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. ..

Who Will Win The Battle of The Busiest Weekend On The Sports Calendar?

February 11, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is a good thing the NFL moved the Pro Bowl to the week prior to the Super Bowl this year.  The game got much-needed attention and a record crowd, and won’t have to deal with being an after-thought on perhaps the busiest big event weekend on the sports calendar.  Yes a week after the Super Bowl became the most watched television event of all-time, three major events…the opening of the Winter Olympics, the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game, will all battle for eyeballs, sponsor return and casual sports fans within 72 hours. Who will win?  The battle has already begun.

For All The Segmenting and Shrinking, Broadcast TV is Still King For Big Events…

February 9, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Maybe it was the bad weather that blanketed much of the Middle Eastern states, or the rain that hit the Western United States.  Maybe it was the allure of a quarterback who has been able to flourish as a marketing maven for brands like Oreo and Direct TV despite being in a small market.  Maybe it was because America wanted to see a team from a devastated region rise higher than the flood waters did that tragic August day.  Maybe it was because we wanted to see Betty White and Chevy Chase again.  Maybe it’s because football is really America’s game. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter.  The record crowd that tuned in…made even more amazing in this 30 second, HULU infused, Twitter possessed world…showed once again why we love sports as a release, and why the industry and the medium used to show it…broadcast TV…remains king to brands.

Six Months Into A “Crisis” Year and NASCAR Continues Its Strong Refinement…

July 1, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

If any sport could be hurt by the global economic problems it should be NASCAR. The essence of the “traveling circus” of a circuit, especially one built around the auto industry and legions of fans that have to travel to see their stars, makes survival problematic and growth questionable. Outside the US, racing in the form of Formula One has been devastated, with more bad news that good. Yet NASCAR, although taking a hit, has continued to build its brand, redefine itself and find ways to satisfy its core audience and find new, casual fans in these crazy times. How? By staying on message, looking for new avenues, listening to their fans and doing everything possible to keep their TV, digital and brand partners happy in these tough times. A look around this week sees the NASCAR story told point by point in USA Today , and in an indepth all access show on CNBC . Prior to that, away from the sports and business pages, the New York Times spent A Night Out with driver Jimmie Johnson recently in Manhattan, while SUNOCO re-launched their campaign for Free Fuel for NASCAR fans and loyal customers in early June. Are things all rosy? No. The discretionary dollar for many fans has dried up, which will hopefully lead them to TV or more digital coverage, but NASCAR has done a great job of showing all partners that they are remaining strong in these tough times and will do whatever it takes to reward all involved with their brand. Great mid-year push by a sport fueled by loyalty.

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.

Blazers, NBA Still Show Promotion Is Worth Effort…

January 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Even in a challenged economy, the ability to find creative ways to grow and enhance your brand exists, and recent proof is again provided by the NBA and its teams.  This week, Henry Abbott on ESPN.com gave the Trailblazers props for their annual fun all-star pitch for their guys (this time LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy) with a package of “stuff” sent to key media. While many teams and some select athletes have taken to the digital play to garner votes (here is the YouTube piece with the Nets’ Devin Harris playing off the shoe throwing incident with President Bush) the combination of digital and a good old- fashioned props pack to media is still a great play.  Now in the digital world how many votes will Portland’s pack bring in?  The answer is who knows?  What the package does is simple…it gives added fodder for beat writers to think about writing about these guys and the team when they may not remember to, it shows the athletes that the team is making the effort to support them in many ways, it gives the fans water cooler talk and it helps show business partners that the team is just not sitting still to promote even in a chellenged economy.  As colleges and other leagues cut back on promotion, once again the NBA shows that the little investment in the “little things” goes a long way to build brand and confidence.  Great example that others on all levels should emulate, as creativity doesn’t usually need a big dollar spend to be effective.

Dishin Digital…Nike’s ballgirl and ESPN 360

July 1, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With the constant debate over the value of the digital content comes a few more glimmers of hope that there are ways to properly and effectively utilize both the viral and commercial space in sports.  First on the viral side, via YouTube, comes Nike’s latest amazing stunt video, this one showing a ball girl climbing the wall to make a catch at a baseball game.  Then on the more traditional side is Media Post’s  Dave Goetzel’s breakdown of the value of ESPN 360 to filter through a crowded sports landscape and provide those online with pieces of the events they want to see most, along with indepth coverage of events that the ardent fan would enjoy.  The ESPN 360 breakdown is not just an anlysis of what the feature now holds, it gives those interested a great view into the potential of what the platform can be.  The Nike spoofs, like those organic campaigns by Vitamin Water, are designed to entice the viewer through a series of the amazing, and leave some room for debate as to their reality.  They are also done clean, with little signage, leading the viewer even closer to thinking the pieces are authentic.  They are done purely for the buzz value, which Nike hopes will lead to a bigger payoff down the line.  Whether the videos of theses amazing feats will lead to larger sales or brand awareness is TBD…but they do generate buzz and word of mouth, two things key to Nike’s branding.  ESPN360’s potential is mush more tangible, since it will or will not lead to ad dollars and viewers.  However risky, both are examples of key brands finding ways to effectively use the space through the nontraditional. 

The New Superstars Competition…Kobe vs. Joey Gathright Jumping Over Cars?

April 21, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As both the Lakers make their playoff run and the Royals continue their surprising start, we take a look at the glories of YouTube past and present to see the potential for a new kind of one on one competition, ala ABC’s legendary series “The Superstars.” (although it may be just a virtual one but one that could afford some unique branding oppts).  It is car jumping, as we have seen recently with the Lakers star Kobe Bryant  ”jumping” over a speeding car online last week. While the authentic YouTube stunt of Royals outfielder Joey Gathright  has been documented since 2002, when the athletic outfielder became one of the first internet legends by jumping over a stationary car, Bryant’s stunt, real or virtual obviously drew more attention.  So the next level of “challenge” occurred Friday on ESPN, with Gathright challenging Bryant to an offseason car jump.  Nice move by the young outfielder looking to make his own stake, a smart move to issue the challenge whether it plays out or not…hopefully there will be a Bryant response and some trash talk after the Lakers season ends that could play out in a nice branding opportunity as well as some new media hijinx in the summer, so long as no one actually tries the competition this time.    

Rewards Outweighing The Risks…

January 22, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

A couple of recent pieces we found (one on Terry Lyons blog by the way) showed the ying and yang of  charitable work, and the way the sports and entertainment space (both recreational and professional) can be used to assist charitable endeavors.  There are two examples that involve the professional athlete in the professional setting, and the work (sometimes unsung) and responsibility that comes on a daily basis with the visible athlete.  The first story, by Kevin Ding in a recent Orange County Register, details Kobe Bryant’s work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and both the positive and bittersweet experiences one of the world’s most recognizable athletes has with the relationship, especially when having to deal with an outcome which is not always positive in the long term. The second piece is Mike Lupica’s column in today’s New York Daily News, which told the story of the New York Giants season-long relationship with Lt. Colonel Dan Gadson, an Iraq War vet who lost both his legs in combat who has come to be a source of inspiration for the team.  Both pieces show the athlete or athletes in a humbling light, and how their deeply personal devotion to these causes, especially in private, can be a great source of personal motivation and professional satisfaction while making the days of those less fortunate a bit better.