Pick your five against the field for next week's GUKPT

[AlrightJack]

Nick, calm down, calm down. At no point have I said that BSQ is stopping their sponsorship program, in fact if you read my further posts later in the thread, I said that due to the way it is structured, it may survive for a few years yet.  I have probably understated this, as I think it will carry on for several years. I have spoken to some of our players about it already and will speak to them all in time to explain what I have said on this thread. I am very happy with all of them - they are loyal and play a lot on Blue Square, they all generate publicity off their own backs, participate willingly in anything we arrange for them to do and they are all top class players as well.

I work as a freelancer for Blue Square and my responsibility lies almost solely with the running of the GUKPT these days and not with the running of the sponsorship program, although I do still help out in this area. My posts were not a Blue Square press release, they were my personal thoughts about the entire phenomenon of player sponsorship and how I think it will change in the industry as a whole, not just at Blue Square.

It was not an admission of failure, nor a statement of discontent on the way the BSQ program has panned out. I'm quite happy with the way we've structured our program to date and the goals it has achieved. I'm not forewarning of an imminent u-turn in sponsorship strategy. We've made a commitment to it for the past 2-3 years and we're not going to give up on it just yet. Some aspects of it may change, but it is more likely to grow rather than get smaller in the short to middle term. We have built the program into our VIP scheme, so whether you call it sponsorship, rakeback, loyalty rewards or whatever, it will be continuing for the forseeable future. However, people who think that getting in the top ten of the European/GUKPT/facebook/Kev's favourite pies rankings = imminent approach from big cheese with a bag of cash, do need a reality check.

I'l try to comment more fully on this again tomorrow.

[bobby1]

couple of years ago? it was still going on this year. Fullt tilt were paying hundreds of thousands to get their logo on that final table for anyone not associated to a site already (ie almost anyone at the final table). This is dealt with by poker agents who simply approach you before the biggest final table of your life to say - heres $200k to wear our shirt/cap/logo. If you win it we will give you a million and a sponsorship deal. Who in their right mind woudl say no thanks I much prefer my Hugo Boss shirt and you can keep your 200 large.

Yeah, I did assume they were still doing it, but I was out there in 2006 and saw it, but wasn't out there last year.

When you consider they spent a nine figure dollar sum on promotion and marketing in their first couple of years it's quite small fry.

I was at a conference there in 2006 and was talking to some of the bigger suits at Full Tilt, their marketing strategy and advertising campaign in general was designed to bring them into profit in 2008.

Not many firms have this kind of finance for them to use a similar business plan.

As for sponsorship in general well I think Jon has it pretty much spot on. Some players seem to think that a good result here and there means they are worthy of sponsorship but as someone wanting to hire a player I would be looking for one that can represent the company correctly.

[DaveShoelace]

Whatever your views on marketing vs customer retention, dont forget that blue square are currently runnning the biggest and most exciting poker tour on the UK circuit. The GUKPT in itself is a massive marketing tool, with a TV show (last year, not sure if they are doing one this year?), hundreds of satelittes, loads of live updates and plenty of media coverage. From a sheer exposure point of view, surely the GUKPT is achieving something that a well thought out sponsorship strategy does too? Existing players will stay with blue square because of the many many routes to the GUKPT and new players will flock to them to get in on this fantastic afforadble poker tour.

The point you made about online card room managers not being proactive enough is a really good one, a card room coming across as a concierge to some of their high rollers would be very effective. I know this because my own deal with VC Poker came about because of a good relationship with the card room manager. I was a big raker but played across all the networks and after a few proactive and friendly chats from the VC Poker manager and I decided to spend most of my playing time on VC. I like the fact that I am on speaking terms with the guy that would sort out any problems I had with my loyalty bonuses/reload bonuses etc etc

[Colchester Kev]

I like the fact that I am on speaking terms with the guy that would sort out any problems I had with my loyalty bonuses/reload bonuses etc etc

 

[DaveShoelace]

I like the fact that I am on speaking terms with the guy that would sort out any problems I had with my loyalty bonuses/reload bonuses etc etc

 

 

[byronkincaid]

I like the fact that I am on speaking terms with the guy that would sort out any problems I had with my loyalty bonuses/reload bonuses etc etc

 

Hey, byronkincaid, you have 293 messages, 0 are new.

 

[Colchester Kev]

I like the fact that I am on speaking terms with the guy that would sort out any problems I had with my loyalty bonuses/reload bonuses etc etc

 

Hey, byronkincaid, you have 293 messages, 0 are new.

 

You need to check your PM's a bit closer chap

[bigalhx1]

my five picks are http://www.bluesq.com/bluesquare/bspoker/playerprofiles.shtml