The Western Bulldogs Give Fans a Vote of Confidence

The Western Bulldogs of the Australian Football League (AFL) recently turned to their online fanbase to decide which jersey (referred to as a guernsey) design their team will wear during the 2011-12 season. The Bulldogs created a fan-centric promotion on their team website that provided fans with an opportunity to vote for their favorite style jersey based on four options available.

The promotion also served as a terrific way for the team to collect consumer data. Nearly 3,000 fans submitted online entry forms with their votes, providing the team with an instant database to reach out to to drive merchandise sales in the future. The team created the simple survey using Survey Monkey and posted the promotion over a 2-3 week time period.

Check out the simple, yet effective merchandise promotion below and consider new ways that you can truly put fans in charge!

A special thanks to Nick Truelson for his insights and contributions to this column!

The Australian Football League Releases a Captivating Ad Campaign...

Are you looking for new ways to make your sport/organization resonate with a new fan base? Are you looking to create a captivating advertising campaign that is relevant across the globe?

The Australian Football League (AFL) recently kicked off the start of Aussie football season with an epic advertising campaign entitled "League of its Own" that features 19 AFL stars competing in different stadium environments around the world (boxing rings, soccer fields, etc.). The 60-second clip concludes with Hawthorn's Buddy Frankling kicking a goal.  

The spot, created by George Patterson Y&R and produced by Revolver Film, will be supported by a season-long campaign featuring online, viral, radio, outdoor, and print elements. Check it out below: