Sox in Mouth
Baseball’s 2007 World Series champions likely will have been crowned by the time you read this. Will the Boston Red Sox be the kings of the sandlot, or will their archrivals the New York Yankees snare the title? Or will neither team make it to the show?
We don’t know the answers to those questions as this issue goes to press, but we do know that in the word-of-mouth battle, Beantown’s best are coming up winners.
According to marketing research and consulting firm Keller Fay Group’s TalkTrack study — compiled from more than 35,000 interviews annually of Americans age 13 and older — nearly three of four conversations about the Red Sox are positive, compared with lessthan four in 10 about the Yankees.
What does this mean for the Red Sox as a brand? Keller Fay COO Brad Fay says the good feeling for the team nationwide is reflected in its ability to draw a crowd when it plays on the road. And from a merchandising standpoint there’s also a huge opportunity to reach fans around the globe through online marketing and other avenues.
Of course, everything is seasonal. Fay — himself a transplanted Bostonian and lifelong Sox fan (his partner Ed Keller’s a Yankee fan) — believes the negative chatter about the Yanks arose because of the team’s subpar play early in the season.
