Targeting Consumers at the Pump...

When are consumers most receptive to corporate messaging? Have you ever considered the 2-3 minute period when people are filling up their tank at the gas pump? These questions have led marketers to believe that targeting consumers at the gas pump is an effective means. But how does this apply to you as a sports marketer?

Read more here.

On the Fast Track to Targeted Print Marketing...

Sports marketers continuously look for the most efficient means to spend their dollars. Print, radio, and television options have evolved to include outdoor, digital, mobile, and other new forms of marketing mediums. But how can we use these new technological means to become more efficient in targeting consumers?

Read more here.

CIAA - A Multicultural Marketing Affair

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending Day 1 of the CIAA men's basketball tournament, held at the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, NC. The CIAA is the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, a U.S. athletic conference competing in Division II Athletics. The conference is primarily comprised of African-American athletes and makes for one of the largest multicultural sporting events in the United States. With this being said, the CIAA Men's Basketball Tournament ranks high on the priority list for corporate sponsors looking to target the African-American populous.

I wanted to share a quick sponsorship rundown of sponsorship presence and "best practices" from the day in case you are looking to develop a campaign that solely targets African-Americans and/or would like to know who is also actively spending in this space. The day's action was put on by Urban Entertainment.

Here is a brief recap from yesterday's (2.28.08) action:

Lowe's - Thursday marked "Lowe's Day at Soulabration" and Lowe's branding was featured throughout the arena. Branding elements included: LED signage, Courtside rotational (which was frozen on Lowe's for pre-game/halftime/post-game), "Lowe's Day at Soulabration" messaging on the scoreboard throughout the game, in-game promotions - Lowe's Launch (t-shirt launcher with Kobalt Tools gun), branded replays, t-shirt toss from team cheerleaders, etc. Lowe's was featured everywhere.

McDonalds - McDonalds featured the in-game fan interaction but failed to deliver on its branding in-arena. At halftime of the first game, McDonalds featured a dance-off between the two (2) competing teams' cheerleaders and mascots, hosted by a ghetto Ronald McDonald, and demonstrated acrobatic dunking during the second game's intermission period. Both features were well received by fans and left lasting impressions. However, McDonalds failed from a branding standpoint. The company's courtside rotational signage was very hard to see and its marketing message was nothing short of "interesting" - "Deeply rooted in the community 365 days a year. 365Black.com". I would love to see the results of McDonald's 365Black.com as the website moniker doesn't have any ties to the brand. McDonalds also had courtside chairback branding, distributed t-shirts in-arena, and featured LED signage synched with courtside rotational messaging.  

Coca Cola - Coca Cola featured some of the best courtside rotational signage (clear, crisp messaging split between Coca-Cola (red) on one side and Coke Zero (black) on the other). Coke also had branded messaging on the floor-sweepers, an Upper Level Display, and courtside chairbacks.  

Alltel - Alltel's main activation was a text message promotion, offering fans $100 if they could be the tenth person to text in the right answer to a CIAA trivia question (featured twice per game). The company also had t-shirt distribution at the gate and some courtside rotational signage with synched LED messaging.

Ford - Ford is the title sponsor of the Soulabration Experience, being held at the Charlotte Convention Center. Concerts with high-profile artists and many supporting companies are activating at this venue. In-arena, Ford had a Ford Focus Display at the main entrance (with a sweeps raffling off one (1) vehicle), and had automobiles displayed throughout the concourse level. Ford had LED branding which tied in its Vehicle Safety messaging when teams were on Defense. The company also had some limited courtside rotational signage.

Geico - Geico has some of the best courtside rotational signage (clear, visible, great color contrast). The company also sponsored a Geico Trike Race (where fans bicycle down court and shoot a layup for a prize), distributed t-shirts, and relayed its messaging through LED signage and PA's.

Bank of America - Featured minimal signage in-arena (LED, Courtside Rotational) but had a nice display at the Ford Fan Experience. BofA's exclusivity blocked Wachovia out of activating in its backyard.

Colgate - Sponsored the Kiss Cam (a great-sponsor tie-in), and featured a terrible in-game shooting promotion (four spots on the floor C,I,A,A - fans were not engaged, branding could not be seen on t-shirts of recipients) that had no sponsor tie-in.

Time Warner Cable - TWC had courtside rotational signage and featured very distracting LED messaging (continuous flashing of colors, etc.). The company's road runner LED messaging and communications was very interruptive (although it did get my attention).

Other Sponsors In-Arena

Best Buy - Best Buy featured an Upper Level Display

Russell - Russell was the uniform provider of the teams; the company featured limited courtside rotational and LED signage in-game.

NC Lottery - The NC Lottery featured courtside rotational signage and "The Best Seats in the House", located courtside in a corner of the court (I missed how the persons seated in this section were awarded).

Bud Light - featured minimal tunnel signage (BL is a sponsor of the Bobcats and it looked like this signage was just left up)

Marines - Featured minimal courtside rotational signage

ESPN Classic - The games were featured on ESPN classic; the channel had minimal courtside rotational and LED branding

Ebony - Had great courtside rotational branding (clear, visible) but lacked additional messaging

National Education Association - Featured minimal LED signage

Navy - Featured minimal LED and courtside rotational branding

Sprite - Sprite had minimal Upper LED branding and corner scoreboard visibility - both elements seemed locked in from Sprite's relationship with the Bobcats organization

Club Vue - Club Vue had its permanent Club Vue (The Urban Community) section branding

Kia - signage under the scoreboard, facing down on the court (KIA is a sponsor of the Bobcats and it looked like this signage was just left up - however, I would have thought that Ford had exclusivity and wouldn't want this)

Presbyterian Hospital - Featured minimal Upper LED branding

Alltel Returns in '08 with the MyCircle 500 Promotion!

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.

Super Bowl Ad Spending Works... At Least for Domino's in '08

Every year, millions of consumers around the world gather to watch the Super Bowl and its flamboyant $2.7MM advertisements... Hours are spent by analysts forecasting predictions and analyzing the :30 works of each of the big spenders... But how valuable are these ads actually for sponsors? Do we ever see supporting results?

For Dominos, their 2008 Super Bowl campaign proved to be VERY valuable.

Domino's saw the greatest the greatest increase in share of dollars spent online during this year's Super Bowl Sunday compared to an average Sunday in October during football season. The pizza chain increased its share from 20% to 31%, while the share of its two leading competitors declined (Papa Johns (-8), Pizza Hut (-4)).

Domino's dollar share surge was fueled by more purchasers (not a higher transaction size). The chain saw a 147% increase in purchasers compared to an average football Sunday in '07 (Papa Johns - 22%, Pizza Hut, 2%).

1.2MM pizzas are delivered on Super Bowl Sunday, one of the chain's busiest days. On this day, delivery workers travel nearly four (4) million miles and the company sells 1/3 more pizzas than a typical football Sunday. Orders usually increase right before kick-off and right before halftime.

Source: 2008 comScore Study

Are you Doing Anything to Reach Your Fans at Retail?

As marketers and sponsorship reps, we seem to place too much emphasis on the fans attending the games... But what are we doing to capture the thousands of individuals in our hometown markets who cannot afford a ticket or experience the thrill of the action in-venue?

I want to turn your attention to the Resources tab (in the left column), where you can access a document I posted called the Miller Power Play. The basic premise of the Miller Power Play is everytime the home team scores a power play goal, a 10:00 clock is activated on television sets throuhgout the arena, offering fans a select period to purchase an alcoholic beverage at a discounted priced. When the team scores, fans win. What is powerful about this interactive promotion is that it has retail applications. Restaurants/bars that have sponsorship ties to the team can also activate a 10:00 clock in their retail locations, offering fans seated in the bar a discount on an alcoholic beverage (in states that permit alcohol promotions). When the team wins, fans win. Who doesn't like the sound of that idea?

The Miller Power Play white paper and powerpoint go into much greater detail, so please check it out when you have a moment.

For those of you selling in the college space, this type of "interactive retail promotion" can also be applied at QSR's (everytime the team scores, consumers in-store could purchase a Whopper at a discounted price), automobile parts stores (O'Reilly's, AutoZone, etc.), C-Stores (7-Eleven, Circle K, etc.), and casual dining locations (Zaxby's, Dairy Queen Grill & Chill).

Remember the fans that cannot make it in the stadium to see the action... They have buying power too!

Hotels Feel The Spring in Their Step

Hotel chains sure know their market and seasonality, don't they? Spring training has arrived and baseball fans are not the only ones excited. The Westward Look Resort in Tucson, AZ is offering a seasonal package for fans to come see the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox.

The hotel resort is offering consumers a special package offer:

• Suite-size accomodations
• Complimentary t-shirts, hats and sunscreen
• Access to resort restaurants, a spa, and outdoor activities...

How much does such a deal cost? Well, you are looking at $1,075 for five (5) nights and $1,323 for seven (7) nights...

Which brings up an interesting point... Will we see any MLB teams offer their fans traveling to Spring Training VIP experiences through partnerships with hotel chains located in these markets?

Is There Money In the Can?

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.

Pizza... Coke Zero... Final Four Tickets?

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.

Marketing Through Athlete Blogs?

There was an interesting article today in Sports Business Daily (2.26.08) about Yankees P Phil Hughes. Alongside Curt Schilling, Hughes is leading the charge of MLB players who have chosen to launch their own personal websites. While some use their websites as information portals, Hughes has taken his efforts to the next level.

Who is Phil Hughes anyway? Well, that is a question that we might like to ask the 340,000 people who have visited his site in the past month.

Read more here.

Are We Really Selling Our Fanbase to Sponsors?

Analyzing the sponsorship landscape, I think too often property reps try to sell the fact that they have 70,000 persons in attendance each game or 675,000 fans in attendance over the course of the season... But who are these fans? How often do we dissect who these fans are and what they really like? Most properties now provide potential corporate partners with traditional Scarborough demographics (Gender, Race, HHI, etc.), but do we do a good enough job understanding and selling their purchasing tendencies?

What got me thinking about this topic was a recent article in Event Marketer magazine (February 2008 edition):

"Gone Daddy Gone. - Not only are married women controlling more family purchases than ever before (even in traditionally male-dominated areas like cars, insurance, and electronics), single and divorced men may be byepassing their married counterparts as one of the fastest-growing consumer power markets. According to a recent U.S. Men's Market study by market research firm Packaged Facts,  never-marrieds - especially those under the age of 35 - are serious shoppers, especially for gadgets and personal style products. The popular "metrosexual" demographic also needs a skeptical second look, says the study. Marketers should dig deeper to divide then conquer their single male targets into groups like more traditional men whom the study calls "machosexuals", blue collar men and college educated men."

A few questions to consider:

• When we are selling sponsors in the CPG, auto, insurance categories, should we be looking to provide more of this detailed information, especially if we have young, single males?
• If we have a fanbase that skews female, shouldn't we be selling the "married women are controlling more family purchases than ever before" pitch?
• Have you ever considered the machosexual vs. metrosexual angle? or blue collar vs. white collar? or marrieds vs. singles/divorcees?

It is one thing to sell a sponsor on your fanbase's demographics... it's another to have concrete details to support your numbers and really show sponsors true value.

Sponsors Align Their Brands with Music Artists...

In recent months, a large number of corporate sponsors have begun to expand their sponsorship portfolios, reaching out to the entertainment world to seek new target audiences and messaging avenues. While partnering with artists may carry an elevated level of risk, they in turn offer corporate sponsors a new medium for finding true solutions to meet their set objectives. 

Read more here.

Arby's Offers One Reason To Love Mondays...

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.

What Signals are Consumers Showing Corporate Marketers in Tough Economic Times?

The Delaney Report (2.18.2008) featured a great article on consumer reaction to economic troubles. Here are a few excerpts from the article:

"The economy is decelerating (in the U.S. at a faster pace than elsewhere). Companies are continuing to reduce costs. Inventory is building up. Shipments are falling. But it's the consumer that is causing the greatest anxiety among marketers this year. In the past, consumers could be relied on to bolster a sagging economy. Consumers who were unafraid to spend and had easy credit at their disposal. But consumers now are anxious and cautious. Last week, a consumer-confidence survey reported that consumer confidence was at a 14-year low."

"Marketers, as a result, are under more pressure than ever before to find growth. A sports analogy might be useful. Just as sports fans want to be associated with teams that are winners, consumers want to be associated with "winning brands". Brands that will make them feel better about themselves. Give them a reason to smile. But marketing a "winner" brand takes work.

"Find the one thing that you differentiate the brand with and don't waver from it or the consumers will get confused. And then find a way to reach your audience in the most efficient way possible."

When it Comes to Showing Value... Swing for the Fences

Are you looking to provide additional value to your corporate partners with minimal fixed costs?

The Boston Red Sox recently announced that they are offering groups the chance to take batting practive in the visiting team's batting cage at Fenway Park. In an effort to drive more year-round traffic to the ballpark, the Red Sox are charging groups $50-75 per person (min. 20 persons) for a private party and batting practice. The Red Sox are the first MLB to offer such an experience to fans. Read more by clicking the Sponsorship Ideas link above.

AirTran Mixes Sex with Sports to Get Its Point Across

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.

Videos Drive Buzz Around the NBA All-Star Game...

Several NBA players thought (and acted) creatively to drive buzz and awareness around their participation in the NBA's All-Star Game Festivities... For more details, click here.

Licensing Lessons Learned... Beware!

To all prospective t-shirt makers: BEWARE!

Before pursuing any business ventures that involve licensing in some way, shape, or form, make sure that you are playing by the rules... licensing rules are now very complicated. You might have thought up the greatest idea (i.e. Selling "LSU Fans Smell Like Corndogs t-shirts" (because they do)), but you will want to make sure that you check the rules and regulations set forth by the Collegiate Licensing Company (now owned by IMG) and the Licensing Resource Group before acting.

Have you ever wondered why it is now so tough to find a shot glass for sale on a college campus? It is the same reason why the CLC shut down the Florida Drinking Team... and the Auburn Drinking Team... and the Georgia Drinking Team... and all the other "great" ventures - protecting University interests.

On a side note: If you want to order a Court Street Drinking Team Shirt... Let me know!

The Economy is Falling... But the Sponsorship Industry is Rising!

Good news for corporate sponsors and property reps... Despite questions of a recession in 2008, sponsorship spending is slated to increase 12.6% (IEG), the highest single-year jump since 2000. Sports sponsorships are estimated to account for $11.75BN of the overall $16.78BN sponsorship spending in the US and Canada (rights fees alone). (Source: SBJ, 2.18.2008).  Read more here.

Dale Jr. Wins... Fans Win?

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.