Soccer Looks To Philly For A Dose Of Brotherly (and Sisterly) Branding Love…

January 8, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

One of the biggest problems that professional soccer in the United States has had to deal with in terms of brand growth was the barren area of success from south of Boston to Washington, DC.  The Revolution, under the Kraft family, built a solid business in New England, while the United enjoyed both on field and marketing success in the Washington area.  However despite one of the most fertile grassroots areas for the sport in the country, from northern Maryland through Connecticut, the professional game has never taken hold.  Friendlies have drawn large crowds and interest, both the men’s and women’s World Cups were sellouts in New Jersey, but professional soccer, whether it was the indoor game or men’s or women’s outdoor play, never had success on the field or as a viable brand.  Maybe it was the curse of the Cosmos, who built such a world class standard during the NASL years, or maybe it was poor management, the lack of a successful or viable soccer specific stadium, or any combination thereof, but the most ethnically diverse corridor in the United States has never embraced professional soccer consistently.

Liverpool Again Shows Value Of Premium Real Estate….

September 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is perhaps the last clean piece of real estate on the sports landscape…the jerseys of the four professional teams in North America. A practice which is well accepted globally, brand advertising on the front of jerseys, still is off limits in the States with the NHL, NFL, MLB and the NBA as well as in the college ranks. Even minor league baseball and hockey have stayed away from jersey branding to date. Yet with Liverpool’s record announcement of jersey branding this week, following Manchester United’s deal with AON earlier this year, can the pro leagues here hold off much longer? The test marketing has been there now…MLS has integrated jersey sponsorship into their branding campaigns effectively, the WNBA has taken on the issue with success, the upcoming UFL season will have helmet sponsorship, and now the NFL with practice jersey signage (the value Spongetech received for being on the front of the Bengals jersey for the HBO series “Hard Knocks” in the preseason was a good testament to tasteful and effective) and the NBA (with the Nets being first in the signage pool) has followed suit. With so many teams now effectively using alternative jerseys, throwback jerseys, commemorative patches, and other new licensed product, can jersey signage be far away in the States? One thing the leagues have done, even in these challenged times, is still build a demand for that space by not letting be sold to the first bidder. The leagues are also best at protecting marks and doing the long term planning for their on-field and on-court look, so any decision will be carefully placed and effectively marketed and messaged to the consumer. Perhaps the first move will come as part of a media package when the next major TV and digital rights deal is negotiated by one of the four leagues. Perhaps it will be a mega brand which will try a buy-in all at once for an entire league, hence keeping the uniformity (no pun intended). Maybe it will be the start of a patch program which has been done effectively in tennis and golf for years. One thing is for certain, when teams look at the amount of money Liverpool pulled in for their sponsorship, the discussion has had to have been rekindled again. As brands cut back in hospitality, they need to find creative ways to support their programs through effective exposure, and at some point the virgin jersey space will become the next big option.

VW Continues To Look For “Capitol” Gains…

October 29, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As many car brands look to reduce spending and streamline work in sports marketing, one of the more efficient brands in tough times, Volkswagen, continues to make a bigger strategic play in its headquarter maket of Washington, DC.  The German-engineered and gas efficient cars took a big first step into the market in the spring, becoming the jersey sponsor and primary activation partner for the DC United.  The activation on site and with dealers went well enough for the brand to take on additional partners, most notably the announcement of a deal with the Verizon Center and the Washington Wizards this week.  Although the clean jersey is still the rule in the NBA, the entry of VW into a Wizards partnership, while KIA does a massive activation in other markets with the NBA, is a smart one and signals that the tests that VW did with the United went well and can lead to bigger, more inclusive branding in the Capitol District, a city where green initiatives and international brands carry great weight, given the multi-cultural aspects of the city.  VW’s recent education initiatives also could tie nicely into sports marketing programs as well, so it will be interesting to see how/when VW increases their incremental involvement, especially in the Nation’s Capitol.

Picking The Right Athlete: Campbell’s Makes A Chunky Choice With L.T.

May 6, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Media Post had a nice piece today on Campbell’s “adjustment” of their brand strategy this week in going with one athlete…San Diego Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson, as they look to re-jig their Chunky Soup campaign.  The choice to go to LT’s preparation to play and tie with fitness is a departure from the popular “Mamma’s Family” campaign that made the brand so popular by using a host of athletes like Donovan McNabb and others.  It also makes sense to have the brand speak directly to healthy lifestyle, with a pre-season launch when kids are going back to school and many people start letting go of their summer fitness routines.  Also, focusing on Tomlinson, one of the NFL’s best but still not one of the NFL’s greatest exposed athletes (especially on the East Coast)  is also another smart move.  The shotgun approach of multiple athletes does give you a few more choices and safeguards against the injury issue for one guy, but in the end stars do shine, and making LT their guy in a multilevel campaign seems to make really good sense.