The University of South Carolina Brings Signage to Life for Fans...

Are you looking for new ways to make your messaging relevant with fans?

Try experimenting with making your signage "real time". Eric Nichols and his group at theUniversity of South Carolina created a unique billboard countdown campaign using digital technology to promote the start of the Gamecocks' men's basketball season. To drive fan awareness and excitement just prior to the season, Nichols' group displayed an outdoor digital billboard in Columbia, South Carolina that featured a countdown until the season's tipoff. The principle of using a countdown clock, an element commonly used on team webpages, serves as an effective awareness driver for fans.

The basketball themed billboard served as a great way for the USC athletic department to cut through the clutter of the ongoing SEC football season and remind fans that another great season of Gamecocks basketball was right around the corner. Check out how Eric's team used digital billboard messaging to illustrate the countdown:

Billboard of the Week - Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola created a great billboard campaignthat resonates well with University of Georgia fans in the Athens, GA marketplace:

Note: Copyright: D Nelson 2008 (Athens, GA - Clarke, County).

What Happens When Michael Jordan Takes on a CEO in a Game of Hoops?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see Michael Jordan battle some of the world's greatest businessmen in a game of basketball?

The Wall Street Journal recently released a great piece of footage from 2003 that shows Michael Jordan trying to teach Ariel Investments CEO and Chairman John Rogers a thing or two about basketball... the only problem is that Rogers actually is the one whotakes Jordan to school.

Check it out below:

In sports business today, we repeatedly see companies spending large sums of dollars to align with the world's greatest athletes. Will we soon see similar viral pieces emerge on the web of athletes performing in 1-on-1 competitions with representatives from sponsoring partners? Tiger Woods playing a round of golf for an extra $50K? Probably not, but it would make for some great, authentic viral awareness!

A special thanks to Kynon Codrington of ESPNRise.comfor passing this piece along...

New Adidas Soccer Viral...

Are you looking to create a unique in-game vignette? Are you looking to demonstrate athletes doing unusual stunts?

Adidas recently released a viral clip of Liverpool star Steven Gerrard kicking soccer balls at clay pigeons onat the team'straining ground. The viral was created by Adidas to promote thecompany's line ofPredator soccer cleats.

 Adidas also recently released a Michael Ballack stunt gone bad... on purpose?

VitaminWater Introduces You to the Real Steve Nash...

VitaminWater recently launched a new campaign starring Steve Nash... The ads, a farcry from traditional athlete endorsementpieces,do a great job capturing Nash's humorous personality... Check out theviral adsbelow - they are probably unlike anything that you have ever seen before!

Capitalize on Billboard Creativity...

Are you looking for non-traditional ways to market your brand/property via billboards? Are you looking to implement signage that will drive the attention of consumers?

Here are seven (7) creative billboards that recently hit the streets:

TexasStars - TheTexas Starscreated an incredible billboard campaign to promote the launch of their AHL franchise in 2009... Check out the team's new webpage here.

Miller Lite- Miller Lite created an out-of-the-box billboard in Columbus, OH that effectively draws consumer eyeballs... Hopefully sports business professionals will begin implementing similar billboard concepts in-venue to escape stadium clutter!

McDonalds - Professional/collegiate organizations should look to mirror a recent McDonalds branding strategy to drive awareness for discounted ticket offerings. A billboard with, "Live Basketball. Less Bucks." or "More Basketball. Less Bucks." would serve as great ways to position discounted tickets in the minds of consumers. Properties can support the messaging with a creative URL (i.e. BucksBasketballForLess.com) and a captivating picture to drive consumer interest.

Philadelphia Phillies - Numerous companies/media outlets created unique billboard campaigns to support/salute the Philadelphia Phillies during the postseason.

Bahrain Bay - Bahrain Bay created a captivating billboard to promote its Formula 1 racing events. It would be great to see a NASCAR sponsor create a similar advertising platform at racetracks around the country (either supporting their sponsored driver or promoting their brand through a reflection in the driver's helmet)...

Washington Wizards- TheWashington Wizardsrecently hit the streets witha branding campaign that promotes their organization's community-based inititatives. The Wizards' billboard campaign serves as a great benchmark for organizations looking to demonstrate to their loyalty and support for the local community!

New Nike Viral - Use Messaging to Tell a Story...

Does your brand messaging tell a story?

Nike does a tremendous job painting a portrait of the lives of Ladanian Tomlison and Troy Polamalu in its most recent "Leave Nothing" viral piece entitled "Fate". The clip depicts how it was fate that the two (2) athletes would meet in the NFL, and does an excellent job showing how they grew up with Nike while entering different stages of their lives. Check it out below!

Notre Dame Soccer Drives Buzz With Skills Video...

Is your brand/organization looking to enter the viral space to promote its upcoming season?

The Notre Dame men's soccer team created a very cool (yet cost effective) viral clip to promote its 2008 soccer season. Members of the team videotaped themselves performing cool soccer tricks and stunts. The 2:04 clip was posted on YouTube in early August as a way to drive some national buzz about their talents, etc. It's only a matter of time before we see more tech-savvy student athletes creating similar "highlight" videos...Check it out below:

Looking to Create Content Without Rights to Marks?

Are you challenged with aligning your brand to a sports property, despite owning any proprietary rights? Are you looking for creative ways to derive entertainment in the sports space?

Carlsberg created a unique soccer campaign in 2006 that demonstrates a squirrel's soccer abilities after drinking some Carlsberg. The clip does a great job of integrating humor and sport and proved to be extremely popular with consumers despite Carlsberg's lack of affiliation with any sports properties.

Check out the clip below:

ESPN Amplifies Its Outdoor Branding...

Are you looking for an out-of-the-box outdoor branding idea?

In an effort to promote its 'Is it Monday Yet?' campaign, ESPN posted hundreds of turf-like branded mats in bus shelters and outdoor areas across the nation. Each of the branded mats featured a different football-related phrase, such as "T.G.I.M.N.F"., "Sack Monday's Doldrums", and "Stiff-Arm Monday's Suckery".

The outdoor branding campaign proved to be extremely popular... but actually too popular with fans. The issue? Consumers loved the turf-like mats so much that they started stealing them. Within the first week of the campaign, nearly 10% of the outdoor ads in New York City had been stolen (20 of 205). Thefts also occurred in Boston (3), Chicago (6), San Francisco (2), and Washington D.C. (5) despite the fact that some of the outdoor ads are 72"H x 96"W in size.

As a result, ESPN has temporarily halted the installation of more turf-like branded mats in major cities around the nation. While turf-like mat branding proved "too popular" for ESPN's tastes, it definitely is a promotional item that football teams (and other sports teams playing on turf) can consider creating to distribute to their supporting partners and select season ticket holders.