Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

Well, the signage inside (and outside) the Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr subway exit/entrance to the arena plaza is controlled by the arena company, as we've learned, part of monetizing the available canvas  outside and around the arena. That inside signage, as shown below, has most recently advertised the Brooklyn Nets, though it's previously been given over to other advertising ( generic medication! ) and even a political message (mis?)attributed to Angela Davis. Seen from the below vantage point--shot when the sky was just starting to darken--the neon message of "We belong here" seems also to endorse the belong-ness of the Nets. Seen from the opposite direction, as I've argued , the neon art installation--"You belong here"--seems also to endorse ticket purchases at the Barclays Center.

I wrote last week about a survey from the Brooklyn Nets that aimed to improve the Barclays Center experience but quite possibly also useful for marketing playoff tickets. Another sweepstakes laneded this week, the Brooklyn Nets Brand Partner Impact Survey, with different questions and somewhat different prizes: not just JetBlue flight vouchers but also Nike Gift Cards, and Brooklyn Nets merchandise packs. This survey ends April 20, so it's not geared to the playoffs. Respondents were first asked to compare their level of engagement this season compared to last, then asked what brands or companies they associate with being official sponsor of the team. They were given lists of brands/companies in various categories and asked to select the official sponsor: Credit Card Sports Betting Online Brokerage Sports Drink Biometric Identity Platform Luxury Outerwear Energy/Gas Provider Other questions included familiarity with various brands, positive/negative opinio...

From Crain's Source lunch,  Mayor's chief of staff hopes to lure DNC to B'klyn: Laura Santucci boosts the borough's prospects for 2016 Democratic convention. : When Laura Santucci isn't serving as chief of staff to Mayor Bill de Blasio, she's helping run the city's bid to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The California native is a natural fit for the job: She served as executive director of the 2012 convention in Charlotte, N.C., and was chief of staff for the Democratic National Committee for two years before that. To bring next year's convention to Brooklyn, Ms. Santucci is going against the grain of the inequality-focused de Blasio administration by highlighting the city's deep pockets. She contends that it might cost the city $10 million but reap benefit to local businesses, that the city can manage peaceful demonstrations, and that the tensions between NYPD and the mayor do not concern the Democratic National Committee. Her...

The alliance between Long Island University (LIU) and the Barclays Center, as I recently  reported , involves public support from LIU for developer Bruce Ratner's plans and an honorary degree for Ratner, but there does seem to be something missing from the "multifaceted partnership" announced in March 2012: a public service component. From a 3/14/12 Long Island University press release,  LIU BROOKLYN AND BARCLAYS CENTER FORM MULTIFACETED PARTNERSHIP: New Arena to Serve as Home Away from Home for LIU Blackbirds Men’s Basketball : Located just three blocks apart on Flatbush Avenue, Barclays Center and Long Island University Brooklyn have formed a unique multifaceted partnership, which includes athletics, education, community, and brand-building platforms. ...As part of the educational component of the alliance, Barclays Center will annually host five one-hour bi-weekly classes for students in the LIU sports journalism/management classes. The classes will feature Barcla...

From the New York Post, 4/3/13, BlackBerry ‘Nets’ deal Barclays Center, meet BlackBerry. The Brooklyn arena, home to the Nets, has struck a two-season marketing deal with the embattled smartphone maker, The Post has learned. The deal is valued at $1 million to $5 million, according to an industry source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. ...BlackBerry is paying for “brand domination” at the arena, where people will see marketing for the smartphone maker from “street to seat,” he said. That's kind of a large range for the deal. MediaPost blogger Cory Treffilett wrote 4/3/13, Brooklyn Nets: Master Class In Branding: The colors are stark -- a simple black-and-white motif -- and the music is omnipresent -- driving beats with a real sense of swagger. The arena is clean, centrally located and everyone who works there is smiling, helpful and demonstrates a true excitement to be in the house. The food is delicious. The logo is everywhere, on hats, banners and signage. Br...

Maybe it's generosity. Maybe it's desperation. Maybe it's a little of both. But the Barclays Center, via the heretofore un-announced Brett Yormark Foundation, is distributing 1,000 free tickets, in groups of four, to Brooklynites today and (if available) tomorrow to the first-ever boxing lineup at the arena, Saturday, Oct. 20. That number represents nearly 10% of the  estimated  10,700 attendance. Given that TV channel Showtime is apparently investing $4 million in purse money,  according to  ESPN's Dan Rafael, it seems that the arena is more concerned with making sure there's solid attendance for TV rather than reaping money from gate count. (After all, they do make money from concession sales.) As indicated in the graphic at right, tickets start at $56, so 1,000 tickets would have a face value of at least $56,000. On the resale marketplace, tickets on StubHub start at $54, on TicketsNow at $52. A push to move tickets But there's clearly been a push...

If you're an enthusiastic Nets fan who can dance, dance, dance, and are willing to be recorded--and to sign over rights for use "throughout the universe, in perpetuity, in any and all languages, formats, and media, now known and later devised"--well, you can enter a booth set up yesterday on the Barclays Center plaza and try to win some prizes. You can also just make your own 15-second video at home, as the rules state , and enter online at  AmexUnlocks.com , which explains that Nets point guard "Deron Williams is helping find some of the biggest fans to attend the 11/15 Nets game at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn and American Express can make it happen." The three challenges: "(i) Victory Dance, (ii) Rock Out or (iii) Prove It." (I'm not sure whether the booth is open for business today.) For the winners The grand prizes are VIP tickets including Vault Suite Access for the 11/15 Nets game, plus travel and accommodations. The  First P...