The Mascot Fills A Bigger Branding Role…

February 17, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

So it’s the middle of winter and you have no idea who your players are…or you are having a terrible season and the trade deadline looms and you need to keep your brand fresh and identifiable.  What to do?  The mascot. Now more than ever, with brands looking for more ROI, fans looking for personal engagement and athletes time limited, the value of having a fun, interesting and marketable mascot is higher than ever.  Ben Hill’s blog on milb.com points out dozens of minor league teams that trotted out nascot’s for Valentine’s Promotions or other teams that have unveiled new or updated mascots during the last few weeks to keep their brand top of mind with consumers.  The New Jersey Nets worked not a player, but their mascot, into a Super Bowl commercial, while NHL teams are trotting out mascots while their players are away or off during the Olympic break.  Now that it is so important to engage the entire family, older alumni may not always work as a compelling interraction, and the ability to have mascots in multiple places works as a fund rasier and a brand awareness tool.  It is true that many major market or more established brands (the Knicks, the Rangers, the Cowboys, the Dodgers) have never embraced the mascot theme, instead relying on the power of their brand and all the pieces around it to drive interest.  However for those really needing relevance, the investment in picking the right looking mascot and then marketing him, her or it appropriately, has become as valuable as any other brand campaign and one that is not taken lightly.

For All The Segmenting and Shrinking, Broadcast TV is Still King For Big Events…

February 9, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Maybe it was the bad weather that blanketed much of the Middle Eastern states, or the rain that hit the Western United States.  Maybe it was the allure of a quarterback who has been able to flourish as a marketing maven for brands like Oreo and Direct TV despite being in a small market.  Maybe it was because America wanted to see a team from a devastated region rise higher than the flood waters did that tragic August day.  Maybe it was because we wanted to see Betty White and Chevy Chase again.  Maybe it’s because football is really America’s game. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter.  The record crowd that tuned in…made even more amazing in this 30 second, HULU infused, Twitter possessed world…showed once again why we love sports as a release, and why the industry and the medium used to show it…broadcast TV…remains king to brands.

Sports Philanthropy For Brands…Same Spend, Twice Return?

January 12, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Cause related marketing for brands, even in a down economy, remains one of the growth areas for active consumer brands. With overall marketing dollars slashed last, companies had to find more efficient ways to reach consumers, and one of the biggest ways was combining dollars earmarked for straight advertising and rallying behind a cause.  Instead of just asking the consumer to buy product straight out, brands went more for social responsibility, with x dollars tied to a local or national charity.  The result was at least the feeling that brands were accomplishing three goals…effective spending of limited ad dollars, a direct, emotional tie to the consumer and a bigger outreach for philanthropic endeavors.  Little downside of the expenditure with a wider ROI.

The Dog and Pony (or Dog and Dog) Show…A Great Example of “If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It”

February 11, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

With all the ARod hype in New York this week, it would take a mega-news piece to break through the clutter. However, the event that garnered the most news…again…is the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Why? It is an annual (one time) event that is unique and well timed, has its set traditions, appeals to its core audience and the casual “fan”, has some unique story lines and never tries to be what its not. While other shows using show animals have come and gone, and sports using animals (the PBR, horse racing etc.) have moderate success and have to try and re-invent and re-pitch every year, the Dog Show comes in, uses its great stand-alone stories and goes after the audience for the unusual like no other. A sampling as the show wraps up included a great LA Times piece on ugly dogs, a Times Herald Record piece on “Tiger Woods” , and a funny wsj.com feature on “Best In Show.” Does the show have NASCAR-like activation for sponsors? Yes. Does the PR team hired for the show go out and actively solicit unique stories and pair them to media? Absolutely. But in the current economy to find an event that combines sports a bit and entertainment and the offbeat a lot that can deliver such mass appeal remains very unique. Could the show go on the road and be successful? Or have multiple mega-events in New York? Probably not (there are many regional shows but none like Westminster). However like the US Open in tennis, the Dog Show hits the same week on the event calendar each year and never really tries to be celebrity driven, internet splashed, chasing the male demo spectacle that most events try to be after finding initial success. It sticks to its core message and brand, finds the unique stories, and delivers big time.

Twins Make Super Value-Based Buy To Grab The Casual Fan…

February 7, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Finding ways to grab the attention of the casual fan in today’s marketplace is critical, especially for those teams and brands with big pieces of inventory to move. Therefore last Sunday’s local buy of Super Bowl time by the Minnesota Twins seemed like a really smart one for a brand that still has to push to find seats, is always looking to build its core of young stars AND will be moving into a new ballpark in the not too distant future. The Twins took advantage of an efficient local buy to make the unveiling of their new campaign, featuring the players they are building around, an event, and by hyping the ad and the buy beforehand, built more awareness towards those watching the game in the local market. They also made the smart digital play by posting the campaign online for fans out of market, and will be able to refer back to the campaign going forward as the season starts and people start thinking about baseball. It is not as common for other sports to crossover as one may think. Many times marketing leads us to the conclusion that the core fan of sport x might not be watching sport y, so the money is not worth it. However for an event like the Super Bowl, when money for a local avail may not only be welcomed but can be part of a bigger play going forward, the crossover would make great sense. After all, don’t most advertisers use crossover athletes in their national Super Bowl spots anyway (The Nike “faces” commercial this year being the best example)? So for the Twins, using the Super Bowl as a brand transition spot, creating buzz and getting people to start thinking baseball was a Home Run move, and one that teams in many markets should think about more.

Oscar, Do Hairdressers Have A Sport?

January 30, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

So it was asked by Felix Unger to his pal Oscar Madison in the great show The Odd Couple, when Osc told Feel he had to go to Canada to cover curling.  So the late Tony Randall would be proud of his character asking the question and then picking up the papers today to see how the sport of curling is working to attract new fans to the nichest of the niche.  First came a great story in today’s Denver Post on the auction going on to have ones face put on the championship curling stone…that was followed by an extensive feature in the New York Times on the USA Curling-Brazilian Curling matchup, and its history.  Both are prime examples of a sport trying to seize its moment in the sun…becoming creative, finding a story and the right outlet and then delivering the message.  Even if it doesn’t bring one long-term eyeball to the sport, the internal and external messaging, not to mention the fact that the casual sports fan even hears about curling…is invaluable.  Nice string of messages, well placed and well timed, even in the Super Bowl crunch.

Book Publicity: Selling The Sizzle Not The Steak…Or Say It Ain’t So Joe…

January 28, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Doubleday Publishing pulled a perfect storm of sorts with book publicity this week…they hit a quiet week (Super Bowl bye) with no  New York team in the Super Bowl to launch a baseball book about a former manager in the  hottest of hot stove time…Joe Torre and Tom Verducci’s work about Torre’s Yankees years.  And as the case with any mass media work, from print to big screen, the publicists pick the juciest pieces to feed the tabloids, which will drive the advance of the book through the  roof.  Now the question is, in a co-authored book, what is real and what is hype?  Richard Sandomir in the New York Times does a great job of breaking down the book battle and its layout and reasons, and how Doubleday played the media and the fans for some great advance success.  In this challenged economy, moving hardcover books is a huge mountain to climb, and in publishing the saying for sports books is the smaller the ball the bigger the sale.  However Doubleday picked their spot, lopped in all the buzzwords needed to spice a cold New York sports winter devoid of many compelling stories, and launched a campaign that will help drive interest in the book, baseball the Yankees, the Dodgers and all the casual interest the sport will need.  Will it help the Yanks move suites in the new stadium or will it get the Dodgers some added ink in LA?  Certainly can’t hurt.  One thing is for sure, by picking the right strategic time to release and orchastrating the quotes with the topic, Doubleday has created enough drama to get the writers to justify the advance and get the Yanks top of mind in a quiet  January.

Audi Steps Forward With A Super Push…

January 22, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we enter the two weeks leading up to a Super Bowl which will be less hype and more cautious with excess spending, it was good to see the New York Post report that Audi is making an aggressive push to seize market share and hype with a series of spots leading toward the Super Bowl, married with dealer and online activation.  Audi is a brand that defines luxury, and as so, will be one of those that will stick to its core audience and will look to cutting edge, elite plays to still grab those looking to spend, even if they are limited.  Also on the value side, the brand known for customer appreciation is able to take the spots and subliminally let their past buyers know that the brand is still strong and fresh…that reinforcement through a Super Bowl campaign is smart, becuase since Audi knows its buyers are investors in their product, they will bank on the campaign as a bridge to future poisitive times when the economy rebounds and the consumer needs to buy.  To get a smart effective buy for the game and the lead-up and leverage that against future purchases can work for brands, and hopefully Audi will be the first of many who will look to make a confidence buy and brand play as the game approaches and confidence is beginning to be restored.

Honda Uses Racing, Online Platforms To Speak To Consumers On All Levels…

January 13, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

In these economically challenged times for the auto industry, even those brands perceived as “doing well” are looking to refresh, remind and build brand.  Such is the case with Honda, as Karl Greenburg points out in Media Post.  The brand has reluanched its successful camapign which used to look at more futuristic endearvors, and will now use its racing platform and its engineers looking not just at success but how they built success through failure.  The brand will use digital to push longer vignettes that may appeal to a younger buyer, while looking to engage the casual fan through traditional advertsing tieing in their auto racing platforms that will be coming in the spring.  At a time when NASCAR is finding ways to deal with their own issues with regard to fan attendance, American car makers cutting back on spending and the like, perhaps this is an opportunity for forward-thinking brands like Honda to push the open wheel agenda to the casual auto racing fan and gain some market share.  If nothing else, the campaign is easily identifiable to all of us going through times of self-doubt, and shows how both the savvy brand and those tasked with delivering brand results…the engineers…overcome failure.  Nice mix of all aspects to keep a strong brand fresh.

The Best Positioned League For The Downturn? MLS.

December 24, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As most of the larger and higher profile leagues, and even some of the minor ones, slashed staff and cut below the line excess, one league that held ground, and may be able to gain marketshare with promoion and brand building, was Major league Soccer.  Michael Lewis on the Big Apple Soccer blog had a good look at why and how MLS was able to keep the status quo for staff and could be poised to reap the benefits when the economy swings back.  Soccer remains the world’s most powerful game, and even with the excess spending that has gone on in the Premier League, the game is still adapting and growing in this country on the professional level.  MLS has done a great job of slowly building their model and not overspending.  With the New York Red Bulls making it to the MLS Cup this year, the team pushed MLS into some solid coverage with the casual fan, which will hopefully translate into more interest as Red Bull park opens next fall. MLS has also done a great job of being innovative and introducing sponsors into major sports with effective promotions and added value (VW’s sponsorship and game jersey deal with the DC United being a good example), and that too may benefit more as brands look more for ROI.  Now will some of the fringe spending go away?  Yes.  But of all the major sports, MLS and the NBA in the U.S. have the best grassroots base at this time, and MLS is already used to being lean and mean…a prospect the other big brands…MLB, MFL, NBA, NHL and NASCAR…have all learned pretty quickly.

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