Darren Rovell, Jobs, MLB, Media Post, NASCAR

NASCAR PR MAKES THE PITS VERY FRUITFUL…

PR Move of the Day:  The biggest thing brands always want, and fans do to, is access.  Not just access to the athletes to hear their stories, but access to the “inside” feel of what drive the passions of the sports brand they so closely identify with.  Thats why first person or insider access pieces given to the media are so valuable.  Not only do they provide the media member with a greater understanding of the intricacies of a complex business, but they give the media the chance to use their multitude of talents to find stories that even the publicist or the brand manager won’t see.  Case in point is today’s Wall Street Journal, where NASCAR gave writer Allen St. John full access to Ryan Newman’s Pit Crew.  It exposes the personalities behind the driver, as well as all the brands they work with, to a much wider audience in a light that is rarely if ever seen, and also gives the core fan even more insight into the goings on, and the success and failure, of those who they only see from a distance.  NASCAR and the WSJ also tied in video to the piece to make it a complete package that got bonus coverage to fans, business partners, investors and the sport.  Well delivered on all levels.  

Some other good pieces to take a look at.  Darren Rovell had a nice scoop again on the creative Gillette Zamboni activation that took place in Boston at the end of the Bruins season.  Although not a national activation (yet), it was extremely creative to dress the Zamboni with a razor shaving the ice, and certainly can lead to other similar promotions and brand awareness campaigns in the brand category…although not sports specific per se, Media Post also had a good piece today on the brand loyalty of the aging Hip Hop generation…given that key demo to sports there can be lots to learn for brands in the piece…and for those always looking for more insight into today’s leaders, take a look at mlb.com’s profile of new baseball Hall of Fame head Jeff Idelson, one of the real good guys in sports.