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Before You Play in the Tournament, You Might Want to Hit the Driving Range

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

If you’re going to be successful at something, it’s going to take practice. A professional golfer like Tiger Woods knows that better than anyone.  Tiger has spent countless hours of practice and preparation, and because of that investment he knows exactly how to swing each club in his bag.

While Tiger may have a fundamental appreciation for the value of practice, it seems like last week his sponsor, Nike, decided to skip the driving range.

The latest Nike Golf ad – the first since the Tiger scandal surfaced– is a black and white spot showing Tiger dressed in a Nike vest and hat, staring into the camera while a voice over of his father, Earl Woods, plays saying to Tiger: “I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?”

It appears that Nike is using this ad to try to repair Tiger’s image, as well as get Tiger back into the advertising realm that he has been absent from for the past few months. The ad does not focus on any Nike products (other than the hat and vest Tiger is wearing) but instead focuses on Tiger himself, and his personal life which has been very public.

While the ad may have been well intended, it seems Nike forgot to ask a critical question:  What about the customers? How are they going to react to this ad? What will they think of Nike? Tiger Woods is Nike Golf, so testing the ad and understanding customers’ reactions should have been a key step prior to launching the ad. Now, some interesting research suggests Nike didn’t quite have their finger on the pulse of their customers.

According to a national study conducted by HCD Research, favorability of the Nike brand declined after seeing the ad. The number of viewers that rated Nike as “favorable” or “extremely favorable” decreased from 92% prior to viewing the ad to 79% after viewing it. Favorability for Tiger Woods also decreased after seeing the ad from an average of 3.7 to an average of 3.5 (based on a 1-7 scale, 7 being the most favorable). Additionally, 29% of viewers reported that they were less likely to purchase products endorsed by Tiger Woods after viewing the ad. The results of the study can be seen here.

The study shows the importance of testing an ad prior to launch. This information could have easily been gathered by conducting focus groups or survey research before releasing the ad to the entire nation. Maybe Nike wasn’t worried about their viewers’ reactions, or maybe they actually did the research and decided to run the ad anyway. Either way, the lesson is clear:A little research can turn bogeys to birdies and keep you out of the sand trap.

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About Author: Dave O’Neill is a senior at St. John Fisher College and a Research Intern at Dixon Schwabl. “I love hockey, lacrosse (it’s my senior season at SJFC), hunting and fishing. I can’t imagine there is a better place to work than Dixon Schwabl and I absolutely love being a part of such a great company.”

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Posted in Research, Sports | No Comments »

Vancouver 2010 – A Gold Medal Research Opportunity

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

The 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing and what a truly great event the Olympics are. Top athletes from around the world are giving everything they have competing for medals, but more importantly the pride of their home country and some international bragging rights.

If I could, I’d be in Vancouver dressed as Uncle Sam, chanting “U-S-A” the whole time, but I have lacrosse practice and a few classes so I’ll have to settle for a 42” flat screen. Either way I’ll be rooting for our men and women as they hopefully dominate the rest of the world’s athletes.

Now there are a lot of things that Americans are good at but the two that I’m thinking of are sports and…research. Yep, research. This year it is unlikely that NBC will make any money from its broadcast of the Winter Olympics but what they will get is valuable research from the event’s massive audience that might generate additional ad revenue in the time shortly after the last of the medals are handed out.

NBC’s goal is to see how the same person uses both TV and the internet during the Olympics as well as what kinds of video they watch online. This research is building off of a similar project they started during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In one study during that project, NBC gave 41 Olympics enthusiasts a mobile-phone-based monitoring system that allowed them to track how each person was exposed to the Olympics and for how long. During the winter Olympics, NBC plans to examine how each person uses the internet and TV and what kinds of videos they are watching online. They even plan to track if the video is something being viewed for the first time or if it was a repeat view of an event already seen on TV. NBC hopes to be able to use this information to persuade advertisers to spend more money.

The Olympics provides NBC with millions of potential subjects to analyze because it attracts such a huge and diverse audience. The 2010 Winter Olympics could bring in as many as 200 million viewers, an increase from the 2006 Winter Olympics which recorded 184 million viewers. According to Alan Wurtzel, President of Research at NBC Universal, “Big events such as the Olympics often get viewers to test out new viewing behaviors, simply because the event has such a high water-cooler quotient.” The tricky part will be figuring out why people are watching what they are watching and why they are viewing it on TV, a PC or a mobile device.

NBC will also work with Google and TiVo to track additional data. So while we are all enjoying the greatness of the events that comprise the Winter Olympics, NBC will be hard at work trying to track and turn audience behavior into advertising Dollars. Let’s not lose sight of what’s really important though, and that is American gold medals! So let’s grab a beer and cheer on our fellow Americans, eh?

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About Author: Dave O’Neill is a senior at St. John Fisher College and a Research Intern at Dixon Schwabl. “I love hockey, lacrosse (it’s my senior season at SJFC), hunting and fishing. I can’t imagine there is a better place to work than Dixon Schwabl and I absolutely love being a part of such a great company.”

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Posted in Research, Sports, Television | 1 Comment »

Take Me Out to the Backyard

Friday, February 19th, 2010

I recently heard a story on National Public Radio about a new partnership between Scott’s Miracle-Gro and Major League Baseball. Scott’s will soon be offering the same grass seed used on America’s favorite baseball fields to anyone who wants a piece of their favorite field at home. This raised a few questions for me.

The first question reveals my sentimental side – why isn’t the grass on major league ball fields the same as the grass found everywhere else? For me, baseball conjures up images of rag-tag teams in makeshift uniforms gathering in an unused lot or a rural field for a game and it seems like a far cry from history to have developed specialty grass for a sport with such humble beginnings.

Here’s my second question – who is buying this grass seed? While it’s not a priority for me personally, I can understand wanting a perfect lawn. Considering that the quality of the turf has a lot (if not everything) to do with the dedication of the people who maintain it, does it make sense to pay a premium for fancy branded grass seed if you’re still going to have to battle dandelions, moles, and all those other lawn-ruining nuisances? Will paying that premium make you more dedicated to maintaining your patch of green?

Then there’s the issue of practicality. Let’s say you’re a Boston native and you’ve grown up going to Fenway park. You have many great memories of afternoons spent watching games unfold over the perfect Fenway turf. Now let’s say that your job requires you to leave Massachusetts – you’ve been relocated to Tempe, Arizona.  How can you take your beloved ball field with you? It might be tempting to buy that premium Fenway grass seed, but the reality is, you’ll never succeed in recreating that space in such a vastly different climate.

So what about you? Are you dedicated enough to your lawn and your sport to give up a few extra bucks and commit yourself to a summer of ongoing maintenance to have your own piece of perfect Major League-branded turf? Or would you rather spend your summer going to ball games or putting an impromptu neighborhood game together in whatever free yard you can find? Personally, I’d rather be running the bases and kicking up dust in an empty lot, like our grandparents did before we had to buy back even our most innocent of pastimes

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Posted in Brand Experience, Radio, Sports | No Comments »

Did you watch the Super Bowl? More importantly, did you watch the commercials?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

It’s official. This year’s Super Bowl was the most-watched television event in history. More than 106 million people tuned in on February 7 to watch the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts. I’m not a football fan but I was one of those 106 million people tuned in to CBS Sunday night. So why do I watch the Super Bowl if I don’t like football? I watch it because I love the commercials.

My favorite Super Bowl commercial from this year was from Google. This was composed entirely of a man searching for things on Google. Sounds boring, right? So what makes it so great to make me stop mid-conversation to watch it? It is so fascinating because his searches tell a story. A love story.

It starts with the man searching for study abroad in Paris, and it continues with searches including how to “impress a French girl” and “long distance relationship advice.” The viewer is taken on a journey as this man woos his French love. My favorite search of his? “Churches in Paris.” I’m sure that most women got the message that he was planning to marry his French love and said “aw” when the bells started playing in the background.

So what makes this commercial so amazing for me other than the fact that I love to hear a great love story? Google was able to make the impersonal search engine something personal. Google gave itself an identity, a search engine to help with your personal (and practical) needs. This branding technique helps to distance Google from its “top dog,” Fortune 500 status and make the audience feel like Google is its own personal help guide.

Another great commercial was Audi’s “green police.” If you didn’t see it, the commercial shows all sorts of people being arrested by the “green police” for making choices that are bad for the environment. (My favorite- the man who did not replace his incandescent light bulb!). The commercial ends with the Audi A3 TDI, newly crowned as Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year, driving off after passing a “green inspection.”

This commercial does a great job of playing off America’s new “green” trend. Audi’s idea for the “green police” stuck well with audiences and I found myself laughing pretty hard at their advertisement. Does it make me want to go out and buy an Audi A3 TDI? Not so much, but it did catch my attention!

Here are a couple other of my noteworthy commercials from the Super Bowl:

Dodge’s “Mans last stand”

Doritos’ “Keep your hands off my mama and my Doritos”

Doritos’ “funeral”

What was your favorite?

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About Author: Kelley Longyear is a Spring 2010 Front Desk Intern at Dixon Schwabl. “I am currently a junior at St. John Fisher College. I’m majoring in communication/journalism and my minor is history. I smile all the time and laugh at even the worst jokes. For the future, I hope to work at Dixon Schwabl and travel the world!”

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Posted in Advertising, Sports, Television | No Comments »

What Happened to the Budweiser of Old?

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

I’m sure like me a lot of you noticed the Super Bowl was dominated by commercials of Budweiser and Bud Light, some of which I thought were funny, but I say what happened to the old days? I remember a time when the Bud Bowl (featuring Bud vs. Bud Light) was more popular than the halftime show. Here’s a brief snap shot of how the eight Bud Bowls played out:

Bud Bowl I (1989): Budweiser 27 Bud Light 24
– Bob Costas & Paul Maguire announcing

Bud Bowl II (1990): Budweiser 36 Bud Light 34
– Terry Bradshaw & Brent Musburger announcing

Bud Bowl III (1991) Bud Light 23 Budweiser 21
– Don Meredith, Keith Jackson, Chris Berman announcing

Bud Bowl IV (1992) Budweiser 27 Bud Light 24
– Chris Berman announcing

Bud Bowl V (1993) Budweiser 35 Bud Light 31
– Ahmad Rashad & Karen “Duff” Duffy announcing

Bud Bowl VI (1994) Bud Light 20 Budweiser 14
– Marv Albert announcing

Bud Bowl VII (1995) Budweiser 26, Bud Light 24
– Chris Berman announcing

Bud Bowl VIII (1997) Budweiser 27 Bud Light 24
– Howie Long & Ronnie Lott announcing

I appreciated the Bud Bowl because it combined most men’s favorite two pastimes: football and beer. What is better than football playing beer cans and bottles, right? I guess the rising price tags attached to these spots killed the whole Bud Bowl thing……or maybe it was Howie Long announcing…..could be either or both!

I also remember a time when Budweiser wasn’t represented by giant Clydesdales or some chirping frogs. Instead, its mascot was a white dog with a black spot around his eye named “ Spuds MacKenzie”. This dog could do everything, pick up beautiful women, water ski, and even run track and field!

Spuds was the James Bond of all dogs! So although I enjoyed a lot of this year’s Super Bowl spots, next year I’m looking for Bud Bowl and Spuds to make a comeback.

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Posted in Advertising, Current Events, Sports, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Even With His Admission of Guilt, Mark McGwire Continues to Lie

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

When Mark McGwire finally decided earlier this week to fess up to something everybody already knew, that he used steroids during his baseball career, I wasn’t very impressed with his apology.

McGwire’s PR plan was well thought out, orchestrated by former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. A written statement in McGwire’s name was issued through the St. Louis Cardinals, the team he is now the batting coach for. McGwire followed by giving one-on-one interviews to select print, radio and TV outlets, culminating in a live TV interview with Bob Costas on the Major League Baseball Network. The one-on-one setup allowed McGwire to apologize, without being bombarded by questions in a press conference setting. However, what McGwire said during these one-on-one interviews came across to me as him merely telling more lies.

McGwire said he refused to answer questions about his steroid use before Congress in 2005 because he wasn’t granted immunity. Fair enough, but the statute of limitations on a criminal case against him expired in 2006, so why did he wait to confess until now, especially considering that during his one-on-one interviews, he stressed how he has wanted to get this off his chest for a long time?

The only reason McGwire has come forth now is because of his new job as the Cardinals’ hitting instructor. He needed to do it to successfully re-enter the game, and I think he somehow thinks that by admitting his use, he will someday be voted into the Hall of Fame.

During his interview with Costas, McGwire insisted that steroids did not improve his ability to hit home runs, that he just used them to overcome injuries. However, he played in more than 130 games per season from 1996-1999, hitting more than 52 home runs every season; seems like he was pretty healthy to me.

That’s why when McGwire said he used steroids in small doses, I don’t believe him. I think he was a heavy user, especially from 1996-1999, the height of his career. When Jose Canseco says they used to inject each other with performance-enhancing drugs in the bathroom stall when they were teammates on the Oakland A’s, a claim McGwire denies, I believe Canseco over McGwire. The bottom line is McGwire used steroids to hit home runs, break records, and gain more money and fame.

In the end, even with his admission, McGwire continues to lie about his steroid use. His press tour was well thought out, but they should have thought of some better answers for him. He should have told the complete truth.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig says the Steroid Era is over in baseball. Now if only the game had an effective test to detect Human Growth Hormone use.

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Posted in Current Events, Sports, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

I Am Woman, Please Don’t Make Me Roar

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I was recently at my local outdoor store looking to upgrade my snowshoes when I got frustrated about my options. I am a female yes, but that does not mean that I want to wear the Powerpuff girls on my feet. Seriously. The color options were pink, lilac and sea foam green. What happen to black, silver or a nice darker green to match my coat?

It’s as if the only way they know how to attract women is to color everything a putrid shade of bubble gum pink. I should add that pink is one of my favorite colors, hypocritical? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I want everything I own to be pink. Pink softball gloves, pink helmets, pink lacrosse sticks, pink hiking boots, pink skateboards, pink, pink, pink. They even have an array of tools now that are pink. I know how to use a hammer, but just think I could get one to match my outfit. Handy and stylish!

And the funny thing was, as I was thinking all this, I wandered over to where my husband was looking at pocket knives in the case and he pointed to one and said, “You should get this one. It’s pink.” See what I mean?

Maybe I am being a little sensitive. But I just feel like the pinktification does less to empower women and more to create stereotypes. So for now, I will stick with my old red snowshoes and plain old boring wooden hammer.

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Posted in Marketing to Women, Sports | No Comments »

Jack Nicklaus Drives it Down the Middle Again

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

With Tiger Woods’ reputation disintegrating faster than a typical Buffalo Bills season, it was only a matter of time before reporters caught up with Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 major championships Tiger is only four away from tying.

When reached for comment, Jack said it’s none of his business and added:

“He’s a great athlete. He’ll figure it out. Time usually heals all wounds. I think the hardest thing is obviously his family.”

I thought this was the perfect response, and a classy response too. Jack could have ripped Tiger’s transgressions to shreds, or he could have defended him, but what would he have gained from a polarizing response like that? Instead, like most of the drives in his stellar career, he played it right down the middle. He commented on the situation without really conveying how he felt. He just provided a proper, 30,000 foot perspective.

Jack Nicklaus is known as a world-class golfer and a world-class person. Unfortunately, the man who might break his record for major championships one day, is now only known as the former, and not the latter.

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Posted in Current Events, Public Relations, Sports | No Comments »

Are You Ready for Some Football?!?

Friday, December 11th, 2009

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On Saturday, December 12th, the Cadets of West Point and the Midshipmen from the U.S.  Naval Academy will meet for the 110th time. I think it’s safe to say that this is a true rivalry.

Most rivalries include a good amount of trash talk; boasting, etc. I for one enjoy all of the above each and every year – starting in late November, right up to the singing of Anchors Aweigh and Eternal Father, Strong to Save (Navy Hymn) at the end of each game. This includes the colorful decorations that will adorn the office of a colleague that is a Veteran of the U.S. Army.

I’ll never pass up a chance to poke a little fun at my fellow service members – especially those that wear the colors of a different branch of the armed forces. And I know that the volley will be returned very quickly. I also never hesitate to approach a veteran or service member on the street to shake his or her hand, and thank them for their service (this time of year though, I always end with Go Navy. Beat Army).

But, that’s where the similarity of trash-talking ends when compared to other sporting events and rivalries.

The mutual respect between these two branches of the military – between all branches of the military – is one that is almost indescribable. We measure our level of respect, and trust, on if we’re willing to follow that person into the unknown, and over the crest of a blind hill. In other words, are we willing to put our life on the line for that individual?

I realize this sounds very deep, but it’s the basis for the rivalry that takes place every December. The players on the field battle at the highest level of competition, and then stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the end of the game to sing each others’ fight songs. It will bring a tear to the eye of the saltiest, crustiest, and most battle-hardened soldier or sailor there is.

Oh yeah, now back to the game at hand…

If you have never experienced an Army-Navy contest, either in person, or in front of your TV, then I would suggest spending some time tomorrow afternoon tuned into CBS. Kick-off is at 2:30 p.m., at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia. One of the best parts, which unfortunately is not shown live, is the March-On of the Cadets and Midshipmen. The Army Cadets begin their march at 11:45, followed by the Midshipmen at 12:15. It’s an amazing show of camaraderie.

And, then the game – where the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy will pound the Cadets into the ground! And do it by at least 14 points!! They have to, or I have to sing the Army Fight Song at my company holiday party Saturday evening!

If you’re unable to watch the entire game, I would suggest catching the very beginning, and the end of the game, as mentioned above. The ceremonial part of the contest is time-honored and it’s not to be missed.

So, along with my fellow shipmates around the world – all of the Squids, Swabbies; Grunts; and Jarheads – and my brothers and sisters of the Worldwide Chief Petty Officers’ Mess – let’s raise a mug of Navy Grog as we say in unison – GO NAVY. BEAT ARMY!

And, to my fellow service members in ALL branches of the military…. THANK YOU for all that you do!

Oh, and one LAST thing – be sure to ask Charles Benoit to see his coin – and then you’ll know what side he’s TRULY on!

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Posted in Sports | 4 Comments »

Brand Loyalty and the Buffalo Bills

Monday, November 30th, 2009

We recently had Bruce Jones, the Disney Institute’s programming director, on the Eyes On The Future radio program on 1180 WHAM. For some season, shortly after our discussion about Walt Disney’s approach to key business principles such as leadership, service, people management, brand loyalty and creativity, I began to think about brand loyalty and the Buffalo Bills.

Bruce said that the key to building and maintaining brand loyalty is to deliver on the promise of your brand. I thought about how the Buffalo Bills haven’t lived up to their promise of winning since the 1999-2000 season, the last time they made the playoffs. Of course, that playoff game in 1999 was the excruciatingly painful “Music City Miracle” defeat.

As Bills fans we are conditioned to suffer I guess. Despite that suffering (four straight Super Bowl losses, Music City Miracle, 10 years running of awful football), we still root for them every Sunday, we still go to the games, we still buy jerseys. Heck, I have the misfortune of owning a Trent Edwards jersey!

Would I go to a restaurant for 10 years if the meals and service were bad almost every time? Of course not! But, sports teams are lucky, they can maintain that brand loyalty to a majority of their audience no matter how bad their product is, because sports fans are loyal.

Despite that, it’s time for the Bills product to be good. Bruce Jones said that every great organization has a strong leader at the top, and that’s what the Bills need to be good again. While I am not asking for a leader on the level of Walt Disney, I am asking for a general manager and head coach with a proven track record. I don’t care if the Bills have to spend $15 million per year to get that duo, or coach who can do both jobs. They have to do whatever it takes, and merely trying for a Super Bowl coach like a Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan or Tony Dungy or Mike Holmgren won’t be enough. The Bills have to land him. They have no choice. Only after the Bills get those strong leaders can they address the glaring lack of talent on the field.

The Bills may not have lost their brand loyalty, but they have lost their credibility, which is why I admit, I have no faith they will hire that top tier head coach or GM. Besides, who wants to go to a team that has little talent, plays a game a year in Toronto, and might move to Toronto or LA at anytime?

Nonethess, they have to find a way to get it done. It’s time for the Bills to deliver on their promise. It’s time to actually have a head coach with an impressive resume. It’s time to have a strong leader.

It’s time to win.

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Posted in Brand Experience, Current Events, Sports | 1 Comment »

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