The Summer 2013 Partnership Activation Newsletter

Welcome to the Summer 2013 Partnership Activation Newsletter! Thank you for your continued interest in Partnership Activation, as I truly take pride in pulling together the creative ideas, solutions and strategies in each newsletter for you. 

Click here to purchase the Summer 2013 Newsletter for $7.99. After reviewing the newsletter, please take a moment to share it with friends via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, personal blogs, and other platforms and modes of communication. Here is a shortened URL that you can use to include in tweets, etc:http://bit.ly/18tJpIv

This month's newsletter features a collection of insights, including:

• Wimbledon's Big Data and Small Ads 
• 10+ Must-See Ted Talks
• Sports Content Insider - Presented by Freshwire
• Navigate Research Spotlight: Mobile Video Likely to Make Big Strides in Sponsorship
• The Portland Timbers' Spread the Love Campaign
• Raycom Sports Leads the Way with ACC Game Graphics
• Brand USA Reaches Fans Worldwide Via the World Baseball Classic
• Wimbledon's Twitter Mirror
• The SF Giants' @ Cafe
• Hot Off the Press: Social Media in Sport Marketing
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• July 2013 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• 5 Must-Follow #SportsBiz Handles on Twitter
• 25+ Ways to Leverage Watch Partners
• Paddy Power's Sky Tweets at the Ryder Cup
• adidas' Rivalry Activation at the UEFA Champions League
• A Close Look at the 2013 UEFA Champions League
• StubHub's Innovative Stadium Activation
• Pre-Season Marketing Ideas
• The Partnership Activation Grab Bag
• Branded Entertainment... At It's Finest

Click here to check out the Summer 2013 Partnership Activation Newsletter and connect with other readers in the official Partnership Activation LinkedIn Group, and follow Brian Gainor on Twitter for additional sponsorship/marketing tactics throughout the quarter!

Xylobands Bring Live Event Experiences to Life in New Ways

In the next few months, team and brand marketers should maintain a close eye on a growing phenomenon in sports and entertainment - xylobands.

Xylobands are essentially wristbands with LED lights that allow large crowds at live events/shows to simultaneously flash different colors and messages in the air. The xylobands are radio controlled bands that allow event organizers to control when the lights (on the wrists of fans) are lit up at a pre-determined time, creating a pretty fascinating spectacle for fans in-attendance as well as those watching at home.

The premium items have been utilized on the X-Factor as well as on Coldplay's recent concert tour. Event organizers can coordinate for the bands to flash at particular times during pre-game, halftime, and post-game festivities as well as potentially during timeouts in play.

Check out the xylobands in action below:

Uploaded by nickk133 on 2012-06-05.

adidas Drives Store Traffic With Shoe Box Marketing Stunt

adidas celebrated the grand opening of its flagship store in Melbourne, Australia with a creative marketing stunt designed to drive excitement and foot traffic. adidas erected several giant shoe boxes throughout the mall and gave unsuspecting consumers passing by a left shoe with a voucher attached that they could redeem for a free pair of shoes of that style inside the adidas store. 

The adidas marketing stunt was creatively executed and served as a great way to generate buzz and excitement at a relatively low cost. Check it out below:

It would be interesting to see professional sports teams benchmark this marketing/PR stunt to drive awareness and excitement for new merchandise items throughout the season. Teams could set up mystery boxes throughout the concourse (staffed by interns) giving away free apparel and premium giveaways - a tactic designed to drive traffic and sales in the official team shop.

The "Human Billboard" Campaign Has Sports Implications

Sports organizations looking for new ways to make a huge splash in the offseason with a nominal marketing budget should consider benchmarking a terrific campaign recently implemented by ING Direct in Italy.

ING Direct had discovered that word-of-mouth referrals by existing customers served as a key driver for bringing in new business. ING looked to bring this notion to life by teaming up with Leo Burnett Milan to create a "Human Billboard" campaign that featured real customers sitting and standing atop billboards, strapped onto the side of city buses, and positioned on elevated displays in high-traffic areas inside a city setting.

The campaign proved to be tremendously popular, as consumers passing by the displays interacted with the brand activists, creating banter that was filmed and featured in an effective advertising campaign. 

The concept of the "Human Billboard" could have a number of implications in the sports space. Minor league teams looking to drive interest and awareness in the local marketplace could leverage season ticket holders and enthusiastic supporters in a similar fan-centric campaign. Marathons, triathlons and other major events could also implement a similar promotional concept to show how "real" participants are. Apparel companies and other manufacturers of products endemic to sports could also consider benchmarking the ING Direct campaign to bring product launches to life, etc.

Check out the terrific campaign below!

MAKE Fans Notice Your Brand at Games...

Are you looking for a way to drive awareness for your brand in-venue more effectively?

Mexican brand marketers have found a simple solution to drive eyeballs towards their signage at soccer games played in Estadio Jalisco, Mexico's third largest soccer stadium. The answer? Sex sells (everyone knows it, but is everyone doing it in the sports space?)

Mexican brand marketers hire five (5) to eight (8) models to stand along the sidelines and hold their signs for the duration of the game. While some persons may take offense to this marketing practice, brands have found that this has proven to be an effective medium to drive awareness at a minimal cost in sporting events around the world.

If a brand like Axe implemented such a tactic in front of a student section at a football game,  wouldn't one expect to see a high consumer recall for their brand post-game? It could make a lot of sense for certain brands...

Here are a few examples of the strategy in action: