The Quick On Vick…

August 18, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As the endless stops and starts go along with Michael Vick, the two points that will matter to brands around the team and to fans who put down the cash for tickets and product are simple…will he continue to show remorse and work to improve his image and will he help the Eagles be a better team on the field and a better brand off it. Once again its way early to answer number two, but number one appears to have answered many of the questions to this point. Kevin Sullivan had a solid review of Vick’s “60 Minutes” piece on yahoo sports today showing that the athlete is taking all of this very seriously and is taking the time to listen and think about answers before letting them fly. Well dressed, well spoken, never caught off guard and he said all the right things. On the Eagles side, the press conference and all the actions since have shown unity to date. Owner Jeffrey Lurie, president Joe Banner, coach Andy Reid and all the players have pulled from the same playbook, speaking the same lines and acting in unison with support. There has been no split in ranks, all are well rehearsed and all are speaking the language of redemption at this point, a steady message which speaks to all listening that they are willing to give this athlete and this person a second chance, dog lovers and all. The most interesting question has been posed by Bob Ford of the Inquirer, which is why? Do the Eagles need the distraction or the test of talent to get them to the next level, and will it be worth it when every misstep is taken to a new level of scrutiny, even when the protests come. From an onfield brand standpoint that remains an interesting question. On the business side the first news cycle appears to be a positive and well communicated one, with some question remaining as to if and when Eagles top sponsors were pulled into the mix. However with no mass exodus on any front, the court of public opinion, at least for the first few days, appears to be leaning in the Eagles favor. There is also the notion, as was the case with some of the recent steroid revelations in baseball, that fans have almost become immune to scandal at this point. The Vick case has been well played out and even the casual observer now understands the plus and minuses, so how long will the controversy actually last? One news cycle over…another coming up, and a trip to New york looming for an exhibition game at the end of the month. The Eagles staff has now been through TO, problems with Donovan McNabb, the offfield issues with Andy Reid’s family and the tragedy of losing a top coach to cancer only a few weeks ago. Plus they have the comfort zone of the media controlled environment of the NFL, a plus that no other sport has. So can it play out quickly? No. Will there be brand damage? Not yet. Now if they can only execute on the field as they have executed off thus far.

Yankees Take A Leadership Position With Hope Week…

July 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Sometimes being the premier brand in a city, let alone a country, can lead to complacency. Even in a down economy, the demand as a destination and a brand to be associated with still conveys great opportunity with little effort. On another side, the relevance of brand can also lead to a guarded stance with regard to creating partner opportunities…one which does not allow the brand to do the “extras” for attention or brand growth that others need to be successful. Also, being a brand in demand can put those involved on such a high pedestal that the downside of not being all inclusive in projects, leaving out a partner or not being able to assist all involved, can bring more negative than the positive of assisting most. So with all that in mind, the Yankees deserved some credit for creating their first-ever HOPE Week. All week the team and staff will be in the city doing community service events, all tied in with various goodwill around the city. Now some may say that this is what a premier brand is supposed to do to give back to the community, and it is true that teams do community events year-round. However for the Yankees to make a concerted effort to use the power of their brand, especially without a corporate push, to touch so many charities within one week, a great followup to all the work MLB did in St. Louis around the All-Star break, is a great move. The positioning of the events, between Sunday’s Old Timers Day and this coming weekend’s Hall of Fame induction, and during a time of year when media are looking for events (no NBA, NFL, NHL or college, and minimal NASCAR and just off the British Open) also makes great sense. A solid, well positioned week-long event for a team and its players which sometimes do not get their due for all they can do off the field.

Subway Make Fresh Pitch With Little League…

March 29, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The Subway chain has done a great job in recent years of finding ways to attack the demo they are trying to reach, whether that is through their team of athlete endorsers, NASCAR or even through their weight loss king, Jared. By going after those groups, Subway spoke right to the adult who chased fast food, and their affordable meals and “Eat Fresh” campaign resulted in some great brand building and awareness, not to mention sales growth. Now Subway will look to step up their pitch to a younger and family audience by expanding their partnership with Little League, this past week kicking off a promo tied to Little League Opening Day and continuing through the summer. The promotion will use some greats of the game, Bucky Dent, Fred Lynn and others, in key markets as part of a tour with celebrity signed and designed baseballs that will be auctioned off for Little League charities. The promotion will coincide with Little League’s 70th birthday, and comes at a time when local youth sports are growing in interest (and Little League is expanding internationally) but sponsorship for programs is struggling. By taking the message to the highly visible and well traffic’ed stops, the Subway brand and the connection to local youth is expanded, with a dash of celebrity thrown in. The promo then accomplishes a host of ideals, both raising funds, awareness and buzz for Little League, while giving Subway franchisees a little extra in a challenged economy for customers to choose their brand over the myriad of affordable chains available. Nice pitch for exposure and branding in a summer long program with a charity tie…a good win for all.

The UFC Experience Picks Its Spots To Build Brand

February 4, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Even with the down economy, Super Bowl weekend continues to be the biggest weekend in Las Vegas. More fans flock to the desert to bet and enjoy the atmosphere than go to the site of the game, and the group that has capitalized on that Super Bowl weekend experience more than anyone is the UFC. Say what you want about MMA, the experience remains akin in brand to what the WWE is to their fans and to what Daytona is to NASCAR, and as much as the mainstream media try to downplay it, the core audience remains strong while the casual fan will still watch. The latest convert was the LA Times Kurt Streeter, who attended not even a UFC fight, but the recent Affliction event in Anaheim, and was blown away by the crowd and the power of Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianko . Even if the Affliction/Fedor fight was not UFC, it was still good brand awareness for the sport, and as George Willis pointed out in the New York Post Friday, the UFC event in Vegas between George St. Pierre and BJ Penn was perfectly timed, well orchastrated and fed into the weekend in Vegas seemlessly. Will MMA ever replace a great boxing match or move further into the mainstream worldwide? My guess is no. But second tier sports can learn a great lesson from the UFC. They have cultivated their core audience very well and speak directly to it wherever they go. That keeps the mainstays sated and gives the casual fan enough interest to attend and drive numbers to a very solid place. The fly in the UFC’s ointment? A Bloomberg report last week that Station Casinos is near default. If true, then the UFC might have to spend less to push the fringes of its brand and not expand as quickly to questionable markets without a large cash flow. Still the times when Zuffa needed the Station money to stay afloat are past. At the end of the day it is still the UFC experience which is the only durable brand in the sport that consistently delivers a demo and revenue, and by conquering Super Bowl weekend in Vegas, the UFC brand will stay solid with their core in tough times.

Audi Steps Forward With A Super Push…

January 22, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we enter the two weeks leading up to a Super Bowl which will be less hype and more cautious with excess spending, it was good to see the New York Post report that Audi is making an aggressive push to seize market share and hype with a series of spots leading toward the Super Bowl, married with dealer and online activation.  Audi is a brand that defines luxury, and as so, will be one of those that will stick to its core audience and will look to cutting edge, elite plays to still grab those looking to spend, even if they are limited.  Also on the value side, the brand known for customer appreciation is able to take the spots and subliminally let their past buyers know that the brand is still strong and fresh…that reinforcement through a Super Bowl campaign is smart, becuase since Audi knows its buyers are investors in their product, they will bank on the campaign as a bridge to future poisitive times when the economy rebounds and the consumer needs to buy.  To get a smart effective buy for the game and the lead-up and leverage that against future purchases can work for brands, and hopefully Audi will be the first of many who will look to make a confidence buy and brand play as the game approaches and confidence is beginning to be restored.

New Activation Partnerships, New Crossover Stars…In An Olympic Year…WNBA Tips Off Strong…

May 18, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Many times over the past dozen years marketers have looked at the WNBA as somewhat of an enigma.  Clearly the breakthrough leader in women’s sports, the league has enjoyed strong support with a product that has become better every year.  Still the mainstream interest has been up and down depending on the year, and with local ownership the league now has to hope that each team has staff savvy enough to activate and build stars by market.  This summer however it looks like the WNBA future is bright as ever, due to smart, new cutting edge partnerships, the momentum of an Olympic year and some solid crossover stars that can continue to appeal to make the great game of BASKETBALL, not just women’s basketball, a popular go-to sport year round for interest and activation.  Some of the reasons for the bright future are outlined in Mel Greenberg’s overall piece in the Philly Inquirer  , Kurt Streeter’s great profile of rookie star Candace Parker in today’s LA Times, Dave Weekley’s story in the Charleston Gazette Mail that tells local fans all the ways they can follow the Detroit Shock’s rookie star Alexis Hornbuckle, the New York Liberty with a local star in Rutgers’ Essence Carson, and mutiple stories on the WNBA McDonald’s partnership which not only includes activation online and in market but gives the worldwide brand logo placement on the front of many WNBA jerseys.  Tie that in with the fan program Discover Card does with the league, some very strong online spots (head of officials Dee Kantner has a  blog that will give basketball fans a different look at the game) , and there are many, many reasons why the league can grow from all aspects this summer.  A couple of push points to really put it over the top…local stories…the league must push the local teams to find and tell every possible story across all mediums, including taking advantage of every opportunity in the digital space…that local momentum needs to be there to show everyone strength in a cumulative fashion.  The other point is talking about basketball.  Many times women’s sports get caught up in the uniqueness of being just that…a women’s sport.  However the level of crossover appeal and athleticism now for the WNBA is even bigger because it is good basketball that appeals to all hoops fans.  Riding the great success the NBA is having into June won’t hurt, and talking about great hoops, with a solid leader like Donna Orender, is a very smart move.