Sunday, September 21, 2008
If only they were all like the Radio City Rockettes
I had the pleasure of coordinating a four-day media tour in Dayton and Cincinnati with members of the Radio City Rockettes this past week. It was one of the most positive experiences of my career for many reasons.
As I write this, I think professional sports teams should take notice.
The legacy of the Radio City Rockettes can rival the history of many professional sports teams (founded in 1933). The fitness level and physical stamina of the Radio City Rocketttes corp can also rival many professional athletes...they pack an entire year of work in about three months, perform up to four shows a day with 300 high flying kicks per show.
So, a few months in advance of their performances in Dayton and Cincinnati, the Radio City Rockettes landed in Ohio for a media tour. The Rockettes in full costume at all times are professional, driven, engaging, and talented. One day in Cincinnati began at 5 a.m. with live TV interviews and ended at 7 p.m. with a hospitality reception for local hoteliers and media.
The Rockettes made a number of connections with various audiences with an appearance and dance with Rosie Red at a Red game with 25,000 people in attendance along with another appearance at Kings Island to attempt a world record for the longest kick line where another 25,000 people were present.
They posed for hundreds of photographs throughout the week, answered the same questions over and over with grace ("how do you get to be a Rockette?) and signed hundreds of autographs.
Sure, there are a number of professional athletes who go above and beyond the call of duty for their team's promotional efforts on a daily basis.
Making an effort to engage with fans can lead to a life-long passion for the sport, the team or the game. All it takes is one smile, one autograph or one minute for a photo.
As I write this, I think professional sports teams should take notice.
The legacy of the Radio City Rockettes can rival the history of many professional sports teams (founded in 1933). The fitness level and physical stamina of the Radio City Rocketttes corp can also rival many professional athletes...they pack an entire year of work in about three months, perform up to four shows a day with 300 high flying kicks per show.
So, a few months in advance of their performances in Dayton and Cincinnati, the Radio City Rockettes landed in Ohio for a media tour. The Rockettes in full costume at all times are professional, driven, engaging, and talented. One day in Cincinnati began at 5 a.m. with live TV interviews and ended at 7 p.m. with a hospitality reception for local hoteliers and media.
The Rockettes made a number of connections with various audiences with an appearance and dance with Rosie Red at a Red game with 25,000 people in attendance along with another appearance at Kings Island to attempt a world record for the longest kick line where another 25,000 people were present.
They posed for hundreds of photographs throughout the week, answered the same questions over and over with grace ("how do you get to be a Rockette?) and signed hundreds of autographs.
Sure, there are a number of professional athletes who go above and beyond the call of duty for their team's promotional efforts on a daily basis.
Making an effort to engage with fans can lead to a life-long passion for the sport, the team or the game. All it takes is one smile, one autograph or one minute for a photo.
Labels: Cincinati Reds, Kings Island, Radio City Rockettes
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Women and the NFL: Bengals leading the way
I had the opportunity to hear Katie Brown Blackburn, the heir apparent to the Cincinnati Bengals ownership, on Friday at a breakfast for businesswomen. The sold-out room of 350+ women and a few men (?, it's called Biz Women for a reason, guys), learned first hand how challenging and rewarding it can be to run an NFL franchise.
Katie reeled off the 10 best things about her job which included food, being on the SuperBowl committee and watching football/getting paid. Her speech was informative, funny and honest. Having never heard her speak before, she made a fan out of me.
So it is fitting that Katie is one of a handful of women to work at the highest level for NFL teams. The NFL is targeting women, big time, as the fastest growing fan segment for the league. Consider these numbers:
« 375,000 women attend NFL games each weekend
« More than 45 million women watch NFL games each weekend
« More than 1 million girls annually participate in NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick competition
« More than 10,000 women annually attend NFL Football 101 Workshops for Women
« More women watched the Super Bowl this year (42.2 million) than the Academy Awards (40.2 million)
These are great numbers and it's a smart move by the NFL to go after these women who used to call themselves, "Sunday Football Widows."
And check out the new NFL merchandise for women at www.nfl.com.
Katie reeled off the 10 best things about her job which included food, being on the SuperBowl committee and watching football/getting paid. Her speech was informative, funny and honest. Having never heard her speak before, she made a fan out of me.
So it is fitting that Katie is one of a handful of women to work at the highest level for NFL teams. The NFL is targeting women, big time, as the fastest growing fan segment for the league. Consider these numbers:
« 375,000 women attend NFL games each weekend
« More than 45 million women watch NFL games each weekend
« More than 1 million girls annually participate in NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick competition
« More than 10,000 women annually attend NFL Football 101 Workshops for Women
« More women watched the Super Bowl this year (42.2 million) than the Academy Awards (40.2 million)
These are great numbers and it's a smart move by the NFL to go after these women who used to call themselves, "Sunday Football Widows."
And check out the new NFL merchandise for women at www.nfl.com.
