Are Your Fans Aspiring Composers?

Over the past few weeks, Canada has been in an uproar because CBC failed to renew its rights to the Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song, leaving the door open for CTV to purchase those rights. The song has a long and storied history in Canadian sports and had become engrained in the hearts and minds of hockey fans across the globe...

How did CBC respond to this? By creating a new, unique promotion that presents the opportunity for hockey fans across Canada to CREATE history.

CBC recently launched Canada's Hockey Anthem Challenge, encouraging all aspiring composers to submit audio/video files with their bid to provide new music for Hockey Night in Canada, a show that has been on air for 50+years. Musicans have until the end of August to submit personal music that they feel best reflects the show for the chance to win $100,000 in cash, half of the ongoing performance royalties, and bragging rights. The contest's website features video/audio anthem submissions for fans to review and share and offers an online program that enables aspiring composers to easily upload their music entries. 

Five semifinalists will be presented to the country and judged by a celebrity panel on a CBC network television special on October 4th. Two finalists will face off at the beginning of the Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader on Thursday, October 9th and the show's new theme song will be selected on the show's traditional broadcast on Friday, October 11th. This is huge.

What is the magnitude of this promotion? This would be similar (if not larger) to Monday Night football/Sportscenter conducting a nationwide promotion asking fans to create new theme music for the show...

Unfortunately, the promotion is only open to Canadian residents, so beware American musicians...You Cannot Apply.

The Nationals Attempt to Convert Orioles Fans...

Are you looking to attract and convert fans in your local marketplace?

If so, you may be interested in a "Conversion Day" promotion that the Washington Nationals recently implemented during their cross-town series with the Baltimore Orioles. On June 29th, the Nationals hosted "Conversion Day", a promotion offering the first 10,000 game attendees the chance to trade in one (1) piece of their gear from any MLB team for a new Washington Nationals ballcap, made of recycled, organic material. The promotion was supported by ExxonMobil, the team's official Energy Partner, in an effort to drive greater awareness for the promotion's "green" initiative (distributing recycled, organic products to fans).

The promotion served as a great way for the Nationals to attempt to convert Orioles fans but is pretty unusual for a club that is entering its fourth year in existence. Nonetheless, it is an interesting initiative that many organizations with smaller budgets could consider implementing to drive awareness and fan affinity in their local marketplace! On a side note, all non-Nats gear was donated by the team to the Goodwill of Greater Washington...

Miller Hits a Grand Slam with its New Promotion...

Are you looking to create a unique promotion that rewards fans and creates significant industry buzz?

Miller Lite recently launched an innovative "Grand Slam Giveaway" promotion that rewards each fans who catches a grand slam during the second half of the 2008 MLB season with free Miller Lite for a year... The promotion will surely become a popular topic among the MLB fanbase, serving as an extra incentive for many to chase after balls that are hit over the fence.. Free Miller Lite for a year is essentially three (3) cases per month (72 beers isn't bad!), a prize pack worth $550 (but in many consumers minds, much more).

To redeem their prize, lucky fans will be required to submit a picture of their ticket stub, a picture of the ball they caught showcasing MLB's insignia, and proof that they are 21+ years of age to UltimateHR@mbco.com within ten (10) days of the day they caught a grand slam baseball. If more then one (1) claim is received for a single grand slam home run baseball, all valid and eligible entries received within 10 days of the Grand Slam will be entered into a random drawing.

But there has to be a catch, right? Yes, of course. Consumers that live in AL, AR, CA, CT, KS, ME, MA, MI, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, and VA are not eligible to win due to state legalities, meaning that all fans attending Angels, Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers, Royals, Cardinals, Mets, Padres, Yankees, Indians, and Reds games cannot take advantage of the promotion...

What are the chances of catching a grand slam ball? In 2007, there were 136 grand slams (approx. one GS every 18 games). The best grand slam hitters in the game today are Manny Ramirez (21 - 2nd all-time), Alex Rodriguez (16), Ken Griffey Jr. (16), Richie Sexson (14), Jeff Kent (13), Jason Giambi (12), Gary Sheffield (12), Carlos Delgado (11), and Carlos Lee (11). So good luck to all those fans seated in the bleacher seats!

M&M's Scores With Its Airport Displays...

MARS recently devised an innovative strategy to activate around the European Football Championships at retail that proved to be widely successful. Mars International Travel Retail (MITR) created engaging in-store M&M's displays at airports across the Europe that captured the interest of traveling soccer fans.

 Promotions varied region by region, but most displays featured a "3 for 2" offer and provided M&M's branded foosball tables for consumers to play while waiting for their flights. Promotional vehicles catered to each market (i.e. distributing orange soccer balls at Schipol airport to align with the colors of the Netherlands team)

The promotion resulted in sales increases of 40-200% across a number of major retail locations in airports across Europe: Paris, Schipol, Lyon, Marseille, and Antalya Turkey)

Looking to Draw Butts in the Seats? Try Free Prostate Screening Night...

The Brewers have done it again. The team recently conducted the second annual "Free Prostate Cancer Screening" night at the ballpark - an effort that resulted in 480 people getting screened, a 25% higher turnout than the team's 2007 event.

How did they do it? The Brewers teamed up with local television station WITI Milwaukee, the National Coalition Against Prostate Cancer, a Milwaukee-area hospital, and Froedert & the Medical College of Wisconsin to run the promotion... The collaborating parties targeted their messaging at men 40+ and their wives and required participants to only have to fill out minimal paperwork and take a quick blood test on-site. Oh yea, the team also offered each participating individual two (2)free tickets to a future Milwaukee Brewers home game... Now the general rule of thumb is that you should never give away tickets to the general public, but this case is definitely a true exception (tying in quality partners to collaborate on a worthy cause and driving media attention).

There were rumors that men even began arriving at 4:30am for their checkups, which took place from 7:00am-3:00pm in a mobile unit parked adjacent to the ballpark. Check out the clip below for more details!

Volkswagen Scores With Its On-Site Branding...

In May of 2008, Volkswagen signed on as an official "jersey sponsor" of DC United as well as the official automobile partner of the MLS. In total, the company is paying approximately $4.5MM annually ($3.1-3.7MM team/$1-$2MM league), but they are making sure that they receive every penny's worth of their partnership investments.

Volkswagen has done an incredible job "branding" the fan experience at DC United home games played at RFK Stadium in a non-intrisuive manner. I have added a Volkswagen Activation Gallery, detailing some of the automobile manufacturer's on-site branding tactics, which include:

• Retro-VW Clock Signage (mirrors a speedometer - this is innovative and unique asset - my favorite on-site!)
• Volkswagen Garage - an interactive display on-site at the playing level
  • Provides significant in-venue visibility and serves as an excellent way for consumers to interact with the product
  • Serves as a hospitality area and vehicle showroom with space for 1,000 visitors
  • Offers a brand experience featuring soccer-based car games, t-shirt screen printing, branded merchandise, hammocks, Fifa XBox 260 gaming stations, and Adirondack chairs for relaxing 
• Free parking for the first fifty (50) Volkswagen drivers on-site in Lot 4
• VW-sponsored halftime entertainment
• Uniform Branding (team, goalie, mascot, children)
• Product display in-venue and out-of-venue
• Mid-field Display Signage
• Large Crowd-Surfing VW Jersey
• Branded Premium Items (VW Bags, Branded Foam Fingers)
• Field Boards and a Variety of Stadium Signage
• Mini VW Go-Kart Vehicles for Children to Sit In On-Site
• Free VW Logo Screenprint for Outdated Team Jerseys On-Site
• Sponsor of DC United's Soccer Celebration Event

With it's MLS partnership, Volkswagen receives rights to utilize league and collective team marks and the logos and marketing assets at the MLS All-Star Game and the MLS Cup.

Volkswagen's variety of branding techniques will ensure that every consumer will leave RFK Stadium knowing that it is a major supporter of the DC united soccer club, a feat that all corporate partners look to achieve. Volkswagen's on-site branding should serve as a benchmark for all venue naming rights/jersey sponsorship rightsholders looking to maximize their partnership agreements.

L.A. Hits A Homer With Universal Studios...

Have you considered signing a local theme park on as a corporate partner? Have you considered innovative ways to reward your fanbase based on team performance?

The LA Dodgers are currently leveraging their partnership with Universal Studios with an in-game offer that promotes the park's new mega attraction, The Simpsons Ride. The Dodgers created "Hit a Homer", a promotion that rewards fans in attendance with one (1) free kids ticket with one (1) adult paid admission to the Universal Studios theme park when a Dodger fan hits a homerun during the 5th inning of any home game during the 2008 season. Tickets are redeemable by bringing in and surrendering the Dodgers game ticket stub to a Universal Studios Hollywood ticket booth.

The Dodgers are also offering six (6) "Universal Studios Hollywood Free Kids Ticket" nights where children ages 15 and under can get into the game for free with one (1) paid adult admission. The team uses outfield "Play In Our Park" signage and LED ribbon board signage to drive awareness of the promotion; a practice that actually caught my eye during SportsCenter yesterday morning. The Dodgers also helped drive awareness for the promotion by having Homer Simpson throw out the first pitch one night, as demonstrated by the clip below:

How Long Are Your Fans Waiting In Line?

When was the last time you took into consideration how long your fans were having to wait in line for concessions? Or at the ticket/Will Call booths? Or inside your team gift shop? Or the bathroom?

Have you created any solutions to help justify this issue? Or considered the fact that a fans displeasure for waiting in line could directly affect their overall game experience, especially if they happen to miss a big play?

The reason that I propose these questions i because M/A/R/C Research* recently released a report that states:

• Overall, customers are staisfied (79% extremely/very satisfied) with an average wait time of about four (4) minutes or less
• Optimal wait time varies slightly by store/service category, but satisfaction decreases drastically as wait times increase above four minutes
• Generally, older consumers ages 45-64 are more satisfied with wait times when compared to younger consumers ages 25-44
• Long wait times can impact a store's bottom line (concessions in this case). Approximately 10% of customers state that they will forgo a purchase if the line is too long. In fact, 43% of consumers state that long lines aftter their decisions to shop at specific places/locations

As a result, teams should begin to consider a number of alternatives to entertain and distract consumers while they wait in line for purchase. Tactics can include:

• Equip staffers with a pocket full of coupons, free samples or other goodies they can give to shoppers as a thank-you while they are waiting in line or providing feedback on their game experience
• Interactive brand experiences; creative branding
• Cheerleader/dancer/mascot appearances
• Photo opportunities (companies like PictureU offer capabilities for fans to have a picture taken on a digital camera that is very similar to "green screen" technology)
• Offer premiums (courtesy of concessions, corporate partners) to fans while waiting in line
• Offer technology (Kangaroo television handsets, iPods where fans can listen to team music/watch team highlights) featuring informative and entertaining content
• Enable persons seated in certain sections to make handmade signs, etc.
• Product trial (food, drinks, etc.)

*June 2008 M/A/R/C Research Report (Measure - A Measurement of the Retail Experience). This particular survey measured the impact length of check out times have on store sales.

The PGA Tour Presents the Kodak Challenge...

Kodak and the PGA Tour recently announced the creation of The Kodak Challenge, an inagural competition that provides players on the PGA Tour with a chance to win $1MM in an eighteen (18) hole competition. Beginning in January of 2009 (coincidentally when Tiger Woods returns), select PGA Tournaments will feature a Kodak Challenge hole. The player that manages to post the lowest score relative to par on eighteen (18) of the Kodak Challenge holes will win the cool $1MM prize.

The Kodak Challenge holes will be pre-determined by Kodak, the PGA Tour, and an advisory board of officials... Players must play at least eighteen (18) holes to be eligible to win. Kodak touts the underlying objective of the promotion as a way to celebrate and capture the PGA's beautiful holes and memorable moments... In other words, develop an innovative promotional concept that drives some direct publicity and attention (and hopefully camera sales) back to Kodak.

Kodak will drive consumer engagement with interactive content available at pgatour.com/kodakchallenge. The promotion is Kodak's way of activating its six (6) year agreement with the PGA Tour, which also includes corporate hospitality benefits and digital scoreboard branding.

I am not sure yet how I feel about the promotion... A lot will depend on Kodak's ability to execute the idea and draw enough fan and player interest... I would be a lot more drawn in if there was an aspect that tied back to golf fans (either on television or attending each tournament where the Kodak Challenge is featured)... To drive consumer affinity, why doesn't Kodak:

• Create an online offer for a few select fans to be paired up with participating PGA Tour golfers with the chance to win $1MM (i.e. Century 21 Home Run Derby, where the player can win a select consumer a house)
• Incorporate fans into the hole voting
• Ask fans to submit their best photos of the selected holes for a chance to win Kodak prizes, etc.
• Activate on-site with an interactive golf simulator that enables fans to shoot for the closest-to-the-flag position for the chance to win Kodak gear/trip to see the final tournament hole played out
• Provide fans with a unique opportunity to have their picture taken on the selected hole of each tournament on the Sunday night after the evening takes place (with a select PGA Tour player)
• Set up a similar consumer promotion offering four (4) select winners the chance to play the nation's eighteen (18) best public courses (travel included) for the chance to win $500,000 or a lifetime supply of Kodak supplies and/or a trip to the Masters

Detroit Digs the Octopus Come Playoff Time...

Are you looking for a unique component to feature in your pre-game introductions? Has your organization capitalized on leveraging its mascot and/or historical elements?

During the playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings do something very unique that leverages the team's "Legend of the Octopus" tradition. The team features a large octopus, nicknamed "Al", that emerges from the video board onto the ice during pre-game introductions and then drifts up into the stadium's rafters... It is pretty incredible, check it out:

The octopus tradition stems from Red Wings fans throwing an octopus onto the ice at every home game for good luck. The giant octopus is nicknamed "Al" after Red wings ice manager Al Sobotka, who generally cleans up all of the octopuses that are thrown onto the ice during the game and usually will wave them above his head to get the crowd going. The tradition of throwing octopus on the ice in Detroit dates back to 1952 when an owner of a local fish market threw one from the stands onto the ice. At that time, the octopus' eight legs represented the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup and it has been a tradition ever since.

Dig deep into your team's historical roots to add value and entertainment to your pre-game festivities!