The Undeniable Leader with Rob Cressy

The MLBPA just launched an app called Infield Chatter which is a custom social network just for players and their fans. They’ve already got over 1,000 MLB players onboard creating content and engaging with fans. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy dish about why they like that the MLBPA is trying new things, but as a whole they don’t like the idea. We don’t need another social media network that doesn’...

SportTechie Managing Editor Diamond Leung joins Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy to talk about augmented reality, wearable tech, trends in the marketplace, and how SportTechie has grown and differentiated itself. In each episode of The Sports Marketing Huddle, CEO of BOLD Worldwide Brian Cristiano, and Founder of Cress Media & Bacon Sports Rob Cressy give a forward-thinking perspective about som...

Toasted grasshoppers are all the rage right now at the Seattle Mariners Safeco Field. So far this year they’ve sold over 18,000 grasshoppers at the Poquitos concession stand (at $4 for a four-ounce cup), which was added as part of the Mariners strategy to add more of a local flair to their concessions. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy dish about why fans love the toasted grasshoppers. Is it for the...

SoulCycle is more than just spinning classes. It’s a community, it’s an experience, and it’s an intense workout. In this off the record Rob Cressy shares with Brian Cristiano his first time experience taking a class at SoulCycle on recommendation from Mrs Bacon. What initially had the feeling of a cult turned into a positive experience that has marketing lessons built in. SoulCycle did a great job...

Mizuno just created their Mizuno Experience Center at Atlanta Braves Sunburst stadium where, among other things, fans can rent a glove for a game and test it for 48 hours. If they like it, their credit card is charged, otherwise they return it free of charge. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy dish about why they love this level of fan engagement, especially within the highly targeted audience Mizuno...

A recent article in FutureSport shared seven ways that teams could monetize fan created content. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy talk about if it makes sense or is even possible to monetize fan created content. Should teams be thinking bigger with their sponsorships? Should fan engagement opportunities be just that, leaving the monetization to another area? What could an integrated sponsorship of t...

For many teams across Major League Baseball the weather is less than desireable in the first two months of the 162 game season. This can cause ticket sales and attendance to decrease as many fans opt to wait to attend games until it’s nicer out. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy talk about what MLB teams can do from a marketing standpoint to encourage attendance early in the season. It’s no longer go...

The NHL playoffs just started and with it comes a journey for both the players and fans to win the greatest trophy in all of professional sports, the Stanley Cup. Because of the cache of Lord Stanley, the NHL has successfully engaged fans with its #becauseitsthecup and #myplayoffsmoment hashtags, getting them to send in photos and videos of them sharing their experience. What can teams do to encou...

You need to think bigger than you are right now, like 10x bigger. In this off the record Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy talk about how this simple change in mindset has had a tremendous impact in their life, success, and it can you too. In each episode of The Sports Marketing Huddle, CEO of BOLD Worldwide Brian Cristiano, and Founder of Cress Media & Bacon Sports Rob Cressy give a forward-thin...

The world of sports is on fire right now, from MLB Opening Day, the thrilling finish to The Masters, to March Madness concluding. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy put a bow on these three topics as they dish about how Pizza Hut was the runaway winner of March Adsanity, blowing away the competition in terms of engagement, how The Masters missed a gigantic opportunity by not allowing cell phones to ca...

Alex Martucci, CEO & Founder at Curlad, joins Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy to talk about successful ways to leverage athletes. Where do you find athletes to work with? Does it matter if the athlete is already using your product or not? We also talk about the evolution of communication with advertising and social media, similarities and differences in marketing internationally vs US, and tips...

Gabe Lacques, Baseball Editor at USA Today, joins Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy to talk about how Major League Baseball can improve their marketing. Instead of opening up the season in Wrigley, where all eyes would have been on celebrating the Cubs winning their first World Series in over 100 years, it kicked off in Tampa with a Rays vs Yankees game to little fanfare. Did no one at MLB realize th...

Hello Friends. The Masters is a tradition unlike any other. Steeped in a rich history of golf’s elite, it is seen as THE number one golf tournament. As much as I am a fan of The Masters, they are doing themselves no favors by refusing to adapt to the current digital era. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy dish about why The Masters needs to get with the times. From their no cell phones, cameras, or be...

To celebrate Opening Day, Major League Baseball and New Era ran their #CapsOn campaign which encouraged fans to take pictures of themselves wearing hats. Because of the previous success, this is the second consecutive year that this campaign has run. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy dish about why they dig this idea and the social engagement behind it. How will New Era be using celebrities and influ...

In an episode of Seinfeld George Costanza says, “My life is the opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have, in every area of life, be it something to wear, something to eat...Its all been wrong.” This compels him to do the complete opposite, with the logic that the opposite would have to be right if the way he’s doing things is currently wrong. Because of this episode of Seinfel...

Last week Bacon Sports launched their first sponsored podcast, the Bleacher Boys, a Chicago Cubs podcast. In this episode Rob Cressy dish with Brian Cristiano on the process of how the podcast was launched, why Wrigleyville Sports was the ideal sponsor, and what can be done to help improve conversations of the advertising. Pre-roll and mid-roll podcast advertising has the ability to be a very effe...

We are down to the Final Four brands in our March Adsanity social engagement tournament: Buffalo Wild Wings, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s & Reese’s. On this episode of the Sports Marketing Huddle Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy talk about how their brackets shaped up and who they think will win it all. Which social channels are each brand specifically crushing on that has helped them get this far in the...

It seems that the majority of times that I go to a sports bar something is off. Either they don’t have the correct sporting events on TV or their social media marketing is overly self promotional and lacks delivering value. Andrew Jaffee, Founder of The Rail, joins Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy to talk about how sports bars can market themselves more around sports. You’d think that with “sports”...

Disney World is the most magical place on earth, even when March Madness going on. That’s the situation Rob Cressy found himself in over the opening weekend of the tournament. As one to never miss an opportunity to have fun and learn, he took note of a few things about sports fandom, storytelling, and engagement. Alongside Brian Cristiano, they dish about how Disney’s attention to detail, storytel...

Grant Cardone’s 10x Growth Conference just took place in Florida and it was straight fire. It had a lineup of incredible speakers, dropping life and business changing knowledge. Brian Cristiano was in attendance for the three day conference and came back with 25 pages of notes, ready to conquer the world. While down there he texted Rob Cressy and told him to purchase the live stream because this w...

Brian Cristiano shares with Rob Cressy a Facebook hack he figured out regarding automatically publishing Instant Articles via a post on your website. Can Facebook Instant Articles become a legit monetization option for publishers? Is being all in on Facebook is a good thing? In each episode of The Sports Marketing Huddle, CEO of BOLD Worldwide Brian Cristiano, and Founder of Cress Media & Baco...

Rob and Brian discuss their Adsanity bracket with Don Povia, the founder of Transition Sports & Entertainment. He goes through his picks and explains why he chose Pizza Hut as the social media champion of March Adsanity 2017. See his complete bracket at MarchAdsanity.com-In each episode of The Sports Marketing Huddle, CEO of BOLD Worldwide Brian Cristiano, and Founder of Cress Media & Baco...

Erika Nardini, CEO at Barstool Sports, joins Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy to talk about Barstool’s thriving community, creating engaging content, and paths for monetization. What value does Barstool Sports deliver when they create integrated content packages for brands? Is it possible for small to mid-sized publishers to survive solely on an advertising model or do they need multiple revenue str...

We all have only one life to live so it’s imperative that we make every second count. This includes getting comfortable being uncomfortable, staring fear right in the eyes, and creating a life worth living. Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy dish about how they are inspired to live life to the fullest every day, and how you can too. In each episode of The Sports Marketing Huddle, CEO of BOLD Worldwide...

Bob Pockrass, Motorsports writer for ESPN, joins Brian Cristiano and Rob Cressy to talk about the challenges of racing teams selling NASCAR sponsorships. What is the value in a NASCAR sponsorship and what’s included in it? How has the social and digital landscape changed things? What are the best ways for racing teams to find new sponsors? For the teams who are doing it right, what can others mimi...