My friend Jay died Monday…

August 10, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 8 Comments 

On Monday coming home on the train I got an email from my colleague Rich Sandomir of the New York Times who asked me if I had heard Jay Larkin died.  It was so very sad news.  Jay was one of the few mentors that I had…I learned more from him in a little over a year about learning to manage people and grow  business at the now defunct International Fight League than I had in countless years at Madison Square Garden or other stops.  He was a legend in boxing, a gentleman and a Brooklyn native with a killer instinct and business savvy that as he put it, made Showtime a strong Avis to HBO’s  Hertz. More importantly, he was a devoted father and husband who knew when to have a good time and when to work.  He helped bring professionalism to the most brutal of sports, and he always spoke his mind.

A Kinder, Gentler UFC?

July 24, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

The UFC has been a textbook example of brand growth using both the digital and traditional space in the past five years, even getting profiled by Mashable on their social media platforms. They have followed a playbook first se (and then abandoned) by boxing and then by the WWE in using traditional TV and media as the driver for large gate pay-per-view events and following that with a very unique experience in-arena. It has been a solid run for the UFC and their fans, who are more fans of their brand probably trhan the overall sport of Mixed Martial Arts.  Still with all the success, the UFC model still has not brought in many new sponsors outside of brands like Bud Light and Harley Davidson, who came on several years ago and gain the great benefits of partnerships overall with Spike TV.  The UFC continues to go to new markets with one-off success, and always returns for the bigger name shows to Las Vegas for experiential weekends.  The company talks about more overseas expansion and continues to do well in the gaming and product sales area, so what’s next?  how does one gain more mainstream exposure, not in news coverage but in consistent larger viewership and gate, and does the UFC need another company to step up as a legitimate, consistent international competitor?  Is the market big enough?

New real estate in sports brands expands…

June 5, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

As the scramble to get the best value for sponsorship dollars, as well as added eyeballs for products and services, continues on in a challenged economy, two brands took a leap step forward in the New York sports marketing scene this week.

Boxing Does What Boxing Does Best and Worst…Builds Buzz For The Big One…

May 4, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Saturday night in Las Vegas we again saw both the best and the worst of what brands find both intriguing and infuriating…an engaging fighter calling out his best possible opponent for his next fight with little to no assurance the “Fight of the Century” will ever happen.  Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has become the boxing marketing and branding machine that Oscar de la Hoya was in his prime (and which he turned into Golden Boy Productions with his partners), continues to grow in stature and flamboyance.  His opponent, Manny Pacquaio, continues to be the guy who can make the other half of perhaps boxing’s biggest pay day.  Still, the fits and starts, deals and postponments, hype and hoopla, that have surrounded the much-anticipated matchup have both confounded and intrigued not just the boxing fan, but the casual sports fan and many brands looking to reach that male demo. In years past, the deal for the fight, no matter how mercurial the opponents or how at odds promoters were, always seemed to get done.  The demand for th sport and for the dollar just became to great. However today we live in different times.  The consumer can easily be pulled in other directions until or if the fight becomes reality, the economic issues of boxing give those looking for elite events a large pool from which to choose from, and the fighters themselves are actually more distracted with issues outside the ring than ever before (Pacquaio is currently running for elected office in his home of the Philippines, which is also effecting the possible date for the fight).

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.

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