Chinese Takeout…what’s on tap after the media focus shifts…

September 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The question about every post-Olympics push is what opportunities are left to capitalize on when the world leaves the host country.  While the Leverage Agency continues to sell the naming rights for The Birds Nest and the Water Cube, marketers and local hosts look for the potential boon in tourism and historic significgtance in Beijing to keep interest alive.  The Wall Street Journal took a look at the branding and tourism opportunities the Chinese government is pushing, while Mark Hyman in Business Week took a look at another group of athletes who this week are beginning to capitalize on their athletic prowess in Beijing…the paralympians (whose competition now begins on the heels of the regular Olympics). The quest for both groups to lure eyeballs and sponsor dollars is very similar, as both the tourism group and the Paralympians are following closely in the footsteps of megahit without the draw of the world’s media and attention.  Whether either group can seize opportunity on the coattails of the Olympics remains to be seen, and if they are successful could be a great model for post-Olympic success in 2010 and beyond.  The stories remain grand, but will the public and the media still want to hear them in comparison to the glory of Michael Phelps or Usian Bolt?

O’s Give Fans 50,000 Reasons To Have Pride

August 20, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Oriole Park at Camden Yards has been a baseball showplace and a landmark stadium for a baseball revival in the U.S.  However in recent years the problems putting a competitive team on the field has seen attendance drop.  Despite the on field issues, the emergence of the Nationals into the greater marketplace and the apathy by fans during parts of the Angelos Era, the Orioles have continued to find ways to remain part of the community and give their fans added value.  The latest example was this week, when the O’s honored their 50 millionth fan with $50,000 as part of a week long celebration of support.    The 50 mil was significant because it marked the fastest ever for a stadia to reach 50 million fans, although 50 million took some great spinning and opportunism by the O’s to create a fairly innocuous number into an event.  100 million?, 10 million?  All are naturals.  But 50 million is a nice round number in a so-so season that got the Orioles some extra coverage and give-back to their loyal fans.  Nice job.

Brand placement ON the athlete…its all about time and place…

May 15, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The actual “branding” of athletes in the U.S. continues to get more and more interest as the phyiscal surface for ads, from the playing surface with real and virtual ads to the NASCAR-like infusion, gets more filled.  MLS has certainly been the trailblazer in the American landscape with jersey branding (the latest being the VW deal with the DC United) and this week comes another step forward with McDonald’s being added to the front of select WNBA jerseys as part of a multitiered branding campaign.  The logo is certainly not overly intrusive but it is another step forward for an area in traditional American sport that has always been pristine, and if all goes well will move to other lucrative deals going forward.  Also on the branding front, some props should go out to the Phoenix Coyotes on their great sponsorship and logo placement of PGA Tour golfer Jeff Quinney.  The logo and the brand of the NHL team got amazing viewership this past week as Quinney finished third at the TPC.  Here a team took an unconventional step with a young athlete outside its sport and caught lightning in a bottle, with the timing and the placement for the logo paid a huge dividend.