Turning Up The Preseason Heat In South Florida…

September 20, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The month of September is usually the time for the winter sports pro teams to really start the hard push to get their brands top of mind again.  Especially given the added competition and the lack of disposable income, those teams on the downside in tough selling markets have to continually be more creative, more aggresive and show more value than ever before.  Case in point is the Miami Heat.  Sarah Talalay’s sports business blog this week point three big plays the Heat made this past week, addressing the casual fan, the young fan and the corporate client, each designed to get buzz and remind folks that even with a slow season last year, the Heat brand can deliver value on many levels.  The first piece highlighted the tryouts for the Heat senior dance team, the second talked about Dwayne Wade’s involvement with Pepperidge Farm’s goldfish brand to promote healthy lifestyles with kids, and the third detailed the Heat’s program where team members and performers create the Heat experience right in the workplace. All were innovative, timely and creative and as stand alones were great campaigns.  Combined they showed the concerted effort of the team to address issues head on and give fans a reason to support and patronize the team with their hard earned dollar.  Big points for the Heat for the effort, with more expected going into traing camp.

Tennis Is A Beach…And The USTA Starts The Open Season.

June 12, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With summer like weather in most of the Northeastern USA this week, we had to throw some attention to one of those niche sports that is gaining marketshare through some solid PR and grassroots work…Beach Tennis USA.  What started as an offbeat idea has gained solid groundswell support both on the branding and the participation side, grabbing coverage in publications like USA Today, The New York Times,  and  Entrepreneur Magazine and regional coverage of athletes and the sport in places like Tampa and other cities where events are held.  By creating a niche for the growing number of tennis players at low cost and combining with the fun atmosphere of the beach, Beach Tennis has found ways to gain sponsors, get media coverage and take a game that has struggled with a younger demo and make it more appealing.  Will it ever challenge traditional tennis or even well established beach sports like the AVP Crocs Tour?  No, but it doesen’t have to.  As a hybrid and a niche for the casual fan, it has all the elements, including cost containment, to make the branding story an effective one.

Big Red, NBA Score Big Points Over The Weekend.

February 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: Ivy League hoops has been long dominated by the Penn, Princeton tandem, and given the lack of a post-season tournament, the long march for another school to break through has to be done by sustained effort both on the recruiting trail and on the court. It looks like this year’s breakthrough team could be Cornell University, and the Big Red took some great strides to introduce their squad to the nation (and especially to a New York area that is going through a drought of quality collegiate hoops this year) with a 48 hour all access piece granted to the New York Times. The result was insight into the life of Ivy League student-athletes through a grueling two day back to back road game stretch that most fans dont event realize and rarely see. The Times, through Pete Thamel’s words along with stills and video, gave us a great opportunity through all mediums to meet and understand Coach Steve Donahue and his team. This was a great move by the Cornell athletic staff to grant the Times all access even in this, the most critical stretch of the Ivy League season, where one slip up could mean no postseason for the school. The result was a win win (yes they won both games, including a dramatic win @ Harvard Friday night) for all involved, and it also gave the media and the fans a nice sneak preview to a potential Cinderella team for March Madness.