The Toronto Blue Jays do a terrific job bringing their 80's Nights at the ballpark to life for fans. Check out four (4) great videos below that showcase some of the creative ways the team incorporated an '80s thematic into several elements of their game entertainment.
Consider new ways that your organization can benchmark these tactics to create a memorable night at the ballpark for your fan base! Also, consider approaching one of your corporate partners to see if they would be interested in title sponsoring the night and letting fans relive their brand "in the past" as well! (ala Coca-Cola, IBM, Perrier, Reebok, etc.)
Toronto Blue Jays' 80's Themed Scoreboard Vignette
Lucozade, a series of energy and sports drinks produced by GlaxoSmithKline in the UK, recently announced that it is hosting a Fans Fives Tournament that allows fans of Premier League teams to compete head to head against passionate fans of other clubs in the ultimate 5-a-side challenge on the famous pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Fans can enter to win a chance to compete in the Lucozade Fans Fives Tournament by filling out an application form on the brand's official Facebook page, describing why they are the biggest fan of their favorite EPL team. Fans selected to compete in the exclusive tournament competition will represent not only themselves, but their favorite club in a battle against the country's most passionate football fans. The competition effectively puts the passion, competitiveness, and loyalty of fans to the test in a memorable fashion.
Each Premier League club will select three (3) teams of fans based on the applications submitted online, who will then be subject to a four-week "Facebook Fan-Off" that allows fans the chance to ultimately decide who will have the opportunity to represent the club in the fan competition at Stamford Bridge.
As the longest standing Official Partner of the Barclays Premier League, Lucozade is also an official supporter of Arsenal FC, Chelsea, Liverpool FC, and The FA.
The San Diego Chargers have teamed up with Motorola to create an interesting "Tweet the Headline" promotion for fans. Motorola is giving away an H17 Bluetooth headset to the Chargers fan who tweets out the best 100-character headline using the hashtag #motoheadline following each Chargers game.
Each week, one submission will be selected to headline a story on the Chargers official website, Chargers.com, and will be featured on the Chargers' official Facebook and Twitter pages. The promotion is terrific because it is a simple, yet effective way to engage fans and incorporate partners via social media.
Are you looking to add a little humor to your on-ice entertainment? Are you looking for new ways to promote QSR and casual dining partners?
The Atlanta Thrashers recently held a hilarious on-ice race between three fans competing as Applebees entree items... As you watch the race, you will notice that the Thrashers called on the team's mascot and an inflatable sumo wrestler to add some unpredictability and excitement for fans.
Are you looking for new ways to reward fans at games played during the holiday season? Are you looking to provide fans with a unique post-game opportunity?
The Reading Royals of the ECHL recently announced that all fans in attendance at the team's game against the Elmira Jackets on December 18th will have the chance to shoot to win a free ham courtesy of Berks Packing. As part of the Berks Packing Holiday Ham Shoot promotion, fans will be invited down to the ice after the game and will be given one chance to score a goal from a designated spot on the ice for a chance to win.
The unique promotion will be held in conjuction with a holiday food drive that the Royals and the Greater Berks Food Bank are hosting at the game on the 18th.
Are you looking for new ways to drive excitement at the ballpark? Are you looking to feature an enticing offer that draws new consumers to the ballpark?
The Class A Cedar Rapids Kernals recently offered a tremendous "Million Dollar Monday" promotion that turned the heads of baseball fans throughout the state of Iowa. The promotional night, deemed the "perfect promotion", offered fans attending the game the chance to win $1 million if the team's pitcher threw a complete-game perfect game (getting 27 consecutive outs).
While the chances to win are slim (Yahoo.com places the odds of a perfect game at 90,000-to-1), the offer seems irresistible to fans who have to pay just a few bucks to get into the ballpark to enjoy some quality entertainment. The Kernals were able to effectively tie in a sponsor - Perfect Game USA baseball club/scouting service - to help underwrite the costs involved with implementing the promotion.
While the team didn't end up throwing a complete game, the promotional night served as a great way to get some new fans out to the ballpark!
Are you looking for new ways to attract college students and working professionals to your events? Are you looking for ways to make your team more revelant in the local community?
CoffeeCompany, a coffee shopping chain in the Netherlands, recently drew waves of attention by offering students a coupon good for ten (10) small coffees if they agree to add one of its six (6) branded PowerPoint slides into their presentations. The promotion served as an effective way for the company to turn students into brand ambassadors at a very minimal cost (CoffeeCompany is essentially sponsoring the students through the promotion).
To receive a ten (10) free cups of coffee, students simply had to upload a photo or video of themselves showing the slide in class on the site Free Coffee 4 Students (the site even includes a Wall of Fame). The promotion enabled students to submit a photo/video for a free coffee once per month. Check out a clip below which demonstrates a student's submission for the promotion:
What are the implications here for sports marketers?
Sports organizations can consider mirroring the promotion with a "Add a Slide, Get Free Tickets" initiative. The promotional offer would serve as a great way to tap into local student bases (youth, students attending Universities) and local businesses. At the very least, it might just be a simple way to enhance the perception of your team's brand amongst students in the local community (who may be interested in coming to your games but are turned off due to prices, etc.).
To execute, teams should consider creating a microsite that features a number of fan-friendly elements:
A collection of team-branded Powerpoint slides for consumers to download and use
A function that enables consumers to upload photos/videos that they can submit online for free tickets once per month
A special offer from a corporate partner who is targeting students/young professionals (an additional offer, integration into the promotion, etc.)
An interactive feature where consumers can see what their presentation would look like on the team videoboard
A promotional opportunity for one lucky fan who submits photo/video to win the chance to have the team's mascot/players/coaches come to their classroom
The chance to take part in an exclusive "Back to School" event prior to a game later on during the season
Discussion Board / Wall Feature (to let consumers share their stories, etc.)
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 11:06PM 
