WISE WORDS NEWSLETTER Spring 2009

Welcome to the 15th Anniversary WISE Women of the Year Awards Luncheon.

May, 2009

WISE APPROACH TO A NEW ERA

With Barack Obama’s historic presidential election, no barrier

is too daunting. We’ve seen visible changes in government,

but will we witness changes in our industry?

We still see ads for professional conferences featuring the

roster of speakers, 95% of whom are white males. We still see

“most powerful” lists that are overwhelmingly men. Isn’t it

time for more inclusion, more diversity? Indeed it is.

In this time of economic challenge we need to remain

strong, united and committed to helping one another. With

the rise of WISE, we are in a unique position as THE resource

for women in the businesses of sports and special events.

WISE started as a mere concept, when a handful of women

sat around a small conference room table and wondered,

“What if ...” Now, 15 years later, we’re still celebrating

women in our field, most publicly at the WISE Women of the

Year luncheon. And the WISE Within mentoring program,

now in its second year, is a prime example of reaching out

and making a difference. The reciprocity of each mentor

match has bolstered the spirits of many and provided

valuable guidance for our members. This is the spirit of our

new era.

So within the context of American history being made, and against the backdrop of an extraordinary turning point in our

culture, we turn our attention to our community. Like our new president, we ask for a call to action: it’s about YOU and it’s

about US. Tell us how WISE works for you. Share with us: who inspires you and why? E-mail us at info@WISEworks.org. Now,

more than ever, we want to hear from you and connect like never before.

In the words of our president, “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off … for everywhere we look,

there is work to be done.”

WISE works!

Sue Rodin

Founder and National President

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Chapter updates

WISE AtlantaThe Atlanta Chapter finished 2008 with two well-attended

events. Christine Owens, SVP of communications and

brand management for UPS was the luncheon speaker for

an event that took place in October. Christine spoke on the

topic of “What has big event sponsorship done for UPS?”

She focused on two major events that UPS sponsored in

2008: Big Brown and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The

speech provided insights and information on UPS’s ap-

proach to sponsorship, the criteria UPS looks for in a spon-

sorship and how they measure ROI.

The second event was a holiday shopping night out that

provided WISE Atlanta members the opportunity to net-

work, shop and enjoy some good food all for a good

cause. The event took place at Limetree, a gift boutique

located in Atlanta, GA. A portion of the proceeds from

items purchased were donated to the Partnership Against

Domestic Violence. The Atlanta Chapter also launched

the WISE Within mentor program with five mentors/mentees.

In November, the board had a planning retreat to set the

direction for 2009 and vote in a new board. The new board

took office in April at the 5th Annual Anniversary Luncheon.

On April 14th, the WISE Atlanta Chapter celebrated its 5th

year anniversary with a luncheon. Over 65 people at-

tended to hear Molly Fletcher, author of Your Dream Job

Game Plan. This topic was timely for many people that are

currently in the job market, but the principles in her book

also apply to everyday business. The essentials boil down

to passion, being fearless, having a game plan, flawless

execution and great choices. All attendees received an

autographed copy of Molly’s book.

In addition to the speech, the chapter recognized the men-

tors and mentees from the WISE Within inaugural program.

WISE ChicagoThe Chicago Chapter of WISE continues to grow. The latest

events were a great success. On February 3rd, WISE held an

event titled, “A WISEr You” at Lululemon in downtown

Chicago. Members were treated to a goal-setting session

by a Lululemon goal expert and tips on de-stressing with

yoga. On March 14th, WISE Chicago held the event “Anat-

omy of an Athlete”, a panel discussion which took an in-

depth look at an athlete’s life inside and outside their sport.

The “Anatomy of an Athlete” event included the following

panelists: Darcy Bouzeos, President, DLB, Ltd; Carrie Jawor-

ski, Head Team Physician, Northwestern University; Ron Kittle,

former player, Chicago White Sox; and Simon Tiffen, Senior

Strategic Planner, Wunderman.

Molly Fletcher, Author of Your Dream Job Game Plan with the WISE Atlanta Board of Directors

A WISEr you Event held at Lululemon in downtown Chicago.

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WISE ClevelandThe Cleveland Chapter of WISE is entering its sixth year of

existence and it is going strong. Some of the programs the

chapter had this past year include “Show Me the Money,”

on increasing event revenue beyond traditional sponsor-

ship; “Achieving Life-Work Balance,” simple yoga relaxation

movements and tips from a personal coach; a WISE Mem-

bers Mentorship Workshop; and “Behind the Scenes at the

US Figure Skating Championships.”

The Cleveland Chapter’s most recent events were “WISE

Women Indulge in an Evening of Chocolate Decadence,”

Be WISE about “New Media”, and “New Marketing Solu-

tions,” and Dress for Success. At our Chocolate Decadence

event, WISE members and guests dressed in hairnets, plastic

aprons and latex gloves and worked the line at a small

chocolate factory that creates specialties for corporate

gifts and promotional item. Lucy and Ethel had nothing on

us.

WISE Cleveland also launched two new initiatives in the

past year, an annual WISE Scholarship program and a WISE

Masters program. Funds are raised through raffle ticket

sales, donations, and mulligan sales at our golf outing, and

last year we awarded three scholarships. The call for 2009

applications has just gone out, and scholarships will be

awarded at the May membership meeting.

The WISE Masters program features special gatherings for

members who have been in the industry for more than ten

years. This new program was launched last fall and two

more events are planned before summer, one featuring a

wine tasting, and another focused the challenges of experi-

enced candidates looking for a job in today’s market.

Please contact Paula Grooms, WISE Cleveland President,

with questions: paula@wisecleveland.com

WISE Washington, DCWISE Washington, DC, hit the ground running in 2009,

launching its calendar for the year at the first of six planned

networking events in January. Every other month, WISE

members will gather to discuss the latest happenings in the

industry. In February, we hosted “Behind the Scenes of the

2009 Inauguration: The Making of a Special Event”. Twenty-

five members came to hear a panel of event professionals,

ranging from The Webster Group, Destination DC, and the

DC Convention Center, share their experiences planning

this historic event.

In April we held an informative members only event en-

titled “A Look Inside the Professional Athlete.” The panel

included Terese Smallwood (Athlete Marketer, Williams &

Connolly), Leo Cullen (Agent, Wasserman Media Group),

Meredith Geisler (Meredith Communications), Chyrs Sbily

(Chrys Sbily & Associates), and Adisa Bakari (President, Dow

Lohnes Sports & Entertainment).

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WISE Cleveland Chapter Board of Directors: Shown left to right, Paula Grooms (Chapter Founder and President), Diana Greenberg, Lisa Sands (Vice President), Melissa Scott (Programming Co-Chair), Susan Polakoff Shaw, Tonnie Alliance, Peg Neeson, Jackie Simpson (Treasurer), Lindsay Silverstein (Secretary), Anita Zak, and Durga Chigurupati (Programming Co-Chair).

Missing: Terri Moir, Carol Saferin, and Meredith Scerba.

Moderator and Panel from WISE-DC’s “Behind the 2009 Inaugura-tion: The Making of A Special Event”.

WISE Los AngelesLos Angeles elected a new president, Alex Mallen, at the

start of 2009. The 2008 year ended with a November Run For

Her 5K that raised $2,120.00 for ovarian cancer research.

After a Board meeting in January, the chapter hosted a

February 10th Financial Planning Workshop. The event had

a great turnout and there was much feedback on the

education of financial planning in the current economy.

The next event will be a networking party at the May 9th

Dodger game. The chapter is working to put together a

Senior Advisory board and is furthering relationships with the

Los Angeles Sparks as well as the Los Angeles Sol women’s

professional soccer team.

WISE NYC - MetroIt’s been a busy inaugural year for the WISE NYC-Metro

chapter. Things did not let up during the fall/winter as we

had terrific turnouts at our last few events of 2009 ---

“WISE AND LIBERTY. NOTHING BUT NETWORK” (Sept. 9, Madi-

son Square Garden): Carol Blazejowski, President/GM, NY

Liberty, and Kristin Bernert, VP, WNBA Team Business Devel-

opment, were on hand for a pre-game reception before

the hometown team took on the visiting San Antonio Spurs.

“ANATOMY OF THE ATHLETE” (Oct. 16, ESPN Zone): discussion

covering an array of topics regarding athlete contracts,

marketing, foundations, finances and communications was

moderated by Roxanne Jones, ESPN Magazine, with expert

panelists who handle and shape the athlete’s business (Joe

Assad, SVP/GM, BNC; Mark Lepselter, Founder, Maxximum

Sports; Mike Paul, President/Sr Counselor, MGP & Associ-

ates PR; Jenna Smith, FA, Morgan Stanley; Russ Spielman,

Founder & Principal, The Agency Sports Management).

ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY/WINE TASTING (Dec. 10, Bacchus

of NYC): members savored different wines and toasted in

the holiday season; special guests on hand included U.S.

Olympic fencing silver medalists Tim Morehouse and Jason

Rogers.

TASTE OF CHOCOLATE NETWORKING MIXER

(Mar. 24, Chocolate Bar at Henri Bendel, NYC): attendees

learned a bit about the history of chocolate and tasted

everything from Truffles to Cajun spicy brownies.

CAREER WORKSHOP -- PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

(Apr. 1, JPMorgan Chase, NYC): participants were joined by

executive image expert Raleigh Mayer and career consul-

tant Sarah Stamboulie. They provided our attendees with

a lively and highly interactive session offering specific skills

and techniques to help them maximize their opportunities in

all phases of their careers.

LA members learn financial planning tactics in today’s economy from fellow WISE member, Jennifer Brown, of Bank of America in a workshop on February 10, 2009.

WISE NYC - Metro Board of Directors with special guests at the Holi-day Party in December 2008.

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WISE San Francisco/Bay Area The San Francisco Chapter has a full calendar of events

planned for 2009, and kicked off the year with a members

only speed networking event at the new Hotel Frank. More

than 30 members enjoyed food and wine in the hotel’s two

penthouse suites. In March, WISE members attended a Uni-

versity of California women’s basketball game, networking

event and pre-game discussion with UC Athletic Director

Sandy Barbour and HP executive Onagh Ash on “Transform-

ing Organizations: Lessons from Business and Sport.” Later

that month, more than 75 people attended a panel discus-

sion at the Sheraton Palace Hotel on “Thriving and Surviving

in Challenging Times.” Senior executives from the sports and

events planning sectors shared how their businesses are

adapting to these unprecedented economic times. Future

events include a San Francisco Giants baseball outing and

pre-game networking reception, a panel program on social

media and a volunteer day at the 2009 National Senior

Games in August.

We have also instituted a process to help grow our mem-

bership and retain existing members. We will follow-up with

every individual who attends a chapter event by email,

tailoring the message to members and non-members -

thanking them for attending, encouraging them to renew

or join and informing them of future events. Finally, we con-

tinue to support our members’ professional development

needs through the WISE Within National mentoring program

and the complimentary career consulting benefit we offer

through one of our Board members.

Moderator and Panelists at WISE event “Surviving and Thriving in Down Economic Times” including WISE Board member Patty Hubbard.

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Managing Director, Stars & Strategies, LeadDog Marketing Group, Sue Rodin was honored honored on May 7, 2009 as the Women in Sports Business Woman of the Year by the Women in Sports Business Symposium (WSBS). Since 2005, the WSBS has recognized women in the industry who are true leaders and are among the most influential women in sports. Past award winners include Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of World Team Tennis (WTT), Ilana Kloss, former President of the WNBA and current President of USA Basketball, Val Ackerman, former VP of Marketing at ESPN, Lee Ann Daly, and former Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Donna A. Lopiano, Ph.D.

The WSBS strives to connect students with industry leaders in order to create a forum to interact, educate and celebrate women in sports business. The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon founded the WSBS and will be a pioneer in launching a new Portland WISE chapter.

For more information about the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center or WSBS, please visit http://www.womeninsportsbusiness.org

Congratulations to Sue Rodin

Award winner Sue Rodin is joined by Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, and Cadence Sanman, director of the 2009 Women in Sports Business Symposium

By Kristin Walker

You probably had one. A cramped box with alphabeti-

cal tabs, stuffed with business cards, index cards or any

other contact card. When you turned the crank to dig for

a relevant phone number, all of the cards would spill over

onto your desk, turning your professional network in to an

unorganized jumble. Well, if you haven’t already, it is time

to trade in that Rolodex and rebuild your networks online.

Once considered an idle pasttime for American college

students, social networking has taken the marketing and

recruiting industries by storm. Hundreds of networking sites

are popping up all over the Internet, connecting people,

educating consumers and employing the unemployed.

Each site has a distinct purpose and, if used effectively,

they can increase the visibility of a company, as well as an

individual.

For social networking beginners, start with the big three:

Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. But even if you are cur-

rently using The Big Three, these sites are constantly making

improvements and creating new enhancements that can

expand your personal and professional reach. There are

always new ways to use the sites that you use everyday.

In the most basic sense, Facebook is

a socially focused network that was

started in a Harvard dorm room in

2003 by Matt Zuckerberg. Since then, Facebook has bal-

looned into a massive community with more than 175 mil-

lion registered members, including everyone from a college

frat boy trolling for a night out to a grandmother looking to

keep up with her grandchildren’s lives.

Here’s how it works. Each member of Facebook has a pro-

file page that is customized with personal information and

photos and can be linked to the profile pages of friends

and family who also belong to the site. When a member of

Facebook updates their profile page, a news feed message

is then distributed to all of that individual’s connections, or

as the site calls them, friends. Facebook comprises millions

of individuals who have voluntarily associated themselves

with defined networks, like educational institutions, geo-

graphic locations and hobbies. Consequently, it is now

easier for high school reunion committees to reach old

classmates, charities to organize fund-raising events and

marketers to reach a segmented audience.

Although primarily social in nature, Facebook’s diverse

clientele has encouraged many companies to take advan-

tage of these pre-sorted target audiences. Companies like

Octagon and Starbucks have jumped in, creating networks

of employees and consumers respectively.

Facebook also allows individuals, businesses and sports

franchises to create Fan Pages. Facebook members sign up

for these pages voluntarily and consequently create a mini-

community that is interested in the Fan Page topic. In this

way, the company is enabled to send out team updates,

event or game invitations and promotions to an interested

population or warm leads. Because of the voluntary nature

of belonging to the mini-community, marketing efforts are

not as invasive as other methods. Facebook also offers

marketers other applications like Bumper Sticker, You Tube

Feeds, quizzes or Superpoke that enable a company’s

brand to spread virally to Facebook members outside their

mini-fan communities.

Although Facebook can be an effective and free market-

ing tool, it is important for marketers to keep in mind that

for these fan pages to gain traction, they must be updated

daily, or even multiple times a day. With new Facebook

enhancements on the horizon, Fan Page news feeds will

be distributed to fans more frequently, so it is the marketers

challenge to keep information current and relevant at all

times in order to gain and maintain momentum.

“More and more, network members expect an answer to

an inquiry in real-time, so you’ll need to mindful of this as

well,” said Isabelle Jetté of LeadDog Marketing Group. “If

your resources are limited, it may make more sense to have

a deep and well-maintained presence on one or two sites,

rather than spam on a host of them and not be able to

Enhancing your image with Social Networking

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appropriately support your presence or respond in a timely

fashion.”

Because of the social nature of the site, businesses should

keep their marketing efforts light and inviting, as to not

invade or damper the social environment, and ultimately

discourage engagement.

As more and more companies suffer

from the current economic environ-

ment, more and more professionals

are joining LinkedIn for its professional networking services.

LinkedIn now receives, on average, 7.7 million visitors per

day, up from 3.6 million last year.

A LinkedIn profile is, in the most basic sense, an online

resume, that can be updated in real time. It captures an in-

dividual’s previous work experience, education, profession-

al associations and can even announce current projects.

The 36 million users can keep in contact with their profes-

sional network, investigate company listings by industry and

geographic region, as well as search for either open jobs

or qualified candidates. For even more convenience, the

service is free, although users can access enhancements

for an incremental fee.

Because it is an easy way to mine talent, recruiters of all

industries are turning to LinkedIn and other sites like Ladders.

com and Spoke.com to fill positions. The LinkedIn network

allows recruiters to search for candidates by a multitude of

different criteria, e.g., education, language and computer

skills. The online profile gives recruiters a real time picture

what candidates are actively working on and what type of

employee they truly are - even before the first interview. A

prospect’s personal network builds credibility for the candi-

date and functions as a secondary reference check.

For job seekers, LinkedIn enables users to search for pro-

spective employers, reach out to old co-workers and build

their professional brand. Each profile is comprised of a

personal photo, job history, alumni affiliations and other as-

sociations. The more complete a profile is, the more search-

able it becomes. It is important for job seekers to have

an updated and complete profile, including any current

projects and recent recommendations.

Linked In is also a great tool to get a snapshot of a com-

pany’s internal structure and can help determine who the

decision makers are. However, don’t get caught up in con-

necting with every viable candidate or HR person on the

site. Make the initial connection through traditional meth-

ods first, and link to them as a follow up.

At first glance, Twitter seems to be

a site for unmotivated people who

announce every little thing they do.

For example, “I’m eating a turkey sandwich” or “I’m off to

the Phillies game.” However, with a little insight, Twitter can

be a powerful tool that can be used by marketers and job

seekers alike.

Twitter has 6 million users, each with their own home page,

on which members can publish short announcements

about current activities, projects or thoughts. Now, for the

networking part: If someone wanted to keep in touch with

another user, they can link to that user (or as they say on

the site, they can ‘follow’ the user). In this way, users can

see the updates of the people they choose follow.

Users can also link with companies to follow an organiza-

tion, publication, blog or sports franchise. If someone want-

ed to keep apprised of the headlines in the Financial Times,

learn what off-season trades the Yankees have made, or

find out what Starbucks is up to, they simply click on the

follow icon. Once a user is a follower, they will receive any

update the company shares.

From a marketing perspective, Twitter allows companies to

reach out to current customers and keep them up-to-date

on new products, events or other innovations. These quick,

140 character announcements, or ‘Tweets,’ can be used

to strengthen a brand. Dell and JetBlue tweet to spread

the word about upcoming discounts and sales. One of

the many ways in which Starbucks uses the site is to poll its

followers for drink ideas and other business suggestions. In

turn, they update their audience, by letting followers know

which ideas are under consideration. This micro-blogging

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environment has also allowed companies to improve their

brand. To mitigate a negative customer service image,

Comcast began using the site as a tool to promptly respond

to customer trouble shooting inquiries.

Regardless of the message, Twitter allows users to engage

in a real-time conversation and information distribution. The

conversation between the customer and company drives

success.

“If you intend to incorporate social networks as part of your

outreach, be prepared to make the online page or group

interactive, allowing for members of your network to share

their thoughts with you and amongst themselves,” said

Jetté. “The conversation should be a three-way street and

not just an advertisement.”

Twitter can be used as a mini-RSS feed for marketers to

monitor what customers are currently saying, but it also is a

way for job seekers to learn about a prospective company

while preparing for interviews. By reading a company’s

tweets, an applicant can follow up to find the full and cur-

rent stories. In addition, users can follow users, like JobSeek-

ers, which tweets about tips for landing a job.

Tie it in a bow

If you are already on these sites, you should check out up-

and-coming websites, such as icerocket.com, slideshare.

com, yorz.com or xing.com for additional social network-

ing benefits. For example Ice Rocket, functions as a blog

tracker and customized RSS feed, allowing you to find out

what people are saying on the blogs in real-time about any

given topic.

People are also exploring more established sites and us-

ing them in new ways. These sites are excellent sources of

information. YouTube.com is now being used by frustrated

homeowners who are looking to sell real estate property.

Billie Jean King is promoting her environmental initiative,

GreenSlam, on YouTube, with short public service announce-

ments featuring American tennis stars.

From a human resources standpoint, job seekers should be

mindful that recruiters use social networking sites as a form

of background check for prospective employees. Your

involvement in online networking sites is a direct reflection

of your own personal brand. Consequently, if you wouldn’t

show it or say it to your grandmother, you probably shouldn’t

add it to any of your online profiles.

“[F]or people conducting online job searches, it would

be well worth their while spending some time cleaning up

other various profiles and accounts and searching for online

references to themselves,” said Ian Ide, Partner, Technology

Division, Winter Wyman & Company. “Many young profes-

sional have profiles on social networking sites like MySpace,

Snapfish, and YouTube that they maintained throughout col-

lege. Often, they may have a history of pictures, comments,

etc., that can follow them into the professional realm that

they may have reason to be concerned about.”

For these non-traditional media to work to their fullest poten-

tial, they should be fully integrated, not only with other social

and digital media, but with traditional efforts, like print,

television and face-to-face interaction. For marketers and

job seekers alike, link online media together for a more per-

vasive presence. Connect LinkedIn pages, to Twitter home

pages. Twitter can link to a company’s home page, which

in turn points to an in-game promotion. Sites like MeetUp.

com, a networking site geared toward event planners,

encourages users to keep in touch via the Internet, but also

have in-person meetings or activities to foster relationships.

Because online social networking is still a relatively new

concept, full integration is still a challenge. In addition to

newspapers and trades, public relations professionals should

reach out to influential bloggers. Companies have even

begun using similar tools internally, to compliment their cur-

rent practices. General Electric has created a Twitter-like

community, called Yammer, to increase transparency and

encourage collaboration across different platforms. Interac-

tive calendars, wikis and blogs may be a quick addition for

companies to add into their everyday employee functions.

The sheer number of social networking opportunities may

seem overwhelming. However, pick a few that work for you

and manage them fully, keeping them relevant and fresh.

Whether you are a marketer or a job seeker, ditch the old

Rolodex and really get your networking working for you.

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WISE continues to provide critical leadership resources with the WISE Within mentoring program which rolled out nationally this fall.

“WISE has fine-tuned its mission with the mentoring pro-gram. It has gone beyond networking meetings by of-fering one-on-one counseling,” said Paulette Goodrich, retired Director Special Events and Volunteer Services for the San Francisco Symphony, and a WISE Within men-tor. “I found that the dedication that drives me to keep getting better at whatever I do in my life is valuable as a mentor.”

Following a successful launch in New York City last year, WISE rolled out the program nationwide. Nearly 50 men-tors and mentees throughout the country participated in the program.

“We started WISE Within to address the needs of our members,” said Jenifer Miller, WISE Vice President and WISE Within chair. “Based on the results of the 2005 WISE Industry Pulse survey, we realized that our members sought ‘wise council’ from trusted leaders in our industry who would share strategies on a range of topics from gaining visibility at the workplace to dealing with a chal-lenging boss … and everything in between.”

During the six-month period, the mentoring pairs met ap-proximately once per month. The program emphasized a mentee-driven, mentor-guided approach. Success depended highly on the mentee’s level of proactive-commitment to the relationship and focus on her career goals, according to Miller.

“WISE Within was an incredible opportunity to work with an accomplished leader to help develop my profession-al skills,” Mindy Spire of WWE said. “My mentor (Lisa Mur-ray of Octagon) provided reassurance and inspiration by sharing her experience and advice as we developed a plan to achieve my career goals. She also helped me to balance my work life with my personal life, and to ap-preciate that a successful executive must have a holistic perspective.”

In addition to the one-on-one sessions between the mentors and mentees, WISE encouraged each chapter to develop onsite group sessions to enhance the experi-ence and provide additional resource building opportu-nities for both the mentor and mentee within the entire group.

“How nice it is to teach, coach and inspire, and to be appreciated. It is a very personal relationship created from being strangers to getting better together,” Goodrich said.

The next cycle will begin in September 2009.

For more information on how you may become a WISE Within participant, please visit our website,www.WISEworks.org.

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A WISE Match

Facilitator Gwen Woods of Wabi Sabi at Work & Play Media Group (center) leads the WISE Within Career Strategy Session for NYC - Metro Chapter.

WISE Within connects a group of selected mentors and mentees from the WISE membership in a structured initiative to provide career resource connections. The program is a natural extension of WISE’s mission and is designed to reflect the essence of WISE — to offer guidance and career support for the growth of women moving into executive positions in the sports and events industry. Participants interested in applying must:• Be a WISE member in good standing• Live within reasonable proximity to a WISE chapter affiliation. Please know that due to the nature of the program where group and one-to-one sessions take place during the program cycle, participants must be located within one of the WISE markets.• Mentors – 15 + years industry experience

• Mentees – 7 – 10 years industry experience

For more information on how you may become

a WISE Within participant, please visit our website,

www.WISEworks.org.

Become A WISE Within

Participant

Digital Distribution is the answer during this down time AND

from here on out

By Alicia Nevins, CDO New Tier, Inc.

We’re not your typical consumer. We thrive on watching TV

commercials and listening to radio ads. Personally, I open

up every single Val Pak envelope to see all the different

offers. In every ballpark, stadium, or arena, I ferociously

take notes on team partnerships and promotions. I actually

recorded the Super Bowl solely for the purpose of watching

the commercials – my personal favorite was the Career-

builder.com commercial. (A koala bear with a cup of cof-

fee and glasses? Who knew?)

As people in the business, we’re a sports advertiser’s dream

consumers ...because they are actually reaching us no mat-

ter how they send the message. We watch their commer-

cial, read their ad, hear their radio spot, see their billboard.

We pay attention to their marketing message, fitting into

their perfect demographic of “return of investment” aka

ROI. The dilemma advertisers have is not in reaching us; it’s

in reaching the general consumer. The consumer whose

career and daily life isn’t based around sports and enter-

tainment advertising and what the market trends are for

the industry. Not only are they trying to reach the general

consumer, but they are trying to do it with a smaller budget

and greater demand for results.

According to IEG, global sports sponsorships doubled in the

past ten years to the tune of $30 billion annually, but 2008

shows that growth trend has halted. As someone who

spent a majority of my career in corporate partnerships in

Major League Baseball (Houston Astros and Texas Rangers)

and the National Hockey League (Dallas Stars), it is hard to

see this turn in sports advertising. With some of the biggest

known players in the sports sponsorship realm, such as Wa-

chovia, General Motors, and AIG, having endured serious

financial losses from the economic downturn, it’s no wonder

that companies are under tremendous pressure to cut costs

and marketing budgets. It’s been noted that a number

of NASCAR teams have folded or merged together due to

a declining number of sponsors. After 21 years, the Arena

Football League has suspended their 2009 season. Major

League Baseball has seen an overall fall off in sponsorship

sales of up to 25%, while the NFL has announced that they

will miss their projected revenue by over $50 million dollars.

It’s not hard to understand why sponsors are forced to have

a definite understanding and almost a “guarantee” that the

dollars they spend on advertising, let alone, sports advertis-

ing will be effective. They can’t afford any less.

One of the biggest objections sports teams/leagues face

...even during a strong economic time, is that the dollars

allocated for sports sponsorship are often seen as excessive

or difficult to quantify. Sports can stand on their own when

touting their strong delivery for adding value to a sponsor’s

brand or providing them with high-end ‘experiential’ enter-

taining. You cannot put a price or accurately value what a

person takes with them after throwing out a ceremonial first

pitch... or standing on the side-lines of a NFL game. Unfortu-

nately, advertisers are requiring a more definitive return on

their spending.

Currently, the advertising industry as a whole is at a cross-

roads as new technology continues to emerge that makes

their consumer base more elusive than before. Products like

DVRs (TiVo), PDAs (Blackberry) as well as the ever evolving

iPod/iPhone allow consumers to control when and if they

consume advertising content. In addition, ad budgets are

under further scrutiny as buyers become more sophisticated.

Considering that consumers have become more educated

and have the means to filter information, an advertiser truly

has to change their “old” way of thinking to connect with

their consumer and understand what makes them tick.

Businesses have hit a point at which their previous marketing

efforts have become inefficient, expensive and too broadly

distributed to reap strong, measurable returns. Traditional

media, which has long served as the premier ad vehicle to

market to a mass audience, is currently facing challenges in

ensuring consumption of those messages due to the surfac-

ing of the aforementioned technologies. Like most of us, I

love my iPod and feel more comfortable leaving my house

WISE Words

Emerging Media or Bust?

Page 10

without my purse than without my Blackberry!

There is a growing need in the marketplace for a more

cost-effective way for businesses to market their products

and services to consumers. This aspect of the business

marketplace will never deteriorate, no matter the economic

climate. Therefore, the means by which companies mar-

ket to consumers seems to have taken a new direction.... a

Digital one.

The emerging media world of advertising is here, and here to

stay. What’s emerging media? Insert cliché “It’s the wave of

the future!” here. It’s text messaging, it’s mobile applications,

it’s desktop applications, it’s social networking, it’s widgets,

it’s instant messaging, it’s poking, it’s blogging, it’s gaming,

it’s search engine marketing... and the list will continue to

grow and the consumers will continue to invite these “digi-

tal” means into their everyday lives. They will invite these

means into their lives because digital distribution is user-insti-

gated. The users are asking for this content relationship.

This is precisely why a number of sports properties have

begun to capitalize on this knowledge base . The sports

industry has a critical mass of millions of consumers seeking

time-sensitive information that is constantly changing, thus

creating a captive and engaged audience. The sports

enthusiast marketplace is some of the most fertile ground for

digital advertising. By effectively communicating with these

sports enthusiasts, their engagement and loyalty will equate

to a high level of action towards an advertiser’s message.

The efficiency of dollars spent on digital media can be cal-

culated and guaranteed unlike most other advertising medi-

ums and, during a tough economic time period, an adver-

tiser needs to maintain a low-risk threshold with regards to

how each dollar is spent. An advertiser now not only knows

the number of “eyeballs” on their product, but they can also

know the number of individuals that interacted with their

product. They can obtain demographical information such

as geographic location, age, and/or gender, allowing them

to create a more compelling and applicable offer specifi-

cally for their consumer. This not only means a higher level

of consumption, but it means. a deeper and more benefi-

cial relationship with the consumer. With this knowledge

base, combined with the built-in, passion-based affinity that

sports teams engender, businesses have a much stronger

formula for success.

Emerging media (digital distribution) is definitely helpful dur-

ing this economy because of its apparent cost-effectiveness

or accountability. However, we can expect all businesses to

continue in their trend of being more watchful in ad spend-

ing not only because times are tough, but because our

knowledge base as both producers and consumers will con-

tinue to grow through technology. We are in the midst of

discovering newer and better ways to promote our services

and products.

The ultimate benefit that emerging media gives the Sports

and Entertainment industry is the ability to directly connect

and have a relationship with their consumers and/or fans.

Fortunately, it’s reaching all consumers, not just those, like us,

who are paid to notice brands and advertising messages.

WISE Words

Page 11

Congratulations to NBC

Olympics Coordinating

Producer Molly Solomon,

one of the 2008 WISE

Women of the Year, who

received further recogni-

tion with the Individual

Achievement Award as

Outstanding Producer for

an Entertainment Series or

Special presented in Feb-

ruary by American Women

in Radio and Television at

the 34th annual GRACIE Awards.

2008 WWOY Wins Again

WISE Words

Page 12

By Aimee Kaye

Q. I am looking for a job in the worst possible environment. Is there anything I can do to give myself an advantage in such a competitive job market with so many good candidates and so few jobs? Dear Job Seeker, Yes the job market is extremely competitive and jobs are scarce. Therefore, you need to do everything you can to give yourself an advantage over other qualified candidates. Here are some suggestions: Be Prepared:

Be prepared at all times to talk to people about •what you do and what you want to do. If you are no longer working, make sure you •have a business card that you can hand out with your name, email address and phone numbers. Develop a “60-second” commercial that quickly •explains who you are and what you are looking for. And, of course, update your resume and •be sure it is professional and presents your qualifications in an impressive manner

Do your research:Target organizations hot jobs •Obtain as much information as possible about •the organization, the job and the prospective boss. Check company websites and press releases so •that you are conversant on recent updates. Talk to people in your network who may know •someone who currently works, or has worked, for the organization.

Network and utilize your contacts: Network with other professionals and attend •network groups like WISE Reach out to former bosses and colleagues •who have moved on to other organizations. Ask for names of people your contacts think •would be good people for you to contact

In addition, sharpen your interviewing skills by anticipating questions you may be asked on an interview and how you would answer them. Have a friend video tape you doing a mock interview so you can see how you do and work on your presentation skills. Above all, appear confident and focus on what you can bring to the organization!!

Ask WISE About our contributors…

Aimee Kaye

Aimee Kaye is Co-Founder of Sageview Consulting,

a leading sports industry human resources consulting

firm, specializing in training, benefits, and HR manage-

ment consulting. Prior to founding Sageview Consult-

ing, Aimee was the SVP, Human Resources for Madison

Square Garden.

Alicia Nevins

Alicia oversees business development and sales for New

Tier, Inc (A digital media company). She was instrumen-

tal in finalizing and deploying the CBS Colleague Sports

partnership between New Tier and the ninety-four CBS

Colleague University relationships in 2008. She has been

heavily involved in the launching of New Tier’s most

recent application and is responsible for all strategic

partnerships in both the United States and Europe. Ali-

cia spent a combined 7+ years in professional sports on

the advertising sales side with the Houston Astros, Texas

Rangers, and Dallas Stars.

Kristen Walker

Kristin is a recent graduate of the Sports Business Masters

program at New York University, and completed her

undergraduate work at Boston College. She currently

works with the Harwich Mariners and the Cape Cod

Baseball League. Kristin has held various marketing

roles at General Electric, Octagon Worldwide and Lou

Hammond & Associates, and has worked on a number

sports-related fund raising events, in addition to MLB’s

2005 All-Star Weekend and the MORE Marathon.

WISE Words