You might enjoy reading an item on my latest venture in the #SportsTech #SportsBiz world, published by Forbes yesterday.
Forbes' Alex Reimer wrote:
As a diehard Red Sox fan in the digital age, Kevin Phelan felt he was living an ironic existence: though a plethora of information about his favorite team was constantly at his fingertips, he found it difficult to stay informed. He was wasting much of his time sifting through mounds of unwanted content rather than actually reading articles that kept him up-to-date on the latest Sox news.
Midway through the 2013 season, Phelan, 41, decided to put his plan into action. He launched the Sox Lunch newsletter
at the All-Star Break and distributed it to family and friends. Two and
a half years later, nearly 30,000 people receive his daily email, which
consists of a brief summary from the previous night’s contest, a
preview of the next game and links to the top three stories of the day.
Think of it as the Red Sox version of theSkimm, the wildly popular newsletter that condenses the day’s news to a more digestible format for its 3.5 million subscribers.
To help with the expansion, Phelan has brought aboard Terry Lyons, who served as the NBA’s Vice President of International Communications until 2007. He hopes Lyons can use his sports business acumen to help “Mets Lunch” and “Cubs Lunch” make an impact in two of the most competitive media markets in the country.
As a diehard Red Sox fan in the digital age, Kevin Phelan felt he was living an ironic existence: though a plethora of information about his favorite team was constantly at his fingertips, he found it difficult to stay informed. He was wasting much of his time sifting through mounds of unwanted content rather than actually reading articles that kept him up-to-date on the latest Sox news.
“Why is it on fans to find the information themselves?” he thought. “Why not bring the information to them?”
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| Original Sox Art of Big Papi (David Ortiz) |
“We try to take this ‘just the facts' approach,” Phelan says. “People like to read it on the [subway] on the ride in. We’ve had people tell me, ‘This keeps me plugged in.'"With a booming business in Boston, Phelan has decided to expand operations elsewhere. After months of intensive research, he identified Mets and Cubs fans as the right folks to target.
“I ultimately saw two great markets and two franchises that on paper look to be young and trending upwards,” Phelan says. “If you look at the data around searches and growing fanbases from a digital standpoint –– both of them met that. They also have players who are active on social media and full-time dedicated social media resources.”
To help with the expansion, Phelan has brought aboard Terry Lyons, who served as the NBA’s Vice President of International Communications until 2007. He hopes Lyons can use his sports business acumen to help “Mets Lunch” and “Cubs Lunch” make an impact in two of the most competitive media markets in the country.
***
Yes, that is where I come into the picture. I met Kevin Phelan late last summer and we discussed some of the possibilities for a simple product like the "Sox Lunch" e-news. Together, we saw the possibilities for very specific, local -- and gradually national/global -- engagement with the passionate fans for each offering. Fast-forward to April/May 2016, and we're knee-deep in a burgeoning business in sponsorship and merchandising. In essence, the "sky is the limit."
More to come as we map-out the business in a big way. And, I'll leave you with the initial though of sports marketing wiz Joe Favorito from his sports industry blog, a 30,000-member communique:
"Sometimes, it's the simplest ideas that work the best. One recent example, launched formally this spring, is (Sports) Sox Lunch."
Sometimes
it’s the simplest of ideas that work the best. One recent example,
launched formally this spring, is Sox Lunch. - See more at:
http://joefavorito.com/2016/03/19/having-your-sox-lunch-in-snackable-bites/#sthash.Cniqg7u3.dpuf
Sometimes
it’s the simplest of ideas that work the best. One recent example,
launched formally this spring, is Sox Lunch. - See more at:
http://joefavorito.com/2016/03/19/having-your-sox-lunch-in-snackable-bites/#sthash.Cniqg7u3.dpuf
-- Joe Fav
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