The Nike ad. Just say those three words this week to a sports fan and it’s pretty much understood they’re talking about the Tiger Woods ad for the shoe and apparel company that debuted on SportsCenter and GolfChannel. The social mediasphere immediately began to weigh in on its value or misplacement. By Thursday, I believe…
Archive | Sports Marketing
The Vilifying of Athlete Crimes
Are athletes judged and dealt with more harshly for their indiscretions and blatant crimes than the Average Joe? Are they scrutinized and seen as villains under the media’s microscope in a way that’s justified by those who condemn them? If we’re honest about it, most people thrive on public scandal and it is evidenced by…
WWTD – What Will Tiger Do?
It’s an exciting time of year for sports. It’s officially opening day for Major League Baseball. The Final Four tips in Indianapolis with storybook character, Butler University, taking on hoops behemoth, Duke in the evening. In the midst of it all will be lots of talk about Sunday’s big National Football League trade of Donovan…
Using the PR Power of March Madness
In reading Gail Sideman’s recent article about March Madness being the NCAA‘s best PR campagin, I began to think of the other PR benefits provided by this tournament. I grew accustomed to watching the Iowa Hawkeyes. Guys like Ricky Davis, Acie Earl, Reggie Evans, Russ Millard and BJ Armstrong (who I met again as he…
Women’s Pro Football: Not a Powder Puff League
Do any of these teams sound familiar? War Angels, Fighting Fillies, Sting, Shreveport Aftershock, Carolina Queens, Connecticut Crushers, Tampa Bay Pirates, or Bay Area Bandits? If you follow sports of all kinds, you’ll realize these team names belong to women’s pro football teams. Yes, Virginia, they exist. Female athletes in every sport have struggled to…
5 Proactive PR Tips for Sports Figures
It’s official. Tiger Woods announced on his website that he will begin his comeback from the personal mega-bogey that derailed his professional career for four months. Ben Roethlisberger is still fighting a sexual assault charge, his second such fumble in three years. Four University of Oregon football players have been in trouble with the law…
NCAA’s Best PR Campaign: March Madness
I’m banging my hands against my head as one of my favorite NCAA basketball teams turns the ball over …again. The Big Dance, March Madness, the NCAA Tournament … it’s begun in a big way! There’s not a neater publicity package that exists than the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. CBS Sports, the event’s…
Why Sports Professionals Must Attend Conferences
Have you ever attended a sports conference? Most sports professionals who have know how valuable they are. Things change when you meet people face to face. I don’t know how the chemicals in our bodies transform when we actually see how someone looks, listen to the sound of their voice, touch their hand when we…
Popular Brands Pay a Price
This week, Tiger Woods’ college girlfriend defended her Stanford sweetheart by talking to Sports Illustrated and golf.com reporter, Alan Shipnuck. As I read Irene Folstrom’s take on Tiger during their time as motivated college students with many of the same dreams that others enjoy, I was reminded of the huge public and private responsibility that athletes…
Reputation Management: Athletes Facing Controversy
(This is a guest article by Wesley Mallette) Athletes in trouble. We see it every day in the news and find ourselves wondering aloud, “Wow. Did they really just say/do that?” The vast majority of athletes will face a crisis of some proportion during their career or post-career. How they handle it is everything, and…
Tiger Woods Press Conference: Do You Believe Him?
Over the past 48 hours, the Internet has been buzzing because of the announcement of Tiger Woods’ first public appearance since his infamous November 27th accident. All of the major sports, news, and entertainment publications have written about it. Yesterday #tigershouldsay was trending on Twitter (e.g. #tigershouldsay blame it on Nike, they told me to…
Sports Marketing + Charity + Brands = Community ROI
(This is a guest article by Cord Pereira) “On behalf of the Atlanta Hawks, I’d like to thank our ownership group for recognizing that for every dollar we give away, we get three in return!”‘ These were the honest words of an Atlanta Hawks spokesperson during an acceptance speech when the organization received the “Pro Team Community…