Caps May Have Found Innovation In Experiential…

December 14, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Now it may have happened by accident, but an interesting development this past week for the Washington Capitals actually gave a front office staffer a few seconds of a lifetime on ice close to game time, and could unleash a new round of experiential marketing for teams and fans going forward, especially for the minors.  An injury and a late arriving backup forced the Caps to petition the NHL to have a third goalie, that being web programmer Brett Leonhardt, off his computer and into uniform for warmups until Simeon Varlamov could arrive from minor league Hershey.  Now Leonhardt had played in college and had actually worked out with the Caps in some practices, but whose to say a team couldn’t give a relatively competant fan a chance as a coach for a half inning, a batting practice pitcher or a chance to skate a shift on game day outside of the regular prep.  It again gives the fan a chance to have that ultimate experience, is totally sponsorable and would gain media play and in this day of looking for every ounce of justification of dollars, could help lure a new brand or two, especially in markets just below the top rungs.  Does it create distraction or a circus mentality?  Perhaps.  But so did mic’ing coaches, guest ballboys and fans sitting courtside at one point.  But by filling a dire need, the Caps may have opened a door and it will be interesting to see if any brand can walk through.

Rotohog.com finds ways to help winners fulfill the American Dream

October 17, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Usually we think of rotisserie play as a small cash payoff for the winners but lots of fun for all involved…that is the appeal of fantasy gaming, to put you in the drivers seat with as many options as possible, and make you the person in charge of your own sports team, competing against friends and in the case of online gaming, thousands of others.  Rotohog.com is an emerging player in the space, and even gave a husband/wif combination of winners in their fantasy baseball game this summer a chance to use that success to purchase a good chunk of the American Dream…namely a new home.  Darren Rovell had a good piece today on the winners and how they combined their earnings, even in this down economy, to move from apartment to brand new house.   Good example of how even in this economy, fantasy sports can bring a solid distraction with the hope of better opportunities for those who play well.  Nice piece, well played out function.

Sarah Palin, NHL Combine To Grab The Casual Fan…

October 10, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The NHL has come out firing and grabbed the attention of the casual sports fan and the business partner through a successful “NHL Rocks” campaign, well attended and competitive games in Europe, a sensational centennial campaign by the Canadiens and a rebirth of the Blackhawks brand in Chicago, all of which is overshadowing problems in small markets like Nashville.  The league will take another step to grab the casual viewer again Saturday night in Philly, when Governor Sarah Palin attends the Rangers-Flyers game and drops the first puck as part of a promotion to find the “Ultimate Hockey Mom.”  The move is a solid one for both sides…the Flyers get tremendous added exposure, as does the league and regardless of the reception the Governor gets, will now be tied to a potential Vice President for future endeavors.  The Republican ticket then gets to play the card that Senator Obama has played so well early on in the campaign, that of showing a solid connection to the average sports fan, so often a skeptical and reticent voter.  Should Governor Palin come off well Saturday it could score points and votes as well as buzz.  Who knows, with a Flyers win and a successful season (for her and the Flyers) she could become the good luck charm Philly has lacked since the late Kate Smith used to come in to sing “God Bless America” at the Spectrum in the ’70’s.  Well timed and solid play by both sides….smart for the NHL to pitch, smart for Palin to connect.

A Look At The Favre Saga To Date…

August 9, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As has been pointed out at the trade deadline, the firing of Willie Randolph by the Mets and countless other high profile moves that are scrutinized 24/7 by the media and the fans, the real long term impact of what Brett Favre means to New York, the Jets, the Packers, retailers, business partners and anyone else involved with the business of football won’t be known until all is played out on the field.  However the immediate impact for buzz, sales, long-term purchase of seat licenses and ratings has already been felt by the Jets, and was clearly laid out by Richard Sandomir in the Times and Darren Rovell in his blog on msnbc.con. The Jets found great ways to spin and have Favre positioned well in the first go-round, from getting news and jersey sales up immediately on their website to taking a slow Friday news day and getting an opportunity with Favre and Mayor Bloomberg at City Hall.  They also did a very good job of making sure GM Mike Tannenbaum stayed on message and that Favre stuck to the positive script with the same questions…there were no scenes of him being surly or running away from cameras, ala Randy Johnson in his first go-round in New York.  Conversely, the Packers did a good job of staying on message and moving on in Green Bay as well, and the Wisconsin State News did a good job of talking to many members and looking for holes…and finding very few…in the Packer family.  Even former Jet Chad Pennington, who moved on to the Dolphins, handled himself very well.  Now obviously this was a win-win for most people involved, and even the Packers now have a distraction put behind them. All the perceived silliness and airing of dirty laundry publicly has ended with the news cycle.  However what it does show is the well thought-out scenarios that NFL teams can orchastrate, especially when something is able to be played out for a period of days.  Now if this was midseason and the performance would be judged on field could the fallout been more controversial?  Yes.  But with the luxury of a preseason, the distraction of the Olympics, and the fact that the real impact of Brett Favre in NY on the field won’t be felt for some time, all the bells and whistles rang (as did the cash register) and the NFL and the Jets scored big points in buzz and partner growth.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also had a good summary of what other markets said about the trade.  Mark Kriegel also has his take on the move on Foxsports.com thats always a good read.