College Baseball Opening Day…Missed Branding Opportunity?

February 21, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

I will start this off by saying this was not my idea today, but it is a good one I had wondered about for a while. It is Vince Wladika, former head of PR for Fox and now a consultant with a number of solid clients, and a college baseball nut. Friday, according to the site http://www.d1baseball.com/ is the official “unofficial” start of the college baseball season in America. No less than 75 games are played across the South and the West, with many involving teams from the Northeast and the Midwest on Neutral sites or in tournaments. No less than 15 of the top 20 will be in action, and it is a great day to watch live baseball, after the Caribbean Series ends and before spring training games begin. A perfect opportunity to bridge college athletics and baseball on a weekend with little to no competition. Yet there is not one college game on TV…no branding by the NCAA, no USA Today preview, no sponsor-generated branding program before spring break that can touch on the hundreds of athletes from no less than 20 countries playing today and over the weekend. Although it is not a money maker in most places, college baseball still remains one of the better activation points on the digital and athlete side in sports. It has a four month season, embraces a game that most sports fans in North America can identify with and usually has a host of throwback athletes with great stories. Now the weather issue is an obvious problem, but if a Nike’s Phil Knight could make an investment to bring back the Oregon program this year, why wouldn’t other innovative brands look to at least build out opening baseball weekend as a stand alone kickoff to all things about the National Pastime? Good question, good innovative opportunity yet to be answered…and a good point out by Vince.

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.

Tennis Is A Beach…And The USTA Starts The Open Season.

June 12, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With summer like weather in most of the Northeastern USA this week, we had to throw some attention to one of those niche sports that is gaining marketshare through some solid PR and grassroots work…Beach Tennis USA.  What started as an offbeat idea has gained solid groundswell support both on the branding and the participation side, grabbing coverage in publications like USA Today, The New York Times,  and  Entrepreneur Magazine and regional coverage of athletes and the sport in places like Tampa and other cities where events are held.  By creating a niche for the growing number of tennis players at low cost and combining with the fun atmosphere of the beach, Beach Tennis has found ways to gain sponsors, get media coverage and take a game that has struggled with a younger demo and make it more appealing.  Will it ever challenge traditional tennis or even well established beach sports like the AVP Crocs Tour?  No, but it doesen’t have to.  As a hybrid and a niche for the casual fan, it has all the elements, including cost containment, to make the branding story an effective one.