L.A. Doesn’t Dodge The Chance To Build It’s Global Brand

March 14, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, despite the messy divorce and internal politics going on with the McCourt breakup, remain one of the world’s premier sports brands.  The front office, led by Dennis Mannion on the business side, continues to cultivate new avenues to grow the brand of the team, not just its players, into a community that is tremendously diverse and is extremely fickle in it’s dpending of dicretionary income.  In addition, the Dodgers have a World Champion to compete with in hoops (the Lakers), and a highly competitive and success neighbor in the American League (the Angels), with one of the most forward thinking owners in baseball (Arthuro Moreno).  So what is a team to do?  Go East.  Below is our recent Huffington Post piece on the Dodgers trip to Taiwan, and its reasons, especially in a croweded marketplace. ..

Sports Books Worth Reading And Giving From 2009

December 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

I will be the first to say I am not a strong critic, nor do I read every book out there. However I do read a great deal and try to figure out what are the books that teach me something, even of some of the most public of figures, that I didn’t know before and what can I take away from this that can apply to work, personal life or friends, colleagues or family. Also, what do I think are just really well written stories. So below I have highlighted a list of some of the books I have gotten to and enjoyed, and others may enjoy too. Some are on most people’s lists…some are a little more obscure, but all are well written and have great value. I also have to admit I have not read Bill Simmons’ book or Chris Ballard’s on the NBA, or the Agassi book or my friend Jon Wertheim’s book on tennis this year. That is my bad, but that’s what the holidays are for. These are also in no particular order, other than Marty Appel’s name started with A and thats the first one I thought of. Feel free to send along other suggestions to me at fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com

Baseball Plays A Doubleheader As A Social Unifying Brand

June 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Many times in North America, the sport of baseball sometimes gets overlooked for its ability to aggregate people, expose brands and tell stories. because the season is so long and the game is so ingrained we sometimes forget the amount of eyeballs and dollars spent on the game, even more now on a global scale. And with the attraction, from Little league through the Majors, comes the ability to marry brands in large numbers to very worthy and promotable causes. This weekend…Father’s Day…baseball takes on a doubleheader of well, timed, well presented and well thought out activation platforms…civil rights and prostate cancer awareness, and delivers on both. On the Civil Rights front, it is sometimes forgotten that baseball broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson, for all professional sports. So when the sport started having a Civil Rights Day and game a few years ago in Memphis, Tennessee, it got some attention but not huge attention. The move to take the entire event and move it to a Major League city, Cincinnati, and involve a full few days of talks and involvement from peoples of all sports and backgrounds, was a great one, and the coverage received for both the sport and for Civil Rights issued was tremendous. For a support to promote issues in season is one thing, to take an active stance and deliver positive messages on a national stage is another, and baseball should get pig points for taking the time and the effort to build this platform for all and to work with the brands who will activate against it. The second weekend cause is Prostate Cancer Awareness, and by using their national platform of games on the Father’s Day weekend…complete with blue bats for auction, sponsor and player activation campaigns in major media and at all games, the sport again hits a homer. Baseball announcer Ed Randall’s Bat For The Cure, is also a great example of how the pooling of resources can work for the bigger cause through the sport. For whatever reason, the prostate cancer campaign is not as well covered as the all-pink breast cancer awareness work done in April and October through the various pink programs, but the yeoman work baseball does to collectively present the issue to millions on a day which is more father-focused than others, remains a great example of pooling resources the right way for all. Now could the two be split on other weekends? Maybe. But despite the timing, both garner great coverage, sponsor activation, and messaging. Great job by all.

Red Bulls Score Off The Field With High School Media Day…

October 5, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As teams below the big three (plus NASCAR) search for non-traditional ways to tell their stories, identify audience and connect with the casual fan, the digital and the high school market are becoming of more and more value.  This weekend the New York Red Bulls found a way to tie the two together by creating a high school media day and blog contest for area students, in partnership with the Newark Star Ledger. The Ledger worked with the team to identify interested students from 30 high schools and immerse the young journalists in game and event coverage and interviewing techniques, with the best blogs and stories being singled out in the coming days.  Although it may not move MLS to the forefront right now, it creates a great seeding ground for young people, has a big word of mouth play as the students become advocates of the team in their high schools, and gives those interested in journalism a chance to actually ply their craft in a professional environment.  Well hit with the Red Bulls to find a niche and develop ties, using a major media outlet, in a crowded marketplace.

Oregon Doc Gives New Meaning To March Madness, And Some Solid Baseball Pieces…

March 9, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: As we move through Championship Week and into the NCAA tournament,  it will be interesting to look for some of the more unique promotions tied to  some of the best weeks of the year on the sports calendar.  Thus far, the best one comes courtesy of Playbooks and Profits in The Oregonian.  A team of Springfield urologists are running a pre-tournament special on vasectomies urging male fans to “lower your seed” for the  tournament, with the idea that post operative recovery requires you to sit around anyway.  Will be interesting to see  what other promos can top this one, which by the way is being pretty well received.