Nike Shows What it Takes to Bleed as One...

Are you looking to create a viral campaign that emphasizes team unity and focus? Are you looking for new ways to engage fans on one united front?

Nike recently released a powerful viral piece that demonstrates the things the Dutch National Team will need to effectively do during the 2010 World Cup to realize their full potential. The piece, entitled "Bleed as One" is very interesting because it uses some unusual imagery to demonstrate how the team will need to compete as a united front with with resolve and focus, not just their brilliant style of play.

Check out the piece below:

The Cavs Set a Record with Snuggie Night...

Are you looking to offer new premium giveaways for fans? Have you considered attempting to set a Guinness World Record at your venue?

Sports organizations looking for ways to enhance their premium giveaway nights should take a moment to benchmark the Cleveland Cavaliers' recent Snuggie Night presented by KeyBank. The team took the Snuggie giveaway night to the next level by asking all fans with a ticket to arrive early to the game to partake in a Guinness World Record attempt. The offer was so enticing, tickets were rumored to be going for 10-times face value for the event.

For the first five (5) minutes of the game, 20,000+ rabid Cavaliers fans wore their Snuggie, helping the team set an official record for most fleece blankets of one (1) colors worn in one (1) place: 20,562. While fans put on their cool premium giveaways, so did Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the Cavs' dance team, who were given custom versions. Even the Cavaliers and Pistons players were given special, large-sized versions of the Snuggie premiums with their names and numbers monogrammed.

What are the chances of setting your own official Guiness World Record? Unfortunately, just 3% of the 60,000 applications submitted on an annual basis are approved and executed. But they can always say no...

Check out a video of the Cavs' Snuggie execution below! Well done, especially to KeyBank on their post-event execution featuring a microsite with pictures, videos, and a sweepstakes offer for fans who weren't able to attend!

 

A special thanks to Alex Vitanye of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration for his insights and contributions to this column. Source: Cleveland.com

Pitch a Perfect Game in MLB2K10 and Win $1 Million

Are you looking for new ways to entice fans? Are you looking for the hottest new promotions in sports?

2K Sports recently announced that it is offering a $1 million prize to the first person who throws a perfect game in its new release, MLB 2K10. The skill-based challenge marked a unique way to engage fans and drive a significant amount of buzz around the release of the game on March 2nd.

The simple catch? Entrants must record the entirety of their game, either with a camera aimed at the television or recorded digitally. To ensure legitimacy of submissions, 2K Sports is working with Twin Galaxies, a worldwide sanctioning authority for video game high scores and records... And only one (1) person can win!

The chances of a perfect game happening in the Major Leagues? Just 16 perfect games have been thrown in Major League Baseball since 1901 (during a stretch of 160,000 regular season games).

The company created a special microsite to reveal the details around "The Battle for $1,000,000", which included a set of nine (9) detail instructions:

1. Get a copy of MLB 2K10 for XBox 360 or Playstation 3
2. Read the Perfect Game Official Contest Rules and Legal Rules Carefully
3. Print a Copy of The Perfect Game Checklist to Help Ensure You Don't Miss a Step
4. Set up a Recording Device to Record Your Perfect Game Attempt
5. Play Your Perfect Game Attempt in the MLB 2K10 Contest Mode in the MLB Today Section and You Must Use the Pitcher That is Set to Start the Game for That Particular Day
6. Throw a Perfect Game Without..
   1. Making any pitching substitutions
   2. Calling any coaching visits to the mound
   3. Pausing the game
   4. Delaying the game (waiting 60 seconds or more between pitches)
   5. Changing any of the control options. User must play using Total Control Pitching and Total Control Hitting (these modes are set to default when attempting the perfect game)
7. A Verification Code will Appear After Your Perfect Game - Input That on the Perfect Game Website
8. Print Two (2) Copies of the Verification Confirmation Page
9. Send Via Overnight Courier Your Recording Of Your Perfect Game on DVD Marked with Verification Code, Name, and Gamertag to 2k Sports Attn: MLB 2K10 Promotions Team 10 Hamilton Landing Novato, CA 94949

Check out the promotional trailer below:

Source: Kotaku.com

Activation of the Day - Cheerios, 2010 Olympics

Cheerios capitalized on the buzz in Canada surrounding the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games by creating an initiative that provided consumers with an opportunity to cheer on their favorite Team Canada athletes. 

In September 2009, Cheerios began selling boxes of cereal with a dotted line around the "Cheer" on the front of Cheerios boxes that consumers could cut out and mail in to demonstrate their support. The Cheer cards were addressed to the Olympic Village with postage covered by Canada Post and were featured on different displays across the city. Check out the final product of the campaign below:

Molson Brings Canadian Nationalism to the Olympics

Are you looking for new ways to build nationwide excitement? Are you looking for ways to activate at global events?

Molson Canadian featured one of the best activation footprints in all of Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Games. The brand's "Hockey House" was a hometown fixture that turned out to be the best place for hockey fans to watch games and listen to the latest Canadian music in Vancouver. But that wasn't all the brand did to support Canada's efforts to host the Olympic Games.

Check out some of their creative activation tactics below:

Molson Canadian Hockey House

Molson Canadian Digital Guest Book

Molson Canadian Rally Book

Molson Canadian also cheered on Team Canada by creating a "Made from Canada Rally Book", filled with thousands of good luck messages from fans across Canada, that was presented to some notable Canadian official prior to the hockey team's match against Russia. Check it out below:

Molson Canadian 2010 Mural Project

Molson built a mosaic of individual fan photos spanning a 4,000 square foot section on the outside wall of the Kitsilano brewery in Vancouer. The brand collected photos submitted via the site http://www.molsoncanadian.ca/2010muralproject/ to build a surprise Olympic-themed image and message for all consumers visiting the city to see. Check out how they launched the project:

Molson Canadian "Made from Canada" Commercial

Molson unveiled one of the finest Olympics commercials of all-time in 2010. The brand's "Made from Canada" piece does an incredible job screaming patriotism. Check it out below:

The Dodgers Get Interactive with Digital Fan Billboards

Are you looking for new ways to engage fans prior to the season? Are you looking for new ways to drive fan engagement online?

The Los Angeles Dodgers recently teamed up with Channel 1 Media to create a terrific customized online campaign to engage fans prior to the start of the 2010 MLB season. The two parties created a really cool campaign that enables fans to create their own billboard... in a matter of seconds. The initiative, designed to drive fan interest and ticket sales, is a turnkey piece that can be implemented by teams from all leagues.

The campaign is really simple, yet very interactive and fun for consumers. The best part is the fact that it ties directly back to the Dodgers' terrific "This Is My Town" billboard messaging campaign from 2009 and truly lets fans be a part of the action. Channel 1 Media and the Dodgers also did a great job building in social media functionality to help the campaign go viral (see the Facebook, Twitter, and email functionality on the last picture below).

Check it out at http://channel1media.com/dodgers/2010/

Castrol Creates the Ultimate Kicking Machine

Are you looking for new ways to integrate technological advancements and sports? Are you searching for ways to incorporate non-traditional partners?

As soccer fans gear up for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, BP Castrol Japan is drawing a significant amount of buzz after creating a kicking machine that can kick a soccer ball 200+ kilometers per hour. BP Castrol Japan is leveraging the machine by offering a "Win a Trip to Challenge Ronaldo" promotion where fans from select countries can enter online for a chance to battle Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's most powerful shooters, in a head-to-head soccer kick competition.

Castrol signed a six-year agreement in June of 2008 to be an Official FIFA World Cup Sponsor after successfully deriving value out of the Castrol Index, an innovation it created in support of the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. 

Watch the kicking machine in action below:

Partnership Activation - February 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 February 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to three (3) friends at work.

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

• Sidewalk Challenges
• Insights Into Using Augmented Reality
• 27th Annual IEG Sponsorship Conference
• 7 Tips for Bringing Your In-Venue Signage to Life for Consumers
• Details on the UK Sports Network
• The February 2010 Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
• Sports Social Media Watch - Molson Canadian
• Activation Tactics from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and 2010 NBA All-Star Game
• 2010 Australian Open
• Ways to Leverage an ESPN 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 February 2010 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

Bring Your Team Billboards Life!

Are you looking for new ways to engage fans throughout the week? Are you looking to drive online engagement and an incremental number of fans to your organization's Facebook Fan Page?

Rockit Wrigleyville, a new bar and grill located in the heart of Wrigleyville, recently featured a promotion that provided consumers with a chance to have their face appear on a billboard located just outside Wrigley Field. For a chance to win, consumers just had to take their picture in front of the billboard and upload it to the restaurant's official Facebook fan page.

The entrant who posted a photo on the Facebook Fan Page that generate the most "likes" by other viewers was selected as the ultimate winner of the promotion. To drive interest in the offer, Rockit Wrigleyville offered a free $25 gift certificate to each contestant. The winner, John Walters, garnered 82 "likes" for his picture submission.

The low-cost promotion served as a tremendous way for Rockit Wrigleyville to drive buzz in the marketplace (consumers would encourage their friends to check out their photos and "like" them) as well as drive traffic and new fans to the restaurant's Official Facebook Fan Page.

The promotion serves as a really simple way for sports organizations to leverage stadium landmarks and billboards in the marketplace to spur fan engagement and drive traffic online to the official team facebook page via valuable content.

Check out some of the pictures that were submitted here.

Watch a video of the campaign below:

Billboard of the Week - Lotto (Soccer)

Are you looking for new, creative ways to promote the game of soccer? Are you looking to feature a non-traditional outdoor campaign in select markets?

Soccer properties looking for new ways to market their organization should consider benchmarking an outdoor marketing tactic Lotto used around the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The company creatively branded the side of an overpass to resemble a soccer goal that fans walked under towards one of the site locations where a World Cup match was being played.

Check it out below:

Red Bull Drives Interest with F1 on Ice Viral

Are you looking for new ways to attract casual sports fans and non-traditional consumers to your sport? Are you looking for unique ways to promote motorsports?

Red Bull recently unveiled a really cool viral piece that features the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team testing the agility and speed of its cars in non-traditional, wintry conditions. The clip, created to celebrate the return of the Canadian Grand Prix, led Red Bull F1 driver Sebastien Buemi and his counterparts to Canada for a test run.

The unique viral piece demonstrates the out-of-the-box thing that needs to become more prevalent in the sport of NASCAR. After all, who wouldn't want to see high-speed racing on ice in the Great North?

Check out Red Bull's creative piece below:

Does Your Venue Scream Your Brand?

Are you looking for new ways to renovate areas within your stadium or arena? Are you looking for new ways to build your brand through unique messaging points on game day?

The Arizona Cardinals organization has done a tremendous job turning the walls of University of Phoenix Stadium into giant brand building pieces. The signage inventory can serve as a tremendous way to ingrain corporate partners in a non-intrusive manner. Check out some examples below:

Vitaminwater Gets Creative with Olympic Activation

Are you looking for new, creative ways to leverage the Olympics? Are you looking to promote Vitaminwater products on-site?

Vitaminwater recently featured two (2) unique activation tactics in Vancouver as a means to leverage consumer passion for the 2010 Olympic Games and drive awareness amongst tourists and residents strolling through the city. As a brand within the Coca-Cola family, Vitaminwater launched a full campaign around the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games that encouraged Canadian citizens, including Olympic athletes competing in the Games, to try its product.  

Check out their two (2) unique engagement tactics below:

Vitaminwater Bus Shelter Renovation

Vitaminwater teamed up with Cleveland-based ad agency Brokaw to transform Vancouver bus shelters into ski lift seating for consumers to enjoy while touring the city. The unique bus shelter branding was accompanied by signage that read, "It Makes the Daily Routine Feel More Like an Olympic Event", and the minor branding tactic really served as a great way to escape the Olympic clutter experienced throughout Vancouver.

Vitaminwater Mini-Curling

Effectively Leveraging Social Media to Get a Job!

Are you looking for new ways to differentiate yourself in the job search? Are you looking for new ways to integrate social media into the mix?

@LauraGainor (check her out on Twitter!) recently unveiled a tremendous presentation she created for a position with Comet Branding, a progressive Milwaukee-based branding, PR, and social media agency. She created a unique piece that effectively told her story, incorporated new social media technologies, and demonstrated immediate results!

How did she do it?

While touring the city of Milwaukee, @LauraGainor utilized her social media skills to get creative and attract the attention of Comet Branding's @AlKrueger & @SaraMeaney. Laura decided to quietly work on a campaign designed to gauge their reaction from live tweets she posted while checking in at major Milwaukee attractions using the social media gaming tool, @Foursquare. She felt that this would serve as a more effective tactic than simply sending them an email that alerted them of her plans.

Laura also took advantage of using the newly launched Foursquare client, @SquarePik, which now allows you to post a photo of the venue you're at while checking in to gain points. She utilized this medium to grab the attention of Comet Branding by including their poster-sized company logo in each photo.

Laura compiled all of her interactions in a presentation format that told her story and effectively incorporated social media. In her deliverable, Laura featured a video she shot using TwitVideo on her iPhone 3GS and linked to all of her social media profiles (which you can see on the last page of the presentation).

Check out her innovative social media-centric presentation here:

Laura Gainor Utilizing Social Media

View more presentations from Laura Gainor.

Nike Does it Again with the Human Chain

Are you looking for unique ways to align multiple sports sponsorships? Are you looking for ways to highlight the perseverance required of elite athletes?

Nike has created yet another captivating viral campaign - this one entitled the Human Chain. The clip demonstrates Nike's impact across multiple sports disciplines and really helps showcase the brand's depth on a global scale across a wide variety of athletic events.

The spot, created by Wieden + Kennedy, provides a glimpse of a wide range of Nike ambassadors. For more information, check out this tremendous writeup by The Inspiration Room. 

Check out Nike's newest viral piece below!

The Mavs Raffle Off Nowitzki Bobblehead for Charity

Are you looking to enhance the fan experience on game day? Are you looking for new ways to highlight your team's stars?

One of the highlights of the 2010 NBA All-Star weekend was a life-sized, 7-foot bobblehead figurine of Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki. The statue was an instant attraction for fans searching for photo opportunities within the interactive NBA Jam Session footprint and served as an effective way for the Mavericks organization to highlight its franchise player.

The team brought the statue to life for fans by allowing them to purchase $5 raffle tickets for the chance to own it, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Mavs Foundation.  

Source: DallasObserver.com

Umbro Unveils England's Away Jersey in Hostile Conditions

Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness to a new team jersey kit? Are you looking for ways to leverage both music and entertainment?

Umbro recently unveiled England's new away jersey for the 2010 World Cup in a very unconventional setting. The apparel company turned to Tom Meighan, frontman for the popular English band Kasabian, to unveil the jersey during a live concert performance at the Paris Olympia in front of thousands of unsuspecting French soccer fans.

While the surprise apparel tactic didn't prove to be too popular with the crowd, it served as a great publicity stunt to drive awareness for the new Team England Away Kit. Click here for some pictures from the event from Umbro's Flickr photo stream and check out the video of publicity act below:

Also, check out an interview with Meighan about his experience unveiling the shirt in hostile conditions here!

Drew Brees Leads Post Super Bowl Bar Chants

Are you looking for new ways to activate at retail? Are you looking for ways to leverage athletes in bar and restaurant settings?

Check out a really cool video of Saints QB Drew Brees teaching a lucky group of faithful Saints fans his pre-game chant at a New Orleans Bar following the Super Bowl. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will be something that these Saints fans will share with their friends for years to come...

It is really exciting to see a guy like Brees be so committed to the city of New Orleans and all of the people that support him.

Check it out below:

A special thanks to David Mueller of GMR Marketing for his insights and contributions to this column.

Activation of the Day - Interactive Store Fronts

Are you interested in how technology will continue to shape the sports industry? Are you interested in following global trends and insights?

Sports marketers should take a moment to watch the video below from Tokyo and consider new ways that technology will imact our game day experiences. The video enclosed below provides an inside look at how sports marketers can use a stadium facade to provide entertainment value to fans (using mobile devices). It is really amazing to see how technology continues to impact our lives in new ways!

Source: CherryFlava.com

The Bud Light House is... Real?

With a record 106.5 million viewers tuning in to watch Super Bowl XXIV, Anheuser-Busch kicked off the commercial frenzy with a pretty entertaining Bud Light House commercial. The clip detailed a group of guys touring a house made entirely of Bud Lights and hosting a party. The spot proved to be a hit with consumers, notching a 3rd place AdBowl ranking.

But while the commercial was made for pure entertainment value, do viewers ever think wonder whether the content shown in Super Bowl commercials is ever real?

In the case of the Bud Light House commercial, it is. Check out a viral piece below that shows how Bud Light and its agency partners built a real-life Bud Light House to film the spot: