PHD Perspectives: How Sports Leagues and Marketers Can Help Each Other - Dennis Camlek - MediaBizBloggers

Late August is supposed to be a great time for sports, the kickoff of new seasons providing hope that anything is possible. NCAA Football. The NFL. We've got U.S. Open tennis, and all of the associated client ticket requests, not to mention the thrill of Major League Baseball's annual pennant chases. And we haven't even mentioned the thousands of fantasy football drafts that will occupy countless company conference rooms over the next few weeks. A grand time, and that's just for the fans.

It's a busy period for marketers as well, as they target these sports properties to align their brands with the hopes of reaching that coveted M18-49 demographic. Some launch new campaigns, such as last season's memorable "Saved By Zero," which seemingly played like 18 times a game. Traditionally for brands with deep pockets the sports leagues provide a target rich advertising playpen, but with a sluggish Upfront, and flat-lined budgets, advertising investments are being scrutinized now more than ever, in a way putting the "brain" back into "no brainer."

So with the seasons on the horizon, why are things not feeling so sunny? What have we all been tweeting about the past few weeks? Well, certainly nothing that really takes place on the field of play. This week it was the NFL reinstating Michael Vick, and the Philadelphia Eagles signing him, which caused a bit of outrage. Days earlier it was Red Sox slugger David Ortiz standing at a podium in the belly of Yankee Stadium, answering questions about alleged steroid usage. Only weeks before that we learned of the grisly details behind the murder of Steve McNair. Stark reminders that all is not well. Stories which were dissected above the fold of our 24/7 tabloid-news culture, sadly displacing the spirit of competition to the back burner.

Marketers now have to question what this means in the long term. Already navigating a field of struggling media options, they now have to be prepared to answer their phones, defending why they are running ads in Lincoln Financial Field, or within a televised Philadelphia Eagles game. A weary advertiser is of course nothing new; many of us have had clients express concerns about buying time in a show that included objectionable content. Yet sports are a bit different, because athletes are the content.

The Vick signing was the story of the weekend, dominating Twitter on Friday and Saturday, and clearly the topic du jour on SportsCenter. It even made its way to "60 Minutes." His case struck a nerve across the entire country. It went beyond Plaxico Burress toting a gun into a nightclub and shooting himself (and his team's chances at another championship) in the leg. Many of us own and love dogs. Michael Vick's return to the league is major news.

The collateral damage this reinstatement causes will not be felt for some time, but unlike prior problem athletes, the Vick story looms larger, perhaps fueled by the dangerous power of our rapidly growing social media circle. Within seconds of the Eagles signing, Facebook status updates denounced the move, and even a few Eagles fans chimed in with disappointment (although I expect that will dissipate once the Eagles start using Mr. Vick to their benefit). Opinions spread like wildfire, lending merit to the idea that the rules of the game are changing. No longer is it just the news media covering the action; consumers are also providing color commentary, and marketers need to pay close attention to this.

From a marketing perspective, our obsession with sports scandals could be troubling. Will fans grow tired of problem athletes and off the field drama, opting to cancel ticket renewals? Will a drop in attendance impact advertising deals, and erode television ratings, forcing marketers to look elsewhere? The short term answer is no because we are a forgiving culture, but one wonders when fans will stop cheering. Sports leagues, and the news outlets which cover them, need to adapt to the power of our evolving media. They need to collectively exalt the virtues of the leagues, reminding fans of what good work people are doing on and off the field. Scandals may sell, but the more coverage we dedicate to these types of athletes the graver the injustices we are committing against professional sports, and the marketers who pay good money to support them.

There must be far more positive role models playing sports today than the few problem child athletes who steal the headlines. Do we hear their stories of how they are dedicating their time to help those in need? Not often. Suppose the concern is too much of that would be boring, that people don't want to tweet about a burly offensive lineman spending his spare time helping kids read at a local Community Center. We prefer the mug shot. As shocked as we were about Michael Vick, we still wanted to tweet about him. For every feel good story you see on ESPN's "Outside the Lines," you're reading countless stories about failed drug tests, domestic violence and DUI's.

Perhaps we consider taking a page out of the Major League Baseball playbook. Dealing with its own black cloud it has run a splendid campaign entitled "Beyond Baseball," chronicling the stories of growth, dedication and family, as experienced by players like Ryan Howard. It took the notion even further, celebrating the positive strides that every day Americans are making in all walks of life, and featured them on a grand stage, prior to the start of last month's All Star Game. It was one of the truly feel good moments of sports this year.

We could use more of that.

Dennis Camlek, SVP Group Account Director, PHD Media, an Omnicom company. You can follow PHD's Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/PHDisSmartMedia

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