Sports Raises Its Platform For Social Change Again…

May 6, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 3 Comments 

Perhaps more than any other consistent platform, sports over the years has been a very effective voice for social change.  Whether it was Jackie Robinson and integration, Billie Jean King and equality, sports has created a consistent call to action for hot button issues of the day. Sometimes the call to action comes and goes, sometimes the engagement by athletes with fans grows and becomes a much larger call to action than was originally anticipated.

Can Soccer Take Advantage Of Its Big Kick?

June 26, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Within a 24 hour period this week, the brand value sport of professional soccer in the United States took a huge jump. First came the coups of ESPN scooping up the Premier League from virtually bankrupt Setanta Sports, followed by the US’ stunning 2-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup, followed closely by Steve Nash’s second annual grassroots soccer fundraiser in a New York park, along with the Sports Business Journal piece that WPS is doing better than expected. From the grassroots to the professional, all seems to be going well. Now is there a way for some brand, or a series of brands, to take the good news, tie it in a package and use it as the latest, and strongest, all-encompassing boost for a sport that was already well positioned going into the recession (because of their structure and cost cutting measures) but now has a variety of platforms that are highly visible to attach to? We shall see. Of course Confederations Cup final against Brazil still remains, but the continued interest of Nash (who will be part of the ownership group for MLS Vancouver) as an ambassador with both the world class pros he brought to New York and with his NBA friends, plus a steady women’s product gives the sport another boost while others are struggling. However for brands who have held back on investment waiting for the economy to turn or the right opportunity to invest in, maybe this weeks series of events for soccer will get them a well placed kick for new activation and partnerships.

AFL Springs Into Season With Great Viral Effort…as well as some additional soccer items

February 22, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  The post-Super Bowl football frenzy in the U.S. has continued from National Signing Day through this week’s NFL Combine and the  on-going melodrama of the Patriots videotape gate, and with the fledgling AAFL starting up shortly (nice piece in the Houston Chronicle)  and the AFL in camp, there is more for football fans on the horizon.  However in order to cut through the clutter of March Madness, baseball opening day, NASCAR, MLS getting going and the winding down of the NHL and NBA seasons, non-NFL offseason football still needs to find unique ways to draw interest.  This week’s solid effort comes from the AFL who, along with their partner ESPN, have started to produce and distribute a great series of behind the scenes training camp pieces featuring the Philadelphia Soul, and their co-owner Jon Bon Jovi.  The pieces show the personality of the athletes and do a solid job of bringing in both the hardcore football fan and the casual one who happens to be hitting ESPN.com for any number of reasons and is a great example of a brand leveraging its media partner for exposure.

Quietly and Steadily NBA Winning The PR Race

January 25, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As the NHL and the NBA move toward their All-Star showcases (we will do the NHL wrapup next week) we wanted to look at the NBA PR push over the last few weeks that is hitting on all areas “away from the game”…player development, new media, international growth, charity activation, athlete features, product marketing and integration…at a critical time as brands and fans look for even more ROI.  Now it’s not to say that market-by-market there are not bumps in the road, but in the macro, from Portland’s resurgence marketing their young players to the Nets pushing their brand activations and fan friendly programs, to Boston’s resurgence at the box office and on the court, the concerted and more cohesive efforts of the teams in lock step with the league PR and marketing staffs is moving more  smoothly and productively than ever, and unlike the NHL (Outdoor Game), the NFL (the Super Bowl) and NASCAR (Daytona’s 50th) they are doing it without a landmark event to build to.  Here are some key recent examples: