Majoring In The Minors: Goldklang Group Takes A New Route With Leaders And Fans…

March 8, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

We have often talked about how minor league organizations often outpace the major league teams in terms of year round innovation and brand building.  The minors, especially baseball, never have the big star to rely on for long and more than their major brtheren, have to rely on the core fan and the overall game experience to keep the bottom line steady, maintain marketshare and keep fans coming back when they don’t know what the on-field product will look like.  One of the best groups at fan engagement has always been the Goldklang group, led by Mike Veeck and Marv Goldklang, and a legion of passionate and energetic fulltime staffers, interns and volunteers from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Hudson Valley, New York and many points in between. They have set the standard for fun, fan engagement and brand growth on the minor league level for years.  Now in an effort to connect and grow their fans, and find new business and branding opportunities, the company has launched Be Your Own Fan TV, a bi-monthly look at key influencers not just in the markets the teams play, but in sports overall.  The episodes are a combination of insiders look and in-depth interviews with many boldface names, or rising stars, in sports, and will give both a fan or a person interested in learning more about the business of sport some good insight into best practices and success.  So what does this do for the Goldklang Group?  Does it help sell tickets for the Charleston River Dogs? Not directly, at least not in the conventional sense that most minor league teams do things.  Then again, these guys usually set the standard and don’t follow the conventional.

D-League “Hoax” Gone Bad Not Bad For Publicity…

December 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Into the “seemed like a good idea at time” file this week goes the D-League’s Utah Flash, who staged an elaborate and well attended hoax, luring thousands of fans to their game against Dakota with the thought they were going to see NBA legend Michael Jordan take on former Jazz nemesis Bryon Russell in a halftime exhibition that would recreate Jordan’s jumper over Russell in the NBA Finals, one of the greatest shots in NBA history. In retrospect, the idea was all about what makes minor league sports great…a larger than life promotion that lures fans to entertain them regardless of the outcome on the floor. It is something that D-League commish Dan Reed does better and better with his clubs each year and has helped slowly grow the D-League into an effective promotional tool in smaller markets for professional hoops. The challenge had a large price tag for the event ($100,000 offered up to Jordan) a solid viral campaign that had Jordan sightings all about town and all over radio and the digital space, a boastful owner in Brandt Andersen and a willing foil in Russell to go along with it. The only problem with the stunt was that there was never a big inkling of what was actually going on until the fake Jordan showed up on the court to a chorus of boos and disappointed fans, which cost Andersen some money in refunded tickets and Reed some issues with the public. Still to call the stunt a “fiasco” is unfair and untrue. It brought attention to the franchise, it was meant to be fun and lighthearted (and could have been a fun fake promo, although not to the tune of 7,000 fans probably), it showed how well digital media can drive rumors and innuendo and it had willing participants. Is it a problem that no one in the media caught on, (although Steve Luhm’s piece in the Salt Lake Tribune Sunday was full of innuenedo and disclaimer which left more than enough open that it was a stunt) or check with Jordan’s folks (or even the Bobcats, where he is a part owner) to see if it was true? No. Should the team have teased a bit more to lead people to believe it was a hoax? Probably. Still it was not Disco Demolition Night, it was not some of the poor taste promotions that ask people to show up to mimic celebrity criminals and at the end of the day the owner fixed a wrong by offering refunds. Was the intent exactly what the minors are supposed to be? Absolutely. Maybe it needed a bit of tweaking and a tad more honesty, but one has to give the franchise credit for pulling it off and understanding that sport is supposed to be fun, and at the D-league level all about promotion.

The Adaptability of The Shield…

September 9, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is one of the most closely guarded logos in the world…the NFL shield. Even with some of its tweaks over the years, the brands that stand with the NFL and its shield, and the programs they represent, have often been best in class, just as the league presents itself as one of the premier, if not the premier, sporting brand in the world. As we enter the NFL regular season, the first full one since the downward shift in the economy last fall and winter, it is interesting to note the continued support of brands and the diversity of decisions the NFL, its broadcasters and its teams are making to cope with the times we are in.

The Need For Spectacle To Draw Attention…CFL and UFL…

July 6, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we inch closer to NFL Training Camp, two interesting notes popped up again in the football world over the weekend, both showing what it will take for the casual fan to take notice of football outside of college or the NFL. The first was up north in the CFL, which incidentally has done a good job of rebranding itself and working with, not against the NFL in many ways. This past week, Toronto receiver Arland Bruce took the Ocho Cinco route by doing a “touchdown tribute” to Michael Jackson, complete with acting dead after a score. The move earned him not just the wrath of the league and probably his teammates, but got Bruce some great exposure on newsshows, blogs and YouTube during a week where football was nowhere near top of mind, and could draw those casual fans to watch some CFL over the next few weeks to see what antics are next for the “perfomance artist” turned wide receiver. The second move was the UFL saying again that if Michael Vick is available and free of legal trouble they would take him for their Orlando franchise. Again the piece drew the eyeballs of the media and the casual fan to the soon to be starting league at a time when people are still not thinking football, and got the league more exposure as they move toward their next steps. Any downside to entertaining Vick? For the UFL none at all. It will bring spectacle both positive and negative should it happen, and will give their efforts more relevancy for TV and fans than they would have without him. Placed in a slow media week it was a very good move, whether or not it pans out. While one was planned (UFL) and one was not (CFL) both drew attention through spectacle and got both leagues added attention that they need for casual interest. Will be interesting to see next moves on both.

Majoring In The Minors…Hudson Valley Goes To The Ladies…

June 23, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Ladies Day has long been a baseball tradition…women arriving at the ballpark get discounts and promotions tailored to them, and MLB has gone to great lengths in promoting and raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness. However the Hudson valley Renegades, again showing the advantage the minors have to be effective and creative, will take Ladies Day one step further in July, banning men (those off the playing field anyway) from the stands for the first five innings of their July 7 game.</a> The salute to women, will allow women in while keeping the men outside until the fifth inning, effectively showing that the Rens’ female fan base is both important and recognized by the organization. The night will of course have the usual fun promotions and music that the minors always have, but it sends a smart message to those decision makers in the household…we appreciate all you do in bringing the kids here and to the games, and lets have some fun just with you. Not a huge departure from the ordinary, but it should make for a fun night, a good promotion, some additional brand extensions and some good old fashioned PR which will probably be copied by others along the way.

More Major Moves For The Minors…

February 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Even as pitchers and catchers report in the States for Major League Baseball, our master marketers in the minors continue to be innovative and find ways to keep their local brands active, alive and relevant to the consumer, their partners and the media. Aside from the host of promotions announced taking off on the ARod and the Michael Phelps issues the past few weeks, there was the Fort Meyers Miracle, who immediately jumped on the story Julio Osegueda, the college student who questioned President Obama last week about benefits and then said he wanted to be a DJ or an announcer, and hired him to broadcast the Miracle’s home opener. Ben Hill broke the story on MILB.com, which has since made it to NPR and a host of other news organizations, garnering the Miracle great exposure outside of the market. Throw in the Lancaster Barnstormers, who turned their field into an ice rink (reported by Brian Gainor) for their season subs, and thats a great set of activation and brand growth in the minors that any innovator should take note of.

Oscar, Do Hairdressers Have A Sport?

January 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

So it was asked by Felix Unger to his pal Oscar Madison in the great show The Odd Couple, when Osc told Feel he had to go to Canada to cover curling.  So the late Tony Randall would be proud of his character asking the question and then picking up the papers today to see how the sport of curling is working to attract new fans to the nichest of the niche.  First came a great story in today’s Denver Post on the auction going on to have ones face put on the championship curling stone…that was followed by an extensive feature in the New York Times on the USA Curling-Brazilian Curling matchup, and its history.  Both are prime examples of a sport trying to seize its moment in the sun…becoming creative, finding a story and the right outlet and then delivering the message.  Even if it doesn’t bring one long-term eyeball to the sport, the internal and external messaging, not to mention the fact that the casual sports fan even hears about curling…is invaluable.  Nice string of messages, well placed and well timed, even in the Super Bowl crunch.

And The Winner Is…Goldklang Group Uses Six Teams To Start Election Bobble Buzz…

August 15, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The straw polls for the Presidential elections will begin as soon as the upcoming conventions will end, and the sampling size and diversity of spin will give us so many takes on what is going to be a very hotly contested election.  However we leave it to Mike Veeck’s Goldklang Group, and their six minor league teams from Florida to Minnesota and points central and east, to leave the first bit of (bobble) head to head sampling to the fans.  Each team gave the fans a choice of a Senator McCain or Senator Obama bobblehead doll to pick, with the first to 500 declared the primary winner in the ballpark.  The results are listed on milb.com, along with the spin put on the overall “campaign.” Once again the minors generates tasteful buzz, get the average fan involved and get some extra ink, this time by aggregating teams for a fun, informal sampling of what could be coming this fall.  Nice job to pull off and be out in front again to the Goldklang Group.

Saints Get The Skinny On Naming Rights…While A Sharp Move Gets Exposure In Big And Small Markets

August 12, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With the Leverage Agency out there trying to sell the naming rights for China’s two most prominent venues after the Olympics are done, we look to the minor leagues for yet another innovative way to sell…or rent…stadium naming rights for a short period.  Credit the Goldklang Group…with innovator Mike Veeck leading the way…for selling the rights to the St. Paul Saints’ Midway Stadium to Skinny Nutritional Corp, but only for a week.  The deal could be a trendsetter for selling any section of stadia, or even a part of the field, for short periods of time to garner ancillary exposure and incremental dollars with no real cost.  Now the real exposure comes from being first out of the box with the idea, which led to the Times Stuart Elliott doing a piece today.  Can there be a value to specific local sponsors outside of the first play?  All depends on the angle the partner takes and the willingness to be creative.  Can u use it for product endorsement and sampling by doing a “world’s largest” something?  Perhaps.  Regardless the idea is fun and innovative and the one article got the partner and the team exposure that was big league all the way.

Patriotic Musings…Olympics, Big Flags and Randy Moss With NASCAR…

July 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The July 4th weekend seems to be the official bell ringing for Olympic brand ramp up, between the swimming and track and field trials and mega international events such as the Tour de France and Wimbledon all running together in what is naturally a quiet week for news.  A look at the Olympic landscape saw McDonald’s roll out their pre-Olympic campaign with new in-store activation points (via Promo Mag), and adidas announcing the opening of their mega-store in Beijing to battle Nike’s Olympic plans (via WSJ).  Then conspiracy theorists will have a field day as Michael Phelps pulled on his VISA hat accidentally at the swimming trials (accidentally or not it was a great ambush marketing play) while the Arizona Republic has a good piece today mentioning all the ambush marketers trolling the mixed zone at the swimming trials.  Top it all off with a good story in today’s New York Times on the business of making huge American flags, and you have all the All-American branding ideas you would want for a holiday.