Bronco Sports Properties Give Field Board Signage a Creative Treatment

In the college athletics space, it's always refreshing to see properties creatively customize standard pieces of inventory to deliver extra value for corporate partners.

Bronco Sports Properties recently helped the Idaho Potato Commission generate incremental value and exposure from their title sponsorship of the Boise State vs. TCU game by featuring an unconventional piece of signage in each of the endzones of its stadium.

Kenny Keblaitis and the Bronco Sports Properties team generated buzz by placing a 5' x 3' sign resembling a giant sack of potatoes between two branded field boards in each of the stadium's TV visible endzones. The brilliant awareness tactic spanned 19' in total length and served as a great way to complement the Idaho Potato Commission's other branding tactics taking place in-stadium.

Check out the creative awareness below:

The University of Florida Student Ticket Office Thanks Fans for Their Loyalty

Numerous opportunities exist in the sports space for teams and corporate partners alike to reward loyal fans for their perfect attendance during a season. While most professional organizations will periodically honor fans who have been season ticket holders for 10+ years, very few go the extra mile to thank fans for their commitment on a regular basis.

The University of Florida Student Ticket Office recently thanked season ticket holders for their loyalty with a simple, yet impactful gesture that should be replicated throughout sports. Travis Leyndyke and his team in the UF Student Ticket office emailed all ticket holders who had their tickets scanned for every home game during the 2011 football season to thank them for their support.

Fan congratulatory emails can serve as a great platform to integrate corporate partners as well, as they present an opportunity to tap into the University/team's most avid fan base and sincerely acknowledge/reward them for their support. Properties can also consider creating a virtual wall on their official website that features all fans who had perfect attendance throughout the season (a platform that could be sponsored by a brand who provides an exclusive promotional discount/reward).

Check out the University of Florida's email communication below and consider new ways that your property can acknowledge fans firsthand for their support!

Reebok Uses 3D Art to Promote CrossFit

In recent months, 3D art has become a popular, non-traditional tactic for sports properties and their corporate partners to generate awareness in a fun way. As entities continue to mine for new ways to "escape the clutter" on game day, 3D art has proven to be a creative solution that surely generates the impressions that brands are looking for.

Reebok recently turned to 3D art to promote the CrossFit Games, its supported fitness program. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program and licensor of 3,000+ gyms that is gaining interest and traction with fit consumers worldwide. Reebok partnered with two legendary 3D artists to create the largest ever 3D street art display and set an official Guinness World Record.

The result? Reebok and Joe and Max created a 1,160.4m 3D art display at London's West India Quays, Canary Wharf that generate a significant amount of interest. Reebok turned the exhibit into an engaging display by allowing public onlookers to participate in a Reebok CrossFit workout of the day on top of the artwork - a truly memorable experience.

Check it out below:

November 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Welcome to the November 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter! Thank you for your continued interest and support for Partnership Activation and the monthly newsletter.

Here is a link to the November 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter.

After reviewing the newsletter, please take a moment to share it with friends via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, personal blogs, and other platforms and modes of communication. Here is a shortened URL that you can use to include in tweets, etc: http://bit.ly/tKW46y

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

• 20 Digital/Social Platforms to Utilize in 2012
• The Baylor Bold Rewards Program
• 7 Key Insights from the World of Sports Media & Technology
• The 2012 National Sports Forum
• The Emergence of Social TV
• Asics' Run with Ryan Campaign
• Long Beach State's "Like Us" Campaign
• Betfair's QR Cuts Initiative with Bromley FC
• ESPN UK's New Soccer Augmented Reality Feature
• The University of Michigan's Jet Pack Delivery
• Contrex's Cycling Initiative
• A Look at BeerToasts.com
• The November 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• The Phoenix Suns' Top Facebook Fans App
• Tailgate Lot Activation
• A Close Look at Preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games
• 50 Ways to Leverage Automobile Partners In-Venue
• Five #SportsBiz Profiles You Must Follow
• Manchester United's Tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson
• The Winnipeg Jets Deliver a Truly Exclusive Corporate Partner Experience
• ING's Pop-Up Finish Line Displays
• The Montreal Canadiens Celebrate Team History
• Betfair Lets Fans Skydive While Betting on Soccer
• Four Ways to Take Your Kids Club Efforts To New Heights
• Idea Box

Click here to check out the November 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter, connect with other readers in the official Partnership Activation LinkedIn Group, and 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.

The Walleye Create Compelling Awareness Strategies for their Corporate Partners

In today's economy, it's essential that sports properties get aggressive with developing creative marketing and sales strategies to attract partners from non-traditional categories. A great example of this is the Toledo Walleye, who recently attracted a regional company called Cleaner & Dryer Restoration to come on board as a corporate partner after pitching them on a unique awareness driver in-arena.

The Walleye created an eye-catching visual at several water fountain stations located throughout the team's arena that made it appear that there was a bad spill. As event attendees passed by, many tried to avoid the "spill", only to realize that it was a creative branding tactic designed to promote Cleaner & Dryer Restoration's flood and fire cleanup and repair services. The awareness tactic has been very well received by the client, the team, and fans, and hopefully will just be the launching pad for more creative marketing ideas to come.

Check it out below and consider new ways that your organization can help brands think out-of-the-box within the stadium/arena setting!

A special thanks to Megan Hunyor of the Toledo Walleye for her insights and contributions to this column!

The Islanders Celebrate Military Night with a Special Ceremonial Puck Drop

The New York York Islanders recently generated excitement around their Military Night festivities by calling on staff Sgt. Matthew Zimmerman of the Air National Guard to lower down from the rafters to drop the ceremonial puck at center ice.

The unusual spectacle drew a loud applause from all fans in attendance and served as a creative way to showcase and celebrate the skills of the Armed Forces.

Check out a visual of the ceremonial puck drop stunt below:

Webinar Alert: "Measuring Sponsorship ROI"

Sports Business Colleagues,

The team at Navigate Marketing is hosting a terrific webinar on "Measuring Sponsorship ROI" on Wednesday, November 16th at 12pm CST and I wanted to take a moment to encourage you to attend/participate.

The Navigate team, including AJ Maestas, Dr. Mark Friederich, and Matt Balvanz will provide webinar participants with an in-depth look at the various ways ROI is being measured and calculated in the sports and entertainment sponsorship space.

With measurement playing a key role in all phases of the sponsorship life cycle, it's an extremely valuable session that will surely pay dividends for you and your organization.

The team will specifically be discussing a number of topics, including:

• Bounceback and Sales Tracking
• B2B Hospitality Tracking
• Market Research Driven ROI Estimates

Click here for more information: http://navigatemarketing.com/services/navigate_webinars/

If you have any questions about the webinar, feel free to reach out to Chris Todd at ctodd@navigatemarketing.com.

I look forward to hearing your personal feedback about the webinar!

Best Wishes,

Brian

The Lightning Generate Buzz With Tampa International Airport Travelers

The Tampa Bay Lightning recently announced an unprecedented partnership with the Tampa International Airport that is designed to reward travelers, drive incremental interest in the team, and help grow the local tourism economy.

The Lightning and Tampa International Airport officials are partnering on several initiatives that will surely generate buzz amongst city residents and tourists traveling through the airport:

• Promotional Contests
  • Beginning Tuesday, November 1, one person who parks in the Tampa International Airport designated parking lots will win a free four-pack of tickets to a Lightning game at the St. Pete Times Forum (the winner will be chosen randomly each day at the exit)
  • The Lightning gave away two (2) pairs of round-trip tickets on Edelweiss Air (the airport's newest International carrier) as part of its new "Seek the Seat" promotional initiative on Twitter

• Branding Tactics
  • The Lightning wrapped a shuttle that connects the main terminal to Airside A with an eye-catching "Go Bolts" creative design
  • The voice of Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier greets passengers on the Airside A tram as they head to and from the main terminal

Check out the Lightning's "Go Bolts" Airside A tram wrap below and consider ways that your sports organization can partner with a local airport authority and effectively market to millions of airport travelers each year!

A special thanks to Caryn Switaj for her insights and contributions to this column!

Party City and the NY Giants Team Up to Celebrate Halloween

Retail partners looking for new, creative ways to leverage their team partnerships should consider benchmarking a recent initiative implemented by Party City and the New York Giants.

Party City partnered with the Giants to feature a contest on the team's website that gave fans an opportunity to vote for which Halloween costume rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich would wear on the team's official visit to a local hospital.

Party City promoted the initiative by inviting several veterans on the Giants roster to visit a local Party City store location and pick out Halloween costumes for all of the team's rookies to wear to the event as well. The retailer did a terrific job capturing footage of the event, as the players seemed to have a great time picking out embarrasing Halloween costumes for their peers, with some even trying them on in the store.

The footage is a great publicity piece for Party City as it demonstrates to consumers firsthand that Giants players do in fact frequent their stores and has viral potential! Party City could easily repurpose the content to feature on the jumbotron during the game, on Giants.com, or via social media.

Check it out below:

MetLife Creates a Memorable Halloween Event for Giants Fans

Holidays throughout the calendar year present an opportune time for brands to leverage their corporate partnerships in ways that truly capture the interest and attention of fans. However, during planning cycles, holidays are oftentimes forgotten as brand marketers focus on activating around key game dates throughout the season - a huge miss. 

MetLife recently did a tremendous job teaming up with Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment to create a memorable Halloween experience for fans attending the Giants-Dolphins game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, November 30th. MetLife generated buzz around its gate entitlement (the MetLife Gate) by featuring a number of elements and festivities on-site, including:

• New York State's largest pumpkin (1613 pounds), equipped with MetLife Stadium branding
• Pumpkins featuring images of the 1986 Giants team (honoring the 25th anniversary of the team's Super Bowl Championship)
• MetLife branded pumpkins

A special thanks to Peter Honig for his insights and contributions to this column!

Stadium officials also hosted a Halloween costume party at one of the MetLife Stadium gates the week prior when the Jets hosted the Chargers on Sunday, October 23rd. Check it out below: