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Once the nrl is moving gradually more toward what I have previously described (over several years, if not decades for those who prefer slower), the next step would be re-connecting the fan and the general public to rugby league.
In the next step, advertising, the primary underlying theme should reach the outcome of : making attendance at the game appear more pleasurable than not attending.
This is because the basic human need (and indeed what some people on here are going through) is to avoid PAIN at all costs. The second in line need is to seek pleasure.
Advertisers do this all the time with every product imaginable....making their product equal pleasure in your brain, whilst making everyone else's equal something closer to pain or at the least less pleasure. As humans we stay away from hot stoves, and seek out delicious foods like chocolate.
In the nrl, we need to associate attending games with pleasure, and not to mention buying merchandise and taking out season memberships. Not attending games or supporting your team should be seen as a painful thing, to be avoided.
Advertising can do this.
Ofcourse, the product we are advertising needs to be in great shape, so the final stages of the campaign (could be several years long) will be ramped up heaps more than the innitial stages.
The sydney situation must be better done. Eventually this will happen, perhaps my way, perhaps others, perhaps not at all....but for the purposes of this post, lets concentrate on the second stage.
BUt just to begin with, a step back. Saying that our product needs to better to advertise it in the best light is critical....we cannot advertise something that is blatantly inferior than the competition. So stadiums must be top notch, on par with the ones used in AFL and Union and Soccer, and finances must be in order so clubs can continue innitiatives, so onward with community values, and juniors must be looked after, so onward with them.
Then, over a period of several years, we establish new beliefs in people, and do some 'reconnection' through advrtising, assosiating attendance with pleasure/positives/belonging/fun, and not supporting an nrl team with pain/rejection/negativity.
I hope you agree with my second stage, but I believe already the nrl may be looking into getting up the funds to carry this out over a few years soon.
Mergers would increase crowds (per merged team). If it doesn't the game is f**ked because to go on broadcasting images of near empty stadiums is a slippery slope to nowhere.
