Squeezing Til The Sponge Is Dry…

October 14, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

In the 1970’s and into the 1980’s big tobacco fueled some of the most successful sports branding opportunities in history. Whether it was Phillip Morris’ support of Virginia Slims tennis or NASCAR’s Marlboro Cup, the cigarette brands created some of the most large scale and effective activation platforms in sports history. Then came all the legislation against smoking and the tobacco brands, and for the better in terms of health and social consciousness, all the spending stopped from those brands. So sports moved on, using the lessons learned in many of those activation platforms to bring in new brands who would spend, maybe not at the large numbers of tobacco, but who would continue to grow business and fill the gap. Banks and financial institutions, insurance, and technology, filled gaps with new money and new ways to reach the consumer.

William and Mary Takes The Brand Choice To The People…

June 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Usually with expansion teams in sports, mascot or naming contests will be held to sample the local flavor and see what ideas can arise that brand marketers hadn’t thought of. Usually the name or logo still comes from a well positioned, well thought out plan intent on making sure that the merchandising rights, colors and traditions of the area are kept in tact. The choice, especially in this era of maximum return on the investment, is never random. So the College of William and Mary took a bold step, and one that certainly got them some solid publicity, in opening up the choice of their new mascot not just to local fans or alumni but to anyone interested in providing an idea. The school had to change mascots, but not nicknames, becuase their long-standing mascot was a misrepresentation of an Indian, which the NCAA ruled in appropriate for institutes of higher learning. The choices came from all over the country, and although the University President will make the final call, the Williamsburg, Va. school will get to unveil the final choices on ESPN Tuesday, again getting some great name recognition for one of the few Division I schools never to make it to the NCAA Tournament. In this digital age, most schools are still struggling to correctly embrace new media, so William and Mary’s choice is a great one, and could open the idea of other schools/minor league teams opening up “naming rights” for teams for a day, a year or for a permanent change at the right time. Smart, calculated investment, good payoff in exposure.

Nets Continue To Beat The Moving Drum

June 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The patriarch of one of America’s legendary families, Joe Kennedy, always preached to his famous sons “You Are Who You Say You Are,” and that creedo is a good example of how today’s brands can best pitch and stay on message. Remembering “who you are” and “what you do” and making sure everyone in the company is in line with that vision is the best way to effectively and consistently communicate. A great example of that consistent messaging, and the placing of a steady stream of information around that message, is being done by the New Jersey Nets as they battle every obstacle in their planned move to Brooklyn in the future. Despite the delays, the economy, and now the added pressure by New Jersey officials, Nets brass has remained steadfast and unwavering in their positioning on the Brooklyn move, and constantly find ways to keep the brand relevant and consistently messaged toward the goal of the move to Brooklyn. This week’s Sports Business Journal has a great piece on the “Brooklyn Brand” the Nets are building, which was preceded by pieces in the New York Daily News and Newsday, all without a shovel yet in the ground and the skeptical media continuing to wait to be shown that the move will actually happen. Every sponsor brought in, every community event created, is tied to that one goal of moving to Brooklyn, all well messaged and very believable for the day when that move does happen. In a skeptical time when it is not popular to always stay on message and be consistent, the Nets have been a model of straightforward, single minded focus on their goal.

Mixed Martial Arts Continues To Fight For Brand Development…

March 26, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It still remains a niche sport, but those who have been able to carve their niche in the niche world of Mixed Martial Arts continue to find new ways to speak directly to the core audience with some traditional sports and entertainment branding opportunities, ranging from memorabilia deals to figurines and collectable cards. The MMA site sherdog.com had a good look at the MMA mainstream adaptations this week, singling out companies like Round Five and others that took the smart business approach, looking at the key traditional revenue sources and attach themselves to stars and make them a part of the brand development process. The results have been very strong for those who have picked the smart ways to grow steadily in a very fluid sport. Now obviously the UFC remains the dominant brand, and their attachments continue to do well. However there is no clear number two in the sport, and companies who can find the niche, invest smartly in their product that they understand and then use the viral and digital world to reach that core consumer, still have a chance to succeed. The lack of major brands in the space continues, but there is a slow and steady rise in targeted spends and activations, so those who could potentially partner brand with activation product in a cost efficient way can still make inroads in a relatively new business environment. Nice hit for the sport.

Nets Make An All-Star Push To Remain Relevant…

January 31, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

How does a brand which is not necessarily always top of mind find ways to remain relevant in a very crowded marketplace? Ask the New Jersey Nets.  In a season that has been somewhat less than expected in terms of on-court performance, and has seen questions raised about the team’s long-anticipated move to Brooklyn, the Nets continue to squeeze every possible opportunity to remain brand relevent.  This week the team put out a CEO Challenge, with companies literally competing  against each other in five on five basketball with a chance to gain a free partnership with the Nets next season.  It is the latest in a series of ways which the team has tried to connect with the casual fan and business partner who might not have a daily reason to be exposed to the value of Nets basketball.  Also on the brand relevance side was the teams’ push to assist  guard Devin Harris as  an all-star.  The task to garner All-Star selection amongst the media is not easy, especially for an underachieving team that does not gain great national TV exposure.  However by creating and then pushing a fun viral campaign and working both through the media, with fan votes and behind the scenes, Harris will be part of the East team in Phoenix in a few weeks. Now does Devin Harris as an all-star help the team in brand relevance in the marketplace?  Hard to say for sure but there is certainly no downside in the effort, and it gives the Nets, having a young, new All-Star, something else to talk about with their partners and fans.  Juxtapose the position of the Knicks, which had coach Mike D’Antoni downplaying the potential of David Lee as an All-Star across the river, and you can see how much the Nets seem to be more interested in selling the sizzle and the current brand relevance in the marketplace.  With little to no push, Lee, despite having All-Star numbers, did not make the team.  The Nets push with Harris is reflective of all they try to do to make the brand fresh, and in down times that effort becomes even more important.  Both the CEO Challenge and Harris’  selection were All-Star moves for the franchise on the brand side.

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.

A’s New Partnerships A Sign of “Money Ball” On The Business Side…

January 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

A few years ago Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball took baseball fans inside the different views that Oakland Athletics’ General Manager Billy Beane had about the salary situation in baseball, and how it could positively and negatively effect a team and on field success.  While the reviews were generally positive, and Lewis’ writing stellar as usual, many in the marketing community felt that the onfield persona of building stars and then watching them leave would hurt brand value for the team.  That of course was before the current financial crunch, where now the goal is always to do more with less, create more experiential value for fans and partners and find new ways to engage and grow the fan base.  Along those lines, the A’s continue to look to find new ways to expand their brand in a challenged marketplace…one where their stadium is not great and the Giants across the Bay remain king, despite the A’s increased success on the field under Beane’s guidance.  So this week the A’s announced a partnership with the Japanese League team the Rakuten Eagles, to train, share information and explore other ideas to share and learn.  For the A’s this is a very smart move as the ever-growing Asian community in the Bay Area may take another look at them with a stronger Japanese tie.  Also as baseball grows globally, having ties to a fan base BEFORE they arrive in this country will also help, and by finding a growing brand in Japan…not the established Yomiuri Giants but a team looking for opportunities…the A’s have a nice upside.  Like their partnerships with the Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League and the San Jose Earthquakes, this may only help and not damage the brand.  Now have partships like this been tried before, like the Yankees and Manchester United?  Yes and they didn’t do well.  But the reason was you were talking about two mega-brands steeped in tradition and ways of doing business.  Here you have hungry brands looking to grow, and in baseball, the growing world marketplace for the game plays directly into what a hungry brand like the A’s is trying to do.  Good lesson with hopefully more MLB/non-American partnerships to come.    

Using Horse Sense To Drive Holiday Cheer…and Votes…

December 28, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We have recently touched on the lack of innovative Heisman and Bowl promotions from this past year, mostly blamed on “the economy”.  However one of the world’s richest men, in the Sport of Kings, found time around the holidays to push his prized posession with a very unique, relatively inexpensive, package that combined holiday cheer with a good old fashioned awareness campaign.  The man is Jess Jackson, and the candidate is Curlin.  The package, written about in Sunday’s “Rumble” section of the New York Post, went to the voting members of the Turf Writers Association, who will vote on Horse of the Year in January.  It included a holiday note, and a bottle of Jackson’s wine (he of the Kendall Jackson winery) with Curlin’s picture on the label.  It was smart, subtle, well timed and used resources that Jackson’s team had at their disposal.  The package was well received for a well deserved candidate, and got the brands some additional exposure.  Did Jackson need to do this to push Curlin for Horse of the Year?  No.  Was it smart to thank the media with a package in a year when most extra items have disappeared (especially in a sport which continues to suffer losses in coverage).  Absolutely.  A good old fashioned promotional campaign which garnered band exposure at the right time of the year.  We need more of these pushes in the business today.  

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.

Cleaning Up A Plax Mess…

November 30, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Even the best of seasons can have their bumps, and the New York Giants proved again this weekend why having everyone on message, pulling the same way, and working together from top to bottom and vice versa will avoid issues with the media, and give the media the right amount of accurate and consistent information possible.  Such is the case in the Plaxico Burress saga.  The Giants troubled wideout accidentally shot himself with his own gun at a night club in New York on Friday night allegedly, while the team was in Washington prepping for a crucial Sunday game with the Redskins.  The response from the Giants was well thought out and effective…a well written statement including concern for the player, yet at the same time acknowledging that this could be a potential police matter and that the facts were still coming in, and deferring to authorities.  Working in lock step with the NFL, the Giants did not run and hide or make off the cuff comments…the spokespeople from the team, including players like Kevin Boss, spoke clearly and consistently, relayed the same sentiments and avoided lots of the he said she said stuff that people can get mixed into in a media frenzy.  Now the Giants did have the “benefit” of having a player they already knew was not playing (Burress was injured), having the team already in closed circles in a Washington hotel and having a reputation of always trwating the media well all playing in their favor.  Still, the opportunity for inconsistentcy and feeding the rumors with inflammatory statements always exists, but the way the Giants handled the situation again shows the class and professionalism of a well run well messaged organization.  

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