SBJ Marketing: The strategy behind Chicago Sports Network’s tie-up with Wind Creek Casino

Jason Wilson here, filling in for Terry Lefton, who’s on assignment this week.

This week’s SBJ Marketing newsletter features a pair of dispatches from our Brand Innovation Summitt in Chicago, featuring insights from the launch of the Chicago Sports Network and trends that everyone in sports marketing needs to know.

Meanwhile, I need to know more about this smoked tri-tip sandwich sitting on my desk. I’ve getting deep into smoking food on my grill, and I suspect a Traeger or another pellet smoker is in my future this Father’s Day. On behalf of Terry and all of us at SBJ, may all the dads out there experience an enjoyable one!

Fresh off a deal with Comcast Xfinity last Friday, Chicago Sports Network President Jason Coyle and Wind Creek Hospitality CMO Ken Rohman remarked on their company’s recent sponsorship, which will see Wind Creek adding its name to CHSN’s signature show, “The Chicago Lead,” activations.

Both are still relatively new companies, as CHSN launched in October, with Wind Creek following shortly after in November.

“This isn’t a straight media deal by any means.” Coyle said onstage Wednesday at SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit at The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. “We’re owned by the teams [Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox], and we have alignment of the media company, CHSN, the rights holders, the teams, the venues, the United Center and [Rate Field], which gives us an opportunity to create marketing executions on a turnkey basis that reach all of those fans on air, at the venue and then throughout the communities in partnership with Ken [Rohman].

Coyle said he never intended to build out a linear-only RSN, calling them a “pretty antiquated and ineffective tool” to reach outcomes.

Rohman (a Chicago native) said he wanted to build a casino in the area, and in thinking about how to activate sports fans in the area, working with local teams was a “no brainer.” His team has been heavily focused on activations to generate more fans to engage with Wind Creek and making it easier for Bulls fans to travel from United Center to the casino.

“We have a lot of data. So, really, what we’re looking at is when we do these [activations], how many new players are we signing up and then over time, what sort of loyalty are we able to drive for them?” Rohman said. “We’re trying to make sure that we get the greatest possible share of your wallet and visitation.”

Citi Head of Sponsorship and Partnership Management Tom Cerasoli, CAA Brand Consulting Global co-Head Jeff Eccleston, ESPN SVP/Marketing Jo Fox and Monumental Sports and Entertainment President, Business Operations and COO Jim Van Stone sat down to dissect the latest trends in marketing with SBJ’s Terry Lefton at Wednesday’s Brand Innovation Summit in Chicago.

SBJ’s Robert Irby runs down the highlights from the session.

• Cerasoli on choosing the right sponsorship opportunity: “When we look at any sponsorship opportunity, it’s got to pass a bunch of filters on why we do sponsorships that everything from driving value to driving client engagement and delivering on commercial outcomes. ... From a brand perspective, we still want to make sure that we’re driving authenticity and driving results. And so, we look at any opportunity, whether it’s women’s sports or men’s sports through the same lens.”
• Eccleston on streaming’s impact on marketing strategy: “When you look at the data, the average number of streaming services people have these days is 4.7 -- So nearly five. A couple of years ago, it was two. Seventy percent of sports fans under 35 don’t have cable anymore. ... You just look at what’s going on in sports today and the disruption. Everyone talks about shrinking attention spans and baseball making rule changes to account for that. The TGL was born out of an insight of there’s more golf that’s played off the course than on the course. So, when you look at those insights, it really then leads in when we’re working with brands and looking at how do we activate and show up for those audiences?”
• Fox on ESPN’s strategy to use its new DTC streaming platform to broaden its audience: “There’s a whole range of people who, for whatever reason, have not wanted to sign up to cable to get ESPN, and now this barrier is removed. ... When you start engaging a more casual fan, and the entry point is lower, and you can cancel any time, people come in for different things. So, in the past, if you’re signing up for a one-year contract, it’s quite expensive, and you’re a pretty committed sport fan. This gives a way for casual sports fans to come in.”
• Van Stone on how AI can assist the future of fan experience: “It’ll be interesting to see the way the next five years kind of evolve for us. ... We don’t want people waiting in lines anymore. ... AI in that process -- because we’re never going to have the staffing sizes -- I think can help us really be a lot more efficient.”

• F1 is betting that its new film can draft off the momentum that the sport has enjoyed of late, and more than a dozen blue-chip brands are coming along for the ride, as SBJ’s Adam Stern details in this week’s magazine.
• Since last year, LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman has emphasized the same point regarding the organizing committee’s sponsorship sales: Partners buy when they want to buy. After Honda signed on as automotive sponsor last week, that time is now, as SBJ’s Rachel Axon gauges the momentum that’s picking up for the Games’ sales efforts.
• Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes that MLB’s short-term national media rights situation is resolved before the All-Star Game, set for July 15 in Atlanta, writes SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo.
• The USGA’s decision to take its hospitality in-house is already paying off in the program’s first full year, with sales for this week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club among the highest the governing body has ever seen for the event, notes SBJ’s Josh Carpenter.
• With less than a year to go until the FIFA World Cup, SBJ’s Alex Silverman explores how brands are preparing for the global event’s visit to North America.
• Invisalign rolled out a national campaign with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, which aired Monday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” notes SBJ’s Mary Gaughan.