Drive Excitement with Fan Makeovers and Look-a-Like Segments...

Are you looking for new ways to leverage hair salon/cosmetic surgeon/exercise and fitness partners? Are you looking for ways to drive fan excitement during stoppages of play?

Take a quick moment and watch an interesting episode that took place at a recent Patriots game when WR Randy Moss caught a glimpse of a fan look-a-like (wearing a Randy Moss mask) on the video board at Gillette stadium...

Teams looking for new ways to leverage cosmetic surgeons, fitness centers, and hair care salon partners, should consider taking a page from the classic makeover segments featured on daytime talk shows that have proven to be a hit with viewers. Properties can feature a "Fan Makeover" or "Fan Look-A-Like" segment during games that will surely drive fan excitement (although it needs to be done in a classy manner).

To execute the initiative, teams can collaborate with a non-traditional partner whose business focuses on physical attributes (hair care, surgeons, fitness partners, tanning salons) to create a segment where three (3) fans who are chosen prior to the game have their new appearances revealed on the video board during halftime festivities or select stoppages of play. Teams can drive fan excitement by giving fans makeovers to resemble players, coaches, popular team personnel, or celebrities that are attending the game.

Consider new ways that you can bring non-traditional partners to life in memorable ways on game day!

For Heineken, It's All About the Experience

Are you looking to create a new, unique mobile marketing campaign? Are you looking for new ways to leverage an alcoholic beverage provider?

In 2008-09, Heineken toured the globe with a captivating mobile marketing tour called the Heineken Extra Cold Experience. The campaign toured major cities across the globe (spanning multiple continents) in an effort to promote the fact that Heineken can be served "extra cold" to drive refreshment.

To demonstrate how consumers feel while drinking an Extra Cold Heineken, the company created a mobile tour experience that featured a collection of engaging elements, including:

• A Big Igloo Experience (Where Premiums Were Distributed)
• An Ice Bar (With Free Samples)
• A Live Stage
• Live DJ Entertainment
• Heineken Models
• Lounging Stations and Giant Ice Cube Chairs

Heineken supported the campaign with a tremendous Facebook Fan Page filled with tons of pictures, videos, and consumer feedback.  

Check out a few videos that detail the incredible experience Heineken is offering consumers (and how they created it):

Check out the Heineken Extra Cold Experience campaign microsite below (geared towards the European marketplace):

Red Bull Kicks off 2010 With a Rally to Remember!

Are you looking for new ways to drive global awareness and leverage key holidays? Are you looking for ways to break the traditional mold of sports marketing?

Red Bull is kicking off the Year 2010 and a new decade of excitement with a New Years Bang that will surely generate watercooler discussion on Monday. Red Bull's "New Year. No Limits." campaign will feature stunt artist Travis Pastrana testing the laws of physics by attempting a 171-foot long distance jump in a rally car.

The stunt, set to take place at the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach, California, will be featured live on ESPN on New Years Eve at 11pm. The stunt will grab the attention of millions of consumers who are turning on their television (or watching at a local bar/establishment where ESPN is always being shown) for some quality New years entertainment.

Red Bull's "New Year. No Limits." festivities demonstrate how a brand can "own" a holiday with a captivating moment in sports, despite a tremendous amount of clutter (traditional New Years Eve coverage, bowl games, anticipation for the NHL Winter Classic, NFL/NBA/NHL, etc.).

ESPN is supporting coverage of the event with mobile text updates for those consumers who will be situated away from the television. To drive anticipation for the event, Red Bull created an incredible microsite (as shown below) that features viral content, live Twitter feed integration, details about the stunt/party information/locale, and additional press.

Check out the microsite and some of the viral pieces below:

Molson Canadian Official Playoff Grooming Guide

Are you looking for new ways to leverage a grooming/hair care partner? Are you looking to create a captivating campaign around your team's playoff run?

Molson Canadian created a humorous "Official Guide to Playoff Grooming" vignette to support its NHL activation in 2009. The company supported the campaign by asking fans to submit their own unique hockey grooming styles on the Molson Canadian Facebook page (www.facebook.com/molsoncanadian) for the chance to win a Molson Canadian beer fridge. Hundreds of fans responded to the call-to-action and the campaign turned out to be a nice success.

Check out Molson Canadian's Official Guide to Playoff Grooming clip below:

Charles Schwab Connects with Consumers via Golf Pro

Are you looking for new ways to speak directly to high class, middle-aged consumers? Are you looking for new ways to leverage sports without spending large sums of money on official partnership agreements?

Charles Schwab, the Official Investment Firm of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour, recently launched a creative messaging campaign that speaks directly to its middle-aged, affluent consumer base. The company created a "Talk to a Pro" campaign that enables consumers to receive a series of tips from Tiger Woods' swing coach Hank Haney.

Schwab is supporting the campaign with the messaging philosophy that states "Whether you need help with your investments or your golf game, sometimes it helps to talk to a pro."

The exclusive Hank Haney video series features five (5) vignettes detailing Haney's philosophies of golf and seven (7) videos offering exclusive tips for golfers. On the microsite, consumers can also take a Mental Game Assessment and experiment with a variety of investing tools. The firm is supporting the campaign with features on its official Facebook page.

Charles Schwab's partnership with Hank Haney serves as a great benchmark for companies looking for new ways to connect with avid sports fans/participants without paying large sums of rights fees. Although Schwab has a significant investment as an Official PGA Tour and Champions Tour sponsor, this effective PSA agreement could have likely been done without an Official affiliation.

Do Your Vignettes Feature Product Placement?

Are you looking for new ways to drive incremental value for corporate partners? Are you looking for ways to showcase a new product or brand?

Arizona State Athletics has done a tremendous job over the past years with the pre-game intro vignettes they feature on the videoboard at Sun Devil Stadium. The clip features the team's mascot stomping his way into the stadium, crushing a University of Arizona bus along the way.

However, take a moment to notice the creative Nike product placement throughout the vignette (Uniform :05-:08 / Shoes :44-46, :53-:55, :58-1:01, 1:10-1:11, 1:18-1:19, 1:21-1:22). The ASU Football vignette, providing a total of :18-:20 exposure, serves as a great way to drive some additional value/affiliation awareness for Nike in-game!

Check it out below:

The Green Man Delivers for HP and Warsaw

Keith Becker, UOSportsDude.comAre you looking for new icons to leverage at sporting events? Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness in a cluttered stadium environment?

In 2009, Two (2) Warsaw Sports Marketing Center students - Steven Strand and Daniel Cogan - were hired by a New York-based agency called Mr. Youth to serve as brand ambassadors for Hewlett Packard on the University of Oregon's campus. The role tasked the two (2) students with creating a captivating marketing campaign that effectively drove awareness for the HP brand on campus.

Strand and Cogan put their sports marketing expertise to work by identifying The Oregon Green Man as an icon on campus that they could leverage without having to purchase official marketing rights (HP is not an Official Sponsor of the University of Oregon Athletics Department) to drive awareness. The two (2) parties collaborated to create an exclusive HP tailgate prior to the team's home game versus Arizona State that featured an appearance by The Oregon Green Man.

To drive awareness for the event, The Oregon Green Man posted several updates on his Facebook account (with 3,000 followers), attracting the attention of the Oregon Daily Emerald, a student-run newspaper. The tailgate attracted 300+ students who visited the tailgate for a chance to have their picture with The Oregon Green man and check out the new HP computers on display. The Green Man also placed HP stickers on his "green suit" which was picked up several times on ESPN and DuckVision during the game (driving thousands of valuable impressions for the brand).

The initiative serves as a great example of the ways top sports graduate programs can drive value for brands and sports organizations. Check back for more related examples of this!

Source: BleacherReport.com

Activation of the Day (12/10) - Hershey's

When LSU hosted the University of Florida back in October, plenty of the nation's leading brands were on-hand to engage with college football fans prior to one of the season's most anticipated games. One of those sponsors was Hershey's, which featured a prominent display just outside Death Valley.

Check out some pictures of their activation below (courtesy of Sean O'Hara of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration):

Trend Tracker: Gameday Housing

Are you looking for new ways to target the significant amount of fans out-of-venue? Is your brand looking for new "ownable" properties in the sports marketplace?

As reported in Entreprenuer magazine, three (3) Notre Dame alums recently started a venture called Gameday Housing that serves as a vacation rental marketplace for fans looking to rent a home (versus a hotel room) on a game day weekend in a college marketplace. The venture allows fans to quickly log on to GamedayHousing.com, choose which game they would like to attend, and see which houses they can rent to host an ultimate watch party.

After just six (6) months, Gameday Housing registered 100+ homeowners in college football towns who were willing to rent out their residences to visiting fans and the company is slated to generate $500K+ revenues next season (up from $100K in 2008). The revenue model is structured so Gameday Housing takes a 20% commission from each transaction, with homeowners pocketing the rest. A pretty nice (yet, a little risky) way to make some easy dollars if you are planning on being out of town on a game weekend!

Rates fluctuate based on demand per market/game day weekend. In 2008, a restored 1904 bungalow in Austin Texas went for $1,180 on the Texas-Kansas weekend while a two (2) night stay in a log cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee went for just $375 when Tennessee played Vanderbilt at home.

The Gameday Housing website, currently in a Beta stage, features 45 college markets for fans to choose housing options on game day weekends (as well as the National Championship, Sugar Bowl, and Rose Bowl). Homeowners looking to get started need to pay a $100 listing fee that is refunded after their first booking (not a bad deal).

Look for the businessmen behind Gameday Housing to make some serious money as college football rivalry weekends continue to rise in popularity and attract the minds (and wallets) of fans! 

10 Ways to Leverage Sharpie as a Corporate Partner

Are you looking for new ways to leverage Sharpie as a corporate partner? Are you looking for new ways to provide fans a medium to have a voice?

Check out ten (10) ways to leverage Sharpie below: 

I. Sharpie Sign Creation Stations

II. Fan Message Board / Signature Walls

III. Video Board Feature Detailing the Art of an Autograph

IV. Player/Legend Autograph Appearances

V. Autographed Game Day Magazine Promotional Offer (via Jumbotron/PA)

VI. Interactive Digital Autograph Display

Teams can feature an interactive display in the concourse/OOH destinations where fans can practice their autograph on a basketball/football/tennis ball using a digital Sharpie pen

VII. Giant Autograph Inflatables

 

VIII. Personalized Photo Autographs via Email

 Click here for more information.

IX. Autograph Ball Display

X. In-Venue Autograph Booth