SPORTS & LEISURE RESEARCH GROUP - The Intersection of insights and strategy

Last to Moderate Panel of MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA
Research Heads in New York-Feb 23rd

SPORTS & LEISURE RESEARCH GROUP President Jon Last will moderate a panel discussion with the research directors of the four largest professional sports leagues---Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL and NBA--on Tuesday evening, February 23rd. The event, sponsored by the New York Chapters of MRA and AAPOR begins promptly at 6:15pm, with refreshments available, beginning at 5:30pm. Last and the panelists will discuss the evolution and utilization of marketing research in professional sports at The State University of New York-State College of Optometry, Joseph and Roberta Schwarz Theater (33 W 42nd Street). The event is free to all NYAAPOR and NYMRA members. Non-members can attend for a $20 fee, payable onsite. RSVPs by Friday February 19 should go to info@nyaapor.org.

COMPLIMENTARY DOWNLOADS: PGA and NGCOA Show Presentations; Winter Sports Omnibus Findings now available at Sportsandleisureresearch.com

"Coming out of the Rough", a look at the attitudes, perceptions and consumption/participation expectations of a representative sample of over 1,000 golfers was presented at Sports Illustrated Golf Group's January 28 breakfast at the recent PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. A modified version of the presentation, drawing from additional facility operator specific insights was delivered at the NGCOA conference in San Diego on February 9. You can download a complimentary pdf of the presentation, from here to learn more about what lies ahead for the golf industry in 2010-from the consumer's mindset.


SLRG's 2010 Winter Sports Omnibus is also available for download, and contains the perspectives of over 1,000 avid sports fans on a wide variety of topics, including:

  » ticket pricing
  » athletes as role models
  » the prospects for prominent NBA players to move as free-agents
  » A potential NFL work stoppage in 2011
  » Use of Instant replay in baseball
  » The fan's outlook on the economy in 2010
     
You can find it here: 2010 Winter Sports Omnibus

POV/RESEARCH: The Lamp Post Revisited:

For those who've seen my presentations at research, media, travel and sports conferences, over the years, inevitably you've heard me utter my parable about how too many organizations use research only like a drunk uses a lamp post… for support rather than for its intended purpose,… illumination. I've been invited to speak around the country over the past few months, about the heightened demand for Return on Investment measurement in these categories. And while it pleases me that this topic has been brought to the forefront, I'm irked to report, that the old parable probably needs some dusting off and reinforcement. Too many people continue to look for the fast and typically flawed "official scorecard" to prove a point, rather than take a more holistic approach that can actually build a brand or a marketing partner's brand, by moving away from elusive hard metrics and towards true insights. But it's easy for marketers to become so self centered, as we "live our brands", that the forest becomes obscured by the trees. Here then, fresh from discussing this with industry leaders around the country, are the basic things we all need to remember when thinking about measuring the impact of our marketing and media investments. READ MORE»

SLRG IN THE NEWS:

Media Post's Marketing: Sports: Is That Spokesperson a Kia or a Mercedes?

In February's Media Post: Marketing Sports, SLRG's Jon Last discusses the challenges and opportunities of aligning endorsers with brands. The piece also offers insights on how a number of research techniques can add some "science" to the art of finding the right endorser. You can read the piece here.

Gilford Securities Golf Market Outlook

Golf Industry analyst Casey Alexander of Gilford Securities has released his 2010 golf market outlook, which includes key findings from January 2010 golfer research conducted by SPORTS & LEISURE RESEARCH GROUP. The full report is available at Sports and Leisure Research Group's website, via this link

SportsandLeisureResearch.com to be heralded
in Web Design Book

The SLRG website has been selected for inclusion in David Carter's "Big Book of Layouts", to be released in June. The book, written for professional and amateur designers, includes a gallery of best of breed web site layouts along with a thorough look at what goes into an effective layout design. The SLRG site, which was developed in partnership with New York design agency, McMillian Design, launched in the fall of 2008 and features all of the articles, POVs and downloads covered in "News and Views" as well as detailed information on Sports and Leisure Research Group's capabilities, principals and services, as well as numerous case studies and media coverage of the firm. Visit at www.sportsandleisureresearch.com.
© 2010 Sports & Leisure Research Group
Jon Last, 445 Hamilton Avenue; Suite 1102, White Plains, NY 10601