Partnership Activation is an industry-leading resource showcasing sports marketing and sponsorship trends, insights, and best practices.
Under Armour does a tremendous job leveraging its partnership with the Baltimore Ravens in-game with an engaging scoreboard feature. The catchy vignette has become a hit with fans attending the team's games at M&T Bank Stadium.
Check it out below:
There's no question that Pepsi's "Refresh Project" has been an astounding success since it was launched in 2009. The initiative has impacted and inspired the lives of many as Pepsi has donated millions of dollars to fund great ideas to make communities around North America a better place.
From a promotional standpoint, the platform has proven to be terrific for Pepsi on all fronts as it's easily applicable to all of Pepsi's touch points, including team and league partnerships. Pepsi recently teamed up the Canadian Football League and eight (8) CFL players (each representing a different team) to create a captivating campaign that features each of the players competing for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to support an idea that makes a positive change in their community.
The CFL Challenge initiative, which runs through Wednesday, November 24th, encourages CFL fans to vote for their favorite players' campaigns in a head-to-head competition that will decide who will win the $50,000 grant. The initiative allows notable CFL players to work hard off the field for a good cause and leverage the support of their avid fan base - a "win-win" for all parties involved.
Here is a quick breakdown of the campaigns each of the CFL players are supporting:
Check out the initiative below:
The San Diego Chargers have teamed up with Motorola to create an interesting "Tweet the Headline" promotion for fans. Motorola is giving away an H17 Bluetooth headset to the Chargers fan who tweets out the best 100-character headline using the hashtag #motoheadline following each Chargers game.
Each week, one submission will be selected to headline a story on the Chargers official website, Chargers.com, and will be featured on the Chargers' official Facebook and Twitter pages. The promotion is terrific because it is a simple, yet effective way to engage fans and incorporate partners via social media.
Sports organizations looking for new ways to attract and engage mid-sized groups of fans during games should take a close look at a program the Sacramento Kings are offering during the 2010-11 NBA season.
The Kings organization has created a special section, located just feet from the court near the baseline, that rewards fans based on how many three-pointers the team converts during games. The section, entitled the "Courtside Corner 3-Point Party", allows a group of fans seated in a 14-seat section to receive a $20 Kings Team Store Voucher (good with any $50+ purchase) for each three-pointer the team makes during a game. The group also receives a $200 food and beverage credit to be used for in-seat service thoughout the game.
The group receives a special three-point marker that will draw the attention of fans throughout the arena every time the team scores a basket from behind the arc and is guaranteed to be featured on KingsVision each game.
The best part about the section is the fact that if the Kings convert 14 or more three-point shots, everyone in the group gets their money back! One (1) group of (14) fans can sign up to sit in the Courtside Corner 3-Point Party each game by calling 1-888-91-KINGS or visit Kings.com/courtsidecorner. No information was disclosed pertaining to the actual cost of group ticket prices to "own" the section.
In case you were wondering...
In college athletics, there's no question that student sections define the overall fan experience. From traditional chants to trash talking the opposition, student sections can change the momentum of a game in a split second.
University athletic departments looking to establish an avid student fanbase should take a close look at the student experience at University of Wisconsin home football games, held at Camp Randall. While the experience is traditionally known for the "Jump Around" segment between the 3rd and 4th quarters, there is much, much more to the student experience. From traditional chants to starting different versions of the wave, the students are in control in Madison.
One of the most unique, engaging tactics the Athletic Department offers during games is a Student Section Race that is held just prior to the "Jump Around" segment between the 3rd and 4th quarter. The Student Section Race features seven letters, representing each of the different student sections, competing in a head-to-head 100-yard dash on the jumbotron. The spot electrifies all of the students in attendance and serves as the perfect precursor for "Jump Around".
The following two videos don't do the spot justice but provide a nice look at the scoreboard feature. Enjoy!
Nationwide Insurance, the Exclusive Insurance Provider of the Cincinnati Bengals, is leveraging its team partnership with an innovative promotion designed to engage the Bengals fanbase. The initiative, entitled the "World's Greatest Growl in the World", allows fans to perform a :30 karaoke version of the Bengals touchdown song for the chance to be featured on the Bengals website and an ultimate Grand Prize of $25,000.
Each week, fans who submit videos can win co-branded items, tickets, and autographed merchandise for participating and the ten (10) best entries will be featured on Bengals.com/Nationwide. Fans can then log in and vote daily for their favorite performance among the entries submitted (thus, both performers and voters become active leads for Nationwide). Fans who submit their favorite clips even have the ability to share them with family and friends via email.
Nationwide's "The World's Greatest Growl in the World" promotion has been extremely well received by Bengals fans thus far. Fans loved performing :30 karaoke versions at the Bengals home opener and traffic to the website has been very active in the early weeks of the promotion. Nationwide will also be leveraging its partnership with the Bengals by offering free ferry rides to Bengals games for all fans on a co-branded ferry (another great idea!).
The Bengals feature a collection of fan videos on Bengals.com/Nationwide. There are some classic performances that are worth checking out!
As featured on Wouter de Jonckheere's blog, Belgian soccer club Cercle Bruges is currently running a tremendous promotion that enables children from 216 participating schools to create and submit a jersey design for the team.
Cercle Bruges is offering to wear the winning jersey for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, which will draw plenty of interest and attention to the winning design. The only paramaters given to the student participants was that the submitted jersey designs must be green and black (representing the team's colors) and feature the names and team logo in a very visible fashion.
Cercle Bruges executed a similar promotional initiative in 2007 that proved to be very popular amongst the team's young fanbase and the local community. On November 15th, the team is expected to have a panel of judges, representing fashion and design, the team's outfitter, and some members of the organization choose the winning entry.
Thank you for coming to check out PartnershipActivation.com. I am excited to share with you the new September 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter.
I hope you enjoy all of the great content included in this month's issue and want to thank you for your support and willingness to help spread the word about Partnership Activation amongst your friends and colleagues in the industry.
This month's newsletter features a collection of insights, including:
Click here to check out the September 2010 Newsletter now and be sure to also join the Official Partnership Activation - Users Connect! LinkedIn Group today!
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.
If you enjoyed the September 2010 Issue, you may also be interested in:
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:
The San Diego Padres are teaming up with Lucas Films this Friday, September 24th to host a truly memorable night at the ballpark for San Diego Padres fans that are Star Wars enthusiasts and many more. The team is hosting Star Wars: The Clone Wars night at the game and will be offering plenty of entertainment for fans to enjoy, including:
The event will bring Padres and Star Wars junkies together under the lights at Petco Park for a night of great entertainment. Fans interested in attending can purchase tickets online for the special night, which includes a sleepover here: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/ticketing/sleepover.jsp
Comcast has teamed up with NFL Network to offer fans nationwide a chance to win a truly unforgettable backstage experience. Comcast recently unveiled the "Ultimate NFL Network Backstage Pass" sweepstakes, which allows consumers an opportunity to win an incredible grand prize that includes:
Fans can enter to win the sweepstakes at MostLiveSports.com/NFLBackstagePass. As part of the sweepstakes, Comcast will also be giving away autographed football jerseys, baseballs, basketballs, collectors helmets and more!
Over the past few years, Home Depot has brought its partnership with the Atlanta Braves to life with an engaging tool race during games. The race features four (4) Home Depot tools - a hammer, saw, paint brush, and a drill - competing head-to-head in a race around the warning track. The Braves now drive excitement around the initiative by accompanying season long stats of tool performance and aligning fan contestants representing each tool.
It is rumored that "Two Bit", the Home Depot drill that competes in the race, NEVER wins but here is proof that it did happen once in 2009.
Here is a great compilation of some other on-field races featured at baseball stadiums across the country.
Over the years, Journey has proven to be a "go-to" music choice for sports organizations looking to enhance their game entertainment and drive fan excitement. There is just something about Journey's music that gets fans going.
Just see for yourself. During the 8th inning of Los Angeles Dodgers games, the team calls on Jameson Moss, a talented season ticket holder to perform a unique dance rendition of the famous Journey song title, "Don't Stop Believing" on the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium. Take a quick moment to check it out and enjoy!
The Arizona Diamondbacks are taking their game entertainment to the next level with the introduction of a new Legends Race initiative that celebrates four of the team's All-Star players from the past. The team's new entertainment tactic, sponsored by Henkel North America, serves as a great way of how sports properties can take a general concept and customize it to make it their own.
When the team unveiled the Racing Legends for the first time on Friday, four costumed employees with oversized heads standing 10-feet-tall represented former Diamondbacks' players Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, and Mark Grace. The race, won on the first night by Randy Johnson, will occur between the 5th and 6th inning of every Diamondbacks game for the rest of year and beyond. But the first race was not without conflict as depicted by the picture that shows Manny Ramirez throwing a towel at Mark Grace in the race.
Henkel will use the characters to help promote its Dial soap, Renuzit air freshner, Right Guard deodorant, and Purex detergent brands. It is not known what type of agreement the team has with the former players to leverage their name and linkeness in the promotion.
Racing Legends initiative will surely become a hit with fans in Phoenix, sportscasters on Sportscenter, and players across the league. Check it out below:
Courtesy: @VinceMarotta
For more information, check out a great story on the tactic on AZCentral.com here.
Kia Motors and the Atlanta Falcons are teaming up to leverage their partnership in an unbelievable way in 2010 that truly benefits fans. The two parties are collaborating on a limited time offer that enables fans who purchase a new Kia at a participating Georgia Kia dealership to receive (2) tickets to every Atlanta Falcons home game!
To qualify, fans must complete a purchase or lease of a 2009, 2010, or 2011 Kia brand vehicle at (1) of (9) participating Kia dealerships in Georgia between July 1st and August 31st. Each person who makes a purchase will receive (2) tickets to every Falcons game during the 2010 season while supplies list.
Check out the terrific promotion on the Falcons' website here.
Sports organizations looking for new ways to reward fans attending their games should consider creating "moments of opportunity" for fans. These moments, driven by corporate partner-led promotions, are terrific because they can generate excitement during dull moments in the action and can occur at any point during the game.
As teams look for new ways to generate interest and excitement amongst fans, more are turning to these type of rewarding moments. As an example, check out a "Bud Light Quench Time" promotion recently offered by the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. The Steelheads identified a three (3) minute period in the game where if the team scored, all fans in attendance would be treated to a discounted price on Anheuser-Busch products for the rest of the game.
Are you looking for new ways to engage your fan base?
Nike is capitalizing on the buzz leading up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by offering a "Inspire the Boot" promotion that offers fans a chance to have their favorite personal messages stitched on the boots of the world's greatest players throughout the tournament.
Nike created a microsite and Facebook application to support the campaign, which gives fans a unique chance to inspire soccer stars Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole. Nike gave consumers the chance to submit their favorite 12-character entries online until May 18th before the winning inspirational slogans are selected. The winning boots will be unveiled at NikeTown London and will be on tour throughout the World Cup in South Africa. An unbelievable offer!
Check out Nike's "Inspire the Boot" online promotional campaign below:
Are you looking for new ways to entertain fans between innings?
Best Buy features a very entertaining video board segment in between innings at the new Yankee Stadium that challenges the memory skills of fans. Best Buy features a "Match Game" vignette that tasks one (1) select Yankee fan with memorizing which Yankee player was featured twice behind a series of tiles that resembles the Brady Bunch.
The feature would serve as a terrific way for teams to promote:
Consider new ways that you can bring your events to life for fans outside the lines!
Are you looking for new ways to attract and reward your social media followers? Are you looking for ways to capitalize on social media in the sports marketplace?
Considered leaders in the sports technology/social media space, the San Francisco Giants recently continud their charge by hosting a terrific first official SFGiants Tweetup. The team collaborated closely with Twitter and Room to Read to put on the exclusive event, offering the team's avid social media followers an opportunity to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at AT&T Park.
For just $20, the team offered 600 fans a chance to attend a game, receive a limited edition "@sfgiants follow us" t-shirt, listen to a host of influential guest speakers, and enjoy exclusive access into the new Triples Alley space, a behind-the-scenes lounge area of AT&T Park that is not open to the general public. The team promoted the event via Twitter using the hashtag #SFGTweetup.
The Giants entertained their Twitter guests in attendance with a terrific panel of speakers, including:
The event also featured a surprise guest, @Jack, Co-Founder of Twitter and the CEO of Square, who spoke about his new product, a revolutionary new tool that allows you to accept credit card payments via a 'square' device that plugs into your headphone jack to your iPhone.
The event turned out to be a huge success for the team:
Check out some photos of the event below:
Check out the Official Event Invitation below:
A special thanks to Garrett McManus of the San Francisco Giants for his insights and contributions to this column!
Are you looking for new ways to deliver added value for fans on bobblehead night? Are you looking to enhance your in-game entertainment during promotional nights?
Teams looking for new ways to bring their bobblehead nights to life for fans should consider benchmarking a life-sized game of bobblehead soccer that Allstate featured at a Mexican National Team game a year ago. The game featured a head-to-head match between life-sized bobblehead characters resembling actual team players that proved to be a hit with the crowd.
While the fixed costs for said promotional entertainment may be a little steep, if teams can break out the cost of the entertainment over the course of a season when they host several bobblehead nights, it may seem a lot more reasonable. Plus, teams can use it as a vehicle to promote upcoming giveaway nights (if X character scores, the team advertises his upcoming bobblehead night on the video board or if X character scores, all fans in attendance can win a free accessory for their bobblehead).
Look for new ways to take your bobblehead nights to the next level before they become stale to fans... Hopefully this concept will spark an idea of how you can breathe some new life into your promotional nights!
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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