I just had a most unusual/surprising call…from the New York Yankees. Yep…me…the Yankees.
Here’s the story. My oldest son and I went to a Yankee’s game last Friday to watch the New Yorkers demolish Oakland. Now, anyone that really knows me knows that it’s a rare day when I go to a sports event of any kind. But Friday was special. Afterall, it was 105 degrees in New York City. What better way to spend the evening but watching 18 man-boys hit a leather covered small white ball with sticks and chase each other. I must say that the Yankee’s franchise is an amazing study in branding. WOW! 50,000 people came out for that game. They spent an average of $150 or so ($12 Drafts!) in blazing heat. Now that’s a brand.
But how did it become so powerful? My guess…attention to detail.
Now back to the phone call.
“Mr. Cleinman, this is Joe Smith from the New York Yankees. I know you were at the game last Friday and I just wanted to reach out and make sure everything was OK for you…” The caller went on to say that if I ever needed ANYTHING from the Yankees, that I should call him.
Now, I’m no senator or even a captain of industry. I’m just a small-town boy with an interesting business. I don’t consider myself even close to a target customer. I don’t particularly care for baseball. This was only the second pro game that I’ve attended in my life. So, it’s not like they were going after some significant potential revenue stream. Yes, they knew that I’d spent a king’s ransom on my tickets…but a phone call followup? From a ball team? From the Yankees?
WOW…that’s a brand-builder and that’s a lesson.
