When the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs this Super Bowl Sunday, the team's brand will be in the best position that it's been in for decades.
But it's how the franchise thrives through good and bad times that defines success, 49ers CMO Alex Chang told Cheddar.
"A strong brand, whether it's in sports or outside of sports, needs to be able to thrive in times that are great and times that might be a little tougher," he said.
Not that winning doesn't help. Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara sold out every home game this year, and 90 percent of those seats were season ticket holders, according to Chang.
"This is one of the strongest brands in sports, but absolutely this season, with the success the team had and the performance on the field, we've seen that translate into great business off the field," he said.
Now the goal is to keep up the brand's momentum, regardless of what happens next Sunday or in the 2020 season.
One way the 49ers are doing that is improving the stadium experience by addressing the fan's second biggest concern next to performance on the field: the food and beverage experience.
"We think including the cost of food and beverages in their season ticket prices is a way to remove friction from that experience and provide great value," Chang said.
The new feature was announced as teams throughout the NFL struggled to keep up attendance. The 2019 season reached a 15-year low with an average of 66,648 fans attending per home game, according to Sports Business Daily.
"We're always looking for ways to make it more accessible," Chang said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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