Land Rover Challenges Fans With Activation at the Dubai Rugby Sevens

In December 2010, Land Rover signed on as an Official Partner of the Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby Sevens and leveraged its affiliation with several terrific fan engagement initiatives. Land Rover announced the partnership in conjunction with a global announcement that it would serve as an official sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.

The Land Rover display at the Rugby Sevens featured a number of an interactive rugby-related games, including a Land Rover Scrum Down Challenge, Wheel Spin Challenges, and a Big Boot Challenge. Land Rover offered all participants a chance to enter to win a free Land Rover for a year.

Land Rover Scrum Down Challenge

The Land Rover Scrum Down Challenge truly tested the strength of rugby fans. Teams of consumers were challenged to see if they could push a Land Rover using a rugby scrum machine.

Wheel Spin Challenges

The Wheel Spin Challenged tested the passing accuracy of rugby fans. Consumers were challenged with throwing passes through a series of spinning car wheels.

Big Boot Challenge 

The Big Boot Challenge featured a select number of rugby players from the UAE competing to see who could drop kick a rugby ball through the goal posts during an on-field competition.

The Rugby Sevens attracted 120,000+ fans over a three-day span from December 2-4, 2010. As one can tell from the pictures depicted above, many rugby activation tactics can be applied in the NFL and college football (and vice versa). Check out a full video recap of Land Rover's Rugby Sevens activation below:

Source: Ameinfo.com

Old Hat Creative Delivers a Terrific Recap of The Big Chill at the Big House

Sports properties looking to give their marketing materials, recaps, and videoboard vignettes some flair should take a close look at some of the work that Old Hat Creative is doing on behalf of their partners.

Old Hat did a tremendous job creating a collection of marketing materials for The Big Chill at the Big House, an outdoor hockey game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State that was played in front of an announced crowd of 104,000+ at Michigan Stadium in December.

To drive buzz around the event, Old Hat developed:

• The Big Chill at the Big House Microsite
• An Intro Video - Click Here to View               
• A Historical Tribute - Click Here to View
• A "Pump Up" Video - Click Here to View
• A Prelude - Click Here to View
• A Michigan 3D Video - Click Here to View

But Old Hat's finest work was their recap of The Big Chill at the Big House, which is one of the most original recaps that we have seen in some time! Check it out below:

Texas Sports Entities Turn to Branded Tanker Trucks for the "Wow-Factor"

A company called Frontier Mobile Media is creatively driving interest and excitement around three (3) Texas sports entities in a totally new way - tanker trucks. Frontier has created unique tanker wraps for Cowboys Stadium, Longhorns Energy, and Mustangs Energy, a move that has generated a lot of attention amongst fans of all ages.

The branded tanker trucks serve as mobile billboards that can peak the interest of fans on campus, inside the tailgate lots, and along the highway during the season. The tanker wraps are creatively designed, as the Cowboys Stadium tanker even features a call-to-action for fans to follow the venue on Facebook and Twitter (although it should include details of the Twitter handle and Facebook Fan Page domain). The tankers serve as a great tie-back for oil/energy sponsors to drive awareness of their affiliation with a sports entity.

Check out some photos of the branded tankers below:

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photography: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Cowboys Stadium

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photographer: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Texas Longhorns Energy (University of Texas Athletics)

Agency: Frontier Mobile Media

Photographer: Wade Griffith, Getty Images (Website / Flickr Gallery)

Partner: Mustangs Energy (SMU Athletics)

  

Nike Displays the Future of Customization in Japan

In recent years, Nike has done an incredible job creating online and offline NIKEiD portals that enable consumers to customize all of their products and apparel.

To drive traffic and interest to its flagship location in Fukouka, Japan, Nike developed a NIKEiD Generator tool that utilizes a color analyzing programmed camera to transform the colors of clothers that consumers visiting the store are wearing (or visiting the store's website online using a webcam) into a color pallette to create a shoe with an original color design.

Over 18,000 consumers tested out the NIKEiD Generator tool at the Nike Fukuoka location within four days of the launch of the campaign and another 40,000 consumers visited the NIKEiD Generator online platform over a two-week period. Nike encouraged fans using the platform to share their color designs to share them with friends using a collection of online widgets that were made available.

The NIKEiD Generator just goes to show how we will likely be able to produce customize products and apparel within a matter of seconds in the coming years.

Check out the NIKEiD Generator below and click here for more information:

2011 Sports and Social Media Predictions

Jason Peck recently teamed up with a number of sports and social media industry thought leaders to create an insightful ebook that details Sports and Social Media Predictions for 2011.

I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to read through the free piece, as I am sure you will gain some valuable nuggets of information that you can share with clients, colleagues, and friends. The 2011 Sports and Social Predictions document features opinions, thoughts, and predictions from 17 industry professionals.

Check out Jason Peck's site, Take a Peck, as well, which serves as a tremendous industry resoure for all professionals working in sports and social media. Hats off to Jason, Ash Read, and all the thought leaders who contributed to create yet another terrific industry resource!

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)

Reebok Leverages Nicole Scherzinger and Digital Billboards in New Ways

Reebok recently teamed up with M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment to launch its new ZigTech trainer in the UK with a magnificent live digital billboard show. Reebok featured Nicole Scherzinger, the popular lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, on the billboard via a live stream interacting with a crowd of consumers on hand to watch the publicity stunt.

Per UTalkMarketing.com, Reebok featured Scherzinger on hand for an open photo session and then escorted her to a private area behind the screen where she interacted with the public via two way cameras that were attached to the digital billboard. The event signaled how brands can utilize digital out-of-home billboards to leverage their athlete/celebrity endorsements in new ways in conjunction with special events, product launches, gameday events, etc.

As the technology becomes more readily adopted, team partners can leverage this to take their retail player appearances to new heights as well as special gameday events for large crowds of fans. The stunt was terrific because Reebok demonstrated how to bring a relatively static medium to life at one of the most notable shopping centers in the United Kingdom.

Check it out below:

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.

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

Red Bull Continues to Revolutionize Sports

Brands looking for new ways to make an impactful impression on consumers without spending a significant amount of money on team/league partnerships should closely monitor Red Bull's activation and spending in the sports space.

The energy drink provider is leveraging core partnerships to create a collection of unbelievable, "ownable" sports, consumer facing initiatives, and activation tactics.

Red Bull recently unveiled three amazing initiatives in basketball, snowboarding, and racing. Check them out below:

Red Bull King of the Rock Finals - 1v1 Basketball Competition on Alcatrez (featuring Rondo)

Red Bull held a "King of the Rock" 1-on-1 basketball tournament in The Yard on Alcatrez on September 18th. Red Bull brought in 64 contestants to compete in the first official sporting event ever held on Alcatrez, marking the first time basketball had been played there since inmates left the island 50+ years ago. The contestants competed in an all-out competition for the right to be crowned "King of the Rock" and collect a $10,000 prize. The Red Bull King of the Rock Finals was covered on Fox Sports West, Fox Sports Arizona, and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

Red Bull -  "Off the Planet" Snowboarding Initiative

Red Bull teamed up with ENESS, a group of Melbourne-based installation artists, to bring a new perspective to snowboarding and action sports. Red Bull called on a team of snowboarders and skiers, including Russell Henshaw and Simon Dumont, to perform stunts and tricks in the air. While the action sports enthusiasts did their thing, ENESS filmed the spectacle with an infrared camera and mapped in 3D visuals and a 21' inflatable sphere to make it appear to viewers that the snowboarders were flying sky high over the world. It's hard to explain - you just have to see it for yourself... Red Bull is leveraging interactve projection art and technology to give action sports a whole new look.

Red Bull Presents the 2010 Kimi Raikkonen Challenge

Red Bull recently allowed fans a chance to test the skills of Kimi Raikkonen, a former Formula 1 driver who is described as "the fastest driver on the planet", in a time trial racing competition through the Lera Chitose Outlet, an indoor Japanese shopping center. The event, backed by several sponsors, encouraged consumers 20+ to come out and test their go kart manuevering skills to see if they could top Raikkonen's time while traveling at speeds up to 130 kilometer per hour. Red Bull allowed 100 consumers to participate, with the top (10) performers earning a chance to compete in the finals against the former champion.  

The stunt attracted thousands of onlookers and could serve as a benchmark for NASCAR and Indy Car teams looking for new ways to engage fans at retail. Check out Raikkonen's run at the indoor shopping center below:

August 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Thank you for your continued interest in Partnership Activation. Click here to check out the new August 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter.

Thanks to our friends at adidas Eyewear, if you pass along the August 2010 Newsletter to a friend or colleague in the industry and they submit a sponsorship/marketing "best practice" that is selected to be featured in the September Newsletter, you BOTH can win a FREE pair of adidas Eyewear!  

Pass along the newsletter and send in your "best practice" submissions to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com! Only (1) winning duo will be selected! In the meantime, check out the great adidas Eyewear styles that you could win here: http://www.adidas.com/us/eyewear.

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

• Marketing Hometown Pride
• 20 Top Sports Graduate Programs to Consider
• Creative Promotional/Engagement Tactics from the Barclays Premier League
• 2010 NFL Training Camp Title Sponsorship Breakdown
• In-Venue Baseball Destinations
• A Look At SportsAgentBlog.com
• August 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Thermopylae Drives Mobile Fan Engagement
• The Singapore Youth Olympic Games
• Maker's Mark Thought Starters
• New Idea Box Insights

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.

Check out the August 2010 Issue now... and please feel free to send along any feedback or suggestions you have this month! 

 

If you enjoyed the August 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

Mobilizing Brands - Benchmarking the Tour de France

With thousands of fans tailgating outside stadiums and arenas every given night, ample opportunities exist for brand marketers to drive consumer impressions and partnership affiliation awareness. As organizations and brand partners continue to analyze opportunities inside stadium parking lots, it's hard to ignore what has become a common practice at the Tour de France.

With limited marketing opportunities along the course, Tour de France sponsors invest their activation dollars into building mobile vehicles designed to entertain fans lining the course. These vehicles, traveling as a parade of sponsors, serve as effective awareness drivers for partnering brands.

Sports organizations in the United States can benchmark this practice of mobilizing sponsors by incorporating them in:

• Tailgate lot activation (on display; strolling through the tailgate lots)
• Pre-Game Team Walks (Tiger Walk, etc.; serving as a prelude to the team's arrival)
• Race Track Activation (driving along a NASCAR track prior to a race or during a caution)
• Championship Parades
• Team Festivals
• Guerrilla Marketing (Operating Co-Branded Vehicles)
• Retail Activation Displays
• On-Field Vehicles (Drive on the Warning Track or On-Field During Pre-Game; Stretchers, etc.)
• Pace Cars During Marathons / Endurance Events

Check out how sponsors are being mobilized at the Tour de France below:

View more presentations from Brian Gainor.

Centauro Helps Brazilian Soccer Fans Feel The Weight of Five World Titles

Brands and retail partners looking for new ways to impact consumers in a retail setting should take a close look at a recent strategy implemented by Centauro, Brazil's largest sporting goods chain. Just prior to the World Cup, Centauro impacted thousands of consumers shopping for Brazilian soccer apparel across the country with the use of a simple, weighted hanger.

There is a common expression in Brazil that every time a player sports the country's distinct yellow soccer jersey, they are wearing the weight of Five World Titles on their shoulders. That is because Brazil has won more championships (5) than any other team in World Cup history.

Centauro capitalized on this expression by hanging all of the Brazil World Cup jerseys in its stores on a special 2kg hanger that sported a branded tag, "Feel the Weight of Five World Titles". The simple, weighted hanger became an unexpected and impacting communication platform, driving curiosity and buzz amongst consumers at retail. The campaign, implemented across 120 retail locations, served as an effective way for Centauro to drive awareness for its Brazilian jersey offerings in-store.

Check out a viral piece that captured consumer reactions in-store below:

Source: AdsoftheWorld.com 

Leverage Airline Partners with Special Video Shoots

Sports properties looking for new ways to leverage airline partners should consider sending a team of athletes to an airplane hanger for an exclusive video shoot. Here, players can perform tricks, stunts, and show a little enthusiasm for fans to enjoy.

By simply using an airplane as a backdrop (or prop), teams can create a highlight video that can be shown on the scoreboard during a game or on its homepage to help drive affiliation awareness. Airline partners can even consider bringing this to life by running a sweepstakes that allows a few select fans the chance to take part in the filming of the shoot live in person (and receive a behind-the-scenes tour, etc.)

Check out the video below, which should help reinforce the opportunity at-hand!

BMW Proves 3D Building Projections Are Here

Sports marketers operating stadium venues with vast blank facades are missing out on a golden opportunity to market to fans entering the stadium and consumers passing by on a daily basis during their morning and afternoon commutes.

With new advances in 3D projection technology (in addition to the LED outdoor marquee displayed by the Miami Heat), sports marketers can display powerful messages on the exterior walls of stadium venues to help drive ticket sales, promote corporate partners, drive awareness for team campaigns/slogans, and simply entertain fans.

While fixed costs are still relatively slightly steep for this messaging medium, they will lower in the coming years and can serve as an impactful way for teams to provide captivating messaging during key times during the season and offseason.

To help demonstrate how powerful 3D building projection messaging can be, take a look at a recent event showcased by BMW in Singapore. The campaign was produced by Publicis Asia and is truly powerful!

May 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

Are you looking for the latest and great best practices in the sports marketplace? Are you looking for new ways to leverage corporate partners?

Take a moment to check out the new May 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to two (2) friends in the industry.

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

• Flash Mobs in Sports
• CrowdWave Technology
• Hyundai's World Cup Initiative
• SF Giants' Flickr On-Field Photo Day
• A Close Look At... The NHL Playoffs
• NBA Digital Discipline Series
• Creativity in the Sports Marketplace
• May 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
• Insights on Stickybits
• A Close Look At... The NBA Playoffs
• UFC 112: Invincible
• Lottery Partner Thought Starters
• Idea Box

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.

Check out the May 2010 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

Give Fans an Experience They will Never Forget

Are you looking for new ways to connect with consumers via grassroots campaigns? Are you looking to re-energize a brand?

Too often we see sponsorship programs created with the consumer in mind that lack one integral component... the experience. The following clip for Converse Sport, which is actually a parody filmed for the 4As 2010 Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies, does a tremendous job demonstrating how companies can re-energize their brands by creating/re-creating a memorable experience for consumers:

Drive Value for Hotel Partners with Student Bed Races

Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness for hotel chain partners? Are you looking to create an engaging event for students that affiliates corporate partners?

College sports properties looking for new ways to drive awareness and affiliation for hotel chain partners amongst the student body should consider offering Annual Bed Race events. 

Here's how it would work:

As students return to campus for the Fall, athletic departments can offer a special promotional message for students to win free season tickets, scholarship dollars, merchandise, books, or a trip as tiered prizes for participating in an Annual Bed Race event (presented by X hotel partner). The athletic department could offer the promotion the Friday before the first home game, with 75 teams competing on a first come, first serve basis at a practice/intramurals field near the stadium.

The goal of the Annual Bed Race event would be to see which team (a team of 5, as shown below) could push a bed, draped in hotel branding, on wheels 40-yards in the shortest amount of time - think bobsledding meets the 40. Hotel partners would benefit from pre-season marketing, an in-game vignette highlighting the action of the competition and showing the winners in their seats or with checks, and reminding fans that they are always welcome to stay at one of their participating hotel chain locations across the nation. Collegiate sports properties and their preferred hotel partners can use this event to create a lasting memory for hundreds of participating students and thousands of fans attending the Season Opener.

Check out an example below of how the Annual Bed Races could work for your collegiate sports property!

Take Your Outdoor Sports Digital Efforts to New Heights

Are you looking for new ways to engage consumers in outdoor settings? Are you looking to capitalize on the growing usage of mobile phones?

Take a quick look at a terrific outdoor digital initiative DDB recently executed on behalf of McDonald's in Stockholm. The outdoor game tasked consumers with taking a picture on their cell phone of menu items that bounced and soared past the screen. Can you say engaging?

Now take a quick moment to think of all the applications this could have in the sports space. A team that prominently features a similar digital display piece on the facade of their stadium/arena could create a similar offering that tasks fans with taking camera pictures of:

• Dropping tickets - A team could allocate a block of 100 tickets per game discounted at 50% off to fans who take a picture of a dropping ticket on their cell phone and take it to the Will Call counter for purchase
• Dropping balls - Teams could make this item very hard to catch (fast speeds) and offer autograph merchandise to any fans who are able to take a picture of it on their phone
• Dropping concessions (hot dogs, popcorn, etc.) - Teams could offer free/discounted concessions items to fans who are able to take pictures of these items on their mobile phone
• Partner Discounts (dropping movie tickets, free gas vouchers, project starters, etc.)
• Dropping dollar bills - Teams can offer $5 bills that are redeemable for a $20 purchase in the team store on game day
• Dropping Mascot - Teams can offer fans, who take a picture of the mascot soaring across the screen, the chance to partake in unique experiences at the ballpark (promotions, video board cameos, behind-the-scenes tours, promotional giveaway opportunities, etc.)

Digital boards located outside stadium venues offering similar digital games could serve as a great way to reward fans who aren't able to make it into the game or come to attend a watch party. Consider this tactic when you are looking for new ways to reward those attending games (pre-game and post-game), not attending games (premier games, watch parties), and are looking for a reason to just stop by and check out the stadium during the week.