The challenge is to rebrand and create a media campaign for StubHub. This project was done as an Integrated Marketing & Communications student at the University of West Alabama and I am not affiliated with StubHub or its partners.

StubHub promotes the “joy of live” to their users; however, the ongoing pandemic hurt live show performances, attendance, and therefore StubHub’s revenue. The company also lost sight of its “fan-first” mission. With live performances making a slow but steady comeback, StubHub must clean up its act and re-focus to regain its standing in a competitive industry.

StubHub strives to bring the joy of live to fans worldwide and introduce them to the possibilities for their next live experience. By providing users with both online and mobile environments, fans can safely buy and sell tickets for live sports, theatre, and music events with interactive seat mapping, virtual views of seating, and the best value on tickets.

StubHub was founded in 2000 by Eric Baker and Jeff Fluhr. The company provides an online and mobile venue where users can buy and sell tickets for live sports, concerts, theatre, and other live entertainment events. They scored their first major sports deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Eric Baker left the company in 2004.

In 2007, eBay purchased StubHub, and later that same year, StubHub signed an exclusive agreement with Major League Baseball. That year also saw a record number of ticket transactions – more than the previous six years saw combined. By 2008, StubHub had become a $5 billion a year business.

Stubhub launched a new ticketing application for mobile users in 2011 with an interactive map and seating features. The StubHub Foundation, established in 2012, offers grants to organizations that share the StubHub mission. StubHub also partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and created a giving program known as #TicketForward. In 2016, StubHub expanded to over 40 additional markets after the acquisition of Ticketbis.

Dubbed as “one of worst deals in history,” Viagogo, owned by Eric Baker, purchased StubHub. This deal occurred just mere weeks before businesses began shutting down because of C0VID-19. Today, StubHub partners include over 130 sports teams, venues, and artists. These partnerships allow for a connection to the fans enabling businesses to connect with them and give them a better live event experience.

StubHub provides users with a safe and convenient environment while protecting their rights to a fair and open ticket market.

StubHub’s primary goal is to sell tickets to concerts, sporting events, festivals, and theatre performances. The age group associated with these live events ranges from 16 years old to 45, but not all consumers are treated equally:

• Men are typically more interested in sporting events

• Women are more interested in festivals, concerts, and theatre events

• Women between the ages of 28 and 45 are more likely to purchase tickets to family-friendly events.

• Teenagers and young adults tend to have more disposable income and prefer live concerts. 

Those that frequent and use the website’s services are known as “stubbers.”

Lisa, a 25-year-old legal assistant living in New York City, works Monday thru Friday for a local law firm making about $40K per year. She lives with her cat, Mya, on the third floor of an apartment building near her job. Sometimes her job can be very stressful, so Lisa likes to use her weekends to unwind with her friends. A massive fan of all music, Lisa loves to listen to live music whenever she can, even if it’s coming from a local band in a nearby club. She lives and is always looking for her next concert experience. 

35-year-old Mack from Montgomery, AL, spends his workdays as a construction manager for a local building company, pocketing about $85K per year. Mack loves taking his son to his high school football practices throughout the week and watching his team’s Friday night games. Mack loves to bond with his son on the weekends at college football games, eating hotdogs, and reading the team plays as they happen on the field.

STRENGTHS

• introduces users to events they may want to attend

• guarantees and verifies tickets

• interactive seat mapping and virtual seating views• helps non-profits

WEAKNESSES 

• users want refunds on tickets due to COVID [fear of COVID or events shut down/rescheduled)

• rates and fees for buying and selling are not transparent•  too many complaints of poor customer service

•roughly half the following of the biggest competitor

OPPORTUNITIES

• flip customer service around

• virtual live events

• younger ages with more disposable income

THREATS 

• several rival companies with better customer service

• ongoing pandemic

Ticketmaster, StubHub’s biggest competitor, offers web and mobile venues for buying and selling tickets. The two companies are identical where safety and security are concerned. There are a few differences, and StubHub can blow Ticketmaster out of the water with the proper adjustments. 

Ticketmaster’s fees are lower than Stubhub’s fees, and StubHub is less transparent about how much their fees are. 

The most significant difference between the two companies lies in customer service. Many complaints appear on StubHub’s social media accounts about their customer service and how hard it is to contact them. In contrast, you can quickly and easily find a list of contacts on Ticketmaster’s website for several different categories, giving the site a considerable advantage over StubHub. Customers need their questions answered and problems solved quickly, or negative word-of-mouth will jeopardize the company. 

Updating the brand mark, improving StubHub’s customer service practices by reconnecting with users through social media and a rewards program, and charging a flat, transparent rate for buying and selling tickets are all crucial to re-inheriting the company’s fan-first mission and placing StubHub above its competition. 

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