Avery Strikes A Pose…Geico Patches Things Up

PR Move of the Day: Knowing the athlete for any team, league or brand takes time. It takes time to know to both ask the right questions and listen to what they are saying to correctly build a strategy that makes sense for a unique pitch to work. The New York Rangers hit on a great one that has now come full circle, by listening and then using the correct resources available to place and then merchandise NHL star Sean Avery…as a summer intern at Men's Vogue Magazine.classic case of taking the time to know and understand a player, and take some comments that he had made and grow it into a long lead, well thought out, well delivered PR push that extended the Rangers brand well past the NHL Finals. The piece is also great because it takes an NHL tough guy and put him in a very different light, talking about style and fashion and future plans in a way few male athletes ever do. The whole campaign was . textbook example of what you can do with a little imagination, a good ear, a knowledge of the athlete and the time to plan and execut. an opportunity off the playing field.

On to a pose of a different kind. Geico scored big points on the ambush marketing scene this past week, working with lower ranked players facing higher ranked players and buying up the space for patches on their outfits.Although there were no Geico-led upsets on day one, the brand known for the gecco got solid publicity for the program alone, and will probably spawn others to try the same thing until the price rises. Nice forethought by a brand that looks to find innovative ways to get fan recall in a crowded space.

Some other good reads…the WWE PR machine was again in full spin mode this week, staging an accident with Vince McMahon as a stunt to promo the upcoming Wrestlemania in Houston. The trick worked to the extent that apparently Houston media didn’t realize it was an plot to get attention, and covered it like a news story…well timed…on to real fighting, where the UFC got some nice props this week in Business Week on the real aspects of their new video game, the latest in a series of mainstream moves by MMA to grab more casual fans…worth a read to find out why it is a good effort in the gaming world…with the NBA Draft right on the heels of the NHL Draft, those NHL/NBA paired franchises will keep some VIP's busy working both rooms, and the Philly Daily News’ Rich Hoffman profiles one such president, Spectacor's Peter Luukko…lastly, Brandweek has a good package goods activation example this week, going through the process with Wise Foods on their strategy to work with both the Red Sox and the Mets in market.