Giant’s merchandise sales through the roof

My long weekend was completed on Sunday when the New York football Giants upset the Green Bay Packer’s to reach the Super Bowl. Go figure within a span of 2 days, Giant’s merchandise sales have gone through the roof.

Shoppers have been crowding into New York City stores to buy new t-shirts, hats, sweat suits and jerseys to show their support for the long-shot team.

“Last week was soft. I guess the fans didn’t believe they would win,” says Mitchell Modell, chief executive of Modell’s Sporting Goods chain, which operates more than two dozen stores in the city. “Now, we’re running trucks day and night.”

All of a sudden the Giants as a brand has become much more valuable today than two days ago. It’s funny what perception and accomplishment can do for a brand. One day you can have a dog on your hands and the next a cash cow. Which means there is hope yet for fledging brands like the New York Jets or for that part any crappy brand.

We are all just one win away from perceived success.

The Year of the Artist

 

I guess the music industry didn’t do so bad last year afterall…

“There were 220 million ringtone purchases in 2007 resulting in sales of $567 million, and ringtone sales spiked 22 percent in the last week of the year. 91 percent of ringtone sales were mastertones, and the top 100 mastertones sold 65.1 million, accounting for 30 percent of ringtone sales.” - Nielsen Ringscan

While 2007 may have been the year of the consumer, 2008 may very well be the year of the artist. Within the music industry the power pendulum has shifted not to the consumer but to the artist, see Radiohead.

I suspect the artist and record labels that take a D.I.Y approach to recorded music will find alternative streams of revenue that fans will appreciate, because it either saves them time, money or peace of mind.

Let’s see what Madonna’s defection to Live Nation, Prince’s album give-way and Jay-Z’s rumored new record label deal with Apple will mean for us the fans in 2008.