Would a Mascot Proposal Grab Your Attention?

The Arizona Lottery recently drove awareness for the launch of its new jackpot game, Mega Millions, by creating an unforgettable moment at an Arizona Diamondbacks game. In an effort to promote the fact that Mega Millions and Powerball are now both available to Arizonans, the Arizona Lottery staged a live proposal between two (2) of its mascots.

The Powerball officially got down on one knee and proposed to the Mega Millions ball for all in attendance to see - a moment that was a little weird, yet extremely memorable. Check out how the whole moment went down at Chase Field below:

The moment came after a memorable night at the ballpark for the two lottery mascots, which even included an appearance on the Kiss Cam. Again, a little weird... but likely impactful for driving home the message to fans that Mega Millions is now available for Arizonans to play:

It's Time to Take Bobblehead Nights to the Next Level

Are you looking for new ways to deliver added value for fans on bobblehead night? Are you looking to enhance your in-game entertainment during promotional nights?

Teams looking for new ways to bring their bobblehead nights to life for fans should consider benchmarking a life-sized game of bobblehead soccer that Allstate featured at a Mexican National Team game a year ago. The game featured a head-to-head match between life-sized bobblehead characters resembling actual team players that proved to be a hit with the crowd.

While the fixed costs for said promotional entertainment may be a little steep, if teams can break out the cost of the entertainment over the course of a season when they host several bobblehead nights, it may seem a lot more reasonable. Plus, teams can use it as a vehicle to promote upcoming giveaway nights (if X character scores, the team advertises his upcoming bobblehead night on the video board or if X character scores, all fans in attendance can win a free accessory for their bobblehead).

Look for new ways to take your bobblehead nights to the next level before they become stale to fans... Hopefully this concept will spark an idea of how you can breathe some new life into your promotional nights!

Drive Value for Hotel Partners with Student Bed Races

Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness for hotel chain partners? Are you looking to create an engaging event for students that affiliates corporate partners?

College sports properties looking for new ways to drive awareness and affiliation for hotel chain partners amongst the student body should consider offering Annual Bed Race events. 

Here's how it would work:

As students return to campus for the Fall, athletic departments can offer a special promotional message for students to win free season tickets, scholarship dollars, merchandise, books, or a trip as tiered prizes for participating in an Annual Bed Race event (presented by X hotel partner). The athletic department could offer the promotion the Friday before the first home game, with 75 teams competing on a first come, first serve basis at a practice/intramurals field near the stadium.

The goal of the Annual Bed Race event would be to see which team (a team of 5, as shown below) could push a bed, draped in hotel branding, on wheels 40-yards in the shortest amount of time - think bobsledding meets the 40. Hotel partners would benefit from pre-season marketing, an in-game vignette highlighting the action of the competition and showing the winners in their seats or with checks, and reminding fans that they are always welcome to stay at one of their participating hotel chain locations across the nation. Collegiate sports properties and their preferred hotel partners can use this event to create a lasting memory for hundreds of participating students and thousands of fans attending the Season Opener.

Check out an example below of how the Annual Bed Races could work for your collegiate sports property!

The SF Giants Hit a Grand Slam with Their New Commercials

Are you looking to create a captivating, humorous ad campaign designed to drive fans to the ballpark? Are you looking for new ways to market promotional nights to fans?

The San Francisco Giants are marketing their ballclub in 2010 with a tremendous "It's Magic Inside" television campaign that effectively calls the attention of fans to new ticket offers, promotional giveaway nights, and experiences at AT&T Park. The spots, created by Swirl and directed by Brian Bacino, are some of the most creative seen to date in the MLB space.

Check them out below!

Heineken Offers Hawks/Thrashers Fans an Ultimate Lounge Experience

Are you looking for new ways to leverage beverage partners? Are you looking to benchmark the finest in-venue destinations in sports?

In 2007, Heineken signed on with the Atlanta Spirit, an ownership group that owns and operates the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers, to create one of sports' ultimate in-venue destinations. The space, referred to as the Heineken Lounge, serves an ultimate lounge that has become a focal point in Philips Arena.

Heineken equipped the space with 63-inch plasma screens to entertain moderate-sized groups willing to pay a little extra for an ultimate game experience. While the Heineken Lounge is situated in the upper level of the arena, the space is a perfect setting for consumers to entertain friends and business clients at live sporting events and concerts.

Check out a video here and some pictures of the space below:

 

    

A special thanks to Brandi Burton of the Atlanta Spirit for her insights and contributions to this column.