Sitting through yet another NY Mets meltdown last night against Atlanta, I was reminded of their advertising and marketing campaign earlier this season: "Next year is now."
Convinced that their move to acquire top free agents Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran would produce "meaningful baseball games in September," the Metsies marketing campaign went into high gear (supplemented by boorish cheerleading on their broadcasts by Fran Healy, who seems totally detached from the grim reality of the Mets’ situation).
Sadly, though, this team lacks any offense whatsoever and is dropping out of the race faster than Howard Dean disappeared from the Democratic primaries after his ill-timed yelp of joy.
All of which reinforces a basic marketing truism: you can launch an intense and sophisticated integrated marketing campaign to support a product or service and do everything right. But, if said product/service is flawed, it won’t matter. The public knows a rotten product when it sees one. And I’ve seen one in Flushing.
Good observation Mr. Gooden, I actually like the “Mr. Met” spots. I am curious however if that is a Met initiative or a FSNY/MSG initiative. Either way, fun creative. It’s about time.
Mr Fan of the RepMan-
i do agree with your novel idea but the wilpons probably will not. i applaud their lossening of the purse strings this season and maybe we need a little more of that next year, but the fact remains, they gave it a go, and came up short. if you notice, the next year is now commercials have followed mike brown in exiting stage right.
Mr Fan of the RepMan-
i do agree with your novel idea but the wilpons probably will not. i applaud their lossening of the purse strings this season and maybe we need a little more of that next year, but the fact remains, they gave it a go, and came up short. if you notice, the next year is now commercials have followed mike brown in exiting stage right.
Thanks for asking Mr. Gooden.
Although I do like your suggestion it might be a little difficult to get it past network standards and practices, let alone the Mets, but you are on the right track. Self depricating humor works. People appreciate the fact when services realize they have become way to serious and self serving. The Oakland A’s did this a few years back, with spots that panned the stadium seats to reveal players in uniform sitting with their constituents, while wearing bags on their heads, embarrassed about their on field performance.
Market the beauty of the game, the ability to sit with thousands of others that have the same passion as you and cheer (or boo) with conviction. Have a dog and a beer, bring the kids (if it’s not to cost prohibitive) and realize it is a game and a great way to spend a day.
Wining is a bonus, not a guarantee. I’d rather curse these lovable losers than become part of that Fortune 500 company in the Bronx. I realize I may have gone off on a tangent and not fully answered your question but I think you get the idea. As for campaigns and marketing ideas, the opportunity is way too fertile for this blog. If you have an in to the front office at Shea let’s head out and talk to them.
Fans first, ad guys second.
Mr RepFan-
So I ask you…being a man of the marketing world, how should the mets have marketed the team this year. Imagine you were given the opportunity to come up with the campaign..what would it be? With a home like Flushing, we are gonna play like cra* ???
The Repman is correct Mr.Gooden. Marketing products based on what the marketers would like them to be as opposed to what they actually are and promising on something that has yet to be proven is not the most intelligent process. The fans/consumers of a ball club are not as naive and ignorant as you think. There has however never been a ballclub more closely associated with the town they are from,. Flushing.
Mr Cody-
Just read your most recent post and I have to disagree. While the current Mets may be as bad as the old Mets, management did try this year with the signings of Pedro and Beltran. Back in April, next year was now and the marketing was in anticipation of what was expected. However, the team is not producing and changes or tweaks need to be made. That said, should the campain have been “We might win some games, or we might suck, but come watch us play”?
As a veteran marketer yourself, have you ever launched a product, service or company and hailed it as the next big thing only to have the company go under in a few months. Bottom line is, marketers use what they got to throw their best pitch to the masses.