In his March 2013 Media Post: Marketing Sports item, SLRG President Jon Last observes that the World Baseball Classic offers a compelling alternative to the malaise of traditional All-Star games. It’s a model that warrants attention across sports marketing. As a baseball junkie, it’s not a surprise that the advent and growth of the World […]
Read More » SLRG President Jon Last’s February 2013 Media Post column explores the marketing implications of a contradiction of sorts among football fans, revealed in new SLRG research—Fans are concerned about player safety, yet a large number would risk the long-term impact of concussions for a chance at NFL stardom. Borrowing from the late, great sport columnists […]
Read More » SLRG President Jon Last’s January 2013 Media Post column highlights how impending jumbo-tron wars, NCAA Conference realignment and the build up to a Meadowlands Super Bowl are among the top sports marketing events to look forward to in the year ahead. It’s the morning after the BCS Championship game, and if you are like me […]
Read More » In his December, 2012 Media Post column, SLRG President Jon Last reflects on how recent empirical research and anecdotal observation has reinforced the fact that live sporting events are a uniquely engaging and receptive environment for brands. Nary a day goes by that the marketing trade press doesn’t include further doom-and-gloom evidence of how today […]
Read More » In his November column, SLRG President Jon Last finds a refreshing potential “diamond in the rough” in the game of identifying endorsement worthy pro athletes. I’ve used this space in the past to speak to the complex subject of selecting appropriate athletes as endorsers. My main messages have included a warning against hitching your fortunes […]
Read More » Football is a brand that, like any other, leverages points of differentiation to enable it to stand apart from its competition. In his October 2012 Media Post column, SLRG President Jon Last identifies those unique selling points that have made the game so popular. Last month, I raised a yellow flag for those properties and […]
Read More » In the August 2012 Marketing: Sports, SLRG President Jon Last provides research driven guidance on the potential pitfalls of trying to attach the future of a sport or brand to individual stars, with some valuable lessons from golf, tennis and football. I had the opportunity to participate in a Wharton Sports Business Initiative Forum on […]
Read More » Our first ever analysis/rankings of the MLB ball parks with the best fan experience has been released and we’re looking for thoughts on how to make the next one, even better. Let the debate begin. Here we are at the All-Star Break. The pennant races are taking shape and with the other major team sports […]
Read More » In the June 2012 posting, SLRG President Jon Last discusses how observational research has evolved to deliver more actionable insights in sports marketing. Mobile micro-video recorders now bring fans and customers “into the board room.” As a marketing researcher who has seen more than my share of poorly executed research in the sports industry, I’ll […]
Read More » In this month’s marketing Sports we examine what Nobel Prize winner Dr. Daniel Kahneman called system 1 and system 2 thinking. I had lunch recently with a longtime friend and colleague who I’ve often considered to be one of the smartest people I know. Having been on a whirlwind of qualitative research work recently, with […]
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