Recently, a mutual friend arranged for me to have dinner with Craig Leopold, the new owner of the Minnesota Wild. I am a sports nut and my conversation with Craig confirmed that the best job in the world would be to own a sports team. Craig is instantly likeable, fun to talk to and very open about any topic. I told him about my blog and he agreed to go on the record for most of our dialogue. Since I got a great response to my Tweet about Craig on Twitter, I thought I would detail some of the highlights.
Craig has wanted to be an owner for a while. He tried to get an NBA franchise (in Milwaukee and Golden State) but struck out until he was able to acquire the Nashville Predators. A few years later, with some luck, he was able to trade up and purchase what he calls the pre-eminent franchise in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild. The Wild brand is about hockey “authenticity” and they do in fact manage it very carefully in terms of partnerships, promotions and players that they pursue. Despite being the ‘State of Hockey,” he expressed some frustration in not being able to recruit and keep star players. He thinks it is cultural but could not put his finger on the source. We agreed that this inability to attract players was odd given the arena, fan base and team quality. I suggested that he benchmark the Minnesota Twins organization as I believe they are the best run organization in sports as it relates to player development and commitment to the team. We talked abut the NHL’s growth strategy and I was pleased to hear that the League is likely to expand to Europe in the next several years. I think that is very differentiating for the NHL and would be very compelling for the fans. I didn’t want to put Craig on the spot on whether these new teams would be relocated from existing markets. However, for what is worth, I think they should contract several team in the US market and reassign them to Europe.
We talked a lot about social technology since that is one of my latest fascinations. We agreed that Twitter and the like would be a fabulous way for players and owners to connect with a fans in a more visceral way. Craig claimed he was going to jump in and based upon his candor, I think Wild fans will really benefit.
And now for the final question of the day, “Will the Wild resign Marion Gaborik?” Craig told me to watch Twitter for the answer. I am.
Thanks for posting this Barry. It’s interesting to watch sports — and hockey, really — wake up and consider social media.
I’d love to see a forward-thinking owner push this forward and integrate digital, networked (and yes social) media as part of the in-stadium customer experience.
I’m not sure if that means pulling out your mobile and instantly locating the 20 Gaborik fans (or in my case Derek Roy fans) closest to your seat; having real-time, contextual stats available throughout the game; or simply having an offer pop up to buy Thomas Vanek’s jersey moments after he’s scored a game-winning goal (I know, not bloody likely). But it’s certainly doable.
And it would be a huge step forward. The only other “customer experience” changes I’ve really noticed in hockey in the last 20 years are the dizzying intro lightshows and heavy AC/DC airplay to get the crowds pumped. I’d say Leopold has a nice opportunity to make his mark.
What’s Craig’s twitter handle? I’d like to follow him.
Very interesting take. I think it’s a great idea for the owner to leverage social media to engage with the fans. Ted Leonsis, former AOL executive and owner of the Washington Capitals, has been a leader in leveraging the Internet to connect with fans, but I did a quick check of his website and Twitter didn’t turn up anything. I like the idea of having real time dialogue with stakeholders (via Twitter) and providing deeper takes (via a blog).
I also like the idea that the Wild are managed as a brand. I read a great article yesterday in Ad Age about how the Tampa Bay Rays are being managed like a brand and are employing many principles that company’s like P&G do when creating the right brand experience for their customers. If the Rays are a leading indicator, then I think the Wild have nowhere to go but up.
Thanks for the post about this. V. interesting stuff. Owning a team would be amazing. Here’s to hoping that Powerball ship comes in.
A question I thought of after your meeting: Did you talk at all about the change in the dollar’s value v. the Canadian dollar and if that has changed the dynamics of the league at all? (I know, nothing like some currency talk over dinner… but hear me out…)
I know for a while the NBA was having a tough time getting free agents to go (or to stay) with Vancouver and Toronto, and that was part of the reason the Grizzlies moved. I just wonder if the monetary reshuffling has made the Canadian teams more viable to the point that some of these struggling sun belt teams, etc would move back into a Winnipeg, etc.
As a follow up to my previous comment, I did trade some e-mails with Ted Leonsis this week. He does claim to be on Twitter, although I could only find a Twitter for his team, which posts the team scores (last night’s 7-4 loss to the Thrashers was conveniently not updated). He is on Facebook (I am waiting for him to accept my friend request). And, he is on something called AIMFight. Finally, he does have a blog at the team website.
The coolest thing is that he did answer my e-mails. You can reach him at washingtoncaps@aol.com.
That is cool that Ted responded to your email. Craig and Ted should hook up. It would be great for fans to see them sparring about ideas on Twitter or Facebook. Has anyone seen sports teams be aggressive in the social technology space?
To Erik Olson’s question above, I wish I had asked Craig about his expectations of the soft economy on sports revenues including the question of currency on competitive balance. This issue will become even more interesting as the League expands to Europe.
My bet is that Sports will be impacted by the economy. Maybe this will be a good things as the players have lost touch, in my opinion, with the fans. Perhaps, a tougher environment will make them spend more time on building the fan base.
However, I attended the Wild opening night game last night and ther was no sign of trouble. Full house.
Janet Aubrey ~ please feel free to reach to me directly at Debbie.Estes@bestbuy.com . We have been able to test drag racing activation in local markets through our great partners at Coke/Powerade.
I would be happy to talk racing, football, baseball, soccer, etc ~ all day if I could spare the time. My love for racing started when Mario Andretti was a rookie driver ~ I was very young! At the same time I was also writing letters weekly to the owner of the Cincinnati Reds telling him what I thought he should do, going to as many games as I could and hanging out and collecting autographs! The owner, Bill Dewitt, finally sent me tickets to sit in the owner’s box! My first experience at sports access! If my parents only had the cool technology of today to document one of the highlights of my life up to that point! Or if Johnny Bench Twittered.
At BBY we don’t have a sports marketing strategy ~ but it can be a powerful tool in the marketing tool box to activate strategies/objectives, connect with customers on a local and national level and energize employees. That in itself is not earth shattering information.
It is the creativity in the differentiating activation that will make it pay off and drive results. NASCAR (and to some extent the NFL) were ahead of the curve in the realizing the power of access and connecting the power of a brand to the passion of fans. Other sports have copied that page. When Joe Montana picks a child up in a limo (who won a back to school contest) and takes him to breakfast at Perkins before he goes to school with him for an inspiring assembly, or when Magic Johnson coaches your child’s basketball team because one of the parents entered in a contest by buying the right product and used the right credit card ~ you are delivering life changing experiences. I’ve seem parents tear up when their child meets their local hero at a store personal appearance! Or image having your local GM at BBY call you up because you are a good customer and invite you to the NASCAR race, you meet Elliott Sadler before the race, and you have a great seat ~ that is connecting and building a relationship with a good customer.
But to Barry’s point, it is essential to find partners whose goal is to help you achieve your business goals, easy to work with and they are committed to a winning team. We have those partners!
This is just the start of the conversation ~ it is always a challenge to find the next level of value.
Great story. Debbie, I didn’t know you were an old Cincinnati Reds fan. The Big Red Machine, one of the best of all time.
I\’ve heard of people talking such a discussion around in the city although.
I hope the Wild don’t resign Gaborik, although I’m a big fan of his I don’t think he’s worth the money we are talking about paying him. He gets hurt too much and doesn’t show up in key spots. I also like the idea of bringing hockey to Europe.
Obviously, my son knows what he is talking about.
haha
Hi Barry. If you are really into social media for sports, check out Fan Media Network. It’s fan video reporting for sports. http://www.FanMediaNetwork.com. It’s content, community and commerce generated by the fans – entertaining fan video reports you won’t see on ESPN, YouTube, CBS, FOX, etc. We are building a network of fan video reporters (correspondents) for NFL, NCAA, NHL, NBA and MLB teams in over 40 major media markets across the U.S. & Canada, covering the teams from the streets to your seats. Sports fans and video enthusiasts need a trusted place to purchase digital video cameras, camcorders, tripods, memory cards, video editing software and other accessories. We are looking for a national sponsor. It’s an opportunity for incremental product sales, in-store and online promotions, community relations, vendor tie-ins and employee engagement. For instance, many of your BlueShirts are video enthusiasts and sports fans who would love to report on their favorite teams. I am a ’sports insider’ who worked in Corporate Sponsorship, Internet marketing and Media Relations for the San Francisco 49ers (NFL), San Jose Sharks (NHL), Big Ten Conference (NCAA) and Indiana Pacers (NBA). We are approved for your affiliate marketing program but would like a deeper partnership. How can we get Best Buy as a promotional partner?