Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the University of Michigan spring football game.  It was a great experience to be a part of the fifty-some thousand people that were there to sing "The Victors" and see the new look Wolverines prepare for the upcoming season.  Being that this was only an exhibition, and the crowd totals were only about half of what they will typically be in September, but this did not keep marketers away.  As we were walking in, people were passing out and promoting the movie "Wolverine" which comes out in May.  I thought it was very interesting the way they incorportated the word Wolverine with the U of M Wolverines.  Throughout the game they had a variety of promotional events going on in conjunction with the game.  Each of these promotions had local endorsements and sponsorships.  Some of the promotions they had were kicking a field goal for free books, sponsored by the M Club and having fans text in what plays they want to see next on the field, sponsored by one of the local cell phone companies.

From this experience, I learned two things: a) the Michigan defense has more holes in it then Bernie Madoff's testimony, and b) marketers don't have an off-season.  Even at seemingly meaningless events like Spring Football games rely heavily on sponsorships and promotions in order to provide a desirable product.  

Predictions for the 2009-2010 season: 9-3, 2nd place in the Big Ten, Rose Bowl Victory over UCLA.  Call me ambitious, I call it true fanhood.

God Bless the Maize and Blue

Giving Back

I recently read an article on ESPN.com by Rick Reilley about the Arizona Diamondbacks. This season, the Arizona Diamond Backs are giving back to their fans. Last season, Jeff Moorad, Diamondback's CEO met a fan who told him about her life. She told him how she had lost everything, including her car, but another fan gave her season tickets and offered to drive her to and from the ballpark. Moorad was so moved by this story that he decided that the organization would give out season tickets to worthy individuals. The team received applications and heard many sad stories from very deserving individuals and families. This season, they gave away 41 season tickets totaling nearly $100,000 to mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and children, all with their own stories.
In an economy such as ours, complete with multi-million dollar cheaters (i.e. Alex Rodriguez and Bernie Madoff) it is refreshing to see an organization do something to give back. Sometimes, the smallest gestures, that often go unnoticed, yet even more often make the biggest difference in someone's life. People are pinching pennies to make ends meet, and the thought of taking a family to a MLB baseball game is often unrealistic, but if more organizations would take the initiative of the Diamondbacks to give back to those who have so little, the world may become a better place for everyone.
From a purely marketing stand point, this move is genius. The organization is getting national publicity by being a featured article on ESPN.com by a well-known author, Rick Reilley. It also shows a softer side of the CEO and the organization as a whole. Good PR can translate into larger profit margins in the near future for this organization. If it is a success, we may begin to see even more organizations partake in similar gimmicks and give away promotions.

God Bless.

Opening Day 2009

Ah yes...the MLB 2009 season is upon us. From now until October, the focus of many American sports fans will be on the 30 MLB teams competing for the ultimate prize, a World Series Championship. With the beginning of any new season comes change. The MLB is no exception. 14 teams have cut their opening day payrolls by at least $10 Million. Yes, that even includes those Damn Yankees. The state of the national economy has trickled down into some of the wealthiest organizations in the country. Teams are going to struggle to put people in the seats even more so than usual in many of the smaller market cities especially. Sacrifices need to be made in the forms of more promotions, ticket discounts, etc. if some of these teams hope to have a somewhat fiscally productive year. Because baseball has been around for years, marketers must be able to swtich their approach from convincing people to come to games to convincing people that the experience is worth the price of admission. Value is becoming a hot topic, even more so than in the past. Value drives profits in an entertainment industry like this one.

A Rising Star

Tomorrow night, the new Women's Professional Soccer League will play it's innaugural game at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles pitting the LA Soul vs. the Washington Freedom.  This will kick off a new league that will hopefully experience greater success than the WUSA which folded shortly after its beginning.  

The WPS is gaining more publicity this time around, mostly centered around arguably the greatest female soccer player on the planet, Marta.  Marta hails from Brazil, but has come to the US to hopefully help re-brand women's soccer and generate a fan base that will continue to grow in the future. 

If the WPS hopes to be successful, they must be extremely careful about how they market themselves.  They need to latch onto this international superstar and focus their marketing strategies around her.  They also need to be on the lookout for the next up and coming star in the future.  The players in the league should look for opportunities to volunteer within the communities of the cities in which they play.  They should focus on creating and maintaining an interest among young girls through camps and other activities that focus around soccer.

Good Luck.

NFL Expands...Again

It is the hope of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that by the 2010-2011 season, all 32 teams will be playing 17 or even 18 regular season games.  By doing this, the league will reduce it's preseason down to two games.  While this may seem like a fan's dream, there may be some hidden problems underneath.  First of all, less preseason games means less time to prepare for the real season which can impact the health and conditioning of the players as well as the overall product on the field.  With less time to prepare, the end result (i.e. the regular season) may not be up to fan's standards until the fourth or fifth week.  

Having a longer season also increases the risk of more injuries occurring to big name superstars throughout the league.  A 16-game season is grueling as it is, but an 18-game season could potentially be dangerous.  

From a marketing point of view, the length of the season has some pros and cons as well.  By lengthening the season, the NFL is able to generate more revenue from its sponsors.  It may also open up doors for new marketers to enter  as well.  Some downsides to this season-lengthening are the before-mentioned inherent risks associated with the loss of star players.  The NFL relies heavily on the health and success of its superstars.  If stars are becoming injured more often than not, marketers may began pulling their sponsorships and begin searching for alternative venues for reaching a specified market.

As a fan of football and the NFL, I would be in favor of the season being lengthened.  However, as an aspiring marketing professional myself, I understand the risk-reward scenario that exists.

May God be with you Goodell..

Be Well

Feeding a New Market

Earlier this week, the West Michigan White Caps and 5/3 Park released the 5/3 Burger.  This four pound burger.  This thing is disgusting....in the most delicious and magical way.  Five 1/3 pound patties, five slices of American cheese, salsa, Fritos, lettuce, tomatoes, queso dip, all served with a side of Pepto.  

Every year, organizations across the country in every sport experiment with different food options to feed their fans.  Everyone is searching for the next big attraction.  The WhiteCaps have decided to appeal to the stomachs and GI Tracts of theirs.  As a student in the area, I am looking forward to attending some games in the near future to try and make a dent in one.

As far as marketing this new product, the WhiteCaps are gaining national exposure with spots on Sportscenter and the Today Show.  They have also released press releases to the Grand Rapids Press and MLive.com.  It will be interesting to see how this product will coincide with some of the other promotional events that the organization already participates in such as Thrifty Thursdays which targets college students primarily by offering $2 beers, hot dogs, and soft pretzels.  The burger is being sold for $20 which may seem counter-intuitive in comparison to the thriftiness of the other items, but it is so big that it will feed four people so the costs can easily be divided.

Oh yeah... its 4800 Calories and 300 g of fat...

Eat your heart out West Michigan...literally

Be Well.

Just Shut Up

This past Saturday, during a post-game press conference, UConn's Head Men's Basketball Coach, Jim Calhoun found himself in a bit of a pickle. He was less than enthused to answer questions regarding his salary of $1.6 Million to coach teenagers at a public university in leiu of the current national deficit of $944 Million. He 'advised' one reporter to "Shut Up." Why so sensitive Jim? Is it because you realize, that even though your program alone generates about $12 Million in revenue for the university, you are just one man. Or is it because you realize, that despite this astounding figure, you have little to do with the actual generation of any fiscal benefits, and coaches half as qualified being paid half as much as you, would be able to generate just about the same amount? I'm going to go with 'C', all of the above on this one. While Jim Calhoun is a fantastic coach (551-202 as head man at UConn), it is the prestige and the tradition that makes UConn's men's and, for that matter, women's basketball programs so successful year in and year out. This continual success leads to larger revenues. Alumni are willing to pay top dollar year after year to check out the current squads in action.

Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily have an issue with Calhoun making money doing what he does best, molding young men into some of the game's elite, grooming college studs into NBA Superstars (Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Omeka Okafur, Ben Gordon ring a bell?). However, let's put the whole thing into perspective. Calhoun, like many other high profile coaches, (i.e. Pete Carroll topping the charts for college coaches at $4.4 million per year) are paid exuberant amounts of money to be the voice of reason and driving force of motivation behind 12 or so college athletes. This isn't brain surgery. He isn't leading a team of experts in the field of neurophysics (I reall don't know if this field exists, but if it does, kudos to those who partake) he is trying to break the Georgetown full court press, and implement defensive tactics to stop Luke Harangody of Notre Dame. He's coaching a children's game. The whole idea of coaches and athletes alike being paid ridiculous amounts of money to display their talents for our entertainment is part of a much bigger problem. People place so much of an emphasis on dollars and cents, on endorsement deals, incentives, and buyout options. I really wish that people, myself included, would start worrying more about the integrity of the sports that we enjoy rather than the number of zeros included in our favorite athlete or coach's paycheck. I never thought that I would say this, considering my overly-competitive nature, but people are taking sports too seriously. I blame technology and more specifically, ESPN for making information too accessible. Why do I care what Brook Lopez of the New Jersey Nets has to say about Devin Harris's amazing half court shot from last night? Why can't I just enjoy the shot for what it is, amazing.

In summation, Jim Calhoun is a tremendous head coach, and has his team, once again, in position to make a run to the Final Four. In regards to your salary though, maybe it would be best if you, "Just Shut Up."

Be Well.