Louisiana State and Florida football fans share a passion for Victoria’s Secret, according to the latest College GameDay BrandWatch by Buxton, the leading provider of customer analytics.
The luxury lingerie specialist is the apparel store Tigers are more likely to visit than the average college football fan, and the third-most likely among Gators devotees. Buxton used its Live Mobile Insights platform to analyze anonymous location data generated by mobile devices over the past two seasons to determine how often followers of each program visit various retail and dining locations compared with the average fan.
By building a more accurate profile of their real customers through the combination of data generated by Live Mobile Insights and other key inputs, brand owners can make significantly better decisions about where to add new outlets while also improving the effectiveness of marketing for exiting locations.
Louisiana State advanced to a 6-0 mark for the season and leapfrogged defending national champion Clemson to No. 2 in college football’s rankings with a 42-28 win over the Gators (6-1) on Oct. 12, who dropped two places to ninth.
Diverging Tastes
Other clothing stores in the top 10 of both teams are Loft, the Ascena Retail Group’s casual, mid-price brand that Florida fans are most likely to visit compared with the average fan, and Francesca’s, a chain of about 700 boutiques in 48 states that carries gifts and accessories in addition to women’s clothing.
The tastes of each group then diverge, with LSU enthusiasts more likely than the average fan or Gator follower to shop at Cato Corp.’s upscale Versona and casual It’s Fashion chains. Also featured among LSU’s leading choices are plus-size retailers Avenue and Casual Male XL, along with discounters K&G Fashion Superstore and Rainbow, none of which appear in the top 10 of Florida fans.
Gators skew slightly more toward youth boutique brands such as Citi Trends, Buckle, Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch’s Hollister franchise and The Impeccable Pig — whose website even features a “Gear Up for Gameday” page — while stores that cater to those looking for work attire, such as Banana Republic and Men’s Warehouse, also appear in their top 10.
Value Counts
Value is key to department store shoppers of both teams, with fans of Florida most likely to visit T.J. Maxx, and Macy’s ranking ahead of the discounter atop the Tigers preferences. Gators fans are then more likely than average to go to Bealls Outlet and JCPenney, while the third most popular choice for Tigers is Stage Stores, which focuses on small and mid-sized towns.
On the road, Florida and LSU enthusiasts are unlikely to stay in the same hotels. The only brand that appears in both top 10 lists is Home2 Suites, the Hilton affordable extended stay option, which ranks seventh with both schools’ followers. That aside, there is no commonality in top 10 lodging choices between LSU and Florida fans, the biggest brand divergence found so far in the category.
Pizza Preference
When it comes to food, both sets of fans share a preference for pizza, with MOD Pizza leading the dining preferences of Gators and The Cottage Inn taking top spot among Tigers.
A favorite of fans from the Baton Rouge school is Southern Maid Donuts, which has a presence in more than 100 locations, according to the company’s website, and is claimed to be the only product Elvis Presley endorsed in a commercial.
While it may be surprising that no Cajun or beignet specialists appear among LSU’s favorite eateries, PJ’s Coffee ranks eighth among the school’s fans compared with the average. Of the chain’s 107 locations, 89 are in its native Louisiana, with an additional seven planned in the state and 25 more elsewhere in the US, according to the company’s website.
For the analysis, Buxton defined a fan as someone whose device was geolocated at a home football game during the past two seasons and who also lives within 50 miles of the Florida or LSU football stadiums. The results were then compared against those for the average fan, defined using the same parameters, of teams in nine major college football conferences and were adjusted to reflect the presence of a brand within 50 miles of each school’s respective stadium, to ensure accurate comparisons.
For more information about Live Mobile Insights powered by Buxton, call (817) 332-3681.
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