Blank looking to sell Ryan’s hope

By Jeff Schultz | Monday, April 28, 2008, 03:46 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

There’s a great old story about the launching of Home Depot, when Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus supposedly stood in the parking lot and handed out $1 bills just to get people to walk into the store.

Slight correction.

“It wasn’t me, it was our children,” Blank said Monday. “Bernie and I took our kids out of school. The stores opened at 11 a.m. and we told our wives, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll have them back in school by noon.’ But at 9 o’clock at night they were still out there. Nobody came. We couldn’t even give all the dollar bills away.”

So take comfort. When it comes to the state of Falcons and where they rank in our unconsciousness, at least there’s this: Blank won’t resort to standing outside the Georgia Dome, handing out $1 bills to draw spectators.

But the mere fact he even joked, “I would be happy to do it if we thought it would work,” says something.

Blank is in full sales mode, somewhat pleading with fans to support the team. (“If this sounds like an appeal, it is an appeal.”)

The team’s website is splashed with the word, “New!” which, as I seem to remember from my one marketing class in college, is the thunder-jolt of any sales campaign.

The jerseys of draft picks already are on sale, before even their first mini-camp.

Ticket prices have been cut, and the season-ticket waiting list - which once carried claims of being 20,000 to 60,000 long - has been replaced: “Screamers Wanted - Season Tickets Now Available!”

Sheet rock! Hammers! Harvested souls left behind by Bobby Petrino! We’re blowing it out to the bare walls!

Dollar a dance?

Six years ago, Blank purchased a franchise that had never managed consecutive winning seasons. Hard to imagine, but he’s got a bigger challenge now. At least in 2002 he could sell Michael Vick. Now he has to sell hope.

Nothing against Thomas Dimitroff, Mike Smith and Matt Ryan, the franchise’s three new cornerstones. But hope has kind of been trampled in these parts.

This sort of thing doesn’t just bounce back, especially when there’s lingering debate over whether the team took the right player in the draft.

Blank: “The fans have been through a lot the last two years. We’ve had two coaching turnovers and the off-the-field issues with Michael. People have 1,001 questions related to the future. But I do believe we’ve turned a corner.”

And then: “Yes, we’re selling. But quite honestly, it’s an appeal to fans to support their team. I think the organization and the coaches and players deserve the support of the community. We’ve tried to do the right thing.”

People are watching. The question is whether people are buying. Season ticket-holders had until March 21 to renew. Several thousand didn’t.

Question: Were renewals down?

Answer: “Absolutely. They were significantly less than in the past.”

Question: What are the numbers?

Answer: “We don’t need to dwell on that. But we need to dwell on the fact we have a lot of seats to sell.”

We all knew this was coming, almost from the time Vick was indicted. The team crumbled. Fans either rebelled or lost interest or both. Petrino’s back-door exit, Bill Parcells’ two-faced negotiations, Rich McKay’s awkward job change - that’s all just ugly window dressing. At this point, it’s about winning or at least convincing people you’re not that far away.

Blank said at a news conference this weekend, “We’re doing everything we can to put our house, your house in order. … We want to ask our fans to be an integral part of our success.”

But he’s a smart guy. He knows in the end it’s about the product, not concepts or gimmicks. It’s going to take more than Matt Ryan’s highlight package from Boston College. It’s going to take more than a freshly painted Georgia Dome, new red seats and slogans like, “A New Era, New Excitement and New Hope.”

Because it’s hard to sell losses. Even with a handful of $1 bills.

to bad i live in illinois, cause i would be goin to every single falcons game regardless of how they play.