May 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for your continued interest in Partnership Activation and taking the time to come check out the new May 2011 Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 newsletter.

After reviewing the newsletter, we would really appreciate it if you would be willing to share it with friends via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, personal blogs, and other channels of communication. To keep things simple, here is a shortened URL that you can use: http://is.gd/UssJ3S

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

• Fan-Centric Signage
• The Top Sports Advertisers of 2010
• Creative Sports Business Tactics from Major League Soccer
• Navigate Marketing Spotlight: Five Questions with Matt Balvanz
• Three Things You Need to See
• The Carrier Classic
• The Heineken Star Player
• Miami Heat - Kumho Tires Partnership
• #SBChat
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• May 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Manchester City FC's 'His and Hers' Suites
• Standley Systems OSU/OU Licensed Copiers
• Vineyard Vines' Activation at the Kentucky Derby
• A Close Look at the Carolina Panthers 2011 NFL Draft Party
• 5 People You Must Follow In #SportsBiz
• Creative Tactics to Leverage a Tecate Partnership
• AC Milan Uses Jersey Launch to Showcase New Technology
• The Minnesota Twins Feature Twins O-Grams
• Sports ... Like You've Never Seen It Before
• Idea Box

Click here to check out the May 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. 

Guest Editorial - LinkedIn: How #SportsBiz Approaches the Channel

Jonathan Norman is a sports sponsorship strategist for GMR Marketing, a major U.S. sports and event marketing firm. Jonathan has been in sports marketing and media for more than 10 years, and has worked on several major corporate branding campaigns around sports. His expertise resides in how brands reach consumers through sponsorship and activation of sports properties. Follow Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Norman and his official blog here.

I’m going to start today’s blog post with a little trivia. How many LinkedIn users list the key term “sports” on their profile? Any guesses? Would you say nearly 1,000,000 of us? 924,329 to be exact (well, as of this moment). This is roughly 2% of the estimated 50,000,000 users globally.

With nearly 1MM users mentioning sports in their profile, it got me thinking. I think it’s funny just how many @sportsbiz folks I’m not linked to on the LinkedIn platform. Does it seem like a larger commitment than just a follow on Twitter? I think so. When we connect on LinkedIn, we’re looking to establish a deeper (if that can even be said) relationship with a colleague, sharing more personal information. I think that the LinkedIn search has even replaced the Google search for those we’re looking to learn more about. I know I certainly do.

The interesting thing to me about #sportsbiz on LinkedIn is just how disjointed we seem without the organizing concept of hashtags. It’s like we’re lost sheep continually looking for a shepherd! The sheer number of groups related to sports marketing is astounding. Take that key word alone, and we’re looking at 247 groups just in that universe. Expand the term to sports alone, and it’s almost 4,500. I know we’re talking in hyperbole here, but it begs the question: how do we use LinkedIn as an industry?

For me it’s all about making new connections and maximizing existing ones, all in the hopes of creating opportunities by driving value out of the relationship. Yes, that’s a mouthful, but really … it’s what it’s all about. How can what I do on a daily basis, help you and your needs, and can we find a reason to work together? The concept doesn’t seem all that much different than Twitter, and LinkedIn has taken a major step forward in the status and following additions on the site.

But I would challenge #sportsbiz to think about how we can connect on LinkedIn. How can we work together to create opportunities, bridge challenges, and build solutions? I would guess that this is a rhetorical question, but I do think there’s real application there. Here’s five ways I think we can maximize the value of our network:

1. Learn more about each other. Get to know your connections’ backgrounds. See where there are commonalities that might be able to help drive value.

2. Take advantage of longer interaction. We have more than 140 characters to communicate with each other. We need to lever this opportunity and maximize it.

3. Don’t just join a group; contribute to a community. I believe this is one of the major opportunities for us. We all have 20 to 30, perhaps even more, groups we’re a part of. Pick one or two that are particularly a good fit and make your communication useful

4. Think about the mentoring opportunities. I still believe that one of the biggest issues we have in @sportsbiz today is the development and cultivation of solid, young talent. We need to commit to doing more to develop it.

5. Lead by example. There many be other ideas you have on how to maximize your value on LinkedIn. Tell us, and then show us. It’s all about sharing and creating best practices.

One last thing. Are we connected? If not, let's get connected:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandnorman

Let Brands Use Athletes To Capitalize on Birthday Shout Outs

Brands looking for unique ways to celebrate birthdays in-venue should align with team partners to create a scoreboard vignette series that features current team players sending humorous birthday wishes to fans and other recognizable celebrities.

Teams could align with select brands whose businesses revolve around birthday celebrations (QSR's. card stores, confectioneries, ice cream and cakes, jewelry stores, party stores, kids establishments, etc.) to have a duo of players film a :30 scoreboard vignette that features a mix of recorded messages.

The vignettes can be filmed during a morning practice session and edited in time to be featured on the scoreboard that same night. Teams could charge fans for the live birthday shout out or make it available gratis with a corporate partner on board. All fans who receive a special shoutout on the scoreboard can pick up a special birthday premium at will call as a celebratory gift. Teams could ask that fans submit their birthday dates/information online, via social media channels, or via text in-arena.

As an example, check out how Dwyane Wade and LeBron James of the Miami Heat send a special brithday wish to The Rock, Dwayne Johnson:

April 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for your continued interest in Partnership Activation and taking the time to come check out the new April 2011 Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 newsletter. I hope you enjoy the content in this issue, as it's the most extensive newsletter that we have released to date!

After reviewing the newsletter, we would really appreciate it if you would be willing to share it with friends via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, personal blogs, and other channels of communication. To keep things simple, here is a shortened URL that you can use: http://bit.ly/hY1cGj

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

• Virtual Advertising
• Brands with a Presence at Bracket Town in 2011
• Creative Sports Business Tactics from the Barclays Premier League
• Activation Tactic of the Month: Hooters' Spring Training Activation
• Conxeo / PropertyPort
• Great Sports Marketing Tactics in the News
• SportsPro Magazine
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• April 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Ticketing Watch - St. Louis Cardinals
• Social Media Watch - Cleveland Indians
• The 2011 Powerade Jam Fest
• 5 #SportsBiz Professionals You Must Follow on Twitter
• Activation and Branding from the 2011 Final Four
• The 2011 Cricket World Cup... At a Glance
• Technology That May Soon Save You Money On Staffing Expenses
• Major League Soccer... Like You've Never Seen It Before
• Idea Box

Click here to check out the April 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. 

If You Want to Get a Job in Sports - Read This.

When was the last time you came across a passage that you felt was so compelling that you wanted to share it with all of your friends and colleagues in the industry? For some, this exercise takes place every day. For others, just once or twice per year.

I recently had an opportunity to read Seth Godin's latest New York Times bestseller, Linchpin, and there was one particular section that I felt was truly insightful and applicable to all sports business professionals, notably job seekers and those looking to take that "next step" in their career.

Enjoy.

I wanted to send a special thanks to Jason Belzer of GAME, Inc. for thinking of me and sharing Linchpin - what a terrific read. If you have a moment, check out all of the terrific things that Jason is doing with GAME Inc., including the launch of a company new website! 

Do You Need a Resume?

This is controversial, but here it goes: if you’re remarkable, amazing, or just plain spectacular, you probably shouldn’t have a resume at all. If you’ve got experience in doing the things that make you a linchpin, a resume hides that fact. A resume gives the employer everything that she needs to reject you.

Once you send me your resume, I can say, “Oh they’re missing this or they’re missing that,” and boom, you’re out. Having a resume begs for you to get a job as a cog in a giant machine. More fodder for the corporate behemoth. That might be fine for average folks looking for a average job, but is that what you deserve?

The very system that produced standardized tests and command-and-control model that chokes us also invented the resume. The system, the industrialists, the factory … they want us to be cogs in their machine – easily replaceable, hopeless, cheap cogs.

If you don’t have a resume, what do you have? How about three extraordinary letters of recommendation from people the employer knows or respects? Or a sophisticated project an employer can see or touch? Or a reputation that precedes you? Or a blog that is so compelling and insightful that they have no choice but to follow up?

Some say, “Well that’s fine, but I don’t have those those.” Yea, that’s my point. If you don’t have these things, what leads you to believe that you are remarkable, amazing, or just plain spectacular? It sounds to be like if you don’t have more than a resume, you’ve been brainwashed into compliance.

Great jobs, world-class jobs, jobs people kill for – those jobs don’t get filled by people emailing in resumes.

The only way to prove (as opposed to assert) that you are an indispensible linchpin – someone worth recruiting, moving to the top of the pile, and hiring – is to show, not tell. Projects are the new resumes. If your Google search isn’t what you want (need) it to be, then change it.

Change it through your actions and connections and generosity. Change it by so over-delivering that people post about you. Change it by creating a blog that is so insightful about your area of expertise that others refer to it. And change it by helping other people online.

March 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out the March 2011 Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. If you have a moment, we woulld really appreciate it if you would share the newsletter with friends and colleagues in the industry via email, Twitter, LinkedIn, and/or your personal blog using this shortened URL - http://bit.ly/fwpr2S.

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

• State Farm Territorial Cup Series
• Creative Tactics From Across Minor League Baseball
• Industry Watch: Panoramic Fan Cams
• Crowd Flash Mobs
• Year of the Beard Campaigns
• Personalized Field Boards
• Marketing Activity Around the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
• Range Rover's Wireframe Campaign
• Dimensional Innovations
• The Migala Report Re-Launched
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• March 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Colorado Rapids' Ambush Marketing Tactics
• The Trenton Thunder's "Tweet Your Seat" Campaign
• A Look at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game Festivities
• 5 #SportsBiz Professionals You Must Follow on Twitter
• Activation and Branding at the 2011 Daytona 500
• 3 Terrific Concepts From The Idea Box

Click here to check out the March 2011 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. 

Carlton Tests the Skills of Fans with Massive Magnatron Display

Carlton Draught created a huge splash around the AFL Grand Final in September 2010 by erecting an enormous Magnatron game that offered fourteen (14) lucky contestants a chance to win $100,00 worth of prizes. Carlton created a replica of the game, which consumers commonly play in bars using mini-cranes to pick up plush toys and other small prizes, that stood a massive 10 stories high at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Carlton provided the (14) select contestants with a chance to operate a 30m crane with a 750kg magnet attached to try to pick up a variety of prizes, including a Toyota HiLux vehicle, a 10-year AFL Grand Final hospitality package, and $5,000 cash from a Carlton Draught ATM. Contestants were tasked with positioning the Magnatron over a prize they desired, lining up the magnet, and aiming to ensure that they successfully clasped a valuable item.

Consumers could enter for the chance to be (1) of (14) select participants by participating in an on-pack and/or on-air promotion that Carlton executed in the marketplace. 

Check out the unique Magnatron activation stunt below: 

February 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out the February 2011 Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. If you have a moment, we would love it if you would share the newsletter with friends and colleagues in the industry via email, Twitter, LinkedIn, and/or your personal blog.

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

• Innovative Recycling Kiosks
• Creative Promotional Tactics From Across the NBA
• Navigate Marketing Industry Spotlight: Camera-Visible Signage
• Three Things You Need to See: Reality Touchscreens, Interactive Architectural Mapping, Helmet Cams
• Engaging Fans Via Facebook Fan Night Promotions and Social Media Days
• Kia Leverages Media Buys with Augmented Reality
• Nouveau Jour Activates Orange's Sponsorship of the RBS 6 Nations Rugby Tournament
• The Deloitte Football Money League Report
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• February 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Visa Canada's Hockey Love Hurts Campaign
• The Charlotte Bobcats' Social Network Challenge
• A Close Look at the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend
• Five (5) People You Must Follow on #SportsBiz
• Creative Tactics From Super Bowl XLV
• Creative Messaging Campaigns
• Puma's After Hours Athlete Campaign
• Leveraging Pet Partnerships With "Pup Rallies"

Click here to check out the February 2011 Newsletter and be sure to 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. 

Guest Editorial - Evolve the 140: How #SportsBiz Can Lead on Twitter

Jonathan Norman is a sports sponsorship strategist for GMR Marketing, a major U.S. sports and event marketing firm. Jonathan has been in sports marketing and media for more than 10 years, and has worked on several major corporate branding campaigns around sports. His expertise resides in how brands reach consumers through sponsorship and activation of sports properties. Follow Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Norman and his official blog here.

Twitter has become a core communications channel among those in the sports business (err, #sportsbiz) community.  We have gathered around the electronic campfire, so to speak, to share our experiences, insights and even stories (sometimes, true ... sometimes, not so true) among our closest virtual contacts.

It has made our world smaller, more accessible.  We're in contact with people we likely would not have known before, all through Twitter, Linked In and other like creatures.  The information cycle has shrunk to near zero.  We are more in front of issues, and more on top of news.  We know what's going on almost before it happens.  We're smarter ... or so we think.

While we have more access to information, it's provided mixed results.  We lose critical components of messaging through translation.  We make mistakes because of our inability to tolerate detail that easily accessed information allows us to pass by.  Sometimes, I truly believe that information has made us smarter than we need to be -- information does that.  There's a statement that I've heard several times in my career that I absolutely believe is true: "paralysis by analysis."  But I digress.

Our ability to quickly and concisely communicate has come at a price.  I find that sometimes, we're wont to not pick up the phone, make the meeting or go the extra mile because communication has become so effortless.  Such is the case with Twitter.  It's the easiest form of communications we have in our community.  But we have to move past the ease of the medium, and move towards collaboration without a loss of communication.

When I first started tweeting, I didn't really have a focus on each of my tweets.  Now, I find that I spend considerable time planning out that line of text in Tweet Deck.  I'm careful to make sure that, like a writer on a fine manuscript, I want the message to be perfect.  I want to assure that my message is not misconstrued.  I need to consistently think about thought and intent.

Bottom line: We have to commit ourselves to a simple task -- "evolve the 140."  Through, being the operative term, as I believe we are capable of using Twitter in a much more thoughtful way.

Let's consider thought and intent.  Thought is more about clarity than design.  Is what I'm saying relevant?  Does it make sense to the reader?  Is it appropriately placed within the conversation?  Intent is about targeting the message to the appropriate audience.  It's not, "Am I saying the right thing?"  It's "Am I talking to the right people?"

Now, you're probably asking yourself, "How does this apply to #sportsbiz"?  Well, honestly, if we can evolve ... we can lead.

By my count, there's probably 500 or so Twitter users that are worthy of a follow.  Some because they're captains of industry.  Some because they're thoughtful and insight-rich.  Others because they're downright funny.  But if I apply the lenses of thought and intent, how many of us make the grade?

What does "evolve the 140" mean?  If I were to humbly set out a list of rules for #sportsbiz to demonstrate leadership on Twitter, I’d lay out the following 5 commitments:

1. We commit to thought leadership. We provide our expertise where warranted, and we use this knowledge to improve the greater community.
2. We commit to relevancy. We’re always on point with the #sportsbiz thematic, and not what we had for dinner tonight. We find content that is relevant to our audience and we share
3. We commit to timeliness. We always make sure that what we’re talking about is “in-the-now” or looking forward.
4. We commit to the audience. In choosing the subject of our tweets, we always make sure that it’s of benefit to the readership at large, not for our own personal self-worth.
5. We commit to clarity. Nothing is worse than a ill-constructed tweet. We’ll take the time to build something worth sharing – clearly and concisely.

In closing, I'm hopeful that the evolution of the #sportsbiz community will continue, and perhaps this blog post will cause just one person to take pause and think of the implications of a stronger group of sports marketing professionals.  I know we're one of the smartest, savviest, most forward-thinking groups on Twitter.  It's just up to us to show it.

January 2011 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out the January 2011 Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. After checking out the newsletter/site, I hope you have some time available to spend with family and friends, for that is the most important thing in life.

Let's make 2011 a great year! Thank you again for your interest in Partnership Activation and I look forward to having the opportunity to connect with you in the near future!

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

• Marquette Athletics - BIGNOGGINS
• Creative Promotional Tactics From Across College Athletics
• Creating Concessions/Merchandise Apps that Benchmark the Carl's Jr. Happy Star Rewards
• Synergy Events' Activation on Behalf of Reebok at the NHL Winter Classic
• Hot Off the Press: Networking is a Contact Sport
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• January 2011 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Social Media Watch: Preseason/Post-Season SM Inventory
• Brand Activation at the 2010 China Open
• The Ashes Cricket Series
• Three Things You Need to See: Word Lens, Interactive Digital Signage, and Multiple Dance Cams
• Five #SportsBiz People You Must Follow on Twitter
• Activation and Branding from the NHL Winter Classic
• Creativity From the Idea Box

Click here to check out the January 2011 Newsletter and be sure to 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. 

December 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Happy Holidays from Partnership Activation! Thank you for coming to check out the December Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. After checking out the newsletter/site, I hope you have some time available to spend with family and friends, for that is the most important thing in life.

As 2010 comes to a close, I am truly excited to share this month's newsletter with you. It is pretty amazing that we are coming up on the 30th Issue of the Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter. I want to say thank you for all your support, especially to those of you who have shared it with friends and colleagues on numerous occasions via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, word of mouth, etc.

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

• The Nike Vault - Los Angeles
• Creative Promotional Tactics From Across the NHL
• Sports Authority Leverages Social Media to Engage Shoppers on Black Friday
• Leveraging Signage in New Ways
• Explore Engage's Augmented Reality Experiences
• Hot Off the Press: Sponsorship Mag
• Creativity In the Sports Marketplace
• December 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Social Media Watch: Panthers Purrsuit
• A Close Look at Fan Engagement at the Consol Energy Center
• International Sports Business Watch: The 98th Grey Cup
• 5 #SportsBiz People You Must Follow On Twitter
• Ways to Leverage the Holidays
• Creativity From the Idea Box

Click here to check out the December 2010 Newsletter and be sure to 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.

Maximize the Value and Purpose of Railing Signage at Your Venue

Sports organizations looking for new ways to utilize railing signage at their stadium venues should take a close look at a recent marketing tactic implemented by Mentalgassi, a collective team of three German street artists. Mentalgassi teamed up with Amnesty International to create and feature a series of unique lenticular fence posters on railings across London that helped plead an inmate's innocence.

Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles. The technology was created in the 1940's but has evolved within marketing campaigns in recent years to demonstrate speed and increased depth.

Mentalgassi's tremendous lenticular tactics demonstrate how sports organizations can create unsuspecting illusions that grab the attention of fans in-venue and can act as some terrific new inventory to promote team the products and services of partners. We see a slightly different version of messaging in the sports marketplace with stair signage, but nothing to the effect of the lenticular messaging that Mentalgassi demonstrated with the Amnesty International campaign.

Check out the intriguing tactic below:

Troy Davis: Making the invisible visible from Amnesty International on Vimeo.

Incorporating Augmented Reality in the Sports Marketing Space

Over the past few years, there has been a lot of excitement generated around the emergence of augmented reality and the opportunities marketers have to leverage it as an engagement tool. Augmented reality has become noticeably more mainstream, with a number of major brands experimenting with the technology to better understand how it can be used to drive engagement, education, and sales.

As sports marketers, it's important to at least have a simple grasp of the technology, how it's being incorporated, and what opportunities exist in the sports space.

Sports properties, brands, and individual athletes can look to engage fans via augmented reality in several different settings, including stadiums (scoreboard, concourse kiosks/displays, suites, mobile street teams), mobile locations (laptops, iPads, mobile phones), and at home (computers, television screens/video game portals with Internet access, etc.).

The following examples detail how brands, sports properties, and individual athletes can bring a static messaging gameday piece (piece of paper, product label, flyer, billboard, product packaging, ticket, fan loyalty card, parking pass) to life for fans in new ways via augmented reality. As the industry begins to tap into augmented reality, these examples will become more constructive, impactful, and engaging...

Footwear / Apparel (adidas, Nike)

Consumer Packaged Goods (Gillette)

Food Products (Pringles)

Technology / 2.0 (Yahoo)

Automotive Brands

Alcoholic Beverage Brands (Tsingato, Leveraging Beer with NBA Label)

Energy Drinks (Red Bull, Leveraging Lindsay Vonn Red Bull 6-Pack Packaging)

Soft Drink Brands (Pepsi)

Computers (Lenovo)

Shipping / Freight (USPS)

November 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out PartnershipActivation.com. I am excited to share with you the November 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter and hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family.

Thank you for your continued support and willingness to share the newsletter and content featured on the site with your friends and colleagues. It's remarkable that in just 2+ years, newsletter readership has spread to 60+ countries across the globe- a true testament to your support!

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

• Nike Capitalizes on Live Moments
• Creative Promotional Tactics from Across the NBA
• Sports Properties Leveraging QR Codes to Deliver New Content for Fans
• Professional Bull Riders' Partnership Tactics
• The Dallas Mavericks' YouTube Channel
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• A Look at the November 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• UTEP's "Orange-out" Week
• Incorporating Social Media in the GameDay Experience
• Activation at the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic
• The NFL International Series
• The Abu Dhabi Formula 1 FanZone
• Creative Activation Tactics
• Unique Ways to Leverage Johnny Walker as a Corporate Partner

Click here to check out the November 2010 Newsletter and be sure to 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.

Take Fans Behind-the-Scenes to See Players Using Your Products

Brands looking for new ways to drive excitement for their products amongst sports fans should work with players, agents, teams, and leagues to create videos that literally show players using their product. While it's easy for some category partners (apparel, footwear, etc.) to showcase athletes actually wearing and using their gear, others need to go to further lengths to show players in an authentic light with their products in-hand.

The locker room video below shows LeBron James distributing a box of his new headphones, Miami Heat Beats by Dre, to all of his teammates as a token of his appreciation. The video is terrific because it literally shows all of the players as they receive their new set of headphones and is very authentic. Realizing that LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and the entire team wear these headphones will make Heat fans across the globe who see the viral piece want to go out and purchase a set.

Behind-the-scenes videos showcasing players using products (whether in real-time or a staged viral setting) can serve as a very effective play for locker room products, electronics, jewelry partners, magazines/books, etc.).

Check out the video below for an inside look: 

GMR Marketing Showcases New Technologies at Tech Petting Zoo

GMR Marketing recently hosted an Event Tech Petting Zoo that gave employees, clients, and reporters an inside look at the marketing technology of the future. The event, held at the company's headquarters in New Berlin, WI debuted 35 cutting edge, interactive products and exhibits, including digital graffiti walls, the world's first flexible LED wall, gesture-based projection screens, 3D televisions, fog screens and more.

The event helped GMR showcase new technologies to their clients that will truly take their marketing and activation plans to a whole new level.

Check out the video enclosed below that details some of the amazing new technologies that were showcased at the GMR Event Tech Petting Zoo:

For more information about GMR Marketing and/or some of the technologies featured at theGMR Event Tech Petting Zoo, please feel free to contact Brian Gainor at bgainor@gmrmarketing.com

October 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out PartnershipActivation.com. I am excited to share with you the new October 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter.

I am truly excited about the content featured in this month's newsletter. I want to thank you for your continued support and willingness to share the newsletter and content featured on the site with your friends and colleagues. It's remarkable that in just 2+ years, newsletter readership has spread to 60+ countries across the globe- a true testament to your support!

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

• The Fist Pump Cam
• Creative Promotional Tactics from Across the NFL
• Special Vehicles to Leverage Athlete Endorsers
• St. Louis Rams' Green Week
• The Leverage Daily Buzz
• A Look at the October 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Brands Doing an Effective Job Leveraging Athlete Endorsers
• College Music Videos (I Love My Ducks / Teach Me How To Bucky)
• Versus' New Outdoor NHL Campaign
• 2010 Ryder Cup Insights
• Creative Activation Tactics
• The Coors Light Beer Box
• Unique Ways to Leverage Pizza Companies as Partners

Click here to check out the October 2010 Newsletter now and be sure to also join the Official Partnership Activation - Users Connect! LinkedIn Group today!

One side note for this month, I encourage you to consider attending the 5th Annual Ivy Sports Symposium on Friday, November 19th in Princeton, NJ. The event, which costs $50 for students, $150 for alumni, and $200 for industry professionals, is truly one of the best sports conferences in the United States!

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.

Nationwide Teams Up with the Bengals to Let Fans Growl

Nationwide Insurance, the Exclusive Insurance Provider of the Cincinnati Bengals, is leveraging its team partnership with an innovative promotion designed to engage the Bengals fanbase. The initiative, entitled the "World's Greatest Growl in the World", allows fans to perform a :30 karaoke version of the Bengals touchdown song for the chance to be featured on the Bengals website and an ultimate Grand Prize of $25,000.

Each week, fans who submit videos can win co-branded items, tickets, and autographed merchandise for participating and the ten (10) best entries will be featured on Bengals.com/Nationwide. Fans can then log in and vote daily for their favorite performance among the entries submitted (thus, both performers and voters become active leads for Nationwide). Fans who submit their favorite clips even have the ability to share them with family and friends via email.

Nationwide's "The World's Greatest Growl in the World" promotion has been extremely well received by Bengals fans thus far. Fans loved performing :30 karaoke versions at the Bengals home opener and traffic to the website has been very active in the early weeks of the promotion. Nationwide will also be leveraging its partnership with the Bengals by offering free ferry rides to Bengals games for all fans on a co-branded ferry (another great idea!).

The Bengals feature a collection of fan videos on Bengals.com/Nationwide. There are some classic performances that are worth checking out!

September 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for coming to check out PartnershipActivation.com. I am excited to share with you the new September 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter.

I hope you enjoy all of the great content included in this month's issue and want to thank you for your support and willingness to help spread the word about Partnership Activation amongst your friends and colleagues in the industry.

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

• Red Bull's NASCAR Taxi
• Creative Sponsorship/Marketing Tactics from the Barclays Premier League
• Old Spice's Interactive Banner Ads
• Los Angeles Dodgers "My Town" Billboard Activation Tactics
• The Oklahoma City Thunder's Corporate Partnerships Website
• The Essential Guide to Grassroots Sports and Social Media
• September 2010 Rising Stars
• Official Redskins Nation Foursquare Badge
• Activ8Social's Reggie Bush's #RedZones Promotion
• Insights about the 2010 FIBA World Championship
• A Close Look at The New Meadowlands Stadium
• Southwest Airlines' Thought Starters
• Fresh New, Creative Ideas from the Idea Box

Click here to check out the September 2010 Newsletter now and be sure to also join the Official Partnership Activation - Users Connect! LinkedIn Group today!

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.

 

If you enjoyed the September 2010 Issue, you may also be interested in:

• 140 Reasons Sports Teams Should Use Twitter
• 40 Ways Sports Teams Can Utilize Foursquare
• The 100 Hottest Promotional Items in Sports
• World Cup Viewing Parties From Across the Globe
• The 10 Best Sports Billboard Themes of 2009

List of Sports Teams Using Foursquare

There has been a lot of chatter recently about what sports organizations are utilizing geolocation services like Foursquare and Gowalla. Here is a quick list of teams that have set up Official Foursquare Pages.

While some are more active than others (SF Giants, Washington Redskins, Manchester City FC, University of Michigan and Texas Tech Athletics), it's refreshing to see that all of these organizations are moving in the right direction when it comes to social media.

Check out the list below:

MLB

1. San Francisco Giants - http://foursquare.com/sfgiants

2. Los Angeles Dodgers - http://foursquare.com/user/dodgertownusa

3. Cleveland Indians - http://foursquare.com/user/tribetalk

Oakland A's - http://foursquare.com/user/oaklandas

NBA

1. Milwaukee Bucks - http://foursquare.com/user/bucks

2. New Orleans Hornets - http://foursquare.com/user/hornets

3. San Antonio Spurs - http://foursquare.com/user/spurs

NFL

1. Washington Redskins - http://foursquare.com/redskinsdotcom

2. San Diego Chargers - http://foursquare.com/user/chargers

NHL

1. New York Islanders - http://foursquare.com/user/nyislanders

2. Washington Capitals - http://foursquare.com/user/washcaps

College Athletics

1. University of Michigan Athletics - http://foursquare.com/michigangoblue

2. Texas Tech University Athletics - http://foursquare.com/texastech

3. University of South Florida Athletics - http://foursquare.com/user/usfathletics?DB_OEM_ID=7700

Barclays Premier League

1. Manchester City FC - http://foursquare.com/mcfc

Major League Soccer

1. Colorado Rapids - http://foursquare.com/user/rapidssoccer