Partnership Activation is an industry-leading resource showcasing sports marketing and sponsorship trends, insights, and best practices.
I posted a collection of clips in the Video Vault that detail the in-game fan experience at the University of Wisconsin. The eleven (11) UW videos that were posted are a "must see" for those with fan entertainment responsibilities!
Check out the videos here.
Note: To see other videos in the Video Vault (i.e. Athlete Entertainment, Pre-Game Introductions, etc.), click on a different number in the Page tab (listed at the bottom of each page).
I came across a great pre-game feature that took place at Marquette University when it hosted College Game Day. The on-court vignette featured three (3) blow up mascots (Stallion Iverson, Yao Flamingo, and Dennis Frogman) performing dance routines. The performance was geared strictly for students who entered the arena early. Simple, yet capturing entertainment that fans love! Check out the clip:
Prior to every home football game, Auburn features the War Eagle Flight, one of the best traditions in college football. "War Eagle", the battle cry and symbol of Auburn University, is brought to life each game when Auburn officials release the eagle, having it circle the stadium and land mid-field. The moment causes one of the most electric scenes in all of college football!
Check out the clip:
Background on the Eagle (as taken from Wikipedia):
Molly Wurdack of the Miami Dolphins informed me of an incredible promotion that Buick is offering consumers: the chance to have Tiger Woods serve as your caddy for nine (9) holes on the South Course of Torrey Pines!
For a chance to win the promotion, contestants must register on www.teeoffwithtiger.com and be able to predict Woods' score for all 72 holes of any of the tournaments he plays through the PGA Tour Championship. The person who correctly guesses the most holes for each event will win Woods' courtesy car and a plaque signed by Woods. Each of the ten closest contestants will then become eligible for the grand prize. Buick is also offering rewarding consumers who check out the Buick vehicle tours on the website with the chance to win $25 gift certificates to the PGA Tour Superstore or Nike Golf as instant prizes.
Buick will support its creative "Tee Off With Tiger" promotion with an ad campaign, print, online, and radio components. The automobile manufacturer is set to purchase a front-page buy in the Wall Street Journal on Friday and will have a presence on FoxSports.com, AOL.com, and Weather.com.
What do you consider a successful promotion? In most cases, a promotion's success is determined by whether or not it achieves its outset objectives (generating awareness, signups, brand affinity, etc.).
Chevrolet redefined "promotional success" with the Chevy Malibu Million Dollar Shootout, a promotion that recently occured during the Colorado Avalanche vs. Vancouver Canucks game on February 27th. The promotion, offering one (1) lucky contestant the chance to win $1 million dollars if he could shoot fifteen (15) pucks into a net from the opposite blue line in twenty-four (24) seconds. Prior to this taking place, the contestant and his/her friends have a chance to win up to four (4) Chevy Malibu cars.
Sounds like a great idea, but nothing out of the box. Why was this promotion so great? It was a national Canadian promotion (Chevy aligned with TSN Canada) that generated 8.6 million online registrations. That is astounding. Which must mean: Canadians love hockey, they love money, and hopefully for Chevy, they will love purchasing new Chevy Malibu's (we know how much they love Don Cherry and Tim Horton's).
In all, the promotion was executed to perfection (Well informed emcee who built excitement around the promotion, crowd involvement, engaged participants, and a strong tie-in of media coverage - televised live on TSN Canada and TSN HD).
But take eight (8) minutes to watch the promotion take place: http://broadband.tsn.ca/tsn/?vid=34702
I forgot to mention, the contestant, Darwin Head won! However, whether there was a winner or loser, the promotion was a HUGE success for Chevy and should serve as a benchmark for your promotions. FYI: The Chevrolet Malibu Million Dollar Shootout will return in 2009 at the IIFH World Junior Championship in Ottawa.
What drives fans crazy? Iconic brands.
Josh Hafer of the Columbus Blue Jackets recently described how the team has developed a unique way to leverage its partnership with Chipotle, a casual dining brand that has a cult following among Gen Y consumers.
Read more here.
The University of Texas has a great website geared to keep UT students in the loop with promotions, ticket information, and fan guides to Longhorn sporting events. The site provides members of Longhorn nation, known as the SOBs (Student Orange Bloods), up-to-date with information on student-specific promotions and sweepstake offers, season ticket details, and giveaways.
Read more here.
Alltel Wireless, America's largest wireless network, is returning in 2008 with its successful My Circle 500 sweepstakes promotion. Through the promotion, Alltel rewards ten (10) consumers with an all expenses paid trip to Charlotte, NC where they can compete in a go-kart skills competition against Ryan Newman's race team. In Charlotte, the ten (10) recipients will be eligible to win the sweepstakes' $500,000 grand prize. To be eligible for the promotion, fans either need to text RACE to 38229 or log onto ww.alltelracing.com.
Read more here.
Picture yourself walking around outside of an event... Have you ever asked yourself, "Is there a way to make money with those Port-O-Johns?" Highly doubtful. Well, there's money to be made out there. Have you ever considered pitching a toilet paper company?
When it comes to marketing the "bathroom experience", Charmin stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Read more here.
Papa Johns and Coke Zero recently announced a paired promotion, offering consumers the chance to win a trip to the NCAA Final Four (tickets, hotel, airfare). To be eligible to win, fans just have to log onto www.papajohns.com/hoops or text "HOOPS" to 47272 (4PAPA). It's as easy as that. The chances of winning? Well, Papa Johns expects to sell 10 million pizzas during the first two (2) weeks of the tournament... So the odds may be a long shot.
Read more about the promotion here.
Arby's returns in 2008 with its widely publicized "Matt's Monday" promotion, centered around the track success of NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth. Through the promotion, Arbys rewards consumers by giving away free medium Curly Fries the Monday following every NASCAR race that Matt Kenseth wins in '08, beginning with the Daytona 500. To redeem their free Curly Fries at a local Arby's retail location, fans must bring a printed copy of the official race results from the local newspaper or a website.
See the Promotions page for more information.
How do you turn a miserable "check-in line" experience at the airport into a positive one?
AirTran thinks it has the answer with a sex-meets-sports approach.
AirTran is currently providing passengers at LaGuardia Airport with their own personal pit crew of Danica Patrick look-a-likes when they are checking in.
Read more here.
When considering promotions and ticket sales, have you ever thought of tying fan incentives to the action on the playing field?
Well, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has done just that, creating the Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot. The speedway is offering free tickets to the 2009 LVMS race to 8,888 persons if Dale Jr. takes home the 2008 Sprint Cup title. The first 8,888 fans to renew their tickets for the 2009 LVMS race before the start of the Daytona 500 would be refunded their full ticket amount if Dale Jr. captures the title.
Read more here.
Darryl Dionne of the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA) recently informed me of a creative incentive-driving promotion north of the border. Pizza Pizza, a Canadian QSR chain, offered Blue Jays fans the opportunity to redeem their ticket stubs within 24 hours for a free slice of pizza anytime the team struck out seven (7) or more batters.Have you had an automobile sponsor looking to drive awareness for a new car model at your venue? Or a sponsor looking for a promotion that provides numerous impressions through an experiential means?
Chevrolet created an unconvential promotion in Great Britain to drive awareness for the Chevy Captiva. For more information, click here.
As a marketer, have you struggled to come up with promotions that stop consumers in their tracks? Have you ever considered using a Running Toilet (mirroring a streaker) to draw stadium eyeballs?
Denver Water used this strategy to come up with a creative, seamless promotion at a Colorado-Colorado State rivalry game (the company has also featured this promotion during an MLS Colorado Rapids game). To see the clip, click here.
Sports marketing professionals constantly hear about team executives who scour the stands to receive insights and feedback directly from their team's fans. Clearly, there is value in the stands... So why aren't marketers making better use of the special talents of their teams fans? Read More: http://partnershipactivation.squarespace.com/promotions/
The sports marketplace is cluttered. Who are we kidding? Can consumers really differentiate among team sponsors, radio sponsors, television sponsors... the list goes on? Sponsors are continuously looking for new ways to escape the clutter but are repeatedly being sold the same, stale assets by properties. There is a unique ambush/guerilla marketing tactic that can be used to drive brand awareness among large crowds at-venue. Read More at: http://partnershipactivation.squarespace.com/billboards-and-viral/
Creativity drives innovation... Innovation drives creative thoughts. While marketers are continuously looking for innovative ways to integrate their brands through sport, three (3) companies are leading the charge. All three have used their brainpower to develop unique promotional tactics to drive home messaging and provide incentives to consumers.
Read More: http://partnershipactivation.squarespace.com/promotions/
Partnership Activation is an industry-leading resource showcasing sports marketing and sponsorship trends, insights, and best practices.
“Build partnerships, not sponsorships.”
Cover Photos Courtesy of Woolenium, SMBuckley23, and Striatic
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