In Search Of The Ultimate Fan Experience…

October 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The ying and yang that goes on between discretionary dollars fans can spend and getting premium access for those dollars is a battle that is only increasing in intensity for teams, brands and partners. With access to social media, much of which is free, teams have to continuously justify prices, knowing that the revenue stream for those dollars to the bottom line is more important now than ever as the larger pool of advertising spending goes south. So how does one create an effective, attractive and unique fan experience with limited resources and in the face of stiff competition…something which is truly unique for a fan, not cookie cutter…but still justifies both what the fan can spend and what the team, or even the partner brand, can justify as worth the investment.

Back on Topps…

April 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: As we move through the opening week of baseball season it is great to see hope springing eternal for all the fans of America’s pastime. One brand that has always been synonymous with baseball is the Topps Card Company, and thanks to the efforts of their marketing staff and the PR team at Dan Klores Associates, the hallmark brand in collectable trading cards is well on its way to a great season. First the company started the season by including cards of Presidential candidates in preseason packs, which led to some solid early spring training pieces, as well as great buzz around a fake card of Rudy Giuliani celebrating the Red Sox winning the World Series (featured on ESPN.com among other places). Then the company took the hoax cards to a grand new level, combining the interest in opening week with April Fools Day by including a “Future Stars” card of 16 year old flamethrowing phenom Kazuo Uzuki (nicknamed “The Uzi”). The card play got some solid national coverage across the country (as well as in papers such as the Daily News in New York) and had TV play on ESPN and CNBC as well. Now while some may think the card stunts may be old fashioned or played out, the placement at strategic points in the baseball calendar was a great branding move by Topps to set themselves apart in the collectable game and garner press that no other company received, not to mention showing that the brand, which is supposed to inspire fun, has the ability to not take itself so seriously. Great hits for the traditional brand.