10 Ways to Leverage Sharpie as a Corporate Partner

Are you looking for new ways to leverage Sharpie as a corporate partner? Are you looking for new ways to provide fans a medium to have a voice?

Check out ten (10) ways to leverage Sharpie below: 

I. Sharpie Sign Creation Stations

II. Fan Message Board / Signature Walls

III. Video Board Feature Detailing the Art of an Autograph

IV. Player/Legend Autograph Appearances

V. Autographed Game Day Magazine Promotional Offer (via Jumbotron/PA)

VI. Interactive Digital Autograph Display

Teams can feature an interactive display in the concourse/OOH destinations where fans can practice their autograph on a basketball/football/tennis ball using a digital Sharpie pen

VII. Giant Autograph Inflatables

 

VIII. Personalized Photo Autographs via Email

 Click here for more information.

IX. Autograph Ball Display

X. In-Venue Autograph Booth

     

Alabama Football Boasts One of the Best Video Board Intros in Sports

Are you looking for ways to enhance your pre-game entertainment? Are you looking for new pre-game introduction concepts?

The University of Alabama Athletics Department sparked the football team's historic 2009 season with a terrific pre-game video board intro. The clip features a collection of Alabama players describing the significance of the jersey number they are wearing (e.g. #31 stands for the team's bowl victories) to the tune of AC/DC's classic hit "Thunderstruck".

The vignette serves as a best practice for sports organizations looking to highlight their team's history in their pre-game video board introductions. Check out the clip below:

Notice: In the clip, the University of Alabama Athletics Department failed to mention jersey #0 (believe it or not, the team has never had a Heisman Trophy Winner)...

Partnership Activation 2.0 - November Newsletter

Are you looking for the latest and great best practices in the sports marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to leverage corporate partners?

Take a moment to check out the November 2009 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to three (3) new industry contacts who also may enjoy some of the insights shared in the newsletter.

This month's newsletter features a collection of insights, including:

• Canstruction Events
• Giving Meaning to Retail
• Creating a Superstar Experience for Fans
• Farmers Insurance Group Partnership Spotlight
• Details on The Business of Sports Network
• The November Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
• 2009 NFL International Series Insights
• Ways to Leverage a Corona Partnership
• Creative Activation Tactics

Check out the November 2009 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

Also, this month, we are excited to announce a special Holiday offer from our partners at adidas Eyewear for 25% off retail prices. To take advantage of this special deal, log on to www.promotive.com and enter the code 057C-5FDD-DAED-F443 in the “have a code” box.  Once you enter the code, register and receive 25% off any pair of sunglasses you purchase!

*For those interested in subscribing/unsubscribing to the newsletter distribution list (who have not already done so), please send an email to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com and include "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Please also include your full name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

The 10 Best Sports Billboard Themes of 2009

Partnership Activation has compiled a top 10 list of the best sports billboard themes of 2009. The deck is filled with a collection of tremendous out-of-home marketing ideas that will help you grow your brand. With billboards becoming an integral part of the marketing mix, this is a must-see! 

Hint: to be able to see the deck clearly, click "Full" in the menu bar below the powerpoint below - If you would like to download a copy of the presentation, please click HERE.

NBC Lets Fans Design U.S. Olympian's Helmet

Are you looking for new ways to engage fans via promotions? Are you looking to leverage winter sports?

NBCOlympics.com and World Champion skiier Lindsey Vonn have teamed up to offer fans the unique chance to design the helmet she will wear while competing in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. The promotion, entitled "Design Lindsey's Helmet" enables fans the opportunity to submit their best original artwork and serves as a great way to develop an avid following for Vonn during the Olympics (creating the star power NBC looks to profile during its coverage).

Fans can submit their artwork on the official promotional website between November 23rd and December 21st. Once all submissions are received, a panel of judges will narrow the entries down to three (3), and then fans will be given the opportunity to decide the winning design during the first week of January.

The promotion's grand prize winner will receive a trip for two (2) to Vail, CO and will receive a pair of Head skis and bindings and a Uvex helmet and goggles. NBC is promoting the "Design Lindsey's Helmet" offer via online ads, :30 spots on NBC and Universal Sports, and a grassroots campaign designed to spark interest and participation among art and design schools around the country.

A special thanks to MBA/MSA student Mike Rose of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration for his insights and contributions to this column. Source: USSkiteam.com

                                                                                                                        

Arsenal Players Dress as Mascots for Fundraising Effort

Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness and support for charitable organizations? Are you looking to create in-game call-to-action that inspires fans in a humorous way?

Arsenal FC recently honored the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, the team's official charity of 2009, by creating a terrific "Fundraising Day" promotional spot to inspire fans. The team is dedicating their November 29th match against Chelsea to the cause and Arsenal players and directors will be donating a day's wages to help raise funds for the team's charity - an act that is unheard of in the United States.

The team's humorous "Fundraising Day" campaign spot features four (4) players (Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin, and Bacary Sagna) dressed as mascots and roaming the streets in an effort to collect funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. The club hopes that the promotional vignette will help them meet their "Be a Gooner. Be a Giver" '09-'10 campaign goal of raising 500,000 euros.   

Check out the clip below:

Filming the promotional spot proved to be a hit with the team's players:

"I visited Great Ormond Street Hospital back in August so I know what this means to the charity and the patients. I encourage all supporters to follow our lead and give what they can. This advert is a bit of fun for the players and we hope supporters enjoy it, but there is a very real message in it about helping this Hospital and we hope to raise lots of money for this worthwhile cause." - Cesc Fabregas

Sources:

http://www.gosh.org/news/latest-news/2009-archive/arsenal-gosh-film/

http://www.beagoonerbeagiver.org/news/view.php?Id=1169

The Predators Celebrate Halloween with JibJab

Are you looking to create new, captivating video board vignettes? Are you looking for ways to create holiday-specific fan entertainment?

The Nashville Predators recently celebrated their Halloween matchup against the Dallas Stars by featuring a creative JibJab vignette on the jumbotron during the game. The clip centered around a Monster Mash thematic with the faces of Predator players incorporated into the mix. The clip proved to be a huge hit with fans and was later featured on the team's Facebook page for all to enjoy.

Check it out below:

Teams Strike Gold with Crossbar Challenges...

Are you looking for new ways to entertain fans at halftime? Are you looking to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for one lucky fan?

Sports organizations should consider offering more promotions that put the skills of fans to the test. This practice, seen commonly overseas in the rugby and football circuits, serves as a great way to engage all fans in attendance during halftime festivities and also provides sponsors a chance to capitalize on aligning with a memorable in-game moment.

While most organizations commonly implement halftime entertainment that tasks fans with scoring to win, most should consider ways to alter these type of promotions to challenge fans in unique ways: 

• Football - Challenge one (1) select fan with hitting the field goal posts/crossbar
• Hockey - Challenge one (1) select fan with trying to hit the post (instead of scoring)
• Soccer - Challenge fans with hitting the crossbar (instead of scoring)
• Rugby - Challenge fans with hitting the crossbar
• Basketball - Challenge fans with banking a shot in off the glass

Here are two (2) great examples of Crossbar Challenges serving as a highlight at games played overseas:

Rugby

During a recent English rugby match, one lucky fan took home 250,000 euros after successfully hitting the crossbar with a punt (while not wearing shows) during a halftime Crossbar Challenge event. The winner, rugby fan Stuart Tanner, became an instant household name after coverage of the promotion was picked up by several major media outlets. See the stunt below:

Soccer

EPL club Stoke City recently held a halftime Crossbar Challenge at Britannia Stadium featuring a collection of team mascots and boxers Ricky Hatton and Scott Lawton. One contestant electrified the crowd by hitting the crossbar. 

The Crossbar Challenge also serves as a tremendous feature to include in media broadcasts of soccer matches (as seen by the Leyton Orient team challenge below):

Bajaj Allianz Displays Innovative In-Game Advertising Concept

Are you looking for new ways to stand out during a nationally televised broadcast? Are you looking for ways to improve the impact of your in-game messaging?

Bajaj Allianz, India's leading private non-life insurance company, recently launched its latest advertising innovation during a recent India-Australia cricket match. The contest, played in Hyderabad on November 8th, featured Bajaj Allianz displaying its new Groovy Kids advertising innovation to promote the child insurance policies it offers.

Instead of featuring a commercial during a standard advertising break, Bajaj worked with the sports broadcasting company to have the cameras simply break away from the action taking place on the field to show a father holding a sign in the stands demonstrating that he has planned for his son's future (who happens to be standing right next to him).

The advert is so simple, yet effective because viewers at home will not turn away from the action (and in fact, will most likely pay more attention to try to read and comprehend what the sign says). Using split screen technology, Bajaj Allianz can effectively display messaging to inform consumers of their policies and drive them to their website. Bajaj Allianz received two (2) of these :10 spots during the game as opposed to having a commercial break.

Check it out below:

The Seahawks Host a Dachshund Dash at Halftime

Are you looking to offer unique forms of halftime entertainment? Are you looking for new ways to support local dog shelters and charitable organizations?

When the Seattle Seahawks hosted the Detroit Lions at Qwest Field on November 8th, the team called in some extra assistance with their halftime entertainment. The Seahawks hosted the 3rd annual dachshund dash (commonly referred to as a weiner dog race) from the 50-yard line to the end zone. The races, benefiting Dachshund Rescues, featured two heats and a post-race awards ceremony with custom-made trophies.

The sold-out crowd of 67,000+ fans found the unique race to be quite amusing. Check it out below:

Nike Goes Outdoor to Promote New Harajuku Store

Are you looking for new ways to celebrate a store/stadium grand opening? Are you looking for ways to drive awareness in the local community?

To celebrate the grand opening of its new store in Harajuku, Japan, Nike created a really fascinating mural display using a collection of pictures. Each night, a team of workers changed the images to drive awareness for the breadth of Nike's offerings and involvement in sports and entertainment. CoolHunting also recently did a feature on the store's unique shoe chandelier, shoe sole tiles, and spinning race numbers that hang from the ceiling (definitely worth checking out the link) 

Check out the way Nike executed the out-of-home campaign to support the store grand opening:

Guitar Hero Inspires Soccer Players Everywhere

Are you looking to create a captivating soccer viral piece? Are you looking for new ways to incorporate both music and sports?

Sony BMG recently turned to Umbro and five (5) freestyle soccer players to create one of the greatest sports-music experiments of all time. Sony BMG was looking for a unique way to promote a new hit single (Underdog) from the British band Kasabian and decided to do so by creating a real-life version of Guitar Hero using the help of some soccer enthusiasts.

The collaborating parties placed huge target billboard panels (synched up to a Guitar Hero game featuring the new song) on the walls of an abandoned warehouse and tasked the five (5) soccer players with kicking soccer balls at the targets with enough accuracy to strike the right chord. After seventeen (17) attempts, the group achieved an accuracy score of 76! Pretty impressive!  

Check out the Kasabian Football Hero execution below:

Check out a behind-the-scenes look of how the spot was produced:

Source: SportsMarketing.fr

Betfair Gives Manchester United Fans Media Exposure

Are you looking to create new, memorable experiences for fans? Are you looking to implement a new promotion that has yet to be executed in the United States?

Betfair, an official sponsor of Manchester United, recently announced a tremendous promotional offer that encourages the club's fans across the world to show their support. Betfair is offering a "Get Behind United" promotion that will give Manchester United supporters the opportunity to show their avid support to millions across the world by having their photos featured on interview board backdrops and perimeter field board signage at Old Trafford.

Betfair, the world's first betting exchange, simply requires fans to submit a photo of themselves expressing their support along with their name and contact details on the Get Behind United promotional webpage.

The promotion offers one (1) as well as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many others:

• Grand Prize: One (1) lucky winner will have their face featured on interview backdrops, win two (2) free tickets, and participate in an on-field skills challenge for the chance to win a signed Manchester United jersey
• Secondary Prizes: A select number of fans will have their faces featured on the perimeter field boards at Old Trafford. The signage will be picked up on live game broadcasts being shown on ESPN in the United Kingdom and around the rest of the world

 Betfair is running the promotion for a select number of upcoming Manchester United home games at Old Trafford (Everton - 11/21/09, Aston Villa 12/12/09).

What's in it for Betfair? The promotion serves as a great way for them to drive awareness, reward existing fan customers, and leverage its partnership with Manchester United. All persons who submit their photos as part of the promotion are subject to have their photo used on Betfairfootball.com and agree to let Betfair (or its agents) use their data to administer the promotion and send them marketing communications materials.  

Source: SportsMarketing.fr

Barclays Lets EPL Fans Take Home The Trophy...

Are you looking for a new way to showcase your team/leagues' trophy hardware? Are you looking to create a national promotion that appeals to sports fans everywhere?

As the title sponsor of the English Premier League, Barclays has effectively positioned itself as one of the largest stakeholders in soccer around the globe. The major global financial services provider will only strengthen its positioning with its newest promotion, "Barclays Home Win". 

Barclays' Home Win promotion will enable twenty (20) fans around the globe to win the chance to take the Barclays Premier League trophy home for a day. All consumers have to do for a chance to win the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is log on to http://www.barclayshomewin.com and submit their name, country, telephone, email, and favorite EPL club. The offer serves as a way for Barclays to celebrate the extension of its league title sponsorship until 2013.

All winners will be provided the opportunity to have the Barclays EPL Trophy in a controlled environment (e.g. school, work, or home) between 10am-4pm on a designated weekday. Two (2) security personnel will accompany the trophy and will control any touching of the trophy (in other words, you can have it, but you can't do anything you want with it). Consumers can submit as many entries as they would like until the promotion expires December 11th.

Check it out below:

Arsenal Unveils "The Spirit of Highbury"

Are you looking to implement new marketing efforts on gameday? Are you looking to renovate an existing area of your stadium facility?

Sports organizations looking for new ways to honor their players, supporters, and staff (past and present), should consider benchmarking the recent efforts of Arsenal FC. The EPL club has recently made a concerted effort (which it refers to as Arsenalisation) to recognize its greatest team contributors and moments.  

The Arsenalisation movement is highlighted by "The Spirit of Highbury", an image erected at the South end of the club's new home, Emirates Stadium, that features a lineup of every Arsenal player and manager that competed for the team when it played at the Highbury (their old venue facility) between 1913 and 2006. Arsenal FC put a tremendous amount of effort into The Spirit of Highbury, as it even called on the likes of Nike and Wieden and Kennedy (W+K) to complete the project.  

The club created the amazing image by blending a range of images from glass negatives to modern digital photography. There are only four (4) players who remain unaccounted for in the image and are featured as silhouettes. Per Arsenal's website, "the Spirit of Highbury now stands as a permanent symbol of the Club's proud history and a testament to the achievements that have stemmed from the efforts of every player, supporter, and member of staff, past and present".

Check out how the Spirit of Highbury was created below:

LSU Athletics Goes Green with South Coast Solar

Are you looking for new ways to implement green initiatives on gameday? Are you looking for new ways to power mobile vehicle units?

Earlier this football season, LSU Sports Properties announced a partnership between LSU Athletics and New Orleans-based South Coast Solar, Louisiana’s largest solar power company.  As part of the agreement, South Coast Solar will provide power to Tiger One, a 40-foot trailer used for LSU home games as a hospitality area on one side and a mobile radio studio on the other.  On September 12th, LSUSP produced the first solar-powered football pregame show in the history of radio.

LSU Athletics' partnership with South Coast Solar highlights the University’s efforts to “go green,” as the Tiger One mobile unit was previously powered by a gas generator.  South Coast Solar's partnership also includes radio spots and live mentions promoting South Coast Solar as the power provider of Tiger One.  South Coast Solar also benefits from the Tiger One being situated near several corporate hospitality areas, offering company officials the opportunity to network with other business executives looking to ut costs through solar energy.

Check out some pictures of the new solar powered Tiger One mobile unit below:

  

A special thanks to Chris Kosmala of LSU Sports Properties for his insights and contributions to this column.     

BMW Oracle Racing Shows How It's Done...

Are you looking to generate sponsorship dollars for a sailing team? Are you looking for new ways to draw interest to a non-traditional sport?

The BMW Oracle Racing team (sailing) created an insightful video that demonstrates all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into getting a competitive wing sail out on the water. In the clip, the BMW Oracle crew worked vigorously to get the wing sail ready to go in just a few hours - a pretty incredible feat.

The video serves as a great way for sailing teams (and other non-traditional sports) to show potential sponsors and the general market a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into competing. The video does a great job demonstrating the personnel, operations, and teamwork involved in sailing. Check it out below:

NASCAR Lets Fans Tweet Their Way to Vegas

Are you looking for new ways to leverage Twitter? Are you looking to create new promotional offers using social media platforms?

NASCAR recently announced that it will offer a "Tweet2Vegas" sweepstakes that will enable fans the chance to win a trip to Las Vegas to attend the NASCAR After the Lap session Dec. 2-5. 

For a chance to win, fans must correctly answer questions posted on NASCAR's Twitter page each day between November 9-15. NASCAR will post a question to all of its followers at 3pm EST each day and fans must then respond with the correct answer and list their first and last name, phone number, city, and state to tweet2vegas@nascar.com. Contestants are only able to submit one question response each day.  

NASCAR will provide the winner with a trip for two that includes round-trip airfare, 3-night hotel accomodations, and ground transportation to and from the hotel. The NASCAR After the Lap session (presented by Tissot) includes interview sessions with each of the top drivers in the Chase at the Hollywood Theatre in Last Vegas.

Here is how NASCAR (@NASCAR) has promoted the offer thus far on Twitter:

The Mallards Introduce the Coors Light ICE ROW

Are you looking for new ways to leverage the first couple rows of seats at your venue? Are you looking for ways to promote MillerCoors' products?

The Quad City Mallards of the IHL recently unveiled a partnership with Coors Light and Euclid Beverage that is highlighted by a unique branding concept. The team has created a Coors Light ICE ROW that enables fans seated in the front row closest to the ice to experience a number of exclusive opportunities.

Thirty minutes prior to the walk up general admission, fans seated in the ICE ROW will be provided access to the Mallards locker room and hockey operations prior to the game. This will enable them to have plenty of time to enjoy the coach's comments to his team and fully experience the Mallards' behind-the-scenes experience.

The Mallards are also complementing the deal by creating four "Coors Light Corners" on their rink at the i Wireless Center. Coors Light logos will be displayed on the ice in each of the four corners for all fans to see (and hear on radio broadcasts).   

2010 Vancouver Olympics Watch

Are you looking for new ways to leverage the Olympics? Are you looking for ways that Canada and the rest of the globe are gearing up for the 2010 Olympic Games?

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics taking place officially less than 100 days away, many official Olympics partners and ambush marketers are already implementing significant programs to build buzz and excitement for the Games (click HERE to watch the start of the Olympic Torch Relay). Here is a quick look at ten (10) of the best in-market branding and activation elements generating buzz across Canada: