Dino Baskovic Can’t Lose

I've never agreed with the statement "It's business, nothing personal." I owned and ran my own business for eight years. It's very personal.

That's not to say I had a right to publicly and visibly burn every bridge I felt like. As a result of last night's nuclear explosion over "The Decision" of LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert woke upto an ounce of remorse and a pound of damage control. Were I the Cavs PR guy, I'd be a bit rankled at my boss for having singlehandedly turned crisis into crises.Comical (Sans) that Gilbert's letter was, holding the webmaster at gunpoint to pull the trigger without first running it through a few filters was just as foolish as the entire LeBron-ESPN debacle in the first place.

Still, it's near impossible for me to be completely objective throughout all this, being a lifelong Cleveland fan and having endured all "The" monumental sports failures over the years. Personally, I loved "The Letter." This is why I turn to Brian Windhorst, the Cavs beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer who offered rationale, factual reporting throughout this free agency messmoreso than his source-frenzied media peers at other papers. He gave a glimpse of what Gilbert went through the past seven years in service to the King. James wasn't perfect. Then again, neither was Gilbert, nor could the two of them hoist a trophy together—at least the only one that matters.

It's good to know that guys like Gilbert, wealthy and at times pigheaded as they may be, actually give a damn about this business. Now the question for Gilbert and the Cavs is how to turn that terse letter into lemonade -- and five subsequent rings. It will take a lot of fast and right moves in the coming days and weeks, as well as rebuilding the franchise in mere months, not years. Sure, that harsh rebuke has sports pundits wondering why on earth any superstar agent would send their clients Gilbert's way at this point. But if a few choice words become the impetus for turning the team and perhaps all of Cleveland into champions, then Gilbert made the right choice.

Countless letters throughout history penned by the powerful and the passionate have become catalysts for change, war cries, rallies for victory. You see, business is about winning. (Yes, it's also about learning from failure and fostering talent and the people and the children and the manatees and on and on, but ultimately winning.) And if you don't like winning, then get out of the business.

ESPN blogs about the Tribe Social Deck, an experiment to drum up excitement (with apologies to John Adams) and boost attendance for Cleveland Indians home games.

The idea is to select Tribe fans that will gladly trade their score cards for press credentials in anticipation that they will cover games online and generate positive buzz. Even though the Indians could stand for more wins than bloggers, it's a worthwhile experiment that costed their PR team virtually nothing to produce.

Being a Cleveland boy myself, it will interest me to see how the Tribe Social Deck plays out. At least one local blogger and the Waiting For Next Year site have sounded off, and I wonder if other sports venues will follow suit.

For now, my Tribe is four games behind the Twins in the AL Central. Tweets are great, but so are stats.

As I browse through some of my favorite all-time Super Bowl ads (and am still torn between "Wassup" and "Gerbils" but that's just me) I can't help but think of all the hubbub surrounding Pepsi's call to sit out this year's ad blitz in place of a philanthropic web campaign called the Pepsi Refresh Project.  The news first broke back in early January (February for some slowpokes) and had me first thinking, "Good for them, why not try?"  Who needs to spend millions of dollars year after year on silly little spots when you can save the world through social media?  From a marketer's perspective, what better brand refresh is there than that?

Fast forward to tonight's game, and I can't help but wonder if Pepsi is wishing they hadn't bucked the trend.  SI writer Richard Deitsch reports that CBS expects record ratings for Super Bowl XLIV.  As Deitsch highlights, it's the first time in ages that both top seeds from the AFC and NFC made the game.  President Obama is part of the pregame show.  The Saints' take their first ever shot at the Lombardi trophy, pre- or post-Katrina, while the Colts aim to secure a dynasty.  And while it's never been achieved, over 100 million viewers may tune in for epic football, The Who and Lady Gaga at halftime and -- o, yeah -- the ads.

Honestly, though, it Pepsi's bet on the big game going to fizzle or go flat?  I can't say for sure.  Nobody can except consumers.  I'm rooting for the socially responsible side of Pepsi but, after recent reconsideration, am befuddled by their brand strategy.  Think about it:

1. It's all about the eyeballs.  Maybe Pepsi figures this won't impact bottom line one way or another.  I call that bluff.  Business is business, nothing personal.  This is one of the biggest TV events each year in the United States.  Tonight's game may be one for the record books.  By all means, seed some good deeds, but explain to me again why you don't want to be party of broadcast history?

2. Videos go viral.  By the way, this is nothing new.  Perhaps Super Bowl ads are horribly overpriced, but so what?  They go on YouTube, are blogged, shared, tweeted, rated, you name it.  They live online forever, their brand messages forever etched into our collective psyches and bemused by Monday morning quarterbacks after many a Super Bowl Sunday to come.

3. Beat Coke.  That's Pepsi's job.  Stave off the imitators, separate fashion from fad (diet, flavored, energy) and out-muscle their biggest competitor.  Oh, and appease shareholders.  That too.  Maybe Coke's current Facebook campaign is their way of playing catchup, but you don't see Coca-Cola backing down on ad spend.  Heck, they even give a 20-second sneak peek of their two spots just for partaking in the promotion.  They can do both, so why can't Pepsi?

Media circles were abuzz over Pepsi's move, and PR nodded its head at the kind of coverage money can't buy.  That was four weeks ago.  Not yesterday's but last month's news. The Refresh Project will live for some time and make the world a better place, I truly hope.  But that's not why I buy soft drinks.

We're just moments away from prime time and the pundits are feverishly postdating their analyses.  Will the experiment work?  We shall see.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I should reveal that I prefer Coke over Pepsi, which has subjected me to near fist fights over the years.  And this is a good time to put down my blog, pick up the remote and join the rest of the world to watch the Saints beat the Colts, 31-24.

This blog is the sole property of Dino Baskovic. Any re-transmission of this post for commercial or personal use without the express written consent of Dino Baskovic is strictly prohibited.  Oh, who am I kidding?

Sure my home teams lost this weekend.  Vikes over Browns, Trojans over Bucks.  My alma mater, I won't even go there...

It's mid-September.  I shouldn't worry so early.  And I don't.  You see, I am from Cleveland, Ohio.  I eat heartbreak with stadium mustard and onions.  And when it suits me, sweet relish.

I got my Columbus fix in 2002.  The Browns?  Well, it's only been 45 years.  What's one more?

This is football, dammit.  My kind of football.  I have high def and I'm not afraid to use it.  Now pass me some hot wings and keep the beer cold.

Yeah, the blue cheese, too.