Last spring USA Swimming cut a marketing deal with the Wasserman Media Group to bring USA Swimming to market. Since then what has WMG accomplished for swimming at large?1. WMG purchased the swim site Timed Finals but I see no equity there for USA Swimming. Rumors are they are going to rebrand it but our sport needs visual exposure not rewritten, "drive by," blog posts with just a spattering of audio content. Swimming needs to be seen and experienced not talked about.
2. WMG set up a website called SportNet to showcase WMG 'properties' such as USA Swimming yet as of today there are no swimming videos on the site whatsoever.
3. The only press release Wasserman has distributed through Sportnet about USA Swimming was regarding their marketing deal with them from last spring. I did a Google News keyword search on both Sportnet and the Wasserman Media Group and there was nothing there promoting USA Swimming.
Ultimately, I am seeing no swim marketing or content at Sportnet or any other WMG vehicles such as their cable network and this includes press releases, news items or viral marketing campaigns of any sort. Hence, if USA Swimming is the proverbial 'little piggy' here, that little piggy certainly didn't make it to market. Instead, that little piggy stayed home.
I think Swimming World, WCSN, You Tube, the Australian press, and even the fans in the stands are doing a far better job marketing USA Swimming than WMG has. Subsequently these aforementioned outlets should be considered their marketing partners next time.
