“Vote for Pedro”

By Kurt Hunzeker (with some copy points provided by the movie Napoleon Dynamite)

“Look, Pedro, I don't know how they do things down in Juarez, but here in Idaho we have a little something called pride. Understand? Smashing in the face of a piñata that resembles Summer Wheatley is a disgrace to you, me, and the entire Gem State.”

Today I am the President and General Manager of the Class A Northwest League’s Boise Hawks. The team has announced plans to change its nickname for the 2007 season, due in part to the fact that it does not own the rights to the “Hawks” name; the NBA Atlanta Hawks own the copyright.

This season marked the 20th anniversary of the “Boise Hawks” franchise. And for 20 seasons, the team was not a top merchandise seller among Minor League Baseball franchises. With monikers like (Hickory) Crawdads, (Vermont) Lake Monsters, (Lansing) Lugnuts and (Carolina) Mudcats emblazoned across the caps and t-shirts of fans across not only their home markets, but nationally as well, selecting a new brand for your team’s name is as vital to a Minor League team’s business as having a deep talent pool take the field each night.

“Just tell them that their wildest dreams will come true if they vote for you.”

Two schools of thought have emerged in recent years regarding new Minor League Baseball team names:

First, a perceived “research overload” by outside agencies who spend thousands of dollars delving into a market, studying its past and conducting focus groups. In essence, this is an over-glorified “Name-the-Team” contest. These teams should have the manpower to handle this in-house, because they should have a better understanding of their marketplace. I admit, having “another set of eyes” helps, but at what cost? Teams employing agencies include the Clearwater Threshers, State College Spikes and West Virginia Power, to name a few.

Secondly, some Major League Baseball clubs have purchased their Minor League affiliates in order to streamline a number of business operations, including team names. The St. Louis Cardinals own the Class AA Springfield Cardinals, and a number of its affiliates utilize the tradition-rich Cardinal brand identity as its core icon: Class AAA Memphis Redbirds, Class A Palm Beach Cardinals and Rookie A Johnson City Cardinals.

Since I just placed myself in charge of the name change, which avenue do I take?

“I mean, we chat online for, like, two hours every day so I guess you could say things are getting’ pretty serious.”

I am of the belief that people living in Boise knows people who live in Boise best. I say this with a caveat…I would hire a consultant, not an agency, who would come in and execute our ideas. I do not want my ticket sales reps worrying about purchasing enough pizzas for Thursday’s focus group; I want them to sell tickets.

And I want to highlight “focus groups” here and steer everyone clear of “name-the-team” contests. As Dan Simon said to me, “You never win with a ‘name-the-team’ contest. The winner may have 30 percent of the vote, but that just means that 70 percent find at least one fatal flaw with it.” Perfectly stated.

But when a movie filmed in Idaho gives you a name…a name used by kids around the country…a name that has never been used by a sports franchise…then all research is thrown out the door. This is comparable to the gift “The Simpsons” bestowed upon the city of Albuquerque when its fictional, yet beloved “Springfield Isotopes” relocated to New Mexico, only to have the very real-Pacific Coast League expansion team adopt the same name with the blessing of the show’s creator. (“Isotopes” also fits the region’s nuclear testing history; a point that must be addressed.)

And if quotes from Napoleon Dynamite haven’t given it away yet….

Deb: “What are you drawing?”
Napoleon Dynamite: “A liger.”
Deb: “What’s a liger?”
Napoleon Dynamite: “It’s pretty much my favorite animal. It’s like a lion and a tiger mixed…bred for its skills in magic.”

Introducing your BOISE LIGERS.

Without question, the Boise Ligers would assume a top-five position in Minor League Baseball’s merchandise sales. From a promotional perspective, one could dream up countless opportunities using references from the film, and easily expanded upon them to form brand, new ideas and experiences only available during Ligers’ home games.

Similar to my idea for an Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Night at the Ballpark (see post #16 - "Go F*** Yourself, San Diego"), I would solicit the movie’s producers and form a loose partnership because, in essence, the Boise Ligers would be the greatest piece of free advertising the film’s distributors could ever receive.

(And for anyone who thinks that crowds would be bored with the same movie quotes and yuck-yucks every game…come down to Atlanta where the Braves plays the song “Tonto, Get On It” from Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, every time a Braves’ player hits a home run. Fans are genuinely upset if they don’t hear that sound bite every game.)

I am sure gem-related names (Diamonds, Miners, blah blah blah) will get its fair-share of attention during this process, and I am sure some derivative of potatoes will find its way onto the short list (Spuds, yada yada yada), but in the end, the movie that actually paints a realistic (and extraordinarily funny) picture of Idahoan life should have its most famous, magical animal adorn the caps, jerseys, t-shirts, lunchboxes and bobbleheads of Boise’s fabled franchise…the Boise Ligers.

And when the revenues begin to increase in every facet of the team's business, you will easily hear me say:

“Yessssssssss.”

“You've got three pairs. You can't have six cards! You can't have six cards in a five-card game!”

By Kurt Hunzeker (with some copy points provided by the movie Ocean’s Eleven)

For Post 21, and one that centers on Part 2 of the NBA’s upcoming All-Star Game in Las Vegas, you knew I was going into the well and use quotes from one of the best Vegas-centric movies of all-time, Ocean’s Eleven.

When we left off, I proposed focusing all marketing efforts on the 21-and-up crowd, because when you couple the NBA with Las Vegas, parents will not be quick to take their kids to the epicenter of gambling, debauchery and the very accurate “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” experience.

With an understanding that the youth market is truly “tomorrow’s paying consumers,” I believe the NBA has a golden opportunity to market this particular All-Star Game unlike any all-star game ever played in any professional league. The Vegas All-Star Game will be on par with the glamour, celebrity and star power of the Super Bowl. And this should be a boon for the Association and its sponsors.

The NBA’s corporate partner roster should be clamoring to activate its sponsorship with the All-Star Game. Combine all of the elements of this platform: the market (Las Vegas), the particular time of year (warm in Vegas; winter just about everywhere else), proximity to star power (Hollywood is a short flight away), the NBA’s emerging young stars (James, Wade, Anthony), the NBA’s best still at their peak (Bryant, Duncan, Garnett and – in popularity – Shaq)…you have a recipe for some of the most sought-after tickets (basketball-related activities AND casino-based clubs/parties).

Consider if you will….

“Ted Nugent called, he wants his shirt back.”

Crazy ideas, as in Ted Nugent-crazy, will win with our core market. The über-savvy 21-35 set gravitate towards the direct, one-on-one experience; not traditional mass marketing vehicles. From DVRs fast-forwarding commercials to waiting for movies to come out on DVD, our target consumer won’t even consider a static message unless an attractive carrot is attached to it.

And these “carrots” highlight the following ideas customized for some of the 21 – that’s right, the magical, Las Vegas number of 21 – major NBA official marketing partners each should employ to garner the interest (and purchasing power) of our core demographic:

Toyota – “I’m gonna get out of the car and drop you like third period French.”

The goal for automakers’ sponsorships centers on having a desire audience actually get inside one of their vehicles. In the same manner that beverage companies utilize sports team partnerships to provide a venue to sample its drinks, or airlines highlight its services to add passengers, car companies want potential consumers to test drive their lines of cars, trucks and SUVs.

Introducing …Toyota’s “Moving Forward…to Center Court” Sweepstakes

Goal…Increase test drives and purchases from 21-35 demographic

Execution…Conduct national sweeps where test drivers of certain lines of Toyota vehicles enter for a chance to not only win an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas, but courtside seats taken directly from the seats of an actual Toyota vehicle. The same lucky winners win Toyota vehicles to take home with them.

Support…National advertising featuring NBA stars as Toyota car salesmen taking 21-35 year-olds for test drives around the country, all eventually ending up on the Las Vegas Strip.

Anheuser-Busch – “Ten oughta do it, don’t you think? You think we need one more? You think we need one more. All right, we’ll get one more.”

Introducing…Budweiser Select’s “Kings of the RoundBall”

Goal…Grow Anheuser-Busch’s newest entry in the light/low-carb beer category as the top choice among 21-35 year olds; the exact demographic Las Vegas targets

Execution…Plaster Las Vegas with Bud Select’s crown icon

Support… Co-branded Budweiser Select/All-Star Game-branded matchbooks in every casino; place crown logo on all room keys; partner with Playboy, Maxim and all other parties scheduled for that weekend…the list goes on and on….

Southwest Airlines – “Apparently, he's got a record longer than my…well, it's long.”

Introducing…Southwest Airlines’ “Pick-and-Roll Your Way to Vegas” Sweepstakes

Goal…Grow Southwest Airlines business nationally, with a focus on cross-country flights

Execution…Reward customers who travel more than 500 miles round-trip with exclusive entry to win an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas for the All-Star Game

Support…Partner with high-end hotel and casino to provide luxury accommodations; blanket each Southwest Airlines gate with co-branded point-of-sale; cross-promote during NFL telecasts this fall (Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of the NFL); invite NFL stars to attend VIP party in Las Vegas…again, the list goes on and on….

Las Vegas provides you a backdrop to just about do anything. Because what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.