Pinehurst Peaks Interest with Unlimited Golf Promotion...

Is your golfresort looking for new ways toattract and build adatabase ofnew, potentialcustomers? Are you looking for new ways to drive attention and interestto your golf resort?

Pinehurst, one of the world's most historic golf resorts,recently announced an "Unlimited Golf for a Year Sweepstakes" that is every casual and avid golfersdream.The course is offering one lucky consumer the chance to win apass to play unlimited, free golf at Pinehurst Resort from June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010 with one guest of his/her choice. The pass includes the right to play on any of Pinehurst's eight (8)golf courses, including the famed Pinehurst No. 2 (the site of the 2014 U.S. Open).

For a chance to win, consumers simply have to register their information(name, address, email, phone) on Pinehurst's promotional page.The exception? Only consumers whose physical address is 50+ miles away from the course are eligible to win.

The promotion serves as a great way for Pinehurst to develop an extensive database on potential persons to reach with targeted messaging, especially while the country faces a recession. By asking consumers to submit their personal information online for the chance to win, Pinehurst can then use this data to then connect with these individuals through multiple mediums (direct mail, phone, online, etc.).

Ford Rewards NASCAR Fans When Its Cars Win...

Are you looking to create a promotion that generates nationwide interest? Are you looking to reward fans when your organization wins?

Ford Motor Company recently announced a "We Race. You Win" promotion that rewards NASCAR fans each time a Ford Racing Driver wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 2009. The promotion, designed to drive awareness for the 2010 Ford Fusion car and build fan affinity for the Ford brand, rewards select fans who register to win on the company's promotional website.

Each week a Ford Racing team wins, fans who register have the chance to win:

• An all-expenses-paid trip to the Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway (includes airfare, hotel, rental car, tickets to all three (3) races, and a VIP visit with Ford drivers at the racetrack)
• A 2010 Ford Fusion
• A winning driver come to his/her hometown for a 2010 Fusion test drive and dinner
• Ten (10) random drawings of Ford Racing-themed prizes (autographed helmets, apparel packs, etc.)

The Raptors Play "Spin the Smirnoff Bottle"...

Are you looking to create an engaging in-game promotion that rewards fans?

The Toronto Raptors recently teamed up with Smirnoff Ice to create a "Spin the Smirnoff Bottle" promotion that rewards fans with a variety of prizes. The Raptors place the Smirnoff spinwheel board at mid-court and offer select contestants the chance to win one of several prizes:

• Air Canada Flight Vouchers
• $200 Gift Certificates
• Lower Bowl Tickets
• Raptors Night Out Passes
• An Autographed Jersey

The concept is so simple, yet effective because everyone is familiar with the "Spin the Bottle" concept. The promotion serves as a great awareness/retention driver for Smirnoff. Check out a picture of the action below:

The Nets Entice Local CEO's With Free Team Sponsorship Offer...

Are you looking for a great way to generate some immediate buzz for your organization? Are you looking for a way to network with local industry leaders and spur new business leads?

The New Jersey Nets recently announced a tremendous offer that is sure to get some attention from CEO's in the NY/NJ metropolitan area. The Nets are offering CEO's throughout the local region a chance to compete in the Nets Metropolitan Madness Basketball Challenge in March for the chance to win a free Nets sponsorship for the first two months of the 2009-2010 season.

The Nets are setting up a bracket-style March Madness competition, with 64 companies (including 32 current Nets partners and a team of Nets employees) competing in 5-on-5 play at the Nets practice facility. The two (2) teams that advance to the championship game will face off at the IZOD Center on Monday, March 30th - an event that will include Nets celebrities on-hand serving as coaches.

What's up for grabs?

The winning company will receive:

• Two (2) months of free advertising (including courtside, television viewable signage)
• Advertising on the radio during Nets games and on NJNets.com

The losing companies will receive:

• 25 complimentary tickets for a Nets game in 2008, which includes food and beverage hospitality

Chalk Up a Promotional Victory for Nike and the Cavs...

Are you looking for new ways to integrate corporate partners? Are you looking for ways to capitalize on pre-game rituals of your team's star players?

On Christmas Day, Nike and the Cleveland Cavaliers teamed up to offer all fans in attendance a chance to join LeBron James while he completed his pre-game ritual throwing chalk into the air. As fans entered the Quicken Loans Arena, Nike distributed an exclusive "WITNESS" confetti chalk pack with instructions on how and when to throw.

Just prior to tipoff, Nike successfully created a reenactment of its "LeBron Six-Chalk Edition" television commercial when thousands of Cavaliers fans joined LeBron James with the infamous chalk throw at press row. The promotion scored a lot of media attention and served as a great way for Nike to let fans live in the moment and experience something really special.

Nike complementedits distribution of confetti chalk packs by shooting 1,000 limited edition 12.25.08 Nike WITNESS t-shirts into the stands. The Cavaliers supported this by offering a special gift-with-purchase promotion that enabled Cavaliers fans to receive a 12.25.08 WITNESS shirt with the purchase of $50+ of Nike product in the Cavaliers Team Shop or on CavaliersTeamShop.com

Check out the promotional execution below:

A special thanks to alex Vitanye of the Ohio University Sports Administration Program for his insights and contributions to this column!

Wake Forest Has One of the Best Intros in Sports...

Are you looking to enhance your pre-game introductions? Are you looking for ways to drive fan excitement before tipoff?

Wake Forest University has created a tremendous pre-game introductions scheme for its 2008-09 men's basketball season. The University athletic department does a great job engaging fans and building energy in the building. Check it out below:

Chipotle Rewards Cardinals Fans for Team's SB Appearance...

Are you looking to reward fans through a traffic-driving promotional initiative?

In an effort to drive buzz around the Super Bowl, Chipotle recently announced that it will be hosting a "Big Red Pep Rally" for fans of the Arizona Cardinals.On Saturday, January 31st (the day before the Super Bowl) all Arizona Chipotle retail locations will reward consumers with a free burrito, taco, bowl, or salad. Chipotle is only requiring that fans wear red to pick up their free food from 2pm to 4pm that afternoon.

This is a great example of a company finding unique ways to capitalize on sports to drive incremental buzz and traffic to their retail locations!

A special thanks to Jonathan Norman of GMR Marketing for his insights and contributions to this column.

The Super Bowl Kickoff Belongs To... Papa Johns

Are you looking to create a unique football-themed promotion? Are you looking for an interesting way to tie in a media personality to your promotional offer?

Looking to capitalize on all of the frenzy surrounding the Super Bowl, Papa Johns has created a unique performance-driven promotion that has the potential to reward fans in a LARGE way.

If the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl (Papa Johns uses the terminology "The Big Game")is returned for a touchdown, every consumer who registers*on The Countdown To Kickoff webpage before 6pm on Super Bowl Sunday will become eligible to receive a large, one-topping pizza for just 25 cents. The 25 cent offer coincides with this year being Papa John's 25th anniversary.

Is the promotional offer possible? Yes, very possible - eight (8) kickoffs have been returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history (seven (7) of which have occured since 1984). During the 2008-09 season, thirteen (13) kickoffs were returned for touchdowns (Source: Countdown to Kickoff webpage)

Papa Johns has called on ESPN football personality Desmond Howard, who holds the record for the longest touchdown return in Super Bowl history, to help promote the unique discount offer for fans. The Countdown to Kickoff webpage features a few great viral clips that show Desmond Howard expressing his love for football and Papa Johns pizza while working at a Papa Johns retail location. Papa Johns is also supporting the promotion with a Facebook application/group which already boasts 200,671 fans.

*When registering online, fans are asked to provide their name, email, complete address, and birthdate.

The Illinois Lottery Makes One Blackhawks Fan an Instant Millionaire...

Are you looking for a unique way to leverage a lottery partner? Are you looking for a way to reward fans based on your team's performance?

Beginning January 14th, 2009, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Illinois Lottery teamed up to offer a "Million Dollar Minute" promotion where all fans seated in a designated section of the arena would win an instant lottery ticket courtesy of the Illinois Lottery if a Blackhawks player did not score a goal at exactly the 10:00 mark of the 2nd period.

The only problem? It already happened.

During the Blackhawks game against the Minnesota Wild, Blackhawks RW Martin Havlat scored a goal exactly at the 10:00 mark of the 2nd period. As a result, one luckyseason ticket holder(to be named) seated in Section 326 of the United Center instantly won one million dollars! The seat location and section of the potential winner was selected randomly at the beginning of the game (without the fan's discretion).

The winner will be named and made available to the media prior to the Blackhawks game against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

Jack in the Box and the Lakers Create Taco Frenzy in LA...

Are you looking to take your in-game promotions to the next level?

Free tacos have become a phenomenon in Los Angeles thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Los Angeles Lakers organization and Jack in the Box. Taco frenzy in LA began in 2006-07, when Jack in the Box partnered with the Lakers to distribute a coupon for two (2) free tacos to all fans in attendance each time the team wins and holds its opponents under 100 points at home.

While promotions based on team performance (when the team scores XX points, fans win XXX) have become common in the sports marketplace, few have garnered the level of media attention that the Lakers-Jack in the Box promotion has received. The promotion has been discussed by Ryan Seacrest on his weekly radio show, has become a hit with online bloggers, and has even made its way into the Lakers locker room. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson has used the taco promotion as a motivational tool for his players to play better defense and has made taco references during post-game interviews.

Over the past few seasons, the promotion has absolutely taken off. Jack in the Box even took the promotion to the next level by teaming up with Fox Sports West and the Lakers to create "We Want Tacos" t-shirts as a giveaway to all fans in attendance at a select game.

"We Want Tacos" chants have become a tradition at Lakers games (as seen in the clip below)...Someone please tell Lakers fans that two (2) regular tacos only cost $0.99 at Jack in the Box.

The "We Want Tacos" promotionhas become a cult-like obsession with Lakers fans seated in the upper bowl at the Staples Center...

But what happens when Lakers fans don't get their tacos? A chorus of boos and plenty of media coverage... Check out a clip of the action below:

A special thanks to Blain Skinner and his team of personnel at the Los Angeles Lakers organization for their insights and contributions to this column.