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JDCC Academics - Marketing Case 2023-1
JDCC Academics - Marketing Case 2023-1
Founded in 1986, The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is the world's largest and most
attended men's professional box lacrosse league. Originally known as the Eagle Pro Box
Lacrosse League, the NLL comprises 15 franchises across the United States and Canada. 1
Although 10 of the 15 teams are based in the United States, less than 7% of players are
American, 83% are Canadian, and 10% are Indigenous from either Canada or the United
States. 2
The NLL play 18 regular season games through the winter and spring, from December to June,
at indoor arenas across its 15 franchises within North America. Each team plays nine home
games and nine away games. The NLL regular season is followed by a playoff format, where
teams that qualify compete at the league championship for the National Lacrosse League Cup.
The Toronto Rock ("The Rock") is a professional box lacrosse franchise based in
Hamilton, Ontario. Between 1999 and 2011, The Rock was among the most successful
franchises in the NLL, capturing six league championships during that period and holding a tie
for the most championships in league history with the Philadelphia Wings. 3 During that period,
attendance ranged between 10,000-17,000 fans, among the top in the league in attendance. 4
The Rock has placed significant effort into marketing season ticket memberships and promoting
many benefits, including first access to playoff game tickets, merchandise discounts and Bring-
A-Friend vouchers. Season memberships for the 2021-2022 season ranged from $225 to $400
for tickets to all home games, see Figure 1 below. 5
Figure 1: The Toronto Rock Season Membership Prices for the 2021-2022 Season
1
Our history. NLL. (2022, December 21). Retrieved from https://www.nll.com/about/history/
2
Donahue, M. (2017, December 8). Major cuts leave 16 Americans, 23 First Nations on NLL Rosters. Lacrosse All Stars. Retrieved
from https://laxallstars.com/16-americans-nll-rosters/
3 About the rock. Toronto Rock. (2021, July 8). Retrieved from https://torontorock.com/about/
4
National Lacrosse League - on Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Pointstreak Sports Technologies. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://pointstreak.com/prostats/attendance.html?leagueid=230&seasonid=17281
5
Season memberships. Toronto Rock. (2021, October 26). Retrieved from https://torontorock.com/season-memberships/
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JDCC Marketing Case 2023
In May of 2021, the Toronto Rock announced that after 20 seasons played at Scotiabank Arena
in downtown Toronto, they reached a five-year agreement, with an option for extension, to
relocate to the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, where they began the 2021-2022 NLL season.
The team decided to retain the Toronto name and to continue representing the city despite
playing home games in Hamilton. A strong business case backed the decision, including a
reduction in operations costs, a better selection of home game dates, and an opportunity to
appeal to a broader Ontario fanbase. Despite this, the decision ignited much criticism and
scrutiny – particularly among their dedicated Toronto-based fans. However, the transition has
proven successful; the team has found an audience in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,
with attendance during the 2021-2022 season at FirstOntario Centre exceeding their
expectations. Their crowds were similar to those at Scotiabank, and the count of season ticket
holders increased.
In November 2022, the Toronto Rock was informed of an upcoming renovation project at the
FirstOntario Centre, requiring them to relocate for the better part of two seasons until the end of
2024. The team plans to return to the venue upon completion of the project.
Known for its industrial heritage, Hamilton (also known as "Steeltown") is a city of nearly
600,000 people located between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. The Hamilton and
Surrounding Area census division has a population of 5.36 million people.
In recent years, Hamilton's population has steadily increased. According to federal census data,
the population grew 6% between 2016 and 2021 – slightly outpacing the provincial average of
5.8%. There are two primary drivers of population growth in Hamilton: international migration,
newcomers to Canada, and the other internal movement, Canadians leaving larger cities such
as Toronto. Also, to note is the indigenous population of Hamilton and its Surrounding Areas,
representing 2% of the total population. Located on what was traditionally Haudenosaunee
(Iroquoian) territory, Hamilton is situated near two First Nations reserves: Six Nations of the
Grand River and Mississaugas of the New Credit.
Lacrosse is Canada's official summer sport and is known for having its roots within
Indigenous cultures. It has been symbolic of the historical link between the First Nations'
religious and social rituals and the structures and rules of European settlers. The Toronto
Rock's recent move to FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton has put the team within proximity to First
Nations reserves within the Greater Hamilton Area. During the 2021-2022 season, the Toronto
Rock saw a 221% increase in audience members coming from the Six Nations of the Grand
River reserve. The Toronto Rock would like to increase this momentum further by
understanding this Indigenous audience.
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JDCC Marketing Case 2023
Problem Statement
The longer-term transition to Hamilton and the short-term displacement out of FirstOntario
Place have presented crucial challenges for the Toronto Rock, primarily the loss of the
Toronto-based season ticket holders. For the organization to successfully maintain growth
and momentum in Hamilton, the Toronto Rock will need to create a marketing strategy
considering the following:
• Retain and grow existing season ticket holders
• Understand and engage with the key fan base of diverse local audiences
• Determine how to increase the customer value of the season ticket offering
• Determine how the Toronto Rock Marketing department should execute this marketing
strategy with a budget of $200,000
• What branding strategies should Toronto Rock implement to improve its image within
Hamilton
Analytics in Action
Environics Analytics (EA) was consulted to support Toronto Rock's objectives by understanding
current and past Toronto Rock game attendees. To understand season ticket holder customers
from a market perspective, EA conducted a mobile data analysis of visits to Toronto Rock
games for the 2019-2020 lacrosse season (at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena) and the 2021-2022
lacrosse season(at Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre). EA provided demographics and geographic
statistics to help Toronto Rock understand the similarities and differences between ticket
holders for each season (See Appendix).
Environics Analytics has also created maps and reports detailing where high concentrations of
new immigrants have settled and their dominant country of origin. This NewToCanada data
could provide valuable insights into marketing strategies and key populations of interest for the
Toronto Rock.
Finally, EA provided detailed information on the primary PRIZM segments of Asian Avenues,
South Asian Society and Indigenous Families to help understand the primary markets within
Hamilton that align with their growth strategy.
The Toronto Rock need to achieve its goals to be a successful franchise moving forward and
only wants to hear viable solutions and strategies based firmly on analytics!
Appendix
Your task is to prioritize the relevant data within the appendix to support your case.
Appendix supplied with this case:
Page 4 - Demographic Highlights
Page 5 - Geographic Distribution
Page 6 - Distance Decay
Page 7 - NewtoCanada Report
Page 8 - Dominant Origin Country Map
Page 9 - Datasets Utilized
Page 10 - Asian Avenues PRIZM Segment Description
Page 11 - South Asian Society PRIZM Segment Description
Page 12 - Indigenous Families PRIZM Segment Description
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Distance Decay
Kilometers Traveled by Toronto Rock Fans
90
80
70
60
CUMULATIVE % OF VISITS
50
40
30
20
10
0
9 - 10
0-1
1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
10 - 11
11 - 12
12 - 13
13 - 14
14 - 15
15 - 16
16 - 17
17 - 18
18 - 19
19 - 20
20 - 21
21 - 22
22 - 23
23 - 24
24 - 25
25 - 26
26 - 27
27 - 28
28 - 29
29 - 30
30 - 31
31 - 32
32 - 33
33 - 34
34 - 35
35 - 36
36 - 37
37 - 38
38 - 39
39 - 40
40 - 41
41 - 42
42 - 43
43 - 44
44 - 45
45 - 46
46 - 47
47 - 48
48 - 49
49 - 50
KILOMETERS TRAVELED
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The DemoStats database consists of current-year estimates for more than 750
variables and includes demographic projections for approximately 500 of them for
three, five and 10 years into the future. This proprietary database is created using
innovative methods that combine econometric, demographic, and geographic
models. As a result of our comprehensive methodology, DemoStats variables are
available at the postal code level for current-year estimates and at the
dissemination area level for future-year projections. The database also provides
historical estimates from five years ago, based on the same methodologies to
ensure accurate trend analysis.
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17 ASIAN AVENUES
Urban, middle-income Asian families and singles
U4
URBAN
DIVERSITY
LEISURE SHOPPING
F3
MIDDLE-AGE
FAMILIES yoga/Pilates Gap
gourmet cooking H&M
ballet/opera/symphony Real Canadian Superstore
casinos smart home appliances
175
125
MOBILE HEALTH
shopping on mobile phone
75 last visited health professional
music streaming on mobile phone
at walk-in clinic
read e-books on tablet
25 watch free streaming videos
A�ending Ge�ng back Travelling Using public on tablet
professional to old habits within Canada transit
sports events
or games
ATTITUDES
“Getting married and having children is the only real definition
of a family”
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©2022 Environics Analytics
30 SOUTH ASIAN SOCIETY
Middle-aged, middle-income South Asian families
F3
MIDSCALE
URBAN SHOPPING
FRINGE
LEISURE
F2
LARGE fitness clubs H&M
DIVERSE outdoor stages Hudson's Bay
FAMILIES carnivals, fairs and markets factory outlet stores
pro football games cosme�cs/skin care stores
Snapchat
175
125 MOBILE
surf the Internet on mobile phone HEALTH
75 video phone calls on
very likely to consider
mobile phone
laser eye surgery
career/job search on tablet
25 listen to radio/audio content
A�ending Ge�ng back Travelling Using public
professional to old habits within Canada transit on tablet
sports events
or games
ATTITUDES
"Violence is a part of life. It’s no big deal"
"The father of the family must be the master in his own house"
"From time to time, I'd like to do things that are dangerous and
forbidden, just for the sake of the risk and the sensation"
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©2022 Environics Analytics
66 INDIGENOUS FAMILIES
Younger and middle-aged First Na�ons, Inuit and Mé�s families
T1
TOWN
MIX LEISURE SHOPPING
fishing/hun�ng Home Hardware
F2
LARGE community theatres Walmart
DIVERSE
FAMILIES casinos Giant Tiger
horse racing convenience stores
125 MOBILE
music streaming on tablet
75 listen to radio/podcast on tablet HEALTH
banking on mobile phone visited a nurse for last
game apps health consulta�on
25
A�ending Ge�ng back Travelling Using public
professional to old habits within Canada transit
sports events
or games
ATTITUDES
“It's very important to be thoroughly familiar with what I think of as
my region, its history, its customs and traditions”
“It's important to have a more intense and more spiritual inner life”