Mallards Make Access Something To Quack About…

August 12, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The sanctity of the lockerroom before game time is probably viewed as the last piece of quiet for coach and player. Media access ends, most staff are out and teams can focus on the task of being a professional athlete. However as teams strive to find more ways to give fans and brands more and more ROI, even that sanctity can reach a compromise. The latest move in ultimate access is being offered up by the Quad City Mallards of the International Hockey League, who will allow access certain VIP seats lockeroom access as close as 30 minutes before game time, along with other exclusives for their elite season ticketholders. The Ice Row seats, a first for hockey, is probably one that can be emulated in other sports at the minor and collegiate level, and seems like a natural for sponsorship as well. As always there must be buy-in from the coach for such close game access, and both union and media rules would probably prohibit such close in lockerroom access at the highest levels, but for a franchise looking to be innovative the 30 minute rule is an interesting one, and it will be interesting as well to see whatever prohibitions will be looped in (cell phone cameras shooting chalkboards could be a small issue or Twitter reports on injured players), but the idea gets points for innovation, access and the potential of a nice sponsor return. Nice try by the Mallards to continue to offer more, and drive relevance and interest in the offseason, a brand building exercise that is wrote in minor league baseball but is now just moving to a new level in minor league hockey.

Are The Blackhawks The Model Franchise?

May 26, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This week in New York The Sports Business Journal will award it’s Sports Business Awards for 2008. The nominees in 15 categories are all more than deserving, and in many ways are very reflective of the leaders who will help innovate and lead the industry thro9ugh the continued tough times and into the future. Many on the list read like the usual Who’s Who, but as with many things SBJ does, there are a few surprises. One brand on the list few could have predicted less than two years ago falls under both executive and team of the year…The Chicago Blackhawks. Under the leadership of John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz, the franchise has become a model for outreach and innovation, with one of the best stories coming in Monday’s Chicago Tribune, which pointed out how the team has not only rebuilt its core base of hockey fans, but has cultivated new fans in both the female and African American communities. In a sport that sometimes struggles to grow outside its borders for the casual fan, the Blackhawks have gone above and beyond in customer service, brand building, community relations and communication to the media and to the fans that it is OK to check out hockey. Now of course winning helps, and the team started turning the corner just as the brand builders hot their stride, but in this economy, winning and giving a fans the reason to invest in both dark and bright days have to go hand in hand, and the Blackhawks played both sides of the brand development card to make sure that a storied but sullied franchise was returned very quickly to its rightful place among elite brands. There is a simple rule of effective communication…listen twice more than you speak. The Blackhawks new leadership listened to everyone…old and new fans, returning and emerging brands, league and television partners, grassroots and professional organizations…and have created a brand that may be the sports gold standard for years to come.

Alive and Kicking…MLS Starts Another Season With A Boost Out West…

March 18, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Maybe it’s because they are the least mature of the larger sports in North America, maybe its because they started with the single entity model and knew how to operate and build brand more lean and mean, or maybe its because their grassroots base combined with their breakthrough is still to come, but Major League Soccer, even in this economy, appears ready for more steady growth and even expansion and new brand building. With the season beginning this Thursday, the buzz, at least locally, is already a great sound with the new Seattle franchise, and it could be a breakthrough year for the league. The announcement that VW has reupped their multi-level partnership, including their large presence with the DC United, was broken by Tripp Mickle in this week’s Sports Business Journal, which had a number of extensive pieces on the league and its leadership. Now is all roses with MLS? No. They are starting at one of the busiest times on the sports calendar, between the WBC, March Madness, NASCAR and now golf and tennis beginning heavy US play, and their preseason really takes place in virtual silence in most markets. Even with those challenges though, the brands they have come back, they are finding more ways to activate with youth in key markets, the soccer-specific stadiums are finding their niches and even the Red Bulls advancing to the finals got some much-needed buzz in New York. They have affordability and youth and a good in arena show for all, even if the TV transition has yet to get there. MLS digital play continues to improve and speak to the core, and with additional brand activation in specific markets, maybe just maybe, if they continue building stars and the off-sports buzz, they could be the first to capture additional marketshare while many other brands are struggling to hold on, or as in the case with many niche brands, just fade away.

Blazers Grow With Hanukah Promo…

December 26, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Appealing to the core fan is always important and pretty simple for brand and fan development.  Yet at this time of year it always seems that most teams will do Christmas or overall holiday promotions and will overlook those of the Jewish faith celebrating Hanukah.  Now it wouldn’t make sense to do Hanukah promotions in arears where there is not a group that would be able to appreciate or support the effort, but in most major cities Hanukah promotions would seem to be a natural, especially since the celebration takes place of a series of days and nights.  Last year the Portland Trailblazers, as they rebuilt their relationships in their community, introduced Hanukah night to moderate success.  This year they expanded the event eventhough the team is doing considerable better, and the result was more coverage and good will created for the team and the brand.  It was a very smart way to connect with core supporters of the sport, have some fun, sell some tickets and even introduce many not familiar with the celebration to a great tradition.  Good move by Portland, and a celebration which can be copied and expanded by most looking to connect with a core fan base and reach out to diverse communities.

Cleaning Up A Plax Mess…

November 30, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Even the best of seasons can have their bumps, and the New York Giants proved again this weekend why having everyone on message, pulling the same way, and working together from top to bottom and vice versa will avoid issues with the media, and give the media the right amount of accurate and consistent information possible.  Such is the case in the Plaxico Burress saga.  The Giants troubled wideout accidentally shot himself with his own gun at a night club in New York on Friday night allegedly, while the team was in Washington prepping for a crucial Sunday game with the Redskins.  The response from the Giants was well thought out and effective…a well written statement including concern for the player, yet at the same time acknowledging that this could be a potential police matter and that the facts were still coming in, and deferring to authorities.  Working in lock step with the NFL, the Giants did not run and hide or make off the cuff comments…the spokespeople from the team, including players like Kevin Boss, spoke clearly and consistently, relayed the same sentiments and avoided lots of the he said she said stuff that people can get mixed into in a media frenzy.  Now the Giants did have the “benefit” of having a player they already knew was not playing (Burress was injured), having the team already in closed circles in a Washington hotel and having a reputation of always trwating the media well all playing in their favor.  Still, the opportunity for inconsistentcy and feeding the rumors with inflammatory statements always exists, but the way the Giants handled the situation again shows the class and professionalism of a well run well messaged organization.  

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. 

George Foreman Grill Uses US Open Platform For A Knockout Pitch…

September 10, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The recently completed US Open has been a tremendous marketing and PR platform for most of its larger sponsors who have the ability to activate in multiple ways in the months leading up to the event.  American Express, Canon, Olympus and Chase all create multi-level partnerships both at retail and in strategic spots regionally and nationally to make the Open…the only annual championship held in New York at the same time of year eavery year…the financial and activation bonanza that it is.  However in addition to the top-level long term partners, a number of additional brands have been able to step up with very unique campaigns to grab their own level of activation and exposure as part of the Open limelight.  Case in point is the George Foreman Grill.  Although at first glance the grill may be disconnected to the tennis world, the brand found a very unique way using print, digital and a celebrity endorser (Monica Seles) to tell their story of good eating habits and healthy living through their product on a day (the second Thursday of the Open) where most of the sponsors have completed activation.  What made it even more compelling was they were able to execute without using the product namesake (world champion boxer George Foreman) in the “Knockout The Fat” promotion.   Well placed, unique execution, good sponsor awareness to cut a niche in a mega event.

Blazing A Startup Sports Brand Trail Correctly…

September 6, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The passion and enthusiasm and the dollars involved in getting a new brand off the ground, or re-establishing a staid one, are so important in phase one of a launch.  However in sports, like in an entertainment or a restauraunt or any other start up launch, tempering enthusiasm, living within budget, connecting to the community around you and growing in effective stages (especially in today’s economy) are also key elements that often get lost in the shuffle.  The UFL, the IFL, the WUSA, the ABL, the New Jersey Gladiators, the AAFL are just some examples of recent startup ventures that had the best of intentions and a lot of the money but missed on some of the key elements in order to complete long term success and vision.  Now into the fold comes the NLL Boston Blazers.   Already the Blazers appear to have hit on many key elements needed for success…unique, well funded promotions, an understanding of the market, an arena that has interest in them as a tenant, a sport that is “perceived” to be hot, and owners who are both passionate and fiscally responsible about the product.  There is no doubt that Boston is a lacrosse town, and the Blazers have made the right first steps in the community to build market awareness.  Whether that can translate into financial success in a region that has had more than its share of onfield success lately, or whether that success at first is even needed, remains to be seen.  But at first glance the Blazers have pushed the right buttons and could follow the successful stories of franchises in the NLL like Philly and Denver who have done well both in fan perception and at the box office.  So long as the path they blaze remains slow, steady and responsible.

Attention Job Seekers: The Gaming Market Grows…While the Nets Make Chicken Salad…

April 25, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

While almost every entity in sports and entertainment continues to try and find ways to make the digital environment financially viable (and few have succeeded thus far), the one area that continues to be viable and lucrative, both for programmers and those looking to get into the sports field, is the fantasy gaming side.  Once again this week, another smart, savvy programmer found a digital niche in the sector and turned it into a windfall by selling off their property to a much larger platform looking to expand its content.  Today’s example, provided by Media Post, is the fantasy fotball site FleaFlicker, which has been acquired by AOL.  With AOL looking to increase its stake in the fantasy sports gaming world, FleaFlicker provided a safe entry point by providing semi-unique content and the ability to draw eyeballs, especially in the very elusive male demo.  The acquisition was not expensive and fit in the digital strategy of the online giant, who timed the announcement to run prior to this weekend’s NFL Draft.  Is FleaFlicker that different from many of the fantasy sites out there?  Probably not.  But the developers found the key ways to build an efficient network, aggregate content and spin their property differently than the thousands of other sites out there, and made themselves a good investment.  Whether it works or not remains to be seen, but FleaFlicker certainly set themselves up for a win with all the AOL media support now behind them.  Also on the digital side, Anthony Reiber of Newsday took a look at some of the issues local new York baseball athletes are having with their individual sites.  Many athletes, like Tiger Woods and Roger Clemens, have effectively used their sites to provide news and unique content to their fans and the media.  However the time and effort for an athlete to put into developing and running a unique site remains very ineffective on a daily basis, and the best sites on athletes remain fan sites and those run by large organizations.  Agents and athletes have yet to find ways to make most individual sites financially viable.  That being said, for the job seeker looking to get into the market there remains a huge void to fill in finding ways to make sites for individual athletes cash effective.  Its all a matter of investing time and effort to driving eyeballs with unique content.  Just ask the guys at FleaFlicker on how they did it for AOL.

Nets Carbon Neutral Night Very Enlightening…And Other Hoops Hits…

April 3, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  The New Jersey Nets may have had a blow to their playoff hopes Tuesday night with the loss to the Sixers, but they keep beating the brand awareness race by pulling off the first-ever (I guess) Carbon Neutral Night against the Sixers.  The Newark Star Ledger did a nice piece explaining the environmentally conscious efforts of the team, with a nice entree into the project by future arena sponsor Barclay’s Bank.  The very creative effort reminded the world about the unique partnership, gave some great added value, and of course had some solid environmental messages for fans and business partners alike .  Nice trend setter.  And speaking of trendsetters, Nets CEO Brett Yormark and Florida Panthers COO Michael Yormark had a nice piece on CNBC this week, which can also be seen here.  Also on the “green” kick, check out First Call, which has a celebrity mix on the going green movement away from sports.
Other hoops notes included long-time friend Donald Hunt’s efforts to get Wilt Chamberlain on a postage stamp , while Coke made some interesting news switching star LeBron James from their Powerade brand to Vitamin Water.  VW’s use of “organic” integration (see Dwight Howard’s dunk practice video) and unique athlete promotion (the Knicks’ David Lee’s “Next hairdo” competition)  will certainly be tested with the highly visible James on the Glaceau team now, but the opportunity to take integration to a new level now has a solid NBA platform. On the hoops abroad list, be sure and check out the UK start-up Basketball 24/7, a real strong attempt to raise the profile of the game in England both in an Olympic year and with the NBA coming back in October.   Lastly, this time of year also has its share of positive call-up stories, and yesterday’s piece in the Miami Herald shows how the Heat/D-League relationship has worked for both the NBA and the D-League.

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