NHL

The UFC Looks To Reinvent…

September 2, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The smartest brands are always trying to reinvent themselves in the marketplace. In today’s economy staying fluid and satisfying your audience while looking to engage new partners or customers is key for success.  One brand which seems to constantly be looking for new is the UFC.

Devils Make The Right Moves For The Brand…

August 30, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Is there a professional team in the corridor from Philadelphia through Connecticut that has made more positive branding strides in the last year than the New Jersey Devils? While the Red Bulls make noise with a new stadium and Thierry Henry, the Nets constantly push for unique promotions and space during their transition, the Yankees make a huge splash with Hero Week and even Philly-area teams like the Union build fan support, the Devils continue to grow both on the ice and off, a combination which each of the others (well, except the Yanks of course) lack.

Why The Yanks Win With Hope Week…

August 21, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Yes they are the defending World Champions and as so have a responsibilty to give back to their fans year-round.  And from expansive foundations run by Mariano rivera, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Joe Girardi and many others, the New York Yankees do find ways to give back all year round, just like many teams on every level in every market. However what sets Hope Week apart for the Yankees is the expansive connections each and every member of the organization makes with so many different organizations during the busiest part of the season.  The plan, which ranges from visits to having various groups and organizations come to Yankee Stadium, takes every part of the organization and exposes the brand to a wide variety of stories that will have a cumulatiive ripple effect way beyond the initial meetings.  It is Community Relations and outreach to the max, and as a result garnered exposure not just locally but nationally, with a full-length feature on the Today Show on Friday.

The Latest Niche Sport Goes Down…RIP AVP

August 15, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Late Friday afternoon, after most of the business world was done for the August week, came the release that the AVP had closed its doors.  Despite the success of the Olympics, the marketability of its mature stars, the work of former head Leonard Armato and current head Jason Hodell to build interest and following as a lifestyle sport, the end came in mid-season.  It was not for a lack of committment by those running the business, or by its players or its fans.  The AVP had even scored a big victory in January by keeping beach volleyball as an NCAA sport, and a flood of new sponsors…KFC, Nivea…had come on in recent months.  So why did the AVP join the ranks of the AFL, the IFL, the MISL, the USL,  the AAFL and so many other niche leagues?  It is more a reflection of the continued issues in the economic climate which still has yet to recover.  If major sports that have massive audiences, long term media partners, and major brands behind them are struggling to find ROI, then the smaller guys are still the first and the easiest to go.  For all the spending that is done at the highest levels of sport…World Cup, NASCAR, the four major sports in the North America, and even now in MLS…the decision makers can still point to millions, not thousands, who will see the product and the brands that are associated with them. While it is true that there are smaller brands looking to activate against a core audience, you still need major exposure to generate the kind of revenue needed to support and sustain an organization for the long run.  The AVP was also burdened with the problem of facility…each week a new stadium had to be built and configured in a new site to make the sport run well.  It would be like moving a golf course or tennis courts from one place to the next each week.  very, very expensive and very cost prohibitive.

What’s New On The Isle…

July 20, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 5 Comments 

The New York Islanders have had their issues trying to build a new arena on Long Island, and continue to look to find unique ways to build brand and regain some of the poition in the New York hockey market that they enjoyed during their glory days.  That push is going to be made even more difficult by the on-ice and now-off ice promotion that the New Jersey Devils have been offering up to casual fans, and the always strong presence that the New York Rangers have always enjoyed. Still the Islanders own a very unique piece of fan real estate, the corridor from Queens east through Nassau and Suffolk counties, some of the most populous and affluent suburbs of any area.  So what is a team to do?

Landon The Brand…

July 1, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 3 Comments 

While France and Italy were wringing their hands and Nigeria was suspending their team for two years, the United States was moving on to figure out how to capitalize on the next step success that was realized in the World Cup.  Despite the loss to Ghana, more casual fans tuned in, logged on and talked about World Cup in the States than ever before, giving the sport a new opportunity in its growth at the professional level. So what’s next?  The NHL used the success of the Olympics to elevate it’s awareness for the rest of this past winter and spring, how can MLS and professional soccer in general do the same?

A “Saintly” Display Of Being A Public Trust…

June 10, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One of the toughest elements for a sports entity to maintain these days is the balance between being a multifaceted, revenue generating business and being a public trust, like other community institutions that evoke emotion, passion and support in addition to brining in dollars. The endless media presence, a never ending season, the transient nature of athletes have all contributed to the drive to having franchises be more big business and less part of the community as they were in earlier generations.  There is a need to find every way to engage partners and fans these days, and the balance between quality and quantity of brand positioning can sometimes get lost in the dollar search, especially when partners are under continuous pressure to justify their spends, and teams are under constant pressure to deliver more return for the dollars spent by fans. Now it is true that teams have realized this issue and have taken strides to restore community trust and interest, but the true integration into the community is still a very tough balance in these challenging times.

CHL, IHL Merger Makes Great Sense…

June 7, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

It wasn’t widely covered this week, but the merger between the CHL and the IHL to effectively create a joint program and a de-facto North American “AA” level of hockey was a very smart move and could be a very financially viable one for the minor league clubs at that level in the sport.  In reality baseball is the only sport that has figured out a business model that makes business sense for a viable minor league system.  The NBA has made strides with the D-League but it is nowehre near successful from a financial standpoint yet.  The NFL attempts have been less than fruitful (thank you college football) and the overtures the UFL have made now appear dead. Hockey does  OK in some markets in fits and spurts, but it is not the social sport for the casual fan that minor league baseball is, and the higher overhead combined with limited interest has slowed growth. There is also the alphabet soup of leagies and affiliations with no real centralized plan.  Last week’s announcement, to help in effect create one combined strong minor super league…connected but limited in travel costs…may help to finally right the system for hockey, and in many ways help to alleviate costs from the top of the NHL on down.

A Hall of Fame Marketing and Branding Effort Grows…

May 25, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Of all the “Halls of Fame” for sport, baseball is arguably the most well-known and perhaps the most remote.  The village of Cooperstown, New York doesn’t have the benefit of a cosmopolitan city like Toronto (as does hockey)  or Charlotte (as does NASCAR) or a major artery running through it (as does Basketball) or a thriving resort city (as does tennis). Even football, in Canton, Ohio, has more than a few cities in the general vacinity.  Yet baseball continues to grow and thrive and find new ways to expand its brand well beyond its walls and as a destination for all things baseball.  All summer the Hall of Fame has worked to create well orchastrated programs that will bring youth and senior events not just to the Hall, but to play on legendary Doubleday Field. The Hall takes a proactive approach in creating programs that touch every aspect of the baseball, not just as a sport but as a historic and thriving lifestyle activity.  In recent years it has taken on a roadshow with museums around the country, and hosts Hall-related events in many key cities to bring the building and the history of the sport to life for people who may not make it to upstate New York.  They have also started series’ of activities that connect popular culture and the Hall together, whether they are film festivals or book readings, all to make sure that the message of the Hall as a cultural phenomenon is conveyed to both the casual fan and the traveller.

The Beard-A-Thon Keeps Growing For The NHL…

April 30, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

It may not work at Yankee Stadium, where rules against facial hair are still in place a bit, but in the NHL, the second year of Beard-A-Thon continues to be one of the most unique fan engagement actoivation events in any sport.  The brainchild of East Aurora, New York based Cenergy, Beard-A-Thon encourages fans (mostly male we hope) fans in each NHL playoff city to not shave during their team’s playoff run.  Fans who don’t shave are encouraged to find pledge support, with monies going to local charities.  The idea started last season, with over $350,000 dollars going to local charities. Through round one of this year’s playoffs, with an ample ramp up and brand familiarity amongst many fans, over $200,000 has already gone in, with the Pittsburgh Penguins leading the way thus far.

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