The most general principal of sports marketing on the team side is finding a way to promote and sell your brand without being dependent on winning, since the on-field results are outside of your control. It seems like along those lines, Canada may have made a mistake with their “Own the Podium” program. I had this thought while reading a recent ESPN.com article about Canada conceding the Olympic medal race.

To provide a quick background, the “Own the Podium” program was an effort by Canada to commit more money to their Olympic athletes that have the best chance of winning medals, with the overall goal of taking home the most medals of any competing nation. Canada currently sits in 5th place with just ten medals, 15 behind current leader, the United States. Now I’m not saying they shouldn’t have committed the money towards their athletes to help them try and succeed in their respective sports. I applaud their efforts to provide extra support to their athletes leading up to and during their host Olympics. However, I think they mis-branded their efforts, and because they are going to fall short in the overall medal count, the program now appears to have failed.

By publicly branding their efforts to “Own the Podium” with a goal of winning the most medals of any country, they created a perception that anything less than perfection would be failure. Canada finished third in the medal count four years ago, and before that, they never finished higher than fourth, so this was quite a goal to set. They could have made the same financial commitment to their athletes with a goal of being in the top 3 (which fits with the general theme of the top 3 athletes receiving medals), and this still would have been a huge (and still achievable) accomplishment. They also could have branded their program with something more related to being the host country than with specific results, something like “The Pride of Canada”. This focuses the rallying cry around supporting the local athletes, not just on their results. By conceding that they will not reach their goal, Canadian athletes and fans alike could easily look back to the 2010 Vancouver Games and think about their nation’s failure instead of pride in their country for hosting the Games and in their athletes for their efforts. Not only that, by making this public concession now, they’ve potentially overshadowed any additional medals that Canadian athletes win during the remainder of the Games.

Of course, the other side of this would be if they did achieve their goal, the Canadian Olympic Committee would look absolutely brilliant. In general, tying any branding or marketing platform to the on-field results is a high risk/high reward proposition, and when you’re dealing with a global stage like the Olympics, I don’t think it was worth the risk.

The folks over at The Goldklang Group have been running a marketing campaign called “Be Your Own Fan” across the four professional baseball organizations that they represent. To support that initiative, they’ve created a great website called “Be Your Own Fan TV” (byoftv.com). Every two weeks, they release a new video that provides an inside look at a different element of sports business. So far, they’ve produced seven videos that cover topics such as reporting, television production, public relations, baseball operations and more.

I’ve included two of their recent videos here to give you all a preview. They do an excellent job in creating both entertaining and informative content. You can visit their website, byoftv.com, to view additional episodes.

Quick post for you all on this Monday morning, but it’s an important one. I wanted to share with you a letter that I recently received from the salesperson who sold me my car:

Dear Russell,

Hello!  I hope you do not mind my staying in touch with you!  It has been about six months since you purchased your new vehicle and I just want you to know I am here, at your service.

I hope you will give me a call any time you, your family or your friends have any automotive needs or questions.  I am here to help.  Remember, my commitment is to be of service to you.

Sincerely,
– HIS NAME HERE –
– HIS COMPANY –
– HIS PHONE & EMAIL –

There’s nothing fancy here, no sales pitches or angles. Just a simple message to say hello and see if there’s anything I need. Yes, there is a subtle reference to potential referrals, but that’s an important part of sales, and most of the time, people do need a little prodding before they’d refer a personal contact.

To me, a letter like this is a critical component on maintaining a valuable relationship with your customers, and this can easily be applied by sales and service staff for any sports organization. You don’t always need a reason to reach out to your season ticket holders. Sometimes just saying hello is enough to make them feel valued and important. It’s also a great way to casually remind them about your product, and that alone can lead to incremental sales and increased customer lifetime value at practically no cost to you.

Last spring, I wrote about an interesting promotion that Coke Zero was running in conjunction with NCAA Basketball called “Taste the Madness.” The idea was simple – fans were encouraged to submit their craziest fan videos supporting their school, and the best video would become part of a Coke Zero advertisement before the championship game.

This year, instead of another “video” contest, they are tapping into fan creativity in a different way. Every viewer has their own ideas on how they can improve their fan experience, but outside of their own circle of friends, they don’t have a large platform to share their ideas. Coke Zero is using this concept to create a “Department of Fannovation” campaign where people can share their ideas on a large scale through the website http://www.cokezero.com/ncaa (you can also click here to watch a video on how the contest works).

The top 64 ideas will get entered into a “Brain Bracket” just like the traditional NCAA basketball bracket. Fan votes will determine the winner in each match-up until one idea is the crowned champion and receives the top prize of $10,000 and a trip to the 2011 NCAA Final Four. There will also be prizes for making the bracket itself and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four levels.

For Coca-Cola, the goal is to connect the idea of innovation back to the Coke Zero brand and the way they “innovated” a new diet beverage that still mirrors the traditional Coke flavor. Doing this through a platform like the NCAA tournament, which has a very passionate and interactive fan base, has the potential to make a deeper brand impact among this particular consumer audience (and we know that sports fans are more likely to be brand-loyal consumers).

One of the things I love about minor league sports is that they have so much freedom to try different things, and ultimately, all their promotions revolve around creating a fun atmosphere for their customers. They realize that they have a very wide spectrum of customers, from the local die-hard baseball fans to families looking for affordable entertainment. For many, minor league sports are the only alternative for those that want to attend live sporting events, but cannot afford the prices that come with tickets to major league games.

Here is a great example that I just stumbled upon from the Trenton Thunder, one of the local minor league teams here in New Jersey. They decided well before the season starts that they want to have something special to offer on any given day of the week, so why not let everyone know about it now and get their fans excited about what days they want to come to the ballpark. Their plans breaks down as such:

• Kids Eat Free Mondays – great for bring families out to the game
• $1 Dog Tuesdays – A favorite marketing tactic for any cost-conscious buyers
• Wacky Wednesdays – Theme nights designed for those that want more than just baseball entertainment when they come to a game
• Thirsty Thursdays – Beer specials and fireworks, who doesn’t enjoy that?
• Family Fun Fridays – Giveaways and fireworks, again geared toward family consumers, but without any discounting involved
• Fireworks Spectacular Saturdays – Another way to generate excitement for the less baseball-obsessive customers (who would come to games anyway)
• Kids Rule Sundays – Giveaways, youth entertainers, opportunity for kids to run the bases, and a free ticket incentive for Kids Club members (which can boost sales of their $15 kids membership club

This is an excellent mix of tactics that should help the team reach a wide customer base beyond the team’s core fan base. In addition, all of these promotions can be successful individually , but without a schedule, it is much more challenging for the team to try and promote each separate event or offer. By taking this approach, the Thunder can really plan our their marketing efforts for the season knowing that each of these offers occurs on a consistent schedule.

Yes, this post has to do with Tiger Woods, but not in the same manner as most of the other stories circulating out on the Internet. I want to quickly address the unique opportunity that Tiger’s absence is creating in the business landscape for golf. Beyond the basic idea that other golfers will have a better chance of winning and building up their own brand, this is an incredible chance for equipment manufacturers that are NOT endorsed by Tiger to step up and gain market share.

For example, I saw this Phil Mickelson/Callaway commercial twice this weekend (click here to view the video).

I believe one time I saw it during a Sunday NFL game, which is an expensive time slot. Now I don’t remember seeing many Callaway commercials over the past few months, so hopefully this is an example of Callaway realizing that Nike is vulnerable right now. By committing more money to their advertising spend, I believe that this will be their best chance to steal market share from Nike. This same approach can be taken from any other golf club, ball or apparel manufacturer.

Hopefully all of these non-Tiger-endorsed golf companies are reevaluating their media spend budget and schedule right now. How many opportunities like this will they get to make a big dent in their competition?

Yesterday I received an email from the Arizona State Athletic Department, announcing that all students would be given free admission for the next three home games. That got me to thinking about what other teams were offering to their fans this holiday seasons.

In Miami: You get to take your pick, the Panthers (up to 7 games, a puck and free parking), the Marlins (one ticket to each home series in 2010) and the Heat (too complicated to even get into here).

In Cleveland: The Cavaliers have a holiday ticket plan that includes two Cavaliers games and a Lake Erie Monsters game (hockey) with the choice of either the Harlem Globetrotters, Disney on Ice or a Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament game. The Plan can cost as little as $79 and you get a FREE Cavs basketball. Not too shabby for anyone within shooting distance of Lake Erie.

In Atlanta: The Falcons’ Holiday Package includes two tickets to the Buffalo Bills game on December 27 (who wouldn’t want to see the Bills play? I would!!) and a $50 gift certificate to hhgregg.com (an online appliance and electronics store). Package of two tickets starts at $98.

In Los Angeles: Chivas USA is offering tickets to four games for as low as $45. The interesting thing about this one is that they are offering tickets to games that traditionally sell well. Games include the home opener versus the Colorado Rapids and match-ups with in-town rivals the LA Galaxy, the Chicago Fire (with popular Hispanic player Cuauhtemoc Blanco) and defending MLS Champions Real Salt Lake.

In Denver: The Colorado Avalanche’s Holiday Pack includes four games (one the day after Christmas, two in January and one in March), an autographed puck and a team flag. Prices start at $89, and the pack also comes with playoff ticket priority.

These are just a few of the offerings available out there right now. If your favorite team or city isn’t listed, I can almost guarantee you that your team has some kind of holiday promotion available. Even if you’re team doesn’t play until the spring, there’s still a good chance that they are offering some kind of deal. And if you work for a team and you aren’t offering a special holiday package, use the ideas above as examples and get to work! Happy Holidays!

I saw a great story the other day about a failed promotion by the NBADL Utah Flash. Back in September, team owner Brandt Anderson had talked about hosting a game of 1-on-1 between Michael Jordan and Byron Russell at halftime of a Utah Flash game. The match would be flashback to their famous confrontation at the end of Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, where Jordan hit the series-clinching shot over Russell. Anderson was going to offer $100,000 that the winner could donate to a charity of their choosing, and Russell was on board. However, Jordan declined the challenge so that seemed to be the end of it…at least temporarily.

Anderson ultimately decided to continue with this event.  He still promoted that the 1-on-1 match would occur at halftime of Monday’s game and there were “Jordan sightings” around town that day. This led to over 7,500 fans attending that night’s game, expecting to see this halftime match, but instead they ended up seeing Russell take on a Jordan lookalike. The crowd was outraged, and the team experienced a very vocal backlash. Anderson now regrets his decision to move forward with this stunt, and is trying to repair the damage with refunds and free tickets to future Flash games.

So what do we learn from an incident like this?

• Viral and word-of-mouth marketing is very powerful! Anderson had all the makings of a great viral campaign, even “leaking” a video of “Jordan” eating at a local restaurant. However, his campaign came with a very specific expectation that he could not meet. If you build up that much buzz, you have to deliver on customer expectations.
• Teams need to be more transparent when using publicity stunts to sell tickets. For example, last year the Philadelphia Phantoms hosted a game where David Akers and Andy Reid were going to do the ceremonial puck drop and sign autographs. However, through the language of the press release and marketing materials, it was pretty clear that instead of the Eagles’ player and coach, it was going to be a fake Akers and Reid in attendance. The team ended up with the desired effect of generating buzz, but they also managed the fans’ expectations and still had a successful promotion with a boost in attendance.
• When customer expectations are not met, immediate action must be taken to try and resolve the problem. Anderson is doing just that through his immediate apology and offer of refunds and free tickets. The only question will be whether fans feel that this service recovery is enough to compensate them for their failed promise. There may be some lingering skepticism for casual fans that were in attendance to purchase tickets to a future game.

By now, we’ve all heard the updates on the Tiger Woods saga… possibly ad-nauseum. For me, this was the moment I realized I no longer want to hear about the private lives of athletes. Don’t get me wrong, I check People.com occasionally, but I also spend half my day on ESPN.com. Also, I understand the millions of dollars in endorsements that can be wiped out by a US Weekly-worthy single transgression and it’s definitely news-worthy if there is a major criminal offense that has been committed.

But my question is this: is sports better or worse off in this era of 24/7 news cycles?

On one hand, you don’t have to hear about the “shot heard ’round the world” from a newspaper article. You don’t have to imagine Babe Ruth calling his shot and moments later hitting a homerun to that same spot. You don’t have to wonder for 12 hours who won Ali-Frasier II (or III or IV).

What’s left to wonder these days? How many dunks will make the sports show’s Top 10? Why the Monday Night Football highlights weren’t the lead story last night? Whether soccer will get a mention on SportsCenter?

Are we better off for knowing all the intimate details of how Latrell Sprewell choked his coach? For hearing Allen Iverson complain about practice? For having the sports highlight shows seem more like police blotters? Or for reading about Tiger’s philandering?

Does this extra knowledge actually add to our game-watching experience? Some people could argue that knowing more about the players helps us to identify with them. It helps us feel closer to our favorite players and therefore be more interested in buying game tickets and merchandise.

But what we end up with is subtraction by addition. By knowing all of this additional, real-time information, we lose the ability to idolize these players without a nagging feeling that someday it will be their name on the front page of the paper tomorrow. How do fathers look their sons in the eye and say “there is a man you can emulate” when they aren’t truly sure if that player is clean. The athlete could be taking performance-enhancing drugs, driving drunk, carrying around illegally concealed weapons, or cheating on their wives – and sooner or later we’ll know about it.

What I do know are the attributes that draw me to sports: the competition, passion, athleticism and skill that athletes display on their chosen field. They don’t have to be perfect husbands, drivers, or moral-compasses to thrill fans.

For now, besides the athlete’s pocketbook, the coprorate sponsors are the biggest losers. Marketing executives have to be shivering in their shoes when they sign contracts from here on out. Tiger was untouchable. Other than his infamous swearing on the course, he was the closest thing we had to ‘clean.’ This incident will go to show companies that no endorsement is safe. All of them have inherent risks because their products are endorsed by humans, and humans make mistakes.

I for one will long for the days when we knew a little less about our sports stars, so that we could enjoy them a little more.

The New Jersey Nets are currently suffering through a historically bad start to their season. Seventeen games, seventeen losses and a fired head coach is a tough stretch to say the least. While the goal of the business side of the franchise is to generate a profit regardless of the product on the court, there is no doubt that this type of situation can be very damaging to the organization. In particular, the Nets have several factors they must overcome:

1. A very poor product on the court, arguably the worst in the league
2. Operating in a very crowded market with many sports and entertainment alternatives
3. A weak mass transit system that doesn’t let them tap into the New York audience
4. The fact that the team is moving to a new building in a new city in the near future
5. A complete shift in management as Bruce Ratner sells the team to Mikhail Prokhorov

With these hurdles standing in their way, what can the Nets do to keep the business moving forward while the team performance does not cooperate?  Here are a few ideas, some of which the team has already implemented.

• Market basketball and the NBA without focusing on the Nets – The team has already done this with one of their earlier ticket package incentives that gave buyers reversible jerseys featuring players on the other teams. They can take this further by openly promoting the best opponents that are coming in to town over the coming weeks.
• Focus on specific games instead of the entire season – If you think about trying to sell all of the remaining games, it can be quite an overwhelming tasks. So focus on specific games and opponents that give you the best chance to succeed and concentrate your sales efforts on those dates.
• Discounted pricing – While cutting prices doesn’t fix the underlying problems, it does open the product up to a wider audience. Since the team isn’t a draw, the buying decision for consumers comes down to what form of entertainment they want to see. In order to compete with options like going to the movies, the price need to be comparable. This approach can also be achieved through special “family packs” that combine tickets with food and merchandise for a fixed low price.
• Connect with season ticket holders – The worst potential impact of the team performance is the eventual loss of season ticket holders. Every effort needs to be made to maintain relationships with these customers through this tough time, as they are still the biggest source of ticket revenue. Give them additional free tickets to share with friends, reward them for referrals and let them take part in game experiences so that they still get the most value and enjoyment out of their season tickets.

If you were in charge of sales and marketing for the Nets, what would you do right now?