With the passionate support of their TV fans and booming ad sales despite harsh economic times, the Ravens may be part of a confluence of business, lifestyle and culture trends.
Just as lavish Hollywood film productions soared at the box office during the Great Depression of the 1930s, televised National Football League games seem recession-proof. In fact, the kind of escape they offer might make them even more attractive to viewers - and advertisers - than at any time in recent memory.
"NFL football games on TV are filled with colorful pageantry and uplifting exuberance. And those are the very qualities that helped provide the 'escapism' of the MGM musicals of the 1930s," says Abe Novick, a former executive at the Euro RSCG global agency who now writes about advertising as pop culture at abenovick.com.
Doud adds, "It's a new season, a new day. There's positive sentiment out there. And it feels good to root for a winning team. ... People are passionate about their Ravens. I'm not surprised in the raise in [advertising] rates at all."
Advertisers such as Roogow know they are paying top dollar, which can run as high as $20,000 for 30 seconds during a Ravens game on WJZ this fall, according to analysts.
"Despite some overall softness in TV sales because of the recession, Ravens sales have held up very well - with price increases in most cases," Newman says, declining to discuss specific ad rates and sales figures.
Still, Roogow believes it is worth it. In addition to ratings that are "through the roof," he says, advertising on TV during Ravens games links the lottery to one of Maryland's most important institutions.
"Part of the philosophy of the lottery is to try and change the perception of the lottery and make it more a part of the fabric of the community," Roogow says. "So whenever we can associate ourselves with those kinds of institutions that are important to the state of Maryland and the people of Maryland, like the Ravens, we try to do that. ... We do that with the Orioles, and we did it with the zoo as well - looking for that positive identification."
With the Ravens, he adds, "While you pay top dollar, you get this huge statewide audience, too, that reaches from the Eastern Shore through the entire Baltimore metropolitan TV market."
And, sometimes, a little extra. The lottery's new Ravens Cash Fantasy ticket is the fastest-selling $5 ticket in agency history. The lottery has sold more than a million tickets in the 3 1/2 weeks since its debut, according to Roogow, who attributes much of the game's success to its association with the Ravens.
