Sports Marketing and Public Relations -- Sports Management Marketing -- Sports Event Marketing » Chicago Blackhawks

NHL Begins Maybe It’s Most Critical “Second Season”…

Joe Favorito — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:05:17 +0000

They had a great bounce for the Olympics, the NHL did. As a league, they have done more embracing and testing what works and what doesn’t in social and digital media more than anyone else. They have identified a signature event and have built around it to the point where other groups (the NCAA, the WNBA, the AHL etc.) are copying the format to draw interest and eyes. They have found ways to embrace their core fans, and they have almost every large market…Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Montreal, Boston, and New York (well New Jersey, but maybe the best energing brand in hockey in the Devils)…all in the playoffs. They are finding new and innovative ways to increase the ROI for national sponsors and work together to encourage regional participation. And if you believe the spin, more people watched, logged on and bought tickets than ever before. So the question is, can the NHL ride this wave of brand growth to even more success, dollars, partners, and casual fan interest in 2010-11 and beyond? Maybe.

Yes there are issues. The solvency of some clubs, the issues with playing or not playing in the Sochi Games, and the overall national footprint with viewership on TV are all still there. But if you look to what the future of team sport may be…international, fast paced, a mix that can exploit both the digital side and the conventional platforms…then the NHL overall may be in a better spot than some people would have imagined. The other thing the league is now doing better than ever is storytelling…more and more the league is taking the stories of their players, the drama of the games, the unique rivalries that have existed…and not waiting for brands to find them, but going to brands and even new fans with their platform. Yes, the Stanley Cup has always been on parade following the season. Now it is on parade with decision makers at ad agencies, in prominent markets and around the world…a very unique platform that other sports (baseball took the championship trophy on tour this winter, and the Lombardi Trophy for the NFL should also have its own roadshow) are now starting to emulate.

Even more critical has been the franchise rebirth from a business standpoint in the major markets. Eventhough the New York Rangers rallied and missed the playoffs, the New Jersey Devils, at onetime a hockey success and a business and marketing afterthought, have fully embraced social media and branding in the New York marketplace, and stand poised to grow in the area much like the Chicago Blackhawks did last year from a brand perspective. Improvements and comebacks in Philly and Los Angeles also helped, and even offset the struggles of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who missed the playoffs despite their huge brand presence and deep pockets. The growth of the Washington franchise under the leadership of Ted Leonsis also doesn’t hurt the league footprint.

So what does all this mean to brand “NHL”? It means that there is great, diverse life in a brand that many thought would slide behind NASCAR and a hard-charging MLS in the sports landscape. Instead of reverting in a challenged economy, the NHL found ways to gain relevance and keep pace, and even with some financial worries, carved out another niche from which to expand. Expand not in terms of franchise locations, but in terms or ROI and general interest. Will it continue? Will struggling teams recover, will labor peace continue, will TV numbers go up and will an accord for Socchi be reached? All TBD. However one thing is pretty sure. NHL and innovation and growth may not have been mentioned together a few years ago, but in the cyclical world of sports, they certainly can be aligned now.

Are The Blackhawks The Model Franchise?

Joe Favorito — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:12:04 +0000

This week in New York The Sports Business Journal will award it’s Sports Business Awards for 2008. The nominees in 15 categories are all more than deserving, and in many ways are very reflective of the leaders who will help innovate and lead the industry thro9ugh the continued tough times and into the future. Many on the list read like the usual Who’s Who, but as with many things SBJ does, there are a few surprises. One brand on the list few could have predicted less than two years ago falls under both executive and team of the year…The Chicago Blackhawks. Under the leadership of John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz, the franchise has become a model for outreach and innovation, with one of the best stories coming in Monday’s Chicago Tribune, which pointed out how the team has not only rebuilt its core base of hockey fans, but has cultivated new fans in both the female and African American communities. In a sport that sometimes struggles to grow outside its borders for the casual fan, the Blackhawks have gone above and beyond in customer service, brand building, community relations and communication to the media and to the fans that it is OK to check out hockey. Now of course winning helps, and the team started turning the corner just as the brand builders hot their stride, but in this economy, winning and giving a fans the reason to invest in both dark and bright days have to go hand in hand, and the Blackhawks played both sides of the brand development card to make sure that a storied but sullied franchise was returned very quickly to its rightful place among elite brands. There is a simple rule of effective communication…listen twice more than you speak. The Blackhawks new leadership listened to everyone…old and new fans, returning and emerging brands, league and television partners, grassroots and professional organizations…and have created a brand that may be the sports gold standard for years to come.

Some other good reads…the Miami Herald’s Dan LeBatard has a very compelling look at all the troubles of former Yankee Jim Leyritz…The Washington Post’s Liz Clarke has a great profile of Andrea Jaeger and her ministry helping kids…and Yahoo’s Phil Murphy has a good look at how the golf world is supporting Phil and Amy Mickelson in their hour of need…

The UFC Experience Picks Its Spots To Build Brand

Joe Favorito — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:32:51 +0000

Even with the down economy, Super Bowl weekend continues to be the biggest weekend in Las Vegas. More fans flock to the desert to bet and enjoy the atmosphere than go to the site of the game, and the group that has capitalized on that Super Bowl weekend experience more than anyone is the UFC. Say what you want about MMA, the experience remains akin in brand to what the WWE is to their fans and to what Daytona is to NASCAR, and as much as the mainstream media try to downplay it, the core audience remains strong while the casual fan will still watch. The latest convert was the LA Times Kurt Streeter, who attended not even a UFC fight, but the recent Affliction event in Anaheim, and was blown away by the crowd and the power of Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianko . Even if the Affliction/Fedor fight was not UFC, it was still good brand awareness for the sport, and as George Willis pointed out in the New York Post Friday, the UFC event in Vegas between George St. Pierre and BJ Penn was perfectly timed, well orchastrated and fed into the weekend in Vegas seemlessly. Will MMA ever replace a great boxing match or move further into the mainstream worldwide? My guess is no. But second tier sports can learn a great lesson from the UFC. They have cultivated their core audience very well and speak directly to it wherever they go. That keeps the mainstays sated and gives the casual fan enough interest to attend and drive numbers to a very solid place. The fly in the UFC’s ointment? A Bloomberg report last week that Station Casinos is near default. If true, then the UFC might have to spend less to push the fringes of its brand and not expand as quickly to questionable markets without a large cash flow. Still the times when Zuffa needed the Station money to stay afloat are past. At the end of the day it is still the UFC experience which is the only durable brand in the sport that consistently delivers a demo and revenue, and by conquering Super Bowl weekend in Vegas, the UFC brand will stay solid with their core in tough times.

Some other good reads…nysportsjournalism.com had a good q and a with IBAF President Dr. Harvey Schiller...the Wall Street Journal had their extensive piece on the Mets/CitiField issue…the Chicago Tribune has a great piece on Blackhawks President John McDonough…and The Atlantic has a great insiders look into the CBS controlroom on an NFL Sunday…huge feature piece for the CBS Sports brand worth reading for all looking to join the business.

MLB, NHL Both Use New Year’s Day As Strategic Launch For Things Ahead…

Joe Favorito — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:54:03 +0000

With the start of the New Year here, two of the biggest sports brands in the world…Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, will look to use the day as a launching point for new brand success, new partnerships and a bigger share of the casual sports landscape. The NHL will use its second Winter Classic to see if the outdoor New Year’s Day game will continue to have the legs it has last year, and can cement itself as the must watch and particpate event for January 1 that the Bowl games used to be. Richard Sandomir in the New York Times has a good look at the events around the game, which include new sponsors and activation, greater retail and the major market buzz of Chicago (fueled by a rebranded Blackhawks organization). On the baseball side, the launch of the MLB Network, the largest launch in cable sports history, will look to give baseball and its core and causal fans and partners a 24/7 home. The launch in the middle of “Hot Stove” season will show that the network and its ancillary programming can be a driver at a time when live games in the U.S. are not being played, while leading towards live play with the World Baseball Classic and weekly games in March and beyond. It is a big committment for the sport to regain a bigger piece of the sports pie from NASCAR, the NFL, the NBA and those sports that pull a younger demo, but with the volume of library and available games worldwide, it seems like a risk that is much safer than the ones the NBA, NFL and the NHL took in launching their networks. The first reviews of what will be seen on air at the start have been outstanding. So if all goes as planned, January 1, 2009 may just be the day that both hockey and baseball will point back to as a push forward for both legacy brands.

Some other good reads…Forbes.com has a look into what is in the offing in sports media in 2009…the Salt Lake Tribune this week took a very telling look at NBA Players Charities and the problems they face…and si.com’s Arash Markhazi has a good look at why the UFC is going to continue to be successful as a brand…HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Hockey’s Version of Crash Davis…Missed Opportunity or One Still Coming?

Joe Favorito — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:55:22 +0000

As sports continues to look for ways to connect to the everyman and grab the casual fan with unique opportunities, hockey may be missing out on one that could be fun…his name is Don Parsons and he is about to break one of the ultimate blue collar records…the alltime minor league goal scoring record. Parsons, who plays now for the IHL’s Bloomington (Ill.) Prairie Thunder, has all the pieces that the casual fan would love…never made it to the NHL, has played in every backwater town just miles from the big city, has crossed paths with a host of future stars, was mentored by journeymen who got to “The show” and he is an American undermarketed in a sport that lives online and is always looking for innovative ways to get casual exposure. Plus, in the little online stuff that comes up, he seems to be well spoken, fit and good looking. Now many will remember the Hollywood success that the fictional Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner, had in Bull Durham or the legendary status Reg Dunlap (played by Paul Newman) had in Slap Shot. Here is the real life version, although a bit more marketable and affordable in today’s environment. If he were chasing the baseball minor league homer record, the bet is some of the savy minor league baseball marketing people, much with the support of mlb.com, could make this into a win-win for all. Whether it happens for Parsons and hockey will remain to be seen. Regardless, Don Parsons pursuit of a major “minor” record, hopefully will be captured and celebrated as a solid achievement when we are looking for great stories of the everyman in sports these days.

Some other good weekend reads…with the next version of the Winter Classic coming up, nhl.com has a good backstory on how John McDonough finally closed the deal for Chicago…the New York Times’ Bill Pennington this week did a series on the value of sports at the club level in college, including one on the rebirth of Vermont football…worth a read to see how grassroots sports at the college level can do well….with the MLB Network launching January 1, a host of media got their first look inside the studio, including USA Today…and with baseball’s winter meetings getting started, si.com’s Jon Heyman has a look at what fans can expect to see and hear, even in a down economy.

Blackhawks just listen…

Joe Favorito — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:42:30 +0000

The off-ice turnaround done by the Chicago Blackhawks since John McDonough took over the team last January has been well documented and is one of the best major market brand turnarounds in recent times. From bringing back venerable announcers to landing the outdoor game this coming January to reconnecting with veteran players, the Blackhawk brand, its place as an institution in Chicago and its bottom line have all risen considerably. However now that the season is well underway and the team has had some on-ice issues, would the front office continue to listen, adjust and make changes. Judging by this wek’s Chicago papers, the team is still refining, still listening (literally) and still building towards giving the fans what they want for their experiential dollar. This time its a return to organ music. The story is also significant in where it ran in the papers…once again the brand is expanding continually into living and lifestyle sections, thus continuing to capture the casual fan. It is a great example of how the team shows that they will not just be here for the short term window dressing…they get it and want to build everything as solid as possible, even if it includes a little retro music. Nice attention to detail.

OFF ABROAD FOR A FEW DAYS: I have a biz trip from Tuesday night through Friday, so I apologize if I can’t update again til Friday…thanks for reading, and send us ideas at fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com…

Gaming With The Pols…Obama Gets There First

Joe Favorito — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:42:07 +0000

As he was first to attract attention to the casual sports fan by playing hoops, Senator Barack Obama has now gone another step to reach the younger casual fan, by integrating ads into online video games, as reported today on gamespot.com and in the Sports Business Daily. As the tight election continues to try and cultivate the undecided or the apathetic votes (witness Sarah Palen’s hockey puck drop last week in Philly) the Obama campaign always looks first to the young and hip and the water cooler talk, areas which sometimes went unaddressed in previous elections. This will probably be the first step in much-talked about web 2.0 marketing as it involves sports and gaming going forward…the ablility to imbed online images in games for download immediately, thus reaching a non traditional audience or growing an existing audience that used to take weeks and months to activate with. Now whether it will engage the gamer or annoy him or her remains to be seen as there is always pushback when the mainstream comes calling. One thing is clear though…the move, like the Senator’s ability to play hoops, generates buzz and makes him a little more relevant in a different demo. Great placement in a space where equal time doesn’t apply yet.

Some other good reads…the Orlando Sentinel has a more extensive piece on athletes influencing voters…the Rocky Mountain News has a good profile of Mountain West Comish Craig Thompson…Mike Kahn on foxsports.com has a good look at the rebirth of the Portland Trailblazers…and the Sporting News has a good piece on the continued rebuilding of the Blackhawks brand…

NHL Sends A Great Global Execution Message…

Joe Favorito — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:04:09 +0000

When looking to stage the excitement of a product in a new environment, leagues will often take the cautious approach and go with preseason exhibitions or friendlies. More recently both MLB and the NFL have taken the strides to play regular season games around the world, which is usally a better representation of product, and sends the messages to business partners and those in market that they are taking the fan experience seriously. Teams often balk at the regular season problem, which can result in loss of gate and disruption of schedule in many cases. However the NHL set some great examples on how to approach the global game this week, and even sent some messages to the Premier League as they take their action globally in the future, as the story in the Mirror pointed out this week. Was it an inconvenience to the teams to make the trek for the extended period? Yes. Did it build brand for the league? Yes. It it keep the teams away from local media coverage in a time of year where sports have become pretty quiet during the week and media budget constraints did not permit travelling? Yes. However the brand building, merch oppts and good will, especially combined with quality competition, will probably play in the NHL’s favor as they look to gain brand abroad in hockey friendly and emerging markets with the casual fan. Kudos to the NHL for getting a good global play and positive reviews.

Some other good reads…the Christian Science Monitor has a good piece on all the ways a fan can touch and experience a sports event these days, most right at his fingertips…wsj.com has a solid q and a with the Blackhawks John McDonough on his franchise resurrection plan…the Wichita Eagle has a good piece on the issues with obscenities involving fan chants around Kansas football games…and si.com has a look at how the economy is effecting the fan experience and how it will change going forward.

Brand Resurrection 101: The Chicago Blackhawks

Joe Favorito — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:02:43 +0000

John McDonough left the storied Chicago Cubs to go across town and inside and attempt to resurrect one of the forgotten hallmark franchises in professional sports…the Chicago Blackhawks. Although the challenges to create the atmosphere, partnership and brand loyalty in hockey are not as clear as they are in baseball, the ability to reconnect with fans, provide exemplary service and find unique ways to make the brand relevant every day were not out of the question. The efforts undertaken since McDonough came on board were summarized in a piece in today’s USA Today, which goes through the added brand recognition on and off the ice that the team has come forth with, ranging from a partnership with the White Sox to new TV opportunities to fan fest to the announcement of the outdoor game, all coupled with the hope of a young team and better on-ice performance. Do you need the steak and the sizzle? Absoulutely. But the first step in getting there is to treat the brand as a public trust and invest in the fans. Charles Sternberg led the battle to get that done with the Red Sox and now the Dodgers, the Philadelphia Flyers have always done the little things to retain fans and connect with their past, the Oakland Raiders embrace of their alumni has always been legendary and the New Jersey Nets do an amazing jobs of finding ways to stay relevant. However the Blackhawks have done it in such a very short time with a leader who captured the vision as a fan and put the business plan for success in place first, while seeing the hockey side start to follow. First class moves in the second city, with more to come.

Some other good reads…with tonight’s MLS All-Star game in Toronto, the National Post has a good piece on MLS possible expansion west in the future, led by Steve Nash…more evidence of Senator Obama looking for the sports demo to get votes and support comes from today’s New York Times, which looks at the Senator’s spend for Olympic time…it is more aggresive than Senator McCain’s entry into the space, which has seen some involvement in outdoor sports and his trip to Yankee Stadium last Sunday…

Cross Promoting in Chitown…and Good Promotions At The Ballpark

Joe Favorito — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:45:32 +0000

PR Move of the Day: It used to be all about convergence, as properties looked to combine common assets for cross promotion across entertainment and sports properties. Disney’s acquisition of the LA Ducks and Angels and the formation of YankeeNets to run the Yanks, Nets and Devils were seen as the way economies of scale could meld properties into one efficient merged unit. Some principals and ideas, like the expansion of business communication and the use of integrated marketing techniques, worked, but many parts of the convergence, especially applying strict business standards to the fluid world of sports, did not, and most of the mergers were eventually separated. Today, courtesy of the Sports Business Daily, comes word from Chicago of a new kind of convergence between teams not co-owned but teams that have used savvy marketing and PR platforms to grow their businesses even in lean years. The Chicago Blackhawks and White Sox announced a platform today to cross market assets to grow awareness. It is a role that makes great sense and unfortunately is not done enough amongst teams that even have singular ownership. Now are the fan bases similar? Maybe. Do the Blackhawks, who have emerged swinging under the leadership of John McDonough, have more to benefit than the Sox…maybe. But combining assets can possibly lead to better community involvement year round and potentially joint sales and ticketing partnerships in a market where the Cubs and Bulls are top dog is a very smart idea. The Nationals and Caps had a similar arrangement a year ago and it seems to be going well, so hopefully more teams will put down the guard and see their in-city rivals more as partners to enhance fan involvement and maximize PR and sponsorship.

Also in baseball, as both minor and major league baseball teams continue for new and innovative ways to entice fans, enhance the fan experience and give a great ROI to business partners, we wanted to take a look at some of the more unique promotions for 2008. Courtesy of mlb.com, the list on the Major League side includes the Cleveland Indians Free Money Night, the Florida Marlins Air Freshner and Air Guitar Night (although Manatee Night can’t be far off), and the Milwaukee Brewers Polish Sausage Racing Night. On the Minor League side (care of Ben’s Minor League Business Blog), there are a host of new ideas, but the best ones to start the season comes from the Wilmington Blue Rocks, who opened the season with Star Trek Night, complete with Mister Spock ears to all in attendance, while the Altoona Curve opened with “Kitchen Sink” weekend, offering free kitchen appliances and an appearance by former Chicago Bears great William “The Refrigerator” Perry. We will look at more of the innovations as the season rolls along.

Some other good reads…the Newark Star Ledger’s Steve Politi had a great column recently on Billy Werber, the oldest living Major Leaguer at 99…Business Week’s Doug Robson has a piece on the amount of Middle Eastern money now being invested in sports, while on the same lines, the New York Post had a note on the Nets Brett Yormark heading abroad to attract non-American companies into more sports sponsorship, like the Nets have already done with Barclays Bank. The ability for the strong foreign dollar to become more influential in American sports is an industry on the rise, and these are two of the latest examples worth watching.