Iowa Athletics Turns to a Card Stunt to Promote ANF Day Celebration

The University of Iowa Athletics Department recently teamed up with the Iowa Farm Bureau to pull off a spectacular stadium card stunt display in celebration of America Needs Farmers (ANF) Day at Kinnick Stadium.

Prior to kickoff of a recent Iowa-Northwestern football game, four grandstands of Hawkeyes fans at Kinnick Stadium held up cards on cue to deliver some impactful messages to 70,000 fans inside the stadium and a national television audience on Big Ten Network.

The impressive stadium card stunt display served as an effective way to drive awareness for the America Needs Farmers movement nationwide and creatively unite a stadium full of football fans. The University of Iowa Athletics Department captured the action on several cameras, including one on a time lapse setting that provides a remarkable viewpoint of the activation.

Check out the card stunts below and consider ways that your organization can leverage similar stunts to drive awareness for brands and cause marketing efforts!

Video of the Card Stunt Display

Time Lapse of the Card Stunt Display

www.bigtennetwork.com Card stunt before the Iowa game against Northwestern during the National Anthem.

Time lapse of Kinnick stadium during Iowa's Black and Gold Spirit game against Northwestern Saturday, October 15, 2011 in Iowa City, Iowa. The game also featured a card stunt during and after the National Anthem. (Brian Ray/SourceMedia Group News)

Additional ANF Branding and Activation on Game Day

Photos of the American Needs Farmer (ANF) day at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. - created at http://animoto.com

A special thanks to Craig Decker of Virginia Sports Properties for his insights and contributions to this column!

Borussia Dortmund Celebrates the Champions League with an Impressive Fan Display

In recent years, it's become a common practice for teams to invest time and resources into creating elaborate pre-game ceremonial displays. Teams are working harder now than ever before to pull off card stunts, flyovers, flag displays, and more to elevate the game experience for fans.

Fans of the soccer club Borussia Dortmund recently put on an extremely impressive display prior to a Champions League match against Arsenal. The match, held at Emirates Stadium, featured a large section of fans seated in a wing of the stadium performing a massive card stunt, highlighted by an image of a crown being lifted into the air above the stands and overlooking the playing field.

The pre-game ceremony was truly special. Take a look at how the team pulled it off below:

Choreo zum 1. Spieltag in der Champions League! Kritik, wie immer, an videos@the-unity.de

It would be interesting to see teams adopt this ceremonial tactic to promote corporate partners (showcasing their logos above the stands/playing field), athletes and their individual brands (think of the Miami Heat raising a crown in the air to promote LeBron "King" James), and new team kits/uniforms.

Look for more sports organizations to benchmark these tactics in the future!

Hertha BSC Uses Stadium Choreography to Unite Their Fanbase

The loyal supporters of Hertha BSC, a German soccer club competing in the Bundesliga, recently displayed a tremendous choreographed performance in the stands at Olympic Stadium.

Fans seated in a block of fourteen sections (behind one goal) performed a card stunt and created a terrific illusion by raising a giant cutout of a hand holding the team's flag into the sky. The way the choreographed stunt was performed, it appears that the flag is floating in mid-air while thousands in attendance chant the team's anthem. 

Check out the impressive stadium stunt below: