Halfway through September 2019, a few thoughts on best practices past and present…
In 1988 as a very young Sports Info Director at Monmouth College (now University) in New Jersey we were tasked with trying to do some different things to get people interested in a new Division 1 athletic program. This was a time when the Hawks were just in their second year on what is now the Northeast Conference and playing in small Boylan Gum, well before their shiny new 5,000 seat facility and growing football program is now as a great draw for all things on the Jersey Shore, which also then was a little more isolated and not the thriving bedroom community for commuters to New York and hipsters looking for a close refuge that it is today. It was much more farms and locals than what people think about for Long Branch and Asbury Park today.
Without much professional experience we decided to see what we could do to try and drum up interest, and came up with two ideas that are not that crazy today, but back then, in a pre-social media time, were risk taking and a little edgy. One was comedy and hoops, where a comedian came on to the court at halftime to do his fifteen minute act. The idea was simple, give people some yucks and make a small Division I gym a little more happening on a cold Saturday winter night. Seemed like a worthwhile try until we realized this young comedian had no idea about the crowd, the community and even the venue until he got there; he thought it was going to be a small bar. Needless to say the ambience wasn’t right and the jokes didn’t really fit, but since there is always a rest of the story the comedian who was starting out ended up being a rising star named Rick Aviles, who went on to being the host of It’s Showtime at the Apollo and starred in a few movies including “Ghost,” with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, before he passed away in 1995. Great example of giving things a shot.
The other was a postgame concert on campus, with the former Eddie Mahoney of Brooklyn. Now some people knew of Eddie Money as he had some breakaway hits, but he was a hardworking singer with a love for the shore as well, and through a mutual acquaintance, and from lessons learned from hoops and comedy, we pulled off a double. A concert postgame in another part of the campus with a quick performance at halftime. That one worked for all; filled a date, drew a larger audience and most importantly, Eddie knew his role and played it up well.
I was reminded of both when Money passed away this week. Two promos that were creative and could have used a hand in experience to drive ROI for all down the line. I’m sure the Hawks can do better with both now.
METS HIT A SOCIAL HOMER: Friday night we ventured out to CitiField for Mets and Dodgers, and I decided to go old school and score the game. It’s a rarity today to see people keeping score, but it can be an enjoyable way to still be involved in the game. So I bought a program and came up with a great surprise and best practice; the Mets roster listed the Twitter and Instagram handles for their entire roster. What’s venue better is that almost every player on the team had some sort of social engagement in various stages. The listing, and even more important the sharing of social handles on scoreboards, in media notes, press releases and on any kind of official media platform is still a missing piece of engagement for most teams, leagues and colleges, because it takes an extra step. However kudos to the Mets for again looking for some disruptive and informative white space and giving us the chance to follow everyone at out choice in social. It’s a great list and something which hopefully becomes tradition, not value add, for all going forward.
Onward, another busy week awaits…
