Northwestern to implement "Purple Pricing" for UM and OSU games
Looks like the econ whizzes at Northwestern have convinced the athletic department to sell tickets for their big games via "Purple Pricing". http://www.nupurplepricing.com/ Not totally sure how it will work, but it seems somewhat like a dutch auction where the price will start high and go down based on demand. If you are an early buyer, you will receive a refund if the price goes down. There is also a way to "bid" to automatically purchase if the price hits your bid. Preliminary starting price for sideline for UM will be around $190 and for OSU will be around $240. Not sure what NU is thinking - it might be a way to maximize revenue, but they run a danger of ending up with unfilled seats for their biggest games. They will have a tough decision a week or two before the game having to decide to lower the price or not. Lowering the price of each ticket a few dollars would cost them thousands in refunds, unless they sell them through back channels like stubhub.
Unfortunately, our days of filling Ryan stadium with Chicago-area UM fans cheaply and easily may be over.
they're trying to not have half of their stadium filled with the other teams' fans for once.
I don't know, it's not like they had a huge demand from their own fanbase. I'm guessing that raising the prices won't bring the NW* fans in any more than their cheap tickets were.
*EDIT: Sorry Northwestern, you no longer get to be "NU," that's Nebraska's now. You get the (in my opinion much cooler) "NW" in the era of the new Big10.
Exactly. This hardly affects their own fans who don't show up anyway. They are just attempting to gauge UM and OSU fans who buy >50% of the tickets in their stadium anyway. I'm sure they will make a lot of money this way. Good for them.
I think it's going to be a rousing failure!
Good thing I already have my tickets. $113 for 40-yard line, 33 rows up.
because they're probably as good now as they have been in, what? The last 20-30 years?
I do love playing a home-away-from-home game there though
I've been to a game there and it's not worth more than $40 tops.
Most games there aren't worth $5
Disagree emphatically. I like that stadium, and Nu's campus is awesome in the fall.
I'm looking on the website and can't find a link to buy tickets for the NW game through our ticket office. Got a link or some advice?
I bet this encourages people to watch from home instead of in person and the stadium is no more than 3/4 full for any given game.
Danny Ecker at Chicago Business wrote a piece on this during their basketball season earlier this year actually - (LINK). Northwestern apparently implemented "purple pricing" for their basketball games against Ohio State and Penn State in February and March respectively. Per the story, this was indeed pitched by two economics professors. From the story:
"The goal is to fight back against secondary market sites like StubHub or Craigslist, like the increasingly popular dynamic pricing model that dozens of pro teams use: get fans to go to the school first to buy tickets, not to just assume that they'll get a better deal elsewhere. Unlike dynamic pricing, however, which lets teams lower or raise prices based on demand, "purple pricing" only can reduce prices. "(Dynamic pricing) complicates the decision for fans about when to buy," Mr. Baliga said. "This sorts that out."
I don't understand why more of their students don't go to their games. Northwestern is fun as hell to watch. I guess riding that razor's edge that is 2nd half Northwestern football might be too much of a rollercoaster for all but the most sturdy hearted.
I think about the same percentage of NU students go to the games as UM students, its just a much smaller school. There are definitely kids at both schools who don't realize there is a game and are in the library all saturday...that's been my experience having attended both schools.
That's true. I forget that the student body is so much smaller than other Big10 schools. If I had to guess, I'd think that NW is probably the smallest school in the Big10 by a fairly significant margin*. Still, watching those nerds ball can make for a hell of a fun game.
*Confirmed: NW has an enrollment just shy of 15K, the next highest enrollment is Nebraska at 24K. LINK
Grad student do not get tickets. As far as I know, there is no way to buy a student ticket as a grad student for football, but for basketball, there are (I think) $10 tickets you can order if you manage to know they exist. There is no advertising whatsoever, and I tend to think most NU grad students don't even think about going to sporting events. It's completely bizarre.
EDIT: I stand corrected. Graduate students may buy the same ticket packages offered to "young alumni." Last year, the price was $134 for the whole crappy schedule. No single-ticket option.
http://www.nusports.com/tickets/young-alumni-season-tickets.html
Ross has an informal session for international MBAs to give them an overview of American football and the importance of Michigan football to the university. I think it's a really good idea.
I'm at NU for a program right now. It's baffling to me. You will receive positively nothing from the graduate school or professional programs when it comes to tickets and sports promotions. They pretty much assume we just don't care.
I wish they would at least offer individual game tickets to grad students for football, because so many of us went to schools that are on their schedule and don't have the time/money to buy tickets and attend every game. And, of course, you'd never be able to resell the ones you don't intend to use. It's a waste.
My other half ordered tickets for me via StubHub back in May.
6th Row, 3 tickets at $65 a pop. She is a NW grad, so I will have to eat crow if Michigan loses...and I mean that literally, with crow being one of her favorite dishes. Feakin Belgians.
I guarantee we will still outnumber Northwestern "fans."
Somewhere, right now, Dave Brandon is drinking Chivas and laughing maniacally.
First he gets me for the seat fees (on top of the tix)...
If this works you have to know Michigan implements a variation.
Hate it.