Ambush Marketing, Crisis Management, Darren Rovell, Fox Sports.com, MLB, NBA teams, NFL, NHL, New York Times, Tennis, Washington Post

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time…

The preciseness with which athletes have to perform sometimes is underappreciated by fans, which is why all the prep stories and the backgrounders which give fans insight into the day to day dealings an athlete has to go through are so well recieved.  Similarly, on the business side, awareness of the timing of events, as well as the forethought and planning into making sure all involved are aware and on board, is also very key.  Three examples…first Maria Sharapova’s protests about the timing of a WTA ad campaign which we talked about earlier this week, and then the Papa John’s 23 cent pizza giveaway followed by Forumula One driver Lewis Hamilton’s appearance in a strange play the night before a race in Istanbul…all surfaced this week and showed how importand timing is to keep all on the same page and avoid distraction for the brand and the athlete.  The Papa John’s case, which included the chain giving out 23 cent pizza’s during a busy dinner rush hour as a giveback and apology to Akron and Cleveland area fans who took offense to a t-shirt giveaway mocking LeBron James, got the company great brand exposure and extra publicity for a stunt that maybe went wrong, but probably cost the company a large amount of capital in lost income.  The Hamilton episode, where the driver appeared in a version of A Space Odyssey suspended by cables on a stage, certainly didn’t cost the driver or his team any cash.  However the timing of the appearance and the risk associated with it, could have damaged his chance to race the next day, as well and questioned his dedication to the profession by those brands who have invested in him.  In both cases, the efforts were seemingly justified at first look.  Papa John’s needed a make good in an area where their reputation had taken a hit, and their executives said all the right things in getting the message to the community.  Heck, some savvy pros may even point out that the prolonged and perceived “bad” publicity gave the brand much more exposure than they have had in a while.  But the timing and the execution caused a great deal of problems in the community for town officials and others around the stores that the chain will have to continue to recover from, and being a company with shareholders, officials have to answer to a large loss of capital as well.  Hamilton’s issues are certainly more about the timing of the appearance and will be easier to get over in the future for a driver who is already well respected. All seemed like a good idea at the time, but strategic planning and clear communication always has to be the first thought to make sure even good ideas don’t go awry.  

Some other good reads…on the charity side, take a look at Vinny Mallozzi’s “Cheering Section” in the New York Times, on the wish granted by the Steelers with Pancreatic cancer survivor and inspirational writer Randy Pausch…the Sunday column is a great weekly example of unique fan stories, and this week ties in the great ways athletes can give back and make a difference with such little effort…the tragedy of Eight Belles at last week’s Kentucky Derby is another story that continues to be watched, and George Solomon in the Washington Post has some interesting thoughts going towards the Preakness… Ken Rosenthal has a good q and a with the D-Backs Justin Upton that gives fans some solid insight into another rising baseball star …and the Toronto Globe and Mail has a good story on Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie and his views on how to market the NHL…