Majoring in the Minors…Cyclones Make A Pitch To Future Fans…

April 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We haven’t hit upon all that is minor league baseball in a while, so it seems fitting with Mother’s Day not that far away that we should start things off with our hometown Brooklyn Cyclones and their just announced promo for moms current and those future fans, with Bellies and Baseball Night</a>, a salute to pregnant moms. Keeping in mind that the Cyclones are one of the minors biggest draws and don’t start play in the short season New York Penn League until mid-June, is a great example of the brand (and GM Steve Cohen) thinking ahead in case lean days do come. The team has traditionally had its share of medical sponsorships as well, and creating such a fun promotion, complete with Craving trays and all sorts of on the field contests which will draw the great photo ops, is very smart. Although currently unsponsored, the night is tailor-made for baby products, energy drinks or even the local OBGYN to come in and scoop up at a solid price. Smart thinking family entertainment night, which…who knows…may be copied by the parent team at CitiField at some point. By the way, the best source for all things minor league remains Ben Hill’s milb business blog.

Cyclones Score Big Points By Renaming A Borough For A Night

January 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is one of the most famous “non-cities” (it is a borough of New York) in the world…everyone knows Brooklyn.  One out of every seven people in the United States can trace their roots to Brooklyn.  there are fewer places on earth whose residents have more civic pride, and that pride has always been tied to baseball.  Until they went west, that pride was reflected in the Dodgers, and in the last ten years it has been in the Mets Single A New York Penn League team, the Cyclones.  Anyone challenging the tradition of Brooklyn, let alone its baseball team, could find himself with some issues.  That is, unless the tradition is challenged by the team itself, and this week the Cyclones scored some big points in the Barack Obama race by announcing they are re-naming the team for one night the Baracklyn Cyclones and doing an Obama Bobblehead doll.  Once again the great latitude given and the fun thought exhibitied by minor league baseball shines through.  The team got national exposure, created some great brand awareness in a crowded marketplace well into the offseason and will probably spawn other copycats with its innovative planning.  Great move by my native borough team on the PR, branding and even social awareness side.