第 339 期：为蒂姆-阿姆斯特朗辩护

DTX - DTC 日

蒂姆-阿姆斯特朗没有说错。 DTX Company中的 "DTX"是 "Direct to Everything "的缩写；该基金希望为这个在线零售时代带来众所周知的火花。蒂姆-阿姆斯特朗曾是Oath 公司的首席执行官，他在宣布成立最新企业时提出了以下使命宣言：

我们投资于以使命为导向的创始人，他们是直销品牌经济的领导者。我们通过创造体验、设计平台以及投资创始人和人才，为直销品牌经济建设基础设施。[1]

DTX 既是风险基金，也是 DTC 品牌的放大器。该基金已经投资了六个成熟的数字原生品牌，其投资理念主要是吸引有影响力的千禧一代 DTC 消费者。最后，我会再谈谈影响力的重要性。

11 月 6 日，他的DTX 公司联系了 120 个直接面向消费者的品牌，邀请它们加入 DTX，成为首届 "直接面向消费者星期五"（DTC Friday） 的官方合作伙伴。阿姆斯特朗加入了马云和杰夫-贝索斯的行列。在为期一天的活动中，DTX 的投资组合公司和阿姆斯特朗招募的另外 110 多家公司参加了活动。仅仅七天后，DTX 就宣布了 " 数字原生品牌 日"，而在接下来的周五， Oath 的 前首席执行官在 CNBC 上阐述了他对数字原生品牌的愿景。

这实际上是为了在[FAANG]平台之外另辟蹊径。[......]我们希望将一切都转移到边缘。

这次零售活动的承诺非常简单：DTX 将向 1.5 亿潜在消费者做广告。 然而，对许多品牌合作伙伴来说，这并不奏效。Tortuga 背包公司的弗雷德-佩罗塔（Fred Perrotta）报告说：

截至太平洋时间上午 10 点，dtcfriday.com已经为我们带来了 14 位访客，几乎和Duck Duck Go 一样多。在比特币 "黑色星期五 "仍然活跃的时候，我们曾取得过更好的成绩。

Enquire是一家 SaaS 公司，由联合创始人兼首席执行官 Matt Bahr 领导，为数百家 Shopify 商店提供归因调查服务。Bahr 的平台与 DTX Company 合作的 120 个品牌中的 15 个合作。在 DTX Company 的努力下，这些品牌总共获得了 10 笔销售额。

我们分析了与我们合作的 DTC Friday 品牌的匿名调查回复和 UTM 参数数据。我们发现，在 DTC Friday 网站上突出显示的几个品牌中，只有不到一打的订单是由该活动促成的。根据我们与直接面向消费者的品牌合作的经验，这并不太令人惊讶。在这种短期时间窗口内，全面的媒体方式通常无法有效推动转化。

Nik Sharma 是《广告周刊》评选出的29 位 "有影响力的年轻品牌 "之一，他也与 DTX 选定的一些品牌合作。用他的话说"我没有任何品牌实现了激增"。不过，也有积极的反馈。据Andie 创始人梅兰妮-特拉维斯称："[DTX 公司]要求我暂时不要透露任何数据，但我肯定会对早期的结果感到兴奋。根据谷歌趋势，Andie Swim 的搜索兴趣在 DTC 星期五创下了七天来的新低。

对于那些跟踪 DTX 公司发展轨迹的人来说，怀疑的声音一直不绝于耳。我曾提到过阿姆斯特朗团队的构成。在 29 名员工中，没有人曾是数字原生品牌的创始人。在这家肩负着彻底改变 DTC 客户获取方式重任的公司内部，几乎没有任何实践经验。他们几乎没有推动某些品牌获得超额估值和退出的直觉。

与此形成鲜明对比的是，为了让Away的竞争对手 Rimowa做好迎接DTC时代的准备，LVMH集团在其行李箱品牌 Raden 关闭后不久就聘请了前Raden创始人乔希-乌达什金（Josh Udashkin）。他的实践经验为 Rimowa 两年多来的战术决策提供了参考。正是因为缺乏实践经验，Lean Luxe 的 创始人保罗-蒙福德（Paul Munford）才会提出这样尖刻的评论：

据我所知，DTC 星期五的活动很失败。我感到震惊吗？不。当我听说它要来的时候，我就感到害怕，而且它似乎也不符合 DNVB 空间的精神。似乎有很多人自以为是地认为，只要宣布这是一个新的节日，它就会立即成为像DNVB黑色星期五那样的大型活动，这本身就是一个可怕的动机。

我明白，现在需要一个集中的市场空间。我相信 "星期五 DTC "就是要扮演这个角色。但执行起来似乎有些偏差，推出时似乎没有凝聚力，而且我从参与的人那里听到的反馈也不一致。

据我估计，它并没有失败。尽管一些品牌经营者的反馈不佳，但 "星期五 "的 DTC很可能达到了预期目的。蒂姆-阿姆斯特朗（Tim Armstrong）没有说错，他说早了。DTX 推出 2019 年 DTC 星期五的努力并不是为了优先考虑广告品牌。其目的是为Flowcode 做广告，据说这是几年前在美国被否定的二维码概念的先进重塑。每一个零售节日的电视广告、街头海报和影响者白名单活动的主角都不是泳装、技术面料男装、童装或休闲饮料。明星也不是创始人本身。

在每种情况下，每个广告上最显著的属性都是阿姆斯壮的 Flowcode - 一种将视觉营销与在线属性联系起来的更简便的方法。DTX 在广告投资方面是有区别的。虽然有些品牌几乎没有提升，但有证据表明，我可以断定一些品牌得到了皇家待遇。他们从中受益匪浅。在此背景下，安迪要求保持沉默更有意义。

阿姆斯特朗在 "真棒火箭 "上的估计花费：35,000 美元

阿姆斯特朗在安迪身上的估计花费：4.5 万美元

阿姆斯特朗在罗纳河上的估计花费：27,000 美元

阿姆斯特朗在Recess 上的估计花费：65,000 美元

流水码、QR 文化和在线零售渗透率

屏幕截图 2019-11-19 at 12.50.49 AM
移动钱包用户：美利坚合众国（2019年）

由于 Facebook 和谷歌等平台的存在，商业已经民主化，注意力也变得集中。Loop Returns 公司总裁兼首席运营官认为

随着注意力的分散，品牌将有机会与消费者建立 DTC 沟通渠道。DTX 和 Flowcode 看起来是这一领域的早期尝试。它可能不正确（很可能不正确），但这并不意味着他们错了。

值得一提的是，当蒂姆-阿姆斯特朗发表评论（如下）时，很多人对其进行了误读。

社交网络、搜索、YouTube 的分销结构及其广告形式使这些公司能够将产品目录中的所有内容直接呈现在消费者面前。支付领域现在虽然复杂，但即将变得更加容易。现在建立的系统让公司可以与消费者建立实时、直接的关系。

阿姆斯特朗对 FAANG 对媒体和商业的影响明显不屑一顾，这一点在他与 DTX 合作的每篇报道或文章中都有所体现。他的解决方案是合理的，只是为时尚早。随着 Apple Pay、Android Pay、Square Cash、Venmo 的采用，亚马逊 Go 的出现，以及其他数字优先解决方案的扩展，我们已经看到北美支付系统的巨大进步：但美国仍然落后于中国和其他亚洲国家。

屏幕截图 2019-11-19 at 12.56.52 AM
中国电子商务占零售业的比例

作为一项滞后指标，电子商务在美国零售总额中所占比例仍然很低，仅为 12%。相比之下，中国的这一数字接近 39%。这两个渗透率之间的主要差异可归结为移动钱包的采用。在中国，几乎每个公民都在日常生活中使用移动支付。在国内，微信支付和阿里巴巴支付非常普遍，没有它们，游客很难进行交易。

支付宝上周推出了一个七步流程，要求游客在使用海外卡向预付卡充值之前，先向支付宝提交护照和签证信息。[2]

数据之所以重要，原因就在于此。对于营销人员来说，线下到线上的归因一直是个难题。在美国，广告牌、宣传册、邮件和实体活动的线下归因大多是人工操作的。品牌会发放调查问卷或要求提供归因数据。然而，在中国，二维码推动了大规模的销售和归因。[3]鉴于零售创新从中国流向美国，我们可以清楚地看到，当阿姆斯特朗谈到支付 "变得更容易 "时，他预计会采用移动钱包和简化支付系统。为什么会这样？这些系统的普及与二维码在中国的大规模使用有关。

本世纪初，大多数中国人仍然随身携带现金，大城市以外的地区很少使用信用卡。但随着人们收入的增加，他们显然需要一种不用携带大量现金的新支付方式。[3]

按照大多数人的标准，"DTC 星期五 "可能不是一个成功的销售日，但它却是一种有效的方式，让流行品牌参与营销这一几年前还被美国人嘲笑的概念。

在美国，阿姆斯特朗想象中的未来存在障碍。在美国，零售业过剩。人均实体店数量超过地球上任何其他地方。房地产开发行业如此盛行，以至于实体店成了电子商务的最大障碍。当我们可以在大多数实体店使用借记卡时，我们不太可能采用移动支付。

因此，在此期间，数字原生品牌最好利用传统零售商的方法来实现规模化。但阿姆斯特朗的假设最终会被证明是正确的。时间会证明，DTX 公司是否能为消费者行为的转变立下汗马功劳。 创新扩散曲线对阿姆斯特朗并不有利。能否说服精明的千禧一代改变他们的购物行为，将取决于 DTX 及其 DTC 忠实拥趸，如Andie、Recess、Rockets of Awesome 和 Rhone。否则，阿姆斯特朗的Flowcode可能会成为Webvan与其他创新者的DoorDash或UberEats的对比。时间和采用速度将决定谁能获得销售额。这可能是阿姆斯特朗也无法解决的一个归因问题。

韦伯-史密斯的研究与报告 |关于 2PM

第 338 期UpWest 和 Hygge

Hygge-2PM

A publicly-traded retailer launched a DTC brand. This is a deep dive into their reasoning, the build, and their internal expectations. 

Middle-class retail is at an impasse. Since the beginning of 2019, there have been 19 bankruptcies to include Forever 21, Gymboree, Charlotte Russe, Payless ShoeSource, Diesel, and Destination Maternity. And there are another eight retailers at risk to include: J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, J. Crew, and Hudson’s Bay. In Gilded Age 2.0, I explain that our current retail era signals a casualty of the middle class consumer; a class that once emerged in response to the industrial and financial booms of the late 19th century and the governmental reforms of the mid-20th century.

With a flailing gig economy, stagnant wages, and rising personal debts, 2019 presents a break from the mid-century momentum that defined the 20th century. We are beginning to hear faint echoes of an earlier time of boom or bust and feast or famine. Rather than appealing to pure luxury consumers or fast fashion-loving millennials, the “long middle: erroneously remains the bullseye of the target. Retailers have been slow to optimize for a new market of coveted consumers.

In a recent report by Business of Fashion proclaimed that America still doesn’t have an answer to LVMH. They explain:

Spoilt for choice, consumers are less interested in mid-priced products available at scale: they want dangerously affordable fast fashion or pure luxury. (And preferably at a discount.) It’s harder for consumers to see the value in something that is not cheap but not that expensive, either. Especially if it’s not utterly unique. That’s a problem for Tapestry in particular, which deals exclusively in accessible luxury. [1]

Against the backdrop of abundant choice and a bifurcating market, Ohio retailer Express launched a new brand. Express is currently trading at a $265 million market cap with north of $2b in sales. The cost of that revenue is extraordinarily high compared to healthier retailers. Trailing twelve months, Ralph Lauren Corporation earned north of $6.5 billion with a $2.45 billion cost of revenue.

In contrast, Express earned (TTM) north of $2.1 billion with a $1.5 billion cost of revenue. A 25% gross profit margin heading into a crucial holiday season, the Columbus-based retailer hopes to use the DTC initiative to improve their long-term outlook. The effort has been met with a mix of pessimism and optimism. 

Pierre Kim of Away: 

For years, retailers have been criticized for not evolving quickly enough to meet the demands of their customers, so what do they have to lose with this new strategy? Their core labels may be faltering, but they still have brand equity. Why not use it to experiment and launch new businesses?  [2]

Paul Munford of Lean Luxe: 

There’s baggage associated with being under a legacy retailer’s umbrella—it decreases the value of the brand to the savvy consumer,” he said. “However, execution will always ultimately be the key here. Spinoffs need to feel like their own entity, as opposed to a sub-brand of the legacy retailer. [2]

There are merits to both arguments. And a little bit of digging provided more clarity for this report. Under the umbrella of Les Wexner’s Limited Brands, Express launched as women’s clothier “Limited Express” in 1980 Chicago. Led by CEO Michael Weiss, the brand expanded to eight stores in 1981 and by 1986, Express began a test for menswear in 16 of its 250 stores. The men’s line spun out as Structure in 1989.

I remember the brand very clearly. As a twelve year old in 1995, the halls of my middle school were split between the haves and the have nots. For the ones with, shirts by Polo and Structure were the daily wears and all I could remember is the sensation of having neither.

4
Remember this?

The advancements that Express made during that 20 year run are astounding to think about. In 2001, Express became a dual gender brand – a pivot that Madewell is currently attempting to execute. Structure “sold” to Express, or at least that’s how I remembered it. Because immediately, I became a fan of Express. In actuality, the brand was owned by the same holding company. It funneled its mens business to a brand that provided more opportunity. L Brands then, quietly, sold the mark to Sears in 2003. The Structure brand was never heard from again.

Express is no longer owned by L Brands, one of the most prolific builders of retail brands in history. It was sold to Golden Gate Capital Partners, a private equity firm with $15b in assets under management. And then, in May of 2010, the retailer went public.

Demographic vs. Psychographic | Part Two 

In 2016, Express made its first play for the direct-to-consumer era by acquiring a minority stake in HOMAGE, the Columbus Ohio retailer led by founder Ryan Vesler. It’s a genuine brand, one where the founder-product fit is as valuable as its product-market fit. The minority investment with vintage t-shirt company meant that Express bought a new audience of a key demographic: the college-aged millennial.

Homage President Jason Block said in an email that Express will consult with the company on an ongoing basis and the investment will allow Homage to expand both its digital and brick-and-mortar presence. [3]

Aside from investing in a growing company,  Express gained the rights to include a limited selection of HOMAGE products in store. The investment was intended to bolster foot traffic while, potentially, benefitting from the long-term flip – if and when the HOMAGE brand grew with the help of Express. It’s unclear whether or not this initiative was successful for either of the brands. The company is currently trading below the price it maintained during the period that Express began its partnership with HOMAGE. The publicly-traded retailer’s missteps over the past two years were due, in part, to a number of macroeconomic shifts.  The launch of UpWest represents a strategy shift of its own.

In Psychographics in Focus, I explain the difference between a demographic and psychographic. Consumer psychology involves the interest in lifestyle, behavior, and habit. It’s an encompassing measure that considers our idiosyncrasies, our temperament, and even our subtle personality traits. These are the variables that influence our behavior as consumers. Psychographic segmentation is the analysis of a consumer cohort’s lifestyle with the intent to create a detailed profile. [4]

Taking a community-building approach, UpWest plans to connect with new customers through experiential events, including a regional tour across the US that features the UpWest Cabin, a mobile pop-up exhibit featuring relaxation-focused experiences like yoga and meditation classes. Slated stops include Columbus, Chicago, Nashville, Denver and Austin.  [2]

From the typeface, to the story-telling, to the merchandising – the UpWest brand is designed to attract fans of the digitally-native industry. Rather than a specific demographic, Express pursued an interest (DTC) and is building a brand atop of that engaged audience.

DTC As A Psychographic

推特上的网络史密斯

DTC, 2012: a tech stack strategy. DTC, 2016: a logistics strategy. DTC, 2020: a brand strategy.

In a span of three days, I received multiple emails and texts from contacts close to the launch of UpWest. Kaleigh Moore, Forbes writer and 2PM collaborator had a story in queue by then. In the Lean Luxe Slack, it was a topic of conversation. Rather than building in-house with Express’ existing engineering group, UpWest contracted Shopify agency BVAccel to handle the design and development work. This was a nod to several of the most successful digitally native brands in the space to include Untuckit, Cubcoats, Chubbies, and Rebecca Minkoff. 

Comparison-Upwest

The site’s architecture communicates a desire to be mentioned in the DTC conversation, this includes UpWest’s partnership with Klaviyo and its new-age loyalty program. It would appear that UpWest chose to focus on the DTC psychographic for the sake of earned media and brand positioning. As far as the nuts and bolts are concerned, the site’s build communicates that the desired target demographic is millennial-aged women. On day zero, the brand has an explicit purpose: to provide comfort for body, mind, & spirit. The clothes, are priced similar in design and price to Marine Layer – its next closest competitor.

Identifying Waves: Importing Hygge to America

In the past year, this concept of Scandinavian coziness has made inroads with an international audience. [5]

Imagine a whiteboard in one of Express’ suburban Columbus boardrooms; the word “hygge” would have been at the center of it in big and bold lettering. You can picture the brand’s chief comfort officer (and Express’ SVP of Strategic Initiatives) standing in the corner of the room, jamming as Cody’s It’s Christmas plays on the room’s four Sonos speakers. The brand wants you to feel a feeling. Analysts agree. Emily Singer, founder of the DTC newsletter “Chips and Dip” had this to say:

There’s something very boring about it. Maybe that’s intentional. This line feels a little too on the nose: ‘Welcome to curated comfort. For those who are seeking peace and calm in a stressful world.’ Brands tap into emotional states, but it’s rarely laid out so explicitly.

It’s this perceived boredom that is viewed as an understated luxury in American culture. To the Danes, hygge is free of economic status. The culture’s entire focus is on practicality, movement, wellness, and mindfulness. It’s this underlying culture that Express hopes to import with the help of some obvious visual cues from well-known DTC retailers.

The UpWest typeface is nearly identical to the typeface of Outdoor Voices and Marine Layer’s. Ironically, both retailers have references to Scandinavian hygge throughout their brand messaging. But for UpWest, there’s no understatement. Every message is turned to maximum volume. Like the primary header of Express.com: UpWest’s primary menu is a throwback to “Limited Express”, a retailer for women-first and men-second. There are elements of luxury abound. Upwest’s blog features new-age terms like: nourish, mindfulness, tranquility, and sanctuary. The traveling pop-up is a “cabin.” These are all symbols of wealthier millennials with time and resources to spare. As is the concept of philanthropy and sustainability (though UpWest sells products that are made with synthetics).

It starts with our cozy apparel, home and wellness products. We want to surround you with calm and give you balance. But it’s not just the tangible things. It’s also about slowing down. Diving deeper. And giving back.

Not to be outdone, UpWest wants consumers to help them donate $1 million to the Mental Health Association. The Express-borne retailer plays the entire DTC hand of cards. This report began with a simple statement: middle-class retail is at an impasse. To the average consumer, this DTC play is akin to Structure being launched as Express Men. Like a sheep, the seventeen year old me bought from Express as soon as my adolescent wallet would allow. The mechanics are similar here. Express is attracting an existing audience (the DTC psychographic) and using it to invigorate a brand that is plateauing.

结论

The UpWest bet is that the retailer can earn the business of the upwardly mobile DTC audience by engineering a product-market fit. One with heavy branding, ideal-alignment, and market messaging. This is one of the first upmarket attempts that we’ve seen from a specialty retailer. It’s one that deserves praise. Their management team engineered a brand with contemporary pricing and luxury messaging – void of pricing promotions (for now). They’ve acknowledged that the data shows a middle-class at an impasse. They have the supply chain, the logistics, the distribution, and a snapshot of a brand. But do the executives at Express truly understand what makes the top DTC brands work? That remains the question that could move the market.

Time will tell if Express can duplicate the brand architecting of their L Brands era – a time defined by face-less brands, clever signage, billboards, and foot traffic. My guess is that Express will find an audience that is more sophisticated and critical than the young adults of the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s. Messaging, distribution, and customer acquisition methods will evolve with this realization. And if that’s the case, their hygge may be tested for quite some time.

Research and Report by Web Smith | About 2PM 

第 337 期：坚持运动

For as long as there has been athletic competition, there has been a narrative that permeates from the field of play. Gladiators of Rome were commonly first-generation slaves, bought and sold at the whim of their owners – the sporting promoters of their day. Like today’s gladiator sports, cruelty was a part of the spectacle. And the minds of the time contrasted in their approval or disapproval of their era’s proudest spectacle. Great minds like Seneca disapproved of the competition. Marcus Aurelius once abolished a tax on gladiator-based taxes and commerce; he wanted nothing to do with the capitalism of it all. And still, he couldn’t resist hosting lavish games from time to time. The spectacle of cruelty was insatiable to the average man and the great one – alike.

As it was, as it will always be. Sports was never without its social commentary. Jesse Owens’ olympic showing wasn’t just impressive because of the speed of his feet; he beat the myth of German superiority with a foot race. Jackie Robinson wasn’t just a baseball player, he was remembered as a hero. That was the narrative that was formed about the man, even while his involvement lacked the popular sentiment that it is awarded today. Janet Guthrie was a media fixture, not just because of her precedent off of the track but because of her accomplishments on it. Before Danica Patrick, there was her. And with a little more support from sponsors and officials, she could have accomplished much more.

Since when has sports been about athletic accomplishment alone?

On a November evening after the Baltimore Ravens’ decisive victory against the undefeated New England Patriots, ESPN National NFL Writer Kevin Seifert made a statement with a simple tweet. He listed three quarterbacks, each of whom are considered candidates to win the league’s coveted most valuable player award. The quarterbacks that Seifert listed: Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and Lamar Jackson are what veteran industry analysts would call: unconventional, mobile, dual-threat. However, they’re more than that. In each case, whether these quarterbacks pass or rush, they lead from the front. More than anything else, that’s their common thread.

Kevin Seifert on Twitter

If we’re doing the MVP now, I’m going: 1. Russell Wilson 2. Deshaun Watson 3. Lamar Jackson

Here is a selection of quarterbacks drafted before 2019’s MVP candidates: Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler, Mitchell Trubisky, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen. To the casual observer, this thought may as well be morse code. So consider the following: the National Football League has never had three African-American quarterbacks in the front running for most valuable player. And certainly not in an era of the sport’s greatest quarterbacks, namely Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. We’re still in a period of firsts in this 150 year old sport. Brigham Young University started their first African-American quarterback in the year 2019. The sentiments of the 1950’s still linger. So what Seifert was doing was making a statement without controversy. To the untrained eye, it was merely the fact of the matter. But to those who understand the historical significance, it was a dog whistle of sorts.

“If you ask me is there a false narrative out there, I will tell you ESPN being a political organization is false,” he said. “I will tell you I have been very, very clear with employees here that it is not our jobs to cover politics, purely.” [1]

But even with the mandate by new ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro, Seifert found a way to toe the proverbial line. Wilson, the 75th pick of the 2012 draft is now the highest paid quarterback in the league. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was drafted before Watson. And Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was publicly and privately coaxed to convert to wide receiver by many in the media. He didn’t fit the image. His chorus of detractors included former Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian [2].

After this historic game, Bleacher Report took a muted approach as to avoid the conversation altogether. In the NFL, running backs don’t win MVP over transcendent quarterbacks. In the last 20 years, just four have won. Sixteen quarterbacks have been selected in that time. Just the same, here was their take:

And [Jackson] a clear MVP candidate. This game firmly planted him in that discussion, along with Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.[3]

Meanwhile, at Deadspin, the two lead stories are written by a generic “Deadspin.” A sign that no one is behind the wheel. The reports were merely a collection of embedded tweets. There’s one on the Ravens surprise victory. The one where the quarterback (that should have played receiver) trounced the greatest of all time. As the two shook hands upon leaving the field of play – battered and bruised – Jackson uttered “You’re the GOAT.” As if Brady needed a reminder. The other Deadspin “story” featured the Cleveland Browns latest off-the-field issue.

The only report with any personality was written by Karu F. Daniels of The Root, another property of G/O Media. It was repurposed into Deadspin content. One can only wonder what Deadspin would have written about a unique moment in the sport’s vaunted history. But the site is currently a shell of its former self. The staff quit en masse after being told to by G/O Media management to “stick to sports.” A common refrain in today’s corporate media.

G/O Media is the product of Great Hill Partners’ acquisition of the former Gizmodo Media Group. The all-equity transaction was facilitated with Jim Spanfeller, best known for his leadership at Forbes.com. Perhaps, it’s his lack of experience in sports media that permitted such a fatal miscalculation.

The Irony of The “Stick to Sports” Mandate

Google Search interest for “Stick to Sports” peaks in September 2017

On its merits, the nature of the phrase is divisive. When ESPN’s Rachel Nichols spoke out in September of 2017, the peak of its interest, she raised questions around the hypocrisy of it. It was around that time when J.J. Watt was rightly praised for raising $20 million for hurricane relief while other athletes faced pushback for highlighting other extracurricular causes – most often around social justice issues. With the current state of American politics at a relative boiling point, the separation of societal politics and corporate entertainment have never been more difficult to parse. ESPN found ways around its “stick to sports” mandate by elevating intelligent and nuanced figures like Pablo Torre, Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman,and Bomani Jones. Deadspin wasn’t as forward thinking and they ultimately paid for that.

“Stick to sports” is, of course, a fault line in 2019’s culture wars. [4]

But as the state of our political machine continues to polarize Americans, the mandate becomes harder and harder to follow. Yet, it becomes more important to disobey. In fact, at some point, the mandate becomes bad business. This is especially true for digital media where Deadspin rival and The Chernin Group-owned Barstool Sports has thrived by using sports as a platform to enter adjacent conversations. And I am using the word “adjacent” liberally here. Several of the top stories on Barstool Sports currently include an Instagram influencer questioning his history syllabus, a feature on the “Watchmen” series, and a woman that tattooed her eyeballs.

The banner of Barstool’s homepage features a link to the media group’s famed Chicks podcast. And all of this is to say, it seems to be working for Barstool. This includes its cozy relationship with Fox News, including regular appearances by founder Dave Portnoy on Tucker Carlson. And this isn’t an argument against their approach. Rather, it was an acknowledgment that Barstool Sports has thus far succeeded by understanding the property’s psychographic. The Chernin Group seems to have avoided the stick to sports conversation with CEO Erika Nardini.

Ringer, Deadspin, B/R, Barstool and Psychographics

Consumer psychology involves the interest in lifestyle, behavior, and habit. It’s an encompassing measure that considers our idiosyncrasies, our temperament, and even our subtle personality traits. These are the variables that influence our behavior as consumers. Psychographic segmentation is the analysis of a consumer cohort’s lifestyle with the intent to create a detailed profile.

The Ringer is jovial and care-free. Bleacher Report is dead-pan with the occasionally dry humor. Barstool is edgy and offensive as a strategy. And so was Deadspin.

While largely focused on sports, Deadspin for years had delved into a broad range of topics in a voice that was sometimes rude, often funny and always conversational. On Tuesday, the site’s top editor, Barry Petchesky, was fired after refusing to go along with the order. The departures shocked fans of the site, which put a new spin on sports coverage for a generation of digital natives. But they were the result of a long buildup of resentment between the journalists and their new bosses, according to interviews with 13 current and former employees of Deadspin and G/O Media.[5]

Nov 4: Barstool’s Homepage

For Deadspin, the majority of their sensationalism involved topics that were completely unrelated to sports in substance, this report isn’t necessarily about the history of those articles. Bill Simmons’ The Ringer shares a similar narrative with Barstool. On the homepage, you’ll find stories about Mr. Robot, Jeopardy, AppleTV+, and The Watchmen. Bleacher Report contrasts the three. The publication leans heavily towards strict sports coverage, a methodology that works for them. But even B/R featured an epic story on Colin Kaepernick written by Rembert Browne. And most recently – a story about Jared Lorenzen, the former Kentucky quarterback who died prematurely. Which brings me to the point: where do you draw the line when your publication covers sports? Collegiate and professional sports represent a layer of American life, not the totality of it. Sports is merely a dimension, not the whole.

No Code and The Business Case FOr: Stick To Sports

OM on Twitter

Let me rewrite this tweet from Jason. 1/ Deadspin writers are immensely talented and have a huge following. They have a lot of goodwill at present and as a result they should Marshall their collective resources and start a new publication. Let’s call it SpunOut. https://t.co/161I1HkInj

The editors and writers who resigned from Deadspin had a basis for their frustration. Sticking to sports is a nearly impossible proposition in today’s media. Given how rare it is to see a media company stick to their original charter, it’s understandable that Deadspin’s former employees saw the charge for what it really was: a euphemism for staying away from covering athletes who’ve immersed themselves in left-leaning causes.

But we’re in an ever-expansive era of digital media. Companies are rewarded for reaching. Complex Media is developing television shows and consulting third parties on commerce and audience development. Barstool Sports has a podcast starring two employees who discuss their friendship and sex lives, and Bleacher Report successfully collaborated on soccer kits with top hip hop artists.

Whatever happens moving forward, the Deadspin that was is no longer. It was one machine of a blog with nearly 30 million monthly visits and a penchant for engaging and re-engaging their loyal readers, many who’d visit the site multiple times per day. But it begs the question, if Deadspin was still Deadspin, what might they have written of Kevin Seifert’s idea? How would it have covered a tweet that should have been more than inconsequential. It’s doubtful that Deadspin may have told the story in the same ways that Barstool, Bleacher Report, ESPN, and The Ringer relayed theirs. To those platforms, the MVP race was not a story at all. But take it from NFL veteran and commentator Cris Collinsworth. As the Ravens led the Patriots, with the crowd in disbelief, Collinsworth quipped:

We’re going to be able to point to quarterbacks in the NFL that got a chance because of this night.

But in 2019, for many digital publishers, that’s too loaded of a statement. But many understood what it meant. And that understanding is part of the story too. The market has a need and the opportunity rests on the journalists who decide to forge their own paths. It’s only right that Deadspin alumni launches a Substack with the call sign of their mandate: Stick to Sports. Used ironically,  of course, as one last jab at the man they called an herb. The publication would almost instantly lead the Substack board.

With that model, Deadspin’s former writers and editors would have the freedom to do it the right way. Anyone who’s ever played the game knows that sports doesn’t end when you step off of the field of play. A sport is America’s pastime, it’s the most watched television event, it’s the most expensive event ticket, it’s the basis of a nation’s network of country and athletic clubs. Across America, hotels are built solely to support a thriving youth sports cultures of areas that would otherwise be barren without its expensive field complexes. Young people wear jerseys and the shoes of sporting legends. And adults bet and cry and yell and travel to watch their teams. It’s the irrationality of it all that reminds us that sticking to sports is an impossible task. And media should reflect that impossibility. Seifert knew the significance of his tweet, America should have known it too.

报告人：Web Smith |大约 2PM