Think Sports. Think Mobile.

As sports marketers, we need to be thinking like mobile marketers. Why? Because mobile marketing is the next revolution for targeting our fanbase and operating our stadiums (see: ticketless entry). 

Mobile ad spending will reach $1.6BN in 2008 and will jump to $4.8BN in 2011 (there are 243 MM cell phone subscribers). While consumers have been slow to adopt some forms of technology, mobile marketers have learned that kids are willing to pay a dollar or two to engage with their favorite band (affinity which translates to sports teams). How many? Marketing analysts figure approximately 15-25% of people in an arena (although this figure seems relatively high).

While on the topic of mobile marketing, here are a few quick mobile activation ideas:

Enhance Marketing Messages/Advertising - A company called Feverpitch International aligned with Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand to create a program for the Wellignton Zoo. When consumers point their live-camera feed on their cell pone at a newspaper ad, a 3-D virtual beast appears on their cell phones. Sports Translation: Teams can create a concourse display where fans can point their picture at a life-sized poster of Dwight Howard and see a video clip on their cell phone of Howard completing the Superman dunk during the NBA All-Star game. For advertising purposes, teams can create enhance their print messaging by allowing fans to see a team video clip when pointing their cell phone at a ticket offer advertisement in the local newspaper

Enhance In-Venue Interaction - Hyperfactory created a mobile campaign for the Korn "Family Values" tour that enables paying fans to send text messages that appear on a large screen during the concert. Sports Translation: Sports marketers can work with their affiliated wireless provider to develop a similar mobile promotion. During select timeouts, fans could pay to text in which play the coach should call; messaging could be displayed through LED signage and/or main videoboard/trivision signage. This would drive fan interaction and serve as a text messaging visual for a wireless sponsor. Other in-game text messaging ideas: Fan polling (Will the Heat win the Game? Text _____ for Yes, Text _____ for No), Chance to participate in halftime promotion, Trivia, Premium Redemption (The first 2,000 fans to text ____ will receive a free bobblehead - when fans would text in, they would receive a coupon on their phone to redeem for the premium item). 

Enhance Viral Messaging - Feverpitch International worked with Ogilvy, Hong Kong, to put David Beckham and Chinese pop star Jay Chow on people's cell phones, introducing messages to loved ones in mobile-only videos. Sports Translation: A team/organization can work with mobile providers to create a mobile messaging campaign that enables fans to send viral/audio messages from their favorite players to their friends, family and colleagues (similar to the recent Chad Johnson P&G campaign / Samuel L. Jackson "Snakes on a Plane" campaign). Enable fans to type in a message on the team website that they can have their favorite player say in a message to their friends and loved ones.