The Stunt Makes A Comeback…

November 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

As we move towards the end of what has been a challenged year for many in the brand activation side, we are seeing more and more unique ambush plays and creative sponsorship partnerships designed to extract every dollar, or generate dollars and interest, with every passing day. The moves are probably coming more out of creative minds letting loose and brands being willing to try a little more edgy a push for ROI, but in each case the opportunities have created buzz and made for an entrepreneurial sense of “one upsmanship” that is both refreshing and challenging for all involved in sports and entertainment. The recent examples included: Hebrew National pulling a unique ambush and challenge for those players caught eating hot dogs on an NFL sideline (after the Jets Mark Sanchez was caught on camera eating during a game), the Captain Morgan pose and subsequent followup this week by Diageo during last week’s Eagles NFL game, Boise State and the Big West Conference looking to raise their profile by hiring a PR firm and selling “shares” in their athletic program (as reported by Darren Rovell) with each holder getting a voice in marketing plans, and the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” sponsoring last Saturday’s championship fight between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquaio.

Finding The Happy Medium For Twitter…Howard yes, Johnson no…

November 3, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The twitter debate with regard to athletes and celebrities rages on as to what is acceptable and helpful and what is detrimental and contrived, and what at the end of the day is actually the best mix for use in the social networking space. Much like other media that have launched…sports radio, blogs, websites…the initial pushback is due more to the unknown as opposed to the medium itself. Sports remains a very traditional, very routine business, especially for those who are amongst its veterans in communications on the team side. The season has its patterns, and many times there is a reticence to differ from that pattern or try new things or embrace new technology, hence the pushback.

Kobe vs. LeBron…or Dwight…Digital Immediacy Gives Brands Flexibility Like Never Before…

May 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It used to be that media plans, carefully crafted and built over time, could be gone in a heartbeat if an entertainer bombed or ran afowl of the law, or an athlete was injured or failed to live up to expectations. The classic story has always been the Dave vs. Dave decathlon battle leading to the Olympics that never materialized because of injuries and underperformance. Even three years ago, Amex’s “Andys Mojo” campaign built around Andy Roddick for the US Open, flamed out when Roddick when down too early in the tournament, and there are countless stories of teams pulling down billlboards after early season trades or problems. However today’s digitial opportunities gives media and brand at least more flexibility than before. Even the LA Dodgers “Mannywood” issues could have been much more costly in years gone by if the team did not have the ability to adjust on the fly. Was it somewhat costly? Yes. But not to the extent of other years, where billboards, ads, and other pieces could not be swapped out digitally. Even media guides, once a massive spend to store and print, are now being updated and adjusted more on CD and online, saving time and money. Latest case in point on this issue are the brands that have spent and built toward the NBA Finals and a potential Kobe vs. LeBron mega-final. Jeremy Mullman in Ad Age on Friday had a good piece pointing out potential pratfalls for brands building who have built NBA campaigns and are not part of the the matchup, especially adidas and Gatorade, while Darren Rovell had a good piece earlier in the week about Vitamin Water and their ability to adjust by also having an underused Dwight Howard in their stable of athletes. Both give great insight into the gamble of aligning with one particular athlete or entertainer vs. overall partnerships. However both also show savvy brands that can now adjust in a digital environ and deliver impactful messaging around an event like the NBA Finals by delivering right to the consumer online and with social media, and even some guerilla branding if needed. Just a few years ago, none of that would have been possible and the brand damage could have been massive. Now the ability to adjust on the fly is both creative and a time saver and provides flexibility in messaging that few could have predicted. Picking the right spokespeople is always important…being able to adjust in times of crisis is even more important, and the media environ now provides that opportunity.

Big Red, NBA Score Big Points Over The Weekend.

February 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: Ivy League hoops has been long dominated by the Penn, Princeton tandem, and given the lack of a post-season tournament, the long march for another school to break through has to be done by sustained effort both on the recruiting trail and on the court. It looks like this year’s breakthrough team could be Cornell University, and the Big Red took some great strides to introduce their squad to the nation (and especially to a New York area that is going through a drought of quality collegiate hoops this year) with a 48 hour all access piece granted to the New York Times. The result was insight into the life of Ivy League student-athletes through a grueling two day back to back road game stretch that most fans dont event realize and rarely see. The Times, through Pete Thamel’s words along with stills and video, gave us a great opportunity through all mediums to meet and understand Coach Steve Donahue and his team. This was a great move by the Cornell athletic staff to grant the Times all access even in this, the most critical stretch of the Ivy League season, where one slip up could mean no postseason for the school. The result was a win win (yes they won both games, including a dramatic win @ Harvard Friday night) for all involved, and it also gave the media and the fans a nice sneak preview to a potential Cinderella team for March Madness.

Vitamin Water Lands A Nice Organic Placement…

February 13, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  Glaceau’s Vitamin Water brand is known for their high level athletes (David Ortiz, David Wright etc.) and the organic campaigns they run to try and have their product generically placed in the regular coverage of their athletes.  They scored a huge hit during the run up to last year’s Super Bowl, when the Bears’ Brian Urlacher wore a Vitamin Water baseball cap during media availablity and created a firestorm since the brand was not a Super Bowl partner.  Now we have touched on the great digital campaigns of Chris Bosh, Steve Nash, and Rudy Gay, but a behind the scenes dunk prep video with the Magic’s Dwight Howard posted on YouTube and a bunch of other sites, takes  product integration into the athlete video to another level.  In the video, Howard goes through his prep for the dunk contest wearing a Vitamin Water tee and drinking product without any direct brand endorsement.  It looks totally natural, extremely viral, and shows the value of the product to the athlete without saying a word.  Great example of brand integration that is nowhere near over the top.  Another great example of cutting edge video for an NBA star.