The Sports Branding World Continues To Shrink…

November 18, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With every passing week the global transparency of sports events continues to grow. Whether it is high school hoops stars looking to build their brand and their game going to Israel, Emirates Airways using the Breeder’s Cup in Los Angeles as a prime global marketing tool or more Chinese brands signing endorsements to promote brands never seen before in the United States, the sports and entertainment world continues to contract in distance and expand in potential opportunities.

Brand Agassi Has Tremendous Value For A Different Generation

November 9, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

He came of age with the “Image Is Everything Campaign” eventhough his best tennis was years ahead. He came back from the bottom to be a successful professional, and even without a formal education made education is legacy in his hometown. Yes now that Andre Agassi writes an honest accounting of his life and career, a life which not many people on the inside would dispute as being controversial, many tennis lifers have seen to push his accounts to the side and shame him. Shame Agassi? Shame on them. In reality, Andre Agassi’s brand should be stronger today that at almost any point in his Hall of Fame tennis career. He is a role model for the serial athlete and has emerged as being sincere and creating life changing experiences for a new generation of children, not serial athletes. What the Agassi brand stands for today is what most successful people should aspire to…admitting ones flaws and looking to make the lives of those around you better with the success you have had. Agassi admitted drug use. Given the culture of athletics in the ’80’s…a time pre WADA and all glamour? Would that be surprising, especially for a rock and roll lifestyle that individual sports like golf or tennis lead professionals to? Not at all. As a matter of fact, most who followed Agassi’s career at that stage would probably not have been surprised at that time about the usage. What the Agassi brand should be remembered for and what it could be going forward is for resilience. A resilience and rededication to a career and a spirit to sincerely give back that is not just rare in athletes, it is rare in most high net worth individuals. Now one can be assured that Andre Agassi does not need more endorsement dollars, nor would he probably court the spotlight. However if there are brands looking for a role model for where America is today…a country on the rebound and dedicated to growing a generation, one may not look farther that Andre Agassi. He reinvented a career and a life and has come out as a man that not just had a Hall of Fame athletic career, but may be in a philanthropic Hall of fame at some point as well. Not a bad role model for today’s challenged times.

Jockey Promo Good Horse Sense For The Belmont…

June 6, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The drama of horse racing has always been well…on the horses. Rachel Alexandra’s Derby win was the cover of Sports Illustrated and spark a host of stories about what is good in sports. Last year Big Brown’s almost Triple Crown gave UPS a new marketing platform for over a month and the drama of Barbaro and Smarty Jones in past year’s has always been good theater and a boon to ratings. Sp this year the Belmont Stakes is challenged to draw eyes and attendance, with not just a challenged field and no real favorite but a switch from the promotion-driven NBC to the one-off coverage of ABC for the Triple Crown Series. The switch in best years would create some brand confusion, but without the hype of a horse looking to win the three races, what’s the casual fan to look for? Enter the jockeys. Long undervalued as a property because of language issues, the transient nature of the sport and the focus on the horses and even the trainers, the smart folks promoting the race have turned the focus to tell the story of those who ride as opposed to those they are riding, especially because of the fact that the potential jockey Triple Crown…for jockey Calvin Borel...is a real and rare opportunity with three different horses. This past year Animal Planet did a very compelling reality show on jockeys and the lives they lead, which led to more focus on the potential upside of sharing their very human stories with the casual fan, and Borel’s Saturday success could lead to even more opportunities for the jockeys both in promotion and publicity. Now will brands rush to create jockey sweepstakes or Twittering from aboard a horse? Not yet but who knows. Regardless the push by ABC and the Belmont to take a twist and focus not just on the horse but on the human element of the race should help draw more interest in what could have been a very quiet finish to the Triple Crown series.

Racing’s Biggest Day Tries To Breed A Brand

October 26, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is the largest purse in sports, but most casual sports fans when asked about horse racing know only the Triple Crown, and then only in a year when horses like Big Brown take the sportlight in the spring.  So into that issue steps the Breeder’s Cup, which for 25 years has had the opportunity to try and distinguish itself in a crowded fall sports calendar and without a home.  The matchup between Big Brown and Curlin would have brought more eyeballs and attention, but Big Brown’s injury a few weeks ago ended that drama, and Curlin’s upset loss Saturday put even more of a damper on the drama,  yet by finding new partners and ways to extend the brand outside of the two day event, the Breeder’s Cup did make considerable strides in growing its presence this year and looking to the future.  By building out more promotable events, strategically looking for “dark” periods to make announcements about drug testing, future venues, and the depth of field, and educating the public on the value and spectacle of the event over a period of month’s not weeks, the marketers have been able to extend the interest window internationally, regradless of the on track performances.  Now do you need buzz with the bets horses running?  Of course that helps.  But in planning and mapping and finding news, The Breeder’s Cup this year made some great strides, and has really positioned itself better for its next 25 years as a brand.  

Becks Back To Europe…Good Or Bad For Soccer In The US

October 23, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As David Beckham’s management team ponders a temporary or permant shift back to Europe…this time for AC Milan…the LA Times has a piece on the value that he has brought to the Galaxy and whether or not its time for the legendary star to go back overseas.  The piece raises lots of questions about what Beckham actually brought to the sport in this country and did the lack of success hinder progress for the franchise or MLS.  There is no doubt that Beckham made a splash for soccer for the short term in this country that got MLS water cooler talk they would never have gotten last year otherwise.  It brought people to stadiums, moved the league off the sports pages and hopefully continued the gradual awareness or conversion for the sport in this country.  The problem is in this 24/7 world people look for the quick fix, and the staff at MLS and Soccer United Marketing have spent years slowly building and nuturing a brand to avoid the quick splash and flameout that has followed so many spectacles in sports and entertainment (read the MMA piece below).  Was the Beckham situation…an aging star with lots of masters to serve…the best for MLS?  No.  It would be much better to get…aka pay for…a young star to grow, and those things are slowly happening.  But to deny that Beckham’s presence moved MLS up the latter, broiught in much needed funds and media exposure would be silly, and hopefully there were thouands of kids exposed to him and the MLS brand that may not have gone to a match before who now have a better affinity to the pro game…almost as much as they have to playing soccer in local towns nationwide.

Breeders Cup Takes The Lead In Racing Proactivity…

August 3, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

For the second Friday in a row the sports world had substantial off-field news thrust out…last week it was the unexpected resignation of AFL Commissioner David Baker and this week came the late Friday announcement that the Breeders Cup has banned steroids from all its races, again taking a stronger leadership role in horse racing.  While the timing for both announcements was dictated by the fear of rumors getting out following board meetings, the tone of both announcements was extremely well placed and has legs beyond the 24 hour news cycle.  The move by the Breeders Cup differs in that the word is extremely positive for a sport that has had its clouds over drugs in the past.  It takes a dirty word in any sport…steroids…and immediately states the clear position of the organization as to the consequences for anyone tainting the two richest days in sports with cheating.  The fines are clear and not shrouded in loopholes, and the results should be positive (no pun intended) for the event to lure partners who may have been on the fence, media who still look towards horse racing with a skewed vision and fans who always wonder about the legitimacy of a sport where gambling is prevelant.  Given the extensive race card and coverage that Saratoga gets this time of year, the coverage of the Friday announce was not as sparse as it could have been in other times of the year, and the ability to retell the announcement by officials going forward at the Haskell (where Big Brown will run) and through the Breeders Cup’s ESPN partnership should extend the window and get the word out clearly before the 25th running of the event at Santa Anita in the fall.  Well worded, well positioned announcement  by a group that is taking a much stronger public leadership position in a sport that is holding its own with potential to grow.

Breeders Cup Ponies Up For Activation, USA Wrestling, NBA Draftees Ring Some Bells….

June 25, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The Breeder’s Cup, “the richest day in sports,” has always suffered from an identity crisis.  Lost amidst the NFL and college football in the fall, and not having the focus of the Triple Crown in the spring, horse racing’s biggest day was often missed by even the casual racing fan.  Now, taking a page out of the long term activation which helped tennis’ US Open grow outside of the event and live for a run up period of months, the Breeders Cup is hitting with partner announcements, a larger media presence, and even a digital footprint well in advance of its 25th anniversary running in Los Angeles in the fall.  This week, the event announced a beer partnership with Dos Equis,  and the launch of a fantasy sports challenge to begin with the summer-long Breeders Cup Challenge series.  Both include activation away from the event, online components, fan activation activity and the ability for both casual and serious race fans the ability to have the event top of mind way outside of the original window when people would start thinking about the event.  Factor in the Hispanic play, especially locally in Southern California with Dos Equis, and it makes for a winning week for the event, with more to come.  Well timed, far reaching strategy which will benefit the sport and the brand in the long run.