Category Archives: Sports

Does Youth Marketing = Long Term Sales

Posted by Andy Boyer in Big Businesses, Marketing, Sports

NikePremierClub_03_black.jpgNow this may or may not have existed when I ws a kid, but today there are exclusive soccer academies for youth players, boys and girls.  I was talking to a parent of one of a player in one of these elite programs last week, and fascinated by all the expenses.  Monthly dues for coaches salaries, several hundred dollars for travel, and sveral hundred dollars for a complete kit.

The kit is what made me laugh (in soccer a uniform is called a "kit").  Home and away jerseys and shorts, practice kits, 5 pair of socks, warm up gear, sweatshirt, jacket, bag, etc…and they all are NIKE.
 

Furthermore, don’t even think about showing up onany field with your team in anything other than Nike.  Let’s say by chance, as you are putting your socks on, you rip a giant hole in the heel and toe.  So mom runs down to the local sporting good store to get you some new socks.  If they don’t have Nike socks, you will not get to play that day.  That goes for games and PRACTICE. No Nike, no play.  (Thankfully, for safety reasons, shoes are a player’s personal preference.)

nikeball.jpgNow, I get what Nike is doing.  They must provide some equipment or something to the program, and in return, this academy becomes a running, shooting, tackling billboard all over the state.  But I have to wonder if it’s effective.  If kids see Nike as a "uniform" that they have to wear (and buy), is it the same as "choosing" to wear something?  When they get older, will they choose Nike because it is ubiquitous in their mind with "Soccer gear" or will they choose another brand that represents "going against the grain" and "not what your mom made you wear for soccer."  And the other teams, the ones who get beat 8-0 but this Nike wearing machine, does that leave them with a feeling that they want to wear Nike as well?  Or does it make them mad that Nike is sponsoring kids that aren’t them.  

I’d love to see research into this.   

March Madness Ads, Hour 18

Posted by Andy Boyer in Big Businesses, Marketing, Media, Sports

Ok, so I am justifying my near addiction to watching March Madness by doing “research” on national TV ads running non-stop on CBS.  Now while they are all interesting the first time you see them, here are my reviews 18 hours in:

1) The “What does your creative team actually do all year?” Award – Enterprise Rent-A-Car:  Seriously guys, who’s sleeping with the head of the agency you are using for these predicatble, lame ads.  Your as are on ike 20 times a game.  And there’s a hand written sign that says, “Repair Shop” in frame in case we can’t figure out why there is a mechanic working under a hood. You’ve been doing these ads for 10+ years, spend a couple bucks and get a real creative team.

2) The “Thanks for The Cool Highlights, Do You have Anymore” Award – Again, Enterprise.  4 or 5 awesome college highlights.  But only one spot?  You can’t find another 40 or 50 cool highlights and splic ethem together so I get new highlights all the time?  Please?

3)  The “Best New Ad Tagline I Remember So Far” Award: I dig the new AT&T ad where everyone says hello in a different way.

4) “Best use of a Single Letter” – I can’t remember which car the are promoting, which is a problem, but the visual concept of a world without the letter H is clever.

5)  “Second Favorite” – The Bud Light “Dude” campaign.  It works because you get it whether the sound is on or off.

6) “Favorite Ad” – This ad isn’t exclusive to the Tourney, but I love the Nike Sparq, “My Better is Better than your Better” campaign.

Other Ads I have positive feelings toward:  I think I remember liking the CBS shows (Brittney Spears on next week), DiGiorno, Papa John’s and State Farm.

Sunday Aternoon Additions:

  • Ok Enterprise, your ads just get more annoying with every watching…
  • Why does State Farm think it’s cool for a groom to be wearing tennis shoes?
  • I’m almost compelled to join the Marines or Army.
  • I’m also getting ready to jump on Rhapsody and listen to the Apple Air theme song in its entirety.
  • Finally, the Saturn ads make me laugh every time.

In conclusion, I guess I don’t understand enough about brand marketing and TV ads to know why you would buy and entire weekend worth of ads, playing for people who will see them over and over again, and not really spend a lot of time or money on top-notch creative.  Congrats to the companies who put in the effort.

 

A Feel Good Story, Courtesy of the New York Yankees

Posted by Andy Boyer in Charity, Marketing, Media, Sports

Maybe it’s because the new Yankees regime is headed by the Boss, Part Deux.  Or maybe they just seem softer now that Red Sox Nation has taken over the mantle of "Most Obnoxious Fans Alive."  But for whatever reason, the Bronx Bombers trip from Tampa to Virginia Tech to play an exhibition game and visit the student memorials certainly feels like altruism and genuine caring, not a marketing stunt.  Amongst all the hate and rhetoric being thrown around the political fields these days, it’s nice to read something like this ESPN.com article.

The Fight to Keep the Sonics – A Hero Emerges

Posted by Andy Boyer in Big Businesses, Marketing, Media, Sports

simmons.jpgThe sad story concerning the absolute theft of the Sonics from Seattle by Oklahoma oilmen has gotten almost no publicity to date.  Considering we are the city that launched Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft, RealNetworks, Cranium and Pearl Jam, you would think collectively we might have the phone number of one PR person in town.

But amazingly, for the most part, no one outside of Seattle seems to take note of a very simple story:

  1. In 2006, Oklahoma guys buy team that’s been in Seattle for 41 years  A team that plays in a 17,000 seat arena, in the middle of downtown, that was renovated 10 years ago.
  2. New owners demand $500 Million new arena from taxpayers, an arena that would cost more than the 70,000 seat football stadium and 47,000 seat retractable roof baseball stadium.
  3. City tells Oklahoma City guys to stick it.
  4. Oklahoma guys claim they can’t be successful in Seattle and announce they have remarkably found a city willing to take the team – in Oklahoma City.
  5. Local Billionaires who were asleep at the switch in 2006 say they will buy team to keep it in Seattle.
  6. Oklahoma guys, who now have Kevin Durant and six 1st round draft picks in the next 3 years, tell the local Billionaires to stick it.
  7. David Stern looks at Seattle fans, and tells them to stick it.  Then stick it again for good measure.
  8. Everyone acknowldges the only question is whether they leave in 2008 or 2010.

Thankfully, one national reporter has taken up the cause.  And the amazing thing is, he is the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, as influential as any writer in sports today.  His letterbag column is a must read, and carries with it the potential that NBA fans from across teh country could tell David Stern, "Hey, this isn’t right.  I support the Pistons, but damn if I’m going to support a league that will let some oil baron rape and plunder a 41 year old legacy."

So please, read Bill Simmons.  Send an email to thank Bill Simmons.  Join the Bill Simmons Facebook Group.  Send the Bill Simmons column on to your friends.  Blog about Bill Simmons.  Because this Bostonian has emrged as the only sportswriter who seems to care that the Sonics belong in Seattle.  

Digg the Bill Simmons article here.

On Site Super Bowl 42

Posted by Andy Boyer in Big Businesses, Marketing, Media, Personal, Sports

So, I would love to go into detail about the NFL Experience, a giant travelling tradeshow attached to Super Bowl 42. And so I slogged out the 30 miles to God forsaken Glendale to file a report at 1:00pm on Friday.

 
However, much to my chagrin, the NFL didn’t have an experience for the public from 1:00 to 3:00pm. During those hour, it’s only experience is for season ticket holders and special guests. Since I had already burned a half day and $10 in parking, I gamely decided to see what else the NFL had for me.

Unfortunately, the only experience I was allowed, was Westgate Center.

Now I need to properly frame Glendale Stadium. And I think the best way to do this is to weave in a popular conspiracy theory. You see, 10 years ago there was this giant expanse of desert wasteland far west of Phoenix. The conspiracy theory is that a bunch of rich guys bought up this worthless property. Then, for some unexplained reason, a highway was built through this wasteland, a giant loop that ran around Phoenix, from I-10, all the way around the city and back to I-10 on the other side. Shortly thereafter, legislators decided all this open land with this convenient highway would be an ideal place for a new sports stadium. And since the stadium was so far removed from ANYTHING, the natural solution was to build a hockey arena as well, and build up the property around the stadium with hotels, bars, restaurants, condos and shops.So if you google Glendale, what you will see is 2 huge stadiums, a shopping mall, and then acres of empty land in all directions.  Desert wasteland which is now worth a fortune.

But I digress.

Now I’m out amongst the cacti and my only option is to go hang out by the shopping mall and hope for the best.  To be fair, Westgate is pretty cool if you are looking for a place to grab food and drink before a game.  All the standard chain bars are there (Margaritaville, Bar Louie, Fox Sports, etc….)

But this really re-iterated the point that at Super Bowl Weekend, you need VIP or Insider Status if you want to do anything cool.  Sure, they have parkinglot exhibits and stuff liek that, but without any kind of priority access, you are really getting about 10% of the total experience.  That’s not a lament or complaint, just a realization.  And now that I think about it, I kind of remember things like the NBA and MLB All-Star Game being the same way (but I had the access then, so I didn’t care…)

So, no great report from NFL Experience.  I heard secondhand stories that it was crowded, there was no food and the exhibits were so so.   So, i probably lucked out.

Congrats LSU

Posted by Andy Boyer in Sports

It’s probably fitting that in the craziest year of NCAA Football I can remember, the LSU Tigers travel 90 miles down I-10 to win the National Championship in a stadium wiped out 2 years ago and in a city that’s used to double or triple Baton’s Rouge’s population.

And I won’t go on a total rant here, but hasn’t this college football season finally convinced everyone that SOMETHING has to be done.  Among my 4 or 5 solutions, here’s the one I think would be a breeze to pull off.

 

  • All conference champs need to be decided by the weekend after Thanksgiving.  This year, that was Dec 1.
  • Dec 8, the 6 real conference champs and 2 wildcards play. I don’t even care how you seed them.
  • On Jan 1, you have 2 bowl games with the final 4 teams
  • On Jan 8, you have your National Championship. 

 

This accomplishes several things:

  • If you are a conference that is scared your 2nd best team may sneak out a win in a conference championship game and eliminate your strongest contender, well then don’t play a championship game.
  • If BYU goes 12-0, they might get a Dec 8 bid.
  • If someone dominates all year and loses a heatbreaker in Week 12, they can still get a wildcard birth.
  • If you schedule two top teams early, and lose, but then run the table in your conference, you can still win.  

There are better options, but this one seems so dang easy to implement, I don’t know why you wouldn’t do it as a replacement to the ludicrous system that only satsifes people who work at the NCAA. 

So here is what that would have looked like this year:

Dec 8 – Some combination of USC (Pac 10), Oklahoma (Big 12 upset winner), Ohio State (Big 10), LSU (SEC), West Virginia (Big East), Virginia Tech (ACC), and some combination of Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Hawaii and Georgia.  

So, your Dec 8 could have been: Ohio State (1) vs West Virginia (9); LSU (2) vs Missouri (6) or Kansas (8); Virginia Tech (3) vs USC (7); Oklahoma (4) vs Georgia (5).  Now that would have been a fun Saturday of football.   

But anyway, congrats to LSU.  Geaux Tigers. 

What Does “No Comment” Really Mean?

Posted by Andy Boyer in Media, Sports

(Contributed by Garrett Galbreath, Snohomish Bureau Chief) 

I always wonder what the "no comment" comment really means.  I think in most cases, it means:

    "Yeah, I was involved but I am not saying a thing" (the "screw you").

    Or

    "Yeah, I was involved in some manner, but I refuse to say anything because you are going to blow it way out of proportion"  (pleading the Fifth)

But what about when you can’t be reached for comment?  You aren’t necessarily a major player in a story, but it is obvious that you would have some insight that may prove enlightening.  Of course there is the possibility that you might slip up and reveal something that you didn’t intend to.  Hence, I give you this story from the Seattle Times:

The part that I am most interested in is the sixth paragraph from the bottom:

"Other prominent ex-Mariners, like Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and Dan Wilson, could not be reached for comment."

The smartest move these guys could make is to not answer the phone for six months or more.  Screen all calls.  Don’t let anyone get the chance to slip you up…

And by the way, if you were a steroid dealing low-life who had access to the Mariners locker room, would Raul Ibanez and Jamie Moyer be on your list of guys you had to contact?  Probably not…

If the University of Washington Was a Corporation

Posted by Andy Boyer in Big Businesses, Marketing, Personal, Sports

I hesitate to write this article because I am pressed for time and really want to do a good job on this one.  But the topic is starting to get stale, so I really need to bang it out.

uw2.jpgYou probably heard that the University of Washington fired Athletic Director Todd Turner this week.  It was a mutual decision, but one in which the school will pay him close to half a million dollars a year to NOT come to work anymore, before his contract runs out sometime in 2009. (Someone please tell me how I can get one of these gigs.)

I’m not a rabid Dawg fan or anything, but I do find the scenario fascinating.  Because two weeks ago, this same University made a somewhat controversial non-decision by not firing the football coach they already had.  Then a week later, out of the blue, his boss got the axe instead.  So I want to look at this from a pure business perspective, and analyze this as if the UW was a public corporation.

So, let’s call UW President Mark Emmert the corporation’s CEO. Let’s say the corporation has 3 major divisions – Athletics, Academics and Research.  Todd Turner is the Exec VP of Athletics.  Turner has a bunch of product groups under him, tasked with a number of brand categories.  The Director of Football is Tyrone Willingham.  Willingham has a bunch of Product Managers (his coaches) developing features (the players) for his overall product (the Football team).

Now for a few years now, the product has stunk.  And the main reason the overall product has stunk is that the features have not been all that great.  Willingham was brought in 3 years ago to improve the features and get a better product to market.

Now the shareholders (the alumni) have been getting restless.  They are tired of Oregon and WSU developing better products than them.  They are tired of their grandchildren wanting to buy WSU and Oregon products.  And a few key shareholders have been hinting at investing their money somewhere else.

So the CEO does what every CEO should do.  He asks his Exec VP – "What’s going wrong?"  Turner replies, "The current features are already built so you can’t change them.   The product managers are working hard, so they should keep their job.  And the Director of Football is a great guy who’s really trying hard, so we need to keep him as well." 

 Now the CEO has a problem.   His shareholders are revolting, and his Exec VP has just told him, "Hey man, everything is cool here. Everyone is really trying hard."

The CEO retreats into his office and thinks.  "Well, if this is them trying HARD, what happens if they stop trying?  And why doesn’t my Exec VP seem to care that we never hit our numbers?  Our biggest product in his department is continuing to underachieve, and he’s not mad – in fact he his proud of his guys for trying hard!"

uw1.jpgIn this scenario, the firing of Todd Turner makes perfect sense.  Really, CEO Emmert had no choice.  Underperforming product, no punishment of the low levels of management and no promises of improvement.  The axe had to fall at the top.

Now, college football has different timing than a corporation, but if you follow this analogy, I think it’s easy to imagine that the whole division is going to be "reorganized" sometime after the new boss gets in.

 

Seahwaks Show Absolute Class

Posted by Andy Boyer in Sports

12thManFlag.jpgThere are a few ways to spin the article I’m going to link you to.   From a sports angle, you could easily make a comparison between the Seahawks and Sonics, and instantly understand why Seattlites paid $500 million for one stadium, but won’t pay for the other.  From a business angle, I think it’s a great illustration of the difference between going above and beyond a level of class imaginable, and simply doing something as a Marketing gimmick. 

So please read this article from TheLoveofSports.com.  It will give you a whole new appreciation for the class in the Seahawks organization.  Note to other teams around the league and in the area: THIS is how you get fans to do irrational things for you – you become bigger than the sport itself.

(Photo from archives of King5.com)