Coca-Cola Celebrates Its 125th Anniversary with an Incredible Building Illumination

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Coca-Cola recently celebrated its 125th anniversary in style at its Atlanta, GA based headquarters with a spectacular building illumination that could be seen across the city. The global bottling company partnered with Obscura Digital to illuminate its 26-story building into a giant projection screen that displayed images of the company's advertising over the years.

Coca-Cola's 125th anniversary celebration marked the largest single-building illumination ever. The illumination covered 210,000 square feet and used 45 industrial strength projectors to display one (1) million lumens of light.  

The slideshow featured images of Coca-Cola products that were submitted by consumers via Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr as well as the company's official library of photos. Coca-Cola will feature the spectacular illumination every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening during the month of May as a celebration.

Check out Coca-Cola's amazing building illumination below:

Source: Coca-Cola PR

McDonald's Capitalizes on Cubs Fever with Clever Billboard

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McDonald's is capitalizing on the buzz surrounding the 2011 Chicago Cubs baseball season with a terrific billboard display just outside Wrigley Field. The billboard uses McDonald's french fries to illustrate the laces of a baseball - an absolutely brilliant marketing campaign.

Look for more creative marketing tactics to come throughout the season!

Source: Kelly Hafermann's Flickr Photostream 

The Knicks Celebrate Amar'e With a Special Jumbotron Melody

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As New York Knicks supporters continue to rejoice about the arrivals of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, the team has continue to find new ways to deliver value for their fanbase.

The team apparently teamed up with Cousin Tommy to create a special version of "Amare" that is featured on the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden during games. Check it out below! (hopefully the vignette is real)...

CBS Outdoor Delivers a Best-In-Class Billboard Campaign for the Twins

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CBS Outdoor recently posted a tremendous video that showcases the work involved with creating a captivating outdoor billboard campaign to promote the grand opening of the Target Field in 2010. The video details all of the work involved with the installation phase of the OOH project, providing viewers with an inside look at all of the elements involved with creating a best-in-class campaign to promote the Twins new home for years to come.

Check out the video below: 

The "Human Billboard" Campaign Has Sports Implications

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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!

The Future of Stadium Signage - For Auto Partners

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Honda recently teamed up with GT Media, JC Decaux, and Puca to develop an innovative outdoor messaging campaign designed to engage young, male consumers and demonstrate the innovative attributes of its automobiles.

To generate buzz around the launch of the new Civic R Series in Ireland, Honda displayed a large, interactive billboard in the trendy streets of Dublin that allowed consumers to actually start the car (featured on the billboard) by texting "START" to a designated shortcode (51500). Upon doing so, the call-to-action signalled the lights on the car to light up and smoke to exit from the car's exhaust pipes on the billboard.

Consumers that engaged with the billboard received a bounce back link to a Honda mobile brochure, providing additional details about the car, and also had an opportunity to receive a free ringtone of the car's engine roar if they engaged with the billboard via Bluetooth technology. The four-week campaign ran during June 2010.

Honda's innovative billboard technology serves as a great benchmark for sports organizations looking for new ways to take their signage to the next level, notably in baseball. While a billboard with interactive elements could not be run in-stadium during play, there is plenty of down time during games (between innings, pre-game, post-game, pitching changes, etc.) when brands could engage with fans via SMS technology without having to feature personnel on-site to operate the signage.

Look for a number of sports organizations to begin experimenting with SMS technology to take their stadium signage and brand activation to the next level!

Source: Puca

January 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

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Thank you for coming to check out the January 2011 Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. After checking out the newsletter/site, I hope you have some time available to spend with family and friends, for that is the most important thing in life.

Let's make 2011 a great year! Thank you again for your interest in Partnership Activation and I look forward to having the opportunity to connect with you in the near future!

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

  • Marquette Athletics - BIGNOGGINS
  • Creative Promotional Tactics From Across College Athletics
  • Creating Concessions/Merchandise Apps that Benchmark the Carl's Jr. Happy Star Rewards
  • Synergy Events' Activation on Behalf of Reebok at the NHL Winter Classic
  • Hot Off the Press: Networking is a Contact Sport
  • Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
  • January 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
  • Social Media Watch: Preseason/Post-Season SM Inventory
  • Brand Activation at the 2010 China Open
  • The Ashes Cricket Series
  • Three Things You Need to See: Word Lens, Interactive Digital Signage, and Multiple Dance Cams
  • Five #SportsBiz People You Must Follow on Twitter
  • Activation and Branding from the NHL Winter Classic
  • Creativity From the Idea Box

Click here to check out the January 2011 Newsletter and be sure to follow Brian Gainor on Twitter for additional sponsorship/marketing tactics throughout the month!

If you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please send an email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com. In the body of the email, please include your name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing. 

Texas Sports Entities Turn to Branded Tanker Trucks for the "Wow-Factor"

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A company called Frontier Mobile Media is creatively driving interest and excitement around three (3) Texas sports entities in a totally new way - tanker trucks. Frontier has created unique tanker wraps for Cowboys Stadium, Longhorns Energy, and Mustangs Energy, a move that has generated a lot of attention amongst fans of all ages.

The branded tanker trucks serve as mobile billboards that can peak the interest of fans on campus, inside the tailgate lots, and along the highway during the season. The tanker wraps are creatively designed, as the Cowboys Stadium tanker even features a call-to-action for fans to follow the venue on Facebook and Twitter (although it should include details of the Twitter handle and Facebook Fan Page domain). The tankers serve as a great tie-back for oil/energy sponsors to drive awareness of their affiliation with a sports entity.

Check out some photos of the branded tankers below:

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photography: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Cowboys Stadium

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photographer: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Texas Longhorns Energy (University of Texas Athletics)

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photographer: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Mustangs Energy (SMU Athletics)

  

Partnership Activation - February 2010 Newsletter

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Are you looking for the latest and great best practices in the sports marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to leverage corporate partners?

Take a moment to check out the new February 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to three (3) friends at work.

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

  • Sidewalk Challenges
  • Insights Into Using Augmented Reality
  • 27th Annual IEG Sponsorship Conference
  • 7 Tips for Bringing Your In-Venue Signage to Life for Consumers
  • Details on the UK Sports Network
  • The February 2010 Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
  • Sports Social Media Watch - Molson Canadian
  • Activation Tactics from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and 2010 NBA All-Star Game
  • 2010 Australian Open
  • Ways to Leverage an ESPN Partnership
  • Creative Activation Tactics

If you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please send an email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com. In the body of the email, please include your name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

Check out the February 2010 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

Partnership Activation - January 2010 Newsletter

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Are you looking for the latest and great best practices in the sports marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to leverage corporate partners?

Take a moment to check out the new January 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to four (4) friends in the industry.

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

  • Fan-Athlete Challenges
  • Non-Traditional Billboard Tactics
  • 27th Annual IEG Sponsorship Conference
  • Navigate Marketing's Take on the NY Jets Alcohol Ban
  • Details on Ron Seaver's Sponsorship E-Tips Newsletter
  • The January 2010 Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
  • 2009 Grey Cup
  • Ways to Leverage a T-Mobile Partnership
  • Creative Activation Tactics

If you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please send an email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com. In the body of the email, please include your name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

Check out the January 2010 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

Partnership Activation 2.0 - November Newsletter

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Are you looking for the latest and great best practices in the sports marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to leverage corporate partners?

Take a moment to check out the November 2009 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to three (3) new industry contacts who also may enjoy some of the insights shared in the newsletter.

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

  • Canstruction Events
  • Giving Meaning to Retail
  • Creating a Superstar Experience for Fans
  • Farmers Insurance Group Partnership Spotlight
  • Details on The Business of Sports Network
  • The November Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
  • 2009 NFL International Series Insights
  • Ways to Leverage a Corona Partnership
  • Creative Activation Tactics

Check out the November 2009 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

Also, this month, we are excited to announce a special Holiday offer from our partners at adidas Eyewear for 25% off retail prices. To take advantage of this special deal, log on to www.promotive.com and enter the code 057C-5FDD-DAED-F443 in the “have a code” box.  Once you enter the code, register and receive 25% off any pair of sunglasses you purchase!

*For those interested in subscribing/unsubscribing to the newsletter distribution list (who have not already done so), please send an email to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com and include "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Please also include your full name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

Nike Goes Outdoor to Promote New Harajuku Store

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Are you looking for new ways to celebrate a store/stadium grand opening? Are you looking for ways to drive awareness in the local community?

To celebrate the grand opening of its new store in Harajuku, Japan, Nike created a really fascinating mural display using a collection of pictures. Each night, a team of workers changed the images to drive awareness for the breadth of Nike's offerings and involvement in sports and entertainment. CoolHunting also recently did a feature on the store's unique shoe chandelier, shoe sole tiles, and spinning race numbers that hang from the ceiling (definitely worth checking out the link) 

Check out the way Nike executed the out-of-home campaign to support the store grand opening:

Looking to Sell More Pizza at Your Venue?

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Are you looking for new ways to leverage a corporate pizza partner? Are you searching for ways to drive concessions sales at your venue?

Donato's recently teamed up with Columbus-based Engauge and Clear Channel Outdoor to create a compelling outdoor billboard campaign in an effort to promote the chain's new hand-tossed pie. The pizza chain created a gigantic pizza billboard in downtown Columbus that created an illusion that steam was rising from the pizza (due to it being so hot and fresh).

How did they do it?

According to MediaLife Magazine, Clear Channel Outdoor and an independent contractor installed ducts in the billboard to emit steam. Afterwards, the parties positioned the giant pizza at a certain height on the billboard to create an illusion that the steam was rising from the pizza. The billboard released steam every minute during peak commuter hours in downtown Columbus.

Check out the creative billboard below. This would serve as an effective way for sports organizations to bring their pizza partners' static signage to life in-venue!

Source: PMQ.com

Use Billboards to Capitalize on Team Affinity...

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Are you looking for new ways to capitalize on team affiliation? Are you looking for creative tactics to promote a partnership in the local marketplace?

Brand managers looking to capitalize on team affinity should consider modeling the Dunkin' Donuts guerrilla billboard strategy detailed below. With more sports organizations turning to outdoor media to promote ticket sales, community initiatives, and re-branding initiatives, sponsors have a unique opportunity to drive affiliation awareness by leveraging neighboring billboards.

By simply using an arrow technique (as pictured below), sponsors and ambush marketers can imply association with sports organizations through outdoor billboards. The trouble is often the planning ahead of time (knowing where and when the team's billboards will go up) but most uncertainty can be limited by analyzing historical placement.

Sponsors can drive home team affiliation using a variety of messaging campaigns:

  • Great Teams (arrow pointing to team logo) Drink Great Beverages (arrow pointing to sponsor logo)
  • Go Big (arrow point to team sponsor logo) or Go Home (pointing to a competitor's logo who was recently eliminated from the playoffs)
  • The "Heavenly" Association
  • Great Team (arrow pointing to team logo), Great Beer
  • Fast Teams (arrow pointing to team logo) Drive Fast Cars (arrow pointing to sponsor logo)