Angels’ ticket strategy intentionally neglecting poorer customers

In a column for the Orange County Register, Pedro Moura notes that the Angels are seeing a steep decline in attendance this season, “beat” only by the Rangers and Phillies. Despite seeing about 4,300 fewer fans per game on average, the Angels’ revenue from ticket sales has increased due to higher prices.

The Angels are admittedly and intentionally catering towards richer customers while neglecting poorer would-be ticket-buyers. Angels vice president of marketing and ticket sales Robert Alvarado:

“We may not be reaching as many of the people on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder, but those people, they may enjoy the game, but they pay less, and we’re not seeing the conversion on the per-caps,” Alvarado said. “In doing so, the ticket price that we’re offering those people, it’s not like I can segregate them, because I’m offering it up to the public, and I’m basically downselling everybody else in order to accommodate them.”

Catering to the rich might work in the short-term, but it’s not a good long-term strategy and it really doesn’t look good for P.R. purposes. The Angels have already had to clean up a P.R. mess after owner Arte Moreno and GM Jerry DiPoto criticized former outfielder Josh Hamilton publicly. They then sent Hamilton to the Rangers in a small cash transaction in late April.

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