Sports Marketing and PR Roundup

As we lose sports teams and large brands worry about the best way to get ROI, some potential opportunities always arise.  One of the more unique ones was pointed out in a detailed Reuters piece, which showed the value brands are getting and continue to get in Argentina…with the sport of polo.   Now it is obviously not a traditional play, especially in most areas of North America, but one would wonder if perhaps the economy downturn for the right brands could find a niche for polo in the right areas, with the right TV and digital component and with brands looking to attract the polo crowd and educate themselves on the tradition of a very traditional sport. The story points out the value brands get with associating with an elite niche sport that is carefully placed and marketed correctly to the right audience.  As the PBR makes its annual play into New York this week and shows how well it can activate and bring in the casual fan in the major market (again going up against the Giants playoffs for the second year in a row), one wonders if maybe with the right backing polo could make itself into a viable tour globally.  Out of every downturn comes opportunity, and who knows, but maybe pro polo could be one for certain brand activation.

Some other good reads…Nick Canepa in the San Diego Union Tribune had a good piece this weekend on how even in troubled times, sports serves as a rallying point in the community…the San Francisco Chronicle has a good profile of BDA Sports Management’s Lindsay Kagawa…and ESPN.com had a good piece sunnarizing how the Blackhawks have used all the right elements to rebuild a franchise…

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Matt Futterman in Friday’s Wall Street Journal had an interesting look at what happens when the ownership groups of franchises have their primary business suffer large losses, and how it can effect their secondary business…which in many cases can be a franchise.  The crazy situation with the San Diego Padres sell off due to a divorce settlement, is one of the more extreme problems that can arise when owners financial issues off the field effect performance and brand of the franchise.  The bottom line is that franchises and those who run and sell them, should always look to how the brand can best fit the assets of the owner, whether that is creating more ROI for the local car business that owns the minor league baseball or hockey team, or finding ways that Quicken Loans can best benefit from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Arena ownership.  Ironically, one of the brands that has best integrated its franchises into its daily business work is Cablevision.  For all the heat that the Dolan Family takes for the Knicks, Rangers and MSG, their brands…from community events to discounts for tickets and merch for cable subscribers…are working hand in glove with most Cablevision properties.  As a result, the teams have temendous added value to the overall business of the company, even away from the obvious arena and television benefits.  The teams have also looked to find aggressive revenue areas using the Cablevision assets and draw casual fans even the the slowest of times, which makes the brands very important to the business success of Cablevision when times can get tough and cuts have to come.  So the question remains…how does a sports brand find ways to not be “the play thing” of ownership that is concetrating on more mainstream businesses?  By understanding the needs of the core business of ownership…in the community, among its employees…and then developing ways to show strong value through the assets of the team…community relations programs, digital partnerships, in-arena announcements, employee programs…can help make the sports brand even more valuable and more relevant to those in the main business who are not enamored with the high cost and public issues which come with the sports brand.   Sometimes the internal ROI and cross brand communication to the decision makers at the core business is even more important than the external.

Some other interesting reads…two New York area papers today ran pieces on the value and depth that recruiting for young student athletes is going to, and how parents may be looking even more at investing in an athletic future as a way to help defray education costs…the New York Times has an extensive piece on the grooming and pedigree prep of high quality athletes, while the Bergen Record had a parallel piece by columnist Art Stapleton with the slant on women’s sports…both continue the trend that show added value and added pressure being put on athletes at a younger age, with the stakes getting exponentially higher  as the economy slows…John Feinstein in the Washington Post has a really good column on Longwood University’s struggles as an independent Division I program…and for those who wonder where a career in sports communications can lead you, check out the LA Times blog on where two former Dodgers PR people are today.  

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A year ago South Florida football was in the dumper…the Dolphins, the Univ. of Miami, FIU, Florida Atlantic all were at the end of miserable seasons, and as the economy started to sag, there were lots of questions about the market as viable for tickets and branding…what a difference a year, and winning, can make for those involved in the buisness.  Sarah Talalay takes a good look at the high hopes for those involved in branding, selling and marketing events in the area, with two Bowl games and the Dolphins all within ten days this week.  Now does it all about winning?  No.  The reason for the South Florida pop this week (also throw in the potential Super Bowl and Pro Bowl) comes because of  smart planning and investing by those in the area for the long term, who are finally getting ROI on the investment they made.  There would still be bowl tourism dollars made regardless of team success, but being there to capitalize on the buzz for brands is important, and the resurgence in interest in South Florida is a good example of how brands can make a turnaround when winning kicks in…and in the cyclical world of sports, preparing for the sun is as important as preparing for the gloom.  Hopefully the success and interest can spin off into spring training and the World Baseball Classic, which the Marlins will help host in March.

Some other good reads…Darren Rovell had a good piece this past week on the Chick-Fil-A Bowl and why it was one of the few brands that gained relevance in the non-BCS Bowl matchups…good primer for others…Michael Wilbon in the Washington Post bemoans the lack of interest in New Year’s Day Bowl games…Roy Johnson on his blog takes a look at where this year’s North Carolina Tar Heels may rank among teams of the past…AP has a good piece on Kentucky walk-on Landon Sloane and his sudden success…and the New York Times had a good piece this week on how the NFL continues to use the chain gang in a world of high tech innovation…

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We hope everyone has a happy New Year and finds the positives in ‘09 out of the turbulence of ‘08…the jobs that were lost at places like the IFL, EliteXC, the AFL, PR agencies, MISL, AAFL, open wheel racing consolidation, brands cutting back etc.  can hopefully be offset a bit by better quality freelance work, new media oppts., and by rewarding people for their diligence…the fact the amazing writers like Shaun Powell, Johnette Howard and George Solomon don’t yet have a place to ply their trade is alarming for those of us who like to read and appreciate the work of good journalists…since we know there are many young people who look at the site, attached are the links to two pages worth nothing, the compliation of some of the better and more informative sports and branding stories of ‘08, and some good books to read…hopefully you find them interesting and can share them with others looking to grow and be more informed…as always we are looking for more blog items and best practices, so send em along…my email remains fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com.  Happy 90th birthday to J.D. Salinger and thanks to all my friends who helped me through a very interesting, sometimes scary but very interesting ‘08.  I’m pretty excited about the challenges that lie ahead both personally and professionally, and as always if there is anything I can help you with…just ask

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