Old School Branding:Mallards Give Everyone Something To Quack About…

October 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Maybe its because baseball just lends itself more to creativity because of the summer communal atmosphere and the tradition of promotion that the minor leagues lends itself to, or maybe we just notice it more because baseball has a bigger platform of a season, but it always seemed like that entreprenurial spirit of creativity should apply just as much to minor league hockey as it does o baseball. After all there are less dates usually to fill, in most cases less seats and in many cases less competition for the discretionary dollar in the winter than baseball combats in the summer. Yet for some reason, minor league hockey in the U.S…maybe there is less affinity to the game, maybe there is less money and less time spent on brand development, maybe the fans don’t connect to the team like in baseball…has never made the promotional impact that baseball has. Well don’t tell that to the Quad City Mallards. The Mallards have taken the page, well probably the whole book, from promotional and brand partnership, and under new owner Chris Lencheski have sought to redfine how minor league hockey brands and markets itself in an area where minor league sports can be king. From lockerroom access for fans to a great new in-goal Hardees promotion (written about by Sarah Talalay in the Florida Sun Sentinel and sure to be copied by others) the Mallards are providing a steady flow of information to media, creating compelling new partnerships and promotions, and making the team a must see for fun if not for hockey. They have created media partnerships with a junior reporter program, and found every possible way to connect to the community to drive interest as the season opens. Is it tough to stay relevant in an area which does not have a huge professional or even college sports following? Maybe. But the Mallards are taking every step possible to give fans and business partners a reason to support their efforts on and off the ice. The result may not be great in-game success but it will be a better, stronger brand, a quality family experience and good exposure to the sport for all involved, not to mention programs that could become even more of a best practice for arenas and their teams as they are for their baseball colleagues and their fields in the summer. Rocket science? Not at all. Understanding the marketplace, what attracts brands and how to communicate that experience to the media and to the fans? Absolutely. Hockey at all levels is a great experiential game. Here’s hoping that the Mallards and the experience they are building leads to an explosion of interest and smart business practices in the sport, just like we have in baseball.

If It Worked Once, Try It Again…Monster.com and NFL Fandemonium…

October 2, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

One of the more unique cross promotions of last season began its comeback today, a great partnership between the job site Monster.com and the NFL to again find the ultimate NFL fan. The Monster NFL.com fandemonium site launched October 1, which gives fans a chance again this year to submit videos and show why the honor of ultimate NFL fan, and the mega-prizes and experiences that go with it, is a worthwhile way to spend one’s time. The contest drew amazing coverage not just for the winners last year, but also for the outakes and the local stories spawned, all of which again leads into a several month long buildup with ancillary support for the partner, Monster.com. However more than celebrating the fan, the contest and its microsite really shows how brands can be creative by reaching the core audience they want to reach and not just slapping a logo on the side of a tried and true promotion. In these challenged times the services Monster.com can provide to the job seeker are invaluable. However, the sources one can now go to find positions has grown exponentially, to the point where even job search engines like Monster have to find ways to make themselves more compelling and stay top of mind when the job seeker starts his search. Can the investment be made it providing ancillary core services like resume writing and outplacement ideas? Absolutely. Monster took a chance to have some fun with the promotion and associate themselves with a positive experience in a field where many times those coming to them are not having the most positive experiences of their lives. So by blending fun, creating a viral reason for fans…both job seekers and those gainfully employed…to both visit the site (and maybe check out Monster’s offerings) multiple times and even take part in the contests put Monster.com a step ahead of many competitors in the field that provide similar services but don’t venture into the creative to capture visitors. Does Fandemonium stray a bit from Monster’s core pitch? Perhaps. Does it resonate with the football fan and stir passion? Absolutely. And by taking that step and having some fun in what is a very serious business, the job hunt, Monster can score some unusual points with their clientle, both current and future.

Even In A Down Economy, Open Activation Still Leads The Way…

September 7, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As other mega-events like the Super Bowl, NASCAR, the NBA Finals, the All-Star game, golf’s U.S. Open shied away from large scale media activation and branding with many of their partners toward more subtle and community-oriented activation, the tennis US Open has moved steadfastly ahead in telling its stories, growing its base and solidifying its place as the mega event it has become, even in the slowest of years. Of course it helps that the Open is in New York at the same time every year, and can use its US Open series to build toward the two weeks. However the fact that the USTA and its partners continue to find stories from fashion, green efforts, celebrities, athleticism and grassroots, along with its business stories, is a testament to forward thinking business and smart and aggressive brand building. Even in week one, a look around found an NPR and Fast Company piece on the USTA’s leadership in green space amongst sports, stories on the value of selling oversized tennis balls, the value of the US Open “flame” as a brand motivator and story after story about the fashion styles of players and fans around the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Then there are the brand activation stories, ranging from Amex’s expansion of their partnership to IBM’s expanded role with the USTA. Throw in the new TV deal with ESPN, the controversy with issues of coverage with The Tennis Channel and some rising American stars on the court, and once again the USTA gives all large scale events and brands a great run for their exposure dollars, and shows how even in challenging times an event can be creative and resourceful with messaging and partnerships instead of the running and hiding that has been seen elsewhere. Great effort by all to again take a world class event and find world class coverage.

Tennis Continues To Have An Empty Cup…While WTT Scores Locally.

July 14, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Coming off of an epic Wimbledon for the second year in a row, it would seem that tennis, with all its global promotional arms, the power of the USTA and the other three Grand Slams, and some strong personalities would be poised to make a strong followup showing leading into the US Open Series. After all, this past week had the best team-based tennis event in the world…one that showed that the sport could be played not just as individuals or even as doubles partners, but in an event that fans could understand and experience and that each match would count for toward a season long finale, just like other sports. Yes that team format did deliver with some fun matches, a great digital play, a good experience on site for all and even some amazing press coverage. The only problem for the sport is the team format that got the exposure last week was Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss long-running World Team Tennis entry, as opposed to the often-maligned and much forgotten Davis Cup brand. Here’s a look at both in the week that was. Once again Davis Cup, arguably one of the best on site experiences in sport, got lost again in the scheduling shuffle. The week fell after Wimbledon and at the same time as the women’s US Open, the NASCAR Chicagoland Sprint Cup Series, the run-up to the baseball All-Star game, UFC 100 and even the World Series of Poker. Add in that top American Andy Roddick couldn’t play because of injury and the limitations on travel budgets for most mainstream media, and the Davis Cup as a brand was lost in the shuffle on almost all points. Making things worse is the continued confusing schedule and the lack of any major brand activation in the early rounds and one of the best events in all of sport virtually disappeared. Now juxtapose that with WTT, which grabbed some great coverage in USA Today and the Washington Post (their Washington franchise was home last weekend), tied in charity events with some name players, and found enough squeaky wheels (Murphy Jensen) to effectively use social media to also drive some interest. Given a brands’ ROI, those aligned with WTT easily got more short term and lower cost exposure than those associated with the higher profile Davis Cup event for the week. Can Davis Cup ever go through a brand restoration? Tough to do unless the oft-talked about format change happens. If not, one of the legendary team sports could continue to fall behind a slightly slicker and more efficient cousin run by a legend who know how to make the game fun for new generations.

Is There A Doctor In The House…Individual MD’s Step Up Branding…

January 27, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

We have all seen the doctor “tips” usually affiliated with sports medicine sponsorships with teams and leagues.  The obligatory in-arena and on-air quick factoids on injury “sponsored by” have been around for years.  However it seems like the indicidual doctors have looked to sports more as a way to more directly reach the consumer on their own.  Maybe its the affordability of space, the need for individuals to stand out more as the competition for the health dollar gets more competitive or media and brands looking to create more one on one contact between a fan base that needs to exercise and is more health conscious these days, but the doctor as brand is on the rise, especially on the recreational side.  Some examples include the Florida Panthers afternoon game sponsored by dentist Dr. Larry Kawa, a new “X-Ray Vision” column in the New York Daily News by two prominent New York sports doctors, and a new website with expert information directed to the active recreational athlete, Sportsmd.com.   In each case the doctor, not the health care group or his own group, is stepping out on his or her own as the expert, and marketing to the sports fan directly.  It is not unlike other professions which work direct to consumer through sports, and could be a new larger revenue stream for teams and brands as they look for new money away from the traditional advertiser.