If you teach a high school marketing or sports marketing class, this is a place for you to visit on a regular basis. We will post links to current articles, as well as a commentary on select articles. In addition, we encourage you to add your comments and start a discussion. We will also post links to sites we find particularly interesting. We hope you enjoy our blog and will feel free to let us know what we can do to be more helpful.
"When P.R. Performance Inc. was trying to come up with a name for its new energy drink in 2001, the company went with BURN.
"His trademark hair and beard are shorn, but marketing experts say that won't cut short Johnny Damon's chances of endorsement bucks as a New York Yankee.
Journal Gazette 12/28/2005 How Gatorade became a marketing phenomenon:
"When the original cast members of the musical Hair declared in the 1960s that it was even better than LSD, few could argue that Gatorade was on to big things.
Since its creation in a University of Florida basement laboratory, Gatorade has led the sports-drink industry and raked in billions of dollars in the process. Now the drink has its own biographer. Darren Rovell, a business reporter for ESPN, has written �First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat into a Cultural Phenomenon.
Now in its 40th year, Gatorade has proved an unlikely marketing phenomenon. In 1965, professor of medicine Robert Cade and a team of scientists researching dehydration came up with the salty, sugary mix. The freshmen squad of the school�s football team, the Gators, served as the first guinea pigs. It initially tasted so bad, players had trouble keeping it down. But when they beat the varsity players in a scrimmage game, Gatorade�s march to the beverage hall of fame had begun.So why a book on Gatorade?"
Nike's Perez targets emerging markets - Financial Times - MSNBC.com:
"Bill Perez, the chief executive of Nike, said on Tuesday that the sports shoe and clothing company will step up its drive into emerging markets in China, Brazil, Mexico and India and expand its online marketing as it seeks to double its sales from current levels.
Mr Perez told Wall Street analysts that an 'exhaustive' strategic review of the company after he took over from Phil Knight, its founder, had concluded that 'for the most part we have the right game plan'."
The Niles Star:
"There is little doubt that, more than any other major sport, NASCAR depends on the revenue streams of sponsors.
Countless companies spend anywhere from $500,000 per year for an associate sponsorship up to $18 million per year for a primary sponsorship on a top-notch team. It could be argued with little difficulty that without the ever-present corporate sponsorships, NASCAR as we know it would be non-existent.
Why are these major corporations so willing to spend that type of money to put their name on a racecar? That racecar makes cash registers ring, that's why."
Keeping hockey alive:
"So what would make you care about the Cincinnati RailRaiders?
It is, after all, a team without a season, without a schedule, without any players or opponents or statistics. The successor to the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks is sitting out this hockey season, hoping to get a National Hockey League affiliation for next year. The Mighty Ducks are now the Portland (Maine) Pirates.
To get back on the ice next fall, the RailRaiders need your money. The American Hockey League franchise is trying to sell 2,000 season-ticket packages, with fans plunking down $25 deposits starting now for the privilege. That would enable them to demonstrate to an NHL team that they're worthy of being a minor-league feeder to that club. That, in turn, would enable the RailRaiders to become a real hockey team and not just a name and a logo.
It is, as they say, a marketing challenge: promoting hockey without playing hockey."
Major League Baseball Goes Global - Forbes.com: "
NEW YORK - For Major League Baseball, the basic business model hasn't really changed since 1869.
Even as changing times broadened the sport's base of paying customers from America's Eastern Seaboard, across North America and on to the other side of the Pacific, moving the business ahead has always been about one smart, overriding strategy--keeping the cartel going by squashing the competition in its tracks. Developing new markets on its own has never really been on the agenda; it's been more of a matter of eyeing the landscape and then muscling competitors aside.
And in today's global village, some think Latin America, Japan and Korea are due to follow the myriad U.S. cities that the league has spread its wings to throughout its history. "
Filling seats is a game of its own | PortlandTribune.com:
"You can buy Trail Blazer tickets from the team or Global Spectrum, which operates the Rose Garden.
It sets up a unique situation.
Each entity offers different seats, different marketing campaigns and many different inducements.
In a seasonlong promotion, the Blazers are giving away bobblehead dolls. Last week, it was Nate McMillan dolls in line with a marketing campaign that is centered on the coach rather than his players."
ESPN Signs Six Sponsors for its Mobile Service: "Disney's ESPN has signed six category-exclusive sponsors for its branded mobile service, Mobile ESPN. But the company is still working to sign additional advertisers for the virtual mobile network, which will be offered at Best Buy stores nationwide starting February 5. <{>
Stadiums of the NFL-Your Ticket to Every NFL Stadium
Everything you ever wanted to know about the venues of the NLF
Kansas City Kansan: News Column: "ATLANTA -
The Atlanta Braves may be on the market. A statement released by the team Tuesday said Time Warner is exploring the possibility of selling the Braves and the Turner South cable network, which carries many of the Braves' games.
'We have engaged an investment banking firm to help us assess strategic options for Turner South and a significant programming contributor to that network, the Atlanta Braves franchise, which may lead to the sale of one or both,' Greg Hughes, the team's vice president of public relations and communications, said in the statement."
Sports - NASCAR likes its position - sacbee.com:
"At the rate its sport's popularity is growing, NASCAR Nation could someday outnumber all other pro sports' fan bases, including the mighty NFL.
But even the most diehard motorheads and company executives doubt that will come anytime soon - and not in the lifespan of NASCAR's new eight-year, $4.48 billion TV package."
Filling seats is a game of its own | PortlandTribune.com:
"You can buy Trail Blazer tickets from the team or Global Spectrum, which operates the Rose Garden.
It sets up a unique situation.
Each entity offers different seats, different marketing campaigns and many different inducements.
In a seasonlong promotion, the Blazers are giving away bobblehead dolls. Last week, it was Nate McMillan dolls ? in line with a marketing campaign that is centered on the coach rather than his players."
Online Trading Fires-Up New Sports Market:
"AllSportsMarket.com successfully completed a yearlong live-beta test of its sports stock trading exchange. This visionary fusion of both sports and a financial market delivers heart racing action and real cash results without the need for gambling or sports betting."
ThatsRacin.com | 11/29/2005 | The 'Danica factor' and managing expectations:
"While Danica Patrick's emergence in 2005 brought increased exposure for the 23-year-old driver and for IndyCar racing, it also brings to her increased expectations and a higher standard to define success, her team owner said Tuesday.
'After Danica finished fourth at Indianapolis this year, the general expectation was, 'Oh, she's going to win the next race,'' said Bobby Rahal, who co-owns the Indy Racing League team for which Patrick competes. 'It's just not the same as it'd be a for a man.'"
Bowl bid will bolster bottom line at Rutgers: "For a half-decade, Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano has been making promises.
The program is turning things around, he told the state's top high school recruits. Big-time college football is finally coming to the banks of the Raritan, he told local companies considering a sponsorship and alumni thinking about coming to a game.
Kansas City Star | 11/30/2005 | Sprint to sponsor Super Bowl halftime:
"Sprint is trying to get a hand up on its competition with a fat tongue and a thin phone.
Sprint will spend a reported $12 million to sponsor the 2006 Super Bowl halftime show. The Feb. 5 show will reunite Sprint with the Rolling Stones, who will showcase the halftime show"
In 2000 I decided to start sharing what it took me most of my 25+ years as a marketing teacher to learn. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I began by writing “Sports . . . More Than Just the Score.” The first sports marketing book written specifically for high school students, it was the initial product offered by PrepSportsBiz, and still our most popular item. Revisions for the 5th Edition will happen this summer. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The company evolved into TheMarketingTeacher as we strived to fill the requests for materials beyond sports marketing. We continue to offer materials we feel are useful to marketing and business teachers. I either develop them myself or resell products that are typically not targeted toward high school teachers. ----------------------------------------------------- Watch for more products including those to help your students compete more effectively in DECA events, case studies, as well as audio and video resources. Feel free to contact us with any suggestions or requests you may have.
