“Feeling Thorny” A Great Marketing Try…

March 27, 2013 by

Professional Women’s Soccer needs every break it can get in its third go-round. Two well-funded previous attempts to create a pro league have come and gone, and now a third version funded in large part by USA Soccer and some others with a stake in the game is going to give it another try.

This version will have eight teams based in Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Western New York, New Jersey, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.  and will have heavy cost control and marketing spends to try and make it moderately successful.

One of those teams will be the Portland Thorns, who have the savvy and skill of the MLS Timbers, one of the best success stories in North American startups in the past 30 years, to draw from. The Timbers know how to sell the soccer experience, and with it, the stories, athleticism and the professionalism of the female athlete as well. It won’t be easy getting exposure, but this past week the Thorns created a good amount of buzz before even giving anyone a chance to talk soccer.

The team started to market a program to draw attention to the squad, with the slogan “Feeling Thorny,” as an off color play on words. In a progressive town like Portland, with a young, vibrant and active community, the shorts sold like wildfire.  Team head Mike Golub, one of the smartest marketers in sport, and someone who knows the marketplace, said that last week   half of the sales at the Adidas Timbers store in Jeld-Wen Field were of the T-shirt, giving the team a nice lift and showing most importantly, that the organization was not afraid to take a chance to expose the franchise to a casual audience. It was not a big spend, with billboards and TV ads with suggestive poses…it was a controlled test to see what the market would bear to help get the franchise off the ground in an unconventional way.

It appeared to be working. The slogan was vetted with a wide group of supporters and was even created by a female employee who did not see the short as offensive.

That’s when the PC world started to chime in. A Facebook page went up and the social world started reacting, positively and negatively to a slogan which some people found offensive and sexist to a family audience. The team, seeing that the simple slogan could cause more damage than it’s worth and could be a distraction to a franchise that is going to struggle to hit its margins, quickly recanted and pulled the shirts. End of story.

While it is probably the right thing to do for a franchise in need of every ounce of support as a startup, it is a shame that the Timbers organization, one which has taken every positive step to make sure it is part of the fabric of the community in Portland, had to recant on a slogan which was clearly not meant to be taken seriously, and did not offend the core fan or the women who were playing for the team. It had a great viral effect, and probably really hit home with a Portland community that loves a bit of an edge and can be all about counter culture.

Can “Feeling Thorny” make it back? Doubtful in the mainstream. Can those t-shorts find a niche home and help the team grow, even if they are not “official”? You betcha. The slogan and the shirts struck a chord with casual fans, and even by pulling them, the organization sent a message that the game is supposed to be all about having fun and enjoying the communal experience of sport.

The next promotion probably won’t be as edgy, but for sure the Thorns brain trust as created a demand for a product, and by testing the waters has given a nice look into their marketing prowess as they attempt to help a league, and a sport, finally turn a corner.

Nice try Timbers/Thorns, keep shaking the tree.

Filed Under: Ambush Marketing, Crisis Management, ESPN, FIFA, Minor League Baseball, MLS Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Red Bulls Brand Looks For Another Boost

March 1, 2013 by
It was quite a few months for Red Bull around the world. From crashing snow mobiles to free falling from space, the thrill seeking brand continues to find ways to engage with an audience that loves action and adrenalin. Even their most prominent local athlete, the Brooklyn Nets Deron Williams, has had a sold season leading the transplanted team back to playoff and division contention in the NBA. Now if all that mojo could wear off on the area’s MLS team.
The Red Bulls soccer brand was full of action in the offseason for sure. They promoted from within, giving longtime assistant Mike Petke the coaching reigns and elevating longtime area soccer legend John Wolyniec as reserve team coach and player development coordinator.  They added Juninho to go alongside international stars like Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill and they talk of playing a more exciting and up-tempo style that could maybe produce more on field success than the club has ever had.
Off the field, the Red Bulls were the first MLS team to start a new tradition of jersey unveils all part of a wall to wall media day this past  week in Manhattan.  It is the latest step in what the club should hope will draw more fans from across the river and will in turn increase their brand value in marketplace that is still talking about another franchise to the east in Queens, while the deep pocketed but yet to start New York Cosmos of the lower level North American Soccer League make lots of off-field noise of their own.
Now maybe the Cosmos noise is just that…loud tricks designed to entice some marketing eyes as they wait for their now delayed first season to begin later this summer on Long Island. However that noise should serve as a brand wakeup call for the Red Bulls, who have made steady but not overwhelming progress in winning over casual fans and a younger demo that MLS does so well in other markets. Some years the club has come loud, with media plans and banners around Manhattan. Other years they have gone quiet, looking to the suburbs to draw fans to the brand and into Red Bull Arena. In truth, the club really needs to do both to be successful in the marketplace, one that they still have to themselves, at least for now.
The club has a solid fan base of loyal supporters and thousands of soccer-happy families on both sides of the river to embrace. They have an ardent ethnic community just minutes away who love all things soccer. They have marketable stars and now a home grown American coach. They also have the benefit of a brand that likes to engage in all forms of media, and is big on the viral nature of fandom.  Now there is what looks to be a very strong NHL and NBA run this spring to occupy the winter sports fans, and the Mets and Yankees got off to an early spring training start due to the World Baseball Classic, but it appears the New York area will not have much March Madness to attract fans, and the ever-growing popularity in the digital space and in the broadcast world of European soccer has kept the game close to top of mind all winter for fans. Now they get to see their local team return to the pitch, and stop watching the game from faraway stadia for a while.
Will it work? We shall see. Like any club, the Red Bulls are full of stories that need to be told to a wider audience. They speak to many languages and traditions. They have strong broadcast partners and will now add Spanish language radio on the former home of ESPN Radio in New York (1050). While it would be great to have an English language radio broadcast, even one that is streamed on their ever-changing website, the Red Bulls have another chance to make a dent in the marketplace. It is one that needs to be made now, with a combination of the loud outreach to Manhattan and corporate America combined with the grassroots embrace. If it’s not made now the marketplace is going to become crowded, with more than one choice for the casual soccer fan and the eyes of Gotham looking potentially east for their brand soccer fix, not west as they will need to look now. Whether that competition comes in the form of an upstart with a brand name or a fledgling franchise with a gleaming new still to be built franchise, one that can use other MLS expansion game plans for a model for success, remains to be seen.
For now it’s the Red Bulls town for the taking from every aspect. They have a solid stadium in a good location, a brand people know, lots of grassroots support and marketable and personable stars. It should be a blue print for success that builds and hopefully is amplified with a winning product on the field.   Whether all that equity crystallizes into brand success and penetration this season is up to the powers that be. Soccer has made great strides as a brand in the U.S, and in the New York market in recent years, sometimes in spite of the issues the local franchise has had on and off the field.  It is spring, and we all know that no one likes new starts more than a sports franchise. It is an annual do-over few business or brands ever get. The Red Bulls, like all clubs, start out not just even on the field but ahead as a brand in a one team market for soccer fans.  They get another chance, whether they take advantage of it from all aspects this year will be interesting.
The market won’t be theirs only for much longer, but they can own it now.

Filed Under: Crisis Management, ESPN, FIFA, Fox, MLS, Olympics Tagged With: , , , , , ,

MLS Casts A New York Net To Capture The Media…

February 12, 2013 by

It has been tried before, bringing the bringing the mountain to Muhammad idea, sports business version. NASCAR, LPGA, INDY CAR, USOC have all done it, finding a strategic time in the calendar to bring their elite athletes, the stories, their personalities to New York as a group, sometimes tied to a mega-sponsored promotion, to drum up casual interest, especially TV and brand awareness, in advance of a big event or the start of a season or even a season-ending championship race or event. Sometimes it works really well; sometimes it becomes a cash drain and a law of diminishing returns that goes away after a time. After all, most of the sports that take the caravan idea to New York do it because they never play or engage fans in the area…lack of courses, lack of tracks, lack of opportunities…so coming to New York as the one off event gives them, it is thought, ample face time to remind people they are viable media sources worthy of coverage. Another reason is the massive tours come and go with the medium we live in today…hyper local, highly digital engagement, where that “personal” touch can be offset in the minds of many by Skype, video streaming, and any other way to have a virtual tour or relationship with decision makers. Many groups also have massive pressure from promoters and media who need to access to hype their events locally and regionally as well, so the governing body needs to decide…worth bringing everyone to Gotham or is it better to do one off events where an almost immediate ROI can be felt in ticket sales and promotion for the next tour stop?

One thing is for sure, when decisions on budgets and time are being made on the business at hand today vs. the long term, taking the local road is safer than the less traveled national one which runs own Madison Avenue.

However now you have Major League Soccer, and the sport itself. There is little question that the sport from the grassroots to the highest levels of play, has taken hold with fans in the States. MLS has had its own steady growth as well, and with a World Cup now on the horizon should get an even bigger halo effect than it ever as before in terms of visibility and market viability. Still for all the growth of the sport, the greatest global names, even some of the most visible American stars, play elsewhere for most of the year, coming to the States for “friendlies” or for USA National matches. They are not here every day. That does not mean MLS does not have its share of vibrant personalities and good stories, they just sometimes get lost in the shuffle on the elite team sport mix in the States. That has changed in recent years, with more TV coverage, greater sponsor involvement and a stronger marketing push by clubs, but it still has a ways to go. Part of the answer for this year? Bring the guys here now.

This week MLS brought a trove of its talent from its teams, from young faces to veterans, to New York for two days of diverse media coverage, brand building and storytelling. They will engage with fans from New Jersey to Long Island, they will spend time playing video games and chatting up interested parties, some may cross paths in Fashion Week, however they can be, visibility to what they seek.  It will be the first of a series of loud statements MLS is going to make far and wide in the next few weeks, from player appearances to new jersey rollouts, to try and up the ante for a season less than a month away…a start which usually gets lost amongst the start of baseball,  March Madness, the climax of the NBA and NHL seasons and even the roar of Daytona. There is never an easy place to break through, but MLS sometimes has the hardest start because of the loud voices of others during March.

So why is this massive blitz of New York different or better than other leagues? Well better is hard to say, as it doesn’t have the roar of engines travelling around Times Square, or the frolicking of bulls or even beach volleyball players for people to stop and take notice of. It’s cold in New York this week, and even with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue unveiling (maybe there will be an MLS face or two there as well!) getting any sports fan to stop and take notice will have its issues amidst the slush.

This is different for the reason that MLS plays in the area…just across the river in New Jersey at Red Bull Arena, as easy a place to reach by public transportation or to watch an event as there is in the area. Media won’t have to travel to far outposts on busy weekends to follow up on the players they meet during the tour…they just need to check the schedules an head over…the MLS schedule is also not the daunting game every night of say, baseball…there is some down time for follow-up interaction. While other sports come here for their tour because they don’t  play here, MLS has a distinct advantage, and it’s one that should bring the athletes back top of mind once the season starts.

Is it a game changer overnight? No way. It will take time still to keep growing the affinity with the players, the teams and the markets. It is a great and a smart next step for the league and for the sport, and is hopefully one which those around today will see value in, and those marketing the game as we move closer to another world stage in 2014 and beyond will get to see as a must have, even when the league grows beyond the audience of loyal followers and casual fans it has today.

 

Filed Under: ESPN, FIFA, MLS, NASCAR Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Global Soccer’s USA Brand Play Makes Great Sense…

December 15, 2012 by

This past Friday amongst all the chaos around the tragedy in Connecticut came a story from Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick that Manchester City could become the founding partner/owner of a new Major League Soccer franchise, the one that will be based in New York City.  While those on the fringe may raise some eyebrows as to why this would be a good idea, the plan, if it does to fruition, makes great sense not just for MLS and Man City  or whatever club it would be, but for global sports business and the growth of soccer specifically .

Here are some thoughts as to why.mls

1-Brand soccer continues to be one of the hottest opportunities in North America. There is perhaps no sport that has benefitted more from global media than soccer in the United States. While basketball is rock solid in the States and continues to push outward into emerging countries, soccer’s global success is finally coming to roost in North America. This past summer the friendly tours by some of the biggest clubs in the world drew not just large crowds, but great brand recognition across the continent. Matches didn’t just fill stadia in New York and Los Angeles and Chicago; they drew fans to Kansas City and Dallas, Boston and Columbus. Those seats were not just filled by die-hards of national teams or prominent clubs like Chelsea or AS Roma, they were also filled by elite club teams from Poland and Ireland and Mexico.

With those matches came apparel sales, social media projects and grassroots programs that created a tremendous halo effect for the sport not just for this past summer, but for whatever comes next. Those fans who engaged now are following more regular season matches for the Barclays Premier League or Serie A than ever before, both on television outlets and in digital and social media. The global clubs of soccer have found a home in the States. There is no better example of that home than the current ESPN commercial which features not fans of the Mets or Yankees or Steelers or Cowboys but one each from Man U and Man City talking about their loyalty and devotion. The most amazing thing is that never does the spot mention who they are rooting for. You know its soccer, but it’s assumed you know the clubs and there is no way that spot could have ever worked in an environment where global soccer is not now mainstream.

2- MLS has welcomed and embraced the growth. While some may say that the global clubs presence has put Major League Soccer on the backburner, the opposite is probably truer. A rising tide of soccer lifts the MLS ship as well, ad by working with elite cubs when they come to the States, MLS gets a benefit. Clubs find casual fans coming to their stadia and seeing the work they have done to create a fun and innovative fan environment, and MLS provides a quality and affordable way for those fans of global soccer to take in a match when their favorite club is playing elsewhere in the world. Those running MLS and USA Soccer have done a tremendous job in also building “brand soccer” from the grassroots which now has created a core group who not only play but engage in following all forms of the professional game. As the quality of MLS continue to improve, those with a love for the most elite clubs will also assimilate more to professional soccer here as well. By welcoming the global push into the States, MLS has found willing and interested partners who see the growing market and now can work proactively to get new pieces of a pie that wasn’t anywhere near baked five years ago.

3- More and more global brands are looking to engage the US consumer, and the combination of soccer and sport is the perfect entrée. The US marketplace is not the easiest to crack for brands looking to engage, but sports are still the most intriguing entry port. Emirates Airways, through its tennis and horse racing sponsorships, has done a great job of finding ways to reach the right consumer, and soccer as it becomes more and more mainstream, is a natural next step. Does  Etihad, Abu Dhabi’s national airline which sponsors Man City, want to start a US marketing push? If so, how about through the auspices of American sport, and if that’s true why not ride the wave through a club building ties in the US. That back and forth has also not been lost on many American brands which are using elite soccer clubs to bring their message outside the States as well. The ability to bring that brand message direct to American consumers through sport has never been bigger.

4- With the millions invested, elite clubs realize they have to engage a wider audience than ever existed before. Even with the mania that exists around soccer across Europe, there is a revenue ceiling that will be hit, so elite clubs know that the time is now to find ways to engage and grow their brands globally. The tours this summer really drove home the engagement ability in the marketplace, with Chelsea for example running a massive digital campaign aimed at consumers in the States. It identified and rewarded fans of the club for their loyalty…a loyalty not based on trips to the UK but on how much their fandom resonated in the States. In order to keep those pockets growing, friendlies will not be enough. There needs to be a way to touch fans continuously in market to supplement what they can do in the digital space, so finding a way to do that with an actual club not just in the US, but in places like Asia is a way to remove the ceiling and enhance the brand growth.

5- If the idea of cross-Atlantic play will someday be possible, it is good to invest now. This concept has been talked about for years…will an NBA franchise land in Europe, can the Jacksonville jaguars investment in London pay off with a permanent home, could rugby or cricket find places to have global franchises in the States, could hockey through system work the KHL and the NHL together for the regular season etc. etc. Thus far it has been lots of talk but no real logistical solution. The sport that would make the most sense to do such a global investment in play would be soccer though. Why? Matches are spread out enough that travel back and forth would not be as big an issue as it would be for hockey or hoops, who have a more rigorous schedule and need multiple games and opponents in market. The NFL does play once a week, but American football still does not have the playing footprint elsewhere that soccer has. So could the Barclays Premier League drop two franchises in the States somewhere down the line?  Not yet, as the market still has to flesh itself out, and there are many, many issues with work rules and taxes and ownership that would have to be worked through. However as a trial balloon, a club-owned MLS franchise playing in MLS makes for an interesting test.

Now let’s be clear that this is not all rosy. There are some big financial and brand hurdles that need to be clear before the idea comes to fruition. The cost of both a stadium and running a franchise in New York is very, very high. There is a risk of brand damage because the franchise will not be Man City itself, it will be an MLS club under the Man City (or whomever else it is) brand. So diehard fans of the club and its level of play could be turned off. The marketplace is also very crowded and the homesteading Red Bulls have done well, but not great in bringing MLS success (many feel that MLS has succeeded in spite of the New York franchise). All those could be stumbling blocks to making the idea a reality.

What is real is that soccer is growing and that the current immigrant into the US loves the game. The interest in brands looking to engage this audience is very high and elite clubs see the opportunity with a savvy and engaged fan of the sport who wants more. MLS has been very smart in leveraging the sport for growth, and with a World Cup again on the horizon and brand marketers at clubs willing to make a leap, the timing may be right for all concerned. Who that party will be remains to be seen, but the opportunity of linking soccer 24/7 from sea to sea seems to be closer than ever, and if so, what a grand opportunity it will be.

Filed Under: ESPN, FIFA, MLS Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

MLS Kicks In Their Final Push…

November 30, 2012 by

They have been seen on Morning Joe and College Game Day, Univision and Canal Plus, Squawk Box and Conan. Everywhere you turn this week it seems MLS is turning up. Rightfully so, with MLS Cup this weekend at the Home Depot Center in LA, the sport wraps up another successful year of growth across North America. From highly successful sponsored friendlies all summer to grassroots growth to digital and business innovation, Major League Soccer is stronger as a brand today than it ever has been and indications are, even with some growing pains, the league is moving ahead in grand style.

The Championship Week has had a number of things play in their favor. A huge audience tuned in for AMERICAN college football in LA last Saturday for Notre Dame and USC, and got to hear Landon Donovan talk sports on ESPN College Game Day. The league carefully chose the right window to push the news about New York getting the next expansion franchise, setting off a wave of news in an important  market where the season for the Red Bulls was long done. The league got to celebrate the end of David Beckham’s landmark time with the LA Galaxy (who face the Houston Dynamo in the final) with news he may be involved in a club ownership, which brought even more global attention to the week. Factor in Oscar DelaHoya in his ownership role in Houston, a slew of community events around Los Angeles, Google chats with players, an NHL Lockout, not much NASCAR action save for awards this week, relative quiet in the NFL and the early season NBA, and save for some additional college football conference madness, MLS found a relatively clear week, nestled between Thanksgiving and the Winter Baseball Meetings, to call home.

The result was a week with good buzz, a series of awards which gave brands sponsoring them their due, and just enough hype to get some casual fans engaged. A nice window with two solid markets to play the culmination of the season.

Is it perfect? The MLS season goes on for a very long time and still irks the purist since it does not mirror the European football season. The match is in LA, which makes the weather better than New England or New York, which had traditionally frigid temperatures this week. So there is no perfect solution. However for a league on the come, many things broke the right way for MLS this season and this week, and they have a rightful stage to tout their game, their fans and their brand this weekend.

Filed Under: ESPN, FIFA, MLS Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

“The Friendlies” May End, But The Growth Continues…

August 9, 2012 by

This week brings to and end a frantic few weeks of soccer “friendlies” in the United States, capped off Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium with Real Madrid meeting  A.C. Milan at Yankee Stadium in New York the second  of two powerhouse matches in The Bronx this month. However, it was well beyond the second “House That Ruth Built” that global soccer had its effect this past month. From Seattle to Houston, Los Angeles to Boston, Kansas City to Miami, Chicago to Philadelphia soccer as a brand took the headlines, maybe not away from baseball, the Olympics and the NFL, but certainly as a partner in a year away from World Cup like never before.

It was not just about the matches either, clubs from around the world went out of their way to create viral campaigns, fan group activation platforms and clinics to embrace not just the diehard soccer fan but the casual fan as well. With those activation platforms, the clubs probably found new fans amongst the casual and reinforced the support of a growing legion of regular supporters whose interaction with the clubs may have only been on TV or online to this point.

Here, with the help of some of my Columbia University graduate students, is a brief look at some of the best of the best ways that clubs found their way into the hearts and minds of American soccer fans this July and early August:

- Chelsea players practicing football and soccer with players of the Seattle Seahawks, creating viral video campaigns and sharing their athletic abilities in front of the media and fans of both sports.

- Paris Saint-Germain releasing their new Nike kit not in a store or in a press setting but on a boat in the Hudson River,  in front of the Statue of Liberty

- For the MLS All-Star game, a giant soccer ball signed by the MLS All-Stars, Chelsea players, Mayor Nutter and Commissioner Garber toured Philadelphia. The ball made stops at the Art Museum steps, Love Park, Phillies game, Independence Hall and other locations. As part of the tour, people were able to sign the ball and take photos with it, creating awareness and excitement for the game.

-Real Madrid players trying their hand, hilariously so, at baseball in an online campaign.

-Tottenham players finding their way to both Central Park and Times Square, using social media to spread the word and meet up with club supporters in the middle of New York without most of the population knowing.

-Yankees star Mariano Rivera visiting and creating photo ops with Real Madrid during their tour stops in New York, linking Latino fans to the two sports they enjoy most, and providing crossover publicity for two of sports biggest global brands.

Those were just some of the ways clubs helped further tie themselves to a fervent following of soccer fans in the States. Now granted only one match out of the dozens played was “for keeps,” that being the exciting French Cup final won by Lyon 3-2 over Montpellier in penalty kicks at red Bull Arena in New Jersey, but in many ways the friendlies gave clubs a chance to do even more in the community than they would have closer to their season start. The programs also gave fans a chance to touch and feel elite soccer and by doing so, probably helped lift the presence of Major League Soccer here as the MLS season kicks into its end run in the early fall.

It was a great celebration of “The Beautiful Game” the past six weeks, and hopefully has set the table for even greater expansion, activation and celebration for the time leading up to the ultimate party, Rio 2014. 

Filed Under: FIFA, Fox Sports.com, MLS, NFL Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The U.S. Becomes Soccer Central…

July 23, 2012 by

It is a week before the London Olympics begin, and for the next 10 days soccer, more than any other sport, will be front and center in the United States. It is not World Cup, which will still have to share time with other American sports in 2014, it is a series of friendlies and one very real match that will have a majority of the world’s greatest clubs and athletes crisscrossing the country  to give brands, and both the casual and die-hard fan, a real dose of sustained global football for maybe the first time for this long.

The soccer frenzy will come in several forms, from the Herbalife World Football Challenge that has MLS clubs battling the likes of  Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germaine, Celtic, Santos and AC Milan, to other “friendlies” involving AS Roma, Tottenham, Montpellier and Lyon, to the French “Super Cup” between Lyon and Montpellier to the MLS All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Regardless, it will be an extravaganza of big name soccer in cities from Seattle to Kansas City to New York, all designed to showcase the sport and to show that club soccer and the passion for it is stronger than ever.

The series of matches will also be a great test to see how American brands, long ingrained in American sport but looking for more global partnerships, can see how they could potentially fit into new programs with global soccer brands, programs that can resonate both in the States and around the world. It will also provide further proof to non-American brands looking to access the U.S. sports landscape that soccer, and not just at the grassroots level, has a very passionate and growing fan base that can support new fan engagement platforms surrounding a club sponsorship. Also, the matches will provide continued fodder for Major League Soccer here to again buoy the notion to all that soccer is a sustainable and solid investment as sport, and that MLS, as America’s professional league can provide a great compliment to all who follow and engage in the world’s largest sport.

Now it is true that all these matches, with the exception of Lyon-Montpellier at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey next Saturday, are essentially exhibitions and pre-season tune-ups for clubs as they open their regular seasons on home turf later this summer. It is also true that as a one-off, the elite clubs will draw diehard and curiosity-seekers who may or may not return for match after match with so much American professional sport going on. However to have these many matches with these elite clubs in this many locales with this much interest is indeed a strong statement of growing interest in the sport in the United States. In the past sure some matches, but not this many with all these clubs in front of these large crowds in iconic venues ranging from Wrigley Field to Yankee Stadium to Fenway Park and beyond.

The two weeks will provide a great case study in the global sport of soccer and its continued viability in the States, both for existing parties involved in the game and for casual supporters who may not become more engaged on multiple levels.

A rising tide lifts all ships, and in the case of professional soccer interest, these next few weeks should see the highest of tides for those looking for a wave to catch. Great news for a great game.

Filed Under: ESPN, FIFA, Fox Sports.com, MLS Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Cosmos Are Back…Will Anyone Care?

July 15, 2012 by

It is a tough business this brand restoration thing. The hope for those purchasing any distressed brand known by the consumer…from Wham-O to Fresca…is that it rekindles nostalgic memories that entice the consumer and then the product is up to date enough to spur new product growth. Sometimes it works, often times it doesn’t. You see this type of grab many times in entertainment as well…The Coasters for example are all dead and buried, but there are many groups now playing their music who are trying to grab on to the consumer who think that at least one may be the original Coasters. Sometimes they satisfy the consumer, sometimes people get ripped off.

So with that background in mind we have the New York Cosmos…again. It was announced this past week that the Cosmos…with another ownership group…is going to enter the North American Soccer League, one of several minor leagues on the continent struggling to find a place with or behind Major League Soccer. This iteration comes on the heels of the very ambitious program launched and failed by previous investors to take the Cosmos brand and make it into a kind of Harlem Globetrotters with a serious spin. Get the best players in the world, play around the globe and then hope that a league…maybe even the Premier League if not MLS…comes calling. They spent millions on marketing, press conferences, lush offices, apparel and played one match with a ragtag group in the UK and then collapsed. Even the presence of former Cosmos greats like Pele and Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer could not spur enough interest to get the franchise going. Why?

Well one reason is that today’s fans have a very short memory. The Cosmos are an iconic brand, one known world over as best in class in soccer from a time gone by. In many parts of the world they may be the only North American club that a casual fan still knows, although the guess is that given MLS’ growth that is probably no longer true, and that most fans will know of the L.A. Galaxy or the marketing machine of the New York Red Bulls at least. Fans want the quality of today and the gratification of engaging today. They are not as concerned with past glory. It may stir some interest, but not enough to resurrect the brand. This has happened several times recently in sport in North America, where smart business people have tried to seize a dormant brand and use it as leverage for big time success. The ABA, dead for years, has tried and not succeeded in coming back as a pro hoops league. In Connecticut, the former NHL Whalers have not one but two groups, both minor league, the Danbury Whalers of the low level Federal league and the Connecticut Whale of the AHL, who have struggled mightily to draw fans and attention. Even the USFL is now out there again, with many of the same names and lots of plans to launch, but by all accounts thus far have yet to pull in the capital to make a viable effort work.The NASL itself has grabbed the names of former clubs like the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies, but these names combined with the Cosmos may not be enough to break through for the long haul. Some things maybe are left buried.

There is also the thought that those who would support these long ago brands come, sample and see the product is less than what it used to be, so they not only go away but they become a negative force. They don’t want to see the name, or their memories, connected to a sub-par or minor league product. This too can also be devastating for those looking for resurrection.

So that’s the negative. What’s the positive? Despite the recent issues, the Cosmos brand is still strong. We have seen effective brand resurrections in soccer by strong organizations in Seattle and Vancouver and Portland on the MLS side. The blueprint is there. The new ownership group is trying a strong PR push to build support, even without a home as of yet. At least they have a league, albeit a minor one in the NASL for now. It could be a good proving ground to see what a club could do.  There is a large potential market east of New Jersey, from Queens to Long Island and into southern Connecticut, that has not really been tapped by the Red Bulls. However there is no real soccer-specific stadium to play in, and in a challenged environment that building would have to come with a huge private raise. Long Island on summers weekends is already choked with traffic (that is what helped kill the WUSA, good product at Long Island’s Mitchell Field that few could get to because of weekend traffic), so figuring out a locale that is accessible is going to be huge. The club also has to overcome a very skeptical soccer core which would love to support but has both grown weary of the promises and now has as viable a local product as ever in the Red Bulls of MLS, not to mention all the “friendlies” coming to this country in July and early August.

So what does all this mean from a brand standpoint? At this point it is still unclear. There are huge hurdles to overcome and challenges to be met yet again for those who believe the Cosmos market is there. Ironically it is not that dissimilar from when Steve Ross and Clive Toye and company first launched the Cosmos brand. The difference now is that the consumer here is much more soccer savvy and that the world of sport business is much more global. If I can access Chelsea or Real Madrid and engage with my club every day, or if I can go see the Red Bulls why do I need this version of the Cosmos? Those are questions yet to be answered.

Maybe a new chapter of brand resurrection will arise for the Cosmos brand, it surely won’t be for lack of trying. The buzz again started with the announcement this week. Will it translate into sales? All depends on the quality of the product, not the packaging.

 

Filed Under: ESPN, MLS, NHL Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

MLS Scores With “Food Week”

July 6, 2012 by

It hasn’t gotten a huge amount of play sandwiched in between the MLB All-Star leadup, NBA free agent madness, the lull after EURO2012 and the Canada Day and Independence Day holidays in North America, but Major League Soccer launched a very smart and infinitely growable platform this week with “Food Week.”

Done almost totally as a digital play, “Food Week,” has taken fans into the best places to eat around MLS Cities, spent time with players and their pre-match eating habits, talked to trainers about proper eating habits, even visited fans with their tailgate rituals and recipies, with each day building on the next. The placement was very well spread around the league, and it ties very nicely into the beginning of summer and all the thoughts that have gone into activity and healthy eating for a demo that thrives online. It’s simplicity makes it a very easy niche to copy and expand upon for teams, athletes and youth organizations, a great test case for a very sellable platform.

Sellable how? A host of brands, from nutrition partners to CPG brands already part of the MLS famility can build contests year round leading to “Food Week.” Education programs can tie in as the school year ends, with local incentives for students to contribute. Their is a huge video component  that can host fan-created themes. The cookbook is always a great added value sales tool for fans, whether it is done by players and coaches or by wives, families and girlfriends, it is always a nice slice of life inside players lives. Also let’s not forget the huge Hispanic population that follows MLS, and the need for education in healthy eating habits. “Food Week” is the perfect entree into that demo as well, along with a look at all the other multi-national followers and expats who call MLS their favorite American sports league. Lastly let’s not forget the grassroots and the constant beating of the drum for healthy eating habits among the young. Few sports have grown from the grassroots like MLS has, and “Food Week” provides another engagement platform through soccer to speak to healthy living habits to millions of kids.

There is nothing glitzy or glamorous about the promotion this year. It is a solid test to continue to grow and expand, with health and fun as its core. It is a clear message that all can relate to, and for that MLS deserves some solid points for again innovating and leading with a solid effort that makes sense for all its fans.

 

Filed Under: ESPN, FIFA, Fox Sports.com, MLS, NCAA Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Soccer World Keeps Getting Smaller…And Bigger…In The U.S.

May 20, 2012 by

There used to be a time in the 1970′s and 1980′s when fans of professional soccer in the United States would find a time to tune in on PBS and hear the legendary announcer Mario Machado call highlights of games gone by in a one or two hour edited show to satisfy the thirst for video of the world’s most popular game. The North American Soccer league came and went, World Cup action was shown on some third tier UHF stations or on closed circuit. There was not much “there” there for fans of Man U. or Real Madrid or Lazio, especially when you left many urban areas where the game was still popular.

Fans today of anything soccer would find that very hard to believe. Today we have networks dedicated to the game in the States, the most healthy of grassroots sports, an ever-improving MLS prospect and more Americans contributing to the growth of soccer globally than ever before. However what is even more impressive is the way that elite clubs and the professional leagues from around the world, starting with the Barclays Premier League, have made such inroads into the American sports landscape. The last two weeks have seen record numbers of viewership for Manchester City’s title run and for Chelsea’s Championship League title, and this summer will see a record number of friendlies for elite clubs, from AS Roma, Chelsea and Tottenham to The French League Championship to Liverpool to Zaglebie Lubin and many other clubs. While it is not unusual for some friendlies to be played in the States before soccer kicks off around the world in August, the breath and depth of clubs and the stadia they will be playing in is rising, and that is reflective of the rising tide of interest in the sport in the States. It is not all about Americans and MLS. It is about seeing the best clubs from around the world, ones that have worked with American media companies like Fox and ESPN, to integrate matches year-round into broadcast and news coverage, so that young people in the States especially are just as big fans of Wayne Rooney as they are maybe of Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. The brands that support the elite soccer clubs around the world are also going to continue to get added ROI with the marketing and broadcast of elite soccer in the States, as companies like Emirates Airways now will have a growing affinity to an American marketplace through their non-American sports sponsorship.

The broadcast and digital world has opened possibilities for elite soccer clubs in the States much in the way the NBA (of all U.S. based leagues) has expanded their growth globally outside of the borders of the U.S. Stars are now easier to follow, the passion of clubs and the beauty of the game is easier understood, and it is no longer a stretch to watch the best clubs in the world compete live on TV (with much being in the mornings in the States when there is little live sports competition) where it may have been in years past. The highlights are now brought in as they happen through sports-specific networks and dropped side by side with baseball, hockey and hoops scores. It no longer is unusual to see a great Real Madrid goal during the morning SportsCenter, where that would have seemed very strange just a few years back.

This rising tide is also a boon to MLS, which continues its steady path of growth. While some may say the friendlies are what “real” fans want to see in soccer in the States, those matches draw more attention to the game, which in many markets brings casual fans to MLS and gives the league a great chance at conversion on a consistent level. All things good about soccer means better opportunities for all in the business.

Now none of this is to say that soccer is reaching its highest point of engagement in the States any time soon. MLB, the NHL, the NFL, and the NBA still rule the roost consistently, and soccer even at the highest level still has to compete with those four as well as NASCAR and a passionate intercollegiate audience that only exists in the States. That won’t change overnight. However what is changing is the growing acceptance of elite soccer as a must watch and talk about event in the U.S., with the numbers of the last week showing that to be true. It hasn’t happened in a vacuum or that suddenly. It has been a steady and strategic build, but it is a build worth watching and admiring as most of the soccer around the world takes a brief respite before the heat turns up again in mid-summer, much of which will start in the States.

Filed Under: ESPN, ESPN/ABC, FIFA, Fox, MLS, NCAA Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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