Through All Of The Hype, Even Reaching The Youngest Active Demo Still Needs The Right Mix…

July 9, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One of the most elusive searches for traditional sports and entertainment properties is the quest to get younger…to identify with and activate against that very active audience that may have already grown tired of the traditional and looks elsewhere for its thrills. For an audience more interested in the half pipe and BMX than baseball or football, the ways for brands to reach them have changed in some ways, but in many ways remain the same. For all the social media activation, the core decision makers and those brands still need live events and television to complete the package, even if the potential audience (and the numbers that go with it) may show that those participating would rather be out doing than sitting inside and watching. The video game insertion play has made sense for some brands, and this week Doritos unveiled an “interactive bag” which, when combined with an online program, gives you new ways to watch a concert by Blink 182 (which means an adaptation to sports probably isn’t far away). So if the TV numbers are slight, and the live events are primarily freebies in terms of gate, what is the area where brands can get their activation profit bang? This week’s Bergen Record had a big piece on retail and the products the ways marketers are hitting their goals through promotion, using TV and the event costs as loss leaders to promote that will lead to product sale. In many ways this is the classic play that boxing, wrestling and most recently MMA have drawn their large numbers, although the goal was a pay per view event vs. moving product. You use the TV as the promotion to draw fans and lead them to the place where they will spend money…in this case retail. Thus far the brand loyalty for this group…similar to NASCAR…lies in the product first and the event second, with TV and digital a very distant third. The irony in that sequence is that the older marketing cognoscenti still scramble to figure out and throw money at, all the social media bells and whistles, sometimes at the expense of the traditional.

Fragmentation In Niche Sports Proves To Be A Killer…

July 3, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Speaking with one voice, whether it is to a business partner, the media, or to fans is always important, especially in the alphabet soup of niche or second tier sports. With the limited dollars and eyeballs available for the casual fan, splitting the marketplace with alphabet soup of organizations usually leads to confusion and can ultimately drive partners on to a platform which is much more simple to understand. The latest example of split markets being a killer is in indoor soccer, which despite the huge success the outdoor game is seeing in the US, just fell further off the roadmap this week. Last year the Indoor game split into two “leagues,” both of which struggled for any kind of existence in far-off marketplaces, and despite the local success of teams like the Milwaukee Wave and the New Jersey Ironmen (who were in two different leagues by the way) the sport is on the verge of extinction. Another sport teetering but doing better with some unity is lacrosse, where the National Lacrosse League extended commissioner George Daniel this week, sending a positive message to all involved. Still, lacrosse, indoor and outdoor, needs to be presented as one platform to be an effective tool, but at least in their case the sport has a platform of success to build on. Indoor soccer has hurt itself with divergent forces for the indoor game, forces which told the sports world they were too fragmented to present a unified front, and in the end, all suffered. Would having one unified league have worked? Perhaps. But with the alphabet soup presented last winter to fans, media partners and business partners there was no chance of survival in an already tight marketplace. Hopefully the indoor game can be resurrected and lifted by the continued success of the outdoor product, but with too many cooks it will be next to impossible to deliver.

Twittering From The Blue Field…Boise State Gets Aggressive With Social Media Marketing…

May 13, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The have had proposals on air, the signature blue field, amazing comebacks and challenges to the BCS…now Boise State is looking to use aggressive social media tactics to grow its brands and expose its athletes to the widest grassroots audience possible in an attempt to market outside its nice audience. The Broncos plans for the summer were discussed in detail in this weekend’s Idaho Statesman, and though not unique as one off’s. they show a solid unified plan for a midmajor school looking to invest in its brand and get exposure where traditional media is limited. While a number of major schools have used twitter and Facebook and YouTube to push ticketing campaigns, most midmajors thus far have not made the investment across all the low cost mediums to tell their stories positively. Therefore the Broncos outreach is a smart one, and if they develop athletes who can compete for national awards like the Heisman, the grassroots base that they are building will give them a leg up. It is more than “cool” or niche for a school like Boise State. It is the right way to begin integrating with limited media coverage to sell product, tell the story of the school, and get recognition. Could it lead to added sponsor dollars? Maybe, but tough without all the marketing dollars and eyeballs that traditional media brings. However it is a low cost, calculated approach to go right to the core audience and show the right demo you understand how to get to them on all platforms. Good lesson to be learned and hopefully carried out over an extended period. Points for the Broncos.

Oscar, Do Hairdressers Have A Sport?

January 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

So it was asked by Felix Unger to his pal Oscar Madison in the great show The Odd Couple, when Osc told Feel he had to go to Canada to cover curling.  So the late Tony Randall would be proud of his character asking the question and then picking up the papers today to see how the sport of curling is working to attract new fans to the nichest of the niche.  First came a great story in today’s Denver Post on the auction going on to have ones face put on the championship curling stone…that was followed by an extensive feature in the New York Times on the USA Curling-Brazilian Curling matchup, and its history.  Both are prime examples of a sport trying to seize its moment in the sun…becoming creative, finding a story and the right outlet and then delivering the message.  Even if it doesn’t bring one long-term eyeball to the sport, the internal and external messaging, not to mention the fact that the casual sports fan even hears about curling…is invaluable.  Nice string of messages, well placed and well timed, even in the Super Bowl crunch.

Nets, Blues Both Try and Fill Seats By Reaching To Those Struggling With The Economy

November 12, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

While the Red Sox today announced a ticket freeze, both the Nets and the Blues have looked to those in job and financial difficulty this past week to try and find a promotion that gets buzz, puts butts in seats and maybe, just maybe, brightens the outlook of those casual fans struggling with the current times.  Dave Waldstein in the Newark Star-Ledger touches on both promos, with the Nets looking to exchange tickets for those supplying a resume to a job bank they have created,  while the Blues go one further by actually offering up financial assistance for those in home owner hell on select Saturday nights through a lottery.  Both obviously got some buzz and show that the teams are reacting to the needs of the fans and the economy  (and they both have a need to fill distressed inventory), but the Blues program really hits home for those who have trouble paying bills.  The Nets program is also a good one, although it really isn’t too far away from the “job night” programs many teams already do.  Still, both teams got their brand closer to the casual fan, which may lead to both more social responsibility and fan loyalty going forward. 

Another Major Record In A Minor League Town…

August 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Once again we have to credit  Ben Hill of milb.com for finding the unusual both on and off the field as minor league baseball teams hit the dog days of summer and search for ways to get exposure and lure fans.  This time he found the Class A Midwest league Kane County Cougars, who attempted and succeeded to break the record for the world’s largest pillow fight.  The event had over 3,500 participants, tied in a local bedding company, got the kids involved in a fun activity and extended the night for concessions and media coverage.  Nice idea, well planned and self sufficient with little to no overhead.   Once again could this be done at a higher level of play?  Our guess is the liability factor alone could be a deal killer, but for the lower minor leagues its a home run. 

Spinning The Trade: Manny To LA…

August 2, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The 24/7 news cycle now, especially around major dates on the team sports calendar (the drafts, trade deadlines etc.), continues to explode the feeding frenzy for news and up to the second information, factual or not.  However even with all the access to information and creation of rumor, in team sports the simple fact remains that a trade is not a trade until both sides, the leagues and all parties involved, agree.  Rumors are great on those crucial days for brand awareness and buzz, and they build interest, but until the pros consumate the deal that is all they are.  After the deadlines pass, we move on as fans and those involved in the business, trying to put the best face on whatever side we are on, or speculate on what was best that did not happen.  However in baseball this past week, with a good core of marketable stars moving to major markets, the spin cycle on both sides of the moves has been interesting to watch.  First on the brand side, the dollar investment that goes into changing campaign and brand elements for teams like the Detroit Tigers (moving Pudge Rodriguez to the Yanks) and the Boston Red Sox (moving Manny Ramirez) is very high.  Even ESPN had to kill a series of Manny commericials that had yet to be aired, and the changing out of highlight films to community events to promotional campaigns means a great deal of extra work and clear communication to partners.  The move of Ramirez, clearly wanting out of Boston, to a major market like LA, where the team has taken some heat over ownership’s perceived lack of financial committment to go get more stars to win, is a great example of two big markets spinning against each other.  Veteran writer Charlie Pierce had a great piece on slate.com that goes into details about how the Sox uniformly explained the benefit of moving Ramirez, and how local media came out in a pack against the Red Sox star, while Saturday’s LA Times goes into great detail on all the pomp and circumstance the Dodgers rolled out for Ramirez as a conquering hero, especially in a market where the Dodgers are trying to court the Hispanic fan. Ironically the spin master for the Dodgers, Dr. Charles Sternberg, was brought in from the Red Sox to help reshape the team image, so it will be interesting to see where both sides net out.  The bottom line in cases like this is that good effective communication can make the upside a little sweeter and take a little of the sting out of a bitter side, especially in the first news cycle.  Both sides in this case appear to have done a good job…the Sox have uniformly positioned this trade as building team unity, while the Dodgers have shown they are willing to take chances to win now.  Who gets the better of this in the end is very simple…it is a results-based business.  If the Dodgers move on to success and the Red Sox falter, the spin will go one way.  If Ramirez crushes team unity in LA, the Dodgers have a mess. Either way, both sides played the spin game correctly to start.   

The Player Blog…some good ones

August 1, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

I spent the last few days in various places with my colleague Josh Rockoff of Strike Interactive and the two topics that came up frequently were the growth of online gaming and the value of athlete websites, or with the second topic, the problems therein.  While most athletes, like most brands, feel that the outreach to the fan or the building of one’s own “brand” is essential, there are few that actually do it right.  One reson is the limit of an athletes time to come up with compelling content on a regular and consitent basis.  The other is that many times the sites are manned by others “ghosting” for the players, and the sites often come across as contrived with little insight into the athlete.  That is what the fan wants…not the happy go lucky thoughts of the athlete…the insight into what makes up the person, the slice of life of training camp or behind the scenes that gives the athlete character.  Does it have to be controversial?  No.  Is it always compelling?  No.  But thoughts of what goes on inside the clubhouse or the mind of the athlete…or what the athlete does away from the field…makes him or her more marketable, more interesting and easier to like and understand during the lean times.  Some blogs…like the Washington Wizards’ Etan Thomas’ blog on Huffington Post last year…were great.  But for whatever reason they suddenly stopped.  Same with Diana Taurasi’s blog…great insight into the WNBA and the famale athlete and then nothing.  Are some athletes paid to blog?  Sometimes, especially by the more commercial sites.  However the commitment to be consistent and work with someone to give the fans insight takes time and dedication but a precious few athletes…but those athletes will reap off field dividends in the long run.  Five blogs worth checking out…in baseball, Curt Schilling’s blog, even in an injury riddled year, gives fans insight of both on and off the field…another baseball blog worth reading on espn.com is the Tigers Curtis Granderson (will be interested in seeing the take on yesterday’s trade), while Donovan McNabb’s posts from training camp are also pretty good…the best remains Gilbert Arena’s blog on nba.com…even in the offseason he keeps the fans engaged with his offcourt happenings and otjher thoughts both in and out of basketball…especially for those rising athletes or those schools or smaller market teams looking to get more digital exposure, identifying athletes and coaches and helping push their personalities through the blog or simple websites remains a great opportunity to grow marketshare and bring in some extra dollars while identifying with a very hungry fan base…a little effort can reap a lot of benefit. 

Avery Strikes A Pose…Geico Patches Things Up

June 27, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: Knowing the athlete for any team, league or brand takes time.  It takes time to know to both ask the right questions and listen to what they are saying to correctly build a strategy that makes sense for a unique pitch to work.  The New York Rangers hit on a great one that has now come full circle, by listening and then using the correct resources available to place and then merchandise NHL star Sean Avery…as a summer intern at Men’s Vogue Magazine.  The story has had legs for several months, and even developed a little controversial spin when Avery was hurt during the playoffs, but the piece that ran in this month’s issue was a classic case of taking the time to know and understand a player, and take some comments that he had made and grow it into a long lead, well thought out, well delivered PR push that extended the Rangers brand well past the NHL Finals.  The piece is also great because it takes an NHL tough guy and put him in a very different light, talking about style and fashion and future plans in a way few male athletes ever do.  The whole campaign was a  textbook example of what you can do with a little imagination, a good ear, a knowledge of the athlete and the time to plan and execute  an opportunity off the playing field.

Finding A Way To Have Fun…Zach Feinstein Tries To Get Drafted…and “Big Poppy” Night in Lancaster

May 7, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It seems fitting that the day after the Lakers Kobe Bryant grabs a much-deserved NBA MVP award in what has been a fantastic run for the NBA this year, that we find the story of someone who found a loophole to try and have some fun and build a little name for himself heading into the NBA Draft.  Far from the Kevin Love’s and the O.J. Mayo’s is Zach Feinstein, who like any entreprenurial college student, took the time to do his research, build his case and find a way to carve himself a little brand niche out of literally nothing by applying (and being accepted to the eligible list) for the 2008 NBA Draft.  Zach has built a website  , is enlisting support through his “stats,” video and the fast moving digital space, to see if a team will give him a shot.  Problem is Zach has never played basketball at any level, and is actually a junior majoring in applied mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis.  Zach’s pitch is offbeat enough to get him some exposure and smart enough to make a little bit of a mockery of the Draft application system, which will surely have safeguards to prevent listing names of those who just go through the process in the future.  Still for someone looking to grab his five to 15 minutes of fame, Zach deserves some credit for getting exposure and building a small brand where many haven’t been able to succeed with legitimate athletes and products.  Nice lighthearted try.

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