This one walks the edge of maybe taking it over to [b:597747af8e]The Bullpen[/b:597747af8e], but...
It's an interesting little economic and social microcosm we have here in this thread. First off, as none of us (that I'm aware of anyway) are privy to the financials, none of us are in a position to make an informed decision with regard to SOM pricing. So [b:597747af8e]keyzick[/b:597747af8e]'s simple statement was absolutely right on.
Secondly, let's for the sake of argument take the discount path.
What does this do to the SOM Online reputation? Does it cheapen the product? Can you live with the strategy as the economy recovers? What if the recession is lengthy, as we had in the 70s? What if the economy recovers and the customers demand the "discounted price" they have become accustomed to? So the answer is not simply "times are tough, we should lower prices."
$100 for five teams is not really a lot of discretionary entertainment money in the big scheme of things. Heck, it cost me nearly $600 to take three seats at [i:597747af8e]one[/i:597747af8e] Caps-Penguins game (but we were on the glass and I was sitting four seats from Pat Sajak, so it was worth it to me)! Anyway, when you can have five teams that last two or three months or have [i:597747af8e]one[/i:597747af8e] family movie night, then really just what does that $100 mean to you? SOM Online, I would argue, is not about price to begin with, and screwing around with it might really risk damaging the SOM brand name.
I don't know how many people play the $12.50 leagues, but I can tell you I've never played one. Do they fill fast? What if 2009 was a $12.50 league? How soon before 2009 would seem stale and nobody was playing it anymore? It might be just me, but a good recession strategy to me would be about being consistent and protecting the brand. If there were any discounts to be given, they should probably be focused on long-term loyal customers who buy most often. Maybe a discounted 25 pack instead of a 5 pack. This would be known as the "Altec1969 Discount Package".
Still, it's interesting to read people's opinions of how [i:597747af8e]they[/i:597747af8e] would grow [i:597747af8e]other people's[/i:597747af8e] customer bases.
As an aside, the very best strategy as a customer is simply to [b:597747af8e]WIN[/b:597747af8e]. You get two free teams for every CHAMPS team, fellas.