Rays Use Business Smarts To Start Off Field Transformation…
October 7, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment
Maybe the most moribund franchise in North American sports, the Tampa Rays underwent one of the best turnarounds on the field in recent memory. As the accolades for the front office staff and players pour in as the playoffs move ahead, the downside of losing and lack of brandbuilding was still evident as the season wore on. However, the changes that have begun to take place, and will hopefully build for the future regardless of result on the field success, are now taking hold, as pointed out by Jeremy Mullman in Ad Age. By bringing on a former P and G brand manager, the club has applied all the touch points of a successful package goods brand, and added in the emotion of sports. It was a smart hire and applies logic and good sense for the Rays makeover, and coupled with the onfield success can spell a business upswing for the team for the future. Now would all the good branding in the world have worked if the team remained in last? Maybe not. But by setting the business climate correctly, the franchise was much better positioned to reap positive results.
EA Sports, Gilette Team For a Glimpse Of New Digital Access For Fans…
August 29, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment
The fantasy space of playing in real time with your favorite athlete has always been the epitome of both brand activation and fan interraction. Taking on Michael Jordan in hoops, Tiger Woods in golf or returning an Andre Agassi serve would draw interest from thousands of fans and get the sponsoring brands great exposure. Now in the digital space, EA Sports and Gilette have worked together to take that participation to a different level for a wider swath of fans, having top athletes compete in real time online against fans, with the winners coming together to meet the stars who they have conquered, not just in their professional sport but in any of a series of events. The Boston Globe outlined the program on Friday, and it could be a door opener for how top athletes can interract in the digital space. Great start, great brand exposure for Gilette as they continue to find new ways to activate their sports sponsorships. Â
NASCAR PR MAKES THE PITS VERY FRUITFUL…
May 9, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment
PR Move of the Day: The biggest thing brands always want, and fans do to, is access. Not just access to the athletes to hear their stories, but access to the “inside” feel of what drive the passions of the sports brand they so closely identify with. Thats why first person or insider access pieces given to the media are so valuable.  Not only do they provide the media member with a greater understanding of the intricacies of a complex business, but they give the media the chance to use their multitude of talents to find stories that even the publicist or the brand manager won’t see. Case in point is today’s Wall Street Journal, where NASCAR gave writer Allen St. John full access to Ryan Newman’s Pit Crew. It exposes the personalities behind the driver, as well as all the brands they work with, to a much wider audience in a light that is rarely if ever seen, and also gives the core fan even more insight into the goings on, and the success and failure, of those who they only see from a distance. NASCAR and the WSJ also tied in video to the piece to make it a complete package that got bonus coverage to fans, business partners, investors and the sport. Well delivered on all levels. Â
Joe has almost a quarter century of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. He is a producer of award winning and cutting edge programs designed to increase ROI and minimize cost. 
