The Sun Never Sets on Minor League Baseball…
November 4, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment
As we change clocks to standard time, it would appear baseball is drifting off to a nice slumber before Hot Stove action begins anew in a month or so. However as Ben Hill points out in his Business of Minor League baseball blog, some of America’s savviest sports marketers, the minor league baseball teams, continue to grow and engage fans of all ages in the immediate offseason. From pre-Christmas memorabilia sales to pumpkin carving contests, the teams continue to show allegiance to community and brand, all without the benefit of players in market. The experiences they have created in the early offseason are fun, have little to do with ticket selling and have everything to do with being a year round experience at affordable prices for the fans. Now will every minor league team look to engage in October? No. But those who understand their fans and grow their brand will, and Hill’s blog points out some of the best.Â
Rays Use Business Smarts To Start Off Field Transformation…
October 7, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment
Maybe the most moribund franchise in North American sports, the Tampa Rays underwent one of the best turnarounds on the field in recent memory. As the accolades for the front office staff and players pour in as the playoffs move ahead, the downside of losing and lack of brandbuilding was still evident as the season wore on. However, the changes that have begun to take place, and will hopefully build for the future regardless of result on the field success, are now taking hold, as pointed out by Jeremy Mullman in Ad Age. By bringing on a former P and G brand manager, the club has applied all the touch points of a successful package goods brand, and added in the emotion of sports. It was a smart hire and applies logic and good sense for the Rays makeover, and coupled with the onfield success can spell a business upswing for the team for the future. Now would all the good branding in the world have worked if the team remained in last? Maybe not. But by setting the business climate correctly, the franchise was much better positioned to reap positive results.
Quietly and Steadily NBA Winning The PR Race
January 25, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment
As the NHL and the NBA move toward their All-Star showcases (we will do the NHL wrapup next week) we wanted to look at the NBA PR push over the last few weeks that is hitting on all areas “away from the game”…player development, new media, international growth, charity activation, athlete features, product marketing and integration…at a critical time as brands and fans look for even more ROI. Now it’s not to say that market-by-market there are not bumps in the road, but in the macro, from Portland’s resurgence marketing their young players to the Nets pushing their brand activations and fan friendly programs, to Boston’s resurgence at the box office and on the court, the concerted and more cohesive efforts of the teams in lock step with the league PR and marketing staffs is moving more smoothly and productively than ever, and unlike the NHL (Outdoor Game), the NFL (the Super Bowl) and NASCAR (Daytona’s 50th) they are doing it without a landmark event to build to. Here are some key recent examples:Â
Joe has almost a quarter century of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. He is a producer of award winning and cutting edge programs designed to increase ROI and minimize cost. 
