The Washington Wizards entertained fans at a recent home game by allowing a few select fans a chance to attempt dunks off a trampoline (standard intermission entertainment). However, the team did a terrific job staging the event to the enjoyment of fans.
Check out how they did it below:
Which leads one to question... Dunkin' Donuts does so many great things to leverage their sports partnerships, particularly in Boston, but why have they not sponsored the "Dunkin' Donuts" ... a group of regular fans, out-of-shape fans, or acrobatics dressed in donut costumes (or as munchkins) dunking off branded trampolines at halftime? It seems like a no-brainer that plenty of fans would enjoy. Teams could find ways to drive traffic to retail based on the number of dunk conversions.. Just a thought!
In November, the Indiana Pacers announced a special partnership with Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka, a vodka label created by golf legend Fuzzy Zoeller who is well known as a great Hoosier golfer, citizen, and businessman.
The Pacers celebrated the partnership on Saturday, November 20th by hosting a special promotional night where Zoeller served as the honorary captain of the game and held an exclusive meet-and-greet with the first 200 Pacers fans who purchased a special $95 ticket package to the game that included a Krieg DeVault Club Level Ticket, an autographed Fuzzy hat, one (1) drink voucher, and access to the chef's table.
Zoeller opted to align his vodka label brand with the Pacers organization in an effort to drive awareness and avidity amongst Pacers fans in the state of Indiana. As part of the partnership, the Pacers and Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka will feature two (2) bars in the concourse, Fuzzy's Garage and Fuzzy's 19th Holes (as shown below), and will feature custom courtside LED and a variety of other branding and hospitality elements at games.
Check out a few photos of their terrific concourse buildouts and activation elements below:
The WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks teamed up with the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) to implement a terrific anti-tobacco campaign designed to to drive awareness and traffic around state resources to help smokers quit. The partnership leveraged the Sparks new head coach, Jennifer Gillom, as a spokesperson to effectively message to African American, Latino, and LGBT fans in attendance at Sparks games.
Activation tactics in support of the campaign included:
A PA Announcement, featuring Coach Gillom, that was promoted through the team's various media channels (in-broadcast, online, and on the scoreboard)
In-arena signage, including courtside rotational messaging and camera-visible underbelly signage prominently featured underneath the scoreboard
Select community events
Presenting sponsorship of select game nights, including the home opener and Gospel Night
On-court contests, Jumbotron messaging, interactive concourse exhibits, and more
The campaign proved to be very successful for all parties involved and the LA County Tobacco Control and Prevention Program reported a significant increase in traffic to its website, http://www.NoExcusesLA.com, and call center hotline (1-800-NO BUTTS).
Check out Coach Gillom's special anti-tobacco announcement below:
The Orlando Magic recently opened the doors of their new home, the Amway Center, and the venue is already being considered one of the finest arenas in the entire world. The team broke ground on the Amway Center, a $480MM facility, in 2008 and recently celebrated its grand opening on October 1st, just in time for the 2010 NBA season.
The Amway Center features a number of world-class elements, including state-of-the-art displays, unique venue buildouts, kids play areas, unique sponsorship tactics, and more. The arena, designed and developed by Populous, is already scheduled to host the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Monday Night Raw, the Eagles, Lady Gaga and more. Click here to see a complete gallery of all the arena's amenities, displays, and destinations, including:
The Budweiser Baseline Bar
The Gentleman Jack Terrace
Disney Atrium
The OZone Section
Stuff's Magic Castle Kids Area
Orlando Magic Team Shop
State-of-the-Art Scoreboard
AirTran Deck, Kia Automobile Displays
Amway Center Fanbulance
Murals, Concessions Areas, Concourse Displays, and More!
*Orlando Magic corporate partners include Amway, Anheuser-Busch, Geico, Harris Corp., Gentlemen Jack, Kia, AirTran, PepsiCo, Disney, Grand Bohemian Hotel, Barnie's Coffee & Tea Company, T-Mobile, MillerCoors, and more!
Understanding the importance of creating buzz around their No. 5 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings did all that they could to make it an unforgettable, enjoyable experience for fans. To generate interest, the Kings organization offered all fans who attended the Official Draft Party event a complimentary ticket to a select 2010-2011 Kings home game (subject to availability).
However, the rewards and incentives didn't stop there for fans. On Draft Day, the Kings called on President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie, co-owner Gavin Maloof, and Coach Paul Westphal to genuinely speak to the crowd of fans in attendance and Subway agreed to give out $5 gift cards throughout the event in recognition of the team's No. 5 pick.
The Kings captured the excitement of Draft Day with a series of videos, enclosed below:
Kings Draft Party Overview
Here is a quick video that details the excitement of the 2010 Kings Draft Party, including a feature at the 1:10 mark that shows how fans that checked into Foursquare at the event by 4:30pm could win a special prize (a commemorative poster) at Suite V and gain access to an exclusive Kings suite.
At the 2:48 mark, the Kings celebrated the team's selection of Demarcus Cousins by announcing "The Greatest Ticket Sales Extravaganza in Kings History", where the team unveiled 72 hours of amazing deals for fans to capitalize on via Kings.com
Kings 2010 Season Ticket Holder Draft Experience
The video below captures the Kings 2010 Season Ticket Holder Draft Experience, an initiative that enabled fans who purchased season tickets on Draft Night the chance to be called on stage and have their picture taken with notable team personnel holding an official Kings Season Ticket Holder jersey at the podium.
Draft Selection Cam
The Kings set up a camera in the back of the fans' Draft Party Viewing Area at Arco Arena to capture the excitement of their selection of Demarcus Cousins. The quick clip served as a great way to share the enthusiasm of fans in Sacramento with Kings (and NBA fans) across the globe:
Live Twitter Session with Rookie Draft Pick Hassan Whiteside
The Kings hosted a live session where draft pick Hassan Whiteside answered #KingsFans questions on Twitter... A great way to engage a team's avid social media community!
Profile of The Draft Picks' First Day as Members of the Kings Organization
The Kings profiled the first day that rookie draft picks DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside spent with the organization, capturing their excitement, an appearance at the official team pep rally, and the reaction of fans across town.
Are you looking to offer new premium giveaways for fans? Have you considered attempting to set a Guinness World Record at your venue?
Sports organizations looking for ways to enhance their premium giveaway nights should take a moment to benchmark the Cleveland Cavaliers' recent Snuggie Night presented by KeyBank. The team took the Snuggie giveaway night to the next level by asking all fans with a ticket to arrive early to the game to partake in a Guinness World Record attempt. The offer was so enticing, tickets were rumored to be going for 10-times face value for the event.
For the first five (5) minutes of the game, 20,000+ rabid Cavaliers fans wore their Snuggie, helping the team set an official record for most fleece blankets of one (1) colors worn in one (1) place: 20,562. While fans put on their cool premium giveaways, so did Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the Cavs' dance team, who were given custom versions. Even the Cavaliers and Pistons players were given special, large-sized versions of the Snuggie premiums with their names and numbers monogrammed.
What are the chances of setting your own official Guiness World Record? Unfortunately, just 3% of the 60,000 applications submitted on an annual basis are approved and executed. But they can always say no...
Check out a video of the Cavs' Snuggie execution below! Well done, especially to KeyBank on their post-event execution featuring a microsite with pictures, videos, and a sweepstakes offer for fans who weren't able to attend!
A special thanks to Alex Vitanye of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration for his insights and contributions to this column. Source: Cleveland.com
Are you looking for new ways to leverage electronics partners? Are you looking for new ways to entertain fans during periods of play?
The Orlando Magic featured a humorous "Name that TV Tune" video board segment that served as a fan-favorite during games in the '08-09 season. The Magic created a few simple vignettes featuring players and dance team members trying to sing the words to a recognizable tune on their iPod (with iPod imagery in the background).
The vignettes serve as a great way for sports organizations to integrate electronics retailers/manufacturers and music companies in a seamless, memorable in-game setting. Depending on the partner, properties can easily replace the iPod (featured in the videos below) with a state-of-the-art cell phone, computer, television (karaoke-style), or other device.
Teams can even drive excitement in-arena by assigning participating players/dance team members to designated sections in-venue and rewarding the section of fans assigned to the player who sings the most correct lyrics with a free cd/song download (which can be distributed w/ voucher, picked up a Will Call, etc.)
Check out the Orlando Magic's "Name that TV Tune" vignettes below:
PLAYERS
DANCE TEAM
PLAYER KARAOKE
In 2009, the Magic organization introduced a humorous "Player Karaoke" vignette... Check it out below:
Are you looking to benchmark ways to leverage an athlete endorser? Are you looking to create a new, captivating viral campaign?
Brands searching for ways to leverage athlete endorsers should look no further than Dial's Right Guard brand and its relationship with Hornets G Chris Paul. As the Official Deodorant of the NBA, Right Guard has done a tremendous job leveraging Paul as an athlete endorser to promote the company's association with the NBA.
Dial prominently features Chris Paul on Right Guard's product homepage among a variety of basketball-specific landing pages, including:
Chris Paul Page - Features video profiles of Paul's activities off the court as well as factoids of his performance on the court
NBA All-Star Game Promotions - Offers fans the chance to win a chance to play ball with Chris Paul and two of their friends (not to mention, win a trip to the NBA Finals) through the CP+3 Sweepstakes
Video Vault - Features an assortment of viral features
Right Guard recently launched a humorous, cost-effective viral campaign that should soon drive some buzz in the basketball world. The campaign, entitled "A Message from a Picture of Chris Paul", mirrors a popular skit once featured on the Conan O'Brien show. Check out some of the viral features below:
Partnership Activation
Partnership Activation is an industry-leading resource showcasing sports marketing and sponsorship trends, insights, and best practices.
