With the economy continuing to be in flux, those sports which are really beholden to the corporate entertainment dollar…golf, tennis, NASCAR...continue to try and find ways to court fans and brands to keep themselves moving forward and justifying the high spend that accompanies their mega-events. As Liz Clarke pointed out in Saturday's Washington Post, NASCAR is probably making the biggest strides to adjust, connect with their fans at all levels and do everything they can to achieve high ROI for every level of dollar spent at events. The concierge service at select tracks is the latest move for the brand, which has already looked to incorporate as many fan activities as possible into race weekend and make sure that those who are coming are getting the experience they expect and beyond. Brands are going to great lengths to come up with unique activation programs, with the hope that when the choice for discretionary spend applies, those brands who have delivered for the fan, both practically and experientally, will get the value and loyalty back. Now practicality will lend itself to the fact that for many people the dollars just aren’t there right now, but the hope is when the economy bounces back, or when the casual fan is looking for a diversion, a NASCAR weekend or event will provide the best in class service to make the choice an easy one. It is good planning and execution, and for one of the brands that has really helped grow the sports and entertainment business in recent years, will hopefully pay off in loyalty, attendance and new partnerships as reward for their outreach.
Some other good reads…Bluffton Today editor Tim Wood has a good piece on why he hopes and thinks newspapers can and will survive…ESPN.com has a good piece on how Japan is looking to continue to rewrite the baseball hierarchy through their approach to the World Baseball Classic…while the Wall Street Journal had a piece on how the WBC is just a talent grab for Major League Baseball…and the New Yorker had a very entertaining look at stadium architecture since the Orioles built Camden Yards.
