As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., the minor league drum beating for great activation in baseball continues, as Ben Hill's Minor League baseball blog singles out the best promotions of the past season, and rewards the Ogden (Utah) Raptors as the team with the best minor league promotions of the year. In a struggling global economy, sports and entertainment brands of all sizes can continue to look to American baseball's minor leagues as a source of inspiration and innovation not just for the offbeat, but for the ability to engage the consumer and produce quality and affordable entertainment on a nightly basis. The baseball minors also do a great job of year round activation and engagement with their fans and business partners, squeezing every opportunity to keep the casual fan interested with the brand even when the games are not going on. In many ways that is the secret of their local success…since most times teams do not have year-round marketable players to build a brand behind they need to sell the experiential. It is a great lesson that those in higher ranks are continuing to adapt to, and Hill's columns give great insight into the sports best practices.
Some other good reads…with LeBron James hysteria hitting New York on Tuesday, the New York Times’ Harvey Araton has a good piece on the real leadership value the young star brings to an organization…Roy Johnson's blog has a good look at why Michael Vick should be reinstated, which will be an interesting branding opportunity for the NFL… Ad Age has a good look at Michael Phelps’ Subway deal…and probably the best overall analysis of President-elect Obama's thoughts on the BCS were offered up by the Washington Times…
