PGA Tour

Matching The Brand And The Athlete Not A New Challenge…

August 19, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Recently writer Michael Sokolve had a piece in the New York Times about the issues today’s iconic athletes have from a public perspective. Sokolove’s argument is that today’s greatest on field athletes…Tiger Woods and LeBron James included…needed to tell the world themselves how great they were to build a public, and very lucrative persona.  The iconic athletes of the past, he argued, let their achievements and those around them judge success in the public sector, and the need for self-gratification on achievements was not needed.  While it is easy to make that assumption, it is hard to say how the elite athletes of the past would have adjusted to the media trends and demands of today, and conversely, how today’s elite athletes would have done with different, and sometimes less, pressures of past generations.

What Value Global Events? Ask Spain…

July 16, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

As the world moves on and experts look back on what value the World Cup brought to the African continent, perhaps they should look no further than the now reigning champion, Spain. Steadily over the last few years, the Spanish athletic programs across the board have transformed the Iberian Peninsula into a world power, whether that be in sports like golf and tennis or soccer and basketball.   Why?  Probably a number of factors but two of the most important are facilities and exposure, both of which are the fruits of Spain’s ability to host and then effectively leverage the World Cup and the Olympics.  Those two events ten years apart, World Cup in ‘82 and Olympics in ‘92, provided a platform to the world and to young athletes  on the benefits not just of top level competition, but also of they ways sport can be a social unifier.

Nike’s Buzz Rides The Tiger Wave…

April 10, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Years ago I heard author Stephen King speak at my alma mater, Fordham University.  He was asked, who does he write his books for.  His answer was simple…”I write for all those people who slow down on the road to look at accidents.” The goal, King said, was to appeal to some part of the curiosity in all of us, no matter how bizarre.  We all have a casual interest in the shock value…it creates water cooler talk, and leads to buzz, no matter how long or short.  It draws eyeballs and interest, and whether there is substance in the subject or not, it brings events, stories, even brands top of mind. Thought provoking, and appealing to a commonality no matter how bizarre, works.  It is why reality TV works, it is why certain “celebrities” bereft of any talent other than being strange or mean or bizarre, suddenly grab the international consciuousness.  In many ways, the provactive is what the Nike brand has been built on over the year.  It has always encouraged us to be different, to strive for success, to win, to just do it.  So it should come as really no surprise that this week Nike was first to the table and the airwaves with their support of Tiger Woods, and it should also have come really as no surprise that the brand rolled out a very provactive, very different spot using Woods and the voice of his late father Earl.  The result?  Exactly what the Nike brand would have wanted.  Great buzz not about Woods’ play or their support, but about the messaging and the positioning of the piece. Story after story, download after download, podcast after opinion, all talked about the ad.  Not about Woods’ play or recent trangressions.  They talked about the ad.  If Nike couldn’t get their support of Woods on the pristine green of Augusta, they could sure get it on the airwaves and online, and Nike, even as much as Woods comeback, became the story leading into the Masters.  That is what brands who are successful do so well.  They seize a moment and choose a positon that is just enough away from the norm as to generate buzz.  now whether that buzz is positive or negative sometimes doesn’t matter. If the product is quality, the casual fan will look to sample, and that consumer will make the decision if the steak is worth buying for the sizzle.

Candy is Dandy, But Liquor Is Now Quicker (For The Bottom Line)…

March 24, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 4 Comments 

In the boom years of sports spending, teams and broadcast officials held many big spending categories away from the “wholesome” image of sport.  While millions came in from beer, and prior to the pressure from government in the United States and elsewhere, big tobacco grabbed every position available, other industries with solid cash reserves and the ability to come up with unique marketing platforms were left off the air and out of the many arenas.  Condoms, hard liquor, even feminine hygene products were taboo for the sports world.  One well-documented battle even had the WTA Tour walking away from a multi-year deal with Tampax as a title sponsor because of the stigma and bad publicity it may bring, while liquor brands found ways to activate and engage fans offsite.

Woods Takes The Next Step, But The Biggest Brand Question For Golf Remains Unanswered…

February 20, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Friday Tiger Woods spoke…he controlled the message, he got his points out, he was serious and he addressed all the groups he needed to address in a statement. Another stage in the comeback is complete for him.  He did not have the long, drawn out presser with reporters, especially those who cover him in his sport, in the room and he avoided distractions and forced the media to cover just what he and his brand needed them to cover. he was true to what he has always done in the better of times, he controlled the message and the access.  Just as he would drive reporters to his website for comments and news, now he drove them to another ballroom in Ponte Vedra to listen while pool reporters asked a few questions to him and to his assembled group.

Sports Books Worth Reading And Giving From 2009

December 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

I will be the first to say I am not a strong critic, nor do I read every book out there. However I do read a great deal and try to figure out what are the books that teach me something, even of some of the most public of figures, that I didn’t know before and what can I take away from this that can apply to work, personal life or friends, colleagues or family. Also, what do I think are just really well written stories. So below I have highlighted a list of some of the books I have gotten to and enjoyed, and others may enjoy too. Some are on most people’s lists…some are a little more obscure, but all are well written and have great value. I also have to admit I have not read Bill Simmons’ book or Chris Ballard’s on the NBA, or the Agassi book or my friend Jon Wertheim’s book on tennis this year. That is my bad, but that’s what the holidays are for. These are also in no particular order, other than Marty Appel’s name started with A and thats the first one I thought of. Feel free to send along other suggestions to me at fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com

Getting Along and Working Together To Grow…South Florida Sets The Pace…

October 3, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The idea of teams in market working together has been a foreign idea for a long time. Most major market teams would rather act in a vacuum than share data, sponsors or branding opportunities, and often times attempts at shared events…especially on the community side…often ended up with arguments about top billing or conflicts of interest and ended creating more harm than good. However in recent years we have seen teams in market start to work together…the Blackhawks and the White Sox, the Indians and the Blue Jackets…to co-promote, co-market and co-brand. It is a smart thing to do…share expenses, approach brands as one, give added value to fans and partners and keep brand top of mind in the offseason. Now the South Florida sports community has taken that approach one step further, as Sarah Talalay reported in the Sun Sentinel this week. A number of teams and events are banding together to offer discounts, merchandise and special events to fans in the area, ranging from the Dolphins to golf and tennis events, a year-round, comprehensive offer for the fan. It helps move distressed inventory, creates a platform from which the teams and organizations can share data and gives each of the brands a little more shelf life when they are not in season. Could these lead to all the brands working together to find some common sponsors in categories and giving brands some added value? Could they tie in media and social networking platforms for off-season get-togethers? Could there be an outreach to travelers and other communities offering packages to multiple events for visitors to South Florida? How about even including arts programs and other areas where competition for the dollar is at a premium? Even better, maybe there could be education or community tie-ins across all the brands, or links out of market to other teams looking to run special promotions…maybe there is an Amtrak tie which connects teams in New York, Boston, Washington and Philly? It all makes great sense in these challenged times, and for even the most elite brands to worry about “damage by association” is just silly and shortsighted. Yes in good times maybe teams scale back offers, but by no means should partnerships be eliminated. This partnership and others around the country like it, is long overdue, and it is great to see the South Florida sports community leading the way with an idea that has applications in every level of sport where discretionary dollars are needed.

Loving The Comeback…Phelps, Watson, Armstrong…Even LeBron…

July 29, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One thing the American sports public loves, especially in challenged times, is the art of the comeback. Even the biggest star, once shown with feet of clay, somehow moves up the popularity and sympathy list, when he or she starts the road back or finally gets toppled. Like the evil Mafia dons turned benevolent dictators, we seem to soften images, and often times brands are there to take advantage of the return to popularity as the once iconic become iconic again. Now does it “just happen?” No. Obviously the commitment from the athlete has to be there, and there has to be a solid marketing plan behind the brand reinvention, but with the commitment from both the athletic side and the business side, the re-image can sometimes be more popular than the original. Three cases in point from recent weeks. First Tom Watson. His unlikely run at the British Open, one where Tiger Woods again slumped, helped re-engage fans in the possibilities of what-if, even when he fell off the lead on the final day. Watson’s partners, which included Adams Golf, had a nice bump, and eventhough TV numbers were not record, his unlikely run gave the event some sustainability and probably re-energized his brand for a slightly older demo, as well as connecting him to many newer golfers for the first time. Second, Lance Armstrong. Eventhough there was the public falling out over the final days with teammate and eventual winner Alberto Contador over the timing of the team Radio Shack announcement , Armstrong again went through an amazing brand re-invention during his amazing Tour de France run. He twitters, embraced fans, softened a once hard image, avoided the pratfalls of the doping world and connected with the fickle French fans like never before, giving the sport and his brand going forward another huge boost. Third Michael Phelps. With his marijuana episode in the rear view mirror, the folks at Octagon have repositioned Phelps as the athlete America loves while most of us are jumping again into summer swimming pools. Even better for the future of swimming, Phelps actually lost a race this week, to German Paul Biedermann,a swimmer using a soon-to-be-banned swimsuit, which sets him up for even more watercooler talk going forward. Last is LeBron James...although with little damage really, James NBA playoff antics, and the mystery of the dunk film from this summer, showed some chinks in the LeBron armor, just small ones, which probably made him just that more interesting at this stage of his career to draw in even the small group of casual fans who may not have been that interested in all his positive work over the last few years. Now where can these brand re-inventions go in the future? A lot of it is up to the athlete, but with Phelps already looking ahead to 2012 and Armstrong back on the top of his racing game, the different demos that they speak to and the brands they engage should have some nice pop. For Watson, it may be more quiet endorsements and speaking around his golf, but all will be positive in the slightly older demo he speaks to, and for LeBron…how high can one go? After all, the elusive NBA title still awaits, after his upcoming Nike-sponsored world tour. We do love the comeback.

Multiple Sports, Multiple Activation Platforms Highlight A Week Of Success For Sports…

July 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we head into mid-July, what has normally been a slow season for sports brand activation has unveiled a host of positive programs and good signs for sports on all levels. Starting with Mixed Martial Arts and the hundreds of brands and thousands of fans that have descended on Las Vegas for UFC 100 this weekend. The LA Times had a good look at the UFC’s success and its ability to build fans around the experiential platform that they have created and can execute for their followers, both on site and on pay per view. Great weekend for the UFC, which continues to be the only true national brand in the sport. Adding in the success that the World Series of Poker has sustained in Las Vegas over the last month, the City will enjoy a stretch of “new” sport excitement this weekend that will compare to and surpass any other July time frame. Then fans can look east to St Louis, where MLB has done an outstanding job of taking their partners and finding ways to create grassroots and charity activation programs in the community and on a national and international scale leading into All-Star weekend. Whether it is Bank of America working to give people access to tickets and Fan fest through their local branches or their Hit For Hunger campaign, or MasterCard’s Stand Up To Cancer platform, each brand is being integrated into programs that have both great exposure and tremendous giveback for the community. The women’s US Open in Pennsylvania also didn’t miss an opportunity to link their brands to charity ties in the area and expose their athletes to activation platforms both on site and prior to the event’s start, and NASCAR’s Thursday night special on CNBC gave fans and brands an hour of access to show how all is working in the world’s premier motorsports circuit, leading into a weekend which gives NASCAR some of its biggest major market exposure of the year, with the Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway. Now is all right in sports and brand activation these days? Obviously not…but as industry, from the down and dirty world of MMA to the established sports like baseball and golf, a look at the success of brands over a five day period shows that the business of sports is working hard to succeed in the slowest of times, which is a good sign for the future. While many businesses struggle to adapt, it seems like sports and the brands associated are working among the hardest to turn the corner quickly.

Are The Blackhawks The Model Franchise?

May 26, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This week in New York The Sports Business Journal will award it’s Sports Business Awards for 2008. The nominees in 15 categories are all more than deserving, and in many ways are very reflective of the leaders who will help innovate and lead the industry thro9ugh the continued tough times and into the future. Many on the list read like the usual Who’s Who, but as with many things SBJ does, there are a few surprises. One brand on the list few could have predicted less than two years ago falls under both executive and team of the year…The Chicago Blackhawks. Under the leadership of John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz, the franchise has become a model for outreach and innovation, with one of the best stories coming in Monday’s Chicago Tribune, which pointed out how the team has not only rebuilt its core base of hockey fans, but has cultivated new fans in both the female and African American communities. In a sport that sometimes struggles to grow outside its borders for the casual fan, the Blackhawks have gone above and beyond in customer service, brand building, community relations and communication to the media and to the fans that it is OK to check out hockey. Now of course winning helps, and the team started turning the corner just as the brand builders hot their stride, but in this economy, winning and giving a fans the reason to invest in both dark and bright days have to go hand in hand, and the Blackhawks played both sides of the brand development card to make sure that a storied but sullied franchise was returned very quickly to its rightful place among elite brands. There is a simple rule of effective communication…listen twice more than you speak. The Blackhawks new leadership listened to everyone…old and new fans, returning and emerging brands, league and television partners, grassroots and professional organizations…and have created a brand that may be the sports gold standard for years to come.

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