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Twitter Fans and Shaq Collide

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These are the stories you hope to happen to you one day. Two NBA fans and Twitter users were not believers of THE_REAL_SHAQ on Twitter. Could that really be Shaq Fu or just a 5-4, 14-year old poser? They found out the Twitter way after a chance Tweetup with the Shaqilicious.

Read their story and see their pics. And yeah, blogging about meeting Shaq is good for the ratings.

Thanks to @coachdean for the lead.

Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 3c

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Now that the NBA 82-game regular season is done, and the playoffs are beginning, let’s take a look at the final attendance stats for Kobe’s Lakers and Shaq’s Heat. In the first third of the season, the Heat posted better attendance figures, but in the second trimester, the Lakers and Kobe lit up, and the fans noticed.

Overall, NBA attendance hit another record high for the second straight year bringing in 17,558 fans each game. Final attendance figures from ESPN show that the Heat had about 50,000 more fans than the Lakers over the course of the season. The Heat averaged 19,471 fans per game and the Lakers 18,847.

So the last team attendance contest goes to Shaquille (Shaq 6, Kobe 4).

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3, Team Attendance, 3a Shaq, 3b Kobe
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)
Round 5, The Makeup (Kobe)
Round 6, All-Star Game Balloting (draw)
Round 7, Likeability (Shaq)
Round 8, Education (Shaq)
Round 9, Triple Threat of Entertainment (Shaq)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 9

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Yes, Kobe and Shaq are great basketball players who bring a lot of interest to the NBA. But are both of them marketable away from the hardwood? Round 9 looks at who is the “triple threat” of the major entertainment segments of sports, music, and acting.

Since both continue to fuel success to professional basketball, let’s focus on music and acting. As The Mamba, Kobe is rebuilding his image and is focusing on being the best at basketball. Looking at Kobe’s IMDB profile, he has made several guest appearances on various television shows and has been on award shows. Except for one acting stint as Terry Hightower on Moesha, his filmography is limited to playing himself. On YouTube, there’s a bunch of videos capturing Kobe’s NBA highlights including one titled World’s Greatest.

On the musical front, Kobe is a baller, not a singer. His discography is limited to a scrapped rap album, guest rapping on Brian McKnight’s Hold Me remix, and this mysterious single on MP3.com called K.O.B.E.

Shaq also has his fair share of screen appearances playing himself, but he does have a few (forgettable) movies to his name such as Steel, Kazaam, and probably his best, Blue Chips. Shaq makes an appearance with Dr. Phil on Scary Movie 4 releasing April 14.

Shaq’s discography is bigger than Kobe’s with five albums and one greatest hits compilation. Doesn’t everyone own Shaq Fu – Da Return and Presents His Superfriends, Vol 1?

So although Shaquille has forgettable films and music, his repertoire is more diverse than Kobe’s in the entertainment industry. The triple threat of entertainment goes to Shaq. (Shaq 5, Kobe 4)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3, Team Attendance, 3a Shaq, 3b Kobe
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)
Round 5, The Makeup (Kobe)
Round 6, All-Star Game Balloting (draw)
Round 7, Likeability (Shaq)
Round 8, Education (Shaq)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 8

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With LSU making the NCAA Final Four, I got to remembering how a young Shaquille O’Neal and Stanley Roberts ruled the post for LSU some years back. Then I was thinking, did Shaq graduate from college? How about Kobe? I know Kobe went to the NBA right out of high school, but did he earn a degree in his off-seasons? So as supposed role models for today’s youth, this round looks at the education of the two marketable stars.

Doing research using Google, I discovered that Shaq did indeed earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Business from LSU in 2000 after leaving LSU after his junior year. Then in 2005, Shaq got his MBA from the University of Phoenix, saying:

Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else.

I got some very different results looking up the terms “kobe bryant” and “education.” Many results link to his accused rape case and how this case reinforced rape education. Whoa. His SAT scores is 1080, but I can’t find any indication of further education. Then I found this analysis about an alarming trend in the NBA. It seems like 46% of players drafted right out of high school have been arrested for DUIs, rape, and disorderly conduct. Double whoa.

As a marketable star influencing tomorrow’s generation, which would you rather have?
or

Round 8, Education goes to Shaquille. (Kobe 4, Shaq 4)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3, Team Attendance, 3a Shaq, 3b Kobe
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)
Round 5, The Makeup (Kobe)
Round 6, All-Star Game Balloting (draw)
Round 7, Likeability (Shaq)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 7

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Since the Honolulu Advertiser ran an article about the likeable factor in the workplace, let’s rearrange the Shaq vs Kobe plan and discuss likeability right now.

Who is more likeable, Shaq or Kobe? Let’s look at historical events and the origin of nicknames.

Kobe is still haunted by the 2003 sexual assault charges. Guilty or not, Kobe’s image and character is still on the rebound. While a gifted basketball player, his actions earned him the #5 spot on GQ’s Ten Most Hated Athletes list. TNT commentator, Charles Barkley, called Kobe a “natural-born killer” on the court for his intensity while Kobe is also known as “The Mamba,” one of the world’s deadliest snakes. Despite other efforts to come up with popular nicknames for Kobe, nothing else really stuck.

Shaq has made it known that he’s interested in joining law enforcement after his NBA career. Sheriff Shaq has gone to training and even serves on a special victims’ unit protecting children from Internet crimes. The “Diesel,” “The Big Aristotle,” “Superman,” and “Shaq Attack” may be self-appointed nicknames, but they show the different facets of Shaq. The NBA All-Star Games are showcases for Shaq, not necessarily for his play on the court but for his play off the court. Do you remember his shoe cell phone Nelly used in the 2005 ASG? During the 2006 ASG, Shaq busted out a remote control car built out of his Dunkman shoe.

So we got Kobe, a hated athlete who’s a natural-born killer and compared to a deadly snake, or we got Shaq, a law enforcing citizen with a sense of humor. Who do you like? I like Shaq. (Kobe 4, Shaq 3)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3, Team Attendance, 3a Shaq, 3b Kobe
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)
Round 5, The Makeup (Kobe)
Round 6, All-Star Game Balloting (draw)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, the Plan

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When I started my Marketing Shaq vs Kobe campaign, I didn’t plan out all the rounds but instead took things as they came up. Here’s the rounds as they stand now with Kobe leading Shaq, 4-2.

To provide a definite end point of this comparison, here’s what I have in mind for the final rounds.

  • Round 3c, Team Attendance at the end of the regular season
  • Round 7, ???
  • Round 8, Likeability. Who’s more likeable and therefore, more marketable?
  • Round 9, The Triple Threat of Sports, Music, and Acting. Who’s marketable to the major entertainment segments?
  • Round 10, Post Season Success. Who has a better NBA post season. Bonus points if either wins a championship.

Need to find one more comparison point for Round 7. Any ideas?

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 3b

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Continuing with team attendance figures from Round 3a, both the Lakers and Heat have played around 60 games. At this snapshot in time, the Lakers have a small edge in overall attendance.


Round 3b, game attendance, goes to Kobe. (Kobe 4, Shaq 2)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3, Team Attendance, 3a Shaq, 3b Kobe
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)
Round 5, The Makeup (Kobe)
Round 6, All-Star Game Balloting (draw)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 6

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The 2006 NBA All-Star Game balloting is done and the starting rosters are set. Since the fans vote for the starters, it’s pretty much a popularity contest. Yao Ming was the overall top vote getter, followed by Kobe Bryant, LeBron, then Shaq.

Kobe had 2,271,631 votes to 2,192,542 for Shaq. But, looking over the highest vote getters in NBA history, Shaq is second with 2,488,089 in 2005. Kobe’s votes this year places him 5th. Also, this is Shaq’s 13th consecutive All-Star team, a rare feat only surpassed by Jerry West and Karl Malone.

Who has more marketing power as determined by NBA All-Star voting? Shaq or Kobe? It’s too close to call, and I’ll take the easy way out by calling Round 6 a draw. (Kobe 3, Shaq 2)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3a, Team Attendance (Shaq)
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)
Round 5, The Makeup (Kobe)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 5

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Martin Luther King Day featured a rematch of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. The Heat won the first matchup on Christmas but the Lakers won this game 100-92.

The bigger story of this game included Shaq and Kobe acknowledging each other before game tipoff. During the game, Shaq posterized Laker 18-year old rookie, Andrew Bynum, by power dunking over Bynum. Bynum got the Big Fella a good one using his agility after which the two got into a shoving match going back down the court. Who stepped in to separate the big men? Kobe.

So Round 5 goes to Kobe the peacemaker. (Kobe 3, Shaq 2)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3a, Team Attendance (Shaq)
Round 4, Build a Bear Team Jersey (Kobe)

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Marketing Shaq vs Kobe, Round 4

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Okay, okay, so I admitted going to Build a Bear and spending some money, but I also got another comparison point for my Marketing Shaq vs Kobe campaign. In Round 1, NBA jersey sales went to the Heat and the Big Aristotle, but in Round 4, we’re going to look at NBA jerseys at Build a Bear! Yes, at Build a Bear, specifically, the Ala Moana store.

Since marketing players has a strong influence if you start young, then jersey availability at Build a Bear will have an impact on future NBA fans. What did I see at Build a Bear? Only saw a Lakers jersey, no Miami Heat.

Even though Build a Bear on-line sells all NBA team outfits, I only saw the Lakers jersey marketed at the Ala Moana location so Round 4 easily goes to Kobe. (Shaq 2, Kobe 2)

Round 1, Team Jersey Sales (Shaq)
Round 2, Kicks (Kobe)
Round 3a, Team Attendance (Shaq)

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