New real estate in sports brands expands…

June 5, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

As the scramble to get the best value for sponsorship dollars, as well as added eyeballs for products and services, continues on in a challenged economy, two brands took a leap step forward in the New York sports marketing scene this week.

Beware Sponges Filled With Cash…And Other Lessons…

March 16, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Last year the brand of choice to fill displaced inventory on television and in stadia around the country was Spongetech. Their giant signs were splashed acroos all of MLB, their patches showed up on the NFL’s “Hard Knocks” show on Bengals jerseys, they appeared along the dasher boards at Madison Square Garden. Spongetech, and their pre-soaped sponges, appeared to be the cure-all for every team salesperson.  They helped balance budgets and create some buzz and all appeared grand.

St. John’s Pulls Out Some Nostaligic Threads With “Ugly Sweater Night”

December 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

College hoops in New York has been dormant for too many years. The last two years, not one local college even reached the NCAA’s or the NIT, so all the good brand equity and loyal following that had been built over years of success for Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Manhattan, Hofstra, Fordham et al… has been lost. That doesn’t even begin to take in the losses from the casual sports fans who would follow and attend games, especially for SJU at MSG and Seton Hall at the Meadowlands, when the two were giant killers and at the top of the hoops hierarchy. The good news is that the potential to rebrand and grow as marketing properties still exists in the area, an area where hoops in the winter is still very very strong. The other piece of good news is that the teams in the area…Seton Hall, Rutgers, and now St. John’s…finally appear to be on an upswing on performance, which can lead to more interest. Still that casual fan to fill distressed seats, even on campus, can still be very elusive in this transitionary time. So what to do? Well St. John’s came up with a great promotion for a pre-holiday Tuesday, holding “Ugly Sweater Night” on the Jamaica campus. those showing up with the ugliest of sweaters get a discount on a ticket and a chance to win other prizes, including being part of a faux Guiness World record for the largest collection of ugly sweaters. The event pays homage to the Red Storm’s legendary coach Lou Carnessecca, who was known for his garish collection of sweaters during his time on the St. John’s bench. Will it fill the building? No. Does it get some buzz and create a fun visual at no cost? Yes. It also may move a few tickets at a tough time of year against an opponent, Bryant College, that no one would be lining up to see. On another level it sends a connection message to the current team and supporters of the glory days past, which is the team was stuggling may be troublesome, but in today’s positive times, is a good message and connection. Now ugly sweater nights are not new, but to tie to a sometimes forgotten tradition it is a smart and easy promotion for the Johnnies.

Garden Growing New Partners, Ideas Again…

October 27, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It has been tough times in recent years for patrons of “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” The lack of on court success, a slowing economy, an aging building and a weak public perception had caused a good deal of the shine to come off of Madison Square Garden and perhaps lower the perceived standard of excellence the building and the organizations housed in the building had long held. However, steadily it appears that perception, consumer confidence and new and innovative promotional partnerships may be returning the business of MSG back to where it had resided for so long, in the upper echelon of sports and entertainment marketing and branding in the world. The announcement of a long rumored renovation, the ever improving on-ice play of the New York Rangers, an enhanced outreach through digital media and an ever-growing unified community presence for all the Garden brands have led the uptick in interest and buzz as the NBA season approaches this week. On the business side, a just-announced landmark airline deal with Delta Airlines, complete with Garden icons Mark Messier and Willis Reed filling the captains outfits, new entertainment sponsorship plans, and brand extensions to other Garden-related properties are all contributing to an uptick in interest, new best practices for partners and a more entreprenurial overall atmosphere than has been seen in some time above Penn Station. Now can all go sour with bad teams on the court and on the ice? It certainly won’t be a positive. However what is being seen is the aggressive ability to effectively tell good business and branding stories to all constituents, much like the cross river rival Nets have been doing so well, and that sort of business buzz can help insulate partners if the athletic performance falters. Even with problems on the athletic side, all the moves are smart and solid and send great messages to partners that the Garden is more than willing and ready to solidify and create new business than ever before.

Phelps Doesn’t Lose Rosetta Stone In The Translation

November 11, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

My friend and colleague David Schwab came up with a great example of product placement and a home run for both an endorser and an edosee on his stellar First Call blog recently.  The story shows the true value of messaging clients, providing a compelling visual for a product and just plain old luck that a newsperson or emcee just happens to follow through on helping get the “plug” in.  The story, as detailed in the blog, involved the Rosetta Stone translation method with endorser and Olympian Michael Phelps and his appearance on “The View” with Whoopi Goldberg.  Phelps found a way to work in the product at the right time, and it went so well as the two chatted that Goldberg gave the product not just an endorsement but encouraged the audience to purchase and use the product.  For a promotion that was questioned coming out of the box as to what the fit was, the Rosetta Stone/Phelps relationship seems to be one of the better angled and better pitched ones for an Olympian coming out of Beijing, and for an untraditional partnership it appears to have delivered some of the most tangible results to date. 

Titanic Effort To Get Exposure Nets Success…

January 24, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  The old fashioned approach of glomming on to hot successful trends has paid divdends for the New York Titans  of the National Lacrosse League today.  The team, which has to find a way to get exposure in Giants-crazed New York for its home opener at Madison Square Garden on January 31, invoked that all-powerful Eli Manning…well his name anyway…to create a promotion to drum up interest.  Any fan proving that their name is Eli or wearing a Giants jersey will be admitted free to the game.  The great idea (hatched by PR guy Randy Walker) may not generate sales on first blush, but it will get awareness, as evidenced by notes in at least three local papers today (Newsday, the Post and the Daily News) who are anxious to get anything “Eli” out there these days (and got the Titans exposure they would never have gotten).  The fact that the team jumped on the opportunity early (it was discussed Sunday night) and will have a great visual for followup after the game makes it even more of potential success.  The team also found some other non-event exposure points last week, teaming with world champion jiu-jitsu master Renzo Gracie to give two top players  a lesson to enhance their fighting skills (should they be needed).  Once again, more breakthough for the Titans, and more brand exposure, in the most crowded of markets.