Buzz Marketing!

Everybody loves buzz... But is it easy to spin someone else's negative buzz into positive buzz for your organization? Well, ask the Dallas Stars, who might tell you to proceed with caution. Shortly after the NBA was bombarded with the Tom Donaghy gambling scandal, the Dallas Stars released an innovative "Come into the Cold" branding scheme, with billboard messaging used as a focal point. The Stars collaborated with local advertising agency Door Number 3 to post billboards throughout town, with a variety of messaing: 

• "The Only Thing Our Refs Shave is the Ice"
• "Ultimate Fighting". What a Friendly Little Sport
• The ticket covers the hockey. THE BOXING IS A BONUS.
• ONE GAME A WEEK? Is the N In NFL for NANCY?
• Their Whole Paycheck is Hazard Pay
• Meet Our Two Offenders: Assault and Battery

While the billboard campaign drew extensive media attention, is this effective in the marketer's realm? Is all publicity good publicity? This may draw attention, but does this drive a fanbase? There are many questions at large with this debate but in the end, one has to ask whether this campaign accomplish what it was intended to do, and I believe yes. Is it right? Not necessarily. But in a marketers world, this stands headstrong in terms of generating buzz for the franchise. See the photo gallery for pictures of the Stars' billboard activation: http://partnershipactivation.squarespace.com/activation-gallery/