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.

Celebrate Team History with a Magnetic Billboard

Are you looking for ways to honor your team's history and traditions? Are you looking for new ways to engage fans on gameday?

Sports organizations looking to honor their team history in an engaging manner should consider benchmarking a recent tactic Saatchi & Saatchi Tel Aviv created for the HOT cable TV network in Israel. In an effort to position HOT as the network with the hottest celebrities and shows on television, Saatchi & Saatchi created a 140 meter long billboard in a suburban neighborhood that featured 6,000+ magnetic cutouts of entertainment celebrities.

Consumers walking by the billboard were encouraged to peel off the magnetic celebrity cutouts - a tactic that was very well received. According to records, the magnetic billboard was stripped bare by consumers after just two (2) hours (a process that reoccured several times). The innovative billboard campaign drew the attention of major media channels across the globe.

How can this idea translate in the sports space?

Sports organizations can consider creating a team history wall that features hundreds of magnetic cutouts of past players, coaches, historic moments, logo/uniform changes, mascots, and fans. Teams can encourage fans to "take home a piece of history" or bring a similar concept to life on their team home page (where fans can select different pictorials on a digital wall that explain the relevance of historic moments, former players and personnel, etc.). Creating an "interactive mural" could serve as a great way to help fans appreciate all of the great moments in team history.

Teams can consider partnering on the initiative with a corporate partner whose mission statement plays off the the terms "family", "tradition", "history" and/or is looking for new ways to engage fans. Teams can incite potential partners by placing brand logos/URL with a call-to-action on each of the magnetic pieces that fans take home or redeem at retail.

Costs for the magnetic billboard project were not disclosed. Check out a video of the billboard below: