Turning up the marketing heat

Being the avid Red Wings fan that I am, I find it interesting that in recent months, the Red Wings have turned up the heat on their efforts to “market” the team to fans, and it’s not just the “Fire on Ice” campaign that I am referring to.  For years, the Red Wings were the hottest ticket in town.  Beginning last year, the crowds at the games were getting smaller and smaller, to the point that they decided it was time to entice people back to the Joe by lowering the price of tickets, giving things away at games (yesterday it was free gloves and $1 hot dogs) and also hosting special events, like last week’s open house for season ticket holders.  My question is, shouldn’t they have been doing this all along?  If they had, maybe not as many fans would have fled.  The Lions, on the other hand…decided it was time to raise ticket prices.  Go figure.