Leverage Camera/Film Partners with Photo Diary Features...

Are you looking for new ways to leverage camera and film sponsors? Are you looking for ways to enhance your organization's media content?

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes did an excellent job teaming up with Olympus to create a premier Photo Diary feature on the Formula 1 race team's official website. TheOlympus Photo Diary page features a collection of rare photos providing insights from the Formula 1 front line that were captured throughout the season by Olympus photographer Jon Nicholson.

The Olympic Photo Diary page also allows for fans that are apart of the team's membership program to contribute preferred photos to the collection.

Are You Giving Fans a Reason to Look at Your Signage?

Are you looking for new ways to drive eyeballs to your in-venue signage? Are you looking for ways to escape the clutter of stadium advertising?

Here are two (2) simple examples of how teams and their partnering brands have collaborated to create customized signage pieces that resonate with fans. Instead of just featuring a simple logo/messaging piece, Gulf Oil and McDonald's have incorporated a sports thematic to drive additional attention to their brands in-venue.

Gulf Oil - Boston Bruins (TD Banknorth Garden)

McDonald's - Indianapolis Colts (Lucas Oil Stadium)

Leverage T-Shirt Premiums to Drive Retail Traffic...

Are you looking for new ways to use sponsorships to drive store traffic? Are you looking for ways to take your game day giveaways to the next level?

Corporate partners searching for new ways to drive store traffic and reward consumers while doing so, should consider creating and distributing coupon t-shirts (as shown below).Brands could use coupon t-shirt as an effective measure to drive traffic to specific retail locations, trial of select products (e.g. Whopper below), and additional benefits.

Teams could collaborate with interested corporate partners by establishing a timeframe for the redemption offer (e.g. consumers could wear the t-shirt to receive a discount for the entire season, the day of/after all home games, during the playoffs, etc.). Corporate partners could implement such a promotional offer by featuring a printed bar code on each of the distributed shirts and alerting local retail managers of the program.

Creating coupon t-shirts would be a great way for brands to reward and drive trial/store traffic amongst students attending games. Fans seated in the student sections are often times drawn to capitvating promotional ideas that offer them direct benefits. Consider coupon t-shirts as just another way to help escape the in-stadium clutter and leverage sponsorships to reward fans!

 

Consider Using E-Cast Billboards to Engage Fans in Outdoor Settings...

Are you looking to create a unique outdoor campaign to drive buzz for your organization? Are you looking to provide consumers a new way to express their fandom?

Sports properties should consider benchmarking a recent outdoor campaign implemented by Sharpie to engage fans while they wait for outdoor busses and other modes of transportation.

Recently, Sharpie created interactive e-cast billboards that enable consumers waiting for busses to create their own graffiti on a virtual arm cast. The e-cast billboards let consumers write a message in various colors in a permanent fashion (the technology is very cool - check out the picture below for an example).

Teams can model Sharpie's outdoor execution by creating bus station billboards that enable fans to:

• Write their own autograph on a virtual team jersey
• Send the team good luck messages as they enter the playoffs
• Let consumers experience a simulation of signing a contract
• Suggest player nicknames, team slogans/campaigns
• Fill in caption bubbles of what action taking place ina picture
• Suggest who the team should select in an upcoming draft
• Sign themselves up for an exclusive experience (practice, behind-the-scenes tour) - in this case, the team could feature numerous billboards around time as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign

 

The NY Rangers Use In-Ice Signage to Promote VitaminWater Products...

Has your organization considered using in-ice signage to promote its products?

The New York Rangers teamed up with Glaceau to feature in-ice signage depicting a VitaminWater bottle at Madison Square Garden. With most companies choosing to use in-ice and dasherboard signage to promote their brand logos, Glaceau's product placement is somewhat unusual in the sports marketplace. Check out the branding tactic below:

 

Drive Eyeballs at Events with a Touch of Creativity...

Are you looking to drive more eyeballs for your auto brand at the X-Games? Are you looking for creative ways to connect with Gen Y consumers?

Consider creatingon-site displays that truly resonate with the generation of consumers that you are speaking to. Haven't we all grown accustomed to seeing automakers showcase a display of attractive cars at sporting events? In today's world, when consumers are seeking customization and differentiation, show them what they really want - something unique.

When have you seen a car with a mohawk? This would be a great subtle touch to drive awareness amongst Gen Y consumers visiting action sports events. What other creative touches can your organization come up with?

Looking to Make a Splash at the X-Games?

Is your brand looking for a way to make a BIG impression on consumers? Are you looking for ways to leverage an X-Games corporate partnership?

Rob Dyrdek recently teamed up with California Skateparks to create a giant skateboard that will be used in Dyrdek's new show on MTV (Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory). The skateboard is mobilized and requires just a few people to push it from place to place.

Organizers for the X-Games and other action sports events should consider creating/outfitting similar creative platforms to drive awareness for their corporate partners:

• Outfit the giant skateboard with giant tires to promote a supporting tire partner
• Feature a vehicle perched atop the skateboard to promote an automobile partner
• Feature XX vending machines on top of the skateboard to leverage a beverage partner
• Promote skateboard products in a "big" way with a giant skateboard
• Create an interactive exhibit where teams of five (5) attendees can race against one another pushing a giant skateboard for the chance to win free tickets to next year's X-Games event

Check out some pictures and video of Rob Dydrek's giant skateboard in action at the Venice Boardwalk:

The Greatest Olympics Guerrilla Marketing Campaign You've Never Seen...

Are you looking to create a unique guerrilla marketing campaign? Are you looking for a creative way to use sports imagery as a way to drive product sales?

During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Elasun, a Chinese condom-maker, did a tremendous job creating a unique guerrilla marketing campaign around the Olympic Games. Elasun marketers found a creative way to weave their product into imagery of sports in theOlympic Games to help drive online sales and awareness of their product line. In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, the ads became a growing sensation in China and serve as a benchmark for companies looking to capitalize on high-profile sporting events without owning any rights to marks.

Check out some of the unique Olympic-themedads that Elasun created below:

Swimming

Cycling

Basketball

Archery

Gymnastics (Rings)

Chik-fil-A Gets Creative at the Free Throw Line...

The Orlando Magic collaborated with Chick-fil-A to create a unique near-court branding piece at Amway Arena. The stanchion signage located under the baskets features Chick-fil-A's signature cow with the messaging, "Block Burgerz, Dunk Chikin".

Thecreative near-court branding corresponds withan ongoing promotion that rewards Magic game attendeeswith a free Chick-fil-A sandwichat participating Central Florida locations following any home game when the team hits 20 free throws. To receive a free sandwich, fans just have to redeem their ticket stub the day after the game (for Saturday games, the ticket stub is redeemable on Monday since Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays).

Chick-fil-A's unique stanchion branding piece will help draw buzz/attention to their promotional offerevery time the Magic shoot from free throw line. Check out the creative branding tactic below:

Who Doesn't Love a Good Prank?

Are you looking for a creative :60 vignette concept that will drive in-game attention to your brand? Is your organization looking for a new, unique way to engage corporate partners?

Consumers love seeing a good prank... After all, Ashton Kutcher made a living off of pranks with his hit reality show Punk'd, which aired from 2003-07. If great pranks are so popular with people, why can't this idea translate in the sports marketplace?

Sponsors looking to drive attention to their brand in-game should consider working with team personnel to create a :60 vignette featuring a team prank that incorporates their brand. There are a variety of ways that teams and their supporting partners could collaborate on such an idea (rookies have to serve burgers at QSR partner, athlete has a unique experience at auto dealership, player receives a large amount of cases of XXX product delivered to his/her house, etc.).

The Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia Phillies are two (2) organizations who effectively created a "prank video" that generated some buzz across the web. While neither organization's video incorporated a corporate partner, they do an effective job demonstrating ways that teams can consider incorporating sponsored products, etc. (e.g. the Sacramento Kings could have staged a player prank using a corporate partner's product (instead of popcorn); the Philadelphia Phillies could have a partner's product in the trade discussions/locker room placement). Check out the two (2) videos below: