Leverage Music Partnerships...

Everyone loves music, there's no question about it. As a sports marketer, have you considered the fact that many sports fans would love to know what their favorite players, coaches, and team personnel are listing to?

The Phoenix Coyotes have capitalized on this notion with "Coyotes Trax", an online initiative that allows fans to purchase their favorite Coyotes' playlists or individual songs at the iTunes store. Coyote fans can also purchase a wide range of music that players listen to in the locker room before going out on the ice. The Coyotes offer a direct link to the iTunes website for fans looking to download music.

With Coyotes Trax, the Phoenix Coyotes have developed an excellent way to leverage music/electronic partnerships. Soon, we may see a number of organizations that have working relationships with iTunes to offer such services. I wouldn't be suprised to see new relationships formed between teams/University athletic departments and music companies, online music sharing companies, and different companies touting electronic products (i.e. iPod, mp3, disk drives, etc.)

Fan Loyalty Cards!

The Anaheim Ducks have implemented one of the greatest initiatives in sports... Fan Loyalty Cards.

The Ducks distribute Fan Loyalty Cards to all of their season ticket holders and suite holders - the cards provide users with discounts at retail locations of select corporate partners as well as the Anaheim Ducks team store. The Ducks drive web traffic by posting "new discounts" throughout the year for their loyal ticket holders. The cards are valid for a calendar year (expiring September 1, 2008).

Some current discounts for season ticket holders include:

• 20% off AT&T accessories
• $10 discount when joining the Auto Club of Southern California
• $10 game card with the purchase of an entree at ESPN Zone
• 10% off all orders at First Class Pizza
• $5 off any purchase of $50 or more at any Discount Dance location
• Free $10 Game Play with the purchase of a $10 Game Play at Dave & Busters
• 10% discount on parts, service, and accessories at select Honda locations
• 10% Hugo Boss products at select retail locations
• Buy 1 Combo, Get 1 Free at select Weinerschnitzel locations

Take Steps to Value Your Corporate Partners

Where would your organization/University athletic department be without your corporate pillar partners? In this day and age, corporate investment is a critical part to team success. Yet, if this statement is so true, why don't more organizations take greater steps to value their corporate partners?

Consider benchmarking the practices of the Chicago Bears corporate partnerships department, an organization that clearly "gets it". The Bears:

• Feature a "Partners" scrolling tab on their main webpage, which features their major corporate partner initiatives (Bears Extra Points, Miller Lite Party Deck)
  • Teams should even consider placing the "Partners" link under their "Team" scrolling tab on the main website. This demonstrates how highly your organization values their partnership commitment
• Feature a Misson Statement on the organization's "Partners" site
  • Every organization should look to develop a similar tactic; demonstrate to potential partners that you value their commitment and will work to develop exceptional service to achieve outset goals/objectives
• Offer a direct contact (name, email, phone, address) for potential partners to inquire about how a partnership can help grow their business
  • Too often, organizations fail to provide prospective partners with a direct person to contact (listing a general email/phone number). No prospective partner wants to inquire through a general email/phone number. Dedicate a member of your corporate services staff to handle all incoming requests using their contact information on the website 
• Show a clear listing of sponsors (with messaging and direct links), and ongoing promotions under a "Hall of Fame Partners" or "Premier Partners" moniker

Sponsorship Review... Miller Park

Sponsorship Review: Milwaukee Brewers, Miller Park

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds (4.8.2008 – 7:00pm)

The Top 10 Takeaways

1. The three (3) best sponsorship activation tactics at Miller Park were all nontraditional. Capitalize on interactive, engaging areas/elements of the fan experience

• CITGO – CITGO features a CITGO meter that lights up “C-IT-GO” every time that a homerun is hit. The unique signage piece (which looks like a gas pump) then lights up CITGO METER (insert player name) (insert HR distance) and then lists the number of home runs hit on the season. This is a great non-traditional branding piece… However, CITGO could make it more interactive by detailing promotions/interactive offers across the screen during innings.
• Topps – Topps brands the Brewer’s player profiles on the video boards during the game (making the player appear to be on a card). This was a great branding piece that I had not seen before in the stadium experience.
• Klement’s – Klement’s features the infamous Sausage Race, which brings the crowd to its feet in the middle of the 6^th inning. The on-field promotion is clearly one of the best (if not best) reasons to come to the ballpark… Can you imagine creating a promotion that serves as a better reason for fans to go to the ballpark to see than the actual game? The Sausage Race is great but here are a few thoughts:
  • All fans are so focused on the actual race - which has minor Klement’s branding elements in the actual race – that all supporting Klement’s signage (LF LED, LED Ribbon) can easily be unnoticed or ignored. Klement’s could avoid this by adding another character (a boy or fat Milwaukeean named Klement’s, who races against the five characters… Hopefully this would drive the Klement’s name a little more…
    • The character names are “Hot Dog”, “Brat”, “Chorito”, etc

2. Properties and Teams need to collaborate to create LED that features a simple message with lettering that contrasts a bold background. From a fan’s viewpoint, keep messaging simple, yet relevant and understandable. Miller Park "best practices" included:

• Miller High Life
  • Miller High Life’s LED had a bright yellow background with a strong contrasting black lettering. The LED’s messaging was: "Miller High Life The Champagne of Beers Since 1903"
  • Chevron
    • Chevron’s LED signage featured the messaging “Chevron. Go Brewers. There at Every Turn. The simplistic message was in bold white lettering that strongly contrasted the blue LED background.
  • US Cellular
    • U.S. Cellular featured a repetitive white corporate logo with a strong contrast to its bold blue background.

3. Old LED/Rotational Signage is Bad Signage – Make Parties Aware If You Are Selling The Old Stuff

• Miller Park features dated rotational signage in right field (characteristics include: thick black separation between panels, faded image). The dated signage stood out in comparison with the fresh look of relative signage in surrounding areas (notably: EnginesMatter.com)

4. Provide Promotional Winners with Prizes/Rewards of High Perceived Value

• Time Warner ran a video board trivia promotion that rewarded a fan with one (1) month of free Internet service. For something that basically costs Time Warner Cable nothing, why not provide the fan with free Internet service for a year? Or reward the fan with a unique cable/digital element that is Brewers related? I don’t think the hassle of switching your online provider is worth “one free month of online service”…

5. If you are going to use signage to drive web traffic (i.e. WhyTundra.com, WisconsinDrivesChevy.com), make it intriguing and appealing to the average fan attending the game

• Drive web traffic with a promotional item (i.e. create a signage piece that reads “Free XXXX Bobblehead” along with the website name as opposed to giving out free promotional items at the game. Customize signage pieces to the property… Unless a fan was extremely interested/curious about a Tundra or was in the middle of the automobile buying process, why would he/she ever remember to look up WhyTundra.com? Why would someone care? Where is the relevance?... The thought starter idea is there (using signage to drive web traffic) – the piece just needs an element to draw interest through relevance

There is an opportunity to create value out of every area of the stadium

• The Brewers sold the heck out of bathroom advertising signage (while entering, in the main sink area, over the urinals, etc.) – almost to a point where it was too much… However, this shows teams are looking for every square inch of space possible to sell inventory. However, look to sell branding that is unique and well integrated (i.e. selling Urinal signage to companies trying to deter drunk driving (urinal game) and/or newspaper companies, etc.

7. In the majority of professional stadium environments, there is no such thing as exclusivity anymore… Yes, you may have category exclusivity, but when 60+ brands are trying to push their messaging to fans in attendance, it is easy to get lost amongst the clutter

• Miller was the only brand that stood out in terms of exclusivity (whereas if a fan left the park, they would know that Miller was an Exclusive partner)
• Three automobile companies featured messaging during the game
  • Mercedes-Benz (Mercedes-Benz Field Haus, LED)
  • Toyota (WhyTundra.com)
  • Chevrolet (ownership of the in-game pitching change); PT Cruiser PA integration with the Valvoline Instant Oil Change promotion

8. Miller Park features a very unique tailgate party scene in huge parking lots outside of the stadium… Why aren’t there any sponsors targeting these individuals pre-game? This would be a great atmosphere for hot dog/brat/beer/grill companies and sporting goods retailers to do some guerilla marketing

9. When sponsoring an organization, know the exact fan demographic profiles and customize your messaging to fit this segment (this is more difficult for some organizations than others)

• White/Caucasian Brewers fans index at 1470 (92.3%)… Not to mention that the majority of them look like they complement their game experience by eating three brats, drink three beers, and devour a thing of cheese curds before the night is over. Miller Park offers the perfect stadium environment to have an “All-You-Can-Eat” section

10. Music is one of the most underutilized elements of the stadium experience. So often, music captures the attention of fans (signaling pitching changes, breaks in the game, stirring up fan excitement, player introductions), yet there really was no corporate integration here (outside of the US Cellular Ringtone of the game)…

• Why not tie corporate partners into the music played (i.e. “The Right Stuff” tie-in with Rite Aid; the music complemented with video board/interactive LED messaging)

Corporate Branding in Miller Park (From the Fan’s Viewpoint)

Promotions / Interactive Elements

Klement's Sausage Race (supported with left video board branding, LED Ribbon Board, etc.) - Occurs during the middle of the sixth (6th) inning Grade: A Notes: The Sausage Race is a stand-alone promotion; one of the best in-game features in all of sports…However, Klement’s needs to develop more direct measures to ensure that fans know that the feature is “Klement’s Sausage Race” and not “The Sausage Race”…

Midwest Airlines "Best Care Seats" - Two (2) lucky fans were awarded with premium seats; Midwest Airlines then gave their "signature cookies" to a randomly selected row in the stadium Grade: C Notes: Midwest Airlines did not come up with any out-of-the-box ideas here, but having back-to-back features (Best Care Seats and Lucky Cookie Row) accounted for a good amount of visibility early… However early is the key word here – these promotions, which took place in the early innings, were easily forgettable by the end of the game (Midwest Airlines had no signage/elements to support). Why doesn’t Midwest Airlines do something that analogizes a Home Run “Flight Time” or use a Midwest Airlines plane to drop coupons in the crowd, etc… Leaving the stadium, I didn’t know anything more about Midwest Airlines’ service, price, flight patterns, website, etc. outside of the fact that they offer cookies…

Valvoline Instant Oil Change (A Video Board Promotion that rewarded a fan driving a PT Cruiser Pre-Game with a Free Oil Change) Grade: B Notes: Valvoline’s Instant Oil Change video board (which was a parking lot feature) instantly puts the fans minds back in the parking lot (thinking about their car in the lot, driving home, etc.) so it was a great awareness driver… However, the details of how the winner was selected and the prize at hand, made it difficult to get excited about this promotion… How many people would go home and tell their friends that they saw a guy win a Free Oil Change? How about “Free Oil Changes for a Year?”… The promotion lacks some excitement that will keep them looking forward to it the next time they return to the ballpark…

Valvoline Junior Announcer – Valvoline featured a young child announcing player names during an inning Grade: D Notes: This in-game feature was shown immediately on the video board after the Oil Change Promotion… This “feel good” element with a distracting young child reading players names makes fans in-stadium quickly forget that the company just gave away a free oil change… Maybe it was a bad selected contestant, but this feature was more annoying than intriguing in every possible way.

Miller Lite Party Section (approx. 2nd or 3rd inning - Miller gave out balloons and fun party items to one select section) Grade: B Notes: The Miller Lite Party section was your typical “Fun Fan Section”, where the Brew Crew distributed balloons and some other items… There were no ties to Miller Lite and its difficult to see the correlation between Miller’s target consumer (Males 21-29) and the initiative they ran that seemed more family oriented (although it supports an enhancement of the fan experience at Miller Park

Road Runner Triple Play Trivia (winner received one free month of Internet service) Grade: F Notes: Time Warner ran a trivia question promotion that had no real tie-in to their services (cable, digital) and rewarded the contestant with one (1) free month of Internet service (which lacks a high perceived value)… Time Warner has a number of unique ways they can leverage their offerings, yet they came up very short on this one. Why not drive fans online with a unique promotion, offer, and/or select Brewer channel offerings?

Palmoro Pizza Toss - The contestant held a pizza on the field level and had to try to catch falling fake pizza's from the mascot standing high above on the slide Grade: B Notes: The foundation of Palmoro’s promotion is excellent: a child tries to catch falling pizza’s with one large pizza… Unfortunately this promotion took place in deep left center field (to integrate the mascot), which made it very difficult for 80% of the fans in the stadium to see outside of what was shown on the video board. Palmoro is on to something great here, they just need to look to expand the impact and visibility of the promotion

Valvoline Gameday Promotion - The first 20,000 fans entering the stadium received an exclusive coupon Grade: C Notes: Valvoline had a standard giveaway promotion for the first 20,000 fans entering the stadium… However, the in-game messaging for the promotion was not specific at all (messaging: “an exclusive coupon”). There could have been better in-game messaging to support and drive awareness of the promotion

Wisconsin Lottery "Guess the Attendance" – This was a video board feature that asked fans to guess the number of fans in attendance (your typical attendance promotion) – Grade C Notes: There really wasn’t a great tie-in to the Wisconsin Lottery outside of the fact that people were picking numbers… The fan did not reward the crowd or any selected contestants for guessing correctly… Why doesn’t the Lottery feature a vignette on the video board with five balls (resembling Power Ball) and reward a person with an exclusive prize based on spinning balls (the first three numbers represent the section #, the fourth ball represents the row, and the fifth ball represents the individual seat)… The Wisconsin Lottery could team up with Midwest Airlines to offer the lucky contestant a free away trip with the team

Briggs & Stratton Trivia Question (Beginning of the 6th Inning) – This was your standard trivia question… A dry feature; I couldn’t tell you what the question even asked… Grade D Notes: There can only be so many trivia question features in one game… I hope they received a discount on this… What is Briggs & Stratton? How does a trivia question enhance my thoughts of this company outside of the fact that I now know they exist? Hopefully driving brand awareness was their only objective with this promotion…

U.S. Cellular "Guess the Ringtone" and Win a Trip to Spring Training – Grade B Notes: This is your standard ringtone feature, which I would have graded a C, however, U.S. Cellular did a great job capturing fan attention by promoting the fact that the winner would have a chance to win a trip with the team to Spring Training (a VIP experience that fans cannot buy)… This moved it up a notch.

Potowami Crazy Cap Shuffle – The winner of the promotion won a dinner for three (3) at the Potowami Casino Resort if they correctly guessed which hat the item was under – Grade: B This promotion was an effective awareness driver for Potowami's casino-related services (restaurants, etc.). Potowami did a great job weaving this in to offer a nice reward.

Other In-Game Messaging / Branding

• The Milwaukee Brewers / Boys & Girls Club collaborated with the Milwaukee Brewers to co-brand an eighth inning video board vignette (featuring Prince Fielder, who no longer speaks with his father, Cecil)
• Fisher Nuts 7th Inning Stretch Video Board Branding
• Bell Ambulance - video board messaging: If it doesn't say Bell on the side, you've been taken for a ride")
• We Energies - video board advertising
• AAA Wisconsin - video board messaging: offering details on towing, etc.
• BP Field Toss
• Chevrolet Impala Pitching Change - featured a car driving from one end of the warning track to the other with a simultaneous PA read)
• Johnson Controls "Field Touch Up" - When the field crew goes out to repair the field during innings (crew looked like they were wearing branded gear... But from a general consumer's point of view, what is Johnson Controls? Shouldn't they be explaining their story? Who they are? What services/products do they offer?
• Wisconsin Lottery PowerBall Home Run Leaders of the Game

Upcoming Promotions

• 5 County 5 Day Celebration (April 23-27) - Fans from the five select counties can receive half-price tickets and $1 Uecker tickets
• Miller High Life $6 Tickets Day
• Half Price Tickets Day

Ribbon Board LED Signage (4'Hx1,000'L)

• Palmero's
• Miller Genuine Draft
• Time Warner (High Speed Internet)
• Chevron
• Miller Lite
• McDonalds (messaging: Fresh Brewed Tea, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, "I'm Lovin It" messaging , and an interactive Nuggets Display)
• Valvoline (messaging: Get an oil change every 3,000 miles)
• US Cellular
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class (also included "The Sport and Luxury Sedan" messaging)
• Friday's Sports Grill (also included messaging "Open Year Round")
• Brewers Player Profiles every Friday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel presented by Miller Lite (the journal website was listed on the LED but way too small)
• Miller Lite (messaging was: "Miller Lite and Brewers Baseball. There's nothing like it".)
• BP (Blue LED promoting Invigorate, BP's new gasoline - "Helps cars run younger for longer") - supported the BP T-Shirt Toss

Branded Stadium Sections

• Mercedes-Benz Field Haus
• Mountain Dew Deck
• Miller Beer Pen
• Metavante Club Level
• Gehl Club - Great in-stadium branding but what is Gehl? How does Gehl support this club level outside 3rd base line signage?
• Friday's Front Row Sports Grill

Upper Outfield Signage (Includes Video Board)

• Miller High Life (6'x20')
• True Green (6'x20')
• Briggs & Stratton
• US Cellular
• Time Warner
• M&I Bank
• Johnson Controls (messaging: Another team that makes this stadium come to life")
• JobNoggin.com
• Pepsi
• Brewers.com (messaging: "Where baseball is always on")
  Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
• Associate Bank
• TCW Funds
• Miller Light
• 620 WTMF
• Froedert Medical
• College of Wisconsin
• Waste Management

Lower Outfield Signage (Warning Track Signage and Lower Outfield Signage)

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Mercedes-Benz (40'x7')
• WhyTundra.Com
• Kohl's
• Midwest Airlines
• FSN Wisconsin
• WisconsinDrivesChevy.com
• American Family Insurance
• West Bend The Silver Lining (an Interactive Video Board - 130'x7') - an amazing interactive LED video board with a commercial customized to fit the signage dimensions... However, the same commercial ran throughout the game and repetition turned into annoyance... adding another commercial or two (2) would make this signage an incredible branding piece for West Bend - However, I left the game with no clue and no drive to know more about West Bend The Silver Lining...
• Kawatomi (20'x7') - (messaging: Bingo. Casino)

Right Field Rotational Signage (60'x3')

• Palmero's
• EnginesMatter.com
• Guardian Credit Union
• ATC (Included the Messaging, "Helping to Keep the Lights On"
• JobNoggin.com / Monster
• Miller High Life

3rd Base Line (35'x3')

• Miller Lite
• Gehl
• XXXXX The Official Chicken of the Brewers (The name wasn’t readable)
• American Family Insurance
• Toyota
• Nestle Drumstick
• Sports Authority
• JobNoggin.com
• Quench Gum (Tarp Signage along the 3rd Base Line)

Other Signage

• CITGO Meter - Right-Center Field
• Northwestern Mutual (Clock Signage)
• Valvoline Instant Oil Change (Behind the Plate, Upper Level Signage)
• Canon (Gordon Flesch Company) (Behind the Plate, Upper Level Signage)
• Emerald - Available at Pick & Save (Field Level by the Visiting Team Batter Box along the net)
• T65 WYTV - Behind the Plate, Mid Level Signage
• Topps - Branded Player Profiles on the Video Board
• Kohls - Concourse Pole Banners
• New Era - Dugout Branding
• Pizza Hut - Home Plate Advantage
• Aquafina (Branded slide for Bernie's Dugout)
• POW MIA (upper left field signage)

Non-Branded Game Elements

• Milwaukee Brewers Birthday Wishes... Which seemed to be constant through the first 3-4 innings
• Milwaukee Brewers Crowd Enhancement Elements (Brewers - Awesome!, Get Loud, Go Brewers Go, Here We Go, We Will Rock You, Charge!)

Unique Elements of the Miller Park Experience (Built in 2001)

1. The Sausage Race
2. Normal Wave... Turns Into Slow Wave...Turns into Extremely Fast Wave...
3. "Shout" by Tears for Fears was played during a late inning pitching change (I had never heard this at a game and liked it)
4. Bernie the mascot stays perched on the slide away from fans ALL game
5. CITGO Meter
6. Brats, Cheese Curds, "Secret Sauce", Miller Chill sold at the games, an easy place to rack up an $80 tab (or in our case, $79.75) in one concessions order
7. $8 general parking (not a stone's throw from the ballpark), $15 premium parking (which should be general parking)
8. The "Beer Barrel Polka" (which no one seems to know) immediately follows the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th Inning Stretch
9. The size of the stadium is amazing... It rivals that of the Arizona Diamondback's Chase Field
10. A thunderous retractable roof
    

Partnerships: Category to Watch

Those of you looking to pitch potential partners in the automobile category... Be Alert!

General Motors recently announced that it was going to shift half of its $3BN advertising budget into digital and on-to-one marketing within the next three (3) years. With General Motors' recent announcement, expect many others in the category to follow in place. General Motors is looking to penetrate consumers beyond typical signage and banner ads, choosing to implement a variance of engagement tactics which include gaming, search, mobile, and other interactive applications.

Across the board in the automotive category, companies are replacing their television and print efforts with programs that raise awareness. Continuous branding and sales activity are being shifted online, where consumers generally begin their purchasing process.

Joel Ewanich, Vice President of Marketing for Hyundai, commented, "Online is getting to the point where it may be more important than the 30-second tv spot."

So what does this mean for you as a sports marketer? There are a few things..

• Begin to re-purpose your sponsorship proposals to enhance digital activation opportunities, experiential opportunities (where GM can deliver one-to-one experiences), and database marketing efforts
  • Offer banner ads that drive consumer awareness (promotional tie-ins, games, etc.)
  • Understand that automobile companies may be more interested in experiential spend and less on traditional media (television, print, radio)
  • Be cognizant of the fact that while American automobile companies are beginning to shift MAJOR dollars into digital/non-traditional means, there are still a lot of advertising dollars to be spent. The autmobile category pumped $9.42 BN into the advertising economy last year

Partnerships: Category to Watch

Properties looking for new potential partners should consider the luxury watch category. Why? January sales of Swiss luxury watches in the United States were up 11% from a year earlier. The global watches market is expected to exceed $31.6 BN by 2009, growing at a compounded annual rate of 4% from 2001-10. The United States is the largest watch market in the world (with sales expected to reach $8.6 BN by 2010).

Despite an increase in consumer demand for electronic gadgets like the iPod, cell phones, and mp3 players, the luxury watch category has been able to maintain positive levels of growth due to consumers attributing luxurious watch brands as symbols of success.

Should collegiate rightsholders consider this category as well? The answer is Yes. Rolex recently made a $1MM pledge to Oklahoma State University at Okmulgee for scholarships and equipment. The catch is that Oklahoma State-Okmulgee is one (1) of ten (10) in the nation that offer a two-year watchmaking program, but that shouldn't stop you from being able to sell access to your institution's elite alumni base.  

Who are the key luxury watch makers that you should consider targeting?

• Bulgari
• Timex Corporation
• Tag Heuer International
• Seiko Holdings Corporation
• The Swatch Group
• Hermes International
• Gucci Group
• Cartier
• Patek Philippe SA

Attract and Leverage Camera/Film Partnerships!

1. American consumers have a fascination for photo booths.
2. Fans love unique ways to capture their experience at events.

Why don't those sponsorship sales reps take advantage of this notion by selling a unique sponsorship opportunity to a leading film and/or camera company? Here are some unique activation tactics to consider:

• Photoboof is a mobile photo booth filled with bizarre props that travels to parties where people can pile in and take photos. The mobile rig instantly provides consumers with prints and drives traffic online by uploading images to a photo gallery.
  • From a sports perspective, a team can offer a Photoboof that scours fans tailgates and enables them to take pictures to capture the moment using unique team props (i.e. mascot, dancer/cheerleader outfit, replicas of trophies, etc.) 
    • Why is this attractive to a camera/film company? This program could drive web traffic (fans going online to download/see/print their photos), demonstrate proof of print quality/efficiency, and engage consumers through an "out-of-the-box" personable experience. What's great about this idea is that it eliminates the need for space to activate in-arena and is a great tactic to engage fans pre-game (Ideal for events where fans tailgate).
• Polite in Public - This "new photo booth", is in essence a blend of karaoke and photography. Teams can use this technology to create a specialized background for fans to capture a picture of themselves "in the moment."
  • Idea: Offer a unique photo booth experience to fans sitting in the upper level of your arena to add incremental value at a minimal cost. Collaborating with a film/camera company to offer this exclusive photo booth will provide fans with an exceptional way to capture their experience (if possible, do this free of charge for fans). Simple in-arena tactics can leave lasting impressions enticing fans to return!

Side Note: Why don't teams use player nicknames to drive corporate partner investments? The Miami Heat could leverage Dwayne Wade's nickname, "Flash", to drive a unique team partnership with a camera company (Canon, Olympus, etc.). The Heat could offer fans the exclusive chance to rent out a new camera (at the team store, etc.) to take pictures of Flash in action (meanwhile, using the camera's flash feature). Such a simple collaborative promotion would enable consumers to trial product and drive traffic to an exclusive website where fans can download and view their photos.

Extend the Life of Your Marketing and Ticketing Strategies...

Can you name ten (10) brands that advertised in this year's Super Bowl?

Joseph Jaffe of Ad Age posed this question to prove that marketers are spending too much time and effort on the upfront "oohs" and "aahs" and not enough on the follow through. Each company spending $2.3MM to advertise during the Super Bowl would hope that you would remember their associated presence. In reality, the Super Bowl is a data overload, overwhelming consumers with a variety of messaging (commercials, commentary, in-game advertising; not to mention the actual game)

Does your marketing, branding, or ticketing campaign mirror a fireworks show - a program that is breathtaking but very short-lived for consumers? Do your front-loaded efforts provide solid back-end results? If the answer is "No", you may want to re-analyze your priorities, planning stages, and activation tactics. Marketers too often settle for the "sizzle" when they need to be focusing on ways to engage consumers through personal interactions and experiences. Sports marketers and sponsors need to reach their fanbase beyond the cute jingles and catch phrases.  There needs to be a call of action that drives fans to inquire about more information, share stories of their experience with friends and family, have a desire to trial products/services, and have an intent to purchase.

Sponsors and teams alike are in pursuit of "lifetime customers" but do our marketing campaigns and in-arena engagement tactics support this notion? Collectively as an industry, we need to evolve and optimize our communications to better engage fans through unique sponsor integration and personal experiences. 

Is There Money in the Can?

Picture yourself walking around outside of an event... Have you ever asked yourself, "Is there a way to make money with those Port-O-Johns?" Highly doubtful. Well, there is indeed money to be made out there. Have you ever considered pitching a toilet paper company?

When it comes to marketing the "bathroom experience", Charmin stands head and shoulders above the rest.

The chain followed up a Potty Palooza marketing campaign by offering New Yorkers an ultimate city bathroom experience. For the second consecutive year, Charmin rented out a NY City storefront and opened up 20 bathrooms to the general public from November 19th to December 31st. The paper products company marketed its pop-up location with themed bathrooms (themes from Wall Street to Molly Shannon). To complement its flush service, Charmin incorporated a retail component where consumers had the opportunity to purchase branded t-shirts, boxers, and bears.

Charmin's activation on-site also included:

• Enabling visitors to write about their experience via Bear Mail (Charmin postcards) that doubled as coupons
• Consumer interaction wiht other Procter & Gamble products (which were incorporated in the display)
• Hosted a wedding reception on-site, drawing numerous media impressions (the bride wore a dress made of toilet paper - a wedding contest run through a cheap-chic-weddings.com sweepstakes)
• Plasma televisions were featured throughout the footprint
• Brand ambassadors wore branded shirts, shook pom-poms, and danced
• Two giant Charmin bears were featured on display for photo op purposes

Results of the program were measured by polling consumer preferences (on types of toilet paper - Ultra Strong vs. Ultra Soft) through giant voting machines and flush-o-meters on-site. Consumers were rewarded with coupons for their active participation.

Are We Really Selling Our Fanbase to Sponsors?

Analyzing the sponsorship landscape, I think too often property reps try to sell the fact that they have 70,000 persons in attendance each game or 675,000 fans in attendance over the course of the season... But who are these fans? How often do we dissect who these fans are and what they really like? Most properties now provide potential corporate partners with traditional Scarborough demographics (Gender, Race, HHI, etc.), but do we do a good enough job understanding and selling their purchasing tendencies?

What got me thinking about this topic was a recent article in Event Marketer magazine (February 2008 edition). Read More here: