The Business of Baseball Never Sleeps…

December 16, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Maybe it’s because the World Baseball Classic pushed the World Series into November. Maybe its because the winter meetings came at a time this year when the rest of the sports world was Tiger-crazy and not much else was going on. Maybe its because baseball is doing as good a job of strategically stretching out its news over a longer period this year. Whatever the reason, the amount of information that is ongoing for the business of baseball seems endless, and for those involved in the branding of America’s pastime, its probably a good thing. Whether you are following the business of minor league baseball and the great things that so many teams do to stay relevant with offseason promotions, or are part of all the hot stove action going on, or are taking interest in the potential Hall of Fame candidates announced, or even getting ready to purchase tickets for the Sunday Night opener on ESPN, there is no shortage of daily information, news and notes for the baseball fan, ardent or casual. While virtually every other sport on the planet takes an offseason, baseball finds ways to stay relevant. Even on the competition front, as baseball finishes in North America games are starting in the Caribbean, and in 2010, in Australia with a new pro league. Is it overkill? Does it lose relevance? Strangely not. More importantly if you are involved in the branding business of baseball, the sport finds ways to stay top of mind, giving the brands that are involved on some level incentive to stay fresh and informed. While some may decide the actual season is too long, the fact remains that as a business and as an entertainment property, there may be no sport that feeds the sould of its core fan more than baseball, and in these challenged times, that’s a good thing for ROI.

History Channel Pawns Off A Great Promo For Upcoming Fight Night…

November 10, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

The linking of pawn shops and boxers may not have always been a positive experience, but this week, as part of the promotional campaign for the title bout between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, “Pawn Stars” and boxing will share equal billing. That is because The History Channel, working with Top Rank and the Leverage Agency, came up with a very unique cross promotion for the History Channel’s new Vegas reality show which featured the lives of a family of Pawn Brokers and debuts at the end of the month. The “Pawn Stars” logo, series stars and even a sweepstakes will be interwoven into the HBO pay per view broadcast this Saturday night, giving the show a platform in a demo that fits and giving the fight a unique promotional platform in and around Vegas. Media Post’s David Goetzel had an indepth look at the cross promotion, which will also be woven into all of Top ranks advance media buys for the night. In addition to being an interesting media play for both properties, the move fills canvas space and distressed inventory and will also lure casual fans…those who may enjoy reality TV and may not watch a professional fight…into the promotion or the pay per view market. The replay of the fight on HBO at a later date can also benefit from promotion on “Pawn Stars” when it airs later in the month, another way in which a somewhat unconventional but very practical and cost efficient cross branding exercise can work. Now could some see it as a step down for the canvas signage that usually or used to appear at top fights? perhaps. But in a day where everyone is looking for bang for the buck, the championship fight and its reality TV cousin could be the first in a long line of similar ties ins with the reality show and key athletic events in their demo.

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.

If It Worked Once, Try It Again…Monster.com and NFL Fandemonium…

October 2, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

One of the more unique cross promotions of last season began its comeback today, a great partnership between the job site Monster.com and the NFL to again find the ultimate NFL fan. The Monster NFL.com fandemonium site launched October 1, which gives fans a chance again this year to submit videos and show why the honor of ultimate NFL fan, and the mega-prizes and experiences that go with it, is a worthwhile way to spend one’s time. The contest drew amazing coverage not just for the winners last year, but also for the outakes and the local stories spawned, all of which again leads into a several month long buildup with ancillary support for the partner, Monster.com. However more than celebrating the fan, the contest and its microsite really shows how brands can be creative by reaching the core audience they want to reach and not just slapping a logo on the side of a tried and true promotion. In these challenged times the services Monster.com can provide to the job seeker are invaluable. However, the sources one can now go to find positions has grown exponentially, to the point where even job search engines like Monster have to find ways to make themselves more compelling and stay top of mind when the job seeker starts his search. Can the investment be made it providing ancillary core services like resume writing and outplacement ideas? Absolutely. Monster took a chance to have some fun with the promotion and associate themselves with a positive experience in a field where many times those coming to them are not having the most positive experiences of their lives. So by blending fun, creating a viral reason for fans…both job seekers and those gainfully employed…to both visit the site (and maybe check out Monster’s offerings) multiple times and even take part in the contests put Monster.com a step ahead of many competitors in the field that provide similar services but don’t venture into the creative to capture visitors. Does Fandemonium stray a bit from Monster’s core pitch? Perhaps. Does it resonate with the football fan and stir passion? Absolutely. And by taking that step and having some fun in what is a very serious business, the job hunt, Monster can score some unusual points with their clientle, both current and future.

Marveling At A New Opportunity For ESPN…

September 1, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It was only a few years ago that Marvel Entertainment caused an uproar amongst baseball traditionalists by trying to put spider webs on the bases at MLB games as part of their promotion for the first “Spiderman” movie. The backlash caused MLB and Marvel to scale down the promotion and saved the “sanctity of white bases” for the time. Flash forward to today’s more challenged times, where outfield signage and in game promotions dominate as a way to gain more ROI for partners, and MLB is now one of the leaders in finding ways to integrate unique content and promotions into their games and production, albeit still not on the bases.

Toques and Beavers A Fun, Simple Fundrasing Idea Up North…

August 21, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With all the high level, high tech, multi-tiered investment and brand building ideas that come along, sometimes its the simplest that can be both fun, generate buzz and create some easy fundraising and brand building ideas. One that is gaining interest and is assisting athletes in Canada as we move towards Vancouver 2010 is a site called Toques and Beavers. The site, with a simple and entertaining flash game, gives people of all ages the chance to play against others or by themselves and raise funds for Canadian athletes training to compete next year. No multi-media, high tech social media components with layered themes and glitz. It is easy to get, it is fun, it doesn’t crowd your desktop and it is easy to share. Maybe its too simple in this gadget age? Perhaps. But the game signifies what the Games used to be…no strings attached and a simple way to raise funds for non-sponsored athletes to train and compete for Canada. Almost a throwback idea, but a good one that falls under the “Keep it simple” banner. It is exactly what you think it is, and the low overhead makes the transfer of funds right to the athlete very simple. Good idea in a complex time.

Jonas Brothers, LG Use Sport To Connect With Fans…

August 10, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The Jonas Brothers, as anyone with a teen or tween knows, are arguably the hottest TV and music stars for that genre today. So it was interesting to see the announcement that LG Electronics, which uses their sports marketing platform to reach the male consumer in many ways, partner with the three New Jersey natives to launch a consumer contest for kickball this week. The move makes sense for many reasons. On the Jonas Brothers side, it gives them a platform on an athletic side (they had a party last year renting out Dodgers Stadium to play baseball and have been seen at numerous sports events, so the sports idea is not that much of a personal departure) with a simple game that both their current fan base and others can relate to. It provides a great interractive component for their current fans, who can submit a video or find a place to do so on green screen, with a great personal payoff by the winners who get to meet and play with the Jonas Brothers. It also gives LG a very unique opportunity to show their products and push them not just to parents but to a younger audience as well…an audience that may not think of LG when asking about what to buy next. In short, LG gets to talk to youth…and the Jonas Brothers, who wont always appeal to a young audience, get to speak to the parent consumer and use a healthy lifestyle platform to extend their base as well. Nice combination for both brands looking to grow, at a time when Americans are looking for ways to conenct more closely with stars and also find more active lifestyle platforms.

Competitive Eating Helps Nathan’s Build A Brand…

July 25, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Maybe it is because many people like spectacle, but the old sideshow mentality, especially in a digital world, still draws the casual observer. The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, and all the other subsequent “competitve eating” events around the world, have spawned an interesting following that draws as many as 30,000 people for some events and has gotten some brands pretty solid exposure for their products. Although there have been few brands on the antacid side or the pharma industry who have used the contests to battle obesity yet, there is no doubt that some chains have used the eating “craze’ to grow their business in ways never really seen before, especially taking advantage of low cost digital marketing and branding. The one who has really shown how to do it is Nathan’s. CNNMoney recently listed their fastest-growing companies in the US, and the hot dog chain was among the leaders in an industry where midsized fast food chains are struggling. Now of course Nathan’s franchise business needs to be attached with in-arena or in-stadium brands building programs to really get outside of its core base. However with an online business, kiosks and now a signature event that casual sports fans can point to as a must see or must watch event, the Coney Island hot dog once connected only to New York or those in the New York area, has found a niche to grow with and can take that niche and really attach to other brands, teams and events around the world if needed, all tied back to their July 4 event. Smart calculated move by Nathan’s which took a small event and used it to really move product and build brand without a comparatively huge spend.

William and Mary Takes The Brand Choice To The People…

June 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Usually with expansion teams in sports, mascot or naming contests will be held to sample the local flavor and see what ideas can arise that brand marketers hadn’t thought of. Usually the name or logo still comes from a well positioned, well thought out plan intent on making sure that the merchandising rights, colors and traditions of the area are kept in tact. The choice, especially in this era of maximum return on the investment, is never random. So the College of William and Mary took a bold step, and one that certainly got them some solid publicity, in opening up the choice of their new mascot not just to local fans or alumni but to anyone interested in providing an idea. The school had to change mascots, but not nicknames, becuase their long-standing mascot was a misrepresentation of an Indian, which the NCAA ruled in appropriate for institutes of higher learning. The choices came from all over the country, and although the University President will make the final call, the Williamsburg, Va. school will get to unveil the final choices on ESPN Tuesday, again getting some great name recognition for one of the few Division I schools never to make it to the NCAA Tournament. In this digital age, most schools are still struggling to correctly embrace new media, so William and Mary’s choice is a great one, and could open the idea of other schools/minor league teams opening up “naming rights” for teams for a day, a year or for a permanent change at the right time. Smart, calculated investment, good payoff in exposure.

American Youth Could Be The Winners From This Weeks Olympic “games”

June 19, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This past week saw the seven sports vying to be brought into the Olympics in 2016 and the four cities bidding to host the Games all travel to Lausanne, Switzerland for presentations to the International Olympic Committee Executive Board as well as the the membership countries of the IOC (for the cities presentations). The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Hersch has a great summary of all the back and forth that went on throughout the week, including at least three of the cities being named by someone as a favorite, and no less than four of the seven sports projected to have the best chance, best presentation or fastest movement up (no one was acknowledged to have slid down, others just moved ahead) in a week of true gamesmanship. However one of the better moves of the week for all amateur sports in the United States took place on Monday in Washington, when President Obama named a new office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport. The timing sent a clear but subtle message to the IOC that sports, especially Olympic sports, are now a high priority for a President that helped use a sports platform to get to casual voters during his campaign. The move also gives the US a “Head of Sport” that virtually every other country has, and could potentially help create and administer a uniform vision…and potential amazing branding and marketing opportunities for someone who is able to unify groups that constantly fight for the same dollar, same branding opportunity, and same audience. The position can also help administer policy so that athletics leading to healthy lifestyles does become the priority in schools here that is used to be, all quality messages and potential for those involved in the space. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, the games for the Olympic Games continued, with countless dollars spent on presentations, lobbyists and travel by all groups…monies that probably would be best served in building the brand of sport with their constituents and participants. The Olympic games remain big bucks and mega branding opportunities and can still create tremendous good will and a legacy for all involved. The hope is that the legacy does outweigh the cost for the long term, especially for those five sports and three cities that will not be chosen in Copenhagen in October. Even with all the spending, pomp and circumstance, the biggest winner this week may already be the youth of America…and maybe even those brands which can more clearly serve them…through President Obama’s deftly timed move as the political games begen this week. A move which could have Olympic sized popularity if the office does what it could do.

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