Has there ever been a professional sports team as hated as the Miami Heat? Everybody I know is thrilled they lost yesterday. LeBron James, the King, is despised nationally. In one year, he has gone from Michael Jordan, to “not even Scottie Pippen.” Ultimately, I think this is a marketing problem. Some observations:

1. People love a benevolent king (see Apple/Steve Jobs), but loathe a king perceived as smug, arrogant, and overstepping (see Microsoft/Bill Gates of the late 1990s).
2. Perception is the key word. It doesn’t matter what you think internally. It only matters what your constituents perceive. Jordan’s Bulls were perceived as hard-working, playing the game the right way. LeBron’s Heat: contrived, disrespectful and and wildly arrogant. Remember the Miami pep rally celebration before the season even started? What kind of perception did that create? The Miami Heat organization has been a horrific marketer this entire season.
3. You must focus your marketing on creating happy, energized, passionate customers. This is the key to a happy life in technology, and in any business. The Heat did the opposite of this: actively taking steps to display their smugness. They need better marketing — and that’s an understatement.

These pieces are called “Minutes” because they will always be short enough to read in about 60 seconds.

Major Web site Update: The new TechnologyTailor.com has launched,  with details on new development opportunities and my forthcoming book, Evangelist Marketing. Major new endorsements now posted here. 

My blog features new marketing thinking and ideas, updated multiple times each week.