Majoring In The Minors: Lake County Joins The LeBron Fun…

June 24, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

So with the first day of summer comes a new rite of passage in select NBA cities…the beg LeBron sweepstakes.  Mayor’s, celebrities, fans, websites, media from sea to shining sea have come up with ploy after ploy to gain attention as LeBron James decides where to next ply his trade.  The recruitment James missed by forgoing college is now in full swing, with the stakes for some franchises who have cast aside previous seasons to build cap space now hanging in the balance, not to mention the dollars and equity of thousands of season ticketholders who have cast their lot and bet of James coming to save franchises in L.A., New York, Chicago, Cleveland and points in between. The recruiting has run from mainstream to viral, and will cost organizations a good chunk of change with the hopes of bringing an ROI to pass along to their partners and fans.

Can Soccer Take Advantage Of Its Big Kick?

June 26, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Within a 24 hour period this week, the brand value sport of professional soccer in the United States took a huge jump. First came the coups of ESPN scooping up the Premier League from virtually bankrupt Setanta Sports, followed by the US’ stunning 2-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup, followed closely by Steve Nash’s second annual grassroots soccer fundraiser in a New York park, along with the Sports Business Journal piece that WPS is doing better than expected. From the grassroots to the professional, all seems to be going well. Now is there a way for some brand, or a series of brands, to take the good news, tie it in a package and use it as the latest, and strongest, all-encompassing boost for a sport that was already well positioned going into the recession (because of their structure and cost cutting measures) but now has a variety of platforms that are highly visible to attach to? We shall see. Of course Confederations Cup final against Brazil still remains, but the continued interest of Nash (who will be part of the ownership group for MLS Vancouver) as an ambassador with both the world class pros he brought to New York and with his NBA friends, plus a steady women’s product gives the sport another boost while others are struggling. However for brands who have held back on investment waiting for the economy to turn or the right opportunity to invest in, maybe this weeks series of events for soccer will get them a well placed kick for new activation and partnerships.

Majoring in the Minors…Cyclones Make A Pitch To Future Fans…

April 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We haven’t hit upon all that is minor league baseball in a while, so it seems fitting with Mother’s Day not that far away that we should start things off with our hometown Brooklyn Cyclones and their just announced promo for moms current and those future fans, with Bellies and Baseball Night</a>, a salute to pregnant moms. Keeping in mind that the Cyclones are one of the minors biggest draws and don’t start play in the short season New York Penn League until mid-June, is a great example of the brand (and GM Steve Cohen) thinking ahead in case lean days do come. The team has traditionally had its share of medical sponsorships as well, and creating such a fun promotion, complete with Craving trays and all sorts of on the field contests which will draw the great photo ops, is very smart. Although currently unsponsored, the night is tailor-made for baby products, energy drinks or even the local OBGYN to come in and scoop up at a solid price. Smart thinking family entertainment night, which…who knows…may be copied by the parent team at CitiField at some point. By the way, the best source for all things minor league remains Ben Hill’s milb business blog.

Cyclones Score Big Points By Renaming A Borough For A Night

January 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is one of the most famous “non-cities” (it is a borough of New York) in the world…everyone knows Brooklyn.  One out of every seven people in the United States can trace their roots to Brooklyn.  there are fewer places on earth whose residents have more civic pride, and that pride has always been tied to baseball.  Until they went west, that pride was reflected in the Dodgers, and in the last ten years it has been in the Mets Single A New York Penn League team, the Cyclones.  Anyone challenging the tradition of Brooklyn, let alone its baseball team, could find himself with some issues.  That is, unless the tradition is challenged by the team itself, and this week the Cyclones scored some big points in the Barack Obama race by announcing they are re-naming the team for one night the Baracklyn Cyclones and doing an Obama Bobblehead doll.  Once again the great latitude given and the fun thought exhibitied by minor league baseball shines through.  The team got national exposure, created some great brand awareness in a crowded marketplace well into the offseason and will probably spawn other copycats with its innovative planning.  Great move by my native borough team on the PR, branding and even social awareness side.