The Stunt Makes A Comeback…

November 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

As we move towards the end of what has been a challenged year for many in the brand activation side, we are seeing more and more unique ambush plays and creative sponsorship partnerships designed to extract every dollar, or generate dollars and interest, with every passing day. The moves are probably coming more out of creative minds letting loose and brands being willing to try a little more edgy a push for ROI, but in each case the opportunities have created buzz and made for an entrepreneurial sense of “one upsmanship” that is both refreshing and challenging for all involved in sports and entertainment. The recent examples included: Hebrew National pulling a unique ambush and challenge for those players caught eating hot dogs on an NFL sideline (after the Jets Mark Sanchez was caught on camera eating during a game), the Captain Morgan pose and subsequent followup this week by Diageo during last week’s Eagles NFL game, Boise State and the Big West Conference looking to raise their profile by hiring a PR firm and selling “shares” in their athletic program (as reported by Darren Rovell) with each holder getting a voice in marketing plans, and the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” sponsoring last Saturday’s championship fight between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquaio.

Hebrew National Strikes While The Sanchez Dog Is Hot…

October 29, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Timing is everything, whether you are an official team partner or not. Take Conagra Foods Hebrew National Hot Dogs for example. The Kosher Dog, with a few professional sports ties but not many, made a very smart play this week to tie to the Jets, the NFL and poster boy quarterback Mark Sanchez by capitalizing on the shots of Sanchez munching on a hot dog on the sideline during Sunday’s romp over the Oakland Raiders. In honor of the on-camera hot dog sneak, Hebrew national announced today a plan of free hot dogs for anyone holding a ticket to any professional football game this season (hello UFL) where a quarterback is caught on camera eating a hot dog. The announcement strikes home for many reasons. One it is a great ambush marketing play for a brand which is more regional than national and usually doesn’t get national exposure, especially even remotely tied to a professional sports brand. Second it is set up so that the chances of a mega-giveaway are slim, but if the viral nature of the offer gets out and there is a quarterback and a cameraman smart enough to catch the sneak during a broadcast, the exposure will fare outweigh the cost. Third, it is perfectly worded to avoid any mention of NFL team, so as not to infringe upon any rights, and fourth, it is a great example of a brand making light of an incident which probably was taken way to seriously anyway. Now will a team take advantage? Could a college or minor league brand up the challenge? Will Hebrew National be prepared for a deluge should the challenge play out? All to be seen. Regardless of the outcome, the brand beat the competition to the bunch and added in a nice PR spin, as captured in the New York Post and other places Wednesday. Good old fashioned spinning in a time when brands are always looking for the unique, cost efficient brand.

As AFL Shutters For ‘09, The af2 Model Continues On…

December 29, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As the AFL shut down its season in ‘09, one of the things that was missed in the reporting is that the smaller market version af2, which works with but is not the same model as the AFL, will continue on. How in this economy could that be possible, especially since the larger AFL had the equity partnership of ESPN, the larger markets, the fan friendly protocol and solid outside growth over the last few years.  The difference is really in market size and cost structure, and the fact that perhaps af2 is really the niche of niches for pro sports in select markets.  As minor league baseball flourished and even grew during the MLB shutdown, and minor league hockey did well during the NHL shutdown, it could be that af2 will serve the indoor need for the core fan without AFL being around.  While the AFL needed larger markets and the costs associated with it to deliver ROI for TV and national partners, af2 is all about the small markets and being that big fish in the small sea.  By keeping costs at a minimum and developing the local partnerships, af2 may be able to grow in ways they hadn’t before.  Now can they go back and tell the regional and local personality stories and business stories that gave AFL bigger life?  Without the strategic communications investment that the AFL made that will be difficult, but by having a good amount of core athletes with good stories, af2 could have potential at very low cost, and could even be a small market appeal that regional brands may partner with, ala minor league baseball.