Axe Goes Guerrilla on Women's Running Event...

Are you looking for new, unqiue guerrilla marketing strategies?

Axe devised a creative guerrilla marketing campaign to capitalize on the largest European women's running event. The event, which took place in Aarhus, Denmark, featured 6,000 female participants competing against one another along a road course filled with thousands of ongoers. 

After the race began, Axe turned the event into a publicity stunt by having a man in an Axe shirt jump over a fence 100 meters in front of the starting line. The man quickly sprayed himself down with Axe cologne and began to lead the pack of female runners along the route, creating an impression for the thousands of ongoers watching the race that thousands of women were chasing him after using Axe's product. A very creative campaign developed by Axe!

Source: Invisible Red - 12/9/2008

Jack in the Box and the Lakers Create a 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 same 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 to 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 several 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" promotion has 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.

Utah Fans Do The...Chomp?

Are you looking to capitalize on new merchandise revenue streams?

Sports organizations should consider ways to capitalize on potential new revenue streams after acquiring a popular free agent or a coaching legend. Players like Kevin Garnett, who built a lasting legacy playing the majority of their career in one city (e.g. Minneapolis), have the ability to generate new sales revenues in new markets for their current organizations (e.g. Boston Celtics).

The NBA Restaurant, adjoined to the Target Center (home of the Timberwolves) in downtown Minneapolis sells six (6) racks of Celtics No. 5 jerseys, Garnett wristbands, Celtics carry sacks, green women's tank tops with "Celtics" written in crystals, and a larger collection of Celtics t-shirts than Timberwolves merchandise. The result? The store sells more Kevin Garnett Celtics jerseys than the Timberwolves jerseys they sell. Al Jefferson and Kevin Love jerseys move off the shelves, but not as fast as the store's Garnett gear.

The implications for sports marketers? Capitalize on merchandise sales of new acquisitions/coaches in their former markets. Strong loyalties lie and in some cases, they always will (depending on the circumstances)...  

Case in Point? Prior to the Sugar Bowl, fans of the Utah Utes united to do a signature Urban Meyer Chomp... Hopefully the Gators are selling some Urban Meyer gear in Salt Lake City, or else they are leaving some merchandise revenue streams on the table...

Source: The Boston Globe - Hero is Welcome (11.21.2008)

Find Ways To Capitalize on No. 44...

Are you looking to take advantage of a growing trend in the sports marketplace? Are you looking to capitalize on a new premium giveaway?

If you haven't heard, there isn't a jersey hotter in sports than No. 44... While there aren't many players who sport this number, it could easily become a top seller in sales for in the next few weeks...

Why? With Barack Obama set to become the United States' 44th President, No. 44 merchandise has been selling everywhere and is especially popular amongst the young African-American male demographic.

The Harlem Globetrotters are taking advantage of the No. 44 craze by having all of their players wear a No. 44 jersey on their backs on January 20th to honor President-elect Barack Obama on his inauguration day in Washington, D.C. Kurt Schneider, CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters, recently noted that the inauguration marks a landmark moment in the nation's cultural history and the Globetrotters felt compelled to honor the historic occasion in a small way.

Chick-fil-A Gets Creative At The Free Throw Line...

The Orlando Magic collaborated with Chick-fil-A to create a unique near-court branding piece at Amway Arena. The stanchion signage located under the baskets features Chick-fil-A's signature cow with the messaging, "Block Burgerz, Dunk Chikin".

The creative near-court branding corresponds with an ongoing promotion that rewards Magic game attendees with a free Chick-fil-A sandwich at participating Central Florida locations following any home game when the team hits 20 free throws. To receive a free sandwich, fans just have to redeem their ticket stub the day after the game (for Saturday games, the ticket stub is redeemable on Monday since Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays).

Chick-fil-A's unique stanchion branding piece will help draw buzz/attention to their promotional offer every time the Magic shoot from free throw line. Check out the creative branding tactic below:

 

What's Your Favorite Call of the Game?

Are you looking to provide fans with additional, unique content on your team website? Are you looking for ways to compile your organization's best sound bytes?

The Atlanta Hawks have done an exceptional job creating a profile page for their arena PA announcer, Ryan Cameron. The Hawks have highlighted the page with twenty (20) of Cameron's signature calls, enabling fans to quickly listen to their favorite sound bytes at their convenience.

Look for more organizations to take control of their "sounds of the game" by finding unique ways to leverage and monetize them...

Have You Considered Creating a Scoreboard Section?

Are you looking to create exclusive sections in-venue at a minimal cost? Are you looking to drive excitement in certain sections of your upper bowl seating?

It really is a phenomenon how much fans love being shown on the scoreboard... For many, is there anything greater than going to a game and being featured on the scoreboard?

In most cases scoreboard cameos require fans to dance, kiss, make faces, etc. Being featured on a scoreboard is such a captivating moment for fans, yet interestingly enough, it is something that most organizations take for granted.

Over the past few years many organizations have adopted the All-You-Can-Eat model to drive fan excitement and new revenue streams. Could the next wave of fan-friendly sections be "Scoreboard Sections", where fans are guaranteed an appearance on the scoreboard at some point in time during the game?

It would be interesting to see if fans would be willing to pay an incremental price to sit in such a section. But regardless, the concept of a "Scoreboard Section" could be a great way to drive ticket demand for select sections of your venue.

Which leads to the question... We have seen so many advances in scoreboard technology, etc. When will the industry witness the first professional team feature a stand-alone Fan Cam Scoreboard that strictly shows fans' reactions and actions throughout the duration of a game? One has to figure that after all, most casual fans now go to sporting events for the entertainment value as much as the excitement of the game.

Are Your Fans' Birthdays Worth Free Admission?

Are you looking for new ways to stimulate fan attendance? Are you looking for new fan promotions that can tie in corporate partners?

In September, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced a new promotion that enables guests to get into one of their parks for FREE on their birthday. All visitors have to do is show valid identification and proof of birthday to qualify at the ticket office or online. The promotion is part of Disney's ongoing "What Will You Celebrate" thematic to drive traffic/interest in the Disney parks in 2009.

Which leads to the question, can't this promotion also serve as an effective traffic driver in the sports marketplace? All teams are risking by implementing such a promotion is the revenue from those people whose birthdays it is that might have come to the game/event anyway.

Teams can view the promotion as a way to drive incremental attendance and revenue streams from concessions/merchandise/parking, figuring that when a consumer decides to celebrate his/her birthday at the game, they will never come alone (they will bring their spouse, friends, and/or family members).

Organizations can consider tying in a number of corporate sponsors to a birthday-incentive promotion (after all, who doesn't remember receiving a razor from the Army when they turned 18?):

• Retailers (Target, Best Buy, etc.) may be interested in offering such a promotion to target a general consumer base
• A company like Anheuser-Busch may be interested in rewarding consumers on their 21st birthday with a special admission/exclusive experience package
• Build-A-Bear may find it to be a great way to drive awareness for their products amongst young consumers and their families.
• Auto companies and life insurance firms may be interested in using such a promotional concept to target Baby Boomers.
• QSR's offering special discounts for senior citizens (senior coffee) may be interested in targeting an aging group of consumers

Looking For New Online Content? Consider Capturing Pre-Game Rituals...

Is your organization looking for new content to feature on its team website? Are you looking to capture elements that will spark fan interest?

Teams looking to spark consumer interest online should consider capturing pre-game rituals to feature on the team website. Players, teams, and even fans perform a variety of superstitious acts to get ready for gametime. From pre-game chants to concentration techniques, there are a lot of pre-game preparation techniques that make for some great content to feature online or during breaks in play on the scoreboard. Check out a few examples of quality pre-game ritual content below:

Brian Dawkins, Pre-Game Walk and Conversation with the Ball

All Blacks Rugby Team, War Dance

Lebron James and Damon Jones, How Am I Looking Display

John Henderson, Pre-Game Face Slap

Chris Cooley, Colt Brennan, and Todd Yoder Football Toss

Vince Carter, Basket Chin Up

Evgeni Malkin, Last Player on the Ice Skate

Billboard of the Week - Philadelphia Eagles

Is your organization looking for new channels to market team merchandise? Are you looking for new ways to target fans around the holidays?

The Philadelphia Eagles created a simple, yet effective outdoor advertisement to drive sales of customized jerseys around the holidays. The billboard targeted fans looking for "that special gift" to buy their children for Christmas. Check out the billboard campaign below:

Who Doesn't Love a Good Prank?

Are you looking for a creative :60 vignette concept that will drive in-game attention to your brand? Is your organization looking for a new, unique way to engage corporate partners?

Consumers love seeing a good prank... After all, Ashton Kutcher made a living off of pranks with his hit reality show Punk'd from 2003-07. If great pranks are so popular with people, why can't this idea translate in the sports marketplace?

Sponsors looking to drive attention to their brand in-game should consider working with team personnel to create a :60 vignette featuring a team prank that incorporates their brand. There are a variety of ways that teams and their supporting partners could collaborate on such an idea (rookies have to serve burgers at QSR partner, athlete has a unique experience at auto dealership, player receives a large amount of cases of XXX product delivered to his/her house, etc.).

The Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia Phillies are two (2) organizations who effectively created a "prank video" that generated some buzz across the web. While neither organization's video incorporated a corporate partner, they do an effective job demonstrating ways that teams can consider incorporating sponsored products, etc. (e.g. the Sacramento Kings could have staged a player prank using a corporate partner's product (instead of popcorn); the Philadelphia Phillies could have a partner's product in the trade discussions/locker room placement). Check out the two (2) videos below:

Use Stairways/Escalators to Demonstrate Brand Attributes...

Is your organization looking for a unique way to drive awareness for beverage offerings in-venue? Is your brand looking for new ways to demonstrate product attributes?

Coca-Cola and McDonalds teamed up to create a unique guerrilla marketing tactic that helped demonstrate the benefits of Coca-Cola Light versus Coca-Cola. The collaborating parties redesigned a staircase and an adjoining escalator to help consumers compare the attributes of the two brands (as shown in the picture below)... a creative way to bring some light to your brand that stops consumers in their tracks!

Sports marketers should consider finding similar ways in-venue to assist supporting parties with their promotion of multiple product lines, etc. Ample opportunities exist for sports marketers to capture the attention of fans pre-game/in-game/post-game by using a little creativity in the concourse level!

Source: Invisible Red

A Behind the Scenes Look at the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley...

Are you looking for some unique activation ideas for an outdoor event? Are you interested in learning more about the NHL's gameday entertainment for its biggest event of the year? 

An NHL Winter Classic-Wrigley behind-the-scenes gallery was recently posted on PartnershipActivation.com HERE. The gallery details:

• Gameday Entertainment (stilts, inflatables, stunt cards, etc.)
• Sponsorship Tactics (sponsor logos featured on Wrigley's brick walls, activation areas, etc.)
• Marketing Tactics/Branding (signage, billboards, ice sculptures, window signage, etc.)

Check out the gallery and more in the Activation Gallery!

The Nuggets Go Ice, Ice Baby on 80's Night...

Is your organization looking for new ways to promote 80's night? Are you looking for new ways to deliver new game entertainment to your fanbase?

On Saturday night, the Denver Nuggets took 80's night to a whole new level... by bringing in Vanilla Ice to perform during halftime of the team's game against the New Orleans Hornets. The Nuggets paid a nominal fee for Rob Van Winkle aka Vanilla Ice to perform his hit Ice, Ice Baby (although the song was released in 1990).

Believe it or not, a number of groups - from one-hit wonders to consistent chart leaders - are available for in-game acts at reasonable rates (e.g. Afroman, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Vanilla Ice, etc.).

The Vanilla Ice halftime entertainment on Saturday night was a hit with Nuggets fans in attendance and drew a sizeable amount of media attention... Implementing similar acts is something to consider to enhance your '80s/'90s nights! Check out a portion of Vanilla Ice's in-game performance below:

Entertain Fans with Guinness World Record Attempts...

Are you looking for new ways to entertain fans between periods? Is your organization looking for new ways to break records throughout the season?

With the common understanding that fans love to see records be broken, has your organization consider ways that fans and/or players could attempt to set Guinness World Records during halftime/between periods?

For example, soccer organizations can look up and attempt to break/set records for:

• Most Touches in 1 Minute (Male/Female)
• Most Touches in One Minute with Head (Male/Female)
• Most Touches in 30 Seconds
• Most Goals Scored in One Minute
• Most Saves in One Minute

Where has this been done? Members of the 2008 NBA All-Star team attempted to set a Guiness World Record for the most halfcourt shots made in one (1) minute during a practice session. Check out the clips below:

Text Qwest and Receive a Personalized Adrian Peterson Photo...

Is your brand looking to reach consumers via text messaging? Are you looking to provide consumers with a personalized giveaway?

Qwest is currently a very cool promotional offer that enables consumers to receive a free personalized Adrian Peterson photo in their inbox. According to Mylocalpub.wordpress.com, consumers simply have to:

1) Text Adrian (add a space) Your First Name (add a space) Your Email Address to the Qwest shortcode: 95495

2) Consumers with a compatible smartphone may click the URL in Qwest’s response text message to see their personalized digital autograph photo. Otherwise, they will will receive a personalized digital autographed photo in their email inbox momentarily.

The text promotion serves as a great way for Qwest to connect with Vikings fans throughout the Minnesota/Dakotas region. With fans looking for personalized content, this is a very effective messaging tool if consumers are willing to click through to Qwest's content. Thus far, the program has proven to be widely successful.

Here is a quick snapshot of the personalized photo that consumers receive in their inbox shortly after texting in their promotional code:

Alta Targets New Skiers With "Ski Free After 3" Promotional Campaign...

Are you looking for new ways to leverage your brand's ski resort partnership? Are you looking for new ways to reward consumers participating in winter sports?

The Alta Ski resort, located in Alta, Utah, has implemented a unique promotional offer over the past six years that has attracted the likes of thousands of new participants. The resort offers a "Ski Free After 3" promotion that enables consumers of all ages to come out to the resort and use the ski lift for FREE from 3:00pm-4:30pm every day of the season.

The result? Over 10,000 skiers participate in the program each year, including many first-timers. With the resort charging just $9 for ski equipment rentals after 2pm, the promotion enables many families to come experience the sport skiing in a fun, affordable way. In addition, the promotion serves as an effective way for the resort to convert beginners into skiing enthusiasts and can potentially help the resort secure long-term business should consumers find their first-time skiing experience to be a memorable one (and return year upon year with their families). 

Ski resorts tepid of creating such a promotional offer can consider bringing a corporate partner on board to underwrite any financial risks. Companies looking to connect and give back to the community may find that serving as the Presenting Sponsor of such an offer is the perfect way to reach families, young consumers, and tap into the local skiing community.

Remind Soccer Fans Why Dental Care/Healthcare is Necessary...

Is your organization looking to drive awareness for a dental care/health care provider?

Creating an in-game :30 vignette that resonates with fans might just do the trick. To drive in-venue awareness, consider creating short guerrilla-style videos that demonstrate different scenarios in soccer where plays can go wrong and affect one's dental/health status (as shown in the video below): 

Need a few other ideas? Search for videos that detail:

• A soccer kick that doesn't make it past the wall (and one player feels the pain for his teammates)
• Two (2) players go up for a header and both come down with injuries
• An errant shot hits a fan in the stands

Remember, in-game messaging needs to resonate with fans. The more unique ways that organizations can effectively connect with the mindset of fans, the better off all parties will be in the end (a more educated/driven fanbase, more results for supporting partners, and higher credibility for the property to deliver).

Gillette Profiles Gamers on Billboard in Times Square...

Gillette recently teamed up with EA Sports to create an online Champions of Gaming Tournament. To drive awareness for the event, Gillette is profiling the faces of gamers on a giant electronic billboard in Times Square. Gillette is rewarding each featured gamer with an email photo of their glorified Times Square presence as a memento.

Check out Gillette's execution below:

 

Sources: Cherryflava.com, Adrants.com