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