Can Lacrosse Finally Make The Jump As A Worthwhile Branding Opportunity?

May 10, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

It has happened consistently for the past three or four springs.  There is a whirlwind of activity around lacrosse, especially at the college level.  Lacrosse opened the new Meadowlands Stadium with over 25,000 fans…lacrosse at the collegiate level is making its way west, with a thriving program now at the University of Denver, a state (Colorado) which has seen immense grassroots growth for the game. The Ivy League chose lacrosse to be its first sport to have a post-season tournament. The NCAA’s are almost here, which will lead to massive- crowds in Baltimore for the Final Four at the end of the month. It has tremendous grassroots interest, especially among girls and its World Cup event does well.  Yet the professional game remains fractured, with the indoor and outdoor games being run by different groups with no continuity, and the indoor professional team in the hotbed area of New York was again a failure and is long gone.  There is no consistent television partner and the brands that have chosen to activate in the space appeal more to its core audience than to the mainstream.  So eventhough there is talk of growth, immense growth at the grassroots level, can lacrosse ever become a viable sport for brands to activate with and against?

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.

Loyal Customers, Right Demo, Fertile Field…The Military Market

September 2, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

For those looking to grow emerging sports and get product brand name brandwith, as well as get television coverage, one overlooked market is often the military.  Whether it is with local bases or reservists, families who are behind while servicemen and women are deployed overseas, or in a bigger picture with tours and trips to visit troops abroad, the payoff both on a social scale and a brand scale is usually huge.  A recent story in Stars and Stripes went through the huge offering of football on the Armed Forces Network for the fall, and the thirst for programming  for athetics of all types continues to grow.  The military also have a great affinity for brand loyalty and always welcome the smallest comforts of home.  So when building out an effective sports marketing and PR plan, especially in an environment now where the Armed Services are looking for positive PR platforms and ways to keep troops engaged and connected, using the military as a mutuall beneficial way to tell your story is a great one, locally, nationally and internationally.