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Marketing Focus: No Hoops Nightmare
November 30, 2004 5:22:11 PM GMT
MARKETINGFOCUS@LS.TIMEINC.NET
Marketing Focus <b2admin@TIMEINC.NET>
No Hoops Nightmare
What the Motor City riot really means for Brand NBA.
By Thomas Mucha, November 30, 2004
Pummeled fans. Flying chairs. Crying children. An elderly woman sprawled on the floor. These are, of
course, the disturbing television images much of the world has been viewing during the past several days
as the National Basketball Association copes with one of the ugliest PR disasters in recent memory. But
while shocking, does the debacle during the notorious game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit
Pistons spell trouble for Brand NBA? Are most fans really turned off by this stuff ?
Don't count on it. PR and marketing pros I've talked with all say the NBA will quickly ride out the
incident. And thanks to our lizard brains -- and some superb crisis management -- the league may even
boost ratings, merchandise sales, and box-office receipts.
Like it or not, violence is titillating. And despite the hand-wringing by columnists, newspaper editorial
boards, and other social commentators, the NBA is in the titillation business. "It's sad and unfortunate,
but fans love violence," says crisis manager Jonathan Bernstein, who puts out PR fires for Fortune 500
firms. "They go to Nascar to see crashes and to hockey games to see fights. No sport is above this."
Brand loyalty expert Robert Passikoff agrees. "Many fans are excited by this behavior," he says. "There's
a little voice in the back of the brain that goes, 'Fight, fight, fight.' This brawl won't affect the NBA's
brand equity." That's because player behavior isn't a key driver of NBA fan loyalty. According to
Passikoff's research, it ranks far below elements such as the league's ability to provide fans with
entertainment and good, competitive teams. "The NBA's consumer base has been extraordinarily
understanding with regard to behavior -- depending on a player's ability to sink a free throw," Passikoff
says. "That is far more important than how certain individuals act."
Naturally, in the short term, the league must deal with these shocking images, as well as the larger issue
of appropriate fan-player interaction. This is, after all, some pretty nasty stuff. But no worries there: The
NBA is putting on a clinic of good crisis management. First, the league was obviously prepared for such
an incident. "We have contingency plans for all kinds of things that could happen," confirms NBA
spokesman Brian McIntyre. It shows: The response was immediate, forceful, and convincing. "[NBA
commissioner David] Stern's proactive approach has been perfect," says sports marketer David Carter.
"Had he not been so adamant and accessible, this crisis would have worsened." Moreover, the harsh
suspensions send a signal that this kind of behavior by the players won't be tolerated in the future. (And
to make sure players get the message, the league is communicating its stricter stance through internal
channels.) The NBA also is cooperating fully with law-enforcement officials and has posted plenty of news
and information about the incident on its website, including a video clip of Stern's entire 27-minute news
conference regarding the brawl. "It's been Crisis Management 101," Bernstein says.
Of course, even the best crisis management won't convince everyone. "For many this brawl reinforced the
emerging image as a league out of control and straining to maintain the strong brand it has developed
during Stern's tenure," Carter says. Nor does it help that the actions of other stars -- Kobe Bryant
(sexual assault charges), Allen Iverson (gun charges), Latrell Sprewell (coach choking) -- reinforce the
NBA's bad-boy image. "If doubt remains as to whether the league can continue with integrity and
professionalism, then its long-term financial strength could be compromised," Carter says.
But note that nothing was done to curb alcohol consumption in the field houses. The NBA commissioner
didn't punish the owners by, say, restricting TV broadcasts. So TV networks aren't complaining. (The NBA
is in the second year of a six-year, $4.6 billion broadcasting deal with ABC, ESPN, and TNT.) Corporate
sponsorship heavyweights Coca-Cola (KO) and Anheuser-Busch (BUD) have openly declared their support
for Stern's handling of the brawl. This brand will be fine.
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