Entries Tagged 'Sports' ↓

I love the start of a new baseball season.  All of the predictions become virtually meaningless.

My beloved Baltimore Orioles are off to a 2-0 3-0 start.  It’s early, and they could always finish 2-160 3-159.  There’s plenty of time for bad things to happen to them.  But…maybe those won’t happen.

Maybe this will be a magical season…

There comes a time in every organization where they MUST evolve to survive.

Behold...Kegasus!

Horse racing is at that junction right now.

Truth be told, it’s needed to evolve for several generations now.

As someone who enjoys watching the Triple Crown races, I can say that the industry has felt…old and stodgy for quite some time.  Maybe it always has.

But the Preakness Stakes in my hometown of Baltimore has found a way to evolve their brand and attract a larger audience.

I’ve never attended the Preakness infield party, but I know many, many, many people who have lived the party for a long time there.  It’s a beer-soaked fiesta, where the scene is AS IMPORTANT as the scene in the sky boxes.  Just on a much different level.

The Maryland Jockey Club appears to have embraced the duality of the event, being so prim and proper, while also allowing a forum for hedonism and liver-killing.

On Tuesday, they announced their advertising campaign for the InfieldFest, entitled “Be Legendary” and featuring Kegasus, a half-man, half-racehorse who loves to party.

Oh, and he Tweets.

To me, the Preaskness campaign combines elements of Barney Stinson (my PR role model), the Old Spice commercials and most comedy beer ads.

I mean that with love – those are three fantastic sources of inspiration to attract an audience of folks that will enjoy letting loose while horses are running around them in circles.

The social media aspect is a gamble.  They are building a character who exists to promote one day a year.  Will people invest in this character’s sure-to-be low-brow humor?  And if they do, will they get tired of it quickly?

The key here is making sure that this character is multi-dimensional.  Kegasus must be MORE than just the embodiment of one party for it to succeed in the social media space.  He must exist in the real world to give them the benefit I think they are looking for – create buzz around a younger, more plugged-in audience ready to have a good time that may come to the track outside of just the Preakness.  Those spectator dollars are sorely lacking in horse racing – the sport NEEDS a thunderburst of excitement.  Can a sorta mythical character provide it?

You’ve got my attention, Kegasus…show me what you’ve got.  Your sport is depending on you.

In the mid 1930s, German composer Carl Orff made epic music history.

He set an old poem, “O Fortuna,” to music, thus creating generations of goosebumps.

As the poem is so…the way it is…the musical version has taken on a life of it’s own in a way that it practically gushes intensity, pomp, and earnestness.

Take a look at the lyrics of the poem:

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
always waxing
or waning;
detestable life
now difficult
and then easy
deceive a sharp mind;
poverty
power
it melts them like ice.

Fate—monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
stand malevolent,
vain health
always dissolves,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through trickery,
my bare back
I bring to your villainy.

Fate, in health
and in virtue,
is now against me,
affection
and defeat
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating string;
since Fate
strikes down the strong,
everyone weep with me!

Now keep Orff’s musical version playing in the background as you continue reading:

About 200 miles outside of Detroit in the Michigan town of Fennville, magic was underway.

The boys’ basketball team was 19-0 and looking to cap a rare perfect season.

Fennville was playing Bridgman High, and, man, was the game close.

Chasing perfection took the two teams to overtime.

Enter 16-year old Wes Leonard.  Quarterback on the football team, basketball star, seeker of immortality.

Sports can be a funny thing.

Just like “O Fortuna” suggests, fortune waxes and wanes like the lunar tides.

In a moment of near-divinity, Leonard beat the buzzer on a last-second lay-up to capture the 57-55 victory.

Perfection was achieved in a perfect, perfect moment for this young athlete.  Teammates and fans rushed the court to celebrate their accomplishment, showering Leonard with well-deserved appreciation.

As the plucked string continued to vibrate, Fate indeed struck down the strong.

Moments after sealing a perfect 20-0 season, without delay, Leonard collapsed on the court.

Life-saving efforts proved futile, as Leonard was pronounced dead later that evening at a hospital.

Authorities were going to perform an autopsy to determine the true cause of death.

This imperfect death is wrapped around this perfect sports moment.

Leonard’s loss is beyond tragic.  In a way, though, it’s also almost poetic.

Without delay, his fortune waxed to it’s highest peak, then waned to it’s lowest valley – he went down in a true “blaze of glory.”

I’ve never met Leonard or even been to his hometown, but I think we can all weep with his friends and family.

Acclaimed director Robert Rodriguez teamed with Nike for the new short film, “The Black Mamba,” starring Kobe Bryant.

As a film, it’s pretty cool.

Take a look an answer this #SportsPRChat-type question: Has Kobe returned to his pre-rape allegation level of public acceptance and marketability?

[Note - I received a preview of the video via Klout Perks.  Please click here to read more about the program.]

We’ve been having a national conversation for about a week about commercials.  Were the Super Bowl commercials creative enough?  Was the e*Trade talking baby funny enough?  Was Pepsi Max offensive?  What was Groupon thinking?  How much did Kia spend to send their car to another planet, then to ancient times?  Eminem did TWO spots???

In general, Super Bowl ads aren’t a good example of the best of advertising, since there is so much pressure to stand out from the rest of the pack.

So it can be refreshing to see a sports-themed TV spot that is simple, creative and effective, especially during Super Bowl season.

ESPN‘s brilliant “This Is Sportscenter” campaign continued again recently with this winner featuring Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin:

With the Super Bowl now in the books, it’s time to over-analyze everything.  It’s what we do best, right?

So here are some #SportsPRChat thoughts on the game:

- Too many car commercials! This is nobody’s fault, since the time was all paid for, but it created major clutter in the marketplace.  How can you tell apart all the luxury auto commercials when every brand in the country advertised during the same program?  I lost track.

- Best Crowd Shot Of All-Time - Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz were caught canoodling in the stands.  My entire party booed.  It was awesome.

- Oddest Halftime Show Ever - With Ashton Kutcher in the building, did anyone else feel like the NFL was punking us?  The Black Eyed Peas put on a strange live performance, with blinking costumes, random, unpromoted guest appearances from Slash and Usher and lampshade dancers.  Fergie trying to sing like Axl Rose was…umm…strained.

- Why Drive Traffic to Facebook? I am quite undecided on driving  traffic from TV ads to Facebook and not the company’s website.  Mitch Hedberg had a great line about double-wrapped Pepperidge Farm bread, saying he didn’t need another step between him and toast.  This kinda feels that way to me.  [What do you think???]

- Congrats, Green Bay! We’d be remiss without congratulating the Green Bay Packers on their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the game itself.  Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in the pomp and circumstance that the game can be almost an afterthought.  The game wasn’t a classic from start-to-finish, but the ending was dramatic and well-played.

What stood out to you about the game and the surrounding marathon of marketing?