New Adidas Soccer Viral...

Are you looking to create a unique in-game vignette? Are you looking to demonstrate athletes doing unusual stunts?

Adidas recently released a viral clip of Liverpool star Steven Gerrard kicking soccer balls at clay pigeons on at the team's training ground. The viral was created by Adidas to promote the company's line of Predator soccer cleats.

Adidas also recently released a Michael Ballack stunt gone bad... on purpose?

The RoadRunners Take Care of Business...

Are you looking to drive business leads for your organization?

The Phoenix RoadRunners recently held a "For a Good Time... We're Taking Care of Business" promotion designed to drive business leads for the organization. For two (2) games this season, the RoadRunners organization offered consumers the chance to purchase $20 seats for just $5 when trading in their business card at the team's box office. 

To drive consumer interest, the team also offered a Special Business Card drawing during the 3rd period for a free all-inclusive group night for the winner's company at a future RoadRunners game. The team offered the promotion when the team faced off against the Las Vegas Wranglers (11/18) and the Bakersfield Condors (11/19).

The team drove online awareness and buzz for the promotional night by creating a Facebook page that included additional details.

This promotion came on the heels of the New Jersey Nets creating a business-related ticket strategy of their own. The Nets offered any unemployed fans up to four (4) tickets for submitting their resume to the team's November 22nd job career fair at the Izod Center.

The Nets organization was willing to make 300 tickets available for each of five (5) selected Nets home games to drive consumer excitement. Nets Chief Executive Brett Yormark believes in investing in people now who might invest in the team later... The team will repeat the promotional offer next year if it's deemed a succes... A great promotional tactic!

A special thanks to Bill Fagan for his insights and contributions to this column.

Coca-Cola Zero Offers Interactive Online Experiences for Sports Fans

Are you looking to enhance your website with interactive web applications? Are you looking for new ways to capture the attention and interests of consumers online?

Coca-Cola Zero partnered with Crispin Porter Bogusky to create an incredible interactive website for Coke Zero. The site effectively demonstrates how the Coke Zero brand is intertwined in the sports space. The company, targeting the hard-to-reach young male demo, created a handful of virtual experiences for football and NASCAR fans, including:

• A "Victory Dance" feature where consumers can create their own personalized victory dance (a feature that mirror's Office Depot's Dancing Elves) and can email it to friends
• A NASCAR "Rooftop Racer" game where consumers have to try to race around a track for 5 laps while balancing a Coke Zero bottle on top of the car - this is the best online NASCAR interactive feature available online!
• A "Fan Cards" feature where consumers can spell out messages that are displayed in a card display by virtual fans
• A "Championship Ring" feature where consumers can create their own customized virtual Championship Ring

Hats off to Coca-Cola Zero for offering such a great interactive platform for consumers to enjoy...

The Bacon Salt Man Continues His Journey...

The Bacon Salt Man continued his streak of appearances this past weekend at the annual Washington-Washington State rivalry battle for the Apple Cup. But this time, Bacon Salt Man did more than just make an appearance at the game... He made a post-game apperance on Fox Sports Net.

The Bacon Salt Man was situated in the front row of the of the end zone with the WSU band for the game and was one of the first people over the rail after the team closed out the victory. The Bacon Salt Man stormed to the center of the field where he keenly positioned himself behind FSN reporter Jen Mueller's interview with WSU head coach Paul Wulff (garnering almost two (2) full minutes of free advertising for the brand).

During the game, J&D's Bacon Salt also featured a WSU student produced Bacon Salt commercial on the video board that proved to be a hit with fans.

Recently, the company created a YouTube video compiling great "guerrilla marketing" moments from their stops at sporting events around the country. If you have a moment, check it out:

Right now there isn't anyone doing guerrilla marketing better than J&D's Bacon Salt in the sports space... Their guerrilla tactics and effective use of social media are a benchmark example for companies looking to drive business on a low budget!

Creativity Captures the Attention of Passerby Traffic...

Are you looking for creative ways to capture the attention of passerby traffic? Is your brand looking for ways to engage fans who are waiting to enter a venue or tailgating in a nearby lot?

Molson Dry created a unique billboard that captivated the minds of consumers passing by... How did they do it? They created a gigantic crossword puzzle that put consumers in control of determining the message.

What's the relevance to sports marketers? Sports properties can consider creating similar initiatives that leverage supporting corporate partners:

• Create a large-sized crossword puzzle billboard that incorporates both team and brand content
• Distribute crossword puzzles to fans as they enter the game that incorporate both team and brand content
  • This would be a pretty cool feature if teams had fans fill out the crossword puzzle as the game progressed (i.e. fans would have to wait until the 3rd quarter to fill out certain lines of the crossword puzzle that pertained to halftime entertainment, video board vignettes, etc.)
  • Distributing crossword puzzles that include both team and brand content can serve as a way to provide sponsors with continued fan engagement throughout the course of a game (or it could be a way for a team to incorporate all of its corporate partners!)

Check out Molson Dry's unique billboard tactic below:

 

 

Distribute Premiums that Deliver Value for Sponsors...

Are you looking to distribute premium items that deliver incremental value for sponsors? Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness for a corporate partner's new product offering?

Properties looking to leverage wireless partners should consider distributing foam stress relievers that mirror a new Blackberry model, mobile device, etc. The team can enhance the perceived value of the premium item for fans by featuring a team logo, the likeness of a player, or team-branded desktop/online features in the display screen of the phone (essentially creating a team-specific model of the new phone). To drive web traffic, teams can consider branding the back of the premium item with a URL or social networking link/moniker.

Lakers Fans Love Their "Virtual Burgers"...

Are you looking to implement a unique text message promotion that engages fans in-venue? Are you looking for a new way to leverage QSR partners?

The Los Angeles Lakers and Carl's Jr. recently partnered to create aunique "Virtual Burger" promotion that effectively captures the attention and interest of fans in-arena. Realizing that Carls Jr. consumers have a high propensity to use mobile technology, the team created a creative promotional feature that could soon become a staple in venues across the globe.

What exactly is the "Virtual Burger" promotion?

During a selected timeout of the 1st or 2nd quarter, the team features a video scoreboard text feature that asks arena fans to participate in a virtual burger eating contest by texting in their seating level to 525377. As texts are received from the designated seating levels (i.e. the upper or lower levels), a bite is taken from that level's designated burger, which is featured on the video screens on the center scoreboard.

The first level to eat their entire burger wins a bounce back text message with a special offer from the Carl's Jr. restaurant chain. Throughout the duration of the promotion, Carl's Jr. receives branding on the center scoreboard LED screens.

How else does Carl's Jr. leverage its relationship with the Lakers?

Carl's Jr. recently renewed its partnership with the Lakers organization through the 2010-2011 season. The two (2) parties leverage their relationship through radio, in-store promotions (Lakers-branded burger gift cards, bobbleheads, posters), and in-arena activation. 

A special thanks to Blain Skinner of the Los Angeles Lakers organization for his insights and contributions to this column!

Here are some pictures of the Virtual Burger in action: 

 

Talladega Offers a Dream Weekend for its Fans...

Are you looking for ways to drive fan attendance? Are you looking for new ways to alter existing All-You-Can-Eat packages?

In an effort to drive consumer demand for its 2009 races, Talladega Superspeedway representatives have created an "Aaron's Dream Weekend" package that delivers true value for fans. The promotion was a huge success in 2008, leading to the decision by track representatives to bring it back for another year. The $99 package includes:

• A reserved seat in the Allison Grandstand for the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the Aaron's 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race
• A pre-race pit pass for Sunday's Aaron's 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race (the pre-race pit pass is good from 8am-1 hour prior to the start of the race)
• An All-You-Can-Eat voucher for both days of racing (valid from 11:30am-1:30pm on race day)
  • Each trip to the concession stand enables persons to receive two (2) hot dogs/hamburgers, two (2) bags of chips, and two (2) soft drinks) with their food voucher

Which raises the question... Will we soon see more organizations creating ticket packages that combine a ticket to a game/event, a unique experience, and a discount on concessions? As consumers remain price-conscious during the faltering economy, it may be their only option to keep fans in the seats! 

The Peach Belt Conference Specializes in Community Outreach...

Is your property looking to incorporate community involvement and corporate support at a nuetral site event? Is your property looking to build a "community focused" brand and develop an avid fan base in a new community outside of its market? Are you looking for ways to leverage your athletes in the local community?

Properties looking to implement effective outreach programs which directly impact the community should consider benchmarking the efforts of the Peach Belt Conference. John Semeraro and his counterparts at the Peach Belt Conference have done an incredible job leveraging student-athletes and committed corporate partners in outreach efforts that give back to the community.

As part of its soccer championship weekend, the Peach Belt Conference recently held a neutral site "Breakfast with the Champions" event that called on 150 Division II student-athletes to host a free soccer clinic and breakfast for a few hundred resident youth ages 7-12 in Augusta, GA. Coaches and athletes from six (6) PBC member institutions put on the event, teaching children the fundamentals of soccer and teamwork and signing autographs afterwards.

Local youth were also provided the opportunity to participate in an international walk-out and stand by student-athletes prior to the start of each game during the championship weekend for the announcement of the starting lineups and the national anthem.

By offering residents a chance to directly engage with the Conference's student-athletes, the Peach Belt Conference was able to offer Publix and Coca-Cola (the event's two Presenting Sponsors) an effective way to directly connect with the local community. Representatives from each of the companies provided in-kind trade and t-shirts for the participants.

To drive awareness for the "Breakfast with the Champions" event amongst residents in the Augusta community, representatives from the Peach Belt Conference reached out to key contacts from local recreation departments, elementary schools, competitive soccer clubs, and Boys and Girls clubs.

Through its execution of the "Breakfast with the Champions" event, the Peach Belt Conference effectively:

• Demonstrated how the conference community can unite off the field (despite competing on the field)
• Established an identity for the PBC in the Augusta marketplace
• Utilized local sponsors to purchase ticket backs at a relatively low price to provide tickets to a youth organization of their choice. As a result, the initiative helped customers not have to purchase tickets and provided a goodwill/promotional opportunity for various companies

Hats off to John Semeraro and his team at the Peach Belt Conference for a job well done in Augusta!

Have Philly Fans Lost Their Reputation?

Are you looking to entertain a fan base that just won a World Series Championship?

Luckily for the Philadelphia Phillies marketing staff, it won't take much effort anymore (or at least until the team loses a few games)...

The fans of Philadelphia, once known for being the roughest, toughest, most vocal crowd in all of sports (a fan base who cheered when Michael Irvin was carted off the field, threw batteries at JD Drew, and booed VP candidate Sarah Palin) have suddenly turned into a jubilant group ever since the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, ending 25 years of frustration.

Case in Point? A baby (not named Obama) led cheers at the team's postseason party...

Billboard of the Week

Texas Tech University found a creative way to show that it is sitting on top of the world (or the state of Texas at least) after its 39-33 victory over the University of Texas...

Interested in a Thorpedo?

Is your organization considering ways to leverage its partnerships with athletes? Are you looking to take customized branding to a whole new level?

I came across an interested product that has become very popular in Japan - the Thorpedo. The Thorpedo is an energy drink named after Ian Thorpe, a five-time gold medalist as an Olympic swimmer for Australia. It turns out that in 2005, the Yakult company in Japan released the Thorpedo energy drink, which features a picture of Thorpe on the packaging.

To acquire the rights to Thorpe's image and likeness, Yakult formed an equity deal with the So Natural food group in which Thorpe was offered a 5% stake in the company (worth at that time, $1.1MM). The initial deal was set for fifteen (15) years and depending on the product's commercial success, Thorpe could gain up to 50% share in the venture.

The Thorpedo product is sold in vending machines (a preferred retail method) across East and Southeast Asia.

Which raises the question... Are there any athletes in the United States, outside of Tiger Woods (Gatorade), whose namesake could effectively drive a beverage (or a related product) to mainstream status in the United States? (Potential names that come to mind are Michael Jordan, Dale Jr., Lebron James, David Beckham, Kobe Bryant... any others?) Using likenesses is so common in the footwear industry but are there any other great examples out there of this in the United States?

Can properties collaborate with concessions partners to sell similar, unique products in-venue? Or create a "Championship Beverage" sold in-venue following a Championship season? There are potentially new revenue streams here, especially as teams follow the Yankees/Cowboys proposed trend of taking over their concessions operations...

Here are some more pictures of the Thorpedo product, how it is sold at retail in Japan, and some brand extensions...

Nike Soccer Viral

Over the past year, Nike has created an incredible viral campaign entitled, "Put It Where You Want It" to promote the company's new T90 soccer shoe. The videos, a parody of "soccer meets the MTV show Jackass", do an excellent job leveraging the talents of some of the world's finest soccer players. Check out the clips below - they are great!

Nike Uses Guerrilla Mobile Campaign to Promote New Soccer Shoe...

Are you looking for some ideas on ways to create a unique mobile 3D program? Is your company considering ways to capitalize on guerrilla marketing efforts?

In June, Nike created a unique mobile campaign designed to promote the launch of the company’s T90 soccer shoe and enhance the company’s image as an innovative leader in the Hong Kong marketplace.

Nike collaborated with McCann Erikson to create a campaign that featured hundreds of hidden code markers throughout Nike stores and MTR subway stations in Hong Kong. Consumers who found markers could point their phone at it to reveal a rotating image of the new Nike T90 soccer shoe. Each marker would also provide the consumer with a special code that was unique to that location.  After receiving the special codes, consumers could text them in to discover the next secret marker location. 

To engage consumers, Nike offered a special sweepstakes that enabled consumers to have a chance to win Nike merchandise every time they texted in the special codes. In essence, the more marker codes that consumers collected, the better chance they had to win free Nike swag.

The promotion proved to be widely successful in the Hong Kong marketplace. It is interesting to see Nike capitalize on technology in such a unique way. Hopefully we will see a similar guerrilla campaign soon in the United States.

For more information on the promotion, check out a great article by MobileMarketer.com.

What Time Are You Sending Out Emails/Newsletters?

Is your organization looking to generate more interest and responses from newsletters and other email publications? Has your property considered how the time of day emails are distributed can affect the overall response/acceptance rate?

MediaPost recently featured a great article written by Morgan Stewart on the “Best Time of Day” to send emails. The article featured some strong points with key implications for sports marketers:

When is the best time of day to distribute newsletters?

Arriving Early Morning – Many users start their day sorting through their email inboxes. Mornings allow email users to spend uninterrupted time in their inbox. During this time, users usually have a single episode of a considerable amount of time to check their inboxes.

Because there are fewer interruptions and more continuous time spent in the email inbox, mornings are a more logical choice for the delivery of newsletters and long copy emails that require more time for the subscriber to read.

When is the best time of day to send promotional offers?

Arrive Early Afternoon – During the afternoon, consumers have more email episodes, but these episodes are shorter in duration. Between 2pm and 3pm, users are likely to have five (5) individual episodes of 2-3 minutes apiece.

Because consumers during the afternoon are often in a “quick-hit” mode, properties should use the afternoon periods to send out promotions and invitations.

Stewart found through research that email makes up between 30% and 35% of the average user’s media exposure between the hours of 8am and 3pm. This figure drops off during the late afternoon and early evening, only to peak again in the late evening, between 8pm and 9pm.

While the focus of this column was to provide some general insights on email consumption habits, each organization should test the delivery of their distribution methods to ultimately determine what time/style work best to drive fan/consumer response.

Teams Can Benchmark BK's "Wallets of Value"...

Is your organization looking to implement a unique guerrilla marketing strategy? Are you looking to drive attendance at your games in a way that gives back to the community?

With current economic conditions forcing consumers to become increasingly price-conscious, Burger King has rolled out a new "Reverse Pick-Pocketing" campaign designed to heighten awareness for its value meal menu. To support the initiative (and BK's classic media campaign around the King), the QSR chain has reached out to its agency partners to execute a unique guerrilla marketing campaign.  

As part of the "Reverse Pickpocketing" guerrilla campaign, agency partners are calling on each of their employees to drop five (5) wallets around major cities and high-traffic areas. The employees are asked to drop the wallets on buses, trains, sidewalks, etc. and gauge the reaction of consumers when they pick the wallet up. Inside each wallet, agency partners included a BK gift card, a fake ID of the King, between $1-$10 cash, and a fake dry cleaning receipt.  In total, 5,000 wallets were dropped in high-traffic areas of the city of Chicago alone.

Thus far, the guerrilla marketing campaign has proven to be a huge success with citygoers and the media. The campaign has created tremendous BK buzz in each of the executed markets and consumers are even tracking their discoveries on Twitter, blogs, and, Facebook.

So what does all this have to do with sports and partnerships?

Burger King's "Reverse Pick-pocketing" guerrilla strategy is a great example of an initiative that teams can implement to drive ticket sales and awareness. Team representatives can create a similar campaign (integrating coupons of corporate partners in the wallets) that entice people to come to the team's games. The team can "drop" wallets around their local city that include two (2) free ticket vouchers (good for any date between XXX and XXX), $10 in concessions dollars, etc.

By integrating supporting corporate partners into the mix, these "dropped" wallets could become a very hot commodity. Properties could mirror BK's strategy by placing a mascot's picture and information in the wallet. To accomodate the promotional tactic in-venue, teams can use one a tier of 50-100 seats, an unused suite, or standing room only passes in-venue.

On a smaller scale, teams could implement said promotion in and around their venues. To drive concessions and merchandise sales, teams could drop wallets in the concourse level that contain "Buy 1 Get 1 Free offers", coupons ($2 off any purchase of a hot dog), promotional tools (Buy a team jersey and receive a plush toy), free ticket vouchers to a future game, etc.

It's all about driving the value in the current economy. Consider creating similar value-based initiatives that drive brand buzz and demonstrate ways that your property gives back to its fan base and the local community!

A special thanks to Josh Hafer of the Columbus Blue Jackets for his contributions to the column. I also want to direct attention to Ted.me, who posted the pictures of the BK wallet on the Web.

San Jose and Seagate Create BlackArmor...

Are you looking for new ways to leverage supporting corporate partners? Are you looking for unique ways to incorporate 3rd jerseys?

The San Jose recently partnered with Seagate, the world leader in storage solutions, on an unprecedented sponsorship idea. The Sharks and Seagate partnered to create and name the team's Rbk 3rd jersey "Blackarmor" for the 2008-09 season. What's unique about the name is that it coincides with Seagate's new BlackArmor product, the world's first safe portable hard drive.

To promote the launch of the jersey, the San Jose Sharks are featuring a debut countdown for 30 days (leading up to the Sharks' matchup against the Washington Capitals on November 22nd) and are enabling fans to pre-order the new jersey online or at the Sharks store.

With jersey naming rights commanding high-dollar figures, the idea of creating a jersey moniker that associates with a company product/brand provides teams with a new inventory piece to own and create revenue streams from.

The Shark's BlackArmor jersey promotion caps off a 12-year relationship with Seagate. To drive awareness for the partnership, Seagate will also host "BlackArmor Nights" and currently sponsors the Seagate "Sharks Player of the Month" and the Seagate "Sharks Player of the Year".

The San Jose Sharks will wear the BlackArmor 3rd team jerseys on 14 occasions (12 of which will be played at home) during the 2008-09 season. The team is confident that its fan base will be drawn to the distinctive look of the BlackArmor jerseys and it will result in a big win-win for both parties!

A special thanks to Kristin Toth of the San Jose Sharks for her contributions to this column.

EA Sports Creates a Story to Sell NBA Live '09

Is your organization looking to create a story around a brand in an effort to drive sales at retail? Are you looking for unique ways to leverage professional athletes?

EA Sports collaborated with Carmelo Anthony to create a storyline behind its NBA Live '09 product. The two (2) parties agreed to create a viral piece where Carmelo Anthony would need to cut his hair if he lost in a head-to-head matchup against an opponent in NBA Live '09. As a result of this strategy, gamers across the nation will say, "Did you know Carmelo cut his hair because he lost a bet playing NBA Live '09?"

What a great viral play (a special thanks to David Yu of the University of Oregon Warsaw Sports Marketing Program for sending it along). Check it out below:

PartnershipActivation.net is CNBC.com Bound...

Dear Avid Supporters of PartnershipActivation.net,

First off, I want to thank you for all of your support. Secondly, I wanted to quickly mention that I will be filling in for Darren Rovell as the CNBC.com Sports Biz beat writer from Monday, November 10th through Thursday, November 13th. Please check out my featured articles all week on CNBC.com - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837629.

I am very excited and thankful for the opportunity to showcase my work on Darren's high-profiled CNBC.com Sports Biz column. It is my hope that the extended coverage will drive more readership and attention to PartnershipActivation.net and we can use this site as a platform to drive knowledge and creativity in the global sports marketplace. If you can, please take a moment to check out the articles and and pass along word about the site to colleagues and friends in the industry.

If you are looking for ways to connect with other PartnershipActivation.net users, please join the "Partnership Activation - Users Connect!" Group on Linked In and/or join the Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter distribution list by sending an email to bgainor@partnershipactivation.net with "Subscribe" in the subject line and your name, title, and contact information in the body of the email.

I will be returning to action on PartnershipActivation.net on Friday, November 14th.

Thanks again for all of your support and please let me know if I can ever be of assistance!

Regards,

Brian 

VitaminWater Introduces You to the Real Steve Nash...

VitaminWater recently launched a new campaign starring Steve Nash... The ads, a far cry from traditional athlete endorsement pieces, do a great job capturing Nash's humorous personality... Check out the viral ads below - they are probably unlike anything that you have ever seen before!