We have all seen the effects and fear and potential cost cutting measures that teams and brands are putting into effect to safeguard profitability should the economy worsen. Now while many have taken the prudent approach to guard their best assets and look for more ROI, some have chosen to move ahead with long term plans, and show the value of th. brand in the marketplace even in a slow economy. Neil Best has a good overall look at the New York economy and how local teams could be affected, but the best news put forth this week was by the New York Mets, who despite another disappointing end to the season continue to crank out good news on brand support, this week announcing they have sold out of suites in CitiField. Darren Rovell had a solid q and a with the Mets Dave Howard about how it is possible and what this says about the value of the Mets brand in the area,.despite all the negative financial news and some projects for slow spending by the consumer. Th.messaging and the timing were solid for the business, and showed how well placed stories, even in the most difficult of times, can give the fan and the business pause for a positive outlook ahead.
Some other good pieces of note: the Dallas Morning News has a good q and a with the heads of their local teams on how they will handle the economic crunch…Sarah Talalay has a piece on th new mascot for the Florida Panthers and the cowbell giveaway it inspired…th.Huntsville Times has a good q and a with ESPN's college matchmaker Dave Brown…the Buffalo News has a good spin feature on why fans should have renewed interest in the Sabres…and the New York Post's Mike Vacaro has a piece looking back on when Knicks basketball was relevant amongst the New York sports fan…
