Monday August 23, 2010

Average Joe Clemson

Average Joe Clemson
I had the privilege of speaking to the Charleston County Clemson Club last week and the crowd there energized me. It also has me reconsidering my assessment of the fan base and Clemson Nation.

I always thought I had a pretty good read on my market. I used to tell people that I don’t a lot about other industries and their market but I always thought I had a pretty good read on my market.

I used to hang out with the guy that had Tiger tattoos and knows how to tie a bandana and the big donor guy who knows how to tie a bow-tie. I thought I had a pretty good read on our fan base.

However, I think I lost that grip in recent years because the market changed with technological advances that might have clouded my judgment.

When I was younger and before we could communicate in a thousand different ways, I did a lot more public speaking. It seemed that about 15-20 times a year I was speaking to Touchdown Clubs, Clemson Clubs or civic organizations. These meetings were a great opportunity to press the flesh and rub elbows with all walks of life.

I loved getting out and meeting new friends and requiting with old ones. It was a way of promoting my businesses while learning what the market requires. It was also a way to get a feel for what they were thinking.

But technology has changed some of that. We now have more internet access to more sites. We blog. We text. We twitter. We call in to radio shows. We post on message boards. Mostly we do this anonymously.

As a result there is less demand for public speakers and thus less face time with my market, Clemson Nation.

So I went down to Charleston Thursday evening and was surprised by what I found. I discovered a positive group of people who were realistic but optimistic. They were nice people who had nice things to say about a lot of subjects.

They like Clemson. They liked each other and they love Dabo.

They were not arguing about the size of the paw on the helmets. They were not arguing about purple jerseys. No one was ticked about a 3:30 kick-off and said they were never going to another noon game again. I did not hear the phrase “hot seat.“ No one brought up Top 20 or Barker or TDP. I was the only person there that even joked about bubble screens.

I know this sounds crazy but they actually wore name tags and used their real names.

It was totally different than what I encounter with a few callers each day on my radio show and message boarders.

It was an eye opening experience. I met real people that were pleasant and real excited.

This enlightening experience had me going back and re-thinking about the market all weekend. I knew Clemson Nation was not made up of the cynics that rarely had anything positive to say.

I also realized that the 100-150 people that showed up Thursday evening in Charleston were not the average fan either. These were the die-hards that would take a night out of their busy schedule to come hear some radio hack talk about football.

And I realized that it was August and the Tigers were undefeated.

So maybe the average fan is somewhere between the cynic internet guy and the Rose Bowl sunshine pampers.

Sometimes you look in the stands and see empty seats and assume the average fan is not into the program as much as once before but the economy should also be considered.

So who is the average member of Tiger Nation? Who are these people that have 2.4 kids and have a two car garage?

People have become much more diverse in so many aspects of life that it is hard to define average anymore but I still think we can draw some theories here.

The expectation level of the average fan will differ and I think age may have something to do with that. The Clemson fans who experienced the good times from 1977-1991 might have a little higher expectation than the newcomers.

In 1980 Ronald Regan asked Americans. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The question was an indictment on Jimmy Carters presidency. I think if you ask Clemson fans, “Is the program better off than it was four years ago?” I think the average fan would say yes.

But my biggest conclusion I came to over the weekend is that the average Clemson fan is probably more positive than I previous thought. I chalk that up to the other thing I learned over the last week, the average fan really likes Dabo. As a result of their affection for the head coach, many have taken on his personality. His positive nature has resonated throughout the fan base.

I always knew the squeaky wheel was not the average fan but I had a conversation with a gentlemen Thursday night that opened my eyes. He said, “We love Dabo because of the way he relays his positive message to us. It beats the last coach’s excuses and it is certainly better than the negative garbage our in-state rivals hear on a routine basis.”

Another fan relayed his sense of optimism but he said it was a change in the culture among him and his friends. I can’t recall his exact quote but he said that he and his family, friends and people he tailgated with enjoy this sense of optimism that Dabo brings. He said that it took a big change in the way they thought though. He said since Coach Ford no one had been able to energize them until Dabo came along. The gentleman said that 15 or so years of falling short of previous expectations took a toll but Dabo’s positive energy has his group changing their ways. “We don’t go on message boards and we don’t allow excessive negative energy at our tailgate anymore. When you come to our section and our tailgate you will find Tigers that are really All-In. All-In is a culture change in our group and we have decided to walk that walk.”

I want to thank the Charleston Clemson Club for re-introducing themselves and providing me with a little encouragement from a positive segment of the fan base. Clemson is still undefeated and I know many there may be a little more on the positive side of the market but it was nice to see real people get excited about something they love. It also showed me just how many people have been impacted by the positive message of the head coach.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Richard Crawford, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, Steve Williams Jr, Steve Williams III, Kim Thomas, Reid Thomas, Sam Thomas, Linda Wiggs, Emily Claire Young, Dr. Wallace Honeycutt, Stacy Fowler, Kitty Bowers,Julie and Austin Locke.