Star Power, Success Behind Teams' Forbes' Brand Value Increases

Penguins' Brand Value Has Grown By NHL- Best 88% Since Selecting Crosby In '05

TAKES MORE THAN WINNING: In Pittsburgh, Timothy McNulty wrote under the header, "Penguin's Marketing Has Turned Team Into One Of The Fastest-Growing Brands In Sports." The team "stupendously ... is more popular now than when Mario Lemieux was on the ice." The team has sold out every game at Mellon Arena for the past two seasons, and Penguins President David Morehouse said, "When we had names like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey and Kevin Stevens, we never sold out an entire season. It's not just about talent and not just about winning. We won two Stanley Cups and didn't sell out. We knew because of that there needed to be some work." McNulty noted the team "started new customer service initiatives for season-ticket holders (including players hand-delivering tickets) and outreach to younger, single-ticket buyers through its 'student rush' offers." Also, Pittsburgh sporting goods retailer Honus Wagner's "biggest sellers these days are Evgeni Malkin shirts instead of Sidney Crosby ones," and Morehouse was "careful to say that as much as [Crosby] was the catalyst for the team's marketing success, it was still dependent on management to build something out of his draft choice"  (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 5/13).

ONE-MAN SHOW: In Milwaukee, Don Walker wrote LF Ryan Braun is the reason the Brewers "rank with such teams as" the Rays, Mets, Dodgers and Cubs in terms of brand value increase. The Brewers also drew more than 3 million fans last season, an "impressive achievement for a small market" (JSONLINE.com, 5/13).

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