PRovokeGlobal: Inside The Global Phenomenon Of The Chicago Bulls Brand
By Diana Marszalek for PRovokeGlobal
CHICAGO — Nearly 30 years after Michael Jordan last played for the Bulls, the team remains one of the most recognizable sports brands in the world, its logo still seen everywhere as proof of lasting appeal.
At PRovoke Media’s Global Summit Monday in Chicago, Chicago Bulls VP of communications Patrick Sandusky joined Bully Pulpit International partner Bradley Akubuiro to talk about what it takes to sustain that kind of global resonance, and how the Bulls balance nonstop visibility with brand integrity.
“The Bulls have a global fan base,” Sandusky said, noting that the team’s social following outpaces all other Chicago sports franchises combined, much of it from outside the US. “A lot of those people may never come to the United Center or be physically at a Bulls game,” he said. “So we try to do things that engage them where they’re at — through social media platforms, through fashion and other things — steering that globally while still staying rooted here in Chicago.”
The Bulls’ reach, he added, remains striking nearly three decades after the team’s 1990s championship run. “We were in Europe last summer and did a contest counting the number of American sports jerseys we saw,” he said. “Roughly seven out of 10 were Bulls. You’d see Yankees or Lakers after that, but it’s still the Bulls — 30 years later.”
That kind of recognition also means the communications efforts never stops. NBA coaches alone hold more than 200 open media availabilities a year, with players and executives regularly speaking to reporters. “You should think of your clients or bosses doing that,” Sandusky said. “That’s just the coach.”
Akubuiro called the scale “a little bit scary,” but Sandusky likened it to campaign work. “The closest thing to working for a sports team might be working on a political campaign,” he said. “The volume and the ongoing media happenings are constant. The one difference is that we can’t choose when and where to speak. Those things are picked for us.”
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