Billboard of the Week - Nike, Lebron and Kobe

Are you looking to create a store billboard that captures consumer awareness in the local marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to showcase the world's greatest athletes?

Buzz is circulating around Nike's retail location in Fort Bonaficio after the company erected a giant billboard featuring Lebron James and Kobe Bryant above the store's entrance. The billboard shows the two (2) NBA stars appearing to back one another down (a great visual).

The popularity of Nike's "large" billboard investment reflects the support and excitement surrounding the NBA in the Philippines and other regions in the Far East.

Source: Flickr photos courtesy of Daniel_isBORED

The Aussies Keep Producing Soccer Viral Hits...

Are you looking to create captivating viral campaigns to promote an upcoming match? Are you looking to offer original, entertaining content to fans?

Over the past few months, the Football Federation Australia (FFA) has generated a tremendous amount of online buzz with the creation of some fictional soccer viral pieces that tout their upcoming opponents. The FFA's first viral feature profiled what-appeared-to-be the Uzbekistan soccer club being subject to extreme training methods to get consumers across Australia interested in the match.

The FFA recently released a second soccer viral piece - this time showcasing what-appears-to-be the amazing skills of a Bahrainian goalkeeper. The piece does a tremendous job showcasing how product placement can be woven into viral marketing (it is with hope that the FFA had worked out an agreement with Land Rover to prominently feature one of its vehicles in the ad). Check out the clip below:

Ticketek, Australia and New Zealand's largest sports and entertainment ticketing company, recently capitalized on the soccer viral craze in Australia by creating a viral feature of their own. Ticketek created a piece that showcases the Japan soccer team displaying heroic skills in Japanese television show format. The piece was created by Ticketek in an effort to drive ticket sales for the upcoming June 17th World Cup Qualifier match between Japan and Australia. The feature is another great example of a soccer viral piece - check it out below:

A special thanks to Alex Vitanye of the Ohio Center for Sports Administration for his contributions and insights to this column.

Billboard of the Week - Nike, LeBron

Are you looking to create a campaign to promote an athlete endorser's accomplishments? Are you looking to create a captivating billboard campaign?

Nike recently revealed a tremendous billboard outside the Quicken Loans Arena that commemorates LeBron James' first MVP award. Over the years, Nike has generated a significant amount of buzz with its LeBron James billboard campaigns in the city of Cleveland. He is truly the King of the NBA.

Check out the billboard campaign below:

Source: Kyleroth's photoson Flicker

The Cavs Create a "Must-See" Playoff Proposal...

Are you looking for a humorous way to drive attention to your team's playoff campaign? Are you looking to make a parody of a national media campaign?

The Cleveland Cavaliers recently released a classic promotional piece to drive awareness for their 2009 playoff run. The piece, a parody of the Heineken Walk In Closet commercial, is a humorous campaign that shows a host of Cavaliers players enjoying their playoff experience.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns organizations are truly serving as leaders in the viral space. Both teams have posted a countless amount of captivating content on YouTube for fans to enjoy. There isn't a team in the NBA that seems more relaxed than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Check out the classic clip below:

Billboard of the Week - Fallsview Casino

Are you looking to leverage the affinity that fans have for sports without having any ownership of rights to marks, athlete endorsers, etc.?

Fallsview Casino recently created a tremendous billboard messaging campaign that capitalizes on the affinity Canadien consumers have for the game of hockey. Without leveraging any partnership rights (marks, logos, etc.), Fallsview Casino created a hockey-related tagline that will resonate with its targeted consumer base and drive consideration.

The company's billboard campaign demonstrates the influential power that sports as a medium can offer marketers. Companies with small marketing budgets should consider benchmarking Fallsview Casino's billboard campaign as a way to leverage fan affinitywithout actually paying for rights. After all, why not capitalize on such a strong passion point?

Consider new ways that you can use a touch of sports creativity to drive your brand!

New Djokovic Tennis Ad Turns Heads...

Are you looking to create a humorous viral campaign? Are you looking for new ways to leverage athletes in non-traditional sports?

Head recently released a creative viral campaign that helps bolster the profile of rising tennis star Novak Djokovic. In the clip, Djokovic becomes distracted from the action on the court when he notices an attractive woman in the crowd.

The ad, which most would find pretty strange (some might find it funny), has served as an effective way to get consumers talking about the Head brand. The ad does a nice job fixating the Head brand in a pop culture niche within the tennis community, which could serve as an effective ploy if it can grab the attention of enough young consumers drawn to the game of tennis.

The ad was created by Aimaq Rapp Stolle, the Feed Company, and 7th Chamber. Check it out below!

The "Bruins Hockey Rules" Campaign Sparks Viral Buzz...

Is your brand looking to create a humorous viral campaign to drive fan excitement? Are you looking for new ways to drive attention to your organization's playoff run?

In an effort to drive buzz around their 2009 playoff run, the Boston Bruins recently released a classic "Bruins Hockey Rules" campaign that features the team's mascot enforcing some hockey etiquette. The Bruins teamed up with Mullen, a Massachusetts-based advertising agency, to create a playoff campaign that features both viral pieces and print ads.

The club does a tremendous job building buzz and interest for its first round series against the Montreal Canadiens with three (3) humorous clips, which have all generated 70,000+ impressions in just a matter of a few days:

Billboard of the Week - Nike, Toronto 10K

Are you looking to create a messaging campaign that resonates with young adults? Are you looking to drive interest in running in a non-traditional manner?

There isn't a company out there that does a better job understanding its customers needs and interests better than Nike. The enclosed billboard serves as a perfect example of Nike creating a captivating thought-starting campaign that resonates well with consumers.

Using a creative tagline emblazoned in bold colors, Nike provided just enough information in the billboard campaign to peak one's interest in the'05 Toronto 10K running event.

Source (Photo): jonesov

Billboard of the Week - Nike, Bayern Munich

Are you looking for a new way to drive attention to your organization's star athletes? Are you searching for new ways to implement a unique billboard campaign?

In 2007, Nike took its soccer branding to another level when it plastered a giant billboard of Bayern Munich's star player Franck Ribery on the side of the Catholic Church of St. Kajetan (commonly referred to as the Theatinerkirche). In the ad, Nike heralded Ribery (a new signee) as the new king of Bavaria, dressing him up in a king's garb for the campaign.

The campaign was very controversial on two (2) fronts:

• For a few days, Nike positioned the ad on the side of the church (a very unlikely place to feature a billboard campaign)
• Franck Ribery is muslim (which was controversial for some of the church's followers)

Nonetheless, it was a very interesting campaign that peaked the interest of many around the globe. It wouldn't be surprising to see Nike feature a similar ad for "King" LeBron James at the Buckingham Palace if the NBA continues its efforts into Europe and the Far East!

Check out Nike's campaign below:

Source: Flickr Photos - airmax808/ Content: Wissens-Werkstatt.net

The Twolves Create a Kevin Love Infomercial...

Are you looking for creative ways to market your organization? Are you looking for new ways to promote athletes on your team for accolades?

Over the past few days, the Minnesota Timberwolves have generated some buzz with their new infomercial campaign touting Kevin Love as a candidate for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award. The Timberwolves created a classic campaign that features Kevin Love showcasing the "Mr. Love Miracle Glass Cleaner", a product that Love says is the secret to his success around the boards.

The Timberwolves are supporting the initiative with a micro site - www.votemrlove.com - and a 4:16 YouTube viral piece (shown below)that is generating a significant amount of attention in the online space. To make an impact on the ROY voting process, the team sent the marketing campaign to the 125 media members who decide which player is the most deserving of the award (who may have missed Love's stellar play in '08-'09 due to the Timberwolves 21-54 record).

Check out the TWolves infomercial campaign below... it might spark some ideas for your organization!