Matt Bonner Leads the Quest for the Hoagie Grail

Are you looking for new ways to leverage athlete endorsers? Are you looking for ways to promote QSR/retail partners?

San Antonio Spurs' forward Matt Bonner has begun a blogging practice that could soon serve as a benchmark for brands looking for new ways to bring their athlete endorsements to life. Bonner features an exclusive blog on the Spurs official homepage called, "The Sandwich Hunter - The Quest for the Hoagie Grail".

Throughout the season, Bonner makes lunchtime visits at local restuarants on game day and features writeups (detailed content, pictures, feedback, etc.) about his experiences.

How can this concept be applied by others in the sports space?

• Brands can align with athlete endorsers (and their teams) to feature a designated blog on the team homepage that chronicles a player's visit to a QSR/retail location throughout the season... For products (cpg's, apparel, etc.) the blog could feature X endorser having their picture taken with a famous celebrity (and the product) in every market, etc.
• Teams can feature an "On the Road" segment on their homepage that features pictures/video/writeups of players visiting the retail locations/using products of preferred team partners
• Lower profile players can leverage blogs (like Bonner has) to score new endorsement deals with partners

With Twitter/blogging becoming a common practice by athletes and brands alike, look for more examples like The Qwest for the Hoagie Grail to come about in the near future!

A special thanks to Alex Vitanye of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration for his insights and contributions to this column. 

Looking to Drive Post-Game Traffic?

Are you looking for ways to drive post-game traffic and sales at retail? Are you looking for new ways to leverage QSR partners?

Jack in the Box featured a creative signage piece at a Mariners-A's spring training game a few months ago that read, "You don't have to leave the game early, my place is open late." The signage serves as an effective branding piece that both resonates with baseball fans and provides a subtle call to action.

Consider new ways that you can convince consumers at the ballpark that they need to frequent your retail chain after the game!