With a large, diverse cultural base and one of the most fervent grassroots soccer communities anywhere, Major League Soccer had hoped since it's start that the New York franchise would be one of the cornerstones for driving the growth of professional soccer in the United States.North American Soccer League had working in a positive direction was its New York franchise, the Cosmos. However the then-Metro Stars now Red Bulls have always struggled both on and off the field to attach with fans, get media attention or build stars. Even with a far superior outreach this year, the initial coverage has been a very steady increase,great time for the club and for MLS, as now all the pitching and good will the team has built with the media over the course of the season is ready to pop. It also comes at a time where the Red Bulls are finishing a stadium of their own, Red Bull Arena, and it gives them a great chance to tell the league story of affordability in a time where discretionary dollar is lacking. Some of the examples of the key storytelling where in Saturday's New York Times, where Harvey Araton went through the value plan for the Red Bulls, USA Today, and in the Bergen Record, where Stefan Bondy had a solid profile on the young fans who have been following the club around for years, usually in anominity. Now does any of this happen without the improbable playoff ru.? No. However it is a very good example of building contacts, having the right story lines in place and being able to strike when the moment arises. Being prepared for the sunny day in tough times, is just as important as rainy day prep, and the Red Bulls have scored big time this week in taking advantage.
Some other good reads…also on the MLS side, Ad Age has a good piece on VW's new soccer mom campaign…the Wall Street Journal has a good look at how Snapple is rebranding itself in tough times…and Wayne Friedman in Media Post has a good look at how advertisers and brands will or won’t spend this year around the BCS Championship game…and MLB.com has a good summary piece on baseball's efforts to get back into the Olympics.
