What It Means to Be Canadian

From Steve Keating & Clare Fallon (and with thanks to Kukla's Korner for the heads up)...

Hockey is more than a game to Canadians

To the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the sport is classified as "ice hockey." In Canada, which regards itself as the birthplace of the game, it is simply referred to as "hockey," and anyone describing it any other way risks a disdainful look or a puck in the head.

Check out the full article here. For anyone still unsure about the significance next month's Olympic tournament carries in Canada, rest assured, this is no rhetoric.

In The News...

As the rules of the game change, companies must do more to recognize the various forms of ambushing. With a clearer understanding, organizers and sponsors stand a much better chance of protecting their investment. With this in mind, we propose the following updated breakdown of ambushing, including its strategies and the threats to sponsors, rights-holders and event organizers.

Check out Business Insight's new piece on ambush marketing by Professor Simon Chadwick and I, our most recent work on ambush marketing here at CIBS...

Ambushed! Sponsors pay a lot to link their brands to sporting events. Then there are those who get those links for nothing.

The article highlights a new typology of ambush marketing, and a new way of looking at and understanding the methods and strategies employed by ambush marketers. With the Vancouver Games fast approaching, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, it should be interesting to see what new strategies may emerge, and which tactics take the most prominent roles in 2010...

Let the Games Begin...

The marketing circus that surrounds the Olympic Games started months ago in anticipation of the Vancouver Games. Several brands across Canada have already been called out in the media over perceived ambush marketing campaigns, including Roots, Lululemon, Sony, and countless others.

This week, we can add a new name to the list: Subway.



While Olympic organizers and partners, including market rival and Olympic TOP sponsor McDonald's, will surely take a less gracious view of Subway's rather innovative and suggestive use of star American athlete Michael Phelps in their advertising, it is hard not to appreciate the ingenuity behind the campaign.

Expect to see many more examples of brands entering the Olympic marketing fray around the world over the coming weeks. While the Winter Olympics traditionally attract less interest and fewer ambush marketing efforts as compared to the Summer Games, the opportunities presented by the North American market, the incredible focus Canada-wide on the Olympic hockey teams' fortunes, and the competitive balance across winter sports nations that has emerged in recent years, should make this February an attractive prospect for sport marketers.

Regular Service to Resume Soon… But First, a Much Belated Take on Tiger Woods!

The blog’s been dormant for quite a while now; a combination of work, vacation, and countless distractions have kept me from the regular updates I aimed for in starting BSM’s online presence, but with any luck, in the coming weeks and months, regular service will resume and the blog’s activity will grow in kind…

In the meantime, here’s a quick write-up that should have been posted a month ago. The following was written on the morning of December 12th, 2009, in a lounge in Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport, en route to Montréal for the holidays. The subject matter may seem a bit out of date, but the key arguments and concepts remain as relevant today as they were on that morning – whether the article stands the test of time, however, depends largely on how accurate it is predicting Tiger’s future as a brand…



The fall of the Tiger Brand??
December 12, 2009

The blog has taken a bit of a break in recent weeks, an unfortunate byproduct of the busy holiday season, and the increasing awareness and interest surrounding ambush marketing as 2010 fast approaches.

Nevertheless, in light of the current predicament Tiger Woods finds himself in, the media furor and speculation that currently envelopes his personal life, and the announcement that he will be stepping away from the sport which made him s billionaire, the future if the Tiger brand is s more than worthy topic with which to return.

As with all celebrity and athlete endorsements, the potential for negative press attention, scandal, and notoriety, are ever-present dangers for Tiger's commercial interests, and those of his sponsors. However, even with this threat in mind, few would have imagined the depths to which this story would delve, and the magnitude and multitude of allegations that would emerge following Tiger's car accident. How these events, and Woods' seeming admission of guilt through his press releases in recent weeks, will impact his brand and effect future earning potential, is a question which will surround the brand for possibly years to come.

Despite these concerns, however, there remains some cause for optimism for Woods and his commercial partners, overshadowed as it is by the negativity currently following the Woods name. Ultimately, in analyzing the future of the Tiger brand, and considering the impact Woods' transgressions may have, it should always be highlighted what makes up the core of Tiger's brand, and what he as an athlete and an endorser represent to the buying public. Although Tiger's relationship with his father has long been a key element of his brand image, and his own family life has become an increasingly used and focused-upon element of his character, his brand value is nevertheless based on his ability as a golfer, his steely determination and dominance, and his transferability between markets, demographics, and psychographics. Unlike other athlete brands that place great emphasis and derive considerable value from their family-life, such as David Beckham or Wayne Gretzky, Woods relies on his sporting prowess, and almost supernatural ability as a competitors to differentiate himself from other athlete brands, traits which must be re-emphasized and developed for Tiger to return to his marketing peak.

Interestingly, Woods' main sponsors have thus far remained relatively tight lipped, likely awaiting a more opportune moment to decode upon longer-term strategies, and how best to proceed with their partnerships with the athlete. Assuming each brand included morality clauses in their endorsement contracts, the companies will have the option to terminate the sponsorship should they feel it best to distance their brand from Woods. Others will face the challenge of returning Tiger to a saleable and marketable asset, which likely will rely heavily on his eventual return to golf, and a return to tournament winning and dominating form. When that will happen, and indeed if that will happen, remains to be seen.

Finally, it seems worth noting that with everything going on in the world - wars throughout the middle east, swine flu spreading across the globe, global warming talks coming to a head - the most significant and followed news story of the past two weeks has been that of Tiger Woods' personal life. Few athletes in history could command such hysteria and mass-interest, and even fewer golfers. Let there be no doubt of the impact Tiger has had on golf and the sporting world, and of the media and commercial interest that follows him. While his brand may be under threat currently, and his personal life in tatters, that we as fans and consumers care enough to follow such stories only serves to underline the potential value that remains in the Tiger Woods brand. How that value is leveraged, remains to be seen

Why Hockey Players Are Widely Considered the Best Guys in Sport...

A couple of great stories out of Montreal to commemorate Remembrance Day, and to honour soldiers past and present who have represented and protected our great country.

Cammalleri, Price Show Appreciation to Canadian Forces (TSN)
Cammalleri Scores with Armed Forces Tribute (Montréal Gazette)
Carey Price's Remembrance Day Mask (Habs Inside/Out)




Lest We Forget

Some Sunday Morning Reading...

For anyone wondering why the internal strife in the National Hockey League Players' Association continues to make the headlines, and how the NHLPA have struggled so mightily in the years following the 2004-05 lockout, here's a piece from CBC's Eliotte Friedman well worth reading.

To understand the battle raging inside the NHL Players' Association, you must recognize what's happening outside its walls.

Here's an example:

Last season, two players got into a heated debate about a collective bargaining agreement issue. Player A is an elite star who took a "hometown discount" to stay with his current team. Player B - very good, but not on the same level - was heading into free agency.

Every summer, the union has the right to bump the salary cap by five per cent via something called the escalator clause. It seems like a no-brainer, except there's a catch: it increases the amount players lose in escrow. So, Player A was arguing against it. For him, the discount cost even more. In addition to the money he left on the table, he was losing a larger chunk of what he signed for.

Player B argued the opposite. He was approaching his best chance to sign a huge free-agent contract. Never again, he felt, would he get this kind of an opportunity to hit the jackpot. He ferociously argued in favour of the escalator, wanting every dollar possible.

In the end, the rest of the team sided with Player B. But, there were angry exchanges and hard feelings.

On the surface, the fight inside the NHLPA is all about Paul Kelly's firing. But, it goes deeper than that. Right now, the union finds itself at a crossroads, in the middle of its most important decisions since the overthrow of Alan Eagleson. It's not only about who will lead - it's also about where to go with the next CBA, how to motivate a disinterested majority and how to rebuild an organization rife with distrust.

"I don't know how it got this bad," one player, active within the union, said this week. "We have a lot of work to do."

Keep reading here...

Any Ideas?

Is it possible to replicate football fan atmosphere from league or European matches to England national team games? Will Wembley ever enjoy the same consistent, vibrant, exciting environment around and at matches as Liverpool do at Anfield? Or United at Old Trafford? Or Newcastle at St. James' Park?

The thought occurred following BSM's most recent leg of the world tour, which saw the (brief) return to England, and matches at both Wembley and Anfield in the span of one week. Having seen England comfortably beat Belarus in front of a loud, eagerly participative crowd, followed by a disappointing Liverpool getting booed off the pitch following an added-time loss to Lyon, the question of fan atmosphere seems an important one to restoring Wembley's mystique and importance in the England football fan's heart.

Despite Liverpool's loss, and generally lackluster performance, the difference between the two venues is undeniable: while Wembley is a massive, open, imposing stadium which awes fans and players alike for its imposing size and dominance on the North London skyline, the atmosphere inside the stadium pales in comparison to the country's smaller, more intimate, more established league stadia. So what can be done to translate what many see as a defining characteristic of English football, the singing, cheering, deeply passionate fans, to the national stage?

Would converting the home end into the equivalent of a season ticket holders end for the most involved England fans, ala Liverpool's Kop stand, or United's Stretford End, make for a greater aura at England games? Is there some way to balance the lottery system used for England match tickets with building a more consistent, regular fanbase?

Could more be done to stimulate fan interest and excitement through the sign boarding and multi-media features within the stadium? Would a greater drive on behalf of the in-stadium entertainment crews make any difference in coaxing greater response?

Could sponsors do more to activate their partnerships with the FA and focus on making Wembley a more exciting, imposing venue? Could Nationwide take a page out of the old Winnipeg Jet's playbook and give away white England-branded t-shirts to every fan in the stadium to create a white-wash effect in the stadium?

What impact do the cheerleaders have on fan atmosphere at NFL matches? The NFL's annual appearance at Wembley rarely seems lacking for excitement and atmosphere, would England fans respond to such tactics?

The answers to most of these are almost certainly "no", or at the very least, "not without some serious negotiations/compromises/changes"... but the question remains the same, and we're certainly not the only ones asking it: what can The FA do to create a better fan experience at Wembley?