Whatezsms New On The Isle…

The New York Islanders have had their issues trying to build a new arena on Long Island, and continue to look to find unique ways to build brand and regain some of the poition in the New York hockey market that they enjoyed during their glory days. That push is going to be made even more difficult by the on-ice and now-off ice promotion that the New Jersey Devils have been offering up to casual fans, and the always strong presence that the New York Rangers have always enjoyed. Still the Islanders own a very unique piece of fan real estate, the corridor from Queens east through Nassau and Suffolk counties, some of the most populous and affluent suburbs of any area. So what is a team to d.

The organization, through their owner Charles Wang, appeared poised to carve out an innovative niche with training camp in China, along with a cache of young players who could appeal to a much younger demo. They had made strides into the digital world, and former publicist Chris Botta cut a new swath of territory with his well written and innovative Islanders Point Blank blog, so much so that he has moved on to a fulltime gig as a blogger with AOL Fanhouse. Still, the Isles success has been in fits and starts, and the lack of a consistent on-ice product couple with continuing uncertainty about the arena (and the possibility of the team moving) have made consistent growth difficult.. Even with the issues, the team continues to try to find new ways to get exposure, and recently scored a bit of a coups by signing a cupcake sponsor that grabbed some nice headlines.. The best thing about the placement from a brand standpoint was not that they had signed a sponsor, but that they had found a great platform to make an announcement that was cute but really wouldn’t effect the fan. The Isles found . way to make some positive news and get the brand some exposure at such a crowded (and usually quiet time for hockey time of year). Smart move for the brand, with hopefully more to come.