The Boston Red Sox Brand ? So Bad, So Bad, So Bad.

It’s remarkable just how far the Boston Red Sox brand has plummeted coming off two decades of lofty success marked by four World Series championships.? Gone are the days of 820 consecutive sell-outs and being all-in on pursuing free agents and making blockbuster trades.? From a branding life-cycle perspective, the BoSox are firmly in a phase of decline.? They’ve gone from appointment viewing and fans scrambling for tickets to the organization dumpster diving for has-been players, coupled with fan indifference and, in many cases, outright disgust.?

The brand essence of the Red Sox used to be all about the pursuit to win at all costs, with fans being one with a magical Fenway ballpark experience.?? All that’s changed in recent years.? The Sox are currently milking the brand for every last dollar.? Management is playing the fans for suckers and fools.? The brand playbook now combines the brand promise – “Come visit the cathedral of ballparks, grab a sandwich from the Sausage King, buy a pink hat, consume lots of overpriced beer and sing Sweet Caroline.”? If the Sox win, that’s a bonus.

The ownership Fenway Sports Group, once revered, is now seemingly hiding behind the Green Monster like the Men from Oz.? You can almost hear them bellowing, “Ignore the bad baseball product on the field.”? Year-over-year 10% plus attendance decline and diminishing ratings on NESN don’t seem to faze this group.? Go to a game and you’ll see more and more fans sporting jerseys from away teams.? Sox fans are getting a taste of what the Orioles and Ray’s faithful felt during the glory days of the 00s and 10s when the Sox fan caravans made a pilgrimage to away parks.? It was easier than securing ducats to games at Fenway.? Anyone seen or heard from John Henry lately?? Didn’t think so.?

The Red Sox are just one cog in the Fenway Sports Group brand machine, albeit a leading money maker for the venture.? Names in the group include futbol team Liverpool F.C., NASCAR’s RFK Racing and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.? Rumors abound of their interest in investing in the PGA Tour.? This all creates the perception that the Sox are no longer the shiny toy in the brand portfolio, seemingly becoming an afterthought.? A slippery slope for any brand, especially one with a deep-seated fan base that is increasingly feeling being taken for granted.? ?

Every great brand needs to be continually invested in and nurtured.? In the early years, Fenway Sports Group poured money into the franchise with innovations that resonated – from the Green Monster seats to magnificently choreographed World Series celebrations and Opening Days.? Spring training tickets sold out in hours.? Remember the virtual waiting room to purchase tickets? ?Everyone wanted a piece of the Red Sox.? Fans and the money flooded in.? The Sox brand was omnipresent and literally owned the streets of Boston and travelled across the cities and towns of New England.

Despite the assurances to fans of going “full throttle” this winter to retool a mediocre team, the Sox are a listless brand that’s counting on the allegiance of diehards to continue to deliver turnstile and transaction metrics on Jersey Street.? Recent Red Sox free agent signings and trades are viewed as ho-hum, while teams such as the Dodgers and Yankees push all their chips into the middle of the table.? (Manny, Papi, Pedey and Pedro aren’t walking into the building anymore.)

Management asks for patience with can’t-miss prospects littered across the Sox minor league system who are due to arrive in the future.? Prospects who are nothing more than suspects until proven differently. ?Hope is not a brand strategy.?

There is no greater brand connection than the one that fans hold dear with their favorite sports teams.? Their allegiance is often forged early in life and held closely until death. ?The Sox affinity transcends generations.? Red Sox games receive top priority with many, but this brand affinity wanes when you feel you’re being taken advantage of or, even worse, duped.? The Sox are dangerously close to alienating core fans – the brand zealots driving the economic bus.? Patience is wearing thin as Sox fans have memories of tasting the champagne that comes from winning multiple World Series.? The Red Sox brand is at a crossroads.? You’d think the smarts and talents in the Fenway Sports Group recognize this issue.

Apathy and taking customers for granted has sent many great brands to the brand graveyard. The opportunity for a pic with Wally and singing “Sweet Caroline” is not the answer.? Show fans that you care.? Bad and boring are a bad recipe.? The future of the Sox brand is at stake.?