AB Scores with Mascot Can Race Between Periods

Are you looking for new ways to drive excitement around alcoholic beverage partners? Are you looking for ideas to enhance your in-game entertainment?

The Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL recently did a tremendous job bringing back the excitement of the Bud Bowl in an entertaining on-ice promotion between periods. The club featured a live race between a Budweiser, Bud Light, and Bud Light Lime can that was heightened by a intro piece that was very well done  While most teams simply execute a contest between periods, the Griffins really took the promotion to the next level with the creative training lead-in.

The Griffins' Mascot Can Race is a simple intermission tactic, but serves as an effective way to drive fan excitement for Anheuser-Busch brands when most fans are heading out to the concourse to purchase their favorite beverage! Check it out below!

The Mavericks Raise Some Eyebrows with Latest Viral

Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness for your team's recent success? Are you looking for ways to drive crowd excitement at games?

The Dallas Mavericks are one of the best sports organizations when it comes to creativity. The organization recently released a piece entitled "Eyebrows" that features two players - Rodrigue Beaubois and Brendan Haywood - stirring some excitement with dancing eyebrows.

The piece does a tremendous time driving buzz around the organization just prior to its appearance against the San Antonio Spurs.Check it out below!

The Mets Introduce Fans to New Stadium Features

Are you looking for ways to promote new features and entertainment at your venue? Are you looking for new ways to call attention to branded in-stadium destinations?

SNY.tv recently posted a terrific spotlight video that showcases all of the improvements that were made to Citi Field after the inaugural season. The video, which has attracted 4,500+ views, walks Mets fans through all of the enhancements and new additions made at the ballpark, including:

• A new Mets Hall of Fame and Museum 
• Player pennants (existing and past players)
• A new section of bricks on the fan walk, which feature a commemorative Mets moment
• New stadium entrances
• A new stadium restaurant

Sports properties should consider creating similar video campaigns that feature new stadium improvements, gameday promotions and entertainment, and fan features (at the ballpark and online). Teams can use this content to drive buzz for the upcoming season and inform and remind fans of their commitment to improving the fan experience day-in and day-out. Based on the number of views the Mets preview video received, there is demand for this content and it can also serve as a great way to drive incremental awareness for team partner stadium destinations!

Check out the video below:

Nirmal Leverages US Open Alliance to Drive Real Estate Sales

Are you looking for unconventional ways to leverage team marks? Are you looking for examples where sports has been used to drive real estate sales?

In December 2009, Nirmal Lifestyle announced a partnership with the U.S. Open (tennis) to create a 46-story community of of themed apartments in Mumbai, India. The partnership marked the first time a real estate licensing deal had been signed in India and served as a very interesting example of how property marks can be leveraged in countries across the globe. 

The US Open Apartments are being positioned as a lifestyle that bridges the gap between superior living standards and healthy living. The community offers a unique collection of aesthetics and state-of-the-art facilities, including a superior fitness center, tennis courts, jogging and cycling track, basketball court, swimming pool, and badminton courts.

Total Sports Asia guided Nirmal Lifestyle in forming the partnership and using the US Open marks in all of its advertising and promotions for the apartment complex. The agreement goes to show how powerful US property marks are across the globe.

The results of the campaign?

• Sales exceeded all expectations and helped Nirmal become top-of-mind in the industry and amongst consumers
• The launch set a new record in sales for the company by selling 108 units in less than 3 weeks
• The US Open brand association helped provide an additional revenue appreciation of 4-5% to the project 

The unique partnership follows a deal where Singapore-based Manchester United Restaurant and Bar launched its flagship outlet at Nirmal Lifestyle Mall Mulund in Mumbai.

Jones Soda Takes Its Seahawks Partnership to New Heights at Retail

Are you looking for new ways to drive sales at retail? Are you looking for new, innovative ways to leverage team marks?

In 2009, Jones Soda did an incredible job bringing their Seattle Seahawks team partnership to life at retail. The niche soda brand created a unique line of packaging that featured Seahawks cartoon and even included a line of trading cards.

The packaging does a terrific job demonstrating how partners (with permisison) can use team marks in non-traditional ways to connect and engage with consumers with a variety of interests. For example, this type of packaging caters to sports fans (largely due to its originality), children, and consumers with an interest in comics/science fiction. Jones Soda is sold at a variety of retailers across the Northwest, including Albertson's, Safeway, Sam's Club, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Winco, and Fred Meyer.

As more brands look for ways to integrate sports and comics (as seen recently with adidas' World Cup campaign), it will be interesting to see if there is additional media integration.

Check out some pictures of Jones Soda's unique retail initiative below:    

 

 

Here are some additional pictures of the packaging.

An Inside Look at the Gatorade G Series Mobile Locker Room

Are you looking for new ways to reach young student-athletes? Are you looking for ways to bring sports experiences to life for fans?

Gatorade recently launched a pretty impressive G Series Mobile Locker Room that will tour the nation and visit (8) handpicked high schools between March and May 2010. Here, students will be given a first-hand experience where they can test new G Series products and experience a once in a lifetime opportunity.

To drive excitement for the mobile locker room in the HS community, Gatorade is offering fans the chance to submit a photo and description of the ultimate high school locker room ritual on the Gatorade Facebook fan page for the chance to have the G Series Mobile Locker Room come to their school and win a $500 gift card. 

The G Series Mobile Locker Room is a state-of-the-art facility and fully functional locker room that features lockers of Gatorade's prime athlete endorsers. Check out some photos of the mobile display here:

  

   

Photo Source: Pro Motion, Inc. Flickr Page 

Red Bull Gives Fans a New Look at Game Entertainment

Are you looking for new ways to enhance your pre-game entertainment? Are you looking for ways to help game entertainment live online?

The New York Red Bulls recently gave fans a unique view of their brand new $200MM stadium facility by outfitting a team of skydivers known as the Red Bull Air Force with cameras that provided a unique viewpoint of their descent into the venue. The jump, filmed from different angles in the air and on the ground, kicked off the Red Bulls' 2010 MLS season in style.

Look for this to become a viral hit in the next few days! 

Are You Using Fan Behavior Suggestions to Drive Revenue?

When was the last time you sat back and asked yourself, why do consumers do what they do? Why do they trust the feedback and opinions of others (most times, of people they do not know) over industry experts?

Consumers have an inherent trust in those who have taken the time to share/publish their personal feedback. As detailed in the book Six Pixels of Separation, consumers have an overriding faith in groups of individuals who have never met. This act of consumer behavior, where one individual's implied behavior will be matched by others (commonly referred to as topographical association), is a strong, underlying reason why Amazon.com's "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" function is so notably successful.

Do you remember the last time you purchased a book on Amazon.com and received a familiar pop-up inquiry suggesting the notion "Consumers Who Bought This Item Also Bought"? Did you find that you ignored some initial hesitation to move forward with purchasing an item that Amazon feels that you would like based on the purchasing decisions of those with similar interests?

As sports organizations have adopted more statistical analysis processes to make smarter, results-driven decisions over the past 5-10 years, it is somewhat surprising that more have not adopted topographical assocation methods to upsell consumers, simply by providing suggestions based on the interests of fellow fans attending games. After all, with teams selling fans on slogans like "You are the 12th Man" and "We are the Team of 18,000", don't they just want to fit in with the crowd? There is no doubt that fans on game day have a significant amount of shared interests.

It is pretty convincing that teams are leaving a solid amount of revenue on the table by neglecting to provide suggestions to fans based on game day sales trends. Here are a few examples:

• Concessions
  • Looking to sell more hot dogs? Have you found if there is a certain day of the week when fans purchase more hot dogs than any other day? Call this to their attention. Make it a selling point. Tell fans what other fans are doing
  • Looking to drive more revenues at the concessions stand? Use statistical analysis to tell fans what combination of items other fans usually purchase together. As teams upgrade their point of purchase cashier equipment, feature a display near the register that tells fans "Fans Who Bought This Item Also Bought"- Sway their decision
• Ticketing
  • Use statistical analysis ticketing models to upsell consumers on parking options (if the team controls nearby lots) by simply suggesting what other fans have done
  • Suggest deals that include nearby corporate partners (dining/retail) 
  • Tell people what their perceived peers are doing (whether that's based on income level, age, gender, occupation, etc.)
• Merchandise
  • Apply similar concessions practices to drive merchandise sales (although we are seeing a bit of this via online retail channels)

Just a thought. Would love to hear your thoughts on this! Please leave a comment or retweet if you agree/disagree with this column!

The SF Giants Kick off 2010 with a Flash Mob

Are you looking for new ways to drive buzz and celebrate the start of a new season? Are you looking for ways to engage fans and consumers alike with a unique awareness driver designed to attract media attention?

The San Francisco Giants recently celebrated the start of the 2010 MLB season by featuring a flash mob at Union Square, a popular locale in San Francisco. The event served as a fan rally that featured a couple hundred boisterous Giants fans singing Bye Bye Baby (a ritual for Giants fans). To pull off the stunt, the Giants held a pep rally at AT&T Stadium and distributed lyrics to the song that fans could print off and memorize before coming to participate.

Check out the execution of the event below:

The Giants drove participation for the event by offering fans the chance to take part in an Official team commercial and receive a free "It's Magic Inside" t-shirt via campaign postings on their team website, Facebook, and Craigslist (as shown below):

Nike Gives Marathon Fans All New Access on Race Day

Are you looking for new ways to bring your marathon events to life for consumers? Are you looking to showcase celebrities participating in your events?

In November 2009, Nike and BBDO teamed up to create a unique application that enabled people to receive real-time updates from celebrities, runners, and journalists participating in the Nike+ Human Race 10L Live from Argentina.

Nike provided five (5) select runners with iPhones that transmitted their voice recordings (during the race) into text messages that were posted on Twitter and related social networking websites. The phones were also equipped with GPS devices, allowing fans, participants, and onlookers the ability to track their exact location on the course when sending the message.

The tactic served as an effective way for Nike to bring the actions, thoughts, and emotions of its celebrity participants to life for all to enjoy. Check out how they implemented the campaign below:

Puma Celebrates the Game of Soccer in Africa

Are you searching for new campaigns centered around the World Cup? Are you looking for new, compelling soccer campaigns?

Puma recently released an outstanding World Cup advertising campaign entitled The Journey of Football. The spot, created by Syrup, showcases the impact that soccer has had across Africa and celebrates the origins of the game and its ability to unite nations.

Puma's campaign serves as a great example of ways that non-Official brands can still create captivating campaigns that energize consumers around the world. 

There's no question that this Puma spot, to the tune of Gnarls Barkley's hit song 'Going On' will get you excited about the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Check it out below: 

 

Capitalize on Marathon Traffic with Street Teams

Are you looking for new ways to capitalize on marathons taking place in your city or town? Are you looking for ways to impact a race participant's experience?

Nike recently drove awareness at the Los Angeles Marathon by hiring a street team to engage with consumers while they passed the Niketown retail location in downtown LA. The street team, dressed in green spandex outfits (resembling green men) electrified the race participants by dancing and showcasing signs.

Check out the clip below, and be sure to tune into the :55 mark where there is a race participant wearing a classic "PedEx" outfit that resembles a FedEx truck:

An Inside Look at Target Field

With the 2010 Major League Baseball season right around the corner, the Minnesota Twins are set to unveil their new state-of-the-art facility, Target Field, on April 12th. The $412MM venue will soon be referred to as one of the finest venues in all of baseball, with a number of elements and amenities that will be sure to turn a few heads.

Check out a full gallery of the stadium's signage, unique elements, suite levels, and more HERE.

A few unique stadium elements include:

• A full roof canopy soffit (to protect fans from weather)
• Warming shelters
• A retro sign in the outfield that lights up and moves when a player hits a HR
• A life-sized Dave Winfield figurine in the Plaza
• Team branded wrap inside the adjoining transportation station and light rail cars
• A stylish Metropolitan club
• A bronze glove photo display
• Unique mosiac displays
• A really cool quote wall
• Budweiser Deck in LF
• The 4th largest video board in all of Major League Baseball

In the past few weeks, the Twins organization has featured a tremendous outdoor billboard campaign throughout the city to drive awareness and excitement. The billboard campaign is simple, yet creatively genius. Check out some of the outdoor messaging campaigns below:

 

Partnership Activation - March 2010 Newsletter

Are you looking for the latest and great best practices in the sports marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to leverage corporate partners?

Take a moment to check out the new March 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to two (2) friends in the industry.

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

• Store Challenges
• Insights Into Using Crowdsourcing in Sports
• Carlsberg Lets Fans Give Their Best Pep Talk
• Selling Signage for International Stars
• Details on the Top 50 Sports Business Blogs
• The March 2010 Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
• Sports Social Media Watch - World Class Moustaches
• Activation Tactics from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games
• 2010 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
• Ways to Leverage a Dr. Pepper Partnership
• Creative Activation Tactics

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.

Check out the March 2010 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

  

The Crew Highlight Their Fan Experience to Drive Sales

Are you looking for new ways to drive ticket sales? Are you interested in creating a video that captures the complete fan experience at your games?

The Columbus Crew recently turned to Outsider Entertainment to create a video montage that fully captures the fan experience and will serve as an effective way to drive ticket sales. Outsider worked with the team's corporate sales department to create a tremendous video that the team could utilize in a variety of messaging channels, including the team blog, email blasts, television spots, corporate sales presentations, ticket sales videos, and partnership marketing materials.

The video does a nice job driving excitement with highlights of the game experience and then provides an inside look at the fan experience with insightful testimonials. Check it out below:

Crew Ticket Sales & Testimonials from Outsider E on Vimeo.

Leverage Players to Promote Non-Profits

Are you looking for new ways to promote non-profit organizations and charitable partners? Are you looking to new ways to create an enticing call-to-action for fans?

FC Barcelona star Lionel Leo Messi recently teamed up with UNICEF, the team's jersey naming rights partner, to create a powerful viral piece designed to drive awareness and participation in support of a good cause. The 22-year old footballer recently signed a 2-year commitment with UNICEF to work on behalf of the world's most vunerable children and created the viral spot to encouage others to join him in his efforts.

The piece is powerful and extremely well done. Check it out:

Who in the World Can Challenge Cristiano Ronaldo?

Check out this really cool Joga TV piece by Nike that features Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic challenging one another in a skills showdown. It is pretty interesting to see how Nike is beginning to incorporate more and more technology into their productions...

Take an Inside Look at the Heineken Holland House

Are you looking for new ways to enhance your hospitality footprint? Are you looking to create an on-site activation plan designed to spur nationalism?

Since 1992, Heineken has created a "Holland House" at each of the Olympic Games for all Dutch athletes, family members, friends, sponsors, media representatives, and VIP guests to enjoy while demonstrating their support for the Dutch athletes during Olympic competition.

The Heineken Holland House, serving as the home of the Dutch Olympic Committee, is an ultimate fan destination for those attending the Olympic Games. In 2010, the Heineken Holland House featured a main hall that hosted 4,000 people every night with various entertainment, including celebratory medal ceremonies and nightly performances by Dutch artists and DJ's. The venue also features a Lodge Restaurant as well as a number of interactive games for all to enjoy.

Check out a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible venue:

JetBlue Lands at the BankAtlantic Center

A rendering of the JetBlue tailfinAre you looking for new ways to leverage airline partners? Are you looking to bolster your gate entrances with elements that drive awareness for your organization's cornerstone partners?

The Florida Panthers and JetBlue are celebrating their partnership by featuring a 22.5' x 26' airplane tailfin outside the BankAtlantic Center in South Florida. The fixture will serve as a gathering place for fans prior to games, concerts, and related events taking place at the arena. The tailfin will be revealed at a ceremony prior to the Panthers home game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, May 16th in an area the team is calling the "JetBlue Tarmac".

The giant tailfin signifies a non-traditional landmark that teams can consider incorporating at stadium gate entrances to drive greater awareness for their airline partners. With custom airline paint schemes becoming an industry trend, a signature tailfin landmark serves as a great way to tie everything together on-site for fans.

Ad Graphics, a corporate partner of the Panthers organization, built the tailfin off-site and transported multiple pieces to the BankAtlantic Center parking lot in early March to be assembled. Check out how the team built the giant tailfin here.

The Panthers and JetBlue announced a partnership in November 2009 and are further leveraging the agreement with TrueBlue Nights at the BankAtlantic Center, joint marketing promotions, and advertising. On TrueBlue nights, fans can receive a free ticket to a Panthers game by wearing blue or signing up to become a TrueBlue Member.

Nike Welcomes Action Sports Enthusiasts to "The Farm"

Are you looking to feature action sports in non-traditional settings? Are you looking for new ways to incorporate action sports?

Nike continues to revolutionize the action sports space by refurbishing non-traditional areas into ultimate attractions for skateboard/snowboard enthusiasts. Nike recently ventured to the German countryside to create its newest action sports spectacle, "The Farm".

Once the project was complete, Nike invited some of the world's greatest action sports enthusiasts to try out all of the new toys it had to offer... Check out the viral piece below!