In the last blog post, we discussed the marketing efforts of Stanford football to expand their fan base.  Today’s post reviews another collegiate football program and their marketing strategies.  The Virginia Cavaliers campaign for this football season is the “Power of Orange” and provides an excellent case study in the efforts to build tradition.  Obviously, building tradition is often influenced by success on the playing field, and Virginia has certainly elevated the program’s status with the hiring of former NFL coach Al Groh back in 2001.  Heading in to this season, Groh’s record at Virginia was 51-37 and the Cavaliers had been…

Like so many American football fans around the country, I was excited last night when the college football season officially kicked off.  I settled in to watch the Oregon State Beavers take on the Stanford Cardinal on ESPN2 in HD on my DVR late last night.  Inevitably, I ended up taking something from the game that could translate to a discussion topic for the classroom. 

Apparently Stanford, whose football team has won just two home games in the last two years, has extended an offer to fans that can hardly be refused.  If Stanford fans purchase a season ticket package and…

When summer rolls around I usually take a brief reprieve from adding any posts to the post but the Beijing Games are nearly upon us and I thought I’d be remiss not to add some quick commentary.  Traditionally, this blog has been dedicated to educators around the country.  Now that we’ve developed an avid readership from a myriad of professional backgrounds, I suppose we should step up our efforts to contribute more regularly…

So, without further delay, here are a few items in the news as it relates to the Olympic Games that have caught my attention over the past few weeks.

Sponsorship

Top sponsors…

Here’s a great book idea for all the teachers out there for next Fall (is it too early to be thinking about next year already?).  A great new industry book on PR entitled “Sports Publicity” was written by a highly respected industry exec (Joe Favorito) and was published last August by Reed Elsevier. 

I have shared a number of conversations and email exchanges with Joe and think his book would be a tremendous addition to your class library.  Joe has over 22 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and…

So this week’s post has a little different, well, flavor than our typical post.  A story I heard on ESPN Radio driving to work a few days ago on Colin Cowherd’s radio show caught my attention.  Apparently, there are a number of Major League Baseball stadiums around the country that aren’t exactly up to par with health codes.  The story, published in Conde Naste magazine, leads with the following sub-title:  “In some stadiums, the rats and flies have pretty good seats”…probably not what baseball’s ticket buying consumers were hoping to hear.  

It’s early May and the season is already in full swing.  Not baseball, mind you, but marketing.  Well, maybe a little of both.  The season for marketing baseball is in full swing.  As such, it is never too early to look back at a few of the season’s wildest and wackiest promotions.

Last delivered a number of real gems, including the likes of Back Hair night, Britney Spears Shaved Head night, Salute to Indoor Plumbing night, “Price is Right” Night featuring Bob “Parker” Bobblehead, World’s Largest Tighty-Whitey Race and Ugly Sweater Night to name a few.

I’m always amazed by the creative (and often…

As a lifelong Packer fan growing up in the great state of Wisconsin, I’d be remiss to avoid commentary on today’s news regarding Brett Favre’s retirement. Yet, because this is a BUSINESS blog, it would be pointless to ramble on about Favre’s many great accomplishments. You know, like holding the NFL records for most consecutive starts (253…275 including postseason), most wins for a QB, most TD passes, most completions, most yards…Favre pretty much owns the NFL’s passing record book. Oh, and let’s not forget that Favre is the leagues ONLY three time winner of the league MVP award. Only Johnny…

Back in the late 1980’s, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers brought home two straight championships.  After the victory parades were over, Pat Riley (the team’s coach), trademarked the phrase “three-peat” so he could cash in on licensing fees if the team went on to win a third straight title.  Unfortunately for Riley and the Lakers, the Detroit Pistons would crush those hopes by beating them in the finals in year three. 

In the early 90’s, the Chicago Bulls (led by Michael Jordan) would capture those elusive three straight championships for a “three-peat”.  Riley, however, was one step ahead and earned millions…

I don’t know how many of you have seen this ad circulating the Web already, but I certainly got a kick out of it.  This can be a fun way to illustrate to your students how marketing is all around us! 

The NBA’s Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh is an exceptionally talented basketball player.  Unfortunately for him, he plays for a team that manages to fly largely under the media radar, despite his team’s on-court success the past few seasons.  Bosh was named to the Olympic team and was an all-star last year, but for whatever reason he is lagging in…

I’ve noticed a disconcerting trend lately as I scan sports and entertainment business related news. As many of you know, particularly our members, I spend a lot of time each week dissecting the various news stories in search of articles to share that relate to our curriculum. Unfortunately, the stories that have dominated recent headlines seem more apt to support discussions about ethics and the impact of publicity on sports and entertainment organizations than other fundamental business and marketing practices. Two nationally syndicated sports radio programs even commented that breaches in ethical conduct within the industry are threatening the very…