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.

VW Continues To Look For “Capitol” Gains…

October 29, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As many car brands look to reduce spending and streamline work in sports marketing, one of the more efficient brands in tough times, Volkswagen, continues to make a bigger strategic play in its headquarter maket of Washington, DC.  The German-engineered and gas efficient cars took a big first step into the market in the spring, becoming the jersey sponsor and primary activation partner for the DC United.  The activation on site and with dealers went well enough for the brand to take on additional partners, most notably the announcement of a deal with the Verizon Center and the Washington Wizards this week.  Although the clean jersey is still the rule in the NBA, the entry of VW into a Wizards partnership, while KIA does a massive activation in other markets with the NBA, is a smart one and signals that the tests that VW did with the United went well and can lead to bigger, more inclusive branding in the Capitol District, a city where green initiatives and international brands carry great weight, given the multi-cultural aspects of the city.  VW’s recent education initiatives also could tie nicely into sports marketing programs as well, so it will be interesting to see how/when VW increases their incremental involvement, especially in the Nation’s Capitol.

Mets Get Major Exposure For A Minor Partner

July 6, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day:  Those in PR and sales are always looking to find ways to squeeze out even the smallest of exposure for every one of their partners, and especially in major markets, those big hits can be very difficuly to come by.  The diligent publicists will find the notes columns, the blogs and make use of controlled media and then use those as platforms to build equity.  However the big hit usually involves unusual timing, a strong pitch, good relationships with the media and diligent and persistent credibility by those doing the pitching.  A great case of the moon and the stars aligning fell with the New York Mets this week, who found a great angle and the right writer and pitch to land a partnership piece on Kozy Shack Pudding in the advertising section of the New York Times.   The piece had everything one would want…a good spin, third party endorsements, fan interplay in a light manner, messaging from the brand spokesperson and a great signage shot.  Now was it a bit tongue in cheek?  Yes.  But to land such a secondary brand that type of exposure justifies the expendature by Kozy Shack and shows all brands associated with the Mets how much the team will work to get its partners exposure.  Well placed big hit.

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: