The Breeder's Cup, “the richest day in sports,” has always suffered from an identity crisis. Lost amidst the NFL and college football in the fall, and not having the focus of the Triple Crown in the spring, horse racing's biggest day was often missed by even the casual racing fan.page out of the long term activation which helped tennis’ US Open grow outside of the event and live for a run up period of months, the Breeders Cup is hitting wit.partner announcements, a larger media presence, and even a digital footprint well in advance of its 25th anniversary running in Los Angeles in the fall.announced a beer partnership with Dos Equis,.and the launch of a fantasy sports challenge to begin with the summer-long Breeders Cup Challenge series..Bot.include activation away from the event, online components, fan activation activity and the ability for both casual and serious race fans the ability t.have the event top of mind way outside of the original window when people would start thinking about the event.Well timed, far reaching strategy which will benefit the sport and the bran.in the long run.
Another great exposure poin.for athletes and brands looking for visibility has been the ringing of the opening and closing bells at the stock exchanges, especially the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges in New York. Two groups, the top NBA draftees, and the Olympic Wrestling team, found their way to the NYSE podium in the last few days, and used the high visibility spot to convey message.to those in the financial community by hitting all the business news outlets that are on the stock exchange floor.Tom Bonk details the LPGA's latest attempt for off sports publicity, this time with the Wilhemena Modeling Agency, in today's LA Times…although this “modeling agency” partnership has been tried many times and has never succeeded (the biggest reason is that the time committments needed for athletes to be models rarely fit) it is a good effort again by the LPGA to try and get that extra exposure that their athletes have lost in the last few years…Octagon's First Call blog has a nice piece on M and M’. unveiling their new ice cream treats with the Red Sox David Ortiz, and how the timing turned into a media bonanza for the brand…the Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece yesterday on the financial troubles of the retail chain Steve and Barry's, which made such a huge splash with their low cost Starbury shoes two summers ago…also on the “sports sensation that lost its way” list is Mike Brick's piece today in the New York Times on the minor league hockey Austin Ice Bats, and how they went from cult sensation to suspending operation…and lastly, ESPN.com's Mike Weinreb has a great look at the death of Len Bias and the aftermath of his passing so shortly after being drafted…a good retrospective, especially in light of the Celtics NBA title…
