Owning The 4th…

July 4, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 3 Comments 

As one goes through the sports calendar it is always interesting to note what the opportunities are that can still be “owned” or created by brands or teams.  While the biggest days to still grab are those arounf the baseball all-star game next week, it is noteworthy that no one really hase grabbed the opportunity to activate around July 4.  Maybe becuase the day is such one of leasure and activity may be spread too thin, but the day is still one of the quietest news days of the year. at a time when activity is very high.  From NASCAR to the Wimbledon Finals to baseball, there are key goings-on in sport, and this year the spirit of World Cupo abounds as well.

How To Keep The Olympic Athlete Fire Burning? Partner Winter and Summer Together…

February 28, 2010 by Joe Favorito · 1 Comment 

Over the next few days and weeks the debate as to who the biggest marketing “winners” from the Olympics will be played out…Shaun White, Apollo Ohno, Lindsay Vonn, Julia Mancuso, even Shani Davis…will all appear on the watch list, make the TV rounds etc etc. with all the requestite experts chiming in.  Then spring comes and we are on to baseball, soccer, NASCAR…the faces we see, hear and relate to every year and find a strong allegiance to.   The Olympians, despite their powerful platform and their inspiring stories, seem to get tucked away until the next cycle. Is there a way to find a link to keep that cycle going, thus keeping these great stories engaged and top of mind even if their biggest stage is still four years away in Sochi?  For one idea, we can look to Michael Phelps. Many thought it strange that Subway, and even in some NBC promos, linked Phelps to the goings-on in Vancouver.  However he is a transcendant athlete, away from his season and exposure point, and is link to the games raised the tide and perhaps got the Vancouver Games a little more buss going in.  Prior to the Games, USA Wrestling, obviously in their transition time between Beijing and London, found ways to cross-promote with the USA Women’s Hockey Team, using some of their marketing and branding muscle to get the team some additional exposure while they were a bit dormant.  So with the Winter and Summer Games in two year cycles, why can’t a winter sport find a summer sport to work with and share marketing and star building power during the complete four year cycle?  Could swimming work with spped skating to cross promote athletes?  How about Beach Volleyball working with skiers? BMX and snowboarding?  The athletes have a common ground.  they understand the rigors of training and get the Olympic lure.  The Federations struggle when they are not front and center during the games to find ways to promote their athletes.  Why not partner to work together on platforms and for brands that would give great return for summer and winter?

An Olympic Sized Communication Issue…

October 10, 2009 by Joe Favorito · 2 Comments 

The best organizations have well thought out and effective communications plans, often times built around the most simple of ideas. Knowing how to effectively communicate messages internally, building consensus amongst key leadership, speaking with one voice, knowing your constituents and addressing their needs, or at least acknowledging their needs, and then making sure that media are communicated to in an effective and consistent manner are all hallmarks of effective internal and external communications, whether you are a large public corporation or a small business or not-for- profit. That basic checklist makes all feel at least listened to and engaged, and makes those “on the inside” feel like they are part of the process. That checklist also helps in challenging times, and usually gives senior leadership a chance to see issues coming or find ways to address upcoming issues more effectively than when operations happen in a vacuum. With those thoughts in mind, it is very troubling to see the problems that the United States Olympic Committee has gone through recently, with many of the problems stemming from a lack of effective internal and external communication. This is not about Chicago 2016’s failed Olympic bid either. The 2016 group actually had a good communications plan to get their messaging out to the people and the media, and few ever questioned who the leadership was or what they were trying to accomplish. Bid head Pat Ryan was available and presented the best possible picture the group had for the Olympics. Why Chicago wasn’t selected is another issue that has less to do with how the message was communicated than what the message was. However the USOC problems, which have now led to the potential dismissal of senior leaders Larry Probst (who received a vote of confidence from the USOC board Friday) and Stephanie Streeter, seem to be more about communication in the decision making process than anything else. The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Hersh detailed the issues the USOC has dealt with in a piece this week. In the past, the USOC had effective communicators like Daryl Seibel and Mike Moran making sure that messages were conveyed and taking the temperature of those both internally and externally to make sure that leadership could help address and make informed decisions. However recently, many media have wriitten about the inaccessability of top leadership throughout a critical period, and the lack of communication to the USOC constituents, the National Governing Bodies which run the individual sports. This lack of effective internal and external communication has brought the USOC to where it is today…with an external perception of crisis and an internal perception of chaos and call for change. Now could all of this been avoided if there was more basic contact internally, and with a regular flow of media contact externally? Unsure, but one thing is for sure. When building consensus in times of crisis, the easiest way to do it is to make sure there is always a free flow of information up and down the chain of command all the time. Without that free flow, leadership can be viewed as being out of touch with the day to day, which leads to loss of confidence and can slow down the decision process. Also without free flow, senior leadership can often miss key messages or problems amongst the rank and file, and those little problems are often the ones which can end up causing major distractions and become large scale issues for leadership, especially in challenging times. So what will happen with the USOC going forward? An organization which such a wealth of experience and positives amongst its rank and file now has the opportunity to re-trench, re-position and re-define itself with new leadership at a time when people want to see its heros Olympic-sized again. With the right leadership, people who are effective internal and external communicators as well as smart businesspeople, the USOC could end up being in a better position for the new world of sports and entertainment than it has ever been before so long as leadership learns the lessons of its recent missteps and communicates them effectively.

Making Olympic Size Adjustments…Worth The Battle?

October 1, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This Friday three cities will have spent millions of dollars in travel, staff and preparations for…nothing. On Friday, IOC President Jacques Rogge will announce which of the four cities for 2016, Tokyo, Rio Madrid and Chicago, will get the bid for the Summer Games, which will set off a feeding frenzy of activity, good will and brand building for the next seven years. But for the losers goes…well goes nothing really. True, the bid cities to this point have generated activity, buzz and good will, and maybe have sewn the seeds for future bids (Madrid and Rio have bid before and were able to resurrect many of their plans from 2012) but could the millions spent on prep be spent better elsewhere? The race for the Olympics and the exposure and potential dollars for a host city is still very very worthwhile. In many cases now the venues are built to be converted or used in perpetuity and those host city usually drives a great deal of revenue from the lead-in with other events, and lead-out afterwards. On the branding side, the Olympic limitations on sponsorships and “clean looks” slows potential for host cities, but the revenue brought in around the Games still is a huge plus…and in all likelihood the host Olympic Committee….the USOC in the US…stands to benefit from a boost in potential year-round partners, all good news for those who get the Games. The biggest issue again lies for the losers and the unchecked spending that goes into the prep work. With no limits set by the IOC, the bid cities run large off budgets, and the sense of impression and “one-upsmanship” even in the slowest of economies leads to mountains of wasted presentations, lavish spending and huge travel. Another example was this past summer, when seven sports, many with very meager budgets, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to vie for the chance at being two of seven sports for instatement to the 2016 Olympic programme. The two sports selected, rugby and golf, can easily justify their spend, while baseball probably spent the least, using its large platform to drive interest. But sports like softball and roller sports spent more than their entire yearly budget to stage events and produce useless, flashy videos all in the name of making an impression. Can the IOC set spending limits, like the NCAA has done for years with recruiting and media guides? Yes. Should the IOC require that for every dollar spent on presentation an equal dollar goes back into development? Why not. The Olympic brand remains the world’s premier sports brand, something that almost every athlete strives for. With the brand comes great responsibility, and limiting the spending on the recruitment process is something that should be implemented in these challenged times. Much like drug testing and rules set for entertaining officials, the IOC needs to set spending linits and guidelines for those trying to gain entrance to the program, be it city or sport. Otherwise, like a sport without testing left to police itself, even the best intentioned plans get lost in the competitive spirit, and with that loss comes the loss of valuable dollars which should go to the grassroots, not to extra videos. By following those rules, everyone wins.

American Youth Could Be The Winners From This Weeks Olympic “games”

June 19, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This past week saw the seven sports vying to be brought into the Olympics in 2016 and the four cities bidding to host the Games all travel to Lausanne, Switzerland for presentations to the International Olympic Committee Executive Board as well as the the membership countries of the IOC (for the cities presentations). The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Hersch has a great summary of all the back and forth that went on throughout the week, including at least three of the cities being named by someone as a favorite, and no less than four of the seven sports projected to have the best chance, best presentation or fastest movement up (no one was acknowledged to have slid down, others just moved ahead) in a week of true gamesmanship. However one of the better moves of the week for all amateur sports in the United States took place on Monday in Washington, when President Obama named a new office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport. The timing sent a clear but subtle message to the IOC that sports, especially Olympic sports, are now a high priority for a President that helped use a sports platform to get to casual voters during his campaign. The move also gives the US a “Head of Sport” that virtually every other country has, and could potentially help create and administer a uniform vision…and potential amazing branding and marketing opportunities for someone who is able to unify groups that constantly fight for the same dollar, same branding opportunity, and same audience. The position can also help administer policy so that athletics leading to healthy lifestyles does become the priority in schools here that is used to be, all quality messages and potential for those involved in the space. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, the games for the Olympic Games continued, with countless dollars spent on presentations, lobbyists and travel by all groups…monies that probably would be best served in building the brand of sport with their constituents and participants. The Olympic games remain big bucks and mega branding opportunities and can still create tremendous good will and a legacy for all involved. The hope is that the legacy does outweigh the cost for the long term, especially for those five sports and three cities that will not be chosen in Copenhagen in October. Even with all the spending, pomp and circumstance, the biggest winner this week may already be the youth of America…and maybe even those brands which can more clearly serve them…through President Obama’s deftly timed move as the political games begen this week. A move which could have Olympic sized popularity if the office does what it could do.

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 15 Year Anniversary of A Controversy of Olympic Proportions…Tonya/Nancy

January 8, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As anniversaries in sports go, January 6 came and went with little fanfare.  It wasn’t a day that marked a Super Bowl win or an amazing NHL or NBA feat, or even the anniversary of a BCS win.  However it was the 15th anniversary of one of the craziest events in the history of sport, an event on a world stage that if it took place in today’s 24/7 digital world may have risen to even more largesse.  Still in its time, the incident, controversy and drama that occurred before, during and after the Tony Harding/Nancy Kerrigan event remains one of the most bizarre and memorable in all of sport.  Former head of USOC media Mike Moran circulated a retrospective of that course of events recently, as it was reprinted in the Colorado Springs Gazette.   The first-person account is a great example of an insider’s view of crisis management, and gives the reader a solid look not just into the events from a media official’s eyes, but also provides some great backstory on the lead-up to the night, and what transpired afterward.  The piece clearly shows how one of the most important rules in a crisis situation needs to be followed…speak with one voice.  Whether people agreed with the USOC decision to let Harding skate amongst the circus or not, it was clear where the chain of command was, and how those working with the USOC thought through the situation, looked at the facts and built consensus in what was one of the most bizarre events in the history of sports.  Great look back, great inside info and perspective.

Planting The Seeds For The Sunny Day…

August 19, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As much as we have talked about crisis management and the need to be prepared for when the clouds roll in, being prepared to strike when the moment of victory comes is just as important.  two cases in point from the Olympics…Octagon’s prep work for Michael Phelps and USA Wrestling’s advance work for now gold medalist Henry Cejudo.  The Phelps work by Octagon is detailed even more clearly in the Washington Post this week, while Cejudo’s win and his amazing backstory, was told to media in an advance trip to New York by USA Wrestling in May, and was profiled in the New York Times as he won today.   The USA Wrestling media trip to New York in advance of the Olympics planted some nice seeds with media of all types…for Cejudo it was with Hispanic TV and radio and a trip to ESPN Magazine among other places…and set the stage for him and other wrestlers if they won.  Now does all this timing and planning for ANY athlete, team or brand go for naught if the moment of victory does not come through?  Some would say its wasteful, but the lessons learned in doing the prep and building the connections are valuable for work done with other clients into the future. For both Phelps and Cejudo, the future is now. For those who are not as fortune to be prepared going into victory, the USOC has set up a great program to get the athletes ready for success with the media for the short term, with that program also documented by the Times this week and worth reading.

Breeders Cup Takes The Lead In Racing Proactivity…

August 3, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

For the second Friday in a row the sports world had substantial off-field news thrust out…last week it was the unexpected resignation of AFL Commissioner David Baker and this week came the late Friday announcement that the Breeders Cup has banned steroids from all its races, again taking a stronger leadership role in horse racing.  While the timing for both announcements was dictated by the fear of rumors getting out following board meetings, the tone of both announcements was extremely well placed and has legs beyond the 24 hour news cycle.  The move by the Breeders Cup differs in that the word is extremely positive for a sport that has had its clouds over drugs in the past.  It takes a dirty word in any sport…steroids…and immediately states the clear position of the organization as to the consequences for anyone tainting the two richest days in sports with cheating.  The fines are clear and not shrouded in loopholes, and the results should be positive (no pun intended) for the event to lure partners who may have been on the fence, media who still look towards horse racing with a skewed vision and fans who always wonder about the legitimacy of a sport where gambling is prevelant.  Given the extensive race card and coverage that Saratoga gets this time of year, the coverage of the Friday announce was not as sparse as it could have been in other times of the year, and the ability to retell the announcement by officials going forward at the Haskell (where Big Brown will run) and through the Breeders Cup’s ESPN partnership should extend the window and get the word out clearly before the 25th running of the event at Santa Anita in the fall.  Well worded, well positioned announcement  by a group that is taking a much stronger public leadership position in a sport that is holding its own with potential to grow.