Standard Chartered Goes the Extra Mile to Introduce Their Jersey Sponsorship to Liverpool Fans

Brands looking for ways to fully capitalize on jersey naming rights agreements should take a close look at how Standard Chartered Bank leveraged their official partnership with Liverpool FC in 2010.

After signing a 4 years, 80 million pounds agreement to become the official jersey sponsor of Liverpool FC, the brand invested in several key initiatives to demonstrate to fans that they were not just looking to align themselves to drive their marketing efforts.

Standard Chartered Bank conveyed their commitment to the Liverpool club and it's fanbase through several impactful tactics, including:

• Replacing their name on the Liverpool jersey for the first game with the names of Liverpool's longest season ticket holders
• Standard Chartered Bank then arranged to have each of the players (who wore jerseys with the names of different fans) sign the jerseys they wore and personally deliver it to the fans
• Standard Chartered Bank then held a ceremony where they interviewed the fan and player participants  
• Standard Chartered Bank also promoted their partnership affiliation and demonstrated support for Liverpool's loyal fanbase with bus shelter OOH displays, print ads, and more

Axe Teams Up with Larissa Riquelme to Generate Buzz in Soccer

During the 2010 World Cup, Axe partnered with Larissa Riquelme, an iconic Paraguayan model who is well recognized by soccer fans across the world. Axe and Riquelme teamed up on a simple guerrilla marketing strategy that helped the brand cut through the clutter and generate $2M value of media impressions.

Check out the campaign below and consider ways that your brand can use recognizable fans celebrities associated with sports (outside of players, coaches, and alums) to generate buzz in unconventional ways!

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! 

Toronto FC and adidas Let Fans Design the 2012 Team Kit

Sports organizations looking for new ways to leverage apparel providers should closely monitor a new promotion that adidas and Toronto FC have teamed up to offer the team's fans in Ontario. The two parties are allowing the team's followers an opportunity to design the 2012 supporters kit (team uniform) for the chance to win the first official 2012 kit prototype, signed by the entire Toronto FC squad.

The promotion is very engaging because it allows fans to create their own design based on their stylistic interests yet it's offered in a relatively controlled manner on the official "Create Your Kit" microsite. Toronto FC fans living in Ontario have been very receptive to the initiative, with 4,000+ fans submitting their favorite designs in less than 48 hours since the site's launch on October 26th (the promotion runs through November 22nd).

Take a moment to check out the site's design and page elements below:

UniCredit Gives UEFA Fans a Tour of a Lifetime

UniCredit and UEFA have teamed up to create an incredible UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour that will span (5) European cities from September 15th through October 17th. The tour features the UEFA Trophy traveling in a glass case on a bed of a semi for all onlookers to see.

The UniCredit UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour allows fans to have their picture taken with European soccer's most prized possession, experience a meet-n-greet with famous players, and enjoy plenty of soccer activities. In 2009, the trophy tour attracted 90,000+ fans.

The 2010 UniCredit UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour will travel to Munich, Prague, Warsaw, Bratislava, and Vienna. The tour vehicle will also make stopovers in various cities en route to each of the destinations, allowing soccer enthusiasts throughout Europe to see the trophy. UEFA will use the tour to promote its services, key values, and fair play.

One of the most impressive aspects of the tour (outside of the semi display), is the tour's interactive webpage, which is definitely worth a look.

Here is a quick video of the UEFA Trophy arriving at one of its destinations in grand fashion:

   

SL Benfica Uses a Pitch Invasion to Drive Awareness

Brands looking for new ways to capture the attention of thousands of fans in-venue and a multitude of others watching at home should take a close look at the following video, which showcases how SL Benfica, a Portugal banking institution, leveraged fans streaking to drive awareness for their brand.

While streaking (referred to as a pitch invasion in the spot) is commonly frowned upon in the United States and abroad, SL Benfica worked with the appropriate stakeholders (Portugese Football Federation, participating teams, actors, police, etc.) to create a special on-field moment that resonated with fans. While the correlated figures seem a little extraordinary, it was a terrific concept that was well executed during the match.

Check out the spot below:

Castrol Creates the Ultimate Kicking Machine

Are you looking for new ways to integrate technological advancements and sports? Are you searching for ways to incorporate non-traditional partners?

As soccer fans gear up for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, BP Castrol Japan is drawing a significant amount of buzz after creating a kicking machine that can kick a soccer ball 200+ kilometers per hour. BP Castrol Japan is leveraging the machine by offering a "Win a Trip to Challenge Ronaldo" promotion where fans from select countries can enter online for a chance to battle Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's most powerful shooters, in a head-to-head soccer kick competition.

Castrol signed a six-year agreement in June of 2008 to be an Official FIFA World Cup Sponsor after successfully deriving value out of the Castrol Index, an innovation it created in support of the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. 

Watch the kicking machine in action below:

Volkswagen Sponsors... The Russians?

Are you looking for ways that companies have crossed the line in the sponsorship world? Are you looking for instances where brands went against the norm with their sponsorships?

The video below details how Volkswagen (German for "the people's wagon") recently sponsored the Russian national soccer team... in a recent FIFA 2010 Qualifier against the Germans. The highly controversial sponsorship drew a significant amount of media buzz.