The UFC Looks To Reinvent…

September 2, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The smartest brands are always trying to reinvent themselves in the marketplace. In today’s economy staying fluid and satisfying your audience while looking to engage new partners or customers is key for success.  One brand which seems to constantly be looking for new is the UFC.

Devils Make The Right Moves For The Brand…

August 30, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Is there a professional team in the corridor from Philadelphia through Connecticut that has made more positive branding strides in the last year than the New Jersey Devils? While the Red Bulls make noise with a new stadium and Thierry Henry, the Nets constantly push for unique promotions and space during their transition, the Yankees make a huge splash with Hero Week and even Philly-area teams like the Union build fan support, the Devils continue to grow both on the ice and off, a combination which each of the others (well, except the Yanks of course) lack.

Brand NFL Gets Stronger, Despite The Clouds On The Horizon…

August 1, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Granted there is a labor dispute in the distance and the Jets still have issues in the New York marketplace with PSL’s, but it is hard to argue that even in a challenged economy the brand of the NFL remains strong and gets stronger. It can be argued that the opening of training camp has come close to eclipsing the reporting of “Pitchers and Catchers” as the day that fans look forward to the most…the NFL Draft has easily become a media and brand spectacle like no other…fantasy football play is the dominant game of choice, almost four to one over baseball, because of its simplicity and appeal to the casual fan…and the one  game a week schedule gives the NFL a chance to build week on week like no other sport.  Even those who argued that parity diluted the game have fallen short of their argument, as witnessed by the record numbers who tuned in for last year’s Super Bowl, featuring two of the smallest markets (Indianapolis and New Orleans) in professional sports.

What’s New On The Isle…

July 20, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 5 Comments 

The New York Islanders have had their issues trying to build a new arena on Long Island, and continue to look to find unique ways to build brand and regain some of the poition in the New York hockey market that they enjoyed during their glory days.  That push is going to be made even more difficult by the on-ice and now-off ice promotion that the New Jersey Devils have been offering up to casual fans, and the always strong presence that the New York Rangers have always enjoyed. Still the Islanders own a very unique piece of fan real estate, the corridor from Queens east through Nassau and Suffolk counties, some of the most populous and affluent suburbs of any area.  So what is a team to do?

Landon The Brand…

July 1, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 3 Comments 

While France and Italy were wringing their hands and Nigeria was suspending their team for two years, the United States was moving on to figure out how to capitalize on the next step success that was realized in the World Cup.  Despite the loss to Ghana, more casual fans tuned in, logged on and talked about World Cup in the States than ever before, giving the sport a new opportunity in its growth at the professional level. So what’s next?  The NHL used the success of the Olympics to elevate it’s awareness for the rest of this past winter and spring, how can MLS and professional soccer in general do the same?

A “Saintly” Display Of Being A Public Trust…

June 10, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One of the toughest elements for a sports entity to maintain these days is the balance between being a multifaceted, revenue generating business and being a public trust, like other community institutions that evoke emotion, passion and support in addition to brining in dollars. The endless media presence, a never ending season, the transient nature of athletes have all contributed to the drive to having franchises be more big business and less part of the community as they were in earlier generations.  There is a need to find every way to engage partners and fans these days, and the balance between quality and quantity of brand positioning can sometimes get lost in the dollar search, especially when partners are under continuous pressure to justify their spends, and teams are under constant pressure to deliver more return for the dollars spent by fans. Now it is true that teams have realized this issue and have taken strides to restore community trust and interest, but the true integration into the community is still a very tough balance in these challenging times.

CHL, IHL Merger Makes Great Sense…

June 7, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

It wasn’t widely covered this week, but the merger between the CHL and the IHL to effectively create a joint program and a de-facto North American “AA” level of hockey was a very smart move and could be a very financially viable one for the minor league clubs at that level in the sport.  In reality baseball is the only sport that has figured out a business model that makes business sense for a viable minor league system.  The NBA has made strides with the D-League but it is nowehre near successful from a financial standpoint yet.  The NFL attempts have been less than fruitful (thank you college football) and the overtures the UFL have made now appear dead. Hockey does  OK in some markets in fits and spurts, but it is not the social sport for the casual fan that minor league baseball is, and the higher overhead combined with limited interest has slowed growth. There is also the alphabet soup of leagies and affiliations with no real centralized plan.  Last week’s announcement, to help in effect create one combined strong minor super league…connected but limited in travel costs…may help to finally right the system for hockey, and in many ways help to alleviate costs from the top of the NHL on down.

The Beard-A-Thon Keeps Growing For The NHL…

April 30, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

It may not work at Yankee Stadium, where rules against facial hair are still in place a bit, but in the NHL, the second year of Beard-A-Thon continues to be one of the most unique fan engagement actoivation events in any sport.  The brainchild of East Aurora, New York based Cenergy, Beard-A-Thon encourages fans (mostly male we hope) fans in each NHL playoff city to not shave during their team’s playoff run.  Fans who don’t shave are encouraged to find pledge support, with monies going to local charities.  The idea started last season, with over $350,000 dollars going to local charities. Through round one of this year’s playoffs, with an ample ramp up and brand familiarity amongst many fans, over $200,000 has already gone in, with the Pittsburgh Penguins leading the way thus far.

Pro Guides Getting More On The Stick For Media…

April 29, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 3 Comments 

The legendary journalist Jimmy Breslin once said the beauty of holding and reading a newspaper is that you never know what surprises are in store when you turn the page.  That of course was well before the Kindle and IPad infused world we are now in, where data and all forms of media can literally change in the blink of an eye, with no worry of turning the page.  Newspapers and information sources become outdated in many cases as soon as they are printed, or the next news cycle begins, and technology is giving us the ability to continue to streamline our information process.

NFL Drafts It’s Latest Prime Time Branding Play…

April 20, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

Prime time. It remains the most coveted spot in media, that period from eight until 11 that makes careers and brands in entertainment, and now in sports.  The US Open women’s tennis finals now lives there, and the US Open golf will move partially into that space on the east coast this year.  It is where the NHL and the NBA launch their new faces with their draft every year, and now where the NFL will show its first round for the first time ever this coming Thursday, at least for one round.

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