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Impacting the Bottom Line: The #RedBullOut Merchandise Boycott


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#31
Pebble

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Didn't the Rangers basically go through decades of administrative corruption, ballooning debt, and tax evasion before even getting to that point?

 

Tax evasion...? Their debt wasn't unmanageable. The holding company, Murray International Holdings, took a massive hit with the global collapse of the economy. Then you had the HMRC, the UK IRS, decided to file suit under the theory that a tax avoidance scheme was illegal (a case Rangers won, was appealed and then Rangers won again). However, Murray had sold the team off to Whyte who just ran it into the ground before those cases were closed. HMRC was using Rangers as a test case before attempting to go after EPL teams that were using the same policies. 

 

However, none of that has to do with how the fans responded to the rise of Mike Ashley and his bid to take over the team. The fans revolted and boycotted games. They refused to purchase jerseys and other items (Ashley owns SportsDirect and has the rights for selling Rangers gear). Ultimately, it was hitting them in the wallet that turned the tide and enabled Dave King, a fan of the team and someone that sat on the board previously, to come into power. 


#RedBullOut

 

Thursday, November 27, 2008 -

After another Hatch shank over the crossbar...
"And Hatch wonders why nobody is covering him." - Tony Meola


#32
NittanyMetros

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I've heard of the Rangers turmoil but never understood how bad it got.  Thanks for that Pebble.


#RedBullOut


#33
jamison

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I don't honestly believe that there is enough of a contribution from fan involvement (jersey sales, tickets) to the RB business in the first place, that losing it would cause them pain, unless like 5,000 people cancelled their season tickets, and I don't believe that'll happen. I'm not trying to piss on the protest, I'm just saying they generally don't care about fans anyway, so they'll spin fans leaving as an opportunity to bring in new fans and just talk about how great they're doing at that. If the home games to be like 5,000 or fewer per game, then MLS would step in and tell them to unfuck the pooch, but, I think even in that case they'd just replace Curtis & DeGrandpre with someone else, and they'd assume that it'll turn around. It would have to go one like that for 4-5 years before MLS stepped in and tried to take them over a la Chivas, and I don't think MLS has the $ 300m plus that RB would want to sell. 

 

I think RB does actually have a pain point where they'd sell, but I think it's a lot lower than any protest is reasonably able to get the #s. I wish this wasn't the case, it's just how I see it. So, I've stopped buying tickets & gear, but...I don't think there are enough of us to move the dial. 


 


#34
123NYwins

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The goal is always to pressure Red Bull to sell. We are under no illusions that this alone will bring Red Bull to its knees. Rather we hope and believe that this combined with other actions, boycotts and events will eventually make owning our team a nuisance to Austria. 

 

Yep, all that together. Financial hits in ticket sales, merchandise, and elsewhere; media reports of unhappy supporters; events, billboards, protests; any social media posts surrounded by dissatisfaction; direct contact with those at the company; articles detailing their failings; and another angle I wish to see: visible denigration (by "Red Bull supporters"!) of the Red Bull drink, the Red Bull extreme lifestyle, and the Red Bull strategy of taking over teams.

 

Nothing is more precious to them than their brand and image. Banners at games and billboards satirizing the brand; flyers at games describing health risks of the energy drink; a YouTube channel in which interviewed soccer figures give their negative opinions of Red Bull taking over and rebranding teams; inviting the Monster street team to games. That's off the top of my head. RB knows how to make it stop.


#RedBullOut

 

"This is where I’m from. A team I represented for over 10 years. If I had been going somewhere it would have just been a job."

-Mike Petke





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