Majoring in Minors: N.J.’s Goldklang Group keeps baseball relevant year-round

BY JOE FAVORITO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING

We have often talked about how minor league organizations often outpace the major league teams in terms of year-round innovation and brand building. The minors, especially baseball, never have the big star to rely on for long and more than their major brethren, have to rely on the core fan and the overall game experience to keep the bottom line steady, maintain market share and keep fans coming back when they don't know what the on-field product will look like.

One of the best groups at fan engagement has always been the New Jersey-based Goldklang group, with a legion of passionate and energetic fulltime staffers, interns and volunteers from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Hudson Valley, New York and many points in between. They have set the standard for fun, fan engagement and brand growth on the minor league level for years. Now in an effort to connect and grow their fans, and find new business and branding opportunities, the company has launched Be Your Own Fan TV, a bi-monthly look at key influencers not just in the markets the teams play, but in sports overall.

The episodes provide an insider look and in-depth interviews with many boldface names, or rising stars, in sports, and will give both a fan or a person interested in learning more about the business of sport some good insight into best practices and success. So what does this do for the Goldklang Group? Does it help sell tickets for the Charleston River Dogs? Not directly, at least not in the conventional sense that most minor league teams do things. Then again, these guys usually set the standard and don't follow the conventional.

What is does is position the company as a leader in the sports promotion business, and projects their brand beyond what their customers and partners normally think of them as...an organization that runs some minor league teams. It also gives some additional fodder for their business partners and even their fans to be proud to be associated with a company that is looking to innovate not just in their market, but on a larger scale as well. It is well thought out, well planned, professional looking, relatively inexpensive and can help grow the overall brand of a company that has been known for innovation in minor league baseball, but now may be looking to expand that minor success into a more major payoff. Good idea, very good content and worthwhile to take a look at.

The work by the Goldklang Group is only a sample of what those who make their business in baseball around the Garden State do to keep their brands relevant. The Lakewood Blue Claws have spent years being innovators — from being one of the first groups anywhere to host and activate with Twitter to offering free food for families on select weeknights during the season. The Trenton Thunder run a steady stream of year-round promotions to keep their brand top of mind and have their fans engaged. To the north, the Newark Bears, despite struggling financially for the past few seasons, still constantly look for ways to tie to a community that is looking for inspiration in challenged times as well.

Yes, we are in challenging times for sure, and with discretionary dollars at a premium, everyone in sports has to find ways to be innovative and increase ROI. So for businesses looking to find great examples of how to maintain relevance in the most quiet periods during a year, take a look at how our local teams get it done.

There is little that is minor league about their efforts.

Joe Favorito has over 23 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. Visit him at JoeFavorito.com.