Use The Foul Pole to Hook University Partners...

Has your organization considered bringing on a local University as a corporate partner? Are you looking for new ways to drive awareness for your University in-venue?

The Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League recently brought Millersville University on as a sponsor of the team's two (2) foul poles. The branding piece has turned out to be an excellent way for Millersville University to promote their commitment to the local community.

However, teams (and Universities alike) can take this branding piece to the next level by utilizing it as a means to engage fans. Before each home baseball game, teams (and Universities alike) can select one (1) fan as the fan of the game (e.g. Millersville University Fan of the Game - preferably someone who is wearing a shirt to the game that promotes the University).

The team can feature the select fan on the video board prior to the game, and if the home team hits a home run off either of the branded foul poles, the select fan can win free tuition (or books, cafeteria card, parking, team merchandise, season tickets for a year, VIP experience, AD for a Day, etc.) for a semester or a year. This simple promotional tactic is an offer that will easily resonate with your fanbase and will enable University partners to have a greater impact in-venue.  

Millersville University's partnership with the Barnstormers has proven to be an effective way to connect with residents in the local community. In 2006, Millersville conducted a food drive to benefit the Water Street Rescue Mission and the University leveraged the Barnstormers mascot in their annual Homecoming Parade.

Bring Your QSR Partners to the Tailgate Lots...

Are you looking for innovative ways to leverage your QSR partners? Are you looking to provide extra benefits to all of your organization's fans tailgating three (3) hours prior to the game?

Bring your QSR partners to the (tailgate) party... through the means of mobile vehicles.

McDonalds recently began testing the popularity of the McCafe Lounge on Wheels, a mobile vehicle that enables customers to taste McDonalds coffees in a comfortable setting. The concept vehicle, created by the Moroch Partners in Dallas, TX, helps McDonalds escape from the advertising clutter and efficiently induces consumer trial of new products. The McCafe Lounge set up shop at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March and has been widely introduced in Japan. The McCafe Lounge served 80,000 7-ounce cups of iced coffee over the course of the weekend att he Houston Livestock Show...

For teams with vast, organized parking lots, bringing mobile QSR vehicles to the people could be a great idea. While people are tailgating (eating hamburgers, drinking beer, throwing the football), they are probably much more receptive to trying new products (e.g. drinks, sandwiches, etc.) than if they are inside the stadium where they are being price-gouged on concessions. Has a team ever attempted to sell $2 burgers through a mobile vehicle (roaming the lots) to tailgaters outside? As properties become more creative leveraging QSR partners, don't be too suprised if this idea is just a few short months away...

Are You Looking to Leverage Media Partners?

Are you looking to activate your organizaton's partnership with a local media outlet? Are you looking to gain additional media exposure at minimal cost?

Marketing representatives at Whataburger Field, home to the Corpus Christi Hooks, created a unique outfield branding piece to drive awareness of their local media partner, Channel Six (displayed in the picture below). The team used "Hit the 6" messaging to drive impressions in-venue (and hopefully some greater visibility on the network's sports coverage).

Teams can take similar tactics to the next level by creating a "Channel Six Fan of the Game" promotion during every home game played at the ballpark. If a home run hits the designated sign, the selected contestant could win the opportunity to be featured live on the channel's television coverage (a benefit that would generate increased media exposure and fan interest despite coming at zero cost for the team). The team can complement the fan's prize pack with six tickets, hot dogs, and drinks to the game of his/her choice.

Other sports properties can implement similar tactics:

• Hockey - Dasherboard ("Check Channel XXX") - If a player on the home team checks an opposing player into that dasherboard, the "Channel XXX fan of the game" will be featured on the nightly sports coverage
• Golf - Align a television partner with a hole (e.g. Channel 7 with Hole 7). If a player eagles that hole, the select consumer will be featured on the news, etc.
• Soccer - Create a similar tactic for a field board that is located behind one of the goals. If a soccer kick misses the net and hits the field board, the select contestant will be featured on the news, etc. 

Boost Running Partnerships by Creating Proprietary Events...

Are you looking for new ways to boost your marathon/triathlon/5K sponsorship sales? Are you looking for ideas on ways to generate awareness for your event?

IEG recently featured an outstanding article in the IEG Sponsorship Report on the Nautica New York City Triathlon's ability to increase their corporate partner revenue by roughly 20% during its 8th year of existence. The article, entitled How an Established Property Can Significantly Increase Sponsorship, went on to describe how the triathlon has consistently achieved double digit sponsorship growth over the course of its existence.

How did they do it?

Event organizers created proprietary events and programs around the triathlon:

• In 2008, triathlon representatives created the Doggie Duathlon World Championship, a 10K tandem running race for owners and their dogs. A title sponsorship for this event was sold to Iams Pet Food.
• Triathlon representatives also have created the Chipotle Underwear Run (an event that takes place the Friday night prior to the Sunday triathlon) and the Janus Financial Executive Challenge (a race within the triathlon for senior-level personnel at financial services firms).

How did they attract title sponsors?

• Event organizers required that event participants include their title and employer as part of their race registration information. They then used this information to pitch potential sponsors (e.g. the race learned that a brand manager for a company signed up for the event; they then went and pitched that brand)
• Event organizers require that registrants sign up for the triathlon six (6) months in advance, giving them enough time to hit the streets and pitch potential sponsors
• When pitching corporate partners, an emphasis is placed on identifying marketing objectives and finding unique ways to incorporate the company's tag line into events that take place during race weekend (e.g. Race organizers incorporated RCN Corp's "Connect to something more" tagline in transition areas where competitors quickly change and re-equip and created a JetBlue Airways Leg Room, where participants received leg massages and ice baths)

Which companies sponsored the 2008 event?

• Nautica, Toyota, Accenture, Janus, Power Crunch, Orbea, JetBlue, The Vitamin Shoppe, Accelerade, IAMS, SNY, TYR, RCN, Reebok Sports Club / NY, Jennie O, United Healthcare, Fox 5, and H2O Audio

If you are looking for innovative ideas to boost your marathon/triathlon/5K sales, check in with the guys that run this event... They seem to really know what they are doing and there are some great principles to benchmark here. For more information on the Chipotle Underwear Run and the Nautica New York City Triathlon presented by Toyota, check out the two (2) clips below:

Looking to Promote Your Partnerships at Retail?

Are you looking to drive awareness and consideration for your partnerships at retail? Are you looking to effectively market your affiliation with local events?

GE Money Bank recently developed a unique campaign to promote its sponsorship of the Czech Olympic Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. GE Money Bank re-fitted the exterior appearance of a few of its locations in high-traffic areas to mirror key sports events taking place at the Olympics.

The company featured a pole vaulter outside its Plzen branch and a long jump in front of its Mlada Boleslav bank location. To spur excitement among corporate employees, GE Money Bank even built a full-size 100m running track at the company's headquarters. The windows at all of the bank's regional locations were covered in sporting scenes, attracting the interests of consumers passing by.

The results? Since teaming up with the Czech Olympic Team in early 2008, GE Money Bank claims to be one of the most recalled partners of the team, with the partnership awareness increasing by 160% in the first month of the campaign (CMD).

Align with Retail Partners to Create Customized Products...

Have you considered collaborating with a local retail partner to create a customized product?

The Brooklyn Cyclones recently aligned with 7-Eleven to create and sell a Brooklyn Cyclones Slurpee. The product, a mix of Mountain Dew Blue Shock and Berry Citrus flavor, will be sold in a 32oz collectible cup adorned with an image of a Cyclones player and the team's 2008 game schedule. The product marks the 1st time that 7-Eleven has ever made a team-specific cup.

The Cyclones promoted the launch of their new 7-Eleven slurpee by featuring a few players and the team mascot on-site. In addition, the Cyclones distributed two (2) free tickets to the first 100 consumers who purchased a Brooklyn Cyclones slurpee and hosted a variety of other contests to distribute prizes.

The Brooklyn Cyclones slurpee was first made available on August 1st and will be sold at participating 7-Eleven locations in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx.

The Cyclones-7-Eleven partnership is signaling a trend for ways that teams and retail partners are collaborating to generate sales and awareness (thereby driving value). The industry is seeing more and more teams beginning to create customized products at retail (e.g. Philadelphia Eagles donut at Dunkin' Donuts) as it has proved to be an effective sales strategy in regional markets where fan affinity is high. Look for more franchises leveraging their retail/c-store partnerships to create customized products!

Looking for Some Unique Baseball Inventory?

Are you looking to sell some unique baseball inventory? Are you interested in seeing some of baseball's finest unique branding pieces?

Enclosed below are three creative branding tactics that Major League teams have recently implemented:

Topps Starting Lineup - New York Mets (Shea Stadium)

What is it? The New York Mets and Topps collaborated to create the Topps Starting Lineup at the ticket box office. The Starting Lineup features nine photos that resemble Topps trading cards situated above the box office that alert Mets fans which players will be starting that game.

How can Topps take it to the next level? To commemorate the final season at Shea Stadium, Topps could have implemented a unique promotion at the box office to spur artificial demand among Mets fans. Topps could create a stir at the box office (and attract card collectors from around the nation) by distributing limited edition packs of trading cards (three per pack) to all Mets fans picking up their tickets at the box office. Topps could distribute vintage Mets cards (e.g. Mookie Wilson/David Wright signed cards, cards from the organization's early existence) in randomly distributed packs.

Who else can utilize the Starting Lineup Inventory?

• Camera Companies - A company like Canon can create an interactive set on-site where consumers can have their pictures taken and featured as a tenth player on the Starting Lineup board (or have their face replace David Wright's on the Starting Lineup board)
• Team apparel company - The team's apparel company looking to promote their new products, etc.
• Local Photography Company
• Any company who emphasizes customer service (a company like FedEx could potentially be interested in placing the faces of their key employees in-market next to the faces of the team's starting players above the box office)

MetLife Countdown Clock - New York Yankees (Yankee Stadium)

What is it? The New York Yankees collaborated with MetLife to create an interactive "MetLife Countdown Clock" at Yankee Stadium. The clock commemorates the last season at Yankee Stadium and serves as a great messaging tool for consumers to realize that they need to secure a life insurance policy with MetLife (as their days are numbered). Each game, a former Yankee or a NY celebrity pulls a lever as the MetLife sign flashes the number of regular season games remaining at Yankee Stadium (Note: Lincoln features a similar Countdown Clock at Shea Stadium).

How can the Yankees take it to the next level? To really make the signage resonate with Yankees fans, MetLife could giveaway free life insurance consulting/$$$ to 81 lucky Yankees fans throughout the season.

Who else can utilize the Countdown Clock?

• Teams, similar to the Yankees and Mets, who are closing their existing facility to move into a new one
• Teams that are on pace to set a record (or feature a player on the team who is on pace to set a record) can sell a sponsorship around a Countdown Clock
• Teams can feature a Countdown Clock in-venue that shows how many games are left until the playoffs (the team in this case has to be successful)
• Movies/apparel companies that have countdowns established for releases/product launches
• Brands with upcoming anniversary dates (e.g. Hershey's 100th anniversary)

Minute Maid Squeeze Play Signage - Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park)

What is it? The Houston Astros created an exclusive play area for kids to enjoy interactive games at the ballpark called the Minute Maid Squeeze Play. Located in the northeast corner of the ballpark, the Minute Maid Squeeze Play also features a juice bar where fans can enjoy slushies, sit at picnic tables, and watch several television screens.

How can the Astros take it to the next level? Bring the "Squeeze Play" to life. Every time the Houston Astros score on a squeeze play (where a batter bunts the ball, enabling the runner on third to score), all fans in the crowd (or all families lounging in the Minute Maid Squeeze Play Area) should win a coupon/sampling of Minute Maid (either by redeeming a code featured on the video board, receiving a mobile coupon,  or receiving a coupon at the gate on their way out.

Who else can utilize "The Squeeze Play"?

• Financial companies and wholesale retailers targeting consumers who feel like their wallets are being squeezed in the troubling economy. Offer fans a chance to win every time the team completes a squeeze play at home. 
• In 2005, Crayola created 'squeeze' packaging for kids -that could also be another idea to leverage
• Any companies that sell orange juice or other fresh offerings (Tropicana, Tesco Value Pure Orange Juice)
• Soap companies selling squeeze dispensers
• Condiments companies (if this is a competency that they are marketing)  

Are Your Ballboys/Ballgirls Marketable?

Has your brand ever considered sponsoring/leveraging an organization's ballboys/ballgirls? Has your organization ever considered ways to take advantage of their presence at the playing level?

Are ballboys and ball girls marketable? Yes. Gatorade's recent viral stunt (or attempted viral stunt) proved this by attracting 1.5MM+ views of a clip online that showed a minor league baseball team's ball girl making an incredible catch. The fake clip, which only subtly featured Gatorade's product, captured the interests of consumers around the world... but why? Because it was unique... something that consumers had never seen before. Check out the clip below:

Believe it or not, there is some real equity in ball girls and ball boys. Most inventory at the performance level is either priced too high or deemed very scarce - as a result, more sponsors and teams should consider new ways to leverage these individuals. In sports like rugby and soccer, ballboys often receive significant exposure on the video board. Complement this exposure for sponsors with program advertisements, tickets and hospitality, PA Announcements, and unique experiences (photograph with the team coach and ballboys on the field)

For the right brand (e.g. Gatorade in this case, targeting a young demographic of drinkers), sponsoring ball boys can potentially pay true dividends. If you are looking to derive true value, consider ways to separate them from the rest of the pack (e.g. unique talents, ways to align with your brand). At the very least, they can provide some true entertainment value at a very minimal cost (if not free).

Who is currently investing time and resources into ballboys/ballgirls?

• Bing Lee, New South Wales' largest privately owned electrical retailer, partnered with the Canberra Raiders to sponsor their Ball Boys with a sponsorship deal that offered branding on the Ballboy uniforms, promotional involvement, and signage at all Canberra Raiders (Australian professional rugby team) home games during the season.
• Livingston FC, the University of Houston, and the University of Niagara all offer ballboy sponsorship packages 

What are some good opportunities for companies to sponsor ballboys?

• Sponsoring ballboys could be an interesting play for a company like Apple, who could outfit ballboys (e.g. baseball) with iPod's and potentially receive some nice media coverage/buzz from a minimal investment
• Retailers looking to implement a unique promotional/couponing strategy can utilize ballboys to throw balls into the crowd during innings/timeouts that contain gift cards, project starters, and/or coupons for discounts on products
• Apparel companies (sell exclusive apparel deals to apparel makers) 
• Potentially align with the Boys & Girls Club / United Way, etc. to offer up ballboy/ballgirl opportunities to underprivileged children in the local marketplace
• Performance Drink Companies (e.g. Gatorade, VitaminWater, Powerade, etc.)

The two (2) videos enclosed below demonstrate some ways that ball boys have gotten the attention of consumers in recent months. From special dribbling talents to a sense of "toughness", the actions of ball boys across the globe have made the headlines:

Are You Looking to Drive Profits From Signage?

Jim Andrews, IEGAre you looking for new ways to derive profits from signage? Are you continuously looking for new signage opportunities versus brainstorming ways to overhaul existing signage in-venue?

IEG currently offers a great webinar for sports professionals and brand marketers called "Determining the Fair Market Value of Sponsorship Packages". The session is hosted by valuation-guru Jim Andrews, who does a great job explaining the basic practices and variables that sports professionals should consider/conduct when valuing sports properties. The webinar includes a sheet that provides basic valuations (e.g. signage, sampling, tickets, media) and does an effective job explaining the tangible benefits, intangible benefits, and price adjusters that affect valuations.

But there was one (1) key takeaway from the webinar that is worth sharing because it is something that all sports professionals should consider:

Is it more likely that teams can generate more dollars by adding new signage opportunities or enhancing existing signage inventory?

Jim Andrews does a great job explaining in the webinar that teams should spend greater amounts of their time enhancing existing signage/ticketing. Why? A traditional piece of on-field signage that garners 300,000 impressions is worth an estimated $9,000. By adding another piece of signage (relative to the example), a team can generate an additional $9,000 in profits. However, if the team finds an innovative way to enhance the existing $9,000 signage piece (increasing its intangible value), the signage can be worth anywhere from $10,800 to $31,500 (intangible benefits carry a multiplier value between 1.2 and 3.5).

In the end, what does all of this mean? Instead of looking for additional space in-arena to add another LED board or piece of static signage, spend greater amounts of your time looking to create the next "Chick-Fil-A Fowl Pole" (Houston Astros), C-IT-GO gas pump (Milwaukee Brewers), or Levi's Landing (San Francisco Giants).

Notes: The IEG online seminar costs $199 for a group session. The webinar is 1:30 and is highly recommended for companies looking to train their employees on basic valuation tactics. The training is highly recommended!

Can You Say Clutter? How About Glass Signage?

Is your arena or sport cluttered with corporate branding, signage, and advertisements? Do you think you have seen it all when it comes to sponsorship clutter?

Think again.

People often criticize the sport of NASCAR for being blanketed with logos. On race weekend, everything seems to be branded - uniforms, car hoods, the parking lot, etc. But NASCAR doesn't near in comparison to the sponsorship model that has been enveloped by the Czech Extraliga hockey team, HC Slavia Praha.

HC Slavia Praha, which plays its home games in the O2 Arena, has sold every inch of their arena to corporate partners... well almost it seems. The team's ice rink and uniforms scream sponsorship so loud, that it is with hope that sports in the United States will never revert to such a model. The team lists 75 official sponsors on their website, and every one of them seem to be featured either on the ice or on the team's uniforms.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Despite all the clutter, there is one key takeaway for many NHL and minor league hockey teams. HC Slavia Praha has managed to create and sell branded glass to corporate partners.  As the pictures dictate, the team has managed to brand the rink glass with the logos of two (2) partners, Skoda Auto and Nokia.

This semi-obstructive branding is an additional inventory piece that we have yet to see in the United States. It would be interesting to see how well media broadcasts would pick up this branding piece, but is definitely something that NHL teams could consider as they continuously look for new performance level inventory to sell.