Polo The New Frontier?

January 6, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we lose sports teams and large brands worry about the best way to get ROI, some potential opportunities always arise.  One of the more unique ones was pointed out in a detailed Reuters piece, which showed the value brands are getting and continue to get in Argentina…with the sport of polo.   Now it is obviously not a traditional play, especially in most areas of North America, but one would wonder if perhaps the economy downturn for the right brands could find a niche for polo in the right areas, with the right TV and digital component and with brands looking to attract the polo crowd and educate themselves on the tradition of a very traditional sport. The story points out the value brands get with associating with an elite niche sport that is carefully placed and marketed correctly to the right audience.  As the PBR makes its annual play into New York this week and shows how well it can activate and bring in the casual fan in the major market (again going up against the Giants playoffs for the second year in a row), one wonders if maybe with the right backing polo could make itself into a viable tour globally.  Out of every downturn comes opportunity, and who knows, but maybe pro polo could be one for certain brand activation.

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.

Last Super Bowl items…blimps, radio calls, and a great book to re-read

February 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Just some quick links on Monday worth a read.  First of all, one little item to give a different perspective to a broadcast is to switch off the national audio and listen to the gifted home town radio broadcasters call those seminal moments.  For example, in 1994, while we were living in Princeton and working for the Sixers, I shut off the final ESPN call of the Rangers Stanley Cup win to hear the legendary Marv Albert call the final minute and it remains one of the greatest memories I have of that night.  Last night, I recorded and listened to both Albert’s call on Westwood One and my Fordham classmate Bob Papa’s call on WFAN in New York.  The perspective of those tied to the broadcast really gives a great window into the emotional ties we all have to sport.  The Daily News’ Bob Raissman had a nice piece Sunday on the radio broadcasters that is worth a read.  On the PR side, nice piece in Pottsville Public Opinion on Giants PR head Pat Hanlon, one of the most respected team PR guys in the business, and what his job is like.   A nice followup piece on our oddsmakers links from last week is the piece in today’s Las Vegas Review Journal on the bath the sports books took yesterday…that’s why you call it gambling!  Newsday had another of those offbeat pieces over the weekend that got a nice brand some exposure, with a ride in the Goodyear blimp (Goodyear PR head Ed Markey is one of the best in finding ways to pitch at big events), and Rich Deitsch’s Media Circus does a good balanced job of rating the broadacast yesterday.