Last Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL Draft with the eleventh pick. A draft night trade with the New York Jets helped them move up to ten, which is where they selected Michigan Quarterback J.J. McCarthy. In most cities, folks get excited for the draft but there’s usually a different energy picking players in the top five versus spots ten through twenty. Yet in Minneapolis, something looked and felt very different.
The Fillmore in Minneapolis served as the location for SKOR North‘s NFL Draft party. Phil Mackey, Judd Zulgad and Declan Goff broadcasted their hit program ‘Purple Daily‘ throughout the first round of the draft, and the question heading into the event was ‘could a digital show with a minimal radio presence sell out a 1,000+ seat venue on draft night, especially if the Minnesota Vikings weren’t picking until #11?’
The answer was a resounding yes.
Not only did SKOR North sell out the 1000+ seat venue, another 79,000 (and growing) watched the draft party online. The execution on-site and on social was perfect, and the follow up afterwards is an example of what sets winning brands apart.
Video clips hit social from the start of the night to every tense moment leading up to the Vikings selection. AJ Fredrickson and Artis Woods captured the on-site reactions after the Giants picked Malik Nabers at 6 and when the Falcons took Michael Penix at 8. Another video clip hit social media too after Minnesota landed #10 from the Jets. The best reaction video though came when the franchise selected Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy with the 10th selection. The social team was locked in again too after the Vikings chose Dallas Turner at #17.
Then came the production and on-site support. Adam Van Conant and Mike Weber made sure the program sounded good. Pat Laeger, Tim Krueth, and Trevor Groebner along with additional camera staff made sure the show was brought to life through video on-site and online. VIP check-in and on-site flags were managed by Ross Brendel along with Jason Stormer, Kristi Gavin, Kait Haag, Peter Nomeland, Camille Eckhodff, Bailey Hess, Kelsey St. John, and Donnella Johnson taking care of other on-site needs.
On-air contributions were made as well. Jessi Pierce handled crowd interviews and reactions, Tyler “Forno” Forness and Myles Gorham offered draft analysis, and Mackey, Zulgad and Goff informed, entertained, and fired up the fanbase on stage. They all wore branded shirts too to help drive brand awareness and on-site and online merchandise sales.
It extended to the sales side of the operation too. Bernie Laur and the sales team sold on-site client branding and took care of their clients, while Matt Stengel managed the partnership with The Fillmore. Kwik Trip served as the presenting sponsor of the show with video logo display provided online. Others were incorporated into the on-site content including Northern Fire Grilling & BBQ Supply who served as the official sponsor of the show’s ‘hot takes desk‘. Additional sponsors included Fulton Brewing, Element Hotel, Cry Baby Craig’s Gourmet Hot Sauce, PoppedCorn, and Thr3 Jack.
My favorite part of this story and the unsung hero of the event was Katie Greenhill. Hubbard Broadcasting’s senior designer created and designed logos, t-shirts and billboards to make sure the brand was ready to seize the moment as it unfolded.
It was impossible to know who the Vikings would select so Greenhill designed five different t-shirts (Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, Bo Nix and J.J. McCarthy). The second the selection of McCarthy was made, SKOR North had merchandise ready to monetize the moment. Taking advantage of the opportunity outside the venue required additional steps too. Within an hour of the Vikings choosing McCarthy, SKOR North debuted a J.J. to J.J. billboard across every digital board in the Twin Cities.
THAT is what seizing the moment looks like. Not only was SKOR North on point on the air, on-site, and on social media, but they were visually displayed across the city and ready to monetize the opportunity.
I did a search over the weekend of the local sports radio brands that were connected to the 9 picks in the NFL Draft (Chicago-Washington-New England-Arizona-Los Angeles-New York-Tennessee-Atlanta) that went before Minnesota. Only one, 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. was selling merchandise tied to the draft pick of their local team (nice job CK). One was still featuring a shirt of a player who left a local franchise two years ago.
Do sports format professionals want to make supplemental income? How many times do we have to talk about radio revenues being down, and brands needing to find other ways to increase profitability? This was one of the easiest things to prepare for and capitalize on. All you had to do was use the color’s of the local team, design something good that doesn’t create a trademark issue, and hit social and the airwaves promoting it. Your fans will go into their wallets for your products if they’re cool and available quickly.
If you don’t believe me, go check BarstoolSports.com. They had shirts ready for Caleb Williams and the Bears, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, and Drake Maye and the Patriots. Fanatics was ready too with jerseys for all of the key players minus Marvin Harrison Jr.. Striking while the iron is hot is vital. Unfortunately in this case, many didn’t even plug the iron in.
At the 2020 BSM Summit, Erika Ayers-Badan (then Nardini) said that when it comes to merchandising, you’ve got to understand pace and be on top of it. Consumers won’t wait for anything. Having a structure that’s nimble is also important. You can’t expect to run things through five corporate checks and balances, and expect to maximize demand. Additionally, you have to understand that some things won’t work. However, the ones that do will more than make up for the ones that didn’t.
Being fully transparent, I consulted SKOR North back when it was being built. The pandemic ended our partnership but I hold Dan Seeman, Phil Mackey, and the folks at Hubbard Broadcasting in high regard because they do great work. Five years ago, the brand could not have created this type of success. They had to learn rapid digital execution, and connect their best talent to the market’s biggest sports brand (Vikings). Sales also had to learn how to monetize a product that wasn’t reliant on AM radio ratings. Plus, the behind the scenes crew had to get better at video and social media, and that required trial and error. Now, the brand is humming.
SKOR North set out to revolutionize the way fans consume Minnesota sports content. Five years into a brand switch, they don’t have Nielsen ratings to show they’re a force but one look inside the Fillmore or at their podcast performance or YouTube channels and you can see they’ve tapped into something special.
Being successful requires vision and leadership. It also takes others behind the scenes stepping up to make sure every aspect of the execution is on point. That involves thinking ahead and diving in quickly to capitalize on opportunities. SKOR North has become a successful business, and in the process has proven that you can generate podcasting and non-traditional revenue on a local level. It simply comes down to vision, teamwork, creativity, preparation, and being nimble enough to deliver success. Others in the sports format should be paying attention.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thumbs Up
KMOX: I’m sure other brands are doing this too but I haven’t seen them promoted so Steve Moore and his crew are getting the credit. What a cool technological enhancement from Apple TV. This is a great example of audio and video working together to benefit the viewer.
Stacey Kauffman: When the non-compete news came down this week I looked around at industry reactions. You might’ve expected management types to blast the decision but that’s not how Audacy San Francisco Market Manager Stacey Kauffman responded. Her commentary on LinkedIn was spot on. I’d encourage more folks leading companies and brands to read it. Just a well thought out, smart perspective on a complex issue. I’d also recommend reading Dave Greene’s column.
Joe Hunk: We all lose perspective in this industry at times. So when a great reminder is passed along it can be very helpful. I stumbled across a tweet this week from 104.5 The Zone afternoon’s producer. Joe Hunk shared his genuine appreciation for what he was able to do due to working in the industry. The next time you’re frustrated and contemplating a different career path, go back and read this tweet.
Thumbs Down
Mark Madden: 15 years ago I might’ve cared about a tweet like this. Now, I don’t. BSM will always have critics who make assumptions and spew incorrect facts. Hey Mark, I don’t consult Audacy, and they don’t pay us to write these reports. One glance at our past week of content and you’d see we cover a lot of markets and groups. If you want to be included, have your folks share the information. If they don’t, then don’t whine to me about why you’re left out.
Taylor Swift: I’m not hating on Taylor, I’m actually putting her in this section for creating too catchy of an album. As a 50-year old man, who’s not in her target demo, I shouldn’t be walking around my house with Taylor Swift melodies stuck in my head. Yet that’s been the case the past few days due to the release of The Tortured Poets Department. Before you take aim at yours truly for that admission, go listen to that album once or twice and tell me it doesn’t get stuck in your head too. Judging from the recent record she broke on Spotify, plenty are in the same boat as me.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What’s Brewing?
On Friday, I posted on LinkedIn that we are going to be adding in a few different areas soon. I’m working on something exciting that’s going to make waves, but I’m not ready to spill the beans just yet. However, if you love to write, have a passion for the media business, understand the industry, are well connected, enjoy what we do, and thrive working remotely, email me. I’m not looking for a sports or news media columnist. This will be more of a business editor/reporter/news writer role.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
BNM Summit
Speaker Announcement Update: We are bringing our news media conference to Washington D.C. on September 4-5, 2024. It’s going to be excellent. 14 speakers were already announced, and I’ll be revealing a few more additions later this week on Barrett News Media. The plan is to share that news and the addition of our After Party sponsor on Thursday May 2nd.
If you are planning to attend and haven’t bought a ticket or if you’re planning to be a sponsor, don’t wait until the last minute. Demand has been high for this one. To learn more visit BNMSummit.com.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
