Never Underestimate Humor as a Sponsorship Tool...

Are you looking to create a unique viral clip to drive awareness of your company's affiliation with a team? Are you looking for creative ways to tie humor into sports?

Heineken created a classic clip for the 2006 World Cup in support of the Netherlands soccer team in their game against Austria. The alcoholic beverage provider found a unique way to mix humor into their partnership. Check out the clip below:

Looking for a Unique Viral Campaign?

Are you looking for a unique way to drive awareness for your partnership with a fanbase? Are you looking to create an interesting viral campaign that will capture the attention of your targeted fanbase?

In 2006, Carlsberg created two (2) fantastic viral clips that demonstrate the passion of soccer fans (particularly team announcers). The company created a campaign that centers around the goal celebrations of two (2) opposing play-by-play announcers in the media booth (with subtle brand placement). The two (2) in-game opponents eventually agree one one thing... an ice cold Carlsberg beer. The ads are classic (even though they are in a foreign language) - check them out below!

What Happens When You Play Lebron in Horse?

PartnershipActivation.com featured an article in May on Cub Cadet's Trick Shot Challenge, a promotion that offered one (1) lucky contestant the chance to play Lebron James one-on-one in a game of horse. Consumers were asked to submit their best basketball trick shot to www.LebronsTrickShotChallenge.com.

The lucky winner turned out to be David Kalb, a warehouse worker whose amazing basketball trick shot granted him the chance to take Lebron on one-on-one... Check out what happened when the two (2) squared off in the clip below (hint, Lebron lost):

Take Caution with Promotional Stunts...

Week 1 of the college football season marks the first time that many collegiate athletic departments around the nation get to experiment with new promotional contests and stunts... While most stunts go according to plan, others do not. Check out two (2) stunts that went bad during the first week of the 2008 college football season:

The University of Cincinnati Bearcat Gets Caught in the Wires (While attempting to parachute into Nippert Stadium prior to the game before the team's season opener, the Cincinnati Bearcats mascot got caught in the wiring behind the uprights and fell 40 feet to the ground) 

Parachuters for the University of North Carolina Crash the Wrong Party (Two skydivers who were supposed to land in UNC's Kenan Stadium accidentally flew into Duke's Wallace Wade stadium nine (9) miles away, crashing the field during the team's pre-game festivities)

New Nike Viral - Train Like LT...

Are you interested in seeing ways that companies are leveraging their personalities in non-traditional ways? Are you looking for ways to connect figureheads in different sports?

Enclosed below are two (2) viral clips that are destined to be a hit in the online space... LaDainian Tomlinson training with Kimbo Slice. The video, featured on Yardbarker, states they are Nike viral clips. If they are, there is extremely little product integration - the videos solely focus on building the LT brand.

Are You Reaching Fans During the Offseason?

Are you looking for new ways to incorporate messaging during the off-season? Are you looking for a way to capture the interests of consumers once your team has been eliminated from the postseason?

Check out a new Nike viral clip that was released at the beginning of July. The clip demonstrates that Nike does an excellent job of understanding the mentality of fans once their their (team's) season has come to an end. Instead of going dark during the off-season period, Nike provides a remedy for fans (which just so happens to benefit them) who now have a greater amount of leisure time to take part in other activities. The clip does a great job encouraging fans to check out NikeSoccer.com.

Looking to Promote Your Team's New Uniform?

Are you looking to create awareness around your team's new uniform? Are you looking for a consumer engaging guerrilla tactic that will hopefully spur jersey sales?

Adidas recently found a unique way to drive awareness for their new Ajax Amsterdam jersey. The footwear/apparel maker recently conducted an Ajax Shirt Swap, where they had consumers in the Leidseplein marketplace (Amsterdam) swap their clothing for the new Ajax soccer jersey. Adidas did a great job capturing the event and created a :30 viral clip to drive awareness around the globe. Check it out!

Update on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 07:03AM by Brian Gainor

Looking to Make a Statement with Your Brand?

Are you looking to make a statement with your brand? Are you looking for an out-of-the-box idea that will generate large sums of publicity?

Betfair.com spent four (4) months of preparation to grow the world's largest billboard to welcome travelers as they flew into Vienna for the 2008 Euro Football Championship. The Betfair.com "home grown" billboard, which says 'NO. 1 FOR FOOTBALL AND STILL GROWING!', covers the space of 50 football fields; a space that is equivalent to laying the Empire State Building end-on-end three (3) times.

The results? Over 1MM airline passengers saw the billboard while flying into Vienna International Airport in June and the billboard was officially ratified as the World's Largest Advertising Hoarding by the Guinness Book of World Records. There is no word as to what it cost Betfair.com to create the billboard.

In all, the billboard took:

• Four (4) months of preparation time to grow
• Nine tons of wheat seed
• 53,000 marigold plants
• 1.5km of cotton
• Various other plants (rape, camomile, mustard, clover, poppies, grass)

Source: Betfair.com

Update on Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 06:49AM by Brian Gainor

NFL Fantasy Files Draws Millions of Impressions...

Over the past three (3) years, the NFL and Reebok have collaborated with Blue Room on an incredible viral campaign called the NFL Fantasy Files. The clips, designed to drive traffic to NFL.com, were broadcasted online and on video boards in stadiums across the nation.

The viral program has been incredibly successful… generating 4.7MM YouTube impressions.

The campaign started in 2006 with three (3) viral features (Neil Rackers, Chris Simms, and Braylon Edwards) and was continued in 2007 with six (6) additional features (Marques Colston, Mike Nugent, Andre Johnson, Jason Campbell, David Akers, and Marc Bulger).

The two (2) parties are collaborating on another set of videos in 2008. Thus far, The Fantasy File series includes features from Laurence Maroney, Mason Crosby, Chris Cooley, and Chris Chambers.

When you have a moment, check out the videos below – they are a MUST SEE (while watching, brainstorm some ideas of how your organization/supporting partners can create similar viral tactics to stimulate buzz and relevancy):

Neil Rackers Video Clip

Chris Simms Video Clip

Braylon Edwards Video Clip

Marques Colston Video Clip

Mike Nugent Video Clip

Andre Johnson Video Clip

Jason Campbell Video Clip

David Akers Video Clip

Mark Bulger Video Clip

Laurence Maroney Video Clip

Mason Crosby Video Clip

Chris Cooley Video Clip

Chris Chambers Video Clip

A special thanks to ViralBlog for their August 6th feature on the success of this viral campaign.

New Nike Soccer Viral...

Nike always creates some captivating viral campaigns... And here is another. To spur some excitement for the U.S. National Soccer team and its soccer products, Nike created a video that captures the "placement skills" of Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley... Check out the clip below! 

Update on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 07:36PM by Brian Gainor

Adidas Olympics Viral...

Here is a pretty interesting viral clip that captures Adidas' guerrilla tactics to promote the upcoming Olympics... The company does a very good job relating Olympic events to the everyday consumer and likewise, subtly promoting Adidas apparel and designs. If you have a moment, check it out!

Update on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 09:16PM by Brian Gainor

Can This Spark Your Next Viral Soccer Campaign?

Are you looking for a unique idea to spur a soccer viral campaign?

Check out the video below, which shows Rene Higuita making an incredible save against Valderamma... Finding a way to tie something unique like this to your brand could draw some serious eyeballs in the virtual space...

MLS - Hire These Guys Too!

A few weeks ago I posted a video of a guy that the MLS needs to hire to drive some buzz around the game of soccer in the United States, especially as we head into the World Cup qualifying stage... Well, I found a video that details a few more exceptional ballhandlers from Poland, who have the finesse and "streetball feel" that could help the MLS fuel a captivating viral marketing campaign across the United States...

Stick each of these guys in a different MLS jersey and have them perform some amazing tricks outside major sporting events in their respective cities to drive some buzz during the off-season! Americans just need to see the ballhandling and finesse that makes the game of soccer so popular across the pond...

Budweiser's Found It's Golf Niche...

If Anheuser-Busch was ever looking to find it's "niche" in the game of golf, John Daly has opened the door. Daly, as shown in the video below, hit a tee shot off a full can of Budweiser at a recent golf match in Warwick Hills. Daly's "trick shot" was his way of entertaining the gallery while playing alongside Kid Rock in a Celebrity Pro-Am event...

In a strategic move that would mirror Heineken's "humorous" play with tennis, Budweiser could easily create some great viral marketing that shows golfers finding some creative ways to use Bud products to hit different trick shots (drives, chip shots, sand trap shots)... 

Again, Daly probabaly isn't the best spokesman for Anheuser-Busch, but this celebrity trick could be a great way to drive some excitement for the Budweiser brand amongst the non-traditional golf community... 

Cristiano Ronaldo Races a Bugatti...

I have enclosed a clip of some great Nike viral that was released in January of 2008... The clip profiles athlete performance (ala Kobe Bryant), this time pinning Cristiano Ronaldo in a head-to-head race against a Bugatti Veyron, the world's most powerful road car.

The viral launched on nikefootball.com and does an incredible job touting Ronaldo's speed. While you are watching this clip, keep in mind the fact that Bugattis can reach top speeds of 253mph and can do 0-60mph in less than three (3) seconds... The ad is for Nike's Mercurial Vapor IV soccer cleats...

This is some great viral!

If you want to see more of what Cristiano Ronaldo can do on the soccer pitch, then check out the clip below, which showcases his ball handling skills in relation to Ronaldinho... There's no question why these two (2) players are considered the best in the world!

MLS - Hire This Guy!

As the MLS continues to drive awareness for its new campaign, "Football. Futbol. Soccer.", the league needs to track down the guy who created the video enclosed below. This would be a GREAT way to drive online buzz for the game of soccer in the United States (performing related soccer stunts at monuments/involving celebrities across the nation)... Check it out!

FOOT 2008 (REMI GAILLARD)
Uploaded by nqtv

McDonalds Grows Its Billboard Awareness...

"It's hard for corporations to understand that creativity is not just about succeeding. It's about experimenting and discovering." - Gordon Mackenzie

A hot topic in the sports industry today is "going green". McDonalds took this strategy to heart and used it to develop an innovative strategy to drive awareness for its salad offerings outside Wrigley Field. The QSR leader developed an innovative billboard campaign that "grew" over the timespan of a few weeks, serving as a great way to capture the attention and interests of consumers mingling outside the ballpark and on their way home after the game.

The billboard also provided some imagery for Cubs fans, who are passionate about the ivy that grows on the brick outfield walls of Wrigley field... Check out the clip below.

Nike Goes Interactive With Its Street Signage...

Have you ever brainstormed ways to make your street signage interactive outside the use of technology? Have you considered using street signage as a means to distribute premium items to passerby traffic?

If not, check out the clip below that details an innovative idea that Nike recently implemented in-market... Nike created an outdoor billboard that dispenses posters at the click of a button... A very interesting technique that can provide teams with an additional way to distribute posters and messaging to fans to promote the upcoming season/playoffs and/or generate team interest. This could also serve as a means for organizations to provide premiums to consumers who do not have the resources to attend games (a way of reaching out to the community).

On the flipside, sponsors could also consider utilizing similar co-branded posters that print coupons that consumers can redeem at partnering retail/QSR chains...

Extending Viral Campaigns...

Kobe Bryant recently created a unique clip with the crew of the MTV show Jackass to further promote his new brand of Hyperdunk shoes that recently hit the market... The video below complements the Aston-Martin clip that was a nationwide hit:

Unique Nike Viral... Kids, Don't Try This at Home...

Check out the enclosed clip that Nike created to promote its line of Nike T90 soccer cleats... The company convinced Cesc Fabregas to perform soccer tricks in daredevil fashion... Fabregas is a star player for the British soccer team Arsenal F.C. - A very interesting tactic to drive buzz and awareness for their new product!