Baseball Playing The Global Card, But Do Most Know?

August 12, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

There is perhaps no more global sport on the professional level than baseball. At some level of the professional game, over 35 countries on five continents are represented, and the number grows each year.  Major league Baseball International spends millions developing players around the globe, and the results can be seen in recent weeks, when Chinese Taipei edged Australia for the World Junior title, Cuba won the World University championship, and this week the Women’s World Cup is being played in Venezuela. The coming Little League World Series will also have its global look and later in the fall millions will tune in to watch the World Series.  Yet for all its domestic success, it is basketball (this week announcing regular season games in London between New Jersey and Toronto) and soccer (with Chinese investor Kenny Huang looking to add to his work in hoops) continues to grab headlines that baseball should also have.  Why is that?

Tigers Win By Taking The High Road…

June 3, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Wednesday night’s botched call which kept Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Gallarraga from being the third pitcher in 30 days to throw a perfect game may be one of thebiggest viral stories related to sports since the real migration to digital media egan several years ago.   One cannot look at a blog, a trending list, a news site, a video board, a message board or any social or news media platform without seeing the Jim Joyce blown call replayed over and over again, with endless comments and opinion. The only good to come out of the newscycle for Joyce and MLB is that baseball’s constant flow gives the sport the chance to move on a bit quicker than a controversy in any other sport…the Tigers and Indians were back playing less than 12 hours later.

Maybe Not A Homer, But McGwire Plan Hit Its Points…

January 14, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It was a long time in coming and caused many people a great deal of angst over the years, but Mark McGwire’s long-awaited and often doubted announcement that he used steroids was actually well orchastrated this week, and was effectively communicated on a number of levels.  While many will look back as to the quality of answers and what the future will be in terms of acceptance and media interraction between the press and the soon-to-be-St. Louis Cardinals coach, the fact remains that the major issue was addressed, addressed well in a strong setting, and the stage is set for McGuire not to be as major a distraction as he could have been without the admission when spring training starts.  Some of the key points in the strategy worth noting.

The Business of Baseball Never Sleeps…

December 16, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Maybe it’s because the World Baseball Classic pushed the World Series into November. Maybe its because the winter meetings came at a time this year when the rest of the sports world was Tiger-crazy and not much else was going on. Maybe its because baseball is doing as good a job of strategically stretching out its news over a longer period this year. Whatever the reason, the amount of information that is ongoing for the business of baseball seems endless, and for those involved in the branding of America’s pastime, its probably a good thing. Whether you are following the business of minor league baseball and the great things that so many teams do to stay relevant with offseason promotions, or are part of all the hot stove action going on, or are taking interest in the potential Hall of Fame candidates announced, or even getting ready to purchase tickets for the Sunday Night opener on ESPN, there is no shortage of daily information, news and notes for the baseball fan, ardent or casual. While virtually every other sport on the planet takes an offseason, baseball finds ways to stay relevant. Even on the competition front, as baseball finishes in North America games are starting in the Caribbean, and in 2010, in Australia with a new pro league. Is it overkill? Does it lose relevance? Strangely not. More importantly if you are involved in the branding business of baseball, the sport finds ways to stay top of mind, giving the brands that are involved on some level incentive to stay fresh and informed. While some may decide the actual season is too long, the fact remains that as a business and as an entertainment property, there may be no sport that feeds the sould of its core fan more than baseball, and in these challenged times, that’s a good thing for ROI.

Baseball Plays A Doubleheader As A Social Unifying Brand

June 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Many times in North America, the sport of baseball sometimes gets overlooked for its ability to aggregate people, expose brands and tell stories. because the season is so long and the game is so ingrained we sometimes forget the amount of eyeballs and dollars spent on the game, even more now on a global scale. And with the attraction, from Little league through the Majors, comes the ability to marry brands in large numbers to very worthy and promotable causes. This weekend…Father’s Day…baseball takes on a doubleheader of well, timed, well presented and well thought out activation platforms…civil rights and prostate cancer awareness, and delivers on both. On the Civil Rights front, it is sometimes forgotten that baseball broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson, for all professional sports. So when the sport started having a Civil Rights Day and game a few years ago in Memphis, Tennessee, it got some attention but not huge attention. The move to take the entire event and move it to a Major League city, Cincinnati, and involve a full few days of talks and involvement from peoples of all sports and backgrounds, was a great one, and the coverage received for both the sport and for Civil Rights issued was tremendous. For a support to promote issues in season is one thing, to take an active stance and deliver positive messages on a national stage is another, and baseball should get pig points for taking the time and the effort to build this platform for all and to work with the brands who will activate against it. The second weekend cause is Prostate Cancer Awareness, and by using their national platform of games on the Father’s Day weekend…complete with blue bats for auction, sponsor and player activation campaigns in major media and at all games, the sport again hits a homer. Baseball announcer Ed Randall’s Bat For The Cure, is also a great example of how the pooling of resources can work for the bigger cause through the sport. For whatever reason, the prostate cancer campaign is not as well covered as the all-pink breast cancer awareness work done in April and October through the various pink programs, but the yeoman work baseball does to collectively present the issue to millions on a day which is more father-focused than others, remains a great example of pooling resources the right way for all. Now could the two be split on other weekends? Maybe. But despite the timing, both garner great coverage, sponsor activation, and messaging. Great job by all.

Wrestling To Find New Fans? Give em a million reasons to watch.

June 3, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With all the added challenges presented by Mixed Martial Arts, the varied interests of first adopters, and the pull to so many forms of unscripted television, the WWE has constantly looked for ways to reinvigorate its brand, build stars and maintain interest in one of the world’s most successful entertainment brands liquid.  Now instead of spending millions in over the top marketing, empresario Vince McMahon has cut right to the chase, offering fans the chance to win some part of a million dollars for tuning in on upcoming Monday nights.  Now being a publicly traded company has issues for cash transactions, but the buzz created by McMahon’s announcement, and the viral way in which the information spread, got the brand exactly what it needed…mainstream talk, renewed interest in its core fans and the ability for anyone who turns in to get something for nothing.  Now how the “million” is given out and who the winners are, is a secondary issue.  But by using the “million” play, McMahon will help get eyeballs back to a Monday Night show which has seen slippage.  Eventhough it is not “sports,” the idea has clarity, consistency of message and will see an immediate ROI with a classic play.