Alaska Air Partners With the Timbers To Create Hilarious Ads

Alaska Air is leveraging its designation as the Official Airline of the Portland Timbers with a series of hilarious commercials that incorporate team stakeholders. The airline's first commercial features Timbers head coach John Spencer giving seat belt instructions to passengers and the second spot features the team's iconic mascot, Timber Joey, helping a passenger with his luggage.

The ads have been very well received by soccer fans, especially amongst the Timbers' loyal following of fans. Check out the two (2) spots below and consider new ways that you can take team partnerships to the next level with a dose of humor. 

Alaska Air Commercial Featuring Timbers Head Coach John Spencer

Alaska Air Commercial Featuring Timber Joey

A special thanks to Alan Cassinelli of UC Santa Barbara Athletics for his insights and contributions to this column!

The Portland Timbers Army Sing the National Anthem

The Portland Timbers kicked off their 2011 MLS season at home, the new Jeld-Wen Field, by allowing the Timbers Army (the team's fanbase) to sing the National Anthem.

Check out this incredible fan-friendly tactic that helped ring in a new era of soccer in Portland!

Portland Timbers Fans Enjoy Exclusive Benefits in The Axe Society

The Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer created an exclusive fan membership club called The Axe Society to celebrate the team's founding season ticket holders during the team's first year of existence. Fans who became Portland Timbers season ticket holders by December 31, 2010 were given a lifetime membership into The Axe Society - an entitlement that includes a number of exclusive benefits:

• Your name listed on a permanent display in the stadium
• Your name listed on PortlandTimbers.com
• Your name listed in the Portland Timbers souvenir program
• A commemorative inaugural-season gift exclusive to Axe Society members
• Access to exclusive Axe Society events
• Annual Axe Society membership card good for additional discounts at the Timbers team store
• Exclusive promotions that can be accessed only by Axe Society members

Note: For fans to maintain their exclusive Axe Society membership, the team has noted that they must invest each year in at least one (1) Timbers full-season seat.

While creating a fan club to honor fans during a team's inaugural year is not a relatively novel concept in sports, what's extraordinary in this instance is the Portland Timbers' execution of The Axe Society. The team has done an exceptional job bringing the program to life, featuring prominent displays throughout Jeld-Wen Field and delivering a number of exclusive benefits for fans.

The Portland Timbers have quickly emerged as a first-class organization and their new stadium facility is pretty remarkable. Check out some photos of Jeld-Wen Field here.

 

Alaska Airlines Lets Portland Timbers Fans Design The Team Plane

Alaska Airlines is celebrating its new partnership with the Portland Timbers by running a "Paint the Plane" contest that allows fans an opportunity to have a say in the design of the team's branded plane.

From February 1st through February 15th, fans can submit their own, unique Timbers centric airplane designs using a PDF template of a 737 Alaska Airlines plane that is available to be downloaded on the Timbers' official website. Fans can submit their artwork either by email or by mail, per directions on the website.  

Each of the submissions will be judged based on originality, creativity, and team personification, with the Grand Prize Winner receiving two (2) complimentary first class roundtrip tickets to anywhere that Alaska Airlines flies, two (2) club seats to the Timbers' inaugural home game, and a team autographed jersey... in addition to seeing their sketch design brought to life on an actual Alaska Airlines aircraft. In addition, Alaska Airlines is also awarding 2nd Place, 3rd Place, and (7) Honorable Mention prizes for additional noteworthy submissions.

The promotion serves as a great way for organizations to leverage airline partnerships, especially in a day and age where airlines are investing more dollars and demonstrating a willingness to brand aircraft. Look for more organizations and their airline sponsors to enact similar initiatives in the near future!