Jockey Promo Good Horse Sense For The Belmont…

June 6, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The drama of horse racing has always been well…on the horses. Rachel Alexandra’s Derby win was the cover of Sports Illustrated and spark a host of stories about what is good in sports. Last year Big Brown’s almost Triple Crown gave UPS a new marketing platform for over a month and the drama of Barbaro and Smarty Jones in past year’s has always been good theater and a boon to ratings. Sp this year the Belmont Stakes is challenged to draw eyes and attendance, with not just a challenged field and no real favorite but a switch from the promotion-driven NBC to the one-off coverage of ABC for the Triple Crown Series. The switch in best years would create some brand confusion, but without the hype of a horse looking to win the three races, what’s the casual fan to look for? Enter the jockeys. Long undervalued as a property because of language issues, the transient nature of the sport and the focus on the horses and even the trainers, the smart folks promoting the race have turned the focus to tell the story of those who ride as opposed to those they are riding, especially because of the fact that the potential jockey Triple Crown…for jockey Calvin Borel...is a real and rare opportunity with three different horses. This past year Animal Planet did a very compelling reality show on jockeys and the lives they lead, which led to more focus on the potential upside of sharing their very human stories with the casual fan, and Borel’s Saturday success could lead to even more opportunities for the jockeys both in promotion and publicity. Now will brands rush to create jockey sweepstakes or Twittering from aboard a horse? Not yet but who knows. Regardless the push by ABC and the Belmont to take a twist and focus not just on the horse but on the human element of the race should help draw more interest in what could have been a very quiet finish to the Triple Crown series.

Soccer Kickin It In The Great Northwest…

May 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

While the NHL deals with the mess in Phoenix and rumors abound about other struggling franchises, MLS continues to make smart moves to grow the business for the long term. The new Seattle franchise and their quick success on all levels shows that calculated growth can make sense. By starting with the franchise as a base and building the rivalry hub for the future with expansion into two other underserved markets in the summer months…Portland and Vancouver…both of which had previous success in the sport…is a huge visionary move for the brand. Seattle’s success combined MLS move to bring in people who knew the region (like former Seahawks exec Gary Wright), talent which was established and not haphazard and an embracing of all that has been successful in terms of tradition in the area, right down to team colors and name choice. While many franchises and brands look to be bold and set themselves apart with brash colors and loud statements, the MLS club embraced all that is good and built quickly, a model which will probably be copied with the upcoming expansion. Now is all great with MLS in this economy? No, as evidenced by Michael Lewis piece on the Red Bulls issues at the gate in his Big Apple Soccer piece. But with success stories like Seattle, MLS has again shown that they have learned from others as to what works, and can create an effective startup brand under the tightest of markets that can embrace and grow with a community.

Can The NHL Postseason Grow On The Casual Fan?

April 16, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The NHL postseason begins in earnest this week, falling at a good time after the Masters, just ahead of the NBA playoffs, before the NFL Draft and following the hype of opening day for baseball. It also helps to have many of the major markets where hockey has a strong brand presence…New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, Detroit and Philly especially…all playing with intriguing matchups. The new digital platforms the NHL has pushed so hard to create and offer to fans (as reported in Sports Business Journal this week) also draw more brand attention, so the opportunity to capture the casual fan, especially in major markets seems to all be in place. However one of the more fun promotions, taken to a new level with a charity component, was also rolled out this week in nine NHL markets, the beard-a-thon (Terry Lyons not only profiles the project but joins in with a call to action from Boston in his blog). The Beard-A-Thon, supported online, in print, in arena and on TV will create some fun video as teams advance, and most importantly will both support the charities in local markets AND potentially give rival teams a chance to promote together, something which is a disconnect in many league-driven campaigns across all sports. While all the St. Baldricks promotions that teams have done over the years are worthy efforts, this one literally has the chance to grow on the fan base and the media over the six weeks of playoffs, and will hopefully raise funds and awareness as well as casual fan interest for those who normally miss the day in, day out routine of the NHL season. Nice job by Cenergy on concept and deliverable, with some interesting potential brand ties over time for the promotion.

Putting The Power In The Hands Of Its Members…America’s First Green Gym Spins A Good Story…

August 17, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As scores of teams and brands continue the push toward being green, a gym in Portland is literally taking the green matter into the hands of its members…harnessing the power of those members running on treadmills to power the building.  The story, as reported in The Oregonian will have the Green Microgym harnessing the treadmill power and converting it to power for the building, starting in early September.  If successful, the gym will be the third one in the world to harness its members running for electricity, and can set a trend for others going forward…the branding opportunities for athletic apparel companies to tag with the unique building should also be pretty high, especially right in the backyard of Nike and adidas.  Teams may be able to giveaway gas cards and find fuel efficient ways to run buildings, but harnessing the power of members speaks to both healthy lifestyle and healthy environment, two of America’s most ferverent causes going into the fall.  Great timing for the gym coming off the Olympics, and a very unique story in a geographic area that always seems to lead the way in the healthy lifestyle push.

Working Hand In Glove Together…Reynolds Sports Management, Clients, Teams and Brands

April 10, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Over the years the role of many agents with teams has been adverserial.  However with more and more teams looking to expand off sports coverage and increase  ROI for partners, as well as maximize opportunities with athletes, are working closer with athlete reps (and vice versa) to maximize and use economies of scale whereever possible.  The latest and best example of that is Reynolds Sports Management and their work with clients including Torii Hunter, and B.J. and Justin Upton,  that has shown how to work with teams to get solid exposure for all involved and find ways to tell the good stories.  Hunter’s move to the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim gave the star a chance to shine in a major market, and working with the Angels, key sponsor Purple Energy Drink and Reynolds Sports’ Mike Dillon, the entire group has benefitted from some solid placement on Hunter’s background, personality and offfield work in addition to his athletic talent.  The partnership has resulted in an extensive upcoming piece on HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, a series of strong cross promotional plans with Purple,  and a host of print pieces including one on ESPN.com. The Upton’s side has seen cooperation and coordinating schedules and pitches to land cover time on ESPN Magazine and Sports Illustrated, a lengthy feature in the current issue of Complex Magazine and a solid USA Today piece among others.  Now would the extensive coverage for this group have occured without the groups working together to maximize opportunities?  Maybe.  But working strategically together and keep all sides informed is sometimes the exception and not the rule on the pro side, and in these are perfect examples of striking on a wide variety of opportunities to maximize the spotlight.  Well done by all involved.