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Ravens Military Partnerships Build Strong Support Ties…

August 22, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The ability to have to aggressively build brand amongst major professional teams is needed the least by the teams of the National Football League. Revenue sharing, national television, superior ticket sales on a season basis and a tremendous in-game atmosphere give most teams a base to be discriminative in their brand building exposure, as opposed to being aggressive in outbound programs. However even the best of teams in this challenged economy are looking to new revenue and brand building streams to generate interest and eventually dollars, with even some of the most storied franchises like the New York Giants facing a limited number of ticket holders at top dollar. One of the teams that has always found ways, even in the best days, to attach themselves to their community and build fan base is the Baltimore Ravens. Like the Colts before they moved to Indianapolis, the Ravens and their blue collar style have been emotionally tied to the city they call home. In short, the Ravens “get” their audience. The latest example of that sense of devotion to community was chronicled in this week’s Baltimore Sun, with the Ravens hosting a special session for enlisted men and women, a project that drew 50 last year and 500 this year. The Capitol District, from Washington through Baltimore, has always had a military base, and the teams in the area have been able over time to partner with that core group for support. Ironically, as the team just to the south, the Redskins, constantly fight for message control, the Ravens always seem to find ways to expand their reach to the grassroots. Now will that style bring in more dollars? Unsure. Will courting the military help in selling luxury suites? Probably not. But in moving merchandise, building goodwill in the community and driving brand support it is a very smart move. It is true that the Ravens, like any other NFL team, still abide by the strict limits of access imposed by the league. However finding ways to go above and beyond to drive goodwill and find new story lines when they don’t necessarily have to, is the sign of solid leadership and partnership, both keys to success regardless of on the field success.

College Athletic Branding…Crisis or Opportunity?

June 1, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Recently there has been a great deal written on issues with regard to college athletics…a recent USA Today piece pointed to the cutbacks athletic departments, especially mid-major schools, have to make to try and get things in line, while this past week the New York Times had an extensive piece on how college graduates looking for job opportunities face very dire odds and another on how students are now balking at fees for athletics as part of actvities, and Friday the Wall Street Journal had a piece on how the Ivies could, and maybe should, retool their athletics and give rewards along the lines of what they do for successful applicants in academia or the arts. All of this seems to be adding up to a crisis in an area…academia…where many times the mainstream looks for answers and innovation in any area of business. Even more troubling is the fact that athletics could and should be generating income and potential new media revenue streams for schools at every level, if the investment is made in finding those streams. After all, aren’t many of today’s growth areas…green technology, new media, social networking…platforms created by those in or just out of school who are able to seize opportunity? So is it a case of college athletics being too unwieldy, or is it the old adage of “the cobblers feed are the worst shod” coming true? It is probably a little of both, but there remains a great untapped opportunity in college athletics for brand building and grassroots growth. Two recent examples of untapped growth are the NCAA lacrosse championships and the ongoing NCAA baseball and softball championships. In the case of lacrosse, Memorial Day weekend saw huge crowds and excitement generated by Syracuse’s overtime win over Cornell, and similar excitement at the women’s and lower level championships. Yet as the season ends, so do the stories, and any brands looking to attach themselves year round to the sport through on-campus and fan activation. Similar, this past weekend saw the longest game in NCAA baseball history between Boston College and Texas, and will lead to more excitement as the College World Series moves on to Omaha, with the next level of stars of the sport coming out. Yet college baseball remains undermarketed as a spring brand, along with softball. Is it because schools only see the money train in football and hoops? Or is it because schools fail to make the investment in athletic sales and marketing due to a rift between the academic and athletic sides of most institutions? It was interesting that some of the best college branding consultants, including award-winning IMG, were singled out at this week’s Sports Business Journal awards for their work. IMG’s biggest growth opportunity this year is creating and implementing their college consulting division, which shows the biggest schools where the branding value…and cash…is. So what are the next steps toward opportunity? First, colleges of all sizes must learn from the best practices of minor league sports, which are able to translate every opportunity into year-round community branding and brand building. Second, colleges should invest wisely in staff, especially in the communications and marketing areas. Effectively spending money on staff to make money back will go a long way, as opposed to the usual turnover that occurs in many places with inexperienced and underpaid staff. Third, having a university’s athletic group in lock step with the overall school communications and maketing group is important. In many places the two groups have no contact, and the lack of open communication makes it an us vs. them workplace which makes small problems huge. Fourth, encourage networking within the industry. Many times colleges do not consult with local professional brands or teams on best practices and resources, and by staying a part of a professional network both sides may learn and benefit from the other. Five, prove and merchandise value to the school. The cyclical nature of college athletics leads little time for effective communication and marketing reports that show true value and return on ROI. take the time to compile and show value added, and most importantly, make sure that those academic decision-makers are aware of the efforts invested in growing the school image. The individual college as a brand to be marketed remains valuable. Schools have loyal followings, a young, core audience looking for diverse interests, a deep data base of successful alumni, brands that have value, deep history and tremendous stories of current past and future success to be told. Mining all that and putting together effective packages, if not to make money then to defer some costs as opposed to cutting, can make college athletics the trend-setters in the future like many of their academic counterparts are trend-setters in the present.

Can The UFL Do What Others Couldn’t?

March 14, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

They certainly are trying…and trying to be different and complimentary. But can the fledgling United Football League, with its plans to play on Thursday nights on VERSUS and in a series of cities, not with any centralized core, make sense, draw fans, consistent media attention, sponsors and eventually make money? And in this economy can it be the alternative to the high priced NFL and the NCAA? Tough going. The presser they had in San Francisco this week said a lot of different things…some good, some a little out there…but all created enough buzz to get some press. Some of the good…they will be on TV, in some markets which may want the product, signed some good football names and are willing to experiment with some different rules and let the players have some fun. The curious…they say they will work with the NFL…great but has the NFL said they want to work with them? So far, silence from Park Avenue. They want to develop and find new talent but will take on the wayward star to sell tickets, like Michael Vick. They will be in some markets once, and some more than once, and will have all the teams together in Arizona for a training camp. They will also start their season right around when the NFL Network will start their Thursday night games head to head. They have some money, which is a good thing , and have smart brand marketing people working with them. It will be very interesting to see their digital strategy and how it can tie into tapping into a core audience, and if people just will watch FOOTBALL or does it have to be branded NFL FOOTBALL. Everyone else has failed, including the AFL who tried to work with the NFL as a happy complimentary alternative. It seems like the economy of scale is there in terms of games and markets and a cap…and the ticket price,,,$20 is affordable in this economy, but is it enough to generate revenue to get to profitablility? One thing is for sure…in this environment anyone who can deliver a smart business plan that generates jobs when most mainstream brands are cutting back and gives people opportunity is a good thing. Maybe it can succeed, we will see if brands will want to give it a shot on activation, and if mainstream media will follow once the novelty wears off. The industry needs a few more UFL’s, but only if they can succeed.

Traditional News Outlets Going Quickly…

February 27, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As always happens in a society looking for change, especially in how we get our news and information, new ideas come and go, and the more “traditional” or established brands have to find ways to adapt, shift focus or decide to stay the course. Usually the more progressive brands are able to adapt, split fad from solid business, and re-invent themselves. It gives the entrepreneur the chance to excel in an open market, and lets brands on the marketing and communications side find new ways to connect directly with the consumer. One of the traditional stand-by’s has always been the printed newspaper. Even with the late adaptions that many have had with blogs, accompanying video and long form pieces online, the idea of the daily hard copy of a newspaper was one that brands knew could always reach a core group of casual consumers, especially in the sports marketplace. Hard copies are what many brands always looked for. However as dollars become more scant, production costs rise and information becomes distributed in various new media, especially on the electronic side, the local mass market newspaper seems to be dying very quickly. In the last 10 days the Rocky Mountain News is closing (Friday), the New Haven Register, Philly Inquirer, and Daily News and Minneapolis Star Tribune went chapter 11, and the San Francisco Chronicle and the Seattle Post Intelligencer are having major issues financially. So what does that mean to the marketer and the communicator? Innovate and address the places where your fans and partners go to find their news, and develop those partnerships while creating new ones. Mark Cuban on his blog recently listed some ways to aid the newspaper business, working with satellite and cable services. Many organizations have taken to making their site the place where their core fan can go for detailed information, but even others are now using their site as a place to break news which normally would have gone to “mainstream” outlets. Does this mean that all dailies will become a thing of the past? No. The need for the hard copy still exists and the smart brands will augment, with many even now sharing content. However as the newspaper world re-defines itself it is VERY important for those looking to reach the consumer and gain marketplace be aware of what the new opportunities are to maintain relevance, get exposure and grow return. Some key ideas:
1- Local is Local: People still look to local newspapers for news in their community. If there is a story that has local relevance, don’t slight the coverage one can get there and its home online as well. The same goes for non-English publications and ethnic outlets in print and online. Merchandising that coverage through hotlinks and viral emails is also important. A good story placed is a good story placed.
2- Blogs: While major sports organizations find ways to deal with the numbers of potential blog coverage and regulation, the days of thinking blogs are not credible news sources that reach the consumer and can grow brands are over. Embrace the key blogs, who may have the new era of journalist writing for them, set policy like one would for any media outlet, and give those who are looking to cover the team or brand or athlete and tell the story the chance to do it. It is not dissimilar to when sports radio started. There was pushback, but eventually the brands figured out how to work together to grow.
3- Check the colleges: Another key to distribution that are often overalloked are college radio, print and now even TV and digital. The young journalists there are smart, eager to learn and would be willing to probably help tell the story you are looking to tell, especially to a young audience.
4- Radio: From the traditional to digital to podcasting, the sound of the spoken voice and the ability to have audio tell the story is still very important, and the ability to push audio content to key decision makers is growing in importance. Somehow many have forgotten audio as a driver, but now it has a wide impact and again can be very effective.
5- Sports 3.0: From twitter to short form video to chat rooms and interactivity, there is any number of ways to learn more about distribution of good stories. Will all work and be effective for an athlete, team or brand? No. but having a casual working knowledge of what is out there, what is cost effective and what others are doing, and finding ways to adapt that technology is also a key part of the plan.

Past Lessons Worth Repeating…Joey Goldstein

February 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As brands look for marketshare, ROI and media placement, it would be worthy to look back to some of those who were the pioneers in the field…as press agents. On Friday one of those pioneers, Joey Goldstein, passed away at age 81 in Florida. Goldstein’s spin work was the stuff of legend, and he worked with some of the greatest in the business, but most importantly he was a networker for the ages in a time when the only “network” that most knew were ABC, CBS or NBC. The New York Daily News Mike Lupica had a great look back on Goldstein’s career, but one of the best chronicles of a man and a business remains Doug Looney’s 1987 profile of Goldstein in Sports Illustrated. Now although many believe that the role of the traditional publicist is to never make him or herself the story, these two pieces captured the man who had a flair for delivery, an impeccable network, an ability to deliver for clients big and small and a great sense of theater. Maybe today some of those qualities have been lost in strategic communications, but the old school know-how of pitching and placing a story, solid writing skills, and the ability to know the media and the client remain and should be continued to be taught. Our book of last summer, Sports Publicity, took a look at some of the legends of the business, including Joe Goldstein and the late Mike Cohen, along with current senior leaders like Roger Valdiserri and Mary Appel. Hopefully the passing of a legend like Goldstein will give those in and entering the business pause to see what they can learn and apply those lessons to their current work. They are lessons worth learning.

Local Sports Broadcast Cutbacks An Alarming Trend…Or A new Opprtunity For The Aggressive

January 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With budget cuts continuing in local news, the alarming trend of newscasts eliminating sports, or namely the sports personalities on air seems to be growing.  In Friday’s New York Daily News, Richard Huff took a look at some New York area cuts and raised the questions many news groups are asking…why do you need local sports when you have so many sports specific channels in most markets?  For those casual fans who rely on the news for their inoput of sports, and more importantly, for the local sports teams (and the brands that support them) the trend is an alarming one, but is also one that can reward the creative with the build up of other platforms and inhouse vehicles to communicate both to the core and casual fan.  It also could be the impetus for the creative to make sure, just like in print,  relationships to tell stories are also developed on the local news side as well as the sports side.  The justification out forth is actually one that existed at the birth of the local news show over thirty years ago.  Anyone can read scores into a teleprompter…what is needed is the journalist and the compelling story line that makes “news” out of the games…that delivers the personalities to the viewer in ways they don’t get just by watching a game.  Some say that the local sportscaster in major markets is aging, and with it comes a reticence to leave the studio and rely on all the inbound media that can be folded into a broadcast.  Part of that lies perhaps with the sports brands themselves, which have limited access and built an us vs them and reactive attitude toward the media in this 24/7 newscycle.  So the result could be less eyeballs seeing local stories, which leads to less brand exposure, which leads to diminished brand exposure, which could lead to less awareness, attendance and sales.  Now while that may seem to be an alarmist stretch, it should serve as a wakeup call for brands to embrace new technology and ways to deliver news to the fan, or even work with the local news outlets to find cost efficient ways to deliver news for events that may not make it to a satellite or landline.  The local sportscaster is where almost all of today’s sports broadcasting icons have started…hopefully by working together that next generation of multitaskers who cut their own tape, file online stories, blog additional news, followup leads, recieve solid pitches from publicists and then bring great stories to air will give rise to whomever is next.  In the quest for more access and delivering the local story, the fan and the brand should not be denied…even if the platform shifts.

Polo The New Frontier?

January 6, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we lose sports teams and large brands worry about the best way to get ROI, some potential opportunities always arise.  One of the more unique ones was pointed out in a detailed Reuters piece, which showed the value brands are getting and continue to get in Argentina…with the sport of polo.   Now it is obviously not a traditional play, especially in most areas of North America, but one would wonder if perhaps the economy downturn for the right brands could find a niche for polo in the right areas, with the right TV and digital component and with brands looking to attract the polo crowd and educate themselves on the tradition of a very traditional sport. The story points out the value brands get with associating with an elite niche sport that is carefully placed and marketed correctly to the right audience.  As the PBR makes its annual play into New York this week and shows how well it can activate and bring in the casual fan in the major market (again going up against the Giants playoffs for the second year in a row), one wonders if maybe with the right backing polo could make itself into a viable tour globally.  Out of every downturn comes opportunity, and who knows, but maybe pro polo could be one for certain brand activation.

Stuff Worth Reading or Sharing…’08

January 1, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We hope everyone has a happy New Year and finds the positives in ‘09 out of the turbulence of ‘08…the jobs that were lost at places like the IFL, EliteXC, the AFL, PR agencies, MISL, AAFL, open wheel racing consolidation, brands cutting back etc.  can hopefully be offset a bit by better quality freelance work, new media oppts., and by rewarding people for their diligence…the fact the amazing writers like Shaun Powell, Johnette Howard and George Solomon don’t yet have a place to ply their trade is alarming for those of us who like to read and appreciate the work of good journalists…since we know there are many young people who look at the site, attached are the links to two pages worth nothing, the compliation of some of the better and more informative sports and branding stories of ‘08, and some good books to read…hopefully you find them interesting and can share them with others looking to grow and be more informed…as always we are looking for more blog items and best practices, so send em along…my email remains fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com.  Happy 90th birthday to J.D. Salinger and thanks to all my friends who helped me through a very interesting, sometimes scary but very interesting ‘08.  I’m pretty excited about the challenges that lie ahead both personally and professionally, and as always if there is anything I can help you with…just ask

Staying Personally Relevant and Finding What’s Next

December 10, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We are going to take a brief departure from the best practices we have focused this blog on to take a look at the inevitable belt tightening and workforce reduction that has finally come to the sports industry, with the latest cuts being at the NFL, which announced a 150 person deduction in workforce today  and at mlb.com which laid off staff on Friday.  That doesn’t count the potential shuttering of the Rocky Mountain News, the Tribune Company’s bankruptcy,  the potential closing of the Miami Herald or Newsday cutbacks which caused the loss of great columnists like Shaun Powell and Johnette Howard.  As someone who was outfront in the layoff world when the IFL went under in early August, I understand the anxiety, the uncertainess and the worry that this does for those of us in an industry that many thought was recession-proof.  Therefore, from first hand experience, just some thoughts.

Global Branding: The Sun May Never Set on The Gillett Sports Empire…

November 5, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As his Liverpool club heads toward the top of the Barclay’s Premier League standings, owner George Gillett continues to be a prime example of how sports ownership and branding will look as we move to be more global in the 21st century.  Foxsports.com ran the AP article which spells out not Gillett’s views on why or how his partnership with American owner Tom Hicks has flourished in the EPL, but why his Canadiens team has rebranded itself and is working with the people and how he is even looking to MLS for Montreal and to India for other opportunities.  The piece gives a rare look into what will become a global branding strategy for many large owners going forward…finding the plumb property in one sport and then use that brand to connect with emerging sports and  brands in other sports to create cross-exposure.  In Gillett’s case the cross exposure goes EPL-NHL-MLB-to potentially cricket and MLS, and would give him a first-ever sports branding opportunity on three continents simultaneously.  Now has this been tried with marriages between big brands like the Yankees and Manchester United before?  Yes and it hs failed.  However starting with one mega-brand and connecting to rising brands makes more sense for long-term growth, and Gillett’s model may be one to follow.

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