The Thunder Create The Blue Alliance to Drive Fan Engagement

The Oklahoma City Thunder teamed up with Old Hat Creative to create a brilliant online and community fan engagement strategy - The Thunder Blue Alliance - that allows fans from all areas of Oklahoma to become team ambassadors for their communities.

Fans interested in participating in the Blue Alliance initiative simply have to:

  • Log on to the official Blue Alliance landing page
  • View an interactive map of the state of Oklahoma and click on a flag that designates the area of the state that they live in (or apply to represent their city)
  • Submit their testimonial video or photos and an essay telling the Thunder why they would be a great Blue Alliance Captain for their home town  

Once fans are selected as Blue Alliance Captains, they are tasked with representing the team in their hometown via:

  • Organizing team watch parties
  • Monitoring a Facebook community page (each fan club area of the state is provided a Facebook community page)
  • Assist with local team-oriented promotional initiatives
  • Communicate with fellow members

Blue Alliance Captains receive a number of perks for representing their hometown, including:

  • Welcome letter
  • Game ticket voucher
  • Personalized Thunder ID card
  • Thunder yard flag and pole flag
  • License plate frame
  • Embroidered Blue Alliance polo
  • Opportunity to attend semi-annual Blue Alliance meetings and special events

The Thunder Blue Alliance has been rolled out in a two (2) phase strategy, with the first phase generating a tremendous response from fans looking for new ways to engage with the team, demonstrate their avidity, and take a leadership role in their community. The platform's strategic use of Facebook groups allows it to be easily manageable for team stakeholders, community leaders, and participants.

Looking for more teams to roll out similar platforms to engage fans statewide, nationwide, and across the globe!

   

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.