Allstate Teams up with SB Nation To Create Rivalry Road Trip Series

Allstate is capitalizing on the hype surrounding late-season college football rivalry games in a new way in 2010. The nation's second largest personal lines insurance company is teaming up with SB Nation's acclaimed college football blogger Spencer Hall to create a Rivalry Road Trip series sponsored by Allstate's Good Hands Roadside Assistance.

Hall, the editor of Every Day Should Be Saturday (www.edsbs.com), is traveling to some of the biggest college football rivalry games of the season and blogging/tweeting about his roadtrip adventures and gameday meetups with fans. The Rivalry Road Trip Series kicked off with the Ohio State vs. Iowa game on November 20th and will continue on through the National Championship in Glendale, AZ on January 10th. To drive buzz and excitement week-in and week-out, Hall will provide rivalry insights, details about prizes select fans can win for signing up for the Good Hands Roadside assistance program, and information about unique gameday experiences and meet-n-greets.

Allstate and SB Nation created the initiative in an effort to support the launch of the company's new Good Hands Roadside Assistance program, which serves as a free-to-join, pay-per-use roadside service that allows stranded travelers to call 1-800-ALLSTATE anytime and receive access to Allstate's 24/7 national towing network. The service allows consumers to pay a flat rate of $75 for a tow up to 10 miles and $50 for other roadside events such as service for a flat tire, a dead battery or keys locked inside a car.

Allstate features a special section on EDSBS.com where followers can track all of the key moment's of Hall's Rivalry Road Trip adventure. Allstate is driving awareness for the initiative on Every Day Should Be Saturday site via banner ads, sponsored blog posts, and and blog post mentions, as detailed below: 

 

Gonzaga Unveils New Microsite for Women's Basketball Program

Gonzaga University celebrated the start of the 2010 women's basketball season by unveiling a new, interactive microsite that serves as an ultimate destination for fans to get all of the content they need. The site, ZagsLocker.com, provides a means for the athletic department to highlight the women's basketball program in a simple yet comprehensive manner and engage with current and prospective fans.

The framework of the site was built with six (6) strategic objectives in mind:

1. Enhance fan engagement throughout the season

a. Fans can upload their personal photos to the site in an effort to win tickets and see their picture featured on the scoreboard, accompanied by a PA mention, at a live game

b. When submitting photos, fans are required to provide their email address, allowing the athletic department to message to them throughout the season

2. Strengthen fan affinity and goodwill via interactive contests and in-game engagement

a. ZagsLocker.com features an "Interact to Win" section that allows fans to reply to specific questions via tweets/Facebook posts to win select prizes. Fan comments made via social media (posts about Gonzaga athletics on Facebook walls; direct messages to/from Gonzaga Athletics on Twitter) provide additional exposure to fans that may not have been communicated to via traditional marketing efforts

3. Provide fans with an inside look at Gonzaga's women's basketball via "Zags TV"

a. ZagsLocker.com features a link to the Official Gonzaga Athletics YouTube page where fans can check out new weekly content of Gonzaga WBB on Zags TV

4. Data mining for future marketing campaigns

a. Gonzaga Athletics is giving away commemorative Sweet Sixteen mini-banners to all fans that register on ZagsLocker.com with their full information. This strategy allows the athletic department to collect useful information for database/marketing purposes and drives additional awareness amongst fans and alumni of the WBB team's past Sweet Sixteen run.

5. Drive season and NCAA tournament ticket sales

a. ZagsLocker.com features a direct link (Buy Tickets button) for fans to purchase season, group, individual, and NCAA tournament tickets throughout the 2010 WBB season

6. Generate merchandise sales

a. Fans have the ability to link to the official online merchandise store to purchase goos by hitting the “Buy Gear” portion in the locker on ZagsLocker.com

November 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out PartnershipActivation.com. I am excited to share with you the November 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter and hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family.

Thank you for your continued support and willingness to share the newsletter and content featured on the site with your friends and colleagues. It's remarkable that in just 2+ years, newsletter readership has spread to 60+ countries across the globe- a true testament to your support!

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

• Nike Capitalizes on Live Moments
• Creative Promotional Tactics from Across the NBA
• Sports Properties Leveraging QR Codes to Deliver New Content for Fans
• Professional Bull Riders' Partnership Tactics
• The Dallas Mavericks' YouTube Channel
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• A Look at the November 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• UTEP's "Orange-out" Week
• Incorporating Social Media in the GameDay Experience
• Activation at the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic
• The NFL International Series
• The Abu Dhabi Formula 1 FanZone
• Creative Activation Tactics
• Unique Ways to Leverage Johnny Walker as a Corporate Partner

Click here to check out the November 2010 Newsletter and be sure to follow Brian Gainor on Twitter for additional sponsorship/marketing tactics throughout the month!

If you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please send an email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com. In the body of the email, please include your name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

Pacquiao - Margarito Delivers Terrific Fighter Introductions

One of the most memorable moments of the recent Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight was the electric fighter introductions on the massive jumbotron at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The fighter introductions showcased some of the most thrilling moments in boxing and served as the perfect lead-in for the fight.

Check out the fighter introductions here:

Projection Mapping Helps New Balance Make a Splash

The greatest ideas are oftentimes the simplest - especially in the digital age that we live in.

While Nike and adidas spend hundreds of millions of dollars marketing their products, New Balance is benefiting from the insightful work of an artist named Hayoung Jung. Jung created a captivating viral piece promoting the New Balance 1300 shoe using projection mapping that is destined to attract a multitude of views.

The 1:36 viral piece is a simple, yet extremely effective piece as it uses a variety of colors, illuminations, and designs to draw the attention of viewers to the shoe. Check out the amazing video below:

New balance sneaker Projection mapping_01 from Hayoung Jung on Vimeo.

Drive Gameday Program Ad Impressions with Digital Extensions

Sports organizations looking for new ways to derive value from their gameday program ads should consider finding ways to make them viewable for thousands of fans watching games at home. Teams are beginning to offer digital program ad extensions, as they provide new, unique content for fans to enjoy on gameday and an opportunity to upsell current partners via an increase in advertorial impressions and exposure to a new segment of the fanbase.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have done a tremendous job featuring their IceTime Game Program online one (1) hour prior to every home game. Fans can access the publications under the FanZone tab on the team website and choose which gameday content they would like to view. The Penguins have turned to Issuu to offer the digital gameday program ads online. While the team previously distributed the gameday program ads to 18,000 fans in attendance each game (delivering 2.6MM impressions over the course of the season), they now can sell partners on the thousands of impressions the publication receives online.

Check out a few pictures of the Pens' digital program ad offerings below:

Fans "Devil-Ize" Their Office to Win Suite Tickets

The New Jersey Devils are running a cool "Devil-Ize Your Office" promotion where fans can submit pictures of how they (and their colleagues) show their Devils pride in the office. The office that is the most "Devil-ized" will win a luxury suite to the Devils-Capitals game at the Prudential Center on November 22nd.

The program serves as a great way to engage fans as well as the local business community. While the Devils made the submission/registration process is relatively simple, they could have turned the offer into a nice data mining initiative to develop relationships with contacts at several local/regional companies.

Check out the "Devil-ize Your Office" initiative here:

 

Take Fans Behind-the-Scenes to See Players Using Your Products

Brands looking for new ways to drive excitement for their products amongst sports fans should work with players, agents, teams, and leagues to create videos that literally show players using their product. While it's easy for some category partners (apparel, footwear, etc.) to showcase athletes actually wearing and using their gear, others need to go to further lengths to show players in an authentic light with their products in-hand.

The locker room video below shows LeBron James distributing a box of his new headphones, Miami Heat Beats by Dre, to all of his teammates as a token of his appreciation. The video is terrific because it literally shows all of the players as they receive their new set of headphones and is very authentic. Realizing that LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and the entire team wear these headphones will make Heat fans across the globe who see the viral piece want to go out and purchase a set.

Behind-the-scenes videos showcasing players using products (whether in real-time or a staged viral setting) can serve as a very effective play for locker room products, electronics, jewelry partners, magazines/books, etc.).

Check out the video below for an inside look: 

Let Fans Go In-Depth with Facebook Spotlight Features

Sports organizations looking for ways to promote their players (e.g. rookies, free agent signees, veterans) and give fans new, in-depth insights should consider creating a series of Facebook Spotlight Features.

The NBA Summer League did a tremendous job sitting down with NBA prospects Eric Bledsoe and Wesley Johnson to give fans a personal tour of their Facebook accounts and personal life. The video series allowed fans to learn more about their personal experiences and relationships off the court. The players talked about their Draft Day experiences, their birthdays, friends, graduation day, and family. The excercise may be fun to also do with the dance team, mascot, coaches, and fans.

Teams interested in the concept (and can find players willing to share their personal Facebook account) should model the Eric Bledsoe feature (1st video enclosed below) that has a nice, clean picture-in-picture format. Check out the NBA Summer League Facebook video tours below:

Virginia Tech Electrifies Its Crowd with Metallica's Sandman

Metallica's hit song, "Sandman" electrified the crowd of Virginia Tech fans in attendance for the team's game against Georgia Tech on Thursday night.  It clearly signifies what college football is all about!

Check it out below:

Puma Scores with WPS Breast Cancer Campaign

During the month of October, Puma supported Breast Cancer Awareness Month by leveraging its sports affiliations to drive awareness and donations for breast cancer research. Puma created a Project Pink campaign, supported by its partnership with Women's Professional Soccer, that raised $62K+ funds and generated awareness via 17K+ tweets.

Puma highlighted the efforts of campaign through a tremendous digital recap that should serve as a benchmark for any brand/organization looking to highlight the results of their campaign in an impactful, shareable way.

Check it out below:

The Admirals Provide Giant Beach Ball Entertainment

The Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) have found an interesting way to entertain fans during select intermissions - a giant beach ball. The team features a Beach Ball Bounce game on the ice that features two (2) teams of four (4) helmeted participants competing to knock the beach ball, filled with helium, through open boards at both ends of the ice (where the zamboni's drive in).

The promotion could serve as a great way for organizations to cross-promote other sports in town (local soccer club, basketball team with giant branding on a ball), local businesses (giant bowling ball, pool ball), lotteries (giant lottery ball), casinos, and more.

Check out the Admirals' execution of the Giant Beach Ball Bounce below:

Select Fans Pay Their Age at the 2012 London Olympics

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games recently announced an interesting ticket promotion designed to benefit senior citizens and kids. To keep ticket prices affordable and accessible to as many people as possible, Locog is offering a "Pay Your Age" promotion that allows anyone who is 16 and under at the start of the Olympic Games on July 27, 2012 to pay their age in pounds and senior citizens ages 60 and older to play a flat rate of 16 pounds.

The London Organising Committee is offering 1.3 million tickets available to senior citizens and schoolchildren via the "Pay Your Age" promotion and are also planning to offer 120,000 free tickets to London schoolchildren so that one (1) in eight (8) will have the chance to see the Olympic and Paralympic games live. Standard pricing for tickets to the 2010 London Olympic Games will range from 20.12 pounds to 2,012 pounds for the Opening Ceremony and 20 pounds to 725 pounds for sporting events.

The promotion serves as a great benchmark for sports organizations looking to adopt new ticketing strategies to fill the seats at their stadium venues with senior citizens and school children. The promotion is attractive, relatively easy to understand for consumers, and can serve as a great way to demonstrate value to fans who usually cannot afford to pay to attend live games.

Using the Power of Social Media to Drive Merchandise Sales

Sports organizations looking for new ways to drive merchandise sales should benchmark a recent tactic that major retailers across the nation are adopting. Realizing the success of the Groupon model, Walmart and other retailers are launching special offers that are determined by the number of "likes" they receive via social media.

Walmart recently unveiled a Crowdsaver app on their Facebook page that unlocks a discount price when enough consumers opt in to "like" a product. The promotional offer encourages consumers to share the deal with their friends, family, and colleagues, in an effort to eventually benefit from purchasing said product at a lower price if enough people "like" it.

Walmart tested the promotional pricing model by offering a $500 plasma television at a discount rate of 18% if 5,000 consumers "liked" the product on Facebook and the company received an overwhelming response in less than 24 hours.  

Sports organizations can consider creating a similar application/pricing model on their Facebook pages and team websites to drive merchandise sales, ticket sales (if they are in control of inventory), and concessions items. While the model would need to be tested, teams could offer "Deals of the Day" and "Deals of the Week" and where fans can purchase apparel and other merchandise items at a discount price if "X" number of people "like" the item. This promotional model could serve as a great way to drive repeat traffic to social media sites, new interest in apparel and promotional items, drive group ticket sales, and provide new means of value for consumers.

Consider implementing a similar "If the deal gets enough likes, the price drops for everyone" model within your organization!

Clippers Fans "Get Their Red On" in 2010

The Los Angeles Clippers celebrated their new brand new red jerseys and the start of the 2010-11 NBA season by featuring a "Get Your Red On" promotion that truly benefited fans. The promotion allowed fans who purchased a red jersey or red shirt on Clippers.com to receive a free lower bowl ticket to the team's game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Clippers offered the deal on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a limited number of tickets being made available. However, it served as a great way to drive merchandise sales, drive interest and awareness around the team's new jerseys, and build some early season excitement around the club, especially with the return of start PF Blake Griffin.

While some clubs may not have a comparable amount of lower bowl inventory available to run a similar promotion, upper bowl tickets would still present a compelling offer for fans.