Short-Sightedness 101: Colleges Charging The Media For Coverage?

April 18, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

We are all more than well aware of the challenges faced in both sports and entertainment these days for the discretionary dollar.  With every dollar spent comes five questions  about ROI, need for staffing, value of programs and actual amount of earned media, so the need to both justify and find extra sources of ancillary income is higher now than ever.  The question now really ois the value of traditional media vs. new and social media, and how to still get not just the most buzz, but the most eyeballs pout of every dollar invested. While there are programs, like the one Octagon launched this past week called Fanwaves, which start to show the creative ways to pull sponsors and brands into social media for return, the best mix is still a combination of the traditional and the new channels of communication available.

Candy is Dandy, But Liquor Is Now Quicker (For The Bottom Line)…

March 24, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 4 Comments 

In the boom years of sports spending, teams and broadcast officials held many big spending categories away from the “wholesome” image of sport.  While millions came in from beer, and prior to the pressure from government in the United States and elsewhere, big tobacco grabbed every position available, other industries with solid cash reserves and the ability to come up with unique marketing platforms were left off the air and out of the many arenas.  Condoms, hard liquor, even feminine hygene products were taboo for the sports world.  One well-documented battle even had the WTA Tour walking away from a multi-year deal with Tampax as a title sponsor because of the stigma and bad publicity it may bring, while liquor brands found ways to activate and engage fans offsite.

Who Will Win The Battle of The Busiest Weekend On The Sports Calendar?

February 11, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It is a good thing the NFL moved the Pro Bowl to the week prior to the Super Bowl this year.  The game got much-needed attention and a record crowd, and won’t have to deal with being an after-thought on perhaps the busiest big event weekend on the sports calendar.  Yes a week after the Super Bowl became the most watched television event of all-time, three major events…the opening of the Winter Olympics, the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game, will all battle for eyeballs, sponsor return and casual sports fans within 72 hours. Who will win?  The battle has already begun.

End of the Day, Live Events Make Sports, Brands, King…

November 5, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

The debate has gone on for several years as to what the value of the live event is with regard to sports. In this age of instantaneous, multimedia applications with hundreds of applications, why do we need to watch anything live or be there in person for it? After all we can google, youtube or TiVo any event and watch it when we want to watch it, right? Yes that is true, and the options do present those challenges to event marketers, teams and brands.

Great Example Of How Far Women’s Brands Have Come…For the Better…Serena Williams and Tampax

September 22, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It was not too long ago, 1997 to be exact, when the WTA Tour, the worldwide governing for women’s tennis, faced an issue of crisis with regard to budget, branding and perception. The Tour, after taking the media power of William Morris for years as the Virginia Slims Tour, was suffering from a lack of identity, and for that matter a lack of sponsors and interest. Octagon and IMG were both tasked to help the Tour, which at this point was in between its young guns on the horizon and its recently retired stars, find a title sponsor to replace the dollars and branding muscle of Virginia Slims. The best option, one that would provide marketing dollars, a healthy lifestyle platform, and the ability to give the Tour room to explore more traditional secondary branding categories, was presented by Octagon…Tampax. By far the leader in feminine hygiene, the brand was looking to take the category out of the traditional area and attach itself to vibrant, global accessible female athletes who could grow with the brand. The dollars would dwarf other potential suitors and could create a revenue stream to help the Tour, which was struggling to find its identity, move forward as a viable sports brand.

Sprinting Ahead For More Fan Access…

May 14, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It started with mic’ed up athletes and coaches, evolved to Helmet cam and driver cam and on and on until we get Tweets from Charlie Villanueva and others in the lockerroom all in the name of trying to give fans unprecedented access to the athlete in a time when the media are getting less and less access on a daily basis. So the ways brands have to look and think about what is still available and what is next remains a growing challenge for a demanding public, demanding brands and a shrinking traditional media field. The folks at Sprint, through their NASCAR Partnership, have come up with yet another piece of an insiders look, and found the perfect way to use their distribution methods to their subscribers to provide it. Sprint was given access to the non public driver/crew meetings before NASCAR races, and then gets that audio out to its subscribers via download. It is a simple, and very unique peek inside a sport that is all about accessability, and really gives an element of exclusivity to Sprint subscribers. Without a video component, the “fly on the wall” feel to the clear stream audio makes it feel even more inside and less contrived, and probably keeps those being recorded from being more guarded. Great access, great way to find another little “extra” by the NASCAR folks and one of their elite brands, and great example of a brand digging deep to find yet another element of access than is very intimate without being overly intrusive. Just please no NASCAR shower cam post race.

Globies Continue To Find Ways To Refresh Their Brand…

January 16, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Like the circus, or really any “touring” sports brand from tennis to golf to the PBR…or even an annual “show” like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Harlem Globetrotters must find new and innovative ways to engage fans, find new audiences and keep their brand top of mind when one of their teams makes their annual city by city stops.  Part of that is smart advertising, part smart marketing, but a big part is innovation and doing the “little” things that set them apart and get them noticed in advance of city stops or off the sports page and into the mainstream where the casual sports fan or the family member will see and remember them.  There were two good instances this week of the Globetrotters doing a little extra to grab that recognition.  First, as reported in Media Post on Friday, was the announcement that the entire team will wear 44 jerseys on Tuesday as a tribute to President-elect Obama being the 44th President.  The second, as reported in NY Sports Journalism.com, is their partnership with IHOP which will give them great promotional exposure and provide added value for all attendees.  Do either of these come across as game changers for the brand?  Well as stand-alone events, no.  However they continue to give people reasons to identify with the Globies when they are not in market, while showing business partners and all in the sports and entertainment world that even in a slow economy, they are finding ways to be progressive and keep looking forward.  In a marketplace where today many feel that cutbacks and inertia are a sign of progress, the Globetrotters are spinning forward, and thats a good thing.

Planting The Seeds For The Sunny Day…

August 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As much as we have talked about crisis management and the need to be prepared for when the clouds roll in, being prepared to strike when the moment of victory comes is just as important.  two cases in point from the Olympics…Octagon’s prep work for Michael Phelps and USA Wrestling’s advance work for now gold medalist Henry Cejudo.  The Phelps work by Octagon is detailed even more clearly in the Washington Post this week, while Cejudo’s win and his amazing backstory, was told to media in an advance trip to New York by USA Wrestling in May, and was profiled in the New York Times as he won today.   The USA Wrestling media trip to New York in advance of the Olympics planted some nice seeds with media of all types…for Cejudo it was with Hispanic TV and radio and a trip to ESPN Magazine among other places…and set the stage for him and other wrestlers if they won.  Now does all this timing and planning for ANY athlete, team or brand go for naught if the moment of victory does not come through?  Some would say its wasteful, but the lessons learned in doing the prep and building the connections are valuable for work done with other clients into the future. For both Phelps and Cejudo, the future is now. For those who are not as fortune to be prepared going into victory, the USOC has set up a great program to get the athletes ready for success with the media for the short term, with that program also documented by the Times this week and worth reading.

The Niche Throwback On A Comeback…Roller Derby

August 18, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The nostalgic look back at the ’70’s has brought any number of fads back, especially now in a digital environment.  But can a “sport” which once was a prime time and Saturday morning syndication mainstay be on its way back?  Probably not on the level that it once was, but according to a feature in the Westchester edition of the New York Times, Roller Derby is making a comeback.  It is fast paced, has a down and dirty feel, lots of story lines and in many ways both a sex appeal and a digital play that could make the sport viable for the grassroots and the web at the same time.  Could it be a play off of American Gladiators or WWE with a nostalgic feel?  Perhaps.  Could it work for certain sponsors looking for that edge?  Perhaps.  Would there be a group willing to make the financial investment to take the “sport” to a new level.  remains to be seen.  Regardless, the landing of an NYT story is worth a note and worth the effort for a throwback sport trying to become a 21st century niche entity.

South Florida Teams Push Each Other To Respond To Fans Needs…And A Look At The Value And Execution of Star Power

August 12, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We have seen the one-off giveaways in market by teams both major and minor to find ways to help ease the burden of the ticketholder and entice he or she to continue to attend games.  The Nets potential of over $200,000 in free gas may be the leading enticement as one incentive, but in South Florida the diversity of savings attempts, combined with the sluggish economy and a sometimes apathetic fan base to begin with, has made every team search for ways to top the other.  Charles Elmore took each effort team by team in the Palm Beach Post, which includes the Dolphins providing free bus service to the Heat entering fans in a sweepstakes for free mortage and utility bills to the Panthers offering the obligatory gas cards. Perhaps one of the more interesting points in the piece is addressing the issue of lower ticket prices and the perception that a lower price may not be an incentive (although the Dolphins have frozen prices).  People always look to perceived value vs. actual value, and the ability to work with brands to create the added value for fans is both the more diverse and the more entertaining way to fill seats.  Getting something for nothing, or the feel of such an opportunity, still outweighs the cash outlay, and the way the piece goes into detail is a great primer for diversity of ideas in one market.

Next Page »