Fans First Is Not a Slogan. It's an Operating System.

Savannah Bananas: Fans First Is Not a Slogan. It's an Operating System.

PAID KIT

Every company says it puts customers first. The Savannah Bananas decided to build an entire baseball experience around proving it.

The dancing players and ridiculous entertainment get the attention. But the more interesting marketing lesson is what happens before the first pitch, during the game, and long after everyone goes home.

What happens when customer experience becomes the product?

What This Case Teaches

Students use the Savannah Bananas to explore customer experience and service design, focusing on how a brand promise shapes the entire customer journey.

They'll learn to identify service touchpoints, separate customer service from customer experience, remove friction, and understand why delight can't rescue a broken experience.

Best-Fit Courses

Principles of Marketing, Services Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Sports Marketing, Brand Management, and Marketing Strategy.

Class Length and Frameworks

Suggested class length: 50 minutes

Primary framework: Customer Experience and Service Design

Supporting concepts: Customer Journey Mapping, Service Touchpoints, Friction, Delight, Customer Participation, and Brand Promise.

What's Included

• Kit Overview and quick-start guide

• Complete 50-minute Lesson Plan

• 15-slide presentation outline

• Assignment Prompt with a 20-point grading rubric

• 24 Discussion Questions organized by course level

• Instructor Notes with teaching guidance

• Student Handout and classroom activity

• Source Files with academic research and APA citations

Why It Works in Class

Students understand the difference between watching something and feeling part of something. The Savannah Bananas give instructors a way to turn that familiar experience into a serious marketing discussion.

The included activity, Give It the Fans First Treatment, challenges students to redesign a frustrating customer experience. They'll map what happens before, during, and after the service, identify friction, and propose improvements that actually matter.

Because great customer experience isn't about adding more fun to a bad process. It's about designing something people genuinely want to experience.

Get the Teaching Kit