Millsport Blog

Target goes for two in the Twin Towns

Not quite sure what Target's naming-rights deal for the new Twins stadium in Minneapolis means for the Target Center and the Timberwolves.  Will Target continue both naming rights deals in the same market, literally two blocks from each other or is this a transition to get out of the Target Center and roll into Target Field in 2010? 

It's unusual for a brand to have two naming rights deals in the same market.

Also, the Twins have a highest reach in the Twins Cities among the market's other pro teams (Vikings, Wild and Wolves) and that's playing indoors at the (sagging) Metrodome for many years.  I'm sure Twins fans -- and, perhaps more importantly, non-fans -- will be excited to experience Major League Baseball outdoors for a change.

Clearly, Target is aligning its brand with this new experience.  In the upper-Midwest there are only a few months of the year when you can enjoy the outdoors and heading out to a first-class ballpark is a nice way to do so.

For Target, this deal will deliver prominent exposure for the brand in a top 15 Market.  Further, it's likely MLB will award an upcoming All-Star game to the new stadiums, so Target can expect to reap the benefits of the new field on a national level as well. -- Liz Panich

NBA's OKC franchise goes generic

Pulling a page from the USFL's (or CBA's or XFL's or Arena League's or WNBA's) playbook, the NBA's new franchise in Oklahoma City has selected "Thunder" as its nickname. 

Xtreme, Rage, Blitz, Gold, Fire, Burn, Shock, Fever, Thunder -- they all have one thing in common:  They're soulless. 

The franchise's previous name -- the Seattle SuperSonics -- had personality, style, and a soul.  It honored the city's roots as an aerospace hub just as the Packers, Vikings, Oilers, Dolphins, Rockets, Astros, Pistons, and so many other teams have paid tribute to the history and heritage of the cities and regions they call home.  These names are distinct, unique, memorable.  They're real.

"Thunder" is a generic moniker that's safe.  It's also amorphous and generic.  And a poor choice for a team trying to create a brand.

Wanna get noticed? Give your product away

Breathe Right did it 15 years ago.  Now, it's Kinesio Tape that's benefiting from giving away its product.

Back in the early 1990s, the makers of Breathe Right nasal strips -- the Band-Aid-looking strips that you put across your nose to help open your nasal passages -- gave away boxes and boxes of the product to NFL trainers.  In turn, they handed them out to players, who wore them on national TV.

The folks at Kinesio Tape have done the same thing, donating 50,000 rolls of the "therapeutic tape" to nearly 60 countries at the Olympics last month in Beijing.

If you watched a minute of the U.S. women's beach volleyball games, you saw Kerri Walsh with it all over her right shoulder.

Said one company exec:  "We couldn't have paid for better exposure."

Of course, the key is getting your product into the right hands.  It's the old "influence those who can influence others" strategy.

Not every product is right for this strategy.  In the case of Breathe Right and Kinesio Tape, both are products that are worn -- conspicuously -- by high-profile athletes at high-profile events.  The message is that these products help the athletes perform at an even higher level.

Having a popular, highly-visible, and gold medal-winning athlete wear your product on the world's biggest stage will clearly boost awareness.  But in this case, it's also likely that amateur athletes -- from high school and college kids to marathoners to the hard-core hoopster down at the park -- will remember the product, head to the web to check it out, and consider purchasing it (or ask the school's trainer to get some).

It's not free, but compared to traditional advertising, and when done properly, it's significantly more credible and, ultimately, more powerful.

Lots of strong storylines as Cup Series playoffs draw near

With one race to go before the final 12 “Chase” drivers are locked in, the 2008 season is shaping up to provide among the most compelling “Cup Series playoffs” ever.

A few key storylines from among the current field:

Dale Jr.:  New to Hendrick this year after departing his father’s race team, and currently fourth in the standings, Junior is the sport’s No. 1 driver by multiple measures – fan popularity, merchandise sales, etc.  And his absence from last year’s Chase makes it that much more interesting this time around.

Jeff Gordon:  Junior’s teammate and four-time Cup champ, Jeff is No. 2 by many of the same measures listed above.  After finishing as the runner up last year, could this be the year he wins "one for the thumb"?

Jimmie Johnson:  Another member of the Hendrick team, Jimmie is the two-time defending Cup champion and an emerging personality off the track.  He has three wins this year, including this past weekend in California.  Jimmie could be peaking at just the right time to go back-to-back-to-back.

Tony Stewart:  A two-time Cup champion, Tony is in his last year with Gibbs before he begins work for his new team, of which he is co-owner.    What a story it would be if Tony ends his time with JGR with a third Cup Championship.

Kyle Busch:  He’s enjoying a Cup series-leading eight wins this year.  With budding rival Carl Edwards up next with six Cup Series wins this year, it could get interesting on the track over the final 10 races.

There’s the always-dangerous Kevin Harvick and the lurking Denny Hamlin.  And has there ever been a quieter fifth-place standing than that of consistent Jeff Burton?

From the team standpoint, with four top-tier organizations (Hendrick, Gibbs, Roush Fenway & RCR) currently dominating the final 12 spots with three drivers each, the symmetry appears perfect. 

It’s sure shaping up to be a made-for-TV playoff. -- KC

If a team's winning, is a marketing department necessary?

I see where the Dallas Stars are seeing a spike in season-ticket sales. 

Of course, it shouldn't come as a much of a surprise that a team's success impacts season ticket sales the following season.  Is it a surprise when ticket sales to a band's concerts jump after the release of a successful album? 

"Winning" is something that teams try to capitalize on almost immediately after their playoff run comes to an end.  It's the old "strike while the iron's hot" strategy.  And it makes sense.

But nowhere is the correlation between a team's success and ticket sales stronger than in Dallas. It's especially true with a sport such as hockey that's not indigenous to the local environment.

Dallas natives consider their town to be a top sports city, which it is based on the recent success of the Cowboys, Mavericks and Stars (Rangers?  Not so much.). However, tickets quickly become available here – even for the beloved Cowboys – when things go south.

It was only a few seasons ago when there were lots of empty seats at Texas Stadium and the visiting Steelers' fans nearly outnumbered Cowboy supporters. In places like Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Philadelphia and Denver, tickets are scarce even in the down seasons.

So it behooves Stars management to make hay while the sun shines (too many cliche's there?).  This time last year, the discussion was about how tough a time the Stars were having selling tickets thanks to another early playoff exit and a low-scoring team.

A year later, an infusion of offensive firepower and a run to the Western Conference Finals have put the Stars back on everyone's radar.  Such is the life of the Dallas sports fan...

Here's the problem for the marketing and sales departments at pro, minor league, and college teams:   If you're only succeeding at your job when the team wins, what's your value?  In other words, if the only factor driving attendance and sponsorship sales is the on-field product (i.e., a winning record and an exciting team), why are you necessary?

After all, you have no control over the on-field/on-ice/on-court product.  From a marketing perspective, focusing on those things you can control becomes even more important when the team is struggling.

Was this the X-Games' breakout moment?

Last night at the opening of the X-Games, skater Danny Way put on a performance that had me wondering if this was a seminal moment in the life of extreme/action sports.

It happened in the breathtaking Big Air competition, where skaters fly amazing distances both horizontally and vertically. On the descent of Way's vertical, he flipped -- horrifically -- and lay motionless for five minutes at the base of the run with what would later be diagnosed as a broken foot.  And this on top of a back injury he was already nursing.

Yet against the counsel of the medical staff and to the astonishment of the packed Staples Center crowd in Los Angeles, he not only took his next run -- he nailed it. The guy could barely stand straight and walk and, in a testament to the power of adrenaline, courage, incredible skills, and quite possibly a screw loose somewhere, Danny Way scored a silver in the competition.

It was captivating, buzz-generating television.

Wonder if it'll be a big enough buzz to generate the kind of numbers that move the event beyond the black hoodie and flat-billed cap crowd. -- SB

A year later, buzz around Beckham fades

I see where the "Beckham Buzz" has quieted some.  Not exactly surprising.  Professional soccer has never been at the forefront in America and an aging, oft-injured player who (at this point in his career) is more flash than substance wasn't the right person to take it to the next level.

He certainly hasn't hurt the MLS.  Clearly, there are people who've heard of the league and, perhaps, even attended a game or two thanks to Becks.

But, despite what the British tabloids write, it's going to take something or someone bigger from within the U.S. to make soccer a premier sport in the States. Eventually, many of these kids who start their athletic lives on soccer fields will be able to make some noise in international play.  Building your own soccer stars is a better bet than borrowing someone's leftovers. -- DD

The quietest sports day of the day

Black Wednesday (no, not that Black Wednesday):  The day after the MLB All-Star game.  Arguably the quietest sports day of the year.  One of only two days each year when the Big Four (NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB) are off. 

So why hasn't someone stepped up to fill the void?  Why doesn't someone attempt to capitalize on this?

Here's a thought:  The Arena Football League has its championship this coming weekend.  In the future, maybe today would be a good time-slot for the AFL to maximize fan interest. 

No?  Well,there's always Zorbing... -- JM

Favre goes on offensive

He doesn't have a blog, so Brett Favre's turned to Greta Van Susteren and FOX News to make sure the world gets his side of the story.  Here's her lead-in to the Favre interview:

"For the first time, the Packer legend answers all the questions the world has been asking for weeks, and you will only see it here."

Dear Brett, make a decision and stick to it.  After a great season, it looked like you, one of my all-time favorites, was calling it a career.  You didn’t quite go out on the high note that Elway did, but, hey, it was still a memorable effort and a nice exit from the game.

Will his flip-flopping impact his marketability?  Doubt it.  In fact, EA Sports has him on the cover of its 20th Anniversary edition of the Madden video game.

According to our own Davie Brown Index (DBI), Favre rates as one of the most appealing figures in all of sports.  U.S. consumers see him as trustworthy, aspirational, and influential.  And, thanks to the FOX interview, his awareness levels will get a nice boost.  Brands love the guy.

In Brett's spots for TMobile's home phone service (click on the MOVING spot), he appears at a press conference saying "hello" instead of "goodbye."  Maybe it was foreshadowing... -- JM

HR Derby ratings up

I see where the Home Run Derby was the most-watched ad-supported cable program of the year so far.  ESPN hasn't had so many people watching since 2006, when Florida State took on Miami.  State Farm, title sponsor of the HR Derby, has got to be pleased.

What drove interest (other than a steady barrage of ESPN promos)?  That the clock's ticking down on Yankee Stadium, one of the last great American baseball venues, was likely compelling enough for viewers to tune in to for awhile.

Here's what the HR Derby was up against:

- The season premiere's of "The Closer" and "Saving Grace" over on TNT.
- New episodes of "American Gladiators" and "Nashville Star" on NBC.
- A special one-hour episode of ABC's "The Mole."

Not exactly must-see TV... -- CA