Blazers Launch "New Team, New Dream" Marketing Campaign; Sellout Streak In Jeopardy

The Trail Blazers yesterday introduced their '12-13 marketing campaign, "New Team, New Dream," which focuses "on the team's overhauled personnel including of players, coach and general manager," according to Allan Brettman of the Portland OREGONIAN. The "digital-rich campaign features long-form video interviews of Blazers players available" on the team's website. The team will be "spending much of its advertising money on the web and less on traditional platforms such as TV, radio, print and billboards over the course of the season." The regular season "will get underway with a data-heavy mobile application that will give iPhone-wielding Blazers fans updates throughout games." Portland-based Limbo Films "produced the player interviews." Sockeye Creative of Portland "worked on the overall marketing plan," and Portland-based Character marketing agency "assisted." Desja Logic of Portland, "a Blazers partner since 2006, is developing the team's free app using technologies" from S.F.-based Xamarin. It will initially be available only "on Apple iPhones, with later plans for Android." No date "has been set for the app's release, though it is expected in the following weeks." Meanwhile, Blazers COO Sarah Mensah said that season-ticket renewals are "just 2 to 3 percentage points lower than last season at this point." Mensah said that it is possible "the team's streak of consecutive sellouts will come to an end." That regular season and playoff games streak "now stands at 192 games -- though, admittedly, plenty of games were termed 'sellouts' while many empty seats were visible in the arena" (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/20).

START SPREADING THE NEWS: SportsNet N.Y.'s Brian Custer noted the Knicks "have released a new TV and radio ad campaign and they're taking swipes at the Nets." In the spots, Knicks Fs Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire "both talk about how the Garden is the real home for New York basketball and how the Knicks are the only team with New York history." SportsNet N.Y.'s Marc Malusis said the Knicks "should be worried about the Nets" because it is "not like the Knicks have lit this city on fire, winning NBA title after NBA title." The Nets are "coming to town, they have a good team and they're battling for the basketball fan of this city. They should feel threatened." SportsNet N.Y.'s Eamon McAnaney said, "If you're selling tickets and you're looking at the bottom line, yes you should be concerned. But the Knicks are still the Knicks. This isn't going to happen overnight where the Nets are going to take over the town because I still think that the Knicks are a better team. Yes, it'll hurt TV ratings and merchandise sales but I still think that the Knicks are the team in this town, this area" ("The Wheelhouse," SportsNet N.Y., 10/17).