The “Owner As Brand” Fades Into The Twilight…

November 27, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The passing this week of the beloved Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin was the latest in a series of instances recently that seem to show us that one of the great storylines of American team sports, the iconic “owner” that we loved or hated and sometimes followed with as much or more passion than the players themselves, is fading into the distance of corporate America. Yes, we still have Jerry Jones with the Cowboys and a community and business leader like Mike Ilitch with the Tigers and Red Wings, but these days a single owner as the personality of his or her franchise seems to be more a hindrance than a help when teams’ cost of doing business or connecting to a community is in play. In addition to Pollin’s passing (his legacy is well detailed in many pieces this week in the Washington Post, including Thomas Boswell’s great read), we have the fading health of the Yankees George Steinbrenner, the recently disclosed illness of the Seahawks and Tralblazers owner Paul Allen, Lakers owner Jerry Buss taking a back seat in running his franchise, and the disfunctional issues with the Raiders and owner Al Davis. Then pile on the public divorce cases of the Padres John Moores and the Dodgers Frank McCourt, both effecting those franchises bottom lines, and there is a very good case that the individual leader has gone the way of the dinosaur. Now in today’s all access media market the argument can probably be made that there is less of a need to have the owner as the organization front man or woman. Fans want access more to the players who they are spending the money on, and probably are less interested in the billionaire owners footing the bills for the talent. Still the owner as the brand and the face of a franchise, more as promoter and pillar of the community than as rich playboy, was what drew many to sport in the first place. The Maras and the Rooney’s of the NFL, a man like Sonny Werblin with the Knicks and the Rangers, Lamar Hunt taking his oil money to help start the AFL, the Yawkeys of Boston…all became touchpoints as sport became big business and their faces and reputations rose and fell in the community with the fortunes of their team or teams. Now these men certainly did not act alone, and the most successful always assembled the right business teams to run said franchises on the day to day. However the team brands and their individual personal “brands” were one in the same. Steinbrenner’s Yankees took on the personality of their owner, both good and bad. Maybe today’s high demand world of everchanging loyalties and interests may not lend itself to such individuals as much as in the past, especially as the battle for the discretionary dollar, but the personality of the owner was part of the mystique of the team brand and was part of the passion that drove the business of sport. Yes its easier to be lukewarm about corporate ownership and maybe it puts more focus on the athletes. However knowing the owner always made it more fun and a little more intriguing, and that personality involved with the imprint of the franchise got sport to be the business it is today. It is probably an era lost, but one which should be reflected on positively as another icon passed this week.

Crisis Management: LA Angels

April 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One of the biggest reasons to have a strong communications leader in a company that has a public face is in times of crisis. Keeping everyone on track, following the flow of information, working with public authorities and media who may not be familiar with your situation or practices, and having the organization speak with one voice are critical when problems arise. For better or worse, one of the best groups at dealing with crisis, more because of habit than anything else, are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels, led by their long-time head of Communications Tim Mead, were dealt such a difficult situation this week with the sudden, tragic loss of pitcher Nick Adenhardt, but they handled the public positioning very well. No one spoke to media until all the facts were in and the authorities confirmed all the details. There was careful thought put into what memorial plans were put in place, the team worked hand and glove with MLB to communicate all details to national media, former teammates were reached out to and the family and the situation were given the proper respect. The Angels, and baseball, seem to have more of these types of tragedy over the years but the situation never becomes old hat, it is always a fresh emotional wound for everyone. But by acting professionally, speaking with one voice and making sure all the details were handled correctly, the Angels again showed their true professionalism in a time when emotions run very high. Without going into all the details of stories, perhaps the best look at the situation was by si,com’s Jeff Pearlman, it is worth a read.

Past Lessons Worth Repeating…Joey Goldstein

February 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As brands look for marketshare, ROI and media placement, it would be worthy to look back to some of those who were the pioneers in the field…as press agents. On Friday one of those pioneers, Joey Goldstein, passed away at age 81 in Florida. Goldstein’s spin work was the stuff of legend, and he worked with some of the greatest in the business, but most importantly he was a networker for the ages in a time when the only “network” that most knew were ABC, CBS or NBC. The New York Daily News Mike Lupica had a great look back on Goldstein’s career, but one of the best chronicles of a man and a business remains Doug Looney’s 1987 profile of Goldstein in Sports Illustrated. Now although many believe that the role of the traditional publicist is to never make him or herself the story, these two pieces captured the man who had a flair for delivery, an impeccable network, an ability to deliver for clients big and small and a great sense of theater. Maybe today some of those qualities have been lost in strategic communications, but the old school know-how of pitching and placing a story, solid writing skills, and the ability to know the media and the client remain and should be continued to be taught. Our book of last summer, Sports Publicity, took a look at some of the legends of the business, including Joe Goldstein and the late Mike Cohen, along with current senior leaders like Roger Valdiserri and Mary Appel. Hopefully the passing of a legend like Goldstein will give those in and entering the business pause to see what they can learn and apply those lessons to their current work. They are lessons worth learning.

Obama Rides The Sports Card Again…This Time With NASCAR

July 13, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Using sports as a vehicle to reach the male demo seems to have played very well for Senator Barack Obama thus far.  His interest in hoops and playing pickup landed pieces in Sports Illustrated and HBO Real Sports, and his NCAA predictions also got some added exposure, while his lack of bowling skills even grabbed a headline or two.  Reaching the younger male demo and relating to them, while getting them to support and eventually vote, is a tricky road to navigate, but it is one that through sports the Senator seems to be doing well with.  Now as he tries to appease the Southern Christian conservative vote, the Senator’s campaign is looking to one of that group’s biggest forums through sports…NASCAR.  Tom Bowles piece in si.com this week revealed that the Senator will become the first candidate ever to sponsor a NASCAR car at Pocono in early August, a very interesting step to try and gain a consituentcy which is at best undecided and for Obama at worst will go the other way in November.  It is a very loud statement about the power of NASACAR and the power of sports marketing and if it helps and works, will once again show how the dollars spent to reach a core audience and have them activate reside very deeply in one of America’s biggest sports.

The Ties That Bind…Father’s Day And Patriotism…Maybe.

June 15, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With Sunday being Father’s Day,there were a number of great pieces that show  the passion that links families…especially Father’s with their sons and daughters…together is sports.  With the shocking passing of Tim Russert, Jim McKay, and legendary announcer Charlie Jones this past week, the nostalgic looks back by some of America’s best writers have come fast and furious, and all give us a chance to take pause to be reminded as to why sports is important to us as a cultural touchstone.  Mike Lupica’s piece on Russert in the New York Daily News is a great example, as is Bill Dwyre’s column in the LA Times on the healing of a long fractured relationship between NBA star Mike Bibby and his dad, Henry, and Jackie McMullan’s column on ESPN.com on Celtics Coach Doc Rivers and the relationship with his late dad, Grady. The best summary piece is by Ian O’Connor in today’s Bergen Record, which links Tiger and Earl Woods, Grady and Doc Rivers, and so many others together to show how sports can cross generational lines, feuds, and geographic distance as a motivational tool for success .  However the theme is the same in all these examples.  Sports, for the big business that it is, remains the emotional link for generations of fathers with their children.  Great job capturing that emotion without the commercialism by all these great writers today. 

Managing Expectations And Handling Adversity…

June 8, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With Big Brown’s loss in the race for the Triple Crown on Saturday, publicists, madia and brand managers were left scrambling to find ways to fill voids, justify dollars spent, and re-jig lineups that were anticpated for the coronation and history that would have come for all involved with a Triple Crown winner.  The prep to take advantage is always important in business., but seizing the moment for sports is so much trickier becuase of the human element.  Therefore, being ready for both the sunny day and prepping for the rainy one are so key in finding ways to get exposure and ROI.  The expections, and the managing of those expectations, are really the key to being a good sports marketer or publicist.  Many of these points on managing expectations were handled really well in former MLB player Doug Glanville’s op-ed piece in the New York Times.  Glanville does a great job on how the assumption of winning and then living up to those expectations, is handled by media and athletes.  The spin of failure…how sponsors like UPS and Hooters, who rolled the dice with Big Brown, will handle the next phase, and what horse racing can do not to lose all that momentum, will be interesting to follow in the next few days.  Having the umbrella ready for the rainy day is more important than dealing correctly with the win, and making sure that all properly take pause to be messaged and that brands have gotten back what they invested prior to the unpredicatable results, are so important in the process, since marleters and publicists never have control over the ultimate result of a game, race or competition.  For example, Edelman PR did a great job in seizing the moment of a world record late at night in last week’s Reebok Track and Field Championships in New York, getting Usain Bolt to every media opportunity possible following his world record finish. Another great piece of spin was offered up by  legendary boxing promoter Don King, waxing positive on how boxing can benefit from the recent MMA success, in a piece in Sunday’s Daily News…both come from seasoned pros ready to take advantage of opportunites..the biggest challenge on the rainy day is finding ways to look through the adversity and create the unforseen chances.

MLS Kicks Off To A Good Start, While NHL Notches Up For The Playoffs

April 6, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As the seasons, both physical and sports-related, blend together in April, we wanted to point out some good work being pushed out by Major League Soccer as they begin their campaign and by the NHL as they ramp up for the playoffs. First on the soccer side, where MLS is working to increase activation and both the outreach to the casual and ardent soccer fan following last summer’s jump in interest amongst the David Beckham arrival in LA. Just this week, the league announced a new fan communications platform geared around their ESPN broadcasts, Sports Illustrated’s preview focused on the Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Media Post’s feature on Blanco’s partnership with Best Buy , all great examples of the sport’s continued expansion into extended activation with personable athletes and partners looking to capture the market. Also take a look at the DC United and the great push they are making in the digital space by creating a social networking site for area youth coaches, the establishment of the widget DC Vortex to get the latest news and info., and a great blog which gets the teams messages out to the fans in a concise and orderly fashion. All speak to the fan and the participant in the right medium, and take the message to the fan wherever he or she is in the digital space. Also loved si.com’s piece on MLS alumni now in the front office, another great set of ambassadors for the business side of the sport that didn’t until recently. With the teams and the league continuing to make steady strategic branding and media inroads (and doing as good a job as any and better than most in the blog space), all indications are for a bright summer in ‘08 for soccer in the U.S., and we look forward to pointing out the unique programs many of the teams will be using to promote and grow brand during the season.

Why It Matters…

February 5, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

“Does Beethoven Have a Bubble Gum Card?”- Lucy Van Pelt

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.

Rewards Outweighing The Risks…

January 22, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

A couple of recent pieces we found (one on Terry Lyons blog by the way) showed the ying and yang of  charitable work, and the way the sports and entertainment space (both recreational and professional) can be used to assist charitable endeavors.  There are two examples that involve the professional athlete in the professional setting, and the work (sometimes unsung) and responsibility that comes on a daily basis with the visible athlete.  The first story, by Kevin Ding in a recent Orange County Register, details Kobe Bryant’s work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and both the positive and bittersweet experiences one of the world’s most recognizable athletes has with the relationship, especially when having to deal with an outcome which is not always positive in the long term. The second piece is Mike Lupica’s column in today’s New York Daily News, which told the story of the New York Giants season-long relationship with Lt. Colonel Dan Gadson, an Iraq War vet who lost both his legs in combat who has come to be a source of inspiration for the team.  Both pieces show the athlete or athletes in a humbling light, and how their deeply personal devotion to these causes, especially in private, can be a great source of personal motivation and professional satisfaction while making the days of those less fortunate a bit better.