Woods Takes The Next Step, But The Biggest Brand Question For Golf Remains Unanswered…

February 20, 2010 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Friday Tiger Woods spoke…he controlled the message, he got his points out, he was serious and he addressed all the groups he needed to address in a statement. Another stage in the comeback is complete for him.  He did not have the long, drawn out presser with reporters, especially those who cover him in his sport, in the room and he avoided distractions and forced the media to cover just what he and his brand needed them to cover. he was true to what he has always done in the better of times, he controlled the message and the access.  Just as he would drive reporters to his website for comments and news, now he drove them to another ballroom in Ponte Vedra to listen while pool reporters asked a few questions to him and to his assembled group.

Sports Books Worth Reading And Giving From 2009

December 20, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

I will be the first to say I am not a strong critic, nor do I read every book out there. However I do read a great deal and try to figure out what are the books that teach me something, even of some of the most public of figures, that I didn’t know before and what can I take away from this that can apply to work, personal life or friends, colleagues or family. Also, what do I think are just really well written stories. So below I have highlighted a list of some of the books I have gotten to and enjoyed, and others may enjoy too. Some are on most people’s lists…some are a little more obscure, but all are well written and have great value. I also have to admit I have not read Bill Simmons’ book or Chris Ballard’s on the NBA, or the Agassi book or my friend Jon Wertheim’s book on tennis this year. That is my bad, but that’s what the holidays are for. These are also in no particular order, other than Marty Appel’s name started with A and thats the first one I thought of. Feel free to send along other suggestions to me at fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com

Can The Paralympics Be A Marketing Platform For Brands?

December 15, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As we head toward the Vancouver Olympics and continue to immerse ourselves in the Tiger Woods train wreck, it is interesting to look for other opportunities where a brand like Accenture can potentially look to re-invest the millions just pulled away from Woods. Is the Paralympics an opportunity for Accenture or other brands looking to partner with great stories? This past week’s Sports Illustrated had an amazing dual tale of two Paralympic stories from Beijing…Marin Morrison and Nick Scandone…who not only epitomized the Olympic spirit of overcoming great odds, but were also phenomenal athletes themselves before disease (brain cancer and ALS) got the better of their bodies, but not their minds or spirit. Wertheim did a great job of capturing the spirit of the Paralympics…full crowds of everyday people who could not get into the Olympic games, athletes from all over the world overcoming great challenges to succeed, yes to win, but also to compete, all great examples of what sport is supposed to be all about. The event did receive solid media coverage but was not the media extravaganza that the regular Olympics are, and as such suffered from branding exposure that is growing but nowhere near what it could be. Could a brand or brands, with a great integrated marketing campaign, turn its focus to the Paralympics? There would be no shortage of stories…they would get great appreciation from a loyal global following, they would have a created media platform to tell their story as to “why,” and they would be a leader in the branding world as one of the first all-in sponsors of Paralympics. The athletes are solid players in social media. They are well spoken, come from varied backgrounds and are appreciative for the coverage and the ancillary dollars that could come in. The have a wow factor just for what they are able to achieve as individuals and as a group. They could also be a platform to again educate a public that is still skiddish at watching people with disabilities. Given the advanced technology that now comes along with replacement limbs and rehabilitation, could there even be an education and inspiring science component built in? Tech companies, pharma, insurance, military…all have the potential to line up, as well as rising brands looking for a non traditional splash.

Getting Past Tiger…Finding Athletes Who Get It…

December 7, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Tiger’s infidelity…Serena Williams nails a record fine for threatening to nail a US Open lineswoman…the Florida Panthers’ Keith Ballard takes out his teammate, goalie Tomas Vokoun, with a tomahawk chop to the head…so this is what we watch and who we want our athletes to be?

Eastern Michigan Combines The Business of Sport, Creative Marketing To Bring Attention and Promotion…

December 5, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

It’s not a new idea, but it is another twist on a smart, cost efficient and creative practice. Eastern Michigan University announced this week they are working between the athletic department and their business school to have students create and compete against each other, American Idol style, to come up with an effective marketing and ticket selling campaign for their men’s and women’s hoops programs. now in past years schools like Slippery Rock University has taken over the marketing of a minor league baseball team for a season, and major brands have invested in competition amongst grad schools to develop and then implement branding campaigns, but EMU is giving it a little more glitz and a better reward (cash and other opportunities). Even without the prizes, the idea is a very smart one for a mid-major school in a state that is short on cash and is full of folks looking for a chance to be positive in these tough times. EMU can use the creative minds of the students…the first adopters, the passionate entrepreneurs looking to shape a brand…and put those ideas to work in a fun and creative marketing and branding exercise. The idol-like atmosphere will generate some buzz, as will the prizes. At the end of the day maybe none of the ideas will be earth-shattering, and the fact that the finals will be tested at halftime of a hoops game with fans giving their choice for best idea may make it a bit of a crapshoot. Perhaps the best idea will be a combination of several of the presentations or perhaps there will be a whole season full of worthwhile idea. Perhaps there will be none. The most important thing is that EMU is working with the resources they have, recognizing a need both in the community and in the athletic department to rally, and finding a creative solution that involves all parties. Whether it works to sell tickets or not is not the most important thing. What should be watched and copied is the creative spirit of the students involved and the staff that had the ability to implement the contest.

Loving The Comeback…Phelps, Watson, Armstrong…Even LeBron…

July 29, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

One thing the American sports public loves, especially in challenged times, is the art of the comeback. Even the biggest star, once shown with feet of clay, somehow moves up the popularity and sympathy list, when he or she starts the road back or finally gets toppled. Like the evil Mafia dons turned benevolent dictators, we seem to soften images, and often times brands are there to take advantage of the return to popularity as the once iconic become iconic again. Now does it “just happen?” No. Obviously the commitment from the athlete has to be there, and there has to be a solid marketing plan behind the brand reinvention, but with the commitment from both the athletic side and the business side, the re-image can sometimes be more popular than the original. Three cases in point from recent weeks. First Tom Watson. His unlikely run at the British Open, one where Tiger Woods again slumped, helped re-engage fans in the possibilities of what-if, even when he fell off the lead on the final day. Watson’s partners, which included Adams Golf, had a nice bump, and eventhough TV numbers were not record, his unlikely run gave the event some sustainability and probably re-energized his brand for a slightly older demo, as well as connecting him to many newer golfers for the first time. Second, Lance Armstrong. Eventhough there was the public falling out over the final days with teammate and eventual winner Alberto Contador over the timing of the team Radio Shack announcement , Armstrong again went through an amazing brand re-invention during his amazing Tour de France run. He twitters, embraced fans, softened a once hard image, avoided the pratfalls of the doping world and connected with the fickle French fans like never before, giving the sport and his brand going forward another huge boost. Third Michael Phelps. With his marijuana episode in the rear view mirror, the folks at Octagon have repositioned Phelps as the athlete America loves while most of us are jumping again into summer swimming pools. Even better for the future of swimming, Phelps actually lost a race this week, to German Paul Biedermann,a swimmer using a soon-to-be-banned swimsuit, which sets him up for even more watercooler talk going forward. Last is LeBron James...although with little damage really, James NBA playoff antics, and the mystery of the dunk film from this summer, showed some chinks in the LeBron armor, just small ones, which probably made him just that more interesting at this stage of his career to draw in even the small group of casual fans who may not have been that interested in all his positive work over the last few years. Now where can these brand re-inventions go in the future? A lot of it is up to the athlete, but with Phelps already looking ahead to 2012 and Armstrong back on the top of his racing game, the different demos that they speak to and the brands they engage should have some nice pop. For Watson, it may be more quiet endorsements and speaking around his golf, but all will be positive in the slightly older demo he speaks to, and for LeBron…how high can one go? After all, the elusive NBA title still awaits, after his upcoming Nike-sponsored world tour. We do love the comeback.

Fragmentation In Niche Sports Proves To Be A Killer…

July 3, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Speaking with one voice, whether it is to a business partner, the media, or to fans is always important, especially in the alphabet soup of niche or second tier sports. With the limited dollars and eyeballs available for the casual fan, splitting the marketplace with alphabet soup of organizations usually leads to confusion and can ultimately drive partners on to a platform which is much more simple to understand. The latest example of split markets being a killer is in indoor soccer, which despite the huge success the outdoor game is seeing in the US, just fell further off the roadmap this week. Last year the Indoor game split into two “leagues,” both of which struggled for any kind of existence in far-off marketplaces, and despite the local success of teams like the Milwaukee Wave and the New Jersey Ironmen (who were in two different leagues by the way) the sport is on the verge of extinction. Another sport teetering but doing better with some unity is lacrosse, where the National Lacrosse League extended commissioner George Daniel this week, sending a positive message to all involved. Still, lacrosse, indoor and outdoor, needs to be presented as one platform to be an effective tool, but at least in their case the sport has a platform of success to build on. Indoor soccer has hurt itself with divergent forces for the indoor game, forces which told the sports world they were too fragmented to present a unified front, and in the end, all suffered. Would having one unified league have worked? Perhaps. But with the alphabet soup presented last winter to fans, media partners and business partners there was no chance of survival in an already tight marketplace. Hopefully the indoor game can be resurrected and lifted by the continued success of the outdoor product, but with too many cooks it will be next to impossible to deliver.

The Interesting Approach of Brand Ty Lawson…

June 24, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As the NBA Draft approaches Thursday, it will be interesting to see the branding winners and missteps taken, and how quickly in this digital age teams will look to immediately activate with their picks…will guys be twittering new fans from the podium, who will be the first to stream and text messages back home and will any team look to Twitter their pick before it is announced, as happened in the NFL Draft? Speed and immediacy, whether they can be monetized or not at this point, will be interesting, as well as how well athletes today understand perceived brand value vs. real brand value. Tuesday’s Washington Post gave a great glimpse inside the workings of North Carolina’s Ty Lawson as he prepped both on and off the court for this Thursday’s coming out. The piece had great access into Lawson and the team around him that is prepped to strike once his name is called, and how they can roll out the new branded Lawson to the Carolina faithful, and to the faithful of his new team. It is a very smart message to try and show potential fans, the media, teams and brands that Lawson is ready for the marketing and playing tasks ahead. however one thing that misses from the article, and is critical to be factored in…are the plans of the team he is selected by. Are they ready to work with Team Lawson on his brand roll out…does it conflict with anything they are planning for their elite customers or partners? Are both sides ready to work together to maximize the opportunity each has created? It sounds simple, but often times it is not. The best partnerships are when teams and athletes start from day one to pull for a common goal…brandwise, community wise, activation wise, access wise and most importantly playing wise. For every LeBron James brand, there are countless others that tried to build upon failed on court or on field focus, and although some athletes can succeed as marketing brands based on just performance, the opposite, brand success with limited on field success, is the rarest of the rare. The Lawson prep story shows smarts by his team…hopefully he lands with the right team that can take advantage of his smarts both on and off the court.

The Brand Spend: How To Justify And Invest Or Not…

March 2, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

At the end of this current economic climate, the sports brand that may be hit the hardest on the sponsorship side may be golf. Long viewed as the ultimate entertaining event, the events are not just being hit hard by companies losing sponsor dollars, but by the lack of long-term star development (the post Tiger era), the cost of play, and now by the hard core scrutiny being placed on those still looking to entertain by the media. John Paul Newport’s weekend piece in the Wall Street Journal was a good summary of the latest issue, which surrounded the lavish spend by Northern Trust at a golf event and the subsequent call by Rep. Barney Frank to have all those who received stimulus money to almost eliminate all sports and entertainment expenditures. Newport’s piece looked not just at the issue of what was spent, but brought to light how monies were spent and the even larger issue of who will actually be hurt by the cutbacks. Like in other industries, the collateral damage…the corner store and the Little League that lose business because the local car dealer goes down because GM is in trouble is really the biggest concern for the long term. As with past issues, sports marketers need to get creative again in finding ways to justify any spend, and there are ways to get return, entertain those who need to be entertained and still stay involved in sports and entertainment so you can reach the consumer and grow business back. Sports Philanthropy projects, viral campaigns, local activation, economies of scale are all smart ways to go for money already invested and for monies going forward. Taking the easy way out at the suggestion of those not in an industry…cutting all sponsorships, which in effect squanders not just jobs and effort but any forward growth of business…is short sighted grandstanding and will hurt the little guy. Darren Rovell had a great piece with Bank of America on Friday justifying their spend for future growth, and showing how it is not frivolous but investing in its local properties where its consumers do business. Is there excess in spending that needs to go? Yes. Did Northern Trust need Sheryl Crowe in this environment? Probably not. But if properly explained in the long run as the need for business to do business, the brand spend can be effective, economical and be seen as a way to get all back on track as opposed to throwing money toward elite wine and cheese. Inaction and stagnation at this point in any brand can be a killer, as much a killer as wasteful spending, and those brands who have made investments for the long term need to find effective ways, with smart spending and communications, to keep things going for the long term. Like other sports heavy on hospitality…tennis, NASCAR…golf needs to look inward to partners to sustain and then outward to the public and those at the grassroots to grow and then get the right way to re-channel funds to make sure that the why for the buy is communicated…whether it is with current partners or ones who will look to enter the sport.

Controlling The Message: Jerry Jones and Tiger Woods

February 22, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Today’s media cycle is always clamoring for more access. Fans, business partners and the media are constantly craving in both sports and entertainment to get more info., more access, more angles in the never-ending search to follow the celebrity. While that is important for brands that seek the spotlight to grow, the elite brands are put into a difficult situation. When is enough enough and more importantly, how do you control the information flow, either to make sure the information is accurate or to make sure the information put forth is done so in the manner that the newsmaker wants it to be. This past week we watched as the Yankees fed the media monster daily with key team members being available for the press around the Alex Rodriguez controversy. Each day led to a different story line, with key players speaking on different days. Orchastrated and put forth in the order that the newsmaker chose. The Yankees also did a more than credible job of speaking with one voice by the administration, and a majority of the players followed suit. So along the same line, we saw two other megabrands…Tiger Woods and the Dallas Cowboys...both take measures to control their message this week. Woods announced his comeback not with press conference or conference call or personal appearance or even a call to a key media member, but on his regular way of communicating to the media away from tournaments, on his website. The website has become Woods’ regular way of communicating with the media away from the Tour, thus (in addition to driving traffic and publicity for the site) easily getting out his message as he and his management team see fit. Now Woods is accessable during required periods at events, but by using the site as a way to break news, the media is limited in response and the idea of his team speaking with one voice holds true. Great for Woods, probably not so great for golf or the media. The Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones informed the media this week that coaches were no longer to be available to the media, including head coach Wade Phillips. The team’s view is the lack of access will control news and the subsequent leaks that come out, and have the organization functioning with one voice. Although this may not be uncommon with other organizations who limit access, the issue was that Jones was not available for the media during the early days of the NFL Combine, creating a bit of a circus for those media that were there and were seeking info about America’s team. Now again is “One Voice” a smart thing to control a message? Probably. Just so long as the message is communicated to the media, and thus to fans and business partners, effectively. Can it control “leaks” or rumor? To some extent but not as well as one would think, especially with an organization the size of an NFL team. There are ways to be consistent and control the message without setting off paranoia, and effectively communicating procedure is probably the first way. Regardless of the procedure, both Woods and the Cowboys again showed their ability to convey who the messenger will be.

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