Sports Radio 790 Uses Guerrilla Tactics to Thank Bobby Cox

Sports Radio 790 The Zone, a premier sports radio station in Atlanta, recently pulled off a terrific guerrilla marketing stunt to celebrate the career of retiring Braves coach Bobby Cox and build goodwill with sports fans in the local marketplace.

Sports Radio 790 The Zone celebrated Cox's retirement and engaged with fans by setting up a mobile display just outside of Turner Field that featured an authentic painting of Bobby Cox. The station asked fans passing by to sign the commemorative piece, which the station plans to present to Cox at a later time.

To drive engagement, Sports Radio 790 The Zone also distributed a collection of "Thanks Bobby" fans to consumers passing by and asked conducted live interviews asking fans about their fondest memories of Cox as the Braves head coach.

Sports Radio 790 The Zone was able to pull off the successful guerilla stunt around the historic moment in Braves history despite Sports Radio 680 The Fan and Rock 100.5 being the official home of Braves baseball. To support the stunt, Sports Radio 790 The Zone partnered with an official "Thanks Bobby!" Facebook page and movement that was created by Braves fan and 790 listener Scott Munn. The site has amassed 20,000+  fans and has received media support from the AJC, The Regular Guys, The Braves Radio Network, and MLB.com.

Check out a few pictures of their guerrilla activation below:

An Inside Look at the Amway Center, Home of the Magic

The Orlando Magic recently opened the doors of their new home, the Amway Center, and the venue is already being considered one of the finest arenas in the entire world. The team broke ground on the Amway Center, a $480MM facility, in 2008 and recently celebrated its grand opening on October 1st, just in time for the 2010 NBA season.

The Amway Center features a number of world-class elements, including state-of-the-art displays, unique venue buildouts, kids play areas, unique sponsorship tactics, and more. The arena, designed and developed by Populous, is already scheduled to host the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Monday Night Raw, the Eagles, Lady Gaga and more. Click here to see a complete gallery of all the arena's amenities, displays, and destinations, including:

• The Budweiser Baseline Bar
• The Gentleman Jack Terrace
• Disney Atrium
• The OZone Section
• Stuff's Magic Castle Kids Area
• Orlando Magic Team Shop
• State-of-the-Art Scoreboard
• AirTran Deck, Kia Automobile Displays
• Amway Center Fanbulance
• Murals, Concessions Areas, Concourse Displays, and More!

*Orlando Magic corporate partners include Amway, Anheuser-Busch, Geico, Harris Corp., Gentlemen Jack, Kia, AirTran, PepsiCo, Disney, Grand Bohemian Hotel, Barnie's Coffee & Tea Company, T-Mobile, MillerCoors, and more!

The Kings Let Groups of Fans Capitalize on Threes...

Sports organizations looking for new ways to attract and engage mid-sized groups of fans during games should take a close look at a program the Sacramento Kings are offering during the 2010-11 NBA season.

The Kings organization has created a special section, located just feet from the court near the baseline, that rewards fans based on how many three-pointers the team converts during games. The section, entitled the "Courtside Corner 3-Point Party", allows a group of fans seated in a 14-seat section to receive a $20 Kings Team Store Voucher (good with any $50+ purchase) for each three-pointer the team makes during a game. The group also receives a $200 food and beverage credit to be used for in-seat service thoughout the game.

The group receives a special three-point marker that will draw the attention of fans throughout the arena every time the team scores a basket from behind the arc and is guaranteed to be featured on KingsVision each game.

The best part about the section is the fact that if the Kings convert 14 or more three-point shots, everyone in the group gets their money back! One (1) group of (14) fans can sign up to sit in the Courtside Corner 3-Point Party each game  by calling 1-888-91-KINGS or visit Kings.com/courtsidecorner. No information was disclosed pertaining to the actual cost of group ticket prices to "own" the section.

In case you were wondering...

• The Kings averaged 5.8 3-pointers made per game in 2009
• The record for most 3-point field goals during a game is 23 (set by Orlando in 2009)
• (8) NBA teams have made (12) 3-point field goals in (1) half
• The Boston Celtics averaged 26.28 3-point field goal attempts in 2002-03 while the Atlanta Hawks only averaged 0.91 3-point field goal attempts in 1979-1980

  

Driving Sponsorship Value for Nonprofit Partners

The sponsorship landscape is oftentimes defined by monumental agreements, economic implications, new trends, and technologies. In today's day and age, it's really easy to get lost in all the dollar signs and ignore the true reasons why partnerships happen and how different segments of people can benefit greatly as a result.

This post is designed to drive awareness for some of the good deeds taking place in our industry.

In early September, InStadium teamed up with two entities - the Flight 93 National Memorial and the Detroit Tigers - to make something truly memorable happen. Through their relationship with the Tigers organization, InStadium was able to help the Flight 93 National Memorial deliver an impactful PSA to thousands of fans attending Comerica Field on September 11th.

The Tigers organization ran the PSA scoreboard spot pro bono to demonstrate their support for the Flight 93 National Memorial and all the lives that were lost in Somerset County, PA on September 11, 2001. 

Nonprofit partners and businesses with small to moderate marketing budgets that could be turned off from sponsorships simply due to dollar figures should consider reaching out to InStadium to gauge various integration opportunities. InStadium has a significant amount of relationships with sports organizations throughout the nation and can oftentimes negotiate valuable partnership/integration opportunities on behalf of their partners, as they did with the Flight 93 National Memorial. If you come up with a creative idea (regardless of your marketing budget), find partners like InStadium who can help you bring it to life!