“Fantasyland” Turns Into Reality For Players and Brands…

March 26, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This weekend between glimpses of March Madness on TV, millions of baseball fans, mostly men, will be huddled around computer screens, spread out checking out spread sheets in basements, trolling through magazines on kitchen tables and looking for every discernible edge to one up eight to 12 other guys in the same room or on the same computer screen.  It is fantasy baseball time, the opportunity for every fan to become his or her GM and try and show the world that baseball, perhaps the most stats-laden game in the world, can be managed by the fan as well as by any of the pros.  Fantasy sports, especially baseball and football, is a growing multi-billion dollar industry that dozens of brands are now finding ways to activate against.

CRONS prepped for the spotlight…and got a part of it…

March 19, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It almost happened Thursday…almost.  Robert Morris University almost threw Villanova a knockout punch in the first round of the NCAA Regionals in Providence, but in the end too many close calls gone the other way and one shot too few sent the Colonials back to suburban Pittsburgh.  However, as pointed out in Thursday’s New York Times, the apparel brand coach Mike Rice’s team brought to the Dunkin Donuts Center may have been one of the bigger winners in the first round.  CRONS, which stands for Come Ready Or Never Start, was one of a handful of teams not to wear Nike or adidas in the field o0f 65 and is the only brand not available at retail.  It was also the only brand to not just score coverage with its unique story, but in delivering all the right messages and merchandising the story (a newsletter to all its coaches and partners that followed an email with a link and call to action earlier in the day) to give the story legs well beyond wtaherver RMU did on the opening day of the tournament.  The brand also positioned itself for followup with partners should RMU have pulled the upset, which would have given CRONS at least two additional days to re-tell the story, which links Rice, a former assistant at Pitt to company founder Pat Cavanaugh, who played for the Panthers and runs the company from Pittsburgh. The value of the story as a launch point for the brand to grow will be intriguing and seems like the next logical step in their growth process…from a grassroots brand to finding a niche with small colleges to Robert Morris to a deal with the Big South Conference…all the while occupying the same space that many of their clients also fill…that of the underdog.  It’s a great example of Cinderella showing up and bringing along a friend, and after her ball ends, the friend continues on thanks to a very nice boost.  A good story amongst many for the first round, and perhaps one of the better off-court collegiate branding stories in a while.

Activation and Access…Some Good Examples Of March Madness

March 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Once the shine wears off of the brackets for March Madness, brand partners and media have to begin the search to find out what are the best and what are the most effective ways of telling the fun stories away from the games. Two examples showed up this weekend. First on the access side, Multichannel News’ Mike Reynolds gives the casual fan an inside look at CBS on Day one of the tournament. Traditionally, media come into CBS headquarters to watch the first day of games and get the insiders view on all the elements the network has in store for the event, and those stories are usually told by various media throughout the first weekend and into week two. However CBS gave Reynolds the chance to write about the experience of being around inside for day one, an event which gives the fans and those in the industry on the brand side a good feel for what the network can out together, from broadcasting to messaging, for the complete broadcast of the field of 64. Good all access piece. Then on the fun activation side, Sarah Talalay in the Sun Sentinel goes into detail about the local Dunkin Donuts promotion, which has its own Sweet 16 of 64 different flavored dounuts which will play down by fan vote and sales into an eventual final four. It is a good way for the local sales corps to tie into March Madness and create some fun for its customers, and even do a little field testing of popular flavors. Again nothing too over the top, but a fun, low cost and effective way to grab the casual consumer and tie it to the brand around a major sporting event. Two good moves by two groups looking to keep the flow going with different ideas for media access and promotion.

A Different Kind Of March Madness…NCAA, NIT But Two Others?

March 19, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The world of the have’s and the have nots in college athletics ebbs and flows in any given year, and this time of year the hope for Cinderella trying on the glass slipper in March Madness is what keeps fans up at night. However what keeps many coaches and administrators up at night is what happens when you are a good mid-major or even a rebuilding school in a major conference and the Big Dance, or even the little dance, the NIT, don’t come calling. The answer for some is to go and try another tournament or another…and this year we find not one “alternative” but two….The College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com…. The Charleston Post and Courier had a good look at the value to some, and the lack of value to others that these two “alternative” tournaments offer schools. The biggest value is a chance to play, and for a school like The Citadel…a tournament…any tournament…means something. However for VMI and Seton Hall and others, the value…namely a large entrance fee paid to the promoter for the chance to play another game. Didn’t matter. Given the quick turnaround there are a limited number of schools that can even find the way to make the sale and fill an arena for even a higher prestige and payoff like the NIT. Notre Dame looked half filled at best on St. Patty’s Day, but the NIT remains a good consolation prize, with an NCAA sanction, ESPN TV and the ability to play on into Madison Square Garden. Now why play in these other two events? TV exposure? There isn’t any, other than HDNet. A chance to play in a major building for some schools? All home sites. Sponsor ties for a school looking for revenue? No large sponsors…or media tied to either one. The chance to give the “kids” another game? Maybe…but after a grueling season…is it worth keeping playing when a school like VMI has the point that their students get back time studying or get necessary down time as opposed to playing another game? And lastly, event branding and association with the event? With no major sponsors, no TV, limited media and games lost in the morass of not just the NCAA’s and the NIT, but the start of baseball and other events, where is the value? If it helps bring in some revenue for the home school in these troubles times…great. If it saves the jobs of some coaches and gives the athletes one more shot at glory, great. But to expect another two tournament to build a brand just for the sake of playing more games and further water down the value of postseason tournament play and all that goes with it seems like a play that a smart promoter is making to make a quick play for some dollars at the expense of others. Love the NCAA’s, really like the NIT…after that, why not find brands willing to invest in Division II or Division III postseason play, which may draw just as many fans, has more of an intensity, and can be gotten at affordable prices for brands connecting with student-athletes.

March Madness of A Different Kind: Baseball Maximizes WBC Opportunities…

March 8, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Any sports fan in North America looks excitedly to the NCAA Tournament in March, as there are few, if any, annual events which gives us more of a true sense of endless possibilities that can occur than March Madness. Partners, even in a slow economy, looking to capture that key demo will line up for collegiate activation programs and work through CBS to get their brands exposed to the mass audience, even if they “underdog” lasts only the 48 hours from first to second round. But we all love our brackets. In light of that, Major League Baseball, and now baseball on a more global scale, has sought to create its own version of March Madness with the World Baseball Classic. Now as cynical sports fans and media, it is very easy to shoot holes in the WBC…not all the stars, is it meaningful etc etc…however as John Rowe wrote in Sunday’s Bergen Record, the Classic is becoming a celebration of global baseball, with some powerful dollars and now even more regional branding and activation than in the first go-round. Terry Lefton in the Sports Business Journal summed up all the regional activity, which gives brands who like the baseball mix…consistent gameday experiences, a worldwide base of over 30 million fans, access to the Latin and Asian markets plus a strong North American presence…a headstart and even more ROI on their local, regional and national buys. Now is baseball effected by the economy? Of course. But the WBC as a global platform every four years presents itself as a unique brand opportunity, and even in its first few days with some major upsets, has provided lots to build on from both the practical and the emotional side with brands. Another version of March Madness, and a good compliment to hoops.

Back on Topps…

April 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: As we move through the opening week of baseball season it is great to see hope springing eternal for all the fans of America’s pastime. One brand that has always been synonymous with baseball is the Topps Card Company, and thanks to the efforts of their marketing staff and the PR team at Dan Klores Associates, the hallmark brand in collectable trading cards is well on its way to a great season. First the company started the season by including cards of Presidential candidates in preseason packs, which led to some solid early spring training pieces, as well as great buzz around a fake card of Rudy Giuliani celebrating the Red Sox winning the World Series (featured on ESPN.com among other places). Then the company took the hoax cards to a grand new level, combining the interest in opening week with April Fools Day by including a “Future Stars” card of 16 year old flamethrowing phenom Kazuo Uzuki (nicknamed “The Uzi”). The card play got some solid national coverage across the country (as well as in papers such as the Daily News in New York) and had TV play on ESPN and CNBC as well. Now while some may think the card stunts may be old fashioned or played out, the placement at strategic points in the baseball calendar was a great branding move by Topps to set themselves apart in the collectable game and garner press that no other company received, not to mention showing that the brand, which is supposed to inspire fun, has the ability to not take itself so seriously. Great hits for the traditional brand.

Dishin Digital…CAA Makes The Big Play With Weplay…Gillette Reaches For The New Stars…

March 28, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The marriage of social networking and sport as celebrity may have reached a new level with CAA’s announcement yesterday of WePlay, a social networking site designed to reach out to millions of active kids and their parents, as well as pulling in hours of childhood photos and video and current “look backs” from some of the biggest stars in sports today who have taken an equity position in the venture. Those athletes, ranging from Tony Parker to LeBron James to Derek Jeter, will have a chance to create pieces and dictate content which can directly reach a huge portion of young people interested in sports and communicating online. Unlike other ventures in the past where athletes became endorsers of sites which sold goods and promoted images, the site appears to have it all…unique original and archival footage, the ability to communicate with a peer group in real time, and the ability to merchandise sponsorship and partnerships to a large, active audience. Great concept which could be groundbreaking in the marriage of the professional and grassroots side.

Athletes and the Power Of Celebrity Can Make A Difference…

March 25, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The success in athletics is usually measured in fractions of a second…therefore the “little things” that the professional athlete does in his or her prep to close that gap can make champions into challengers and vice versa.  Not a surprise of course for anyone who loves the drama of sport.  However sometimes in the loss of that prep and the power of celebrity are those “little things” that can make the difference off the field, especially in the life of a child.  Our colleague Mark Dalton sent along a very touching piece from today’s Arizona Republic that shows over time how a meeting with Cards QB Matt Leinart and a young boy named Brandon Emmons altered both of their lives for the better (Emmons passed away this past weekend).  These chances meetings, and the opportunity that athletes have to effect lives for the greater good, happen every day, and sometimes we as publicists and marketers have and should use the media to tell these stories, not for self-promotion, but to humanize these stars and give inspiration to others around.  Another great example we stumbled upon recently is the Seahawks T.J. Duckett, who has started a foundation that not only rasies money for cancer, but finds ways to teach survivors how to deal and then overcome the obstacles in their way.  Once again, not about the money, but about the power of celebrity and doing the “little things” to change the course of lives around us.  We fully realize those are two very small examples, but they highlight two athletes efforts, with many more examples to come.

Strangers In Strange Lands…Sox in Japan, Lower Seeds Move On, And No Olympic Shots From Tiananmen Square

March 22, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This morning there are lots of unique slices of life that again show how sports captures the moment, lifts the spirit and creates such contrasts with everyday life. Let’s start in the Far East, where the Red Sox and A’s have headed to open the MLB season. This morning (Saturday) on Yahoo Sports Jeff Passan has a great story on the cultural differences and similarities the Sox experienced during the first exhibition game earlier. What makes the story significant is not just the facts themselves…it is the fact that it again shows with the 24/7 world we are living in that pieces like this, filed in real time, gives us access to events where we would have had to wait a day to read about or experience online before the new media boom. It’s great to have the instant update, and even those in Philly who may have gotten the early editions of today’s Inquirer may have missed Bob Ford’s great column on Villanova’s late night win, but they can get it on philly.com. Speaking of instant, some instant heros came out of yesterday’s upset-laded Friday…some of the good reading includes Joe Henderson’s column in the Tampa Tribune on Upset City, Mark McGuire’s Albany Times Union column on Siena’s big win, and Ben Bolch’s feature in the LA Times on UNLV walk-on Rene Rougeau, all great pieces about capturing the moments of the first round. Another first round business story worth reading is Darren Rovell’s Friday blog on the average cost per player of Duke’s win…will be interesting to see how universities are able to merchandise the upset-laden Friday as things move on.

NHL steps up pitch and access…Yoonew? I didn’t…and more good hoops reads…

March 21, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  We always talk about access being key, and today we wanted to single out the NHL for taking Media Post behind the scenes for their “Cup Changes Everything” shoot and giving reporters access to not only experience the shoot, but meet the players and go through the process of what it takes to identify and build stars.  With Stanley Cup playoffs not that far away and the NHL trying to find ways to build brand equity and fan awareness outside of their core, this type of access for both the business media and the consumer press (by both the NHL and their partners) is essential.  The Gatorade-branded  Sidney Crosby spots running on CBS during March Madness is also a tremendous step up (and outside) of the core fan base, and are another example of how the NHL is making the push to use this playoff run as a springboard to future business success.  Well done.

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