Octagon First Call

It’s that time of year again, MLB’s Opening Day (well, really last night was as the Washington Nationals opened their new stadium with a win and an opening pitch by President Bush).

So, yes, it’s the time of year for Opening Day, steroids questions and Goose Gossage? What, Goose Gossage?

Gossage’s induction into the baseball Hall of Fame could not have come at a better time for him. He has no competition of other players being inducted, the All-Star game in July is in New York and it is the last season for the Yankees and Mets in their respective ballparks. The media interest will peak all summer long.

He has already partnered with AutoTrader.com for a comprehensive integrated marketing program for the year. He’ll appear at ballparks all summer long, appear in the Company’s advertising efforts as well as an online game.

He is doing work on behalf of John Hancock, recently signed on to be the Host of a Long Island Hospital golf tournament presented by Monster and just last week appeared on QVC to promote Yankees merchandise. 

Idea: Other appropriate retired spokespeople in this last year of Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and an All-Star in NYC include Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly and Tom Seaver. Just make sure to understand your spokespeople’s other work requirements so you don’t get scooped with them performing a NY function (for another company) just days or weeks before your efforts.

A nice article in the Rocky Mountain News by Jack Etkin today describing “the year ahead” in MLB and maybe some spokespeople ideas for you.

 PS — Research compiled by Octagon’s Passion Drivers notes that “fans are fans” of baseball because of the nostaglia, sense of family experience. Keep that in mind in your next thematic in and around the sport.

We are getting asked more and more by brands and their marketing agencies on ways to use celebrities online. In the past, ways included using their name, likeness and quotes on a Company’s home page or micro-site created for a project (see: RMHC celebrity page).

The next growth area transformed the static page into video. Testimonials, recipe/cooking segments and repurposing of advertising.

And that video effort has quickly changed into the latest — interactive websites that look like TV shows and digital shorts that spread throughout the internet like wild fires. They are great ways of capturing database information and getting immediate feedback from consumers on the look, success and content of the program.

In our opinion, Unilever is the leader in this space. 

Recently, Unilever and their product Dove introduced a “Fresh Takes” program. As their press release says, “Fresh Take uses entertainment and humor to give viewers a look at three 20-something girlfriends as they put their everyday pressures in a fresh perspective. Using the budding micro-series TV format, “Fresh Takes” will broadcast three-minute episodes nationwide during “The Hills“. Unilever has also done similar type efforts with Suave and Bertolli. They were just voted digital marketer of the year by Advertising Age magazine.

(We wrote about Hanes online effort with Sarah Chalke last week).

Before you enter the space, you need to know the Screen Actors Guild online rules, fees and you should check out You Tube’s terms and condition. While you’re at it, check out the rules of Funny or Die created by Will Ferrell.

The next growth area will be brands giving comedians and directors (like Andy Samberg) creative license to create and spread these digital shorts everywhere. Stay tuned…

He has come a long way from Saved by the Bell and his A.C. Slater days. Let’s recount the past 18 months.

His stardom rekindled during an impressive run to the Dancing with the Stars finale (lost to champion Emmitt Smith). The Series showcased his charisma, strength and personality. Immediately after the Series finale, he flew to NY with Emmitt and hosted World Children’s Day at McDonald’s (he is still a spokesperson for the Friends of Ronald McDonald House Charities program). He also appeared at Home & Garden and many other trade shows for personal appearances too.

Last spring, he partnered with PepsiCo (PEP) for a “Smart Spot Dance! initiative, a multi-city instructional dance program that offers a fun way for families, especially Moms, to lead healthy, more active lifestyles.” He joined LaChanze, of the Broadway hit, The Color Purple, as a spokesperson.

He hosted the 2007 Miss America pageant (you remember, when the contestant totally messed up her answer to Mario’s question). This clip has been played more than 23 million times.

Next Month, Lopez will make his Broadway debut by joining the cast of A Chorus Line beginning April 15. He’ll take a hiatus most of May to promote his new book, Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness.

And oh yeah, he endorses Everlast and currently can be seen as a host of “Extra TV” and MTV’s “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew”.

The most impressive part is the variety of these projects – hosting, acting, dancing, fitness, boxing, general market and multi-cultural programs.

It won’t be long until he hosts a network show like Ryan Seacrest, Howie Mandel or Tom Bergeron. (Mario already substitutes for Regis from time to time).

Kudos to his manager Mark Schulman and Lisa Perkins his publicist for all of this work too.

Right now, the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland A’s are in the bottom of the ninth inning on ESPN2 (9:05am). Oh, you thought the season started next week. Well it does for all the other teams but the Sox and A’s are starting early playing in Japan.

 What’s interesting are the logos on the sleeves and hats of the teams. You can visibly read Pepsi on the A’s sleeves and EMC on the Sox. Both teams have Ricoh patches on their hats.

Brandweek’s Barry Janoff announced these deals back in late January and so we have been waiting to see what they look like on the uniform before writing about them.

 We like the logos. They are classy and do not detract from the look of the ballplayer. It’s a good, safe test for MLB and something I would expect to see more of in the future — during Spring Training, All-Star games and eventually the regular season.

It’s a much better idea than in 2004 when the Spiderman logo was to appear on all the bases during games.

Here are a few blogs talking about the Ricoh Japan MLB series too — Over the Monster and Sports Marketing and PR Roundup.

Ashton Kutcher is sneaking up to the top of the most marketable men in Hollywood.

He is best known for the television series That ’70s Show. He was the creator, executive producer, and host of the MTV celebrity prank show Punk’d and now Pop Fiction And now he is the executive producer for a new ABC sitcom Miss Guided.

USA Today’s Laura Petrecca yesterday talked about his latest endorsement project in which he becomes the new face for Nikon’s Coolpix digital camera (replacing Kate Moss). TV ads start today. Nikon even has a Ashton specific website address “AshtonsCoolPix.com” taking everyone to their home page.

Also, Baume & Mercier announced in a press release that Kutcher and Teri Hatcher will become new brand ambassadors the watch company. Past ambassadors included Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger and Gary Sinise.

And before acting and serving as a pitchman, he was an aspiring model. Born in Iowa, he moved to New York and within months he was walking the runway in Milan and Paris, for Versace, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger.

And oh yeah, he is married to Demi Moore.

By: Alyssa Untracht 

How fitting. Literally.

Sexy, sun baked star Matthew McConaughey is developing his own line of swim apparel named j.k. livin, after both his Production Company and mantra: “Just keep livin’.” A one stop shop for everything beach, the line will be available on his website this summer.

We can not help but applaud Mr. McConaughey’s point of entry into the apparel business - he could not make his debut in a better way. While he has modeled for other fashion houses, he is creating a line that 100 percent represents himself to the fullest. To the delight of countless women, the star, widely known and recognized as a true beach bum, remains virtually shirtless and clearly does not plan on changing that anytime soon. In fact, he’s endorsing it. Perfect choice. 

Interesting timing too: His movie, with fellow co-star Kate Hudson, Fools Gold, was released February 8, and grossed $32 million in ticket sales its opening weekend. Is it that people love the Hudson/McConaughey dynamic duo? Or do they just want to see McConaughey sans shirt for two hours? Additionally, McConaughey’s next film, Surfer Dude, in which he plays a “soul searching surfer undergoing an existential crisis” is set to be released later this year. The placement of the beach brand seems perfect: right between two beach-based films starring the shirtless star. All I know is that this business venture fits McConaughey just like a glove….or a pair of swim trunks.

About 10 days ago, Hanes(R) launched its latest integrated marketing campaign featuring NBC’s Scrubs star Sarah Chalke. The latest campaign — No Ride Up Panty — focuses on women’s biggest underwear problem: wedgies! The print advertisement was inspired by her own wedgie mishap on the red carpet.

So we waited a week or two to write about the campaign because we were interested in consumer feedback. Interestingly, we haven’t seen much online yet.

The campaign’s television spots were directed by her Scrubs co-star Zach Braff.

As the Company’s press release says, “… currently available at retail stores, the Hanes No Ride Up Panty is made with super-soft cotton and rolled forward seams specially designed for a better fit that helps women stay “wedgie-free.”

TIP: It hasn’t been announced yet, but the blogs are talking about Charlie Sheen appearing shortly in the next run of Michael Jordan Hanes spots (previous co-stars include Kevin Bacon and Cuba Gooding Jr.). Stay tuned.

The Kentucky Derby just announced a partnership with chef Bobby Flay to serve as their first-ever “party” spokesperson.  The site, features recipes, entertaining tips and party-related merchandising. You’ll be impressed with how the Derby thought through this idea (sweepstakes, social networking, party planning, mobile).  

It could be a new trend — spokespeople for global events like the Super Bowl, Oscars, Masters, etc. — from celebrities and influencers in complementary type fields.

Flay will introduce a whole new audience to racing and could really bring Derby parties into mainstream America.

 I really like this play and it will be interesting to see how the Derby uses him during the week leading up to the Race (especially on NBC).

As she states on her web site, Mary Beth Evans is known to millions of daytime TV fans as Kayla Brady Johnson, half of one of the most popular soap opera couples of all time. Steve “Patch” and Kayla on NBC’s Days of our Lives.

She also just launched a side career; baking apple pies.

After she aged past 40, she wanted a new challenge and decided to sell some of her pies (from a family recipe) to neighbors and friends. And within weeks, the business took off.

A few months ago, she appeared on QVC and sold 3,000 pies.

I would expect that Mary Beth will partner with some other companies in the near future — she is a mom, she a strong fan base, she now has a food connection and her price will be fair.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr., has become the Genghis Khan of sports, looking for new worlds to conquer. At first blush, it’s easy to look down at Mayweather’s participation in WrestleMania 24 on March 30, but one needs to take a closer look at what he has already accomplished and how far his horizons are expanding. He has world titles in five different weight divisions while remaining undefeated. He earned over $50 million in two pay-per-view shows in 2007, while being named “Fighter of the Year.” But he also began to cross over into the main stream market by being featured in Dancing with Stars, which aired on a major television network and gained him millions of new eyeballs from a market that would never watch him in the ring. Now he has taken it a step farther with WrestleMania 24. World Wrestling Entertainment may be the Coca-Cola of entertainment sports marketing. For its genius CEO Vince McMahon to tap Floyd means that McMahon believes in Mayweather and his drawing power. It’s a perfect fit as Mayweather and WrestleMania attach a bigger and more diverse audience to each other. Mayweather is on a barnstorming press tour, featured on WWE’s many cable shows, and is the talk of the boxing industry. Not a week goes by when a mainstream boxing columnist doesn’t dedicate an entire column, if not a note to Mayweather’s match against the seven-foot Big Show. The match is being billed as David vs. Goliath, but it may end up looking more like a merger between NFL and the AFL. And kudos to publicist extraordinaire Fred Sternburg. He is well known in sports circles for his creativity, wit and media contacts. He is once again showing why he is the best in the business.