Northern California Brands Take Leadership Positions That Mirror The Area’s Tech Innovators…

November 14, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

While most of the world views the Silicon Valley for its high tech innovation and nearby Sonoma for its wines, there is no doubt that a great deal of sports branding and innovation is continuing to flourish in the region as well. While it is true the Oakland A’s remain challenged for a new stadium (although GM Billy Beane’s Moneyball approach to the business of baseball was certainly innovative) and the Oakland Raiders remain a struggling piece for the NFL, the areas other franchises, both big and small, are certainly viewed as leaders in many areas.

MMA Takes The Big Stage To Try And Grow Audience and Interest…

November 7, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The World Series is now over, the NBA and NHL seasons have begun their long stretches, college football is missing a compelling weekend matchup, the luster of the NYC Marathon is gone and the NFL is passing its midpoint. So into the mix when there is a lack of marquis events this weekend falls the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, which returns to CBS in primetime still looking for a challenger to provide any mainstream competition to the UFC. Can either capture the casual fan on a slow weekend? The CBS/Strikeforce show will feature perhaps MMA’s largest and most enigmatic star, Russian Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight bout at the Sears Center in Chicago. With nowhere near the mainstream hype that Kimbo Slice had during CBS’ earlier MMA test with Pro Elite, and without female star Gina Carano on the card, Emelianenko will have to carry the card and try to find a way to endear himself to a public and to marketers that appear to be even more agnostic to MMA as a whole than they have been in some time. Make no mistake about it, the UFC continues to be the number one experiential brand in the sport and maybe in all of fight sports, but the strides to add new partners and even build mainstream names other than the MMA vets that have grown in the past few years, continues to hold MMA back from jumping to a level of growing mainstream acceptance. Saturday night could be another chance to provide that move forward, even with a promotion in Strikeforce that is a great regional event but has not caught national acceptance with the casual fan.

Hard Knocks A Smart Move By Bengals Brand…

August 13, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

They have been a lost franchise on the national scene for well…almost forever, even with a Super Bowl run, the Icky Shuffle and Ken Anderson, a great underrated QB. So giving the access to HBO’s Hard Knocks was a great move for the Cincinnati Bengals brand, and eventhough it is a risk for HBO and the NFL, it gives the show a different look than in previous years, especially coming off last season’s Dallas Cowboys run. Already the Bengals brand has gotten national exposure in what would norrmally be a quiet offseason for a small market team with a 4-12 record, and with a Spongetech practice jersey sponsorship on the table, the team has scored some much needed additional visibility. Let’s also not forget the national interest in Chad Ochocinco, and the way he will be able to use his tweets and branding skills to also drive interest to the show, along with the casual interest for football fans in hearing president Mike Brown and head coach Marvin Lewis, perhaps for the first time. HBO’s quality production with NFL Films could also stir interest in the team, at least for the first few weeks of the season, and give the franchise a much-needed boost. It is a bit of a departure for the series, but in terms of using the power of the NFL and the vision of HBO to try new things and give a franchise a lift, it could be a very smart move for the long term, especially if the team performs well and the story lines and drama effectively transfer to the show.

UFC’s Recent Moves Shows More Business Savvy Than Some Give Credit For…

August 2, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Many people can criticize the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, but one thing that cannot be criticized is the continuing rise in business savvy of the UFC. Friday was a great example of how far the “NFL of MMA” has come. In their usual fashion, the UFC announced well, probably way too far in advance, that they had a “big announcement and press conference set for this past Friday. The hype machine had the much anticipated Fedor Emalianenko vs. Brock Lesnar fight finally signed, a heavyweight battle which would lift MMA more into the mainstream with big fight buildup worthy of two crossover athletes, one American, one Russian. However the day came and went, and the press conference went off with its own news, news that was not the hyped up and teased announcement the sport had hoped for. Instead, White announced the return of former UFC star to the organization, and talked very candidly and at length about the problems as to why the Fedor-Lesnar fight did not happen. White talked at length about the issue’s with Fedor’s management team and the large purse and concessions being demanded, and sent a strong message not just to those in the MMA business, but those watching the MMA business, especially the UFC business, who are interested but not yet involved. The message was that the UFC has the business savvy to know what a good deal for all involved, especially financially for the UFC, is, and that with their current success the cost/benefit of going over that at this time does not make good business sense. It is a departure from the free wheeling spending in exchange for buzz that has slowed MMA’s potential outside the UFC, and even more interesting is it seems to avoid the pratfalls of overspending, alphabet soup and mismanagement that has severely hurt boxing in recent years. It also was a great move by the UFC to take the stage and turn the messaging squarely against the Fedor Management team, especially for the casual observer. Does it mean that the UFC will not get its dream matchup at some point? No. It does mean that the UFC knows its business, its negotiation tactics that work and its audience and by being the only player in professional MMA they have sent a clear message that they can dictate the correct business terms for success, which if you are a brand or a media partner looking to invest, maybe you are now closer to working with them. Well positioned, well thought out, and well timed.

Leaving Your Core Business To Get Into Event Production Can Be A Costly Affliction…

July 27, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

There is still some debate about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, as to whether it is “hot” and a viable business or just a niche sport whose success is solely dictated by the success or failure of the one true brand in the market on the professional side, the UFC. Those who lean toward the latter received more validation for their point this past weekend when the sport’s latest UFC challenger, the highly successful apparel brand Affliction, announced it too was getting out of the event game and was going back to doing what it does best…running a very lucrative brand for the male demo that follows the UFC and trains in MMA.

Multiple Sports, Multiple Activation Platforms Highlight A Week Of Success For Sports…

July 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we head into mid-July, what has normally been a slow season for sports brand activation has unveiled a host of positive programs and good signs for sports on all levels. Starting with Mixed Martial Arts and the hundreds of brands and thousands of fans that have descended on Las Vegas for UFC 100 this weekend. The LA Times had a good look at the UFC’s success and its ability to build fans around the experiential platform that they have created and can execute for their followers, both on site and on pay per view. Great weekend for the UFC, which continues to be the only true national brand in the sport. Adding in the success that the World Series of Poker has sustained in Las Vegas over the last month, the City will enjoy a stretch of “new” sport excitement this weekend that will compare to and surpass any other July time frame. Then fans can look east to St Louis, where MLB has done an outstanding job of taking their partners and finding ways to create grassroots and charity activation programs in the community and on a national and international scale leading into All-Star weekend. Whether it is Bank of America working to give people access to tickets and Fan fest through their local branches or their Hit For Hunger campaign, or MasterCard’s Stand Up To Cancer platform, each brand is being integrated into programs that have both great exposure and tremendous giveback for the community. The women’s US Open in Pennsylvania also didn’t miss an opportunity to link their brands to charity ties in the area and expose their athletes to activation platforms both on site and prior to the event’s start, and NASCAR’s Thursday night special on CNBC gave fans and brands an hour of access to show how all is working in the world’s premier motorsports circuit, leading into a weekend which gives NASCAR some of its biggest major market exposure of the year, with the Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway. Now is all right in sports and brand activation these days? Obviously not…but as industry, from the down and dirty world of MMA to the established sports like baseball and golf, a look at the success of brands over a five day period shows that the business of sports is working hard to succeed in the slowest of times, which is a good sign for the future. While many businesses struggle to adapt, it seems like sports and the brands associated are working among the hardest to turn the corner quickly.

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.

USA Wrestling Takes A Bold Move To Defend It’s Sport…

June 8, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Second tier sports, especially those Olympic sports in non-Olympic years, always have to find ways to fight through the clutter for relevancy to the causal sport fan. Also in that clutter comes the cultivation of the grassroots that keeps the sport vibrant and relevant to a loyal core no matter what year it is. However an even bigger challenges for traditional sports is the assault of the latest and greatest hybrids, which play to a faster and usually younger demo. Cycling gives way to BMX, volleyball to beach volleyball, rugby 15’s to rugby 7’s…even in many ways the X Games to the Olympics. The traditional sports, unless they can adjust, can easily become less relevant, cede market share and sponsor dollars and eventually be eclipsed. One sport facing its battle is wrestling. Although the sport seems to be enjoying somewhat of slow renaissance, the ebb away from the sport to the newer and more edgier sport of Mixed Martial Arts has been apparent for some time. MMA, which has wrestling as one of its disciplines, is faster, more telegenic, and appeals to a wider audience by its hybrid of at least five disciplines, not to mention the mega-attention it gets on the professional side with the UFC. So wrestling, which is amateur in nature, has lost a growing number of young people to the glitz and glamour, and potential dollar figures of MMA. This loss erodes the competitive base that wrestling has in building Olympians, and in turn damages the brand because less top talent means less international success and ultimately less Olympic success, which funds the grassroots programs and sponsor interest. So what to do? First, USA Wrestling has made a number of strides to acknowledge the success of MMA, and has not discouraged elite wrestlers from moving on to MMA AFTER their Olympic dream is realized. That avoids confrontation and builds a link for the future between the two. Second, this past week USA Wrestling made a bold financial move, pooling monies as incentives for elite wrestlers to continue to work toward the 2012 Olympics. The cash pool, which will mean $250,000 for a gold medalist, was announced this past week to show wrestlers that the sport is both solvent and supportive and acknowledges the need for athlete financial incentive. It also is a move that could help generate sponsor interest both long and short term, by showing brands that USA Wrestling is serious in its athlete commitment to build the sport and reward its elite members who stay with the sport. The only downside is in a cash layout in the future. The upside generated buzz for a sport lagging behind its hipper cousin, rewarded the elite in terms of compensation that is clear, showed a forward-thinking approach to other National Governing Bodies, and sent a clear message to those at the grassroots that the sport is serious in growing its champions. Smart move for the brand, and great buzz generation at a time when most summer Olympic sports are still regrouping for 2012.

Cash For Gold Nights A Winner For All?

May 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Recently a friend hosted a “Cash For Gold” party with another friend who was a jewler. The party is the new level of what used to be tupperware, jewelry buying, lingerie buying, makeup or AMWAY parties…the host does the legwork, invites friends for some drinks and snacks and the salesperson, usually a her, pitches her wares and makes some nice sales. So in today’s economy, with jewelers hurting and looking for new opportunities, why now have in-home parties where people get rid of their unwanted stuff. Ed McMahon hawked Cash4Gold during the Super Bowl for those who didn’t remember? With that type of in-house promotion in mind, why wouldn’t teams looking for new promotions that can even assist fans, and their local jeweler, start Cash For Gold nights? Jewelers have always specialized in local sports promotions, Valentine’s Day, hidden diamonds, cash machines, wedding proposals etc., so this event would create visibility, real cash, potential foot traffic into a store, and give a team, especially a minor league team, some new revenue and exposure. For those with larger audiences, maybe even a consortium of jewlers, and use a voucher in lieu of cash on the spot? Maybe even get player involved with moving some bling, with a portion going to charity? The Lakewood Blue Claws are apparently gonna give it a try with a local partner, but for a continuing promotion that can actually give cash back, a Cash For Gold night could be a traffic getter and a money maker for distressed inventory in a down economy.

A Season Of Renewal: Isiah Thomas and FIU

April 17, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Often times colleges in mid or low mid major positions will look to take risk in order to shock the system into a new level. The hiring of coaches, the jump to a new division or a new league, an aggressive marketing campaign all usually revolve around the elusive grab for both attention and the sponsor dollar, and with that the even more important alumni dollar. Into that mix usually goes some strange bedfellows…New Jersey Institute of Technology and their foray into a western conference, Army to Conference USA, Bob Hill going to Fordham as hoops coach are just some examples of bold and sometimes unsuccessful moves made by Universities that come to mind. The latest came this week, with Florida International University, a big commuter school in Miami with a big football stadium and a big athletic budget and nothing to show for it, hiring Isiah Thomas. Good move? Bad move? Only time will tell. Here are the first facts. FIU put itself, at least temporarily, on the sports map. It got some great local coverage, even positive columns in the major dailies (here is one about redemption from Michelle Kaufman). It probably bought itself some revenue in the form of ticket sales from the casual fan and buzz on campus. It probably upgraded its recruting stance and gave the school most had never heard of more street credibility. For Thomas? It put him in a place where there is no downside, either on location or opportunity. It is a school near a spotlight but not in it, perfect for image rebuilding and career resurrection. It gives him a chance to refine a coaching craft, rebuild his own brand and take resources probably underutilized and make them shine. He also made a great gesture in day one by donating his salary back to the University, a token gesture but a smart one. So will the University be adequately prepared for the inevitable protests by women’s groups and questions of moral backsliding? Will they also be able to prep their students for the onrush of media at seasons start? Will those be too much of a glare, and when will the news cycle rest once the season starts. All chances, but if FIU is ready they can all be spun correctly and positively. Best of luck…brands love the comeback story.

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