Crown Royal Offers the Chance of a Lifetime...

Entitlement sponsorships are very common in today's day and age. Consumers have become cognizant of the fact that Food Lion sponsors the local speedway and Pepsi is a title sponsor of the television halftime show. But outside of brand awareness, what do these tite/presenting sponsorship assets really mean to brands?

Over the past two (2) years, Crown Royal has given race entitlement rights a whole new meaning. The Canadian Spirits brand (owned and operated by Diageo) has utilized its race entitlement rights to demonstrate how highly they value their customers. Crown Royal has effectively developed a "Your Name Here" promotion that offers consumers the chance to become the presenting sponsor of a NASCAR race and serve as the event's grand marshal.  

This year's winner was Dan Lowry, who was treated to the weekend of a lifetime at Richmond International Speedway on May 3rd. Lowry discovered he won during a helicopter unveiling ceremony over the Las Vegas strip with Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion. As the official race title featured his name, Dan's moniker appeared on everything from race tickets to merchandise to the trophy itself.

What was Dan's story? Dan wrote about how recognizing Crown Royal bottles amidst labels he didnt recognize made him feel like home wasn't that far away during his time spent in Venezuela.

Crown Royals markets the "Your Name Here" promotion in a variety of media channels, although it is important to note that they do not support the promotion through traditional advertising spend. Crown Royal utilized a heavy media relations push and leveraged its sponsorship of the No. 26 Jamie McMurray car to encourage fans to enter the contest by telling their favorite responsible Crown Royal memories (a nice brand tie-in). In total, the promotional effort achieved more than 200MM media impressions in '08.

Social Networking Goes Mainstream...

As sports marketers, we always hear about how Myspace and Facebook are the perfect means for targeting young consumers across the globe... However, the struggle has come with developing effective means to target users on these social networking platforms? What is the best way to target these individuals without interrupting their interactive experience? Widgets? Groups? Video? There are endless opportunities; marketers now just have to realize which means are the most effective and efficient...

Let me introduce one more social networking application that is reaching the masses ala Myspace and Facebook:

Ning is an emerging website service that allows users to create their own social networks... For Free. Ning is a very user-friendly site that is bringing social networking to the masses (similar to the way that Facebook/MySpace emerged). Here are some insights on the website:

• The site allows users to build their own small social networking sites, complete with customizable, easy-to-design pages that include all of the tools available on sites like YouTube, Flickr, and MySpace.
• Users can post photos, videos, messages, comments, questions, etc.
• The site currently has 230,000+ social websites listed.
• About 40% of Ning's social networks originate outside the United States, and members from 176 countries have signed up, with the service already available in several languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch.
• The company estimates that, at this rate, by New Year's Eve 2010 it will host some 4 million social networks, with tens of millions of members, serving up billions of page views daily.
•  Issues:
• Control (someone would need to monitor the site for information, etc.); However, the positives should heavily outweigh potential negatives in this case…
• Driving Traffic – The site currently doesn’t feature a search system that enables users to easily find your site. Marketers would need to promote their social networks individually through a viral campaign, etc.

Enclosed are some examples of social networking websites created through Ning (to give you an idea of what type of page can be created pretty easily):

• Netflix - http://netflixcommunity.ning.com/
• Saturn - http://imsaturn.ning.com/
• Good Charlotte - http://goodcharlottenetwork.ning.com/
• Dallas Mavericks - http://mavericks.ning.com/
• Sports Marketing 2.0 - http://www.sportsmarketing20.com/forum

In the coming weeks, look for a Partnership Activation Social Networking Page that will enable you to connect with other sports marketers from across the globe to discuss industry best practices and innovative partnership tactics! More to come soon...

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!

Advertisers Are Coming To Get You...

With the advent of new technologies like TiVo and DVR you probably feel like you have finally escaped those annoying advertisements that disrupt your television viewing experience...

Not so fast... Advertisers are responding to these scenarios and are getting smarter in the process. Marketers, media buyers, and network executives are anxiously awaiting the emergence of addressable advertising, a new form of technology that will enable them to target TV ads by household. For example, a 17-year-old teen will see different ads during their viewing experience than a 55-year-old Baby Boomer.

Watch out for an initiative called Project Canoe, a fast-growing momentum to bring addressable advertising to the marketplace... All we are hearing is that this technology will come sooner than later... possibly very soon. Testing for this advertising technology will begin in the marketplace in Q3 2008.

In the end, cable operators will b able to pinpoint ideal target audiences and inform advertisers whether their sports are effectively targeting the end user/viewer.

Source: Adweek (5.5.2008)

Connect With Your Fans Via Facebook/MySpace...

What are some innovative ways that your team/brand has tried to connect with its fanbase on Facebook and Myspace?

While many marketers understand that social networking applications are the most effective means for targeting young consumers, many have not discovered effective ways to make use of these mediums.

The Cincinnati Bengals have discovered an easy solution for engraining their brand in the lives of their fans... The team created the "Bengal Widget", a transferable item that users can post on their social networking profiles.

The Bengals Widget offers the 2008 schedule, team videos, news updates, and related team events. Users can simply "own" the Widget by copying it directly from the team site to their social networking profile or copying and pasting the widget's HTML code directly into their website. All consumers have to do is hit the "Grab It button" on the widget, posted on the team webpage.

Look for more teams to discover and create unique widgets that fans can post on their fan profiles to show their team support! The sports applications on Facebook have already demonstrated the popularity of these types of widgets among users.

Have You Considered Giving Your Venue Restrooms a Makeover?

When was the last time that your organization considered making dramatic improvements to its concessions and bathroom facilities? We repeatedly here about teams upgrading their scoreboards, stadium seating, and suite levels, but too often we ignore some of our venue's most pivotal assets - restrooms and food concessions.

Consider the following guerilla tactic implemented by Kleenex... Have you considered bringing on a CPG/Home Improvement partner that can be leveraged to enhance your venue's facilities? This could serve as a great way to vastly improve your women's restrooms to say the least...

Nike Goes Guerilla to Promote Running...

Are you looking for innovative ways to capture the attention of your consumers and fans during their every day lives? Nike walked a fine line with its guerilla marketing tactics in Prague, shown in the clip below... Nonetheless, an innovative tactic that definitely drove consumer awareness on the streets of the city!

The Phoenix Coyotes "Get" Guerilla Marketing...

Which teams and University athletic departments have emerged as "best-in-class" when it comes to grassroots efforts? The following pictures make a strong case for the Phoenix Coyotes, an organization that always seems to find innovative ways to leverage their product in the Phoenix marketplace.

Check out some of the Coyotes grassroots efforts and consider ways that you can implement similar ideas within your venue/market:

Unique Fan Photo Area Out-of-Venue:

Bathroom Activation (Team Branded Mirror)

Custom Shopping Cart Return

Faceoff Street Theatre (Street Corner Display)

Innovative Awareness Tactics

Not sure if the Coyotes actually did this... But this would be a great way to leverage your hockey organization at a local bowling alley!

Check out the Guerilla Marketing Activation Gallery for more ideas!

The Packers Offer Free Team Email...

Have you considered numerous ways to target your fanbase online? Have you brainstormed ways to increase the engagement level of your team emails/text messages?

The Green Bay Packers decided to target their fans by starting at the origin of communication, partnering with Hotmail to create a free web-based email platform for its fans across the globe. Packers fans can now demonstrate their team loyalty with a XXXX@GBPackersFan web address by simply signing up for a free account through the team website.

A simple, yet great idea by the Packers organization!

Register All Relevant Site Domain Names...

David Sanchez of PINT, Inc. wrote a great post on the Sports Marketing 2.0 webpage that describes how teams are losing potential revenue/ traffic hits by not registering all of their relevant domain names.

Think about it. How many persons might misspell your domain name during a search and inevitably give up? In the article, David suggests that teams should purchase all of the potential domain names for their site (which range from $1.99 to $40.00 per month) in an effort to generate more traffic and help users find their site.

Consider having your organization pay an outside company to perform a domain audit to investigate misspellings, international domains, domain name suggestions, and more. It may be worth your while!

Also, when you have a moment check out Pat Coyle's Sports 2.0 social networking community!

Capture Unique Athlete Footage...

How often does your organization capture footage of its athletes performing incredible feats? 

The video enclosed below serves as a perfect example of the footage that team representatives need to capture: Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies displaying his three-point shooting skills (making 27 of 30 shots from behind the arc!) Fans want more... It's time to capture these moments!

Gatorade Offers An "Out Of This World" Vacation

Gatorade is leveraging its recent commercial featuring Tiger Woods hitting golf balls in a space suit on the moon with a unique contest for consumers. Gatorade is challenging fans in five (5) cities across the country to hit a golf ball in a golf simulator designed to look like a moon for a chance to win "an out of this world vacation", valued at $125,000.

Male and female finalists with the longest drives at each event will fly to New York City to compete in the Grand Prize Event on June 11th in Times Square. One (1) male and one (1) female will win the opportunity to create their own  "out of this world" vacation experience valued up to $125K.

The cities where the competition will be held include:

• San Diego (Seaport Village, Thursday, May 15th)
• Dallas (Victory Park, Tuesday, May 20th)
• Chicago (Pioneer Park, Thursday, May 29th)
• Miami (Bayfront park, Thursday, June 5th)
• New York (Military Island, Wednesday, June 11th)

Gatorade is promoting these events by featuring celebrities on-site (San Diego - LaDainian Tomlinson, Dallas - Jason Terry, Chicago - Tommie Harris, Miami - Bill Parcells, and New York - Jimmie Johnson and Celebrity Guest).

In addition, Gatorade is going to donate $100,000 to the Tiger Woods Foundation.

New, Interactive Signage - Check This Out!

The MetroRedLine, which links Hollywood/Highland and Universal in Los Angeles, recently launched a high-tech subway advertising tool. The subway line's digital advertising is the first of its kind in the United States and is expected to raise at least $240K per year for the Metro in an effort to keep costs down for consumers.

The new technology is an LED system composed of 360 digital strips that light up at timed intervals as the train passes the subway at 70mph. The result? A smooth-flowing video advertisement for films like Speed Racer and other corporate advertisements. Check out the clip below - this is amazing... and a great way for sports teams to target fans traveling to their games by rail/subway in the future!

Sponsors: Find Authentic Brand Ambassadors...

Are you looking for an "authentic" brand ambassador - a celebrity that truly does use your product? With media and technology in today's day and age, it is easy for consumers to see through the "fake" celebrity brand ambassadors, but consumers cannot discount a person who truly does use a sponsor's product or service.

For insights on "authentic" brand ambassadors, check out CoolSpotters.com.

CoolSpotters.com is a social networking platform that allows consumers to discover and share which products are used by celebrities in movies, on television, and in their personal lives. The site is still in its Beta stage, but should evolve into a very popular online space for consumers obsessed with their favorite personalities.

If you have a moment, check it out!

Online Advertising Insights...

How much resources does your organization put towards online advertising? While many teams/university's outsource these rights to companies like CSTV, it is important to be cognizant of where the industry is headed...

How big is online advertising?

Internet-ad revenue notched $21.2BN in 2007, an annual growth rate of 26%...figures higher than both radio and cable ($20.9BN)... Those numbers are astounding. Online advertising is growing rapidly - Q1 2007 saw $4.9BN in online spending... by Q4 2007, those figures amassed to $5.9BN in spending.

Which categories are the biggest spenders?

1. Retail (45% of consumer online ad revenue)
2. Automotive (21%)
3. Leisure (13%)
4. Entertainment (9%)
5. Packaged Goods (8%)

Which area of online advertising will be a hot spot in 2008?

Video. Video only accounted for 2% of online ad spending in 2007, but look for this category to rapidly increase in 2008.

In other words, stay up-to-date with the digital world... It is the future. If you are selling retail and automotive partners on partnership deals, make sure that you understand how heavily they weigh this component (although this money often comes out of a different bucket). Nonetheless, be cognizant of trends within the industry! For some insights on banner ad "best practices", check out the Activation Gallery!

Source: Advertising Age (5.15.2008)

Pick Up Your Copy of Dugout Wisdom...

I wanted to send out a quick plug for the book Dugout Wisdom: Life Lessons From Baseball, a new release authored by Dan Migala. The book, available for sale on Lulu.com, is a compliation of retired baseball players' first person accounts of a moment in their lives when they doubted their dreams, overcame adversity or someone guided them with destiny altering advice. I know Dan has had this book in the works for over a year and it really makes for a perfect Father's Day Gift.

If you have a moment, please check out Dan's website for the book. I have already placed my order and am excited to see sales go through the roof!

Dan is also offering The Migala Report Collegiate Sports Management Travel Program, a unique trip exclusively for Sports Management Students and Sports Marketing Professionals to attend the 2008 Olympic Games. The trip will feature a seminar that provides an in-depth look at the Olympic Games, detailing corporate sponsorship strategies, hospitality, ticketing sales, marketing strategies, and interactive sales strategies. For more information, click here.

Congrats Dan on all the recent achievements.

ESPN, Say It Ain't So...

Has anyone seen the recent ESPN banner ads featured on the Sports Business Journal website? ... ESPN CMS is currently running a banner ad campaign with the message: "Connecting brands with fans" -  a direct spinoff of this site's slogan (The "Think Tank for Connecting Brands with Fans).

I would like to give ESPN the benefit of the doubt that this is a "mere coincidence"... However, the timing is very interesting, as they just began running these banner ads this past week... After some preliminary research, I found that the Hicks Sports Marketing Group also features a similar slogan ("Connecting brands to fans"), so ESPN may have had this in the works...

Nonetheless, does this messaging even fall in line with ESPN's offerings? When you think of ESPN, do you think of a company that connects brands with fans? I would think that the company would want to stick with its core competency, being the Worldwide Leader in Sports...

Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words...

Over the past few days, I have posted hundreds of pictures in the two (2) activation galleries, listed in the left sidebar. These galleries are filled with hundreds of innovative tactics, messaging mediums, and portray sports from a global perspective.

One of the primary goals of this website is to provide you, the reader, a better idea of partnership activation from a global perspective, and I think the activation galleries are where you will expand your breadth of knowledge the most.

Some insights you will find within the galleries include:

• European soccer uses a variety of entertainment to spur fan interest: fire breathers, fire spectacles, and unique crowd choreography
• Japanese baseball differs from American baseball when it comes to the beer man. The beer man in Tokyo roams the stands with a keg strapped to his/her back... the Japanese also display fireworks during the 5th inning and toss balloons in the air during the 7th inning stretch
• The Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany) could be questionably the coolest stadium you have ever seen
• World Cup '06 activation was out of this world - activation ranged from life-sized foosball tables to gigantic, interactive soccer balls placed throughout Germany, the host country
• Stadiums across the United States feature a variety of unique elements - see for yourself!

Memphis Grizzlies Leverage Stimulus Payment...

A few weeks ago I mentioned the fact that teams could create exclusive ticket offers that leverage stimulus packages that 130MM taxpaying Americans will be receiving from the U.S. government. Case in Point: The Memphis Grizzlies.

The Memphis Grizzlies have created a a unique season ticket offer for fans:

• The Memphis Grizzlies Season Stimulus Plan - Offers fans the chance to trade in their $600 stimulus payments for two (2) season tickets and $25 in Grizz Bucks" (a savings of $1,045 off the regular single-game price) through July 4th. To redeem their checks for season tickets, all fans have to do is call 901.888.HOOP.

Here is a great quote from the Mike Redlick, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Grizzlies, that supports the promotion:

“The federal government’s economic stimulus plan could become your Grizzlies Season Stimulus Plan. If you’ve ever thought about buying season tickets, now is your chance. All you have to do is exchange the check the government is sending you and just like that you can own a pair of 2008-09 Grizzlies season tickets. Why use the money to buy a new television to watch the Grizzlies when you can see them in person all year long?”

Cub Cadet Teams Up With Lebron To See Your Best Trick Shots...

Cub Cadet, a major sponsor of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has teamed up with LeBron James to launch a contest seeking America's best basketball trick shot. The promotion, entitled the Trick Shot Challenge, encourages consumers to upload their best basketball trick shot to LeBronsTrickShotChallenge.com for a chance to compete one-on-one with LeBron and win $5,000 of Cub Cadet lawn equipment.

Now the big question is... how does a "trick shot" promotion leverage Cub Cadet and their products outside of a $5,000 prize? That is a good question and one that I am still trying to figure out. However, the promotion does serve as a "best practice" in the way it leverages Cub Cadet's relationship with Lebron James:

• Website that directly links Lebron James to the promotion
• Chance for consumers to play one-on-one with LeBron (now that is a call to action!)
• Registrants can also win $5,000 in cash or LeBron James merchandise

The promotion also is effective in the fact that it currently has me discussing the Cub Cadet brand, which I probably would have NEVER done otherwise. Contestants' trick shot videos will be available on the web site gallery where fans can view and vote for their favorite clips...