The “Owner As Brand” Fades Into The Twilight…

November 27, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The passing this week of the beloved Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin was the latest in a series of instances recently that seem to show us that one of the great storylines of American team sports, the iconic “owner” that we loved or hated and sometimes followed with as much or more passion than the players themselves, is fading into the distance of corporate America. Yes, we still have Jerry Jones with the Cowboys and a community and business leader like Mike Ilitch with the Tigers and Red Wings, but these days a single owner as the personality of his or her franchise seems to be more a hindrance than a help when teams’ cost of doing business or connecting to a community is in play. In addition to Pollin’s passing (his legacy is well detailed in many pieces this week in the Washington Post, including Thomas Boswell’s great read), we have the fading health of the Yankees George Steinbrenner, the recently disclosed illness of the Seahawks and Tralblazers owner Paul Allen, Lakers owner Jerry Buss taking a back seat in running his franchise, and the disfunctional issues with the Raiders and owner Al Davis. Then pile on the public divorce cases of the Padres John Moores and the Dodgers Frank McCourt, both effecting those franchises bottom lines, and there is a very good case that the individual leader has gone the way of the dinosaur. Now in today’s all access media market the argument can probably be made that there is less of a need to have the owner as the organization front man or woman. Fans want access more to the players who they are spending the money on, and probably are less interested in the billionaire owners footing the bills for the talent. Still the owner as the brand and the face of a franchise, more as promoter and pillar of the community than as rich playboy, was what drew many to sport in the first place. The Maras and the Rooney’s of the NFL, a man like Sonny Werblin with the Knicks and the Rangers, Lamar Hunt taking his oil money to help start the AFL, the Yawkeys of Boston…all became touchpoints as sport became big business and their faces and reputations rose and fell in the community with the fortunes of their team or teams. Now these men certainly did not act alone, and the most successful always assembled the right business teams to run said franchises on the day to day. However the team brands and their individual personal “brands” were one in the same. Steinbrenner’s Yankees took on the personality of their owner, both good and bad. Maybe today’s high demand world of everchanging loyalties and interests may not lend itself to such individuals as much as in the past, especially as the battle for the discretionary dollar, but the personality of the owner was part of the mystique of the team brand and was part of the passion that drove the business of sport. Yes its easier to be lukewarm about corporate ownership and maybe it puts more focus on the athletes. However knowing the owner always made it more fun and a little more intriguing, and that personality involved with the imprint of the franchise got sport to be the business it is today. It is probably an era lost, but one which should be reflected on positively as another icon passed this week.

Globies Race To Keep Growing The Brand…

November 21, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

It is not easy trying to remain relevant with national brands for the travelling road show. There are less performances of the circus, less ice shows, less boxing matches, less LPGA events, less AVP events, less, less less. When you do not have consistent brand relevance in a market and are out of sight for all but one week a year, the ability to keep an event fresh and top of mind when discretionary income, and with that partner value, can be hard to explain is making the “tour” even more difficult to sustain. So what does a touring brand do? You try and find national platforms that give the product year-round life, so that when the event does make its annual stop into down there is something to draw the casual fan. One group that continues to do it well is the Harlem Globetrotters, and their latest attempt at large and long-term branding relevance is with their participation in CBS’ Amazing Race. The Globies, who have two players, Flight Time and Big Easy, participating in the reality show this season, have used the show to keep the brand fresh for the casual fan, and even build a little momentum for the upcoming start of their next multi-city, multi-week tour which begins during the Holidays. Are the guys playing hoops? No. But like the use of “Dancing With the Stars” for other athletes, The Amazing Race and the publicity around it gives the brand watercooler talk at a time of year when the team would not be top of mind and would be struggling to find a way to connect even with their strongest of supporters. The brand has also used various levels of social media to piggyback off the push “The Amazing race” does every week to drive viewers to the show, and has created a positive partnership that could serve as a template for getting Globetrotter branding into even more properties. There was a time during their heyday when team spokespeople were part of multifaceted marketing campaigns, cartoons and special year round, and that brand value for the Globetrotters is now returning in more creative communication and brand platforms that are looking to tie with a group that has recognition with casual sports and entertainment fans. Does it matter if the Trotters pair wins TAR this year? No. It mattered more that they stayed in the race and on the show long enough to drive interest and draw more eyeballs to the brand. By making it to this stage they have achieved their goal and have helped forge a bridge to when the season tips off, which is a win for their brand and all their partners.

Can The Netherlands Capture The Baseball Imagination And The Dollars Of A New Market?

March 12, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

All the comparisons of the Netherlands’ stunning pair of victories over the powerhouse Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic are in. Baseball’s version of hockey’s “Miracle On Ice,” the great triumph of the underdog, David slays Goliath etc etc…Some of America’s best writers, from Tom Boswell in the Washington Post, to Tom Verducci in Sports Illustrated, have chimed in on the beauty of the Classic for the baseball fan, and the great reconfirmation to the world…especially the American sports fan world…that baseball is truly a global game. So with still two rounds to go, and now with more American media eyes on them, can the Dutch team continue the run? Do they have to? The Lake Placid hockey win for Team USA certainly launched the speaking, and branding careers of many of those who took part in the run to the Gold Medal. In the same breath, many marketers questioned the NHL for NOT capitalizing more on the grassroots and branding level for the sport at the time. The NHL brand success has really only been in the last few years for the casual fan. Today with the 24/7 newscycle, the availability of real time highlights and the WBC on in over 200 countries, the distribution of brands looking to capture the imagination and the dollar are more prevalent than ever. So can the Netherlands and some of their telegenic stars cash in? And can baseball use this, along with surprise wins by Italy, China and Australia (thus far) to really continue to catapult the sport to a new level of exposure in places like Europe and Africa, where the sport is growing but not at a quick pace? Probably a good deal will have to do with how the team does in the next round in Miami…a place where they will have a little more celebrity, a little more intrigue and a little more buzz. It may be a stretch for brand growth in the States, since American fans and American media tend to like just American players as their spokespeople. But the team has a good mix of everyman success and a little young swagger, so developing into partnerships across the continent is a possibility, especially with the support of MLB growing the game and the Baseball World Cup coming in Europe in September. Will it be a windfall for the team like Miracle on Ice? The athletic accomplishment is certainly on par, as is the “feel good story” in a time where we seem to be searching more for athletic heros than ever before. However for that to translate into big dollars will take extended success and exposure, but some nice branding from a smart regional marketer would be a hit as well.