HEY! MARKETING WORKS!

Thank you, John McDonough. You are a smart, creative marketer who makes things happen.

People could have said that you had an easy job running the marketing for the Cubs. It’s the Cubs, after all. How hard is it to put a microphone in someone’s hand and create memories that last



a



lifetime?



But that was just one of his innovative, game changing ideas he had for the Cubs.

He and Head of Business Operations Jay Blunk have brought that fresh thinking to the Blackhawks, turning an entity that for years has been an afterthought for 99% of Chicagoans into a front page team that fans are excited about.

The latest news out of the United center is around the Winter Classic, the January game between the Hawks and Red Wings in Wrigley Field. Blunk and McDonough are trying to get President-elect Obama to the game. 44’s a big Chicago sports fan, and it’ll be a seminal moment in Chicago sports history. Why wouldn't he want to come? Think it might attract a little attention if he does? It’s genius.

People talk about the emergence and importance of non-traditional marketing. These guys have been doing it for years. And it works because it’s so different. It doesn't hurt that they’re their own clients. Streamlines the decision making process quite a bit, wouldn’t you say?

But it all starts with great ideas, of which they have many. Good for them. I hope, for their sake, the Blackhawks tear it up this year.