The 88 Marketing Blog

NHL Rinksters – Once again the NHL is aggressively marketing to the next generation of fans with new media.  They recently launched a new on-line game for kids called NHL Rinksters.  There are free and paid premium versions of this virtual world where kids can create their own avatars, win prizes and go on different […]

Mission Control: NJ Devils monetize social media efforts – One year after launching the Mission Control social media hub at the Prudential Center, New Jersey Devils officials say the team has begun to monetize the program, producing $500,000 in revenue from new and renewed marketing partnerships, according to Rich Krezwick, president of Devils Arena Entertainment.  “Mission Control […]

With the NFL labor situation resolved and the regular season scheduled to start on time, league and team sponsors, media advertisers and the networks all took a collective sigh of relief.  When looking at the media landscape alone, most advertisers didn’t seem to be overly concerned or hedged their bets by purchasing the majority of […]

He probably won’t remember July 6, 2011, but I will cherish it for the rest of my life.  On this day Derek Gibson Klein (2 and a half) attended his first big league baseball game with his mom and dad.  The stars aligned perfectly as my hometown Detroit Tigers played in Anaheim for a 12:35 […]

With the proliferation of DVRs, watching live TV is a thing of the past.  However, watching live sporting events remains relatively immune to this trend.  Even though watching a game live is still ideal and the ultimate reality TV, sometimes you just don’t have a choice.  Especially if you are like me and have a […]

Social media is the new frontier for sports properties and sponsors alike.  As we continue to learn how to utilize this medium, the landscape is evolving at a rapid pace.  Although direct revenue generation may still be elusive, social media is also quickly becoming the activation tool of choice.  It allows for engagement, consumer feedback, […]

Is there anything better than Opening Day?  Every year I get the chills watching the baseball season begin and it’s not because the fans in NY look like they are freezing their butts off.  It feels like a holiday and maybe it should be.  It’s awesome to see the giant American flag spread across the […]

With baseball’s Opening Day next week, here is a quick look at the top 5 business stories to watch for this season. 1)      Dodgers, Mets and Astros ownership situations Will the Dodgers be forced to sell in order to pay for the pending divorce settlement between Frank and Jamie McCourt?  Will an investor step up to […]

We are on the eve of March Madness and for basketball junkies it doesn’t get any better than this.  Of course the NCAA gave us a couple of extra play-in games before the official start on Thursday to wet our appetite, but the real fun begins tomorrow at 9:15 AM for those of us on […]

Does anyone really want the Sacramento Kings to relocate to Anaheim?  Of course this is probably just a negotiating ploy by the Maloofs to leverage Sacramento into getting a new arena as many NFL teams have done using LA as bait.  However, try telling that to Sonics fans in Seattle who still feel snake bitten […]