Sunday, March 19, 2006
Red Bulls 1, Old Marketing 0
When Red Bull bought the MetroStars, they trumpted their purchase with a claim that they were going to do things that have never been seen before in MLS. They were going to blow the fans away with their plans. My reaction was twofold... 1) I hope they don't go on a spending spree that ends up bankrupting an already shaky financial league and 2) yeah right, everyone says they'll do things differently but I'll believe it when I see it.
Well, my second concern seems to be alleviated...at least for now. In an unprecedented move (and smart, I might add) the Red Bulls will pay for any of their fans to watch their season-opener against DC United in the Nation's capital. They'll charter buses, they'll buy the tickets, they'll throw a tailgate party...the whole works. The idea sounds brilliant. In essence, the Red Bulls need to recruit fans, and lots of them, and this gives them the fan's ear for 12 straight hours on a weekend. Sure it won't be cheap, but they'll also receive a lot of press for the team. And, any press that they receive, helps not only the team but sales of their energy drink. That, right there, is the Red Bulls' advantage. The soccer team may lose money year in and year out, but if that's more than offset by a rise in sales of their products, no problem. No other team benefits from such calculus.
It should be an interesting year in New York!
Also...word out of the East Cost is that MLS will announce an second team in New Jersey, this one right outside of Philly, tomorrow. No one is quite sure if this will be an expansion team or the new home of the Kansas City Wizards, perhaps. Or maybe this is all just a rumor. We'll see...
Well, my second concern seems to be alleviated...at least for now. In an unprecedented move (and smart, I might add) the Red Bulls will pay for any of their fans to watch their season-opener against DC United in the Nation's capital. They'll charter buses, they'll buy the tickets, they'll throw a tailgate party...the whole works. The idea sounds brilliant. In essence, the Red Bulls need to recruit fans, and lots of them, and this gives them the fan's ear for 12 straight hours on a weekend. Sure it won't be cheap, but they'll also receive a lot of press for the team. And, any press that they receive, helps not only the team but sales of their energy drink. That, right there, is the Red Bulls' advantage. The soccer team may lose money year in and year out, but if that's more than offset by a rise in sales of their products, no problem. No other team benefits from such calculus.
It should be an interesting year in New York!
Also...word out of the East Cost is that MLS will announce an second team in New Jersey, this one right outside of Philly, tomorrow. No one is quite sure if this will be an expansion team or the new home of the Kansas City Wizards, perhaps. Or maybe this is all just a rumor. We'll see...
Comments:
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This is a great idea by Red Bull. They will win over the existing Metro fans as well as gain some new fans. Last count was 750 people had registered which is terrific. This will create a tremendous atmosphere when you factor in DC's fan base.
The great thing about adding new blood to the ownership pool is that they bring a different perspective to the marketing side of the business. This is always good for the league. Look at how the NBA has benefited from new owners joining their ranks. A lot of people may not like Mark Cuban, but he's brought a lot of great ideas to the table on how to run a franchise and has turned the Mavs into a top-notch NBA team.
Last note on Red Bull. For people that are complaining about the name change, please remember this:
1) The MetroStars nickname was born from one of their original investors, John Kluge. Kluge was one of the founders of a company called Metromedia which eventually became part of WorldCom. So it was already a corporate moniker, just a bit more subtle.
2) Sponsorship of uniforms is something that is totally commonplace outside of the US. For some reason, we in the US feel that it's OK to sell everything associated with a team (stadium, sponsored time-outs, etc), but you can't touch the uniforms (except for NASCAR).
3) Red Bull just spent $30 M for an MLS franchise, they can call it whatever they want. If anyone wants to spend significant dough to be associated with MLS, I'm OK with it. (George)
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The great thing about adding new blood to the ownership pool is that they bring a different perspective to the marketing side of the business. This is always good for the league. Look at how the NBA has benefited from new owners joining their ranks. A lot of people may not like Mark Cuban, but he's brought a lot of great ideas to the table on how to run a franchise and has turned the Mavs into a top-notch NBA team.
Last note on Red Bull. For people that are complaining about the name change, please remember this:
1) The MetroStars nickname was born from one of their original investors, John Kluge. Kluge was one of the founders of a company called Metromedia which eventually became part of WorldCom. So it was already a corporate moniker, just a bit more subtle.
2) Sponsorship of uniforms is something that is totally commonplace outside of the US. For some reason, we in the US feel that it's OK to sell everything associated with a team (stadium, sponsored time-outs, etc), but you can't touch the uniforms (except for NASCAR).
3) Red Bull just spent $30 M for an MLS franchise, they can call it whatever they want. If anyone wants to spend significant dough to be associated with MLS, I'm OK with it. (George)
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