaviours and demographics. This allowed me to further my understanding of demographics based off of visual indices and allowed me to develop stronger conclusions.
discussion of findings
The survey results presented numerous indices that directly align with the information gathered in secondary research. After a thorough comparative analysis, it can be concluded that fans of the Leafs appear to be generational, and fans of the Raptors appear to be bandwagon-fans. In addition, from the perspectives of the respondents, the majority demographic present at live games that they believe to be the most visibly present differ greatly for each team. Finally, more respondents believed that MLSE should focus on expanding the audience in attendance at Leaf games over focusing on Raptors fans. It is, thus, recommended that MLSE shifts its initiatives towards improving the affordability of tickets for the Leafs to attract a wider audience, comparable to the Raptors.
The section below reflects a summary of findings gathered through primary and secondary research.
Analysis
Would you consider yourself to be a fan of the Raptors or the Leafs?
From the perspective of the respondents, what are characteristics of fans that appear to be present at games at Scotiabank Arena?
Toronto Raptors
- 77% believe the ethnic demographic to be visibly multicultural.
- Majority of respondents believe the fans to be groups of friends, families, or single men/women.
Toronto Maple Leafs
- 91% believe a ethnic demographic of primarily caucasian individuals.
- Majority of respondents believe the fans to be businessmen or older men.
From the perspective of the respondents, which of the following assets influence you to go to a game?
Below represents how many respondents answered that they strongly agree that the asset has influenced their decision to attend a live game.
Toronto Raptors
- Affordability: 85
- Vibrant Environment: 63
- Player News: 33
- Giveaways: 39
- Team Success: 64
Toronto Maple Leafs
- Affordability: 73
- Vibrant Environment: 42
- Player News: 16
- Giveaways: 24
- Team Success: 50
Should MLSE focus their marketing initiatives on the Raptors or on the Leafs?
How can MLSE shift their marketing initiatives for the Leafs?
- 69% recommend considering affordability (i.e. lowering ticket prices, offering incentives, group rates, student discounts)
Conclusion
This research proved to be exploratory in nature. The sports industry is particular because it is pertains dynamic environments that are always changing. This research only represents a very small sample of fans of these two teams. It can, thus, be concluded, that a need for further research is required to have a more justified understanding of audience demographics and influences. Governing institutions, in this case MLSE, could then implement further marketing strategies to target both new or old audiences.
Research poster
Disclaimer: Content on this website is for personal and academic use only.
Credits:
Created with images by Brxxto - "untitled image" • Brian Jones - "Lots of Raptors fans partying on top of a bus after we took home the championship." • mwangi gatheca - "Sunset helicopter tour over downtown Toronto. Another beautiful day in a beautiful city. If you ever get a chance to see a city by air go for it, you wont regret it!" • Lukas Blazek - "Notebook work with statistics on sofa business" • Gabriel Sollmann - "Libary of Stuttgart" • Paul Calescu - "Home office vibes"