The Orlando Magic are interrupting their training camp to travel to Brazil and grow both the game and their business opportunities in the growing country.
It was not an uncommon occurrence in Amway Center last year to see a Brazilian flag getting waved. If the in-arena cameras happened to get a glimpse of one, the cheers would only grow louder. Maybe the loudest cheers of the night.
A more quiet storm and business strategy from the Magic was becoming much more public. There was an untapped market of basketball fans coming to Orlando each year and the Magic needed to find a way to reach them.
Those efforts have become more normalized in the last few years. The Magic have sold ticket packages to Brazilian tour groups and have set up some specific marketing plans in Brazil.
That plan becomes much more personal this week as the Magic are in Brazil for a few days of training camp and an exhibition game against Brazilian league champion Flamengo. It is something the Magic’s business wing says is “face time” to the investment they have made to make in roads in Brazil.
Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that during games in January and February drew an average of 2,000 fans from Brazil each game. It was a pretty decent return on investment for the efforts to engage Brazil.
“It’s one thing to say that you send a couple of salespeople down into a market to develop a relationship,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said. “But when you actually bring the team, I think that proves to the local marketplace that you’re serious about developing a relationship there.”
The hope now then is that having the team physically in Brazil will be the showcase the Magic need to make Magic games part of Brazilian vacation packages during the (North American) winter months. Remember, winter in the United States is summer in Brazil.
It does suggest a seriousness about investing in the area to disrupt the Magic’s season and bring them down to Brazil, as much fun as the trip may end up being.
Before leaving, the Magic repeatedly said the trip will be fun but it is still a business trip for them too. They have work they need to do before the season starts one week from Wednesday (yes, it is that close).
“Coach is going to get us to be productive every day that we have and every practice that we have,” Tobias Harris told me for Orlando Magic Daily. “We’re going to go 100 percent. We’re going to be focused. Obviously we’re in a different country and playing in front of different fans, but our goal is to just continue doing what we’ve been doing and getting better at the things that we have been working on. That will be our focus point.”
So the volleyball soccer games certainly are fun. Visiting a Fluminese game is fun. It is important the team do all these things and experience Brazil.
But so too is continuing to push for notice in Brazil. Putting on a good show and being present in Brazil only grows the team’s profile. It helps every aspect of the team and the league as the NBA itself sees Brazil as a great untapped market for basketball to grow. The league has its own growing partnerships in the marketplace there, including an agreement to assist the national league.
The Magic are reaching and branching out in a major way this week.
