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Blazers Grow With Hanukah Promo…

Appealing to the core fan is always important and pretty simple for brand and fan development.  Yet at this time of year it always seems that most teams will do Christmas or overall holiday promotions and will overlook those of the Jewish faith celebrating Hanukah.  Now it wouldn’t make sense to do Hanukah promotions in arears where there is not a group that would be able to appreciate or support the effort, but in most major cities Hanukah promotions would seem to be a natural, especially since the celebration takes place of a series of days and nights.  Last year the Portland Trailblazers, as they rebuilt their relationships in their community, introduced Hanukah night to moderate success.  This year they expanded the event eventhough the team is doing considerable better, and the result was more coverage and good will created for the team and the brand.  It was a very smart way to connect with core supporters of the sport, have some fun, sell some tickets and even introduce many not familiar with the celebration to a great tradition.  Good move by Portland, and a celebration which can be copied and expanded by most looking to connect with a core fan base and reach out to diverse communities.

Some other good reads over the holiday…the LA Times’ Bill Plaschke has a nostalgic  look back at the electronic football games of Christmas past…Susan Miller Degnan has a great look at the University of Miami’s Antonio Dixon and his life when he was homeless…the Washington Post has a piece on former NBA’er Todd McCullough and his new passion…pinball…   and the Boston Globe has a nice piece on Steve Wilkie, the longtime manager of a local hockey rink and his role in the community.