Chelsea FC Showcases Its UEFA Champions League Preparations

Chelsea FC recently created a terrific video that showcases all of the work that goes in to hosting a UEFA Champions League Game at Stamford Bridge. The video takes viewers behind-the-scenes to all of the steps it takes to get their facility ready from a branding and execution standpoint.

The video shows employees bringing in field boards and related signage, hanging banners and static signage, finalizing hospitality and press displays, and ensuring that the proper jerseys, game ball, and music are used during the match.

The video is very insightful - check it out below!  

Coca-Cola Celebrates Its 125th Anniversary with an Incredible Building Illumination

Coca-Cola recently celebrated its 125th anniversary in style at its Atlanta, GA based headquarters with a spectacular building illumination that could be seen across the city. The global bottling company partnered with Obscura Digital to illuminate its 26-story building into a giant projection screen that displayed images of the company's advertising over the years.

Coca-Cola's 125th anniversary celebration marked the largest single-building illumination ever. The illumination covered 210,000 square feet and used 45 industrial strength projectors to display one (1) million lumens of light.  

The slideshow featured images of Coca-Cola products that were submitted by consumers via Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr as well as the company's official library of photos. Coca-Cola will feature the spectacular illumination every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening during the month of May as a celebration.

Check out Coca-Cola's amazing building illumination below:

Source: Coca-Cola PR

Portland Timbers Fans Enjoy Exclusive Benefits in The Axe Society

The Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer created an exclusive fan membership club called The Axe Society to celebrate the team's founding season ticket holders during the team's first year of existence. Fans who became Portland Timbers season ticket holders by December 31, 2010 were given a lifetime membership into The Axe Society - an entitlement that includes a number of exclusive benefits:

• Your name listed on a permanent display in the stadium
• Your name listed on PortlandTimbers.com
• Your name listed in the Portland Timbers souvenir program
• A commemorative inaugural-season gift exclusive to Axe Society members
• Access to exclusive Axe Society events
• Annual Axe Society membership card good for additional discounts at the Timbers team store
• Exclusive promotions that can be accessed only by Axe Society members

Note: For fans to maintain their exclusive Axe Society membership, the team has noted that they must invest each year in at least one (1) Timbers full-season seat.

While creating a fan club to honor fans during a team's inaugural year is not a relatively novel concept in sports, what's extraordinary in this instance is the Portland Timbers' execution of The Axe Society. The team has done an exceptional job bringing the program to life, featuring prominent displays throughout Jeld-Wen Field and delivering a number of exclusive benefits for fans.

The Portland Timbers have quickly emerged as a first-class organization and their new stadium facility is pretty remarkable. Check out some photos of Jeld-Wen Field here.

 

Dale Jr. Shows That Pranks Go a Long Way in the Shop

As sports organizations look to post compelling content on their social media channels, many have struck gold with behind-the-scenes tricks, skill shots, and pranks. While this content has become rather common with professional teams, who capture players during practice, team outings, and trips, we haven't seen it as much in the world of NASCAR - until now.

Dale Jr. and the JR Motorsports team recently played a prank on staff members at a Suave Men Production Day that caught many by surprise... and they captured it on camera. The crew set up a cooler that contained a fake giant snake that they knew would generate some excitement.

Check it out below:

UT Chattanooga Uses April Fools Prank to Drive Ticket Sales

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Department played a clever trick on their loyal fanbase on Friday, April 1st (April Fools Day) that served as a great way to generate excitement around the upcoming football season.

UT Chattanooga posted an announcement on their Athletics Website declaring that the University would be officially changing their school colors from traditional Blue to an environmentally friendly Green. The extensive writeup included mockups of the new school logo, quotes from UTC Athletic Director Rick Hart, and even an official "Blue + Gold = Green" tagline that supported the overall campaign.

The real trick was played on fans when they attempted to click on several hyperlinks throughout the official announcement to learn more. The hyperlinks were directed to a landing page declaring to readers that the campaign was an April Fools Joke and as a reward for their active participation, they would receive a special one-day ticket offer for the upcoming 2011 football season. Fans could receive (1) free meal voucher for each of UTC's home games during the 2011 season with the purchase of season tickets.

UTC's April Fools Day campaign was very clever and well-thought out... a simple way to generate some buzz around non-traditional holidays throughout the calendar year. Per GoMocs.com, the campaign generated 2,000 unique hits in the 16 hours it was featured live on the site - four (4) times the amount of traffic a non-preview/recap story would normally receive. The campaign ended up generating 31 new season ticket sales in 16 hours, which is a pretty notable figure given the fact that the University has a season ticketholder base just over 2,600.

Click here to learn more about the results of the campaign.

Nike Turns to Fans on Twitter to Devise a Slogan for US Soccer

Nike looked to capitalize on the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's recent international friendly against a renowned Argentina team at the New Meadowlands Stadium by creating an expansive "Red All Over" campaign.

A few weeks leading up to the match, Nike turned to soccer fans on Twitter to create a motto that would serve as the focal point of its "Red All Over" campaign. Nike encouraged soccer enthusiasts from across the world to submit their ideas over a five-day period using the hashtag #redallover. The campaign proved to be extremely successful, with thousands of entries pouring each day.

Ultimately, Nike found their answer for the campaign - a slogan that stood out from all the rest. The slogan, "Indivisible", was submitted by William Bachmann II of Orlando, FL, who uses the Twitter handle @WBachmann2. The slogan came from an unlikely source but proved to be exactly what Nike was looking for with the campaign. The slogan was sewn onto the jerseys of all the U.S. players for the match and soon became a storyline that captured the world's attention.

Note: As part of the campaign, fans were encouraged to wear red to New Meadowlands Stadium for the game on March 26th in support.

Check out a video detailing the promotional initiative below:

The Whitecaps Generate Fan Excitement For Their Season Launch with a 30-Day Countdown

The start of the 2011 Major League Soccer season marked a renewed rivalry series between the Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, and the Portland Timbers. All three (3) soccer clubs have enjoyed 30+ years of history and success but haven't competed against one another since the days of the NASL... 31 years afgo.

Soccer has been a huge success for Major League Soccer in the Northwest over the past two years since the inception the Seattle Sounders FC. In 2010, the team attracted 36,173 fans on average and generated some of the league's highest television ratings. Soccer fever has surely spread to Portland and Vancouver, where both clubs are experiencing a significant amount of success selling season ticket packages as well as suites.

The Vancouver Whitecaps in particular embarked on an aggressive "30-Day Countdown" marketing initiative that featured thirty consecutive days of virals introducing the team to the city of Vancouver, decorating landmarks, interviewing celebrities, displaying 3D billboard projections, and more.

Check out the Whitecaps terrific 30-Day Countdown below ... notably videos #7, #1, $10, and #6!

• Day 30 - City Blitz
• Day 29 - Whitecaps Sushi Roll
• Day 28 - Forever Fans
• Day 27 - The Passion Fans Have for Soccer in Vancouver
• Day 26 - Freestylin' Players
• Day 25 - Just Imagine
• Day 24 - Grouse Ride
• Day 23 - Testing Fan IQ's
• Day 22 - Daniel Sedin Plays a Game of Keep-Up
• Day 21 - A Trip to Fratelli's
• Day 20 - Bryan Adams
• Day 19 - Who to Watch
• Day 18 - Lui Passaglia
• Day 17 - Umberto
• Day 16 - An Interview with Vancouver Legend Trevor Linden
• Day 15 - Ole!
• Day 14 - Office
• Day 13 - Kasey Keller
• Day 12 - Drums
• Day 11 - Show and Tell
• Day 10 - Whitecaps Kit
• Day 9 - Match Beat
• Day 8 - Les Buts
• Day 7 - Light It Up
• Day 6 - Whitecaps Idol
• Day 5 - Interview with Head Coach Teitur Thordarson
• Day 4 - EA Sports
• Day 3 - Youth Soccer
• Day 2 - Southsiders Bar Night
• Day 1 - Scarves
• Match Day

... And here's a great Sounders FC video to get you ready for the 2011 Major League Soccer season!

A special thanks to Aaron Brady for his insights and contributions to this column.

adidas Goes All In With A 3D Projection Show in Marseille

adidas kicked off its "adidas is all in" global marketing campaign with an amazing 3D projection show on the side of a historic building in Marseille, France. The footwear and apparel leader used 3D mapping technology to stun a crowd of 1,000 onlookers with amazing displays and intense imagery.

The event, hosted by DJ Cut Killer and held at the Palais du Pharo, has been generating buzz in the digital space in recent days. Check it out below:

Syracuse Athletics Turns to NYC Taxis to Drive Awareness

Under the direction of Athletics Director Dr. Daryl Gross, Syracuse Athletics has invested in an aggressive marketing campaign that includes SU Athletics branded taxi tops in New York City as well as the NY logo on the back of the football team's helmets.

With New York City serving as a key battleground for the Orange, the Athletics Department has turned to taxis, buses, and billboards as effective means to drive awareness and excitement for Syracuse football and basketball.

The efforts have proven to be a great way to position Syracuse Athletics as New York's College Team with 45,000+ alums living in the Metropolitan Area. Check out some photos of their branding initiatives below:

              

  

Lynx Uses Augmented Reality to Make a Splash at Victoria Station

Unilever recently teamed up with Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) to create a captivating augmented reality campaign at London's Victoria Station in an effort to drive buzz and awareness for the Lynx brand (an extension of Axe in the UK).

Unilever created an initiative where consumers could stand on a special floormat within Victoria Station and see themselves interacting with virtual Lynx Angels (models) on a giant video board near by. The augmented reality campaign attracted the attention of thousands of consumers passing through the busy locale and served as a great way for the brand to create a viral piece that has generated plenty of buzz in the digital realm.

Unilever's campaign is very interesting because it is a tactic that could be replicated by professional sports organizations looking to make a splash in a high-traffic location prior to the season, during key events (All-Star weekend, etc.), or during the offseason. Teams could work with a local agency to create digital footage of players and embed it in an augmented reality campaign that truly engages fans at a moment when they least expect it.

Check out the Lynx Angels campaign below:

Vodafone Unveils a New F1 Chassis with The Help from Fans

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes recently held a ceremony at Berlin's Potsdamer Platz to unveil its new MP4-226 F1 chassis. But instead of hosting a typical ceremonial event, Vodafone incorporated fans into the festivities and captured the entire event on camera.

Vodafone called on dozens of competition winners, fans, and customers to deliver various parts of the chassis to a prominent stage area where the F1 vehicle was gradually built one component at a time. Fans rolled in tires and carried various F1 car parts to the surprise of hundreds of onlookers taking in all of the action. As various elements were delivered, Vodafone drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button assembled the final parts to reveal the team's new F1 chassis.

Vodafone captured all of the action and created a 2:31 viral to share the event with the rest of the world. In a matter of weeks, the unique video garnered 199,000+ votes.

Check it out below:

Source: MotorSport.com

Capture Unique Viral Content While on Team Roadtrips

Borussia Dortmund, a notable German soccer club in the Bundesliga league, recently made headlines when it released a sensational viral that features the team performing stunts while traveling on the team bus. The clip features a player kicking a soccer ball out of the front door of the team bus only to have it bounce off the wall of an overpass and into the hands of the team goalie, who is standing in the doorway in the back of the bus.

The viral, which involves some creativity and computer trickery (likely), demonstrates how sports organizations can look to generate unique content on the road and during other unlikely situations.

Check out the interesting clip below:

The Mavericks Showcase A Day in the Life of Their Players

The Dallas Mavericks recently unveiled a tremendous "Day in the Life" series on their official YouTube channel that provides fans with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the lives of players on gameday. The first feature profiles the life of Mavericks center Tyson Chandler as he preps for gameday. Chandler is very welcoming individual who does a great job on camera showcasing all aspects of his life and personality.

If granted the access, Day in the Life features can serve as the exact type of behind-the-scenes content that fans are looking for. From a team business standpoint, these features also foster seamless opportunities to promote game nights, corporate partners, and the character and personalities of players on and off the court.

Check out the tremendous five-part series below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

AIK Creates a Campaign Based on Superstitions to Jinx Gothenburg

Superstitions have played a significant role in sports for hundreds of years. While some are short-lived, others have been passed on by players and fans from generation to generation. In August 2010, Stockholm's largest soccer club, AIK, capitalized on the craze around superstitions with a tremendous campaign designed to jinx its upcoming opponent, Gothenburg.

AIK developed a "Jinx Gothenburg" initiative that encouraged fans from across Sweden to partake in a psychological experiment to see if it was possible to make Gothenburg unlucky in their upcoming match. The team created a special microsite that enabled fans to choose which bad luck symbols (mirrors, ladders, black cats) they would like to see placed in the town of Gothenburg in the weeks leading up to the game. To help the experiment come to fruition, fans could lend their own bad luck symbol or text in a donation to support the cause.

Two weeks prior to the game, AIK organizers transported a truck with bad luck symbols to Gothenburg and set them up throughout the town. The team videotaped citizens of Gothenburg interacting with the bad luck symbols and offered live streaming for AIK supporters to enjoy the entertainment.

While the campaign didn't end up working in the team's favor (they lost), it did generate a significant amount of media attention throughout Sweden and served as a stimulus for conversation about the AIK club both online and offline.

Check out a video detailing AIK's efforts below:

The WTA Profiles Star Players with Wiki-What?! Features

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) recently created a terrific "Wiki-What?!" viral series that provides fans with a unique perspective of their favorite tennis stars. The series features the WTA quizzing tennis greats on a range of information and topics featured on their Wikipedia page.

The Wiki-What?! feature serves as an extremely easy, yet effective way for teams to produce unique shareable content that strengthens the connection between players and fans and capitalizes on the power of social media.

Kim Clijsters Feature

Following Clijsters first Australian Open title in January, the WTA was amazed by the fact that her Wikipedia page was updated within a matter of seconds. As a result, the WTA decided to quiz Kim on how well she knows herself - according to the facts detailed on her Wikipedia page. Check it out below:

Daniela Hantuchova Feature

With a multitude of information about Daniela Hantuchova on the Internet, the WTA decided that it would be fun to quiz the Slovak star on herself (based on information posted on her Wikipedia page). Check it out below:

Red Bull Turns Its Soccer Arena Into a Snowboarder's Dream

Team marketers looking for new ways to utilize their stadium venues to generate revenues and buzz during the offseason should consider benchmarking a recent tactic implemented by Red Bull. During the MLS offseason, Red Bull turned its venue, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ, into an ultimate playground for several elite snowboarders.

As part of a Red Bull Weather Warriors initiative, Red Bull allowed snowboarders Hans and Nils Mindnich to host a snowboarding session inside Red Bull Arena and caught all of the action on camera.

Check it out below:

Brands Say Thank You To Their Facebook Fans

As brands and sports organizations have begun to fully understand the value of their social media channels, many have began to thank their fans and followers in some unique ways.

Here are three (3) recent "Thank You" campaigns that have generated some significant buzz:

Heineken

Heineken said thank you to their Facebook fans for eclipsing 1 million "likes" by sending out a team of models, positioned as "Heineken Huggers" to give back some love. Check out the initiative below:

Porsche

Porsche celebrated eclipsing 1 million fans on Facebook by creating a custom Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid that features the names of all of their followers plastered on the car. Porsche commemorated the moment with a special microsite and YouTube video to demonstrate their appreciation for their fans. Fans can log in to the Porsche microsite to specifically see their name on the car by using a special search function on the site. For more details, click here.

Chicago

As part of a Facebook Fan Day initiative, the Broadway show Chicago recently demonstrated apprection for their Facebook fans by giving out free tickets to a Sunday matinee performance to those who got ten (10) of their Facebook friends to "like" the show.

On November 15th, Chicago launched the exclusive fan contest on their Facebook page and after just 5 years, the Broadway show had to shut down the contest after receiving such an overwhelming response. Click here to check out a video detailing the initiative.

Athletics Departments Get Creative with Courtside Rotational Inventory

During national television broadcasts, University Athletic Departments are provided an opportunity to leverage their courtside rotational signage to promote "institutional messages". As a result, Universities have gotten pretty creative with their messaging tactics, promoting everything from social media channels to kids club initiatives to award nominations.

Check out a few screenshots that detail how the University of Wisconsin Athletics Department leveraged their LED scorers table display during a recent Wisconsin-Michigan State basketball game broadcasted on CBS.

A special thanks to David Cohn of the Wisconsin State Golf Association for his insights and contributions to this column.

Message: Promoting Lowe's Senior Class Award

Message: Promoting Special WI Men's Basketball Facebook Offer

Message: Promoting WI Men's Basketball Twitter Contest

Message: Promoting Badgers Kids Club

Message: Promoting Badgers' Varsity Magazine

Message: Promoting Fan of the Game Initiative 

The Boost Mobile Knicks Groove Truck Hits the Streets in NYC

The New York Knicks have teamed up with Boost Mobile to create a mobile tour that serves as a focal point of the team's community efforts. The two entities are partnering on a Boost Mobile Knicks Groove Truck grassroots initiative that brings the excitement of Knicks basketball to the local community and private events.

The Knicks Groove Truck is a branded box truck equipped with televisions and basketball hoops built into the side, that travels throughout the city hosting basketball clinics, skill competitions, XBOX 360 game tournaments, and free throw and 3-Point shooting contests for fans to enjoy. All participants who engage with the Groove Truck's offerings can win Knicks-branded premium items, tickets, merchandise, and more. The Knicks plan to take the vehicle to 100+ events, including street fairs, festivals, schools, basketball tournaments, and private parties.

Boost Mobile signed on as the Official Wireless Telecommunications Partner of the New York Knicks in October 2010 and are leveraging their marketing partnership in the community (Groove Truck, player appearances at retail, March to the Garden 3-on-3 tournament, Knicks poetry slam, Knicks Bowl) as well as in-arena with a Boost Mobile Celebrity Row initiative that features Knicks reporter Jill Martin interviewing celebrities seated courtside for games at the Garden. Knicks fans and Boost customers can win opportunities to experience Boost Mobile Celebrity Row and win chances to receive A-list treatment.

Check out some photos of the truck below. The Knicks did a really nice job teaming up with SkinzWraps to wrap the vehicle and include details about their social media offerings on the back door. The Knicks truly understand the power of social media!

UFC Unveils Live Facebook Broadcast and Interactive UFC.TV Viewing Portal

UFC recently made two groundbreaking announcements that will surely enhance the at-home viewing experience for fans. UFC announced that it will host a landmark broadcast of the Yamamoto vs. Johnson fight at UFC 126 live on Facebook tonight (February 5th) and it also unveiled a new UFC.tv interactive portal that allows UFC fans to have complete control of their viewing experience.

Check out how UFC is revolutionizing the fan viewing experience below:

LIVE UFC FIGHT FACEBOOK BROADCAST

Tonight (February 5th), UFC is set to stream a live broadcast of the Kid Yamamoto vs. Demetrious Johnson fight at UFC 126 live on Facebook.com/UFC at 8:25pm EST.

THE LAUNCH OF UFC.TV, AN INTERACTIVE FAN VIEWING PORTAL

UFC launched an online interactive portal, UFC.tv, that allows viewers to have complete control of their viewing experience. UFC.tv offers:

• Six (6) live video feeds
• Multiple simultaneous feeds through Picture-in-Picture and Quad View
• Built-in DVR controls (to pause, rewind, and fast-forward fights with a click of a mouse)
• Live Audio controls (to hear the live broadcast or audio from the coaches corner)
• Live chat and Twitter integration
• Interactive scoring module that allows fans to judge the fight live