Why Baseball Fan Fests Work…

January 24, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we head toward pitchers and catchers reporting in less than a month, we are seeing the seeds of baseball pop up in the most remote locations, where spring seems lightyears away.  In Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee…talk of baseball, and ticket selling and autographs are all on the minds of the die hard and the casual fan these next few weeks. Why?  Yes its because baseball remains the casual summer sport that many people in North America still mark time by.  However more importantly is because teams, especially those  in cold weather climates, have launched their annual winter caravans and fan experiential events, days and sometimes weeks of activity that brings players, coaches and the brand back top of mind at a critical time of year.  The Fan Fest is not just a baseball-specific idea.  Other sports in some markets take advantage of the offseason in similar ways, but the overall “festival” plan in the dead of winter is one of the practices that baseball does best.  It is a real re-invigoration of the brand…and an opportunity to give fans affordable access to the players, the coaches and everything about the brand…regardless of where the team ended up the previous season.  It also gives the team the ability to answer questions, hype to players, and really connect with those who will buy the tickets and the merch when the season starts.  Some teams like the White Sox for example, have even implemented new and social media into the process, hosting fan fest “tweet ups” and special discounts and giveaways for those who have signed up, and can get to a particular area at a moment’s notice.  The Detroit Tigers, who have done one of the best jobs of any team with their annual Tiger Fest, use the weekend as a chance to pull in and explain the brand to potential sponsors of all sizes, and have even created blogger-specific events to gauge opinion and feedback.  In many markets the Fan Fest has become a great offseason revenue source, while in others it is a work in progress.  The Fan Fest idea is not universally in place in baseball…the Mets and Yankees for example do not do fan fests because of the crowded marketplace, the anticipated lack of a sizable venue and the fact that the sport gets mega-coverage almost every day in the media (although the Yankees did have tremendous success with events when they were re-establishing themselves in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s and needed to move tickets)…but it is a growing one.  Minor league teams in some markets do scaled down versions as well.

Can The Paralympics Be A Marketing Platform For Brands?

December 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we head toward the Vancouver Olympics and continue to immerse ourselves in the Tiger Woods train wreck, it is interesting to look for other opportunities where a brand like Accenture can potentially look to re-invest the millions just pulled away from Woods. Is the Paralympics an opportunity for Accenture or other brands looking to partner with great stories? This past week’s Sports Illustrated had an amazing dual tale of two Paralympic stories from Beijing…Marin Morrison and Nick Scandone…who not only epitomized the Olympic spirit of overcoming great odds, but were also phenomenal athletes themselves before disease (brain cancer and ALS) got the better of their bodies, but not their minds or spirit. Wertheim did a great job of capturing the spirit of the Paralympics…full crowds of everyday people who could not get into the Olympic games, athletes from all over the world overcoming great challenges to succeed, yes to win, but also to compete, all great examples of what sport is supposed to be all about. The event did receive solid media coverage but was not the media extravaganza that the regular Olympics are, and as such suffered from branding exposure that is growing but nowhere near what it could be. Could a brand or brands, with a great integrated marketing campaign, turn its focus to the Paralympics? There would be no shortage of stories…they would get great appreciation from a loyal global following, they would have a created media platform to tell their story as to “why,” and they would be a leader in the branding world as one of the first all-in sponsors of Paralympics. The athletes are solid players in social media. They are well spoken, come from varied backgrounds and are appreciative for the coverage and the ancillary dollars that could come in. The have a wow factor just for what they are able to achieve as individuals and as a group. They could also be a platform to again educate a public that is still skiddish at watching people with disabilities. Given the advanced technology that now comes along with replacement limbs and rehabilitation, could there even be an education and inspiring science component built in? Tech companies, pharma, insurance, military…all have the potential to line up, as well as rising brands looking for a non traditional splash.

Mets Ownership Puts Smart Spin on Madoff Losses

December 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As much as the numbers in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme are almost beyond comprehension by most on the street, what is understood and appreciated by fans are owners communicating messages directly to their patrons…ticket buyers, media and sponsors.  This week, following a presser to introduce new closer Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon took the time to address the questions of his families’ massive projected loss in the scandal, and assure all that the team, its new stadium and its  fans are on solid ground.  Especially since the scandal doesn’t directly relate to team business, Wilpon could have followed the cue of many others in his situation, brushed off a no comment or referred to ongoing litigation as a curtain to hide behind.  Instead he addressed the questions head on and confidently, and in a time of financial uncertainty for many teams, spoke through the media directly to the fans that the team is OK.  It was the latest in a series of smart positioning moves for the franchise since October,  with the Mets coming out first on positive stadium moves,  community events, ticket sales numbers and even player signings and media opportunities before their crosstown rival Yankees.  now the naming issue with CitiField remains a hot button right now, but even on that issue the team spoke  as one and clearly communicated their position, however popular or unpopular it is.  In these days of  lessening discretionary income, the Mets are clearly being aggressive and effective in speaking to their fans on a regular basis, and are telling a story that even in tough times the fans and business partners will appreciate.  That they are forward thinking, unified and making the best business decisions to grow the brand for the long term.

Mets Do A Good Job Of Spreading Positives In A Down Economy

October 13, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We have all seen the effects and fear and potential cost cutting measures that teams and brands are putting into effect to safeguard profitability should the economy worsen.  Now while many have taken the prudent approach to guard their best assets and look for more ROI, some have chosen to move ahead with long term plans, and show the value of the  brand in the marketplace even in a slow economy. Neil Best has a good overall look at the New York economy and how local teams could be affected, but the best news put forth this week was by the New York Mets, who despite another disappointing end to the season continue to crank out good news on brand support, this week announcing they have sold out of suites in CitiField.  Darren Rovell had a solid q and a with the Mets Dave Howard about how it is possible and what this says about the value of the Mets brand in the area,  despite all the negative financial news and some projects for slow spending by the consumer.  The messaging and the timing were solid for the business, and showed how well placed stories, even in the most difficult of times, can give the fan and the business pause for a positive outlook ahead.

Grizzlies Prove Minor Ideas Can Land Major Successes

September 26, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Last week we linked to Ben Hill’s milb.com blog looking at the best minor league promotions, and it was great to see the AAA Fresno Grizzlies landing the top spot for their mascot promotion pitting their mascot Parker against the Phillie Phanatic.  The promotion wasn’t the only one that Fresno came up with throughout the season and into the offseason to engage fans and create brand awareness.  The team is also creating and promoting a series of webisodes called “I Hate The Offseason,” involving Parker and members of the front office staff finding some very funny ways to get keep fans interested into the fall and winter.  While most teams step back and take a breath and distance themselves for a while to regroup the webisodes keep the Grizzlies brand fresh and their fans engaged, which will probably lead to more offseason opportunities (since the team won’t know its roster) and potentially more opportunities to engage sponsors.  Major opportunity to show how any brand, no matter how “minor,” can stay relevant and engaged year-round. 

Mets Get Major Exposure For A Minor Partner

July 6, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  Those in PR and sales are always looking to find ways to squeeze out even the smallest of exposure for every one of their partners, and especially in major markets, those big hits can be very difficuly to come by.  The diligent publicists will find the notes columns, the blogs and make use of controlled media and then use those as platforms to build equity.  However the big hit usually involves unusual timing, a strong pitch, good relationships with the media and diligent and persistent credibility by those doing the pitching.  A great case of the moon and the stars aligning fell with the New York Mets this week, who found a great angle and the right writer and pitch to land a partnership piece on Kozy Shack Pudding in the advertising section of the New York Times.   The piece had everything one would want…a good spin, third party endorsements, fan interplay in a light manner, messaging from the brand spokesperson and a great signage shot.  Now was it a bit tongue in cheek?  Yes.  But to land such a secondary brand that type of exposure justifies the expendature by Kozy Shack and shows all brands associated with the Mets how much the team will work to get its partners exposure.  Well placed big hit.

Avery Strikes A Pose…Geico Patches Things Up

June 27, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: Knowing the athlete for any team, league or brand takes time.  It takes time to know to both ask the right questions and listen to what they are saying to correctly build a strategy that makes sense for a unique pitch to work.  The New York Rangers hit on a great one that has now come full circle, by listening and then using the correct resources available to place and then merchandise NHL star Sean Avery…as a summer intern at Men’s Vogue Magazine.  The story has had legs for several months, and even developed a little controversial spin when Avery was hurt during the playoffs, but the piece that ran in this month’s issue was a classic case of taking the time to know and understand a player, and take some comments that he had made and grow it into a long lead, well thought out, well delivered PR push that extended the Rangers brand well past the NHL Finals.  The piece is also great because it takes an NHL tough guy and put him in a very different light, talking about style and fashion and future plans in a way few male athletes ever do.  The whole campaign was a  textbook example of what you can do with a little imagination, a good ear, a knowledge of the athlete and the time to plan and execute  an opportunity off the playing field.

Oregon Doc Gives New Meaning To March Madness, And Some Solid Baseball Pieces…

March 9, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: As we move through Championship Week and into the NCAA tournament,  it will be interesting to look for some of the more unique promotions tied to  some of the best weeks of the year on the sports calendar.  Thus far, the best one comes courtesy of Playbooks and Profits in The Oregonian.  A team of Springfield urologists are running a pre-tournament special on vasectomies urging male fans to “lower your seed” for the  tournament, with the idea that post operative recovery requires you to sit around anyway.  Will be interesting to see  what other promos can top this one, which by the way is being pretty well received.

A Wide Range of Crisis Management…

February 10, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We have looked at various ways of dealing with crisis management since we started this blog in November, and this week there were varying degrees of crisis that arose, from college football to baseball to hoops…lets take a look at the trio, the ways they have been handled, and what could be next…