A great story of victory. Coach June Jones took the dead-as-a-doornail Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs from complete obscurity to a dramatic and dominant victory in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In an online poll, only 9% picked SMU to win. SMU is the only NCAA school to receive the “death penalty” back in 1987. Jones is a true Blue Ocean Strategy guy with ridiculously limited resources, but an incredibly high value innovation offense called “The Run and Shoot”. The results are that Jones has now twice taken terrible programs (Hawaii in 1999 and SMU in 2009) to become the Most Improved Division I teams in the nation.
Marketers love to team up with athletes, stars and celebrities to endorse their brands. But, we have advised many clients over the years to steer clear of the temptation because you are putting your fame and fortune in the hands of someone with other interests (regardless of the clauses in the talent agreement). We have never believed the benefits outweighed the risks. But, some marketing marriages seem made in heaven. Who could argue with teaming with the crown prince of all sports, Tiger Woods? Of course, no has ever fallen farther, faster. Will 2009 be the year that marketers finally learn their lesson and find better ways to move their merchandise? Probably not, so here are some valuable lessons to keep in mind in the event you can’t help yourself from signing that deal with the next sure thing.
“George, John, Paul and Ringo have found a New World to conquer!” Little did anyone know in 1964 what a sesmic shift their little Blue Ocean revolution would cause over the next 40 years. With the launch this past fall of The Beatles: RockBand, the Beatles Blue Ocean Empire continues to pay dividends. Catch our next post for a vision of what the next one thousand years might hold for the lads from Liverpool.
For any sports team wanting to move into uncontested market space, they might want to study New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. These guys are showman as well as world class athletes. Plus, they sell an incredible number of jerseys worldwide. Imagine this opening performance from the New York Jets or the Houston Astros. Could be a real game changer in 2010. Enjoy the show.
Ride it, pack it, carry it. If you haven’t seen one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of the year you need to visit yikebike.com and watch the intro video. Really an exceptional — though costly — urban traffic solution. But, they have no plans to launch in the U.S. at this point. Limited production, will attack Europe first.
