Give Them Liberty.

July 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With all the choices of leasure time activity in a major market during the summer, the WNBA is always challenged to find ways to attract the casual fan.  However this weekend, there will be a spectacle worthy of near record numbers, brand exposure and good will.  The Liberty will play the Indiana Fever outdoors at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens on Saturday night.  All the elements of the game…the build-in of the court, the first practice, the fan festival around the game, the additional sponsorship…have been pitched and placed perfectly, ranging from multiple local and regional stories in publications which coverage can be hit and miss on, to a great visual piece in USA Today.  The followup visuals and trade pieces coming out of the game will also garner great ancillary exposure and will get the WNBA, already enjoying a banner season, even more attention going into the Olympics.  Well planned, well pitched and well placed, even going against a Yankees home game, the AVP Crocs event in Brooklyn and the great David Beckham playing at Giants Stadium, all in the same day.

New Activation Partnerships, New Crossover Stars…In An Olympic Year…WNBA Tips Off Strong…

May 18, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Many times over the past dozen years marketers have looked at the WNBA as somewhat of an enigma.  Clearly the breakthrough leader in women’s sports, the league has enjoyed strong support with a product that has become better every year.  Still the mainstream interest has been up and down depending on the year, and with local ownership the league now has to hope that each team has staff savvy enough to activate and build stars by market.  This summer however it looks like the WNBA future is bright as ever, due to smart, new cutting edge partnerships, the momentum of an Olympic year and some solid crossover stars that can continue to appeal to make the great game of BASKETBALL, not just women’s basketball, a popular go-to sport year round for interest and activation.  Some of the reasons for the bright future are outlined in Mel Greenberg’s overall piece in the Philly Inquirer  , Kurt Streeter’s great profile of rookie star Candace Parker in today’s LA Times, Dave Weekley’s story in the Charleston Gazette Mail that tells local fans all the ways they can follow the Detroit Shock’s rookie star Alexis Hornbuckle, the New York Liberty with a local star in Rutgers’ Essence Carson, and mutiple stories on the WNBA McDonald’s partnership which not only includes activation online and in market but gives the worldwide brand logo placement on the front of many WNBA jerseys.  Tie that in with the fan program Discover Card does with the league, some very strong online spots (head of officials Dee Kantner has a  blog that will give basketball fans a different look at the game) , and there are many, many reasons why the league can grow from all aspects this summer.  A couple of push points to really put it over the top…local stories…the league must push the local teams to find and tell every possible story across all mediums, including taking advantage of every opportunity in the digital space…that local momentum needs to be there to show everyone strength in a cumulative fashion.  The other point is talking about basketball.  Many times women’s sports get caught up in the uniqueness of being just that…a women’s sport.  However the level of crossover appeal and athleticism now for the WNBA is even bigger because it is good basketball that appeals to all hoops fans.  Riding the great success the NBA is having into June won’t hurt, and talking about great hoops, with a solid leader like Donna Orender, is a very smart move.