Teams Turn to Exclusive Camera Angles To Give Fans Unique Vantage Points of the Action

In recent years, the emergence of social media has placed increased pressures on sports organizations to deliver new, compelling content for fans to enjoy. As a result, many teams have looked to create exclusive gameday camera angles that provide fans with unique vantage points of the action.

Exclusive camera angles are a terrific resource to have on gameday, as they:

• Provide valuable content that can be sold to corporate partners (especially if a brand serves as the presenting sponsor of the dance team, halftime entertainment, emcee, etc.)
• Provide valuable content for fans via social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter), team apps (mobile), team digital channels (live, streaming content), and inside suites and select stadium destinations
• Serve as key way for teams to extend the gameday engagement experience
• Provide access to team and player personnel in new ways

While it's one thing to watch a game passively on television, it's another to experience the action through the eyes of a key stakeholder on-site/in attendance. Check out a few examples of how teams are looking to bring fans closer to the action:

Cheerleader / Dance Team Cam

Tunnel Cam

Bench Cam

Helmet Cam

Mascot Cam

Parachute Cam

Foot Cam

Teams Can Turn to Projection Mapping to Promote Airline Partnerships in New Ways

Over the past few years, airline partners have invested more time and resources into their team, league, and event sponsorships. Airlines have invested in branding aircraft with team marks, developing loyalty programs for fans, creating ownable stadium destinations, and distributing free ticket vouchers to fans in attendance.

While airlines have sought to activate their partnerships more actively at airports nationwide, one tactic that we have not seen executed to date in conjunction with a team partnership is projection mapping. Just think how amazing it would be to look out the window at the airport and see a virtual Tom Brady throwing a touchdown pass to Deion Branch along the side of the plane.

While projection mapping would likely need to be a one-off marketing/PR stunt, it would be fun to see an airline promote team partnerships in its hometown market by featuring a different projection display along the side of an aircraft (or inside along a wall in the concourse) every night of the week. 

As shown below, Air Baltic recently generated buzz during the holiday season by featuring a projection mapping stunt at a Latvian airport that showed a team of virtual elves raiding a plane that was stationed at the gate. The marketing tactic, which caught passengers by surprise, was filmed and uploaded to YouTube and instantly generated 24,000+ likes in less than a day.

Check out the clip below and consider new ways that your organization can leverage its partnerships with new forms of technology in high-traffic locales!

Heineken Gives Teams a Few Ideas to Drive Fan Engagement and Socialization

As teams look for new ways to leverage social media, they should keep a close eye on related programs and tactics implemented by brands across the world. In recent weeks, Heineken launched two (2) innovative social campaigns that could easily be replicated by teams to engage their fanbases in new ways on game day.

In Singapore, Heineken created a "Social Christmas Tree" out of 48 LED screens towering eleven meters high that became a destination for consumers to send messages to their friends and family around the holidays. Heineken allowed consumers across the world to submit greetings and messages that would be featured live on the Heineken Social Christmas Tree - an effort that truly united people from across the world and visibly brought social media to life in the public space.

Sports Application: Sports organizations can consider creating a "Social Tower" within the concourse level where fans across the world can upload photos, videos, tweets, etc. that are displayed on gameday. Teams can also provide fans on-site an opportunity to film live videos that are displayed on the tower throughout the season, etc. The Social Tower can serve as a great way to unite fans from across the world and truly allow fans at home to feel connected to the stadium experience. Creating such a stadium landmark can also serve as a seamless play to incorporate messages and content from corporate partners. 

Check out the Heineken Social Christmas Tree below:

Heineken recently enhanced the experience for music attendees at the Heineken Open'er Music Festival with some creative activation utilizing giant QR Codes (referred to as "U-Codes"). Heineken drove engagement amongst attendees by featuring a footprint on-site where fans could videotape a personal message (detailing who they were, where they were from, what there interests were) and have it embedded into a giant QR code sticker that was printed out and placed on their clothing.

The U-Codes proved to be great ice breakers for festival attendees and generated so much buzz that over 5,000 people received them over a 4-day period (exceeding Heineken's expectations by 200%).

Sports Applications: While QR Codes are still not widely adopted in the United States, teams can experiment with using them in a variety of ways, including:

• Replicating the U-Code project at team tweetups (where attendees are more inclined to adopt); this tactic can serve as a great way to build relationships amongst the team's social influencers
• Featuring an activation display within the stadium concourse where fans can record their own mantra/team message and have it printed onto a t-shirt as a QR Code (and sold for $20+)
• Drive QR Code adoption amongst fans by giving away t-shirts at a designated game and alerting fans that they can "scan to win" a variety of prizes (virtual downloads, autograph merchandise, personal video messages from players, etc.)
  

Check out the Heineken U-Code project below:

HEINEKEN - U-CODE

U.S. Olympic Hopefuls Turn to Temporary Tattoos to Generate Sponsorship Dollars

In recent years, Olympic athletes have taken many different approaches to support their training regimens, NGB's, and lifestyle.With the 2012 London Olympic Games less than 300 days away, U.S. Olympic hopeful Nick Symmonds recently set up an auction on eBay that allowed one (1) brand an opportunity to place a temporary tattoo on his shoulder for the 2012 track and field season.

With the auction open for bid by any company/agency, Milwaukee-based Hanson Dodge Creative (HDC) capitalized on the opportunity and placed a winning bid of $11,100 for the rights to place their brand's Twitter handle (@HansonDodge) on Symmonds' shoulder during several upcoming races, including the Sydney Grand Prix and possibly the Olympic Games if Symmonds qualifies.

What's interesting about the Symmonds-Hanson Dodge Creative partnership is that it entails much more than a standard agency branding play. As a leading active lifestyle agency, Symmonds will serve as a Running and Outdoor Active Lifestyle Advisor for Hanson Dodge and will help the agency develop a dedicated Advisory Board. In turn, Hanson Dodge will work with Symmonds to strengthen his personal brand through strategic marketing communications recommendations and drive his business efforts.

The Symmonds-Hanson Dodge Creative partnership serves as a great case study of how athletes (across all sports) are working more closely with agencies and other entities to build their personal brands. While ambush marketing remains a key concern heading into the London 2012 Olympic Games, it will be interesting to see if more athletes turn to similar auction processes to generate awareness and sponsorship dollars. HDC's partnership with Symmonds is very smart, as it serves as a very strong positioning play and will surely generate a return (from media exposure) that exceeds their investment.

The D-backs Host a Most Valuable Partner Awards Night

It has become a common practice in the sports space for teams to host Sponsor Summits to recap their seasons, share ideas, insights and best practices, drive B2B opportunities, and reward partners with a memorable experience that builds their connection with the team.

While most teams make slight tweaks to evolve their Sponsor Summits each year, the Arizona Diamondbacks have developed a new approach that could soon become an industry benchmark. The Diamondbacks recently announced that they will be hosting a Most Valuable Partner Awards Night on January 19th for nearly 300 corporate partners and select guests. 

The team has planned a night filled with entertainment and celebration at the Wild Horse Pass & Casino  for all their partners and extended family. The event will kick off with a red carpet event at 6pm, followed by an opening musical number and monologue, "DB Awards" given out by the team, and plenty of humorous vignettes produced by the Diamondbacks' Game Operations and Multimedia Productions department.

The Diamondbacks have called on Team President & CEO Derrick Hall to emcee the event, with assistance from several players, legends, broadcasters, and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick.

Throughout the night, the Diamondbacks will celebrate their partners' "business wins" with DB Awards representing eight different categories:

• Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez Community Champion Award - Given to the partner who truly makes a difference in the local community
• Brand Integration Award - Given to the partner that best uses the D-backs brand or logo to sell their product or seperate themselves from their competition
• D-backs Ambassador Award - Given to the company that best embraces the partnership by exposing it to their employees and customers
• Marketing Activation Award - Given to the partner who creates an innovative D-backs promotion to help build their brand or create direct response (either marketwide or in Chase Field)
• Rookie of the Year - Given to a first-year partner who immediately embraced the D-backs partnership culture and maximized their affiliation
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Given to a team partner who has been aligned with the team throughout its existence and helped define partnership as the team knows it.
• Most Valuable Partner of the Year - Given to the partner who encompasses everything in each MVP category (the award is given at a Silver Slugger Division level and a Gold Glove Division level)

The event serves as a great way to build relationships, incent partners to enhance their partnership efforts, and position the team as a first-class partner in Major League Baseball and the Phoenix DMA. It will be very encouraging to see how partners respond to the event and look to elevate their partnerships during the 2012 MLB season! Congrats to all involved on creating such a terrific concept.

XFINITY Offers a Chance to Win the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job

XFINITY recently launched a contest to hire an individual who will serve as the brand's voice in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest nationwide sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans. 

The contest, entitled “XFINITY Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job,” runs from January 11 through March 25 in search of the next sports social media star.

The winner will receive a one-year salary and will be responsible for tweeting from the @XFINITYSports Twitter handle on continual basis,  reporting live from premier sporting events throughout 2012, and educating and engaging avid sports fans in social media communities. In addition to live event access, the winner will also receive all the electronics for the ultimate sports pad, including televisions, home audio/video equipment, etc.

VIDEO SUBMISSION PERIOD

From January 13 - February 6, interested participants can submit a :30-2:00 video that demonstrates why they should win the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job based on their sports knowledge, social media expertise, personality, and passion for XFINITY products and services.

FAN VOTING PERIOD

From February 9 - February 19, the top video submissions will be featured on the contest tab located on the official XFINITY Facebook page for fans to vote on. The video entrants that receive the Top 5 votes will advance to a finalist round where they will have an opportunity to travel to a live sports event and showcase their skills on-site.

FINALIST AUDITIONS

Five (5) finalists will each travel to one (1) of (5) premier sports events the weekend of March 8-11 and will be asked to chronicle their live experiences behind-the-scenes via tweets, Facebook posts, video uploads, etc. A panel of judges will evaluate each of the performances - looking for which finalist does the best job showcasing his/her skills on-site! A winner will be selected by March 25th and will truly win the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job!

The contest will present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for one (1) lucky consumer looking for a way to officially launch their career in sports and social media. Check it out by clicking the image below and enter a video submission for a chance to win!

 In full disclosure, the writer (Brian Gainor) worked directly with the XFINITY team to launch the XFINITY Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. For contest rules and more information, head to the official XFINITY Facebook page here.

POLL: What is the Best Sports Event to Sponsor Around the Holidays?

Manchester City and Jaguar Team Up for An Entertaining Halftime Promotion

Manchester City FC recently teamed up with Jaguar to create a pretty thrilling form of halftime entertainment for fans to enjoy that can be replicated in most other major professional sports.

The game, called Boot the Boot, tasks select fans with attempting to kick soccer balls from a distance into the trunk of a Jaguar that is parked within the corner tunnels of Etihad Stadium at the playing level (a trunk is commonly referred to as a boot in Europe). The promotion is perfectly suited for in-game entertainment because it adds a level of excitement while seamlessly integrating the Jaguar brand into the experience.

A similar promotion can be replicated in several additional sports, including:

1. Baseball - MLB/MiLB teams can task fans with throwing a baseball from 2nd base (or the outfield) into the trunk of a car (one-hopping it along the way)

2. Basketball - Teams can task fans with trying to throw a full-court pass into the trunk of a car for the chance to win free parking for a section of fans at the game

3. Tennis - Tennis officials can task fans with trying to hit 5 of 10 tennis balls into the trunk of an automobile located at courtside for the chance to win a free lease for a year

4. Football - Teams can ask fans to attempt to throw a 30-40 yard pass into the trunk of a car (located along the sidelines) for the chance to win a free lease for a year

Check out the MCFC-Jaguar "Boot the Boot" promotion below and consider new ways that your organization can integrate automobile partners in a fun, memorable way for fans!

Sports Business Predictions to Keep an Eye on in 2012

A new year is upon us and while there are many unknowns, especially given the advent of new technologies, I wanted to share a few predictions for 2012 that will be important to keep in mind throughout the year. Hope you enjoy:

2012 Sports Industry Outlook

The sports marketplace will be driven by mobile marketing, social TV, industry consolidation, and globalization in 2012.

Mobile marketing will continue to shape the sports industry as properties and brands look to optimize their mobile offerings, develop robust applications, and deliver content in new ways. Organizations will look to augmented reality, social gaming, and geo-location based services to serve as new means to engage fans. In turn, fans will continue to embrace the TV Everywhere experience and access live, streaming and On Demand content via their mobile phones, tablets, and other devices on the go.

Brands and properties will continue to invest in the social media space as fans gravitate to the notion of social TV creating a communal viewing experience that delivers real-time engagement, insights, and unique vantage points. Properties will sharpen their social media focus in 2012 by developing smarter, more holistic strategies, hiring dedicated personnel, and creating their own monetization models by integrating corporate partners.

The sports marketplace will also be impacted by the effects of industry consolidation, aggressive rights acquisition strategies, and globalization. Networks will continue to form partnerships in an effort to build robust platforms to host premiere events (e.g. Olympics, World Cup, etc.) while teams will dedicate time and resources to build out video content distribution strategies that reach fans across the world.

The London 2012 Olympic Games will be touted as the sports story of the year while the Barclays Premier League, UFC, and college athletics will continue to grow their businesses significantly in new markets worldwide.

In addition, I wanted to share a terrific powerpoint that Tomas Janca created outlining his thoughts and predictions for the New Year. Tomas does a nice job incorporating examples and imagery to support his predictions, creating a nice illustration for what sports marketers can expect in 2012. Check it out below!

Game, Set, Fans: 10 Sports Marketing Trends for 2012