Brand Constituents

Brand constituents are stakeholders that have a vested interest in the positioning, managing, and extending of the brand. These constituents have traditionally been customers and shareholders. In the case of the NBA, its owners and individual players are among those that just happen to play both roles.

For businesses of all sizes, employees are extremely important brand constituents. A store can appear to be the best and most convenient one in the town, but if customer service is lacking, no one is going to return. When a customer walks into a business establishment and the bell rings, a brand builder realizes the importance of his or her employee's responsiveness, as well as his or her willingness and ability to help the customer.

The Dallas Mavericks main maverick, team owner Mark Cuban, has been an unbelievable brand manager. Cuban, realizing that his team's brand value remains largely in the hands of his employees the players treats them extraordinarily well, paying close attention to any and all requests. Although attempts at giving his players electronic gadgets, personal shoppers, and nutritionists have failed due to league salary cap constraints, any visiting NBA player will tell you that the American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Mavericks play, has the best amenities of any arena in the league.

Thanks in large part to his employees' high morale and his "winning is everything" attitude, the Dallas Mavericks (whose recent record of futility is only surpassed by the Los Angeles Clippers), made the playoffs in the 2000 2001 season for the first time in 11 years.

Cuban subscribes to the notion that his employees are critical to presenting a professional and successful brand. Further, he believes that his players not only determine his team's brand, but also measurably impact the overriding NBA brand.

Brand managers who also take a turn at being an employee gain respect among those constituents who determine the brand's fate. In the process, these managers also gain valuable insight from customers about their likes and dislikes about the product offering. Many also emerge from the process as critically important brand constituents of their own. In fact, Cuban himself has assumed the role of a major brand constituent of the NBA and of David Stern in particular.

By regularly and publicly voicing his opinion on the NBA brand and its direction, Cuban has drawn both praise and criticism for his efforts. Highlighting issues dealing with game operations, officiating, travel, and the overall marketing of the game, Cuban called upon Stern to develop a culture of excellence that works to control the NBA's destiny rather than being at the whim of media cycles.

Nonetheless, Cuban was fined $505,000 for his indiscretions, including four fines for criticizing officials, and one $100,000 fine for sitting on the baseline for a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Cuban almost matched his 2001 2002 fine total in one fell swoop when he was fined $500,000 by the league the next season for telling a reporter that Ed Rush, the NBA's head of officials, "couldn't manage a Dairy Queen." The league obviously didn't appreciate that Cuban displayed his disgust of officiating in a public forum, but Cuban insisted that he went through the league and that they only listen when the world knows about it. Cuban accepted a tongue-and-cheek challenge from Dairy Queen to manage one of its restaurants for a few hours. With the sports media congregated outside a Texas Dairy Queen, Cuban took the opportunity to discuss the need for reform in the NBA with the media after his shift had ended.

Cuban matched his NBA fines with donations to charities, including a cancer fund, because Dallas Mavericks head coach Don Nelson spent the 2000 2001 season battling the disease and his wife spent much of the following season also stricken by it. After the World Trade Center bombing on September 11, 2001, Cuban was among the first to donate following the tragedy, giving $1 million to New York City. His leadership by example highlighted his commitment to public service and enabled him to reinforce his standing as a good corporate citizen. Philanthropic involvement such as this, especially when it is undertaken with no expectation of reciprocation, contributes to a brand's value.

Is Cuban a brand builder or brand meddler? Although he clearly cares as much about the game as Stern and superstar Michael Jordan, his new-guard methods of guerrilla communication squarely place the onus of managing a collective, leaguewide message on the NBA league office. Should the league not handle the situation to the satisfaction of its constituents, its brand name could suffer.

Granted Mark Cuban is not your run-of-the-mill brand constituent. Nonetheless, his keen interest in protecting and improving all aspects of the NBA brand are important to note. This is especially the case because he is a high-profile constituent whose opinion carries as much weight as consumer advocacy groups or disgruntled patrons would with any other business. Learning how to identify and diffuse the issues raised by potentially harmful constituents is critical for any brand seeking acclaim, regardless of its size and whether the acclaim it seeks is local or on a global scale.



On the Ball. What You Can Learn About Business from America's Sports Leaders
On the Ball: What You Can Learn About Business From Americas Sports Leaders
ISBN: 013100963X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 93

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