The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have seen season ticket sales surge in the wake of their blockbuster free-agency signings and plan to build on that momentum with a record number of billboards along freeways throughout the region.
The Angels had added 4,000 new season ticket holders through last week. Sales for the season passes are at 22,000, already ahead of last year’s total of 21,500.
The pace of gains is double from a year ago, and the team has a shot at its highest gate in years, according to Robert Alvarado, vice president of marketing and ticket sales.
The team is forecasting about 24,000 season ticket holders once sales are complete for the upcoming season.
That would put annual attendance at more than 1.9 million before any sales of single-game tickets or package deals, positioning the franchise to handily surpass 3 million fans again, considered a high-water mark in Major League Baseball.
“That’s a healthy increase,” Alvarado said. “We’re in solid shape.”
Other measures also bode well, including:
• A 20% increase on renewals for season tickets from a year ago
• A 15% increase in ticket sales for spring training games, with a number of dates at their Tempe, Ariz., home expected to sell out
• The expectation of renewals on all 25 Angel Stadium luxury suites that became available when last season ended. The other 55 suites at the stadium were already booked under multi-year deals.
The hot sales have followed the signing of two of the prized free agents on the market in the offseason.
The team made a splash in December when star first baseman Albert Pujols signed a 10-year deal worth more than $250 million. Angels owner Arte Moreno followed up that coup by landing left-handed starting pitcher and Orange County native C.J. Wilson to a five-year deal worth more than $70 million.
The two deals hit the news minutes apart, making one of the most memorable days in Angels’ history.
“Obviously adding that type of talent to the roster this year the value increases to the buyers,” Alvarado said. “You expect to see greater performance at the stadium every night.”
The Angels are no strangers to the 3-million milestone on attendance. The team has managed an effective mix of fielding competitive teams and fan-friendly pricing in the last decade.
The Angels have made the playoffs in six of the last ten years. The franchise also had the fourth lowest fan cost index in baseball at $129.50 last year, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Wilmette, Ill.-based Team Marketing Report.
The index comprises of four adult tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four hot dogs, parking, two programs and two hats.
The Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park maintained the top spot in the index at $339. The New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium followed close behind at $338.32. The Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field were third at $305.60.
The Angels’ most successful ticket sales came in the years following the franchise’s only World Series title in 2002 when new season ticket holders surpassed 13,000, according to Alvarado.
The biggest net gain occurred in 2005 with more than 6,000.
Marketing
The Angels began an aggressive marketing campaign last week built around the recently acquired slugger Pujols and Wilson, considered one of the better pitchers in the game.
“From a marketing standpoint that changed our focus,” Alvarado said.
The campaign will peak with more than 70 billboards along Southern California freeways, from San Diego to Los Angeles to the Inland Empire. That’s the most billboards the Angels have ever put up, according to Alvarado, and more than twice the typical annual total.
Pujols will be prominently displayed on many of the billboards
Moreno made his fortune in the billboard industry, so it’s a familiar play for him.
High Stakes
All of the preseason excitement raises the stakes. The Angels enter the season as one of a handful of favorites to win the World Series, according to Las Vegas odds makers. They rate just behind the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and American League West rival Texas Rangers, who have lost back-to-back championship matchups.
“You invest in that type of talent [and] the expectations are going to increase,” Alvarado said. “There’s this new energy, anticipation of another great Angels run here.”
That enthusiasm was on full display in mid December when thousands of fans showed up to welcome their newest stars. The team store at Angels Stadium had their best month as fans raced to buy Pujols jerseys and other gear.
“They reported post-season-esque numbers in December,” Alvarado said. “The Pujols brand is massive.”
