The Red Sox Let Fans Sing Their Way to Fenway Park

The Boston Red Sox are hitting the road in January to visit all six (6) states in the New England Region as part of a 2011 Red Sox Road Trip campaign presented by Coca-Cola.

The highlight of the Red Sox Road Trip initiative is a "Sing Your Way to Fenway" promotional initiative that allows fans a chance to audition for the opportunity to perform the National Anthem at Fenway Park during the 2011 Red Sox home season (think American Idol meets the Boston Red Sox). The team will select two (2) winners at each Road Trip stop and all twelve (12) of the Road Trip winners will qualify to compete in the "Sing Your Way to Fenway" finals at Fenway Park on February 9th.

The Red Sox are allowing contestants 90 seconds to perform their version of the National Anthem. At each tour stop location, the first (100) fans to arrive on time will be guaranteed the opportunity to audition. Entrants under the age of 18 must have a parent/guardian present to sign a release needed to participate.

At each of the tour stops, the Red Sox will also feature Wally the Green Monster, the 2004/2007 World Series Trophies, 2011 State Day game vouchers, and a promotion offering one (1) lucky winner the chance to take part in a Red Sox Road Trip Opening Weekend VIP Experience.

The "Sing Your Way to Fenway" promotion serves as a great idea for sports organizations looking for new ways to take their road trips and community engagement programs to new heights. The initiative allows the Red Sox to engage with neighboring states in a new way and strengthen its connection with fans attending games who have traveled from outside the state of Massachusetts. Based on the success of American Idol and the affinity that Red Sox fans have for the esteemed organization, Sing Your Way to Fenway will undoubtedly be a huge success.

The Red Sox will make tour stops at the following locations:

• XL Center (Connecticut) - Tuesday, January 18th (12pm-6pm EST)
• Curry Hicks Cage at UMASS (Massachusetts) - Wednesday, January 19th (10am-4pm EST)
• University Mall (Vermont) - Thursday, January 20th (11am-5pm EST)
• Muldoon Fitness Center at Rivier College (New Hampshire) - Friday, January 21st (12pm-6pm EST)
• Portland Sea Dogs Hadlock Field (Maine) - Saturday, January 22nd (10am-4pm EST)
• Woonsocket High School (Rhode Island) - Monday, January 24th (2pm-8pm EST)

Old Hat Creative Delivers a Terrific Recap of The Big Chill at the Big House

Sports properties looking to give their marketing materials, recaps, and videoboard vignettes some flair should take a close look at some of the work that Old Hat Creative is doing on behalf of their partners.

Old Hat did a tremendous job creating a collection of marketing materials for The Big Chill at the Big House, an outdoor hockey game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State that was played in front of an announced crowd of 104,000+ at Michigan Stadium in December.

To drive buzz around the event, Old Hat developed:

• The Big Chill at the Big House Microsite
• An Intro Video - Click Here to View               
• A Historical Tribute - Click Here to View
• A "Pump Up" Video - Click Here to View
• A Prelude - Click Here to View
• A Michigan 3D Video - Click Here to View

But Old Hat's finest work was their recap of The Big Chill at the Big House, which is one of the most original recaps that we have seen in some time! Check it out below:

Fans Get Digital Autographs with the New Australian Open iPad App

The Australian Open and IBM recently unveiled the first Official Grand Slam tennis iPad application for fans to enjoy at the tournament and for those watching at home.

The iPad app has a number of truly remarkable features but it's greatest is a digital autograph feature that allows fans to capture all of their favorite star players' autographs directly on their iPad and save them in a digital scrapbook. The iPad feature provides a glimpse into the potential future of virtual card autographs and memorabilia.

Fans can also use the iPad app to access real-time tournament and venue information, the Official Tournament Program, editorial features, tournament facts and figures, player tweets, schedules, weather updates, ticket information, video highlights, and more.

The iPad app is available for purchase on iTunes for just $4.99. Check it out below!

Source: AustralianOpen.com

NBA Teams Get Creative With Their All-Star Game Campaigns

The 2011 NBA All-Star Game is right around the corner and NBA teams are doing everything in their power to persuade fans to vote for their star players. As seen in past years, NBA teams have begun to take a very creative approach to their campaigns, as demonstrated with the two "best in class" examples featured below:

New York Knicks - "#1 Reason to Vote Knicks" Remix

The Knicks took a creative approach with their All-Star campaign, putting their celebrity fans in control.

The spot features Donald Trump, Tracy Morgan, cast members from the Jersey Shore, Fabolous, The Miz, Drake, Entourage cast members, Whoopi Goldberg, and fans among others encouraging viewers to get out and vote for Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, and Danilo Gallinari into the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. Check out the terrific clip, which has generated 46K+ views, below:

Memphis Grizzlies - "The Most Interesting Man in the NBA"

The Memphis Grizzlies created a spoof of Dos Equis' ever-popular commercial campaign featuring "The Most Interesting Man in the World" in an effort to tout Rudy Gay as a deserving candidate for a 2011 NBA All-Star Game nomination. The humorous clip, which includes the tagline "Keep Voting, my friends", uses creativity to effectively escape the clutter of standard All-Star Game campaigns, giving casual basketball fans a reason to vote. Check it out below (30K+ views thus far):

Look for more creative NBA All-Star campaigns to come!

Nike Uses Laser Projections to Support Oregon in BCS Title Game

Nike created a splash on the eve of the 2011 BCS National Championship game by projecting a laser image of the University of Oregon logo onto the side of Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Nike teamed up with Wieden + Kennedy, SportsOne, Inc., Lightwave International, and MacDonald Media to project a giant Oregon logo and the slogan "Just Do It" onto the side of Camelback Mountain for approximately five (5) hours on Sunday night. On the day of the game, Nike was planning on projecting the laser image on the Jobing.com Arena, located across the street from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

Interesting enough, the distance between the light projection (located at the Bud Light Fiesta Grounds in Scottsdale) and the mountain was a full two (2) miles. The direct diode lasers used were four (4) times the power of typical lasers seen at concerts and large events and were considered the most powerful lasers that Lightwave International had ever projected to date.

Check out a video detailing the amazing visual illustration below:

Source: The Oregonian

Texas Sports Entities Turn to Branded Tanker Trucks for the "Wow-Factor"

A company called Frontier Mobile Media is creatively driving interest and excitement around three (3) Texas sports entities in a totally new way - tanker trucks. Frontier has created unique tanker wraps for Cowboys Stadium, Longhorns Energy, and Mustangs Energy, a move that has generated a lot of attention amongst fans of all ages.

The branded tanker trucks serve as mobile billboards that can peak the interest of fans on campus, inside the tailgate lots, and along the highway during the season. The tanker wraps are creatively designed, as the Cowboys Stadium tanker even features a call-to-action for fans to follow the venue on Facebook and Twitter (although it should include details of the Twitter handle and Facebook Fan Page domain). The tankers serve as a great tie-back for oil/energy sponsors to drive awareness of their affiliation with a sports entity.

Check out some photos of the branded tankers below:

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photography: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Cowboys Stadium

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photographer: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Texas Longhorns Energy (University of Texas Athletics)

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photographer: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Mustangs Energy (SMU Athletics)

  

Bud Light Throws the Ultimate BCS Bash for College Football Fans

Bud Light is treating college fans attending the 2011 BCS National Championship to an ultimate fiesta in Scottsdale, Arizona this weekend. Bud Light partnered with 18 entities to create the ultimate BCS Bash for Auburn, Oregon, and other college football fans and alumni to enjoy.

Bud Light leased out a 3-acre space at the Scottsdale Waterfront to host team pep rallies, plenty of food and drinks, live music, and live ESPN broadcasts the week of January 3-9. Bud Light partnered with several top-notch partners to host the event, including Safeway, Nike, The Pat Tillman Foundation, P.F. Changs, Delta, Johnsonville, Dos Gringos, Jani King, and The Phoenician Resort.

Bud Light teamed up with SportsOne Inc., based in Portland, OR to execute the event. SportsOne served as the event manager and sponsorship sales agency after winning an RFP solicited by the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau to produce the event. SportsOne served as the backbone of the festivities - developing the concept, selling the title naming rights to Bud Light, and managing the entire execution.

Check out a few videos that provide an in-depth look at the Ford Fiesta below:

Nike Displays the Future of Customization in Japan

In recent years, Nike has done an incredible job creating online and offline NIKEiD portals that enable consumers to customize all of their products and apparel.

To drive traffic and interest to its flagship location in Fukouka, Japan, Nike developed a NIKEiD Generator tool that utilizes a color analyzing programmed camera to transform the colors of clothers that consumers visiting the store are wearing (or visiting the store's website online using a webcam) into a color pallette to create a shoe with an original color design.

Over 18,000 consumers tested out the NIKEiD Generator tool at the Nike Fukuoka location within four days of the launch of the campaign and another 40,000 consumers visited the NIKEiD Generator online platform over a two-week period. Nike encouraged fans using the platform to share their color designs to share them with friends using a collection of online widgets that were made available.

The NIKEiD Generator just goes to show how we will likely be able to produce customize products and apparel within a matter of seconds in the coming years.

Check out the NIKEiD Generator below and click here for more information:

Leverage Spin & Win Animations to Engage Sections of Fans

Sports organizations looking to create new scoreboard entertainment features should take a close look at the "Spin & Win" slot machine animation created by the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League.

Teams can create similar, engaging animations to serve several purposes:

• Create a "chance to win" / "scoreboard surprise" moment in-game that (from a perception standpoint) fairly selects and rewards one (1) lucky section in arena 
• Effectively leverage a casino partner (in countries/markets where gambling activity can be actively promoted in-arena) with an engaging scoreboard promotion that serves as a great engagement and affiliation awareness play
• Promote a team/corporate partner donation to a select charity on behalf of a designated section
• Actively promote a section in the stadium/arena receiving a special discount on concessions during the game (or a select period of time during the game)

Check it out below:

Kellogg's Gives Its Ironman Series Signage a Purpose

Kellogg's is leveraging its partnership with the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series with a terrific, multi-purpose experiential branding campaign.

Kellogg's teamed up with Ooh! Media, JWT, and Mindshare to create a series of custom-built mobile billboards that provide branding as well as house lockers for 120 beachgoers to use at each of the Ironman events. The units will be traveling to each of the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series events taking place along on the East Coast.

Similar multi-purpose units would be perfect for golf events (along the course, allowing fans to store items), outdoor hockey events, intramurals, youth sports events, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, and beach volleyball events.

Check out two (2) pictures of the unique experiential branding display below:

Sources: AdNews, @SynergyEvents, CampaignBrief.com

The Indiana Pacers Get Fuzzy With Their Vodka Partner

In November, the Indiana Pacers announced a special partnership with Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka, a vodka label created by golf legend Fuzzy Zoeller who is well known as a great Hoosier golfer, citizen, and businessman.

The Pacers celebrated the partnership on Saturday, November 20th by hosting a special promotional night where Zoeller served as the honorary captain of the game and held an exclusive meet-and-greet with the first 200 Pacers fans who purchased a special $95 ticket package to the game that included a Krieg DeVault Club Level Ticket, an autographed Fuzzy hat, one (1) drink voucher, and access to the chef's table.

Zoeller opted to align his vodka label brand with the Pacers organization in an effort to drive awareness and avidity amongst Pacers fans in the state of Indiana. As part of the partnership, the Pacers and Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka will feature two (2) bars in the concourse, Fuzzy's Garage and Fuzzy's 19th Holes (as shown below), and will feature custom courtside LED and a variety of other branding and hospitality elements at games. 

Check out a few photos of their terrific concourse buildouts and activation elements below: 

 

 

 

Federer and Nadal Kick off the 2011 ATP Tour on Water Court

The ATP kicked off its 2011 World Tour by creating a memorable PR event that will generate millions of impressions. The ATP called on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to play a game of tennis on a water court in the Doha Bay (Doha is the capital city of Qatar).  

The PR event featured the world's two (2) highest ranked players playing a game of tennis while the sun set over the city of Doha. The event kicked off the 2011 ATP World Tour, which began this weekend with the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The stunt showcases how sports properties can leverage out-of-the-box locales to drive a significant amount of media impressions around premier events, key athletes, and season/product launches.

Check out some amazing pictures of the event that were posted on Roger Federer's Official Website (copyright of the ATP):

More Sports Marketing Trends to Follow in 2011

Thomas Janca of Proximity Prague recently posted a terrific Powerpoint presentation on SportsMarketing20.com that details emerging trends in the global sports marketing landscape. The presentation featured some great insights that I wanted to share as key discussion points to monitor.

Ten (10) sports marketing trends highlighted in the deck for 2011 included:

1. Digital In-Game Experience
   1. YinzCam, FanVision
2. Social Gaming
   1. adidas' UEFA Champions game, FIFA Superstars, Nike's I AM PLAYR
3. Content Marketing
   1. Viral videos, digital program ads
4. Grassroots Marketing
   1. NJ Nets' Hoops and Pancakes, Sigma Olomouc's community efforts
5. Crowdsourcing
   1. St. Louis Cardinals' fan scouting reports, Boston Globe WC fan perspectives
6. Local-Based Networking
   1. Washington Redskins and Manchester City's Foursquare efforts
7. Group Buying
   1. Univ. of Colorado and Washington Wizards Groupon promos
8. Virtual Goods
   1. The Golf Warehouse's Facebook credits, Virtual appearances by pro players
9. Ambush Marketing
   1. Bavaria - World Cup, Nike - Berlin Marathon, Hugo Boss - 09 British Open
10. QR Codes
    1. Detroit Red Wings and Sacramento Kings' QR Code efforts

Check out Thomas' insightful document below:

Game, Set, Fans: 10 Sports Marketing Trends for 2011

View more presentations from Tomas Janca.

The Florida Panthers Offer a Good Time Guarantee to Fans

The Florida Panthers recently turned to a new ticket sales strategy to draw fans to the Bank Atlantic Center in January. The Panthers are offering a "Good Time Guarantee" that ensures fans that they will receive their money back if they don't have a good time at any of the team's nine (9) home games during the month.

The Panthers are leveraging the guarantee and appealing single game ticket offers (game ticket and free parking for $9) to attract fans to the arena and assure an unforgettable live game experience.  The Money Back Guarantee applies to up to four (4) tickets for one (1) game during the month of January. The refund guarantee does not incorporate issues due to service, maintenance, parking, or building fees. 

Sunrise Sports and Entertainment President and COO Michael Yormark commented on the unique promo by saying, "We have been saying all season long that Florida Panthers hockey at the BankAtlantic Center is one of the best live experiences in South Florida, and the professional sports industry. Now, we are putting our money where our mouth is and guaranteeing that incredible experience or your money back.”

A "Good Time Guarantee" serves as a creative, unique idea for sports organizations looking for ways to spike attendance during months of slow attendance or poor attendance. It's important to note that the Panthers have played this strategy right - only offering it for a month-long period. Organizations can offer the "Good Time Guarantee" as a general slogan/cause throughout a season but they would not want to consider making a full ticket refund available for fans purchasing multiple game ticket packages.

Thank You! - Runner-Up, Sports Social Media Professional of 2010

In mid-December, Lewis Howes and the SportsNetworker.com held a poll to gauge who was the Top Sports Social Media Professional of 2010. I was honored to be included among a number of noteworthy nominees (see below) and just wanted to say a quick thank you to all those of you who voted for me and have helped spread the word about the site.

The final results were announced late last week and CNBC's Darren Rovell was named the winner but I am honored to say that I finished as the runner-up with 370+ votes. There are so many terrific individuals doing amazing things in the sports social media/sports business space and I really do appreciate everyone's continued support for Partnership Activation. I had the honor of guest blogging for Darren Rovell on CNBC.com in 2008 and really consider it a privilege to be considered in the same class as him.

I wanted to send a quick note of congratulations to all of the other nominees that were considered for Top Sports Social Media Professional of 2010, including: Jim Bankoff (SB Nation), Matthew Higgins (NY Jets), Amy Martin (Digital Royalty), Darren Heitner (Sports Agent Blog/Dynasty), Russell Scibetti (The Business of Sports), Ben Sturner (Leverage Agency), Daniel McLaren (UK Sports Network), Jason Peck (JasonFPeck.com), Scott Phelps (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ash Read (FundSport.com), Sam Taggart (Vaynermedia), and Stephanie Bagley (Vaynermedia).

... And a special thanks to Lewis Howes for putting the promotional poll together to recognize a number of individuals doing great things in the space! Check out a great interview Lewis did with Darren Rovell by clicking the image below:

2011 Sports and Social Media Predictions

Jason Peck recently teamed up with a number of sports and social media industry thought leaders to create an insightful ebook that details Sports and Social Media Predictions for 2011.

I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to read through the free piece, as I am sure you will gain some valuable nuggets of information that you can share with clients, colleagues, and friends. The 2011 Sports and Social Predictions document features opinions, thoughts, and predictions from 17 industry professionals.

Check out Jason Peck's site, Take a Peck, as well, which serves as a tremendous industry resoure for all professionals working in sports and social media. Hats off to Jason, Ash Read, and all the thought leaders who contributed to create yet another terrific industry resource!

December 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Happy Holidays from Partnership Activation! Thank you for coming to check out the December Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. After checking out the newsletter/site, I hope you have some time available to spend with family and friends, for that is the most important thing in life.

As 2010 comes to a close, I am truly excited to share this month's newsletter with you. It is pretty amazing that we are coming up on the 30th Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. I want to say thank you for all your support, especially to those of you who have shared it with friends and colleagues on numerous occasions via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, word of mouth, etc.

This month's newsletter features a collection of insights, including:

• The Nike Vault - Los Angeles
• Creative Promotional Tactics From Across the NHL
• Sports Authority Leverages Social Media to Engage Shoppers on Black Friday
• Leveraging Signage in New Ways
• Explore Engage's Augmented Reality Experiences
• Hot Off the Press: Sponsorship Mag
• Creativity In the Sports Marketplace
• December 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Social Media Watch: Panthers Purrsuit
• A Close Look at Fan Engagement at the Consol Energy Center
• International Sports Business Watch: The 98th Grey Cup
• 5 #SportsBiz People You Must Follow On Twitter
• Ways to Leverage the Holidays
• Creativity From the Idea Box

Click here to check out the December 2010 Newsletter and be sure to follow Brian Gainor on Twitter for additional sponsorship/marketing tactics throughout the month!

If you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please send an email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com. In the body of the email, please include your name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

Industry Profiler: PropertyPort

Recent economic times have sponsors and team partners analyzing contractual agreements closer than ever before. With millions of dollars oftentimes on the line, an increasing number of brand managers are scrutinizing all aspects of their partnerships, from category exclusivity designations, to the utilization of tickets and hospitality assets, to premium giveaways. As the industry continues to tighten its controls and make smarter business decisions, inventory controls, measurement, and CRM systems will become more important than ever before.

In an effort to help industry professionals make smarter business decisions, Partnership Activation is launching an Industry Profiler series that provides an in-depth look at some of the industry’s finest sponsorship tools and services. To kick off the series, Partnership Activation will take a close look at PropertyPort, an asset inventory and proposal management system developed by Conxeo (recently known as Sponsor Direct.  

Created in 2007, PropertyPort has emerged as one of the industry’s leading sponsorship management systems, primarily in Minor League Baseball. The application, originally designed as an inventory controls system for properties to manage sellable assets, has evolved into an extremely valuable platform that offers proposal management systems, inventory controls, CRM systems, and communication portals. PropertyPort has a very simple interface that is customizable and easily utilized by various departments within an organization.

Here is a quick look at the portal’s features and functionality:

PROPOSAL MANAGEMENT AND INVENTORY CONTROLS

Gone are the days of managing proposals, stadium inventory, and measurement via Excel spreadsheets and email. Specialized inventory and proposal management systems like PropertyPort serve as functional platforms designed to assist teams with creating formalized proposals within minutes, gain a complete understanding of all sellable inventory in real-time, and ensure that metric tools are assigned to meet all goals and objectives set forth within the partnership.

CRM SYSTEMS

PropertyPort features an embedded CRM system that allows team representatives to manage their communications, leads, propensity to close, status updates, and projected totals. With a format similar to Microsoft Outlook, the PropertyPort CRM system is very user-friendly and serves as a nice complementary asset for persons using the inventory management tool.

COMMUNICATIONS PORTAL

PropertyPort recently unveiled its newest feature, communications portal, to help sports organizations talk to their corporate partners or any third party in a defined space. The communications portal is designed as a workflow, where both teams and sponsor representatives can easily identify pending project deadlines, view back-and-forth communications, and manage a real-time conversation online. To date, the communications have been well received by both team and sponsor contacts, as it eliminates a lot of unnecessary emails and miscommunication that can take when sending emails and various spreadsheets.

Outside of the various means of functionality, the most appealing aspect of the PropertyPort system is the rate card provided to teams and sponsors. PropertyPort is one of the most cost-efficient systems in the marketplace, with standard systems being made available to minor league organizations starting at just $1.500. Check out their full rate card of pricing here.

Enclosed are some screenshots of the PropertyPort system. Check out the Conxeo website for more information on PropertyPort and additional services they offer for stakeholders in the sports marketplace.

Note: Partnership Activation is not affiliated with Conxeo and the PropertyPort system in any manner. Please feel free to leave sentiments in the Comments section below about your experiences using the PropertyPort system.

The Predators Install Coin Drop Machines To Help Fight Cancer

The Nashville Predators and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt are teaming up to fight cancer by featuring four (4) branded coin drop machines around the concourse of the Bridgestone Arena to collect change throughout the season. Predators fans are asked to donate their spare change to the special coin drop stations on gameday throughout the season.

Check out a video detailing the coin drop machines, produced by Ellsworth Systems, at Bridgestone Arena below:

But that's not all... The Predators support their partnership with the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in a number of different ways. In July 2010, the team presented a donation of $125,000 to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt that will be used towards an endowed pediatric cancer fund. Check out a quick video that highlights their partnership below:

"Must-See" Site of the Day: KnicksNow.com

A few days ago, the New York Knicks officially launched an innovative social media oriented site that has become a hot topic of conversation in the digital sports space. The site, KnicksNow.com, is a team-operated community that provides real-time social media insights and nuggets of information in a concise, digestible format.

KnicksNow.com offers a tremendous amount of high-quality content in a simple format - two aspects of digital media that fans are looking for. The site features a plethora of videos, high-res images, post-game interviews, blog posts, relevant tweets, live Facebook integration, content sharing features, headlines, quotes, daily photo uploads, and caption contests. Fans can feature @thenyknicks in their Tweets throughout Knicks games for the chance to be featured on KnicksNow.com.

Per Howard Jacobs, EVP of Marketing and Sales for MSG Sports, "KnicksNow.com is the next digital step in our total fan engagement strategy. It's the ultimate destination for our most passionate and loyal fans to access exclusive, behind-the-scenes content on the team and fully engage with other Knicks fans and our players in the dynamic, ever-changing conversation that's taking place across the social media landscape."

The interactive site could soon become a benchmark for organizations across all sports looking to host their social media initiatives all in one hub. Check out some screen shots of the site below: