The Quick On Vick…

August 18, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As the endless stops and starts go along with Michael Vick, the two points that will matter to brands around the team and to fans who put down the cash for tickets and product are simple…will he continue to show remorse and work to improve his image and will he help the Eagles be a better team on the field and a better brand off it. Once again its way early to answer number two, but number one appears to have answered many of the questions to this point. Kevin Sullivan had a solid review of Vick’s “60 Minutes” piece on yahoo sports today showing that the athlete is taking all of this very seriously and is taking the time to listen and think about answers before letting them fly. Well dressed, well spoken, never caught off guard and he said all the right things. On the Eagles side, the press conference and all the actions since have shown unity to date. Owner Jeffrey Lurie, president Joe Banner, coach Andy Reid and all the players have pulled from the same playbook, speaking the same lines and acting in unison with support. There has been no split in ranks, all are well rehearsed and all are speaking the language of redemption at this point, a steady message which speaks to all listening that they are willing to give this athlete and this person a second chance, dog lovers and all. The most interesting question has been posed by Bob Ford of the Inquirer, which is why? Do the Eagles need the distraction or the test of talent to get them to the next level, and will it be worth it when every misstep is taken to a new level of scrutiny, even when the protests come. From an onfield brand standpoint that remains an interesting question. On the business side the first news cycle appears to be a positive and well communicated one, with some question remaining as to if and when Eagles top sponsors were pulled into the mix. However with no mass exodus on any front, the court of public opinion, at least for the first few days, appears to be leaning in the Eagles favor. There is also the notion, as was the case with some of the recent steroid revelations in baseball, that fans have almost become immune to scandal at this point. The Vick case has been well played out and even the casual observer now understands the plus and minuses, so how long will the controversy actually last? One news cycle over…another coming up, and a trip to New york looming for an exhibition game at the end of the month. The Eagles staff has now been through TO, problems with Donovan McNabb, the offfield issues with Andy Reid’s family and the tragedy of losing a top coach to cancer only a few weeks ago. Plus they have the comfort zone of the media controlled environment of the NFL, a plus that no other sport has. So can it play out quickly? No. Will there be brand damage? Not yet. Now if they can only execute on the field as they have executed off thus far.

Tennis Continues To Have An Empty Cup…While WTT Scores Locally.

July 14, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Coming off of an epic Wimbledon for the second year in a row, it would seem that tennis, with all its global promotional arms, the power of the USTA and the other three Grand Slams, and some strong personalities would be poised to make a strong followup showing leading into the US Open Series. After all, this past week had the best team-based tennis event in the world…one that showed that the sport could be played not just as individuals or even as doubles partners, but in an event that fans could understand and experience and that each match would count for toward a season long finale, just like other sports. Yes that team format did deliver with some fun matches, a great digital play, a good experience on site for all and even some amazing press coverage. The only problem for the sport is the team format that got the exposure last week was Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss long-running World Team Tennis entry, as opposed to the often-maligned and much forgotten Davis Cup brand. Here’s a look at both in the week that was. Once again Davis Cup, arguably one of the best on site experiences in sport, got lost again in the scheduling shuffle. The week fell after Wimbledon and at the same time as the women’s US Open, the NASCAR Chicagoland Sprint Cup Series, the run-up to the baseball All-Star game, UFC 100 and even the World Series of Poker. Add in that top American Andy Roddick couldn’t play because of injury and the limitations on travel budgets for most mainstream media, and the Davis Cup as a brand was lost in the shuffle on almost all points. Making things worse is the continued confusing schedule and the lack of any major brand activation in the early rounds and one of the best events in all of sport virtually disappeared. Now juxtapose that with WTT, which grabbed some great coverage in USA Today and the Washington Post (their Washington franchise was home last weekend), tied in charity events with some name players, and found enough squeaky wheels (Murphy Jensen) to effectively use social media to also drive some interest. Given a brands’ ROI, those aligned with WTT easily got more short term and lower cost exposure than those associated with the higher profile Davis Cup event for the week. Can Davis Cup ever go through a brand restoration? Tough to do unless the oft-talked about format change happens. If not, one of the legendary team sports could continue to fall behind a slightly slicker and more efficient cousin run by a legend who know how to make the game fun for new generations.