Overview:
The UNC athletics external team has executed a football early renewal incentive program for the second year in a row, with 2019 off to a fast start.
Like many schools, it can be tough to generate early renewals for football season tickets when the deadline is 4+ months away. In order to generate excitement among the fan base, many schools including UNC opt to put into a place an inventive-based early renewal program.
The early renewal program UNC designed spans over 8 weeks, starting January 10 and ending March 1, 2019. The goal is to encourage more fans to renew earlier, as the deadline is not until April 12th. To help encourage fans, UNC is offering incentives each week to several lucky fans based around up close and personal experiences with the football team.
Weeks and Prizes:
| Dates of Week | Drawing Entered Into (# of winners by account) |
| January 10th– January 13th | Signed football or jersey by Mack Brown (2) |
| January 14th’ January 20th | Opportunity to call a play at the Spring Game (3) |
| January 21st’ January 27th | Tickets to the UNC vs. South Carolina game in Charlotte (2) |
| January 28th– February 3rd | Pre-game Sideline passes to one football game (5) |
| February 4th– February 10th | Behind the scenes tour of Kenan Football Center (3) |
| February 11th– February 17th | Upgraded tickets to Touchdown Club for one game (2) |
| February 18th– February 24th | Invite to UNC sponsor’s tailgate (1) |
| February 25th– March 1st | Complimentary tickets to Conference Basketball game (3) |
- Grand Prize: Lunch for 4 with Coach Brown at the Training Table
Rules:
Eligible participants for the weekly prizes are determined by the time period during which a season ticket holder renews and are entered to win any prizes drawn after the date of their renewal. The earlier you renew the more chances you have to win! All season ticket holders who renewed their seats prior to Jan. 10 and before March 1 were automatically entered into the grand prize drawing of a lunch for four with Coach Brown.
Each season ticket holder who renews during this program is eligible to win one (1) total prize, which will be drawn at random on a weekly basis. Upon winners being drawn, they are notified by a member of the Carolina Ticket Sales team and the photo of the fan with their prize is posted on social media.
Communication of the Program to the Fans:
On January 10th, UNC posted a front page website release on www.GoHeels.com announcing the program as well as emailed the program details out to all football season ticket holders (renewed and not renewed). In addition, all UNC social media pages posted the website link of the program. Starting January 10th the Carolina Ticket Sales team also encouraged fans on the phones to renew by creating excitement with this incentive program.
At the midway point of the program, UNC is emailing the remaining 4 weeks of prizes out as a reminder to anyone who has not renewed. This email is scheduled to go out February 5th, 2019. All winners of the first 4 week’s prizes have been posted on social media to help spread word and excitement of the program.
Results:
The day the incentive program was released, UNC saw football season ticket revenue increase 10 times more than the average per day previously. Four weeks in, football season ticket revenue on average per day is 2-4 times higher than the average per day before the program was released. Equally as important as the revenue increase, UNC has been able to actively engage with their fans in a positive manner by rewarding the individuals who remain loyal and excited to support the football program!