Dale Jr. Sports 73,000 Names on His Hood at Talladega...

Are you looking for a way to personalize a promotional offer? Are you looking for a captivating way to drive web traffic?

In April, Amp Energy announced that it was offering a "Ride with Dale Jr." promotion that would enable fans to "ride along" with Dale around the track at the Talladega Speedway on October 5, 2008. The first 70,000 fans who entered a special code from the bottom of an Amp Energy drink would have their name featured on Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the race, which is sponsored by Amp Energy.

The most interesting part of the promotion is that consumers can actually go on to the promotional website and search for the exact place where their name will be positioned on Dale Jr.'s car.

The site features an interactive navigation tool that enables consumers to scroll through the 70,000+ names that will be featured on Dale Jr.'s ride. The site also features static lists of all of the names that will be featured on the car and on the Amp Energy Pit Wall.

Jim Gravlin, Hendrick Motorsports' graphics director, spent nearly 80 hours developing a stencil for the wrap by hand and then used a computer to place the names. The entire project took nearly 200 hours to complete and five (5) test trials to perfect. The 70,000+ names adorning the No. 88 Chevrolet in Talladgea were applied in 13 point font.

All consumers who entered by the July deadline would have their names featured either on the car or on pit road banners, the car cover, or other areas around track property. Half way through the promotional period, Amp posted a free Amp Energy passcode (DALEWINS) on the promotional website when Dale Jr. won the race at Michigan International Speedway.

Mars Offers Fans Unique SB Experiences...

Are you looking for ways to provide fans with unique experiences? Are you looking to create a promotion that offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Mars recently announced that it is offering a promotion that will reward one (1) lucky fan with the chance to fly to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV and celebrate on the field with the Super Bowl Champion during the post-game celebration. For a chance to win the sweepstakes, consumers must key in product UPC codes at BeOnTheField.com from Dec. 26, 2008 to Feb. 1, 2009. Mars brands participating in the promotion include Snickers, M&M's, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, and Twix.

Mars is also leveraging its Snickers brand to execute a "Live Your Super Bowl Fantasy" sweepstakes that will send seventeen (17) lucky consumers to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, FL. The sweepstakes, which will run nationally from September 7, 2008 to December 28, 2008, will reward fans with tickets and VIP hospitality for the big game. For a chance to win the sweepstakes, consumers must visit SNICKERS.com and submit a unique code that is featured on all single Snickers bars bearing the "Live Your Super Bowl Fantasy" logo. Snickers is using Michael Strahan to promote the sweepstakes.

Are You Capitalizing on the Penalty Box?

Are you looking for new ways to leverage the penalty box? Are you looking to create ownable destinations in-venue?

While many hockey players hate putting their team at a disadvantage while sitting in the penalty box, many fans would dream of such an opportunity. Hockey team representatives need to fully understand this demand and create promotions and ownable destinations built around the penalty box.

How? Enclosed below are some ideas:

I. Create a Penalty Box Promotion

• Colorado Eagles - The Colorado Eagles of the CHL collaborated with Accent Windows in 2004 to sponsor a penalty box promotion. Consumers could register for the chance to win two (2) tickets to a Colorado Eagles game, in which they had the opportunity to sit with the scorekeeper in the penalty box during the second period. Winners also received an autographed puck.
• San Antonio Dragons - The San Antonio Dragons (IHL, '96-'99) created a promotion where the team's mascot would scour the stands and haul an unsuspecting attendee who was being extremely quiet or wearing the opposing team's colors to a fan penalty box, sponsored by Miller Brewing, situated behind one of the goals.
• Nashville Predators - For a $100 donation to the Nashville Predators Foundation, fans may sit in the penalty box during the pre-game warmups (the Tampa Bay Lightning offer a similar experience for groups of 75)
• Columbus Blue Jackets - The Columbus Blue Jackets offer one (1) select reader of the Columbus Dispatch the chance to win two (2) tickets, the opportunity to sit in the penalty box during warmups, and an autographed hats for Heroes hat through the Dispatch Readers Rewards program.
• Atlanta Thrashers - The Atlanta Thrashers are offering a penalty box experience during a 2008 home game as part of the grand prize package of the Gas South Become One Sweepstakes.
• ODMHA - The Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association (ODMHA) is offering a Penalty Free Sweepstakes in 2008, rewarding amateur hockey teams who stay out of the penalty box. The sweepstakes, which has been implemented for 21 years, has 20 sponsors on board contributing over $100K in team prizes to teams that play a penalty-free game during the contest period

II. Offer a Penalty Box Suite (converted suite, area in the concourse) - Renovate a sponsored loge or suite to mirror a penalty box. Deliver incremental in-venue visibility for the sponsor by branding the penalty box and letting the persons seated within the penalty box eat/sample the sponsor's product for free (e.g. Miller Lite, Pepsi, Bojangles, Tim Hortons).

Sponsors could feature an "Ultimate Penalty Box area" in the concourse where four (4) select fans can sit in a replicate penalty box, watch the game, eat food/drink and receive special appearances from coaches/players pre-game, announcers/personalities in-game, and the media post-game. The fans sitting in the replicate penalty box could be featured on the video board every time there is a Power Play for the home team (PIP on the video board screen) 

III. Showcase a Penalty Box Photo Destination In the Concourse Level

Penalty Box with a Backdrop (featured at The Sports Museum of New England)

Penalty Box with a Greenscreen (featured at the NHL All-Star game in LA)

IV. Get Creative with Penalty Box Branding - Hockey teams and supporting partners have devised some very creative ways to use the penalty box as a marketing mechanism 

The Long Beach Ice Dogs (formerly of the ECHL) market a Bail Bondsman

The Columbus Blue Jackets market Tuffy with the slogan "That's a Tuffy"

The Nashville Predators use the penalty box to promote a Booze It & Lose It campaign

The Dallas Stars use the penalty box to market a healthcare partner

The St. Louis Blues use the penalty box to market The Parking Spot

V. Feature a Penalty Box Cam - In 2007, the Los Angeles Kings featured a "Penalty Box Cam" feature on the video board, showing gag videos of opposing players applying makeup, reading Oprah's magazine, doing their nails, using deoderant, eating doughnuts, taking naps, playing with Barbies, etc. after they had been sent to the penalty box. 

VI. Offer Photo Opportunities for Fans and Supporting Partners in the Penalty Box (Fan Christmas Cards, Thank You Cards to Supporting Partners)

VII. Showcase Products of Supporting Partners in the Penalty Box

VIII. Create premium items showcasing the penalty box (a bobblehead of the team's heavy hitter sitting in the penalty box)

The Georgia Lottery Rewards Falcons Fans...

Is your organization looking for new ways to leverage a lottery partner? Is your team looking for new ways to reward fans during halftime entertainment?

The Atlanta Falcons recently teamed up with the Georgia Lottery and Harley Davidson to offer its fanbase the chance to win a Harley Davidson scratch-off ticket as a complement to the Georgia Lottery's Harley Davidson Ultimate Ride Bonus Chance Promotion.

In an effort to promote its 15th anniversary, the Georgia Lottery created a limited edition Harley Davidson instant ticket that provided four (4) finalists with the chance to win a limited edition 105th anniversary Harley Davidson fatboy and a Harley Davidson Ford F-150 truck during halftime of a recent Atlanta Falcons game. 

Four (4) trucks with motorcycles on them were driven onto the field at halftime. Each contestant selected a key, and the contestant with the key that started a truck won the truck and a motorcycle. The Falcons split the Georgia Dome into four (4) sections (Gates A, B, C, D) with each Harley Davidson truck representing a gate. Fans seated in each of the respected sections could win a free Harley Davidson scratch-off ticket if the winning truck matched their gate letter. To redeem their ticket, fans just had to visit the Georgia Dome ticket windows between Gate A and Gate D after the game.

To drive awareness for the on-field contest, the Georgia Lottery featured an enormous Harley Davidson scratch-off ticket and a large number of Harley Davidson vehicles on the Georgia Dome turf. Each of the four (4) Georgia Lottery finalists won an opportunity to participate in the grand prize event, two (2) tickets to the Falcons game, a Harley Davidson merchandise prize package, and $250 in spending money.

Cubs Fans "Love Me Tenders"...

Each and every postseason there is one baseball element that captures the attention of sports fans everywhere... From Steve Bartman to the Rally Monkey, people love baseball and superstitions...

What happens to be this year's postseason frenzy? Well, it just happens to be tied to a promotional offer created by the produce company Love Me Tenders. Love Me Tenders is currently running a promotion offering a free "Love Me Tenders, the official chicken of the Cubs" t-shirt to all Cubs fans who purchase four (4) bags of Love Me Tenders and redeem their UPC's with an official redemption form. Love Me Tenders are sold at select stores in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.

The problem that Love Me Tenders is facing with its "Official Partner of the Chicago Cubs" designation, is that their promotional territorial rights are limited to the Chicagoland area. Love Me Tenders is currently not legally allowed to sell the t-shirts and are seeking help from folks in the industry on how they can escape the restrictions to satisfy the existing demand for the shirts amongst Cubs fans around the globe.

But how exactly did the shirts become such a phenomenon? Check out an excerpt of the history behind the frenzy in a great article written by Nick Zaccardi on MLB.com:

The Cubs have a "good-cluck" charm. It's a staple of the clubhouse, more popular than Carlos Zambrano's bobblehead collection. It's a gray cotton blend T-shirt that hangs in most lockers, resembling that rag you throw on when everything else is dirty.

"Love Me Tenders, the official chicken of the Cubs," the shirt reads in red and blue letters. Everybody who's anybody can be seen wearing it at press conferences, while working out or under their jerseys during games. Why is it so popular? Comfort.

"Everybody wears them, everybody loves them," said starting pitcher Jason Marquis, who requested a few extra Love Me Tenders shirts to wear in the offseason. "It just feels nice on your body when you wear it."

It all started with a Zambrano photo op in April.

"Carlos put it on and immediately said, 'Wow, these are fantastic. I want to keep this shirt,' and he started wearing it around the clubhouse," said Matthew Wszolek, the Cubs' director of sales and promotions. "Next thing you know, it's monkey see, monkey do."

The idea for the shirt hatched in a coed softball league. A team comprised of marketing personnel for Love Me Tenders decided on the design for uniforms as a way to get the word out for the young company.

Love Me Tenders became the official chicken of the Cubs this season, and employees wore the shirts during promotional giveaways at home games. Once Zambrano took a liking to it, others quickly followed.

"In a week, we had a roster in front of us with every player's size," said Michael Myers, managing director for the advertising agency InStadium, Inc. "Every player wanted a shirt. It was nuts. It was absolutely ridiculous. We were just laughing. It's a softball team shirt."

Derrek Lee wore it for a five-minute interview on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" in June. Lou Piniella had it on during a postgame press conference after being ejected against the Marlins on July 26. In August, Detroit Red Wings hockey star Chris Chelios requested one to wear while singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and Ryan Dempster hooked him up.

Opposing players are catching on, too. At the request of Adam LaRoche and Matt Capps, Marquis sent a couple of shirts to the Pirates. They'll just have to cover up that pesky Cubs logo.

Anybody can get a shirt by filling out a form on the company's Web site, lovemetenders.com, and mailing in four UPCs.

Myers' softball team won its league title, so he likes to say the shirt is 1-0 in championships. That record will be put to the test during the next month.

"The Cubs make their own luck, we're not claiming anything," Myers said. "What we do is make good chicken."

Nick Zaccardi is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

A Special Thanks to John Canaday of Banshee Music for his insider knowledge and contributions to this column.

Looking to Add Fan Entertainment Elements?

Are you looking for new ways to engage consumers during timeouts in play, concessions breaks, and pre-game/post-game periods? Are you looking for new ways to provide fan entertainment in your concourse levels?

The Milwaukee Brewers have done a tremendous job enhancing the fan experience at Miller Park with a multitude of entertainment elements:

• In-game entertainment (e.g. Klement's Sausage Race)
• Unique VIP sections (e.g. Mercedes-Benz Field Haus)
• Tailgating (unlike anywhere else in baseball)
• The Associated Bank Kids Zone, a new 8,000 sq. foot interactive entertainment area with activities for children located near the right field corner. The area, which opened in March 2008, includes a batting cage, pitching cage, and a number of other unique fan friendly elements:

"RACE TO FIRST BASE" SIMULATOR - The Brewers have created a unique entertainment feature that enables fans to feel like they are racing Corey Hart down the first base line.

"RACE THE SAUSAGES" SIMULATED GAME - An area where fans can race one another while pushing replica models of the Worlds Famous Klement's Racing Sausages.

"MAKE YOUR OWN BASEBALL CARD" STATION - The Brewers have created a feature within the concourse level where fans can create their own baseball cards for a nominal fee.

BERNIE BREWER SLIDE - Young Brewers fans can experience the rush that Bernie the Brewer feels sliding down his slide on a mini-setup in the Kids Zone.

UNIQUE "PHOTO OPP" AREAS - The Brewers dugout and a giant baseball glove.

SOURCE: All pictures included in this post were taken and featured on the 620 WTMJ website.

PepsiCo Challenges AB's Super Bowl Ads...

Do you have the skills to create a better Super Bowl commercial advertisement than Anheuser-Busch?

If so, you have a chance of winning $1MM from PepsiCo as part of their new promotional efforts to steal some of the limelight from Anheuser-Busch. PepsiCo is offering up the $1MM grand prize to anyone who can create a Super Bowl commercial for its Doritos tortilla chip brand that trumps all other advertisements in the USA Today's Super Bowl Ad Meter. Anhueser-Busch has walked away with the top Super Bowl spot the past ten (10) years. PepsiCo is hoping that the high stakes of its promotional efforts will not only place them atop the Super Bowl advertising rankings, but that it will deliver months of pre-game buzz leading up to the game's kickoff. 

In January, consumers will have the chance to choose the best consumer-generated ad from a group of five (5) finalists that will air during the Super Bowl. Regardless of the outcome, each of the five (5) finalists will still win $25K and a trip to the Super Bowl.

With :30 Super Bowl spots selling for $3MM (a 10% jump from the '08 SB contest), public relations and advertising executives say that winning the "pre-game buzz" battle is a critical way to offset the high costs of investment. For example, Nationwide Mutual Insurance claims to have received $23.3MM of free publicity from its '08 Super Bowl ad starring Kevin Federline.   

Source: The Wall Street Journal (PepsiCo Seeks to Raise Stakes on Super Bowl Ads)

Movie Promotion Asks University Bands to Battle It Out...

Are you leveraging your University/team's band to its fullest potential?  Are you looking for new ways to align sports and movie releases?

ESPN, Paramount, and Lucasfilm Ltd. have teamed up to offer "ESPN's Battle of the Bands and the Quest for Crystal" contest. The competition pits seven (7) of the nation's top marching bands against one another in a quest to see who can perform the best two (2) minute rendition of the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme song. Paramount and Lucasfilm Ltd. collaborated with ESPN to create the contest in support of the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull being released on Tuesday, October 14th.

Consumers are asked to watch each of the seven (7) performances on the promotional website on September 29th and vote on which unit performs the best act. The University band that registers the most votes by October 11th will win a $25,000 donation from Paramount and Lucasfilm Ltd.

All promotional participants will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a VIP trip to an ESPN Bowl Game of their choice or a copy of the new Indiana Jones DVD box set signed by Harrison Ford.

Paramount and Lucasfilm Ltd. collaborated with ESPN to create the contest in support of the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull being released on Tuesday, October 14th. Participating bands include: The University of Florida, the University of Texas, Louisiana State University, the University of Georgia, the University of Southern California, Clemson University, and Auburn University.

Check out the preview of the promotion below:

Capture Fan Interest Through Unique Coupons...

Are you looking to create a unique coupon distribution program that will drive consumers back to retail? Are you looking to differentiate your coupons/project starters in-venue?

Taco Bueno created unique in-venue coupon distribution programs to leverage its partnerships with the Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Dallas Mavericks. As demonstrated by the picture on the right, Taco Bueno created eye-popping coupons with catchy phrases in an effort to drive consumer interest and trial.

In addition, Taco Bueno has used a variety of in-game tactics to promote its distribution of free taco coupons:

• Texas Rangers - Taco Bueno offers a "Taco Time" feature during the fifth inning of Texas Ranger games to reward fans with free tacos
• Texas State University - Taco Bueno offers a "Magic Minute" promotion, where all fans in attendance can win a free taco if the Texas State Bobcats score in the last minute of the soccer game
• Dallas Mavericks - If the Mavericks score over 99 points, all fans in attendance win a free Taco Bueno taco
• Dallas Stars - All fans in attendance win a free taco if the Stars score three goals or more

Let The Fans Speak...

Have you considered new ways to incorporate fans into your team's broadcasts? Are you looking for additional ways to leverage media partners?

Sky Sports, a major media outlet in the United Kingdom, recently created the "Sky Sports FanZone", a program that enables die-hard soccer fans in the UK the opportunity to serve as live commentators for their favorite clubs. Sky Sports selects two (2) fans from opposing teams to voice their opinion on a live match each week. The selected contestants also are provided the opportunity to write pre-match blogs that are featured on SkySports.com as a build-up to their cameo appearances.

Clips and pictures of the commentator interaction are then featured during the broadcast, on the Sky Sports website, and on YouTube.com. To be eligible to win, consumers just have to fill out a simple application form online (or by emailing fanzone@skysports.com), explaining why they should be chosen for the contest. SkySports details on the FanZone webpage that contestants should be passionate, knowledgeable, talkative, funny, opinionated, confident, and positive-minded.

This would be an incredible feature to offer on Monday Night Football, TNT's coverage of NBA games, and/or Hockey Night in Canada... Give your fans a voice through an engaging platform!

Check out two (2) entertaining Sky Sports FanZone clips below: