Red Sox Brand Remains Strong

By Zach Baru

For those who believe the Boston Red Sox are simply a "sports team" and not a "brand", one only has to walk down the streets of Boston at any given neighborhood, and at any given time of day to realize how powerful that Red Sox logo really is.  It is everywhere.  It's on hats, shirts, cars, you name it.  Where ever you may go in Boston, you are sure to be somewhere in the presence of one of the most important, and popular brands in all of New England, the Boston Red Sox.

In fact, it is so popular, it dominates the media.  In newspapers, on television or the radio, and social network sites, the Red Sox are constantly a topic of conversation.  There are countless books on the idea of this "fascination" we have for the Red Sox.  So what happens when an event like last night occurs, and an entire region is shocked by an occurrence of events all unfolding within three minutes.  What is the current state of the Red Sox brand?

Is it so strong that it can never be weakened?  Boston has been through this before.  Every generation has their story.  But what is so interesting about what happened last night is not so much the ending, but what lead up to it.  An entire month of negativity, in which case some fans actually wanted the Red Sox to loose.

So hear we are.  This is a very different situation than the one in 2003.  Then, the momentum of the Red Sox brand was not slowing down, it was only growing.  It was feeding off of the hunger for a World Series title.  Eight years later we already have two titles, and with recent success we expect just that, even more success.  

It became evident at the beginning of the season that there had been a bit of a change in Red Sox Nation.  Suddenly, games weren't selling out so fast.  More tickets were available on game days.  And fans were showing up later in the game, and leaving earlier in the evening.  This continued throughout the season, raising the question, is the bubble popping for Red Sox Nation?

From a brand standpoint, as long as the seats are all sold, the ratings are high, and the headlines are still dominated with coverage, the Red Sox brand remains strong.  Even if we go from baseball playoffs to hockey season in a matter of minutes.  Only a brand as powerful as the Red Sox can get away with that.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Review: "All Pro-Panel", What's Next for Social Media and Sports

By Zach Baru

What would the common fan's reaction be to seeing the phrase "@Celtics" painted on the court at the TD Garden?  This was one of many questions being raised, and ideas being brought up at last weeks "All-Pro Panel" at Game On outside Fenway Park.  Although the many high definition television sets inside the bar had games being played, the only discussion from the 125 attendees was the role of social media in professional sports.  

As social media continues to revolutionize the way businesses market their products, social media is making the very same impact on professional sports franchises.  As one of the representatives from four of Boston's professional teams put it, social media is the new form of a press release.  The public relations department of a franchise is no longer the only form of communication or announcement from the team.  News and other information is now instantly released using social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

The Red Sox are just one example of a Boston team using social media as a way to connect with fans, and promote themselves at the same time.  Their "Tweet Your Seat" promotion has become very popular, having fans Tweet their seat location at Fenway for a chance to win prizes.  "It's a great way to get people involved when they're in the park," says All-Pro Panel attendee Liz Sklar, an Emerging Technology Strategist at allen & gerritsen, an advertising agency in Watertown, MA. As the dependence of traditional media such as newspaper and television starts to decline, the connection between social media and sports continues to grow.

Other highlights from the panel of representatives from the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins:

• The use of hasthags on television broadcasts of games will continue to grow.
• Twitter and Facebook are used as a way for teams to get feedback from fans, formerly lead by sports radio. 
• Leagues have strict regulations for the use of social media by its franchises.
• Google+ is not a major player for social media marketing by franchises. 
• Only 25% of Facebook users who "like" the Red Sox live in New England.

Interesting quotes from the panel:

"If you don't engage and leverage your social media followers, the platform is absolutely worthless." - Peter Stringer, Director, Interactive Media, Boston Celtics

"We're not looking for direct ROI from Twitter from a Bruins perspective, we want to really connect." - Chris DiPierro, Director of Marketing, Boston Bruins

"We treat social media responses as one big focus group" - Colin Burch, Director, Marketing and Broadcast Services, Boston Red Sox

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Slap Shots: Revolution, BC, Cannons

By Zach Baru

Sad to see the Blazers' 2012 season suspended, hopefully they will they call another local venue home for 2013.

With the integration of social media and premium seating, the new Putnum Club at Gillette Stadium truly is a "sports marketing playground".

2012 prediction: BC versus UConn at Gillette.

It's amazing, this fall the TD Garden will have a tennis match before a basketball game (October 1, Staples Champions Cup, Agassi vs. McEnroe).

As the weather begins to cool down, the attendance is heating up for the Revolution, with  two consecutive home games having over 15,000 fans.

Nice to see Frozen Fenway reaching out to fans all over New England for their double header on January 7, 2012, with UMass vs. Vermont, and UNH vs. Maine.

From a prospective of broadcast revenue, the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference is priceless for BC.

Arena football and the TD Garden, a perfect match.

Congratulations to the Boston Cannons winning the Major League Lacrosse championship, now move back to Nickerson where you belong.

Will the Dropkick Murphys' concert at Fenway Park's "Bleacher Theater" be a catalyst for future intimate shows at the ballpark?

In tribute to Garry Brown.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Blazers to Be Missed in Boston

By Zach Baru


As Boston celebrates a Major League Lacrosse championship, the city looses a big part of the lacrosse community.  Earlier this month and just days after the Boston Cannons won the MLL championship, the Boston Blazers announced the suspension of their operations for the 2012 National Lacrosse League season.  


This is a major loss for lacrosse fans in Boston, which has a rich tradition of not just lacrosse, but professional indoor lacrosse as well.  The original New England Blazers began playing in the Worcester Centrum in 1989 and moved to the Boston Garden in 1992 to become the Boston Blazers.  The Blazers continued to play in the new FleetCenter until the end of the 1997 season when the Major Indoor Lacrosse League became the NLL of today with a new entity and individual team ownership.


Today's NLL saw the Boston Blazers join the league in May of 2007, with their first season at the then named TD Banknorth Garden in 2008.  The ownerships of the two Blazers' franchises had no relation, but both have had the same goal, giving Boston fans a chance to be part of one of the fasting growing sports in the country.  Over the last ten years, the number of high school lacrosse programs in the United States has nearly doubled from 1,600 to over 3,000 today, reason to believe in the long-term success of professional lacrosse.  


And if the last decade has been any indication, the success will come from the indoor game, as the NLL continues to dominate in ticket sales.  In 2011, the NLL averaged 9,722 fans per game, while the MLL averaged 6,417.  It is also noted that four of the ten franchises in the NLL averaged over 10,000 fans per game last year, while the MLL had one such example of its six teams.  This season, MLL's Denver Outlaws averaged 12,331 fans per game, which is much inflated by their annual Fourth of July game in which the city holds a fireworks display at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.  


As professional indoor lacrosse in the United States has a longer history than its outdoor competitor, it is no question that the NLL continues to beat the MLL in attendance each year.  In the NLL's twenty-five year history many of its games, including a large amount of championship games, have seen sell-outs of major arenas throughout all of the United States and Canada.  Attendances have often reached up to 19,000 fans, proving to marketers that the valuable young adult demographic will buy into this sport.


There is no question the NLL will be missed in Boston.  The Blazers have made themselves a part of the community, not only on the field, but off the field as well.  They have reached out to youth lacrosse programs throughout the city, growing the sport, and creating a presence within the community.  Something all franchises should make a part of their daily routines.  It is sad to see them leave, but professional indoor lacrosse has and will always have a rich history in the city of Boston.  Only time will tell what the future holds.


Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Frozen Fenway a Win for All Sides

By Zach Baru

Come January 7 at Fenway Park, there will be more than just two winning teams at Frozen Fenway 2012.  In fact, not only will each of the four teams win from the exposure, but New England Sports Network and Fenway Sports Management will also share the rewards of playing outdoor hockey at "America's Most Beloved Ballpark".

The event will air live on NESN, immediately following coverage of the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks in their first meeting since the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.  The hype of the Bruins game will be a key addition to exposure for Frozen Fenway, as there is a potential for huge Bruins ratings to carry over to the college doubleheader.

At 4:00 PM the University of Massachusetts and the University of Vermont begin the first game, followed by the University of New Hampshire and the University of Maine at 7:30.  This game presents an excellent opportunity for these four schools to showcase their hockey programs in an event that will be getting national media attention.  If there is one observation made from the efforts of Fenway Sports Management's marketing, it's that the events taking place at Fenway are not only seen around the region, but around the entire country as well.

Frozen Fenway 2010, Celtic FC versus Sporting CP in 2010 and various concerts are  examples of FSM's impressive resume of events attracting nation-wide attention.  FSM is the global sports marketing and sales arm of Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC.  From FSM's perspective, Frozen Fenway is yet another opportunity to bring sports and entertainment to Fenway during the winter.   Additionally, they are able to reach out to the entire region by including the Universities of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts to participate.  Fenway Sports Group has spent years making sure the region knows that the Red Sox brand represents not only Boston, but all of New England.   Frozen Fenway is just another example of getting the entire region involved, and bringing them to the ballpark.

And this has been something Fenway Sports Group has been so much better at doing than the other ownership groups of Major League Baseball.  Many of the league's stadiums are just that, baseball-only stadiums.  The problem is that in a revenue-generating business, this is not a great practice.  And this is what separates FSG from the other ownership groups, their ability to provide year-round entertainment.  Honestly, ten years ago, could you imagine The Rolling Stones playing a concert at Fenway?  And for that matter, The Police two years later?  This is what sports marketing is all about.  And as Fenway Sports Group lead the way, they clearly show year after year they know how to do it best.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and contacted at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Slap Shots: Revolution, Patriots, Red Sox

By Zach Baru

Liverpool at Fenway?  Looks like it's only a matter of when, not if.

Sports Business Journal: Providence ranks third in top U.S. minor league markets.  And not too far behind in fifth is Portland, Maine.

With Revolution games at Gillette looking more like open practices, it's about time the Revs go back to their normal seating configuration.

I said it once, and I'll say it again, bring arena football to Boston already.

UMass moves its home games to Gillette Stadium in 2012, and is going to have a hard time moving its fans along with them.

Embarrassing attendance of the month: 49,313 in Tampa against the Patriots on Thursday.

Bruins 11, 10 and 5 game plans are going fast as expected, with only single seats available.

Kudos to Kraft Sports Productions, for excellent coverage of Patriots preseason football.

With concerts at Fenway, it's either love it, or hate it.

After all of this mess is over, how much longer will the Celtics' sell-out streak last?

In tribute to Garry Brown.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Will the Boston Red Sox Attendance Record Be Topped in 2012?

By Zach Baru

What is most impressive of the record reached by the Boston Red Sox attendance last Monday is that there is a substantial chance it will be broken yet again in 2012.  On Monday August 1, the Boston Red Sox sold 3 million tickets during the 2011 season faster than any other season in Red Sox history.   This beats the organization's previous record of August 5, 2009, as the fastest the Red Sox have ever reached the mark of 3 million tickets sold during a season.

Amazingly, but not surprisingly, the Red Sox have sold at least 3 million tickets every year since 2008.  As this marketing-oriented ownership group continues to find unique ways to increase the seating in Fenway Park, they are taking advantage of the high demand, and maximizing the revenues from ticket sales.  The best part is that they are doing it very cautiously, making sure they do not take away from the historic Fenway experience.

What once seemed like a sin, has turned into a fan-friendly way of updating the nearly 100 year old ballpark to 2011 standards.  Other than adding seats, the new high definition video boards are a great addition to the stadium, and an even better addition to the game-night experience for the fans.  Over the last few years, Boston area sports venues have all seen the transition to high-definition video boards.  This was first seen with the TD Garden's HDX board, which uses 360 degree LED screens for a crisp high definition picture.  Soon after, Gillette Stadium added two 48' by 27' high definition video boards behind the end zones.

As the Red Sox try to keep up with the competition, they show no signs of slowing down.  Just last Thursday in a game against the Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox had their highest attendance since World War II with 38,477 fans.

So will the Red Sox attendance record be topped in 2012?  All signs point to yes.  The brilliant marketing tactics of this franchise are still as superb as they have been when the new ownership took over.  Their "Paint the Town Red" approach has not gone off track at all.  As the records continue to be broken, they keep packing in the fans night after night.  3 millions times over.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.