USPS Commissioned Reports

[MacRoadie]

I know there is already a similar thread, but that one is rapidly devolving and I don't want the question to be lost. Mods feel free to delete if necessary.

Having said all that, has anyone actually seen these reports "commissioned by the United States Postal Service"?

Every link I can find (including the USPS and Armstrong Tweets) keeps going back in circles to the same 8-paragraph AP piece by Anthony McCartney.

Nowhere can I even find the names of these two "marketing firms".

Study: USPS Armstrong sponsorship worth $103 mil

 

[Kodiak]

Probably going to take a FOIA request to the USPS in order to get access to that study if it really does exist.

 

[MacRoadie]

Probably going to take a FOIA request to the USPS in order to get access to that study if it really does exist.

And we've seen what ESPN got the first time they requested docs (and the ones already available on their FOIA page).

 

[veganrob]

How bogus. "Value and exposure increased". Yea. OK. And show us some figures maybe to quantify that.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I know there is already a similar thread, but that one is rapidly devolving and I don't want the question to be lost. Mods feel free to delete if necessary.

Having said all that, has anyone actually seen these reports "commissioned by the United States Postal Service"?

Every link I can find (inclusding the USPS and Armstrong Tweets) keeps going back in circles to the same 8-paragraph AP piece by Anthony McCartney.

Nowhere can I even find the names of these two "marketing firms".

Study: USPS Armstrong sponsorship worth $103 mil

Hmmm,
No-one from USPS commented nor anyone from the "pair of marketing firms" which weren't even named.

The clues come from where the AP piece was centred, Los Angeles and the only person to be quoted:

"Over the years, many different sponsors have seen - and continue to see - the benefits of associating with Lance and his cycling teams," Armstrong spokesman Mark Fabiani said in a statement.

 

[Race Radio]

The $103 million figure is a number that Tailwind use to trumpet often back in the day. It was a complete invention.

 

[D-Queued]

I know there is already a similar thread, but that one is rapidly devolving and I don't want the question to be lost. Mods feel free to delete if necessary.

Having said all that, has anyone actually seen these reports "commissioned by the United States Postal Service"?

Every link I can find (inclusding the USPS and Armstrong Tweets) keeps going back in circles to the same 8-paragraph AP piece by Anthony McCartney.

Nowhere can I even find the names of these two "marketing firms".

Study: USPS Armstrong sponsorship worth $103 mil

Not suggesting that these guys would try and keep anything 'all in the family', but did any spouses originally work for a pr firm?

Dave.

 

[MacRoadie]

And, a little info on the author, Anthony McCartney's Linkedin page:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/anthony-mccartney/a/273/752

The author is identified as:

•Entertainment Writer at Associated Press, LA Bureau
•AP Entertainment Writer at The Associated Press

It seems a bit out of his ordinary area of reporting. If you Google him, you get Lindsey Lohan, Michael Jackson, The Golden Globes, etc.

Although he does cover celebrity court cases, so I guess it is right up his alley.

 

[Polish]

You guys realize the "$103mil" figure is like 8 years old?

Must be up to $250mil by know...or more
The gift that keeps on giving.

Heck, the signature of WondeLance's Posts is a 5minute USPS commercial.
Most of the Lance YouTube or Video Memories, which will be viewed for decades to come feature USPS.

Images 50 years from now.....USPS USPS USPS.

One of the truly greatest, most recognized cycling sponsorships ever.
Bianchi sponsoring Fausto was a great one too.
Too bad Molteni stopped selling sausages sigh.

 

[BotanyBay]

Careful how loudly you guys hit that "bang for the buck" drum. You just might get what you wish for.

C'mon guys, cycling sponsorships are NEVER worth the money. But we want to keep pro cycling alive, right?

For the purposes of the cause, I'd prolly back-off trying to find out how "good a deal" it was.

Indicting the bang for the buck on USPS is an indictment of all sponsorships, don't you think?

 

[MacRoadie]

Indicting the bang for the buck on USPS is an indictment of all sponsorships, don't you think?

Apples and oranges.

First, you have to break sponsorships into two categories: industry, and non-industry.

Industry sponsorships include component, clothing, frameset, and accessory manufacturuers. Those companies utilize cycling sponsorships as a significant and verifiably beneficial marketing strategy.

Non-industry sponsorships are a little more difficult, ala Mapei (ceramic tile products, paint, etc), Carrera (jeans) or Milram (dairy products). For those, you need to look at the popularity of the sport of cycling in both the home country of the sponsor, as well as the marketing target countries. For Mapei and Carrera (Italy) and Milram (Germany) it would seem to make sense as those countries are all European and have a very strong professional cycling tradition.

The difference with USPS, is that first, on it's face, there is zero connection between cycling and a national postal system, and second, cycling still isn't even remotely close to being a mainstream sport in the US.

Also, while the USPS MAY have wanted to increase awareness of international parcel services, you can't send a package TO the US FROM Italy or France using the USPS. You can only send FROM the US so exactly what does riding in front of 50 million Euros do to increase the Postal Service's revenue? Wouldn't marketing HERE, in the States be a bit more logical?

 

[runninboy]

You guys realize the "$103mil" figure is like 8 years old?

Must be up to $250mil by know...or more
The gift that keeps on giving.

Heck, the signature of WondeLance's Posts is a 5minute USPS commercial.
.

The logic that got to the 103 million dollar figure is probably helped along by some nice Hollywood PR firm. Technically they market things(actors , movies, the Kardashians) so they could be construed as a "marketing firm"

"Lets see, Lance appeared in a two page spread of People magazine with Sheryl Crow. An ad in that rag goes for 100 grand an issue so thats 200 grand in value right there. He appeared on Oprah, national network tv coverage for 10 minutes there is gotta be at least half a mil in value right there"
"Oh at least half a mil for Oprah are you kidding me? i got clients who would pay that in a second to promote themselves on Oprah"
"Uh you do know that its against FCC rules to pay to appear right?"
"Oh... absolutely, i 'm just... sayin'...you know"
"Yeah"
"And we've got Letterman how many times, and Jimmy Kimmel"
"Love the Kimmel"
"who doesn't?"
"Gosh this is gonna take quite awhile to add up"
"Ahhh why bother ? just shoot a number out at me "
"Howzabout.....50...200....no One Hundred MILLION dollars?"
"Already been done in the first Austin Powers movie, besides its too round a figure"
"Ok how about $129,358,266.99?"
"Who are you Bob Barker?"
"Love the Bob!"
"Who doesn't? try again something simple"
"103 Mil"
"Done!" (on intercom)"Sarah write up a press release USPS sponsorship value 103 million dollars"
"So you thinkin Ivy?
"LOVE the IVY! lets go!!!"

 

[MacRoadie]

That's actually curiously prophetic, especially when you look at the author, Anthony Mccartney's, Linkedin profile:

Anthony McCartney Linkedin

His current positions are listed as:

•Entertainment Writer at Associated Press, LA Bureau
•AP Entertainment Writer at The Associated Press

While his job description states: "Cover celebrity court cases for the AP's Entertainment Department" (which makes sense), what you mostly get when you Google him is Lindsey Lohan, Michael Jackson, and the Golden Globes.

 

[Anonymous]

The $103 million figure is a number that Tailwind use to trumpet often back in the day. It was a complete invention.

This almost seems like Drug Enforcement declaring the "street value" of the drug bust only to have the drug dealers scratch their heads wondering, "which street is that??"

Only the roles are reversed, of course.

 

[andy1234]

The $103 million figure is a number that Tailwind use to trumpet often back in the day. It was a complete invention.

Im not sure if Tailwind created that figure or not, but is it such an unbelivable figure?
In advertising terms, what sort of cost WOULD be incurred to change an unknown brand into a global household name? (regardless of the validity of the exercise)

 

[D-Queued]

Im not sure if Tailwind created that figure or not, but is it such an unbelivable figure?
In advertising terms, what sort of cost WOULD be incurred to change an unknown brand into a global household name? (regardless of the validity of the exercise)

It is unbelievable because there is no hard evidence to back it up. Might as well say it was $1 Trillion.

Dave.

 

[andy1234]

It is unbelievable because there is no hard evidence to back it up. Might as well say it was $1 Trillion.

Dave.

$1 trillion seems unbelievable, $103 million does not.
Where is the evidence that Tailwind created the original figure?

 

[Benotti69]

Hmmm,
No-one from USPS commented nor anyone from the "pair of marketing firms" which weren't even named.

The clues come from where the AP piece was centred, Los Angeles and the only person to be quoted:

the Fabiani quote has pointed out that they are Lance's teams, so he's not 'just a rider'?

 

[MacRoadie]

So, still no answer to who these mystery marketing firms are, or who Perez Hilton spoke to other than Fabiani?

 

[Benotti69]

So, still no answer to who these mystery marketing firms are, or who Perez Hilton spoke to other than Fabiani?

and like many of the questions on here asked of Uniballer and his LIESTRONG they remained unanswered but responded to with lots of trolling....

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Good analogy there Scott.

C'mon guys, cycling sponsorships are NEVER worth the money. But we want to keep pro cycling alive, right?

Strangely enough, one of the best investments for their money was probably Festina.

 

[Benotti69]

Good analogy there Scott.


Strangely enough, one of the best investments for their money was probably Festina.

yep the sales of Festina went up after 1998 TdF. maybe we should do a poll on CN to see how many have a Festina watch and when they bought it

 

[BotanyBay]

Im not sure if Tailwind created that figure or not, but is it such an unbelivable figure?
In advertising terms, what sort of cost WOULD be incurred to change an unknown brand into a global household name? (regardless of the validity of the exercise)

The value of the press-hit thing is standard issue for all team sponsorship powerpoint decks. I'm sure that JV has given this schpeel more times than he even cares to remember.

 

[Granville57]

In terms of "sponsorship," I never understood why the USPS didn't take advantage of the commercial opportunity outside of having their logo attached to the team.

Consider their oft repeated motto,
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

I can't imagine a more appropriate theme to be intertwined with a pro cycling team. However, I never once saw a single commercial featuring the team in all those years. I know they filmed at least one, with Landis and other riders (I believe Robbie Ventura as well) but I never saw it.

Did anyone in Europe ever see any advertisements, of any kind, outside of cycling for the USPS? If they were trying to increase their "brand awareness" for overseas shipping I would hope that they did more than just provide logos to the team.

I'm equally confounded by the fact that they didn't use Lance & Friends to advertise domestically to compete against UPS, FedEx and the like. If they did, it was money poorly spent because it eluded my eyes. And believe me, I would've noticed. You support a cycling team, with millions of dollars, that dominates the biggest, most competitive race on the planet; your company exists solely to provide a service of getting things from Point A to Point B as quickly and efficiently as possible; and the insanely obvious connection between the two is never exploited?

That should be of equal concern to anyone reviewing past financial agreements.

 

[Benotti69]

i wonder did USPS do any special deliveries for the team now they might be worth back tracking