Posts Tagged ‘Sports Marketing’

A Healthy Outlook

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Happy Monday. I know I promised a post-Oscar analysis today, but I am so depressed about the show itself that I can't even begin to put my thoughts on electronic paper. This was a career first for me– going to bed before it was even over. It was a predictable snooze fest, though I did enjoy seeing all of those 1980s icons dragged out of the closet for a random tribute to John Hughes.

Before he jetted off to vacation bliss, Bryan shared an interesting blog post which made me smile that Ohio smile. Ohio State football is a religion here in Ohio…in fact in the Midwest. Weekend games are apparently an event not to be missed. If I followed organized athletics, I am sure I'd be all up in that Buckeye grill.

So the coach of the team gave a recent interview to our local LGBT outlet Outlook. Described in the piece as a conservative Christian and Bush supporter, Coach Jim Tressel was asked about how he would handle a situation where one of his players came out to him. To quote:

"We strive to teach and model appreciation for everyone. One, we are a family. If you haven't learned form your family at home that people have differences and those strengthen the whole, then you are hopefully going to learn it as a part of the Ohio State football family.

Two, every part of our team is important and every role has value – no job is too small and no person is irrelevant – that's a great lesson that transcends society. When I think of the diversity on our team the past few years, it goes way beyond just a racial, sexual or ethnic mix…Whatever a young man feels called to express, I hope we will help him do it in a supportive environment."

Wow. Kudos to Ohio State University for participating in this media opportunity for two reasons. One, it's a smart, and progressive, recruiting strategy to target LGBT athletes by engaging in a space that they know and trust. Two, according to the outlet, it's the first time a coach of a Division 1 football team has been interviewed in the LGBT space.

I'm certain that the Coach, and the school, will receive some negative pushback both internally and externally for participating in the interview and for being so open and inclusive of athletes. However, I think this article does more good than harm, and I applaud the University and its media relations team for recognizing a valuable marketing strategy when they see one.

What do you think about the article? Would you be more likely to go to a game knowing that the coach was an honorary member of "the team"?

Have a good week. 

| March 8th, 2010 No Comments »
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An Amazing Race/Marketing Missing a Face

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Happy Monday, all. Not sure about you, but I spent the weekend shoveling, followed by retail therapy, followed by more shoveling. Methinks I need to move to a warmer climate ASAP. Speaking of shoveling, could the actual shovels themselves BE more bland? At least they could kick up the design a bit because when you shovel, all you do is stare at the ground.

Anywho…I've promised to give regular updates on the Gay Games here in Cleveland. Today, I'll focus on the next Gay Games, which are being held in Cologne in July-August 2010. One week ago, the official countdown to Cologne kicked off with the "International Memorial Rainbow Run," a celebration of previous Gay Games host cities which commemorates the historic journey of the Gay Games movement. The Run started at the birthplace of the Gay Games–San Francisco– where about 50 people braved a cold rain Sunday to attend the run's inaugural leg, including openly gay California State Senator Mark Leno and Gay Games founder Dr. Tom Waddell's wife Sara Waddell Lewinstein and daughter Jessica Waddell Lewinstein.

New York activist Brent Nicholson Earle (pictured) carried a rainbow flag on a symbolic run from the AIDS Memorial Grove located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to Kezar Stadium, home of the first Gay Games in 1982. At the event, FGG Co-presidents Kurt Dahl and Emy Ritt remarked that the International Memorial Rainbow Run not only launches the Games, but "reminds us of the relevance of our movement in a world that still makes it difficult to compete and be openly gay or lesbian."

Next stop for the Run is Sydney, where the event will be held in conjunction with the city's giant Gay Mardi Gras Parade. Sydney's gay & lesbian running club the Frontrunners will carry the flag in the parade.

These events are not only great reminders of the FGG movement, but also a powerful marketing tool to get athletes registered for the upcoming Games. Right now, Cologne has about 5,500 registered participants– the hope is to double that by Opening Ceremonies on July 31. We're not scheduled to get the Run here in Cleveland, but I know that the team is working hard to generate interest here to participate in Germany.

Now, for an awkward transition– did anyone go see the movie Valentine's Day? I didn't — the reviews were awful– but apparently there is a gay storyline in the film, and Web sites and bloggers are pretty outraged that this has been left out of all marketing/promotions. Have to admit, I would have not known there was a gay couple featured in this film. I too was misled to think that Bradley Cooper was with Julia Roberts, just based on the preview alone. 

The gay storyline isn't the only one being slighted– Shirley MacLaine is also fuming that she and her co-star Hector Elizondo are left out of the poster for the film, calling it "age discrimination."

Now granted, a movie can't be all things to all people, and that it has to be challenging to capture so many plotlines in a 30-second preview, but this goes back to marketing 101– create specific marketing plans to target each potential audience. Especially when your film is getting some of the worst reviews this year.

What do you think about this marketing pushback?  

Enjoy the week.

| March 1st, 2010 No Comments »
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Olympic Victory?

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Happy President's Day.

If you've been following our blog, you know that I have been writing about Pride House Vancouver, the first venue in the history of the Olympics focused on LGBT athletes and their allies. While most of the world was watching the Opening Ceremony of the actual Winter Olympics, I watched the opening ceremony of Pride House. Take a look at some of the highlights:

Providing a welcoming home to LGBT athletes is crucial for the International Olympics Committee to stay relevant in today's society. The inherent fear that goes with being Out and being in the Olympics can be paralyzing to some athletes. This safe haven is just the first step in what needs to be a large scale overhaul of inclusiveness in the Games. 

It will be interesting to see how much mainstream media coverage this gets now that the Olympics is up and running, but also, how much the corporate world gets behind it. This can't be just a Vancouver initiative– it will be imperative that Pride Houses exist at all Olympic Games, because not all countries are as inclusive as Canada.

The Olympics are about bringing the world together– but let's make sure that the entire world is represented and respected. 

If you were in Vancouver, would you visit Pride House?

| February 15th, 2010 1 Comment »
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CBS Fouls Before the Big Game?

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Footbal Contrary to what those who know me personally may think, I do like college football — especially my USF Bulls and the Gators from childhood. I don't however though like that every year the biggest sports day of the year falls on or near my birthday. Talk about a dichotomy! I'm always aware of the Super Bowl and it's coverage, as I successfully try to plan my annual celebration of drinks, shopping and showtunes around the hyper-masculine festivities of food, football and friends.

Needless to say, the past few days I've been closely following the story of CBS's decision to largely approve conservative advocacy group Focus on the Family's (with its typically audience polarizing leader Dr. James Dobson) ad for the Super Bowl with UF star quarterback Tim Tebow. CBS came under fire from LGBT organizations and women's advocacy groups because many believe the ad will advocate pro-life beliefs, as Tebow's mother ignored doctors' recommendations to abort her pregnancy despite having contracted a serious infection.

While a definite proponent of the first amendment (we couldn't have the Out Front Blog without it), a marketplace of multiple and at times conflicting opinions, and the UF Gators, this issue gets stickier because in 2004 CBS denied the United Church of Christ's advertisement on tolerance, which included visual nods to gay couples, interracial couples and other marginalized communities.

Until today, CBS had been quiet on the issueand one LGBT blog noted Tebow's comments on always standing up for what he believes in. Today though CBS told the Los Angeles Times that it had eased the restrictions on advocacy ads, allowing those that are "responsibly produced." The network also noted that they would allow other advocacy groups to purchase the few remaining $2.5 million and $2.8 million ad spots if interested.

Only February 7 will tell whether Focus on the Family's ad with Tebow is responsible — both in it's production and message. We definitely will cover the ads, and who got things right and wrong from an LGBT communications perspective here on the blog. However, the stories and actions thus far raise some critical communication questions:

  1. Is the United Church of Christ ad (seen here) from six years ago produced responsibly? I think so, as it's addressing tolerance — and not just for a particular marginalized group. So why then was this ad denied then and Focus on the Family's yet-to-be-seen ad accepted today?
  2. Was the ease in CBS's restrictions communicated broadly to all organizations in advance of this year's game? If not, why so and how did Focus on the Family hear about the news?
  3. What message is Focus on the Family sending to its employees who were laid off this past year due to financial issues when it purchases a Super Bowl ad with a top sports athlete spokesperson? The organization has stated the ad is made possible from significant donations separate from its operating fund.
  4. Finally, is the Super Bowl a place for advocacy or politically-charged advertisements? I really like CBS Sports Columnist Gregg Doyel's column last week on the topic.

I guess if we're moving to this new era of Super Bowl ads, I hope LGBT advocacy organizations consider, and if appropriate, purchase an ad to get our messages out in front of a large audience. What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Doyel? Do you not care and just want to see the game? Let us know in the comments below.

| January 27th, 2010 No Comments »
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Here’s to the LGBT who Lunch…

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Synergy1 It's been some time since I last provided an update on Gay Games 2014 and Cleveland + Akron's journey with the Federation. It's Friday, so why not?

This week marked another milestone in our "My Games Rock" story. On Wednesday, I had the great honor of participating in a luncheon panel discussion at the Cleveland City Club titled "The Gay Games 2014." For those who have never been to the Cleveland City Club (like me before this panel), let me give you a little background. The City Club is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion. This place gets presidential candidates. Robert Kennedy spoke here and gave a moving eulogy of Martin Luther King, Jr., just weeks before his own assassination. This stage is sacred.

So, imagined how overwhelmed our panel was to have the opportunity to speak about something so important to us on such a visible platform. City Councilman Joe Cimperman, a rockstar in his own right, moderated the discussion in front of a sold-out crowd.

A sold-out crowd who came to the City Club to hear about the Gay Games.

From three gay men and two straight allies.

For more than an hour, people listened to our story, asked us questions, and hopefully walked away enlightened about not only the Gay Games and the Federation itself, but how important the LGBT community is here at home. The opportunity was a perfect case study in marketing– it provided us an opportunity to speak directly about LGBT issues and actions to an audience who may not have had us on their radar before. And, if we changed one mind as a result, that's a success.

We were also fortunate that day to have representatives from Team Cologne in town to promote the 2010 Gay Games and register local participants to take part next year. We held a registration/information event at the beautiful Tregoning Gallery, and Team Cologne gave a presentation on how exciting and beautiful the Gay Games will be in Germany next year. Cleveland was the last stop on a U.S. tour for Team Cologne– they went to LGBT markets all over the U.S. to promote their Games. Again, a great marketing strategy– bringing Cologne to the U.S. so the U.S. can come to Cologne. I know I'll be there!

Now, back to the previously scheduled Friday Pop Culture musings:

  • Gossip Girl: First, Chuck Bass kissed a boy. Now, a menage a trois? This show is sinking. FAST.
  • Melrose Place. Heather Locklear as Amanda. Returns next week. Thank you TV Gods.
  • Glee– This week's exchange between Kurt and his father was priceless. More priceless? The Diva-off on "Defying Gravity." I now see that song as a gay anthem.

 Talk next week.

| November 13th, 2009 No Comments »
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