Ambush Marketing, Crisis Management, ESPN/ABC, MLB, Media Post, Olympics, SI.com

Spinning The Trade: Manny To LA…

The 24/7 news cycle now, especially around major dates on the team sports calendar (the drafts, trade deadlines etc.), continues to explode the feeding frenzy for news and up to the second information, factual or not.  However even with all the access to information and creation of rumor, in team sports the simple fact remains that a trade is not a trade until both sides, the leagues and all parties involved, agree.  Rumors are great on those crucial days for brand awareness and buzz, and they build interest, but until the pros consumate the deal that is all they are.  After the deadlines pass, we move on as fans and those involved in the business, trying to put the best face on whatever side we are on, or speculate on what was best that did not happen.  However in baseball this past week, with a good core of marketable stars moving to major markets, the spin cycle on both sides of the moves has been interesting to watch.  First on the brand side, the dollar investment that goes into changing campaign and brand elements for teams like the Detroit Tigers (moving Pudge Rodriguez to the Yanks) and the Boston Red Sox (moving Manny Ramirez) is very high.  Even ESPN had to kill a series of Manny commericials that had yet to be aired, and the changing out of highlight films to community events to promotional campaigns means a great deal of extra work and clear communication to partners.  The move of Ramirez, clearly wanting out of Boston, to a major market like LA, where the team has taken some heat over ownership’s perceived lack of financial committment to go get more stars to win, is a great example of two big markets spinning against each other.  Veteran writer Charlie Pierce had a great piece on slate.com that goes into details about how the Sox uniformly explained the benefit of moving Ramirez, and how local media came out in a pack against the Red Sox star, while Saturday’s LA Times goes into great detail on all the pomp and circumstance the Dodgers rolled out for Ramirez as a conquering hero, especially in a market where the Dodgers are trying to court the Hispanic fan. Ironically the spin master for the Dodgers, Dr. Charles Sternberg, was brought in from the Red Sox to help reshape the team image, so it will be interesting to see where both sides net out.  The bottom line in cases like this is that good effective communication can make the upside a little sweeter and take a little of the sting out of a bitter side, especially in the first news cycle.  Both sides in this case appear to have done a good job…the Sox have uniformly positioned this trade as building team unity, while the Dodgers have shown they are willing to take chances to win now.  Who gets the better of this in the end is very simple…it is a results-based business.  If the Dodgers move on to success and the Red Sox falter, the spin will go one way.  If Ramirez crushes team unity in LA, the Dodgers have a mess. Either way, both sides played the spin game correctly to start.   

Also on the trade deadline front, si.com had a great insider piece by former Twins GM Terry Ryan, explaining how the trade deadline deals work or don’t work…the ever-growing world of fantasy sports and online gaming continues to grow as football approaches, and Jack Carey in USA Today had a great read on how the CBS Sports fantasy work this year is altering the playing field for the future…on the Olympic marketing side, Media Post has a good look into the creative ways Olympic partners must use to get exposure in Beijing…Media Week has a good piece on how NBC is partnering with Premier Retail Networks to get highlights on a daily basis into consumer locations like check out lines…and on the print and digital side, Editor and Publisher has a good look into how Yahoo is helping newspaper partners draw readers online…