The patriarch of one of America's legendary families, Joe Kennedy, always preached to his famous sons “You Are Who You Say You Are,” and that creedo is a good example of how today's brands can best pitch and stay on message. Remembering “who you are” and “what you do” and making sure everyone in the company is in line with that vision is the best way to effectively and consistently communicate. A great example of that consistent messaging, and the placing of a steady stream of information around that message, is being done by the New Jersey Nets as they battle every obstacle in their planned move to Brooklyn in the future. Despite the delays, the economy, and now the added pressure by New Jersey officials, Nets brass has remained steadfast and unwavering in their positioning on the Brooklyn move, and constantly find ways to keep the brand relevant and consistently messaged toward the goal of the move to Brooklyn. This week's Sports Business Journal has a great piece on the “Brooklyn Brand” the Nets are building, which was preceded by pieces in the New York Daily News and Newsday, all without a shovel yet in the ground and the skeptical media continuing to wait to be shown that the move will actually happen. Every sponsor brought in, every community event created, is tied to that one goal of moving to Brooklyn, all well messaged and very believable for the day when that move does happen. In a skeptical time when it is not popular to always stay on message and be consistent, the Nets have been a model of straightforward, single minded focus on their goal.
Some other good reads…both the Sports Business Journal and the New York Post have pieces on the return of liquor ads to television, which will be a prime area for sports spend…Ad Age has a good piece on the reasons why domestic brands stumble in a global marketplace…and Media Post has a good piece on the redefining of the Sharpie brand, which has natural ties to sports.
