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?

Kobe vs. LeBron…or Dwight…Digital Immediacy Gives Brands Flexibility Like Never Before…

May 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It used to be that media plans, carefully crafted and built over time, could be gone in a heartbeat if an entertainer bombed or ran afowl of the law, or an athlete was injured or failed to live up to expectations. The classic story has always been the Dave vs. Dave decathlon battle leading to the Olympics that never materialized because of injuries and underperformance. Even three years ago, Amex’s “Andys Mojo” campaign built around Andy Roddick for the US Open, flamed out when Roddick when down too early in the tournament, and there are countless stories of teams pulling down billlboards after early season trades or problems. However today’s digitial opportunities gives media and brand at least more flexibility than before. Even the LA Dodgers “Mannywood” issues could have been much more costly in years gone by if the team did not have the ability to adjust on the fly. Was it somewhat costly? Yes. But not to the extent of other years, where billboards, ads, and other pieces could not be swapped out digitally. Even media guides, once a massive spend to store and print, are now being updated and adjusted more on CD and online, saving time and money. Latest case in point on this issue are the brands that have spent and built toward the NBA Finals and a potential Kobe vs. LeBron mega-final. Jeremy Mullman in Ad Age on Friday had a good piece pointing out potential pratfalls for brands building who have built NBA campaigns and are not part of the the matchup, especially adidas and Gatorade, while Darren Rovell had a good piece earlier in the week about Vitamin Water and their ability to adjust by also having an underused Dwight Howard in their stable of athletes. Both give great insight into the gamble of aligning with one particular athlete or entertainer vs. overall partnerships. However both also show savvy brands that can now adjust in a digital environ and deliver impactful messaging around an event like the NBA Finals by delivering right to the consumer online and with social media, and even some guerilla branding if needed. Just a few years ago, none of that would have been possible and the brand damage could have been massive. Now the ability to adjust on the fly is both creative and a time saver and provides flexibility in messaging that few could have predicted. Picking the right spokespeople is always important…being able to adjust in times of crisis is even more important, and the media environ now provides that opportunity.

Gillette, KFC Continue To Use Gaming And Star Power To Brand With Young Consumers

October 30, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Two brands that continue to find ways to activate with a young audience by combining gaming with star power are Gillette and KFC.  Media Post continues to follow Gillette’s EA Sports Champions of Gaming contest, the “largest multisport on line gaming tournament” (a great new category spin) where XBox Live players compete on a series of games online against each other to determine who is the Gillette Grand Champion of Gaming” in each of the games.  The finals in Orlando will take the online experience from virtual to real, pitting the champion against the athlete featured in the game…Tiger Woods for example…in an online head to head competition.  It is a great way to tie in Gillette celebrity endorsers with the avid gamer, two worlds which don’t normally intersect.  A similar play, although in the entertainment space, is being offered up by KFC as they look to grab that young male demo.  Their involvement involves a cash payoff with the game of Guitar Hero, looking for gamers who can match skills with professional guitarists and earning a cash payoff.  Both brands need the consumer space of gamers to grow, and by speaking to a direct activation that is both online and real, with the heros or stars of the genre or sport, is a great way to mesh both worlds and score big branding points.

Tracking Awareness For Brand Success In The Concrete Jungle…

May 30, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  With the landscape always crowded in a major market like New York, finding a spot for niche sports to break through and grab recognition is always very challenging, and we have documented a series of successes and some failures since we started the blog in November.  The latest success surfaced in the last few days, as the Reebok Track and Field Championships looked for  angles to not just promote athletes but also drive interest in event attendance in a sport that has faded from the lexicon, even with the Olympics on the horizon.  The promoters took a world class story with both political and athletic overtones, the presence of Chinese Olympian Liu Xiang, and put him on a perfect weather day on top of the Empire State Building for a presser that combined all the elements of the city, the Olympics and the political issues and the event this weekend.  The move gave journalists, the event and the sponsors much more than a tired press event.  The result built good will for all involved and created an unmistakable photo op for NYC Tourism in addition to the event…Rich Deitsch’s piece on si.com probably summed up the success of the event best.  Great non traditional exposure, great way to spin the tried and true and take it to another level.   

Politics Playing Sports…Will Barack’s Heisman Pose Resonate In Votes…

February 26, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Not that we think there is a direct corrolation, but Barack Obama’s rise at the start of primary season did coincide with the great piece Scott Price did in Sports Illustrated when he shot hoops with the senator.  Last week on a visit to Austin in advance of the Texas Primary, the Senator took a trip to visit with University of Texas athletes and pose with Earl Campbell’s Heisman trophy.  We wondered at the time when other candidates would look to the sports PR opportunity along the way, and thus far we have yet to see the shots.  The correlation between votes and the sports shot may not be overt, but it certainly can’t hurt, and it would not be surprising to see Senator Clinton or Senator McCain or Senator Obama finding his way into a NASCAR pit, or hovering around baseball opening day or maybe The Final Four in the coming months.  Maybe, just maybe, the political opposite of the SI cover jinx is appearing in a piece on the LAST page of SI.  Time will tell, but we do know that the demo the pols are trying to court loves their sports, and to be a “sports guy” in this hypercompetitive race is not a bad thing.