The MAIN people responsible are NICK S., CANNETTI, and GUPPY. They're the main idiots coming up with this stuff. I dont blame it on the Metros shoestring budget or anything else. Just look at what the ESC did with virtually NO money for the USOC. They made flyers, put on an all day show, got buses to and from Giants Stadium, and as a result had a nicely filled section. And on top of that that whole day wasnt filled with cheesy gimmicks or disney crap. It was a day of what football is all about. And thats with how much? $0 budget maybe? These people have people working 40+ hours a week to come up with clever ways to promote the team and the best they can do is type "MPF" into photoshop and call it a day? I mean even if the designers are stuck with working with crappy ideas from the "AXIS of EVIL"(NIck S, Cannetti, and Guppy) there is NO way you can tell me that the graphics and the whole "MPF" campaign has any shred of professionalism. Its more like NICK S sat down on Micrsoft Word and created the whole thing himself. Jesus friggin' Christ why the hell do these things continue to go on? Its the worst thing Ive ever seen in my life, it was funny at first, but now its just bordeline sad and embarrasing. They supposed to be making me feel good about the Metro in the playoffs not making me feel embarrased to show someone the website or to bring them to a game.
More retarded than the Stillitano era? I have to say, I think "Metal Mike" and the turkey have pushed it over the edge. Yes. More retarded than the Stillitano era. How in gods name anyone thought a free turkey or an (unintentionally, I think) hilarious heavy metal song is going to get ONE EXTRA PERSON to come to the playoffs is beyond me. I mean, it's truly mind-boggling. We can be thankful for two things: 1) Metro is definitely more competent on the soccer side of things than during the Stillitano era. 2) Metal Mike was the funniest thing I've heard all week.
I haven't seen anyone else talk about it, so I'll bring it up. A while back I guess someone googled "Mark Washo" and found a post he put on a website worshipping all things metal. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. After perusing it's contents for a while, I came across a link to Metal Mike. So the way I see it, Washo is down with this loser purely through a common interest in crap music, talked the guy into doing a disgraceful national anthem for a few beers, and is now keeping marketing costs down in the playoff run by using a cheap marketing tool that IN NO WAY RELATES TO THEIR FAN BASE. At most, I have seen a handful a metalheads at Giants' Stadium over the last few years. The only people I see being attracted to the games because of this, ahem, "strategy" are Metal Mike's drinking buddies. Think about it, a non-soccer fan comes across the website (however it happens), and sees this guy. You think they have anymore interest in what goes on at Metro games? No, they get turned off even further form a sport they consider a joke to begin with. I can deal with not having enough money for huge tv blitzes. I can deal with advertising in Jersey papers more than NYC ones. But when this is the crap they pull with their limited resources, one has to wonder how they expect any success in the future.
Monsieur Tard, your google suggestion also turns up these fun facts about Metrostars VP of Ticket Sales Mark Washo: --He's written a fan letter to Don Dokken on the washed up guitarist's "Dreambook" --maybe this is the letter the Tard refers to above(http://books.dreambook.com/dondokken/dd.html): Don You truly rock & are a great inspiration for all us dying metal fans. You need to press on & keep cranking out awesome music- your last CD was awesome- totally under-appreciated by so many in the music industry-its a comeback alblum like I haven't heard in a long time- I've been able to turn a lot of friends onto it who though you guys were history after Alone again or Dream Warriors......... keep up the great work- can't wait fo the new disc! All the best Mark W "all us dying metal fans"? What does that mean? --He is the administrator (and probably the owner) of this scary website: http://www.metalforever.com/ which (surprise!) features the Metal Mike Corner! Thankfully, Metal Mike has a place for his inner most thoughts to be shared with the world. I'm going to stop snooping now before I find anything else that gives me any more douchechills.
So how much more of this SHlT do we have to take before MetroFanatic.com starts their "SACK NICK S." campaign, like the one in 99 that seemed to work on Charlie? We need a good General Manager/Management Team in NY like Doug Hamilton or Peter Wilt...NY is the biggest market in the league and while I don't believe the team on the field should be given unfair advantages because of this, management should be top notch. As they say, "if you (MLS/Pro-Soccer) can make it here(the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut Area), you can make it anywhere" This is for the good of the league! This is the most densely populated area in THE WORLD and we can't even get 20,000 people out of 20+ million within a few miles!!! Now it seems MLS is having great success in LA (despite a pretty bad season on the field) with the opening of the HDC and the management team they're reaching out and doing a good job with the community, they are even getting some celebs to the games! That's half the battle. We need a flagship team here in NY to make this league; they’ve known this since 1995. I hope AEG realizes this in the offseason so they can install competent management for this team, something it has never had. We need people who understand New York. We need someone who can unite all these different soccer communities, the latino’s, the soccer mom’s and their kids, the euro-snobs, Second generation Europeans, Gen-X, the highly sought after yuppies (with heavy wallets) from places like Hoboken, etc. How hard can it be? Concentrate your marketing money on the areas with the highest concentration of people. Hoboken, Jersey City, Manhatten, Newark, etc. Sign up every social club, bar, restaurant, grocery store, soccer shop, bank, deli, ymca, and local business you can. Offer them little perck’s in exchange for displaying some team posters. Get the word out. Don’t cater to just one, their focus should be on SOCCER and building a SOCCER CLUB, not on putting a dude with tattoo’s on the webpage, or cartoons, or dancing turkey’s, or silly spanglish theme songs, because while you are catering towards one group, you are alienating another. Just follow the examples of what works….follow what the bigger Euro teams have done. What the ESC did for the Open Cup was highly commendable. I have all the respect in the world for those guys. Too bad there cant be a turnout like that every game….final or not. Too bad management can’t figure out how to market a respectable soccer club in the NY/NJ/CT area…..then the ESC wont have to market the team themselves….. K, my rant is done….carry on….
Seems obvious that they might choose an infectious disease sign - like 28 Days - over a road sign. But black pops off of yellow - thus, road signs. Just heard the Metal Mike song. Love it. Hilarious. What MLS teams is doing a better job promoting the playoffs?
IM NOT TROLLING! Wow, and I thought DC UNited Marketing sucked. Dudes at DC are consistently trying to promote the salvadorean community, who by the way make up about 70% of the crimes done by latinos in the DC metro politan area. Facing a team from LA or any MLS team with a salvadorean player meant DC fans would get heavily harrassed by the salvadoreans. Theres a reason why the best latin DC dance clubs target people mainly from South America. Their not trying to exclude Central Americans, but just the Sallies. Their just Too violent. WIth MLS being single entity and all, I guess they really cant afford any real marketers. The dudes they have now needs to be introduced to research.
At the very fricken least - photoshop Metal Mike in front of a quarter-full stadium. Now I know how Dr Evil felt like. "You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, what do I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?"
Seems like Washo is just as incompetent in his hobby as he is in his real job. His website looks like crap and his interviewing skills need a lot of work. But at least he understands synergy. Interviewing soccer players on his metal site, and featuring a metal guy on his company's soccer site! GENIUS!
Season ticket holder is getting a turkey from MFO? tell me it isnt true. Does MFO think we season ticket holder is turkey or what?
We need an owner-investor who cares and/or is paying attention. That's my "when pigs fly" solution. Otherwise, we a need a new GM with local sports marketing experience. Doesn't have to be a soccer fan.
this tread is so funny lol i hate to troll but damn metros marketing is horrorable!...what the fcuk is with a turkey and metro mike? is that the best thing u guys can come up. It's a shame... Wish u luck in the playoffs. i hope dc united and metros meet again.
Get this: http://www.metrostars.com/gameday/2003/mpf.htm How bad is it when you have to put a photo of Marilyn Monroe in the article with the caption, "Marilyn Monroe has the fever"? What does that mean? Marilyn Monroe is dead. Does that mean that contracting MPF is akin to dying? Does that mean that when 5,000 people are at the home playoff match that it is a good thing since MPF means "aura of death"? After all, nothing symbolizes the aura of death like 5,000 lonely souls shivering in the empty cavern of Giants Stadium. My favorite part is the opening line, "MPF is finally here. The regular-season ended, and now MetroStars Playoff Fever is in full affect. At least they are coming clean and admitting that MPF is so bad that it is like a bad affect. Sort of like an American guy faking a British accent, I guess....
Sorry, but how could I pass this up??? http://www.metrostars.com/images/fanzone/dog_contest_12.jpg <img src="http://www.metrostars.com/images/fanzone/dog_contest_12.jpg">
I'm laughing so hard I'm tearing up...that photo is hands down THE MOST RIDICULOUS piece of Metro marketing ever. I just made it my desktop wallpaper. Priceless.
I am having trouble posting the photo within my message on the boards. Can someone post it here in a message?? This is too awesome for us to chance that someone might miss it because they are too lazy to hit the link.
This is not trolling. I think every single Metrofan wants the entitre MFO gutted from top to bottom. Who is Guppy and Cannetti? (surely not THE Sandy Cannetti)? I've heard Guppy's name bandied about before. Washo is an embarrasment...although I too was shocked when I heard that Kasey liked Slipknotter (or something like that) - though I guess that would have made it easier for him to fit in the Den down South London way
More evidence that when you catch MPF, the grammatical and logical faculties are the first ones to go... It’s the Eastern Conference Semifinals, slating a showdown between these two bitter rivals. Slating a showdown??! Game One will take on huge importance in determining the final outcome of the series. In a two game series? I never woulda thought of that. This obviously comes straight out of the www.teamtalk.com style manual, where you get paid by the amount of times you can work the words 'huge' and 'massive' into an article. The Conference Finals could be held at Giants Stadium only if the MetroStars and DC United advanced past this round. Yeesh. Now I'm not trying to be the William Safire of the Metro boards, but is it really that hard to see that using the modal auxiliary 'could' in the continuous tense in the same damned sentence as another verb in the simple past isn't working here? You don't have to be a grammarian (god knows I'm not). YOU ONLY HAVE TO PROOFREAD THE THING. In a way I'm sad that this whole thread is becoming a bitch session towards MFO, but there's no getting around the fact that they deserve it. And sooner or later someone is going to come on here (whether put up to it or not) and tell us we ought to 'support the team' and stop carrying on about all these issues, which is completely missing the point. Not only do we as fans (and potential fans) deserve better than this crap, but the players deserve better. They've busted their asses to make the Metros into a respectable outfit, and yet they won't get anything like the recognition they deserve as long as MFO keeps letting them and us down with such half-hearted efforts (and I use the word 'effort' lightly).
The photoshop cheesiness is awe-inspiring, but was this submitted by a fan as part of a contest? Either way, still top-notch unintentional humor