Barclays Scores New Fans With Its Ticket Office Promotion...

Are you looking for new ways to leverage a financial partner? Are you looking to create a nationwide promotion that can be scaled down to the regional/local levels?

Barclays created a terrific promotional concept in support of its Title Sponsorshipof the English Premier League. To activate its official title status, Barclays created the "Barclays Ticket Office", a promotion which rewards a pair of Barclays Premier League match tickets every 90 minutes, every day, for the duration of the 2008-09 EPL season.

The Barclays Ticket Office payoff equates to 16 pairs per day, 120 per week, 480 per month, and approximately 4,320 pairs distributed through the duration of the nine (9) month promotional campaign from August 16, 2009 to May 24, 2009.

Consumers are allowed to enter to win as many times as they would like throughout the season (with no charges being applied outside of standard texting rates), but are only eligible to win once during a 24-hour period.

To participate in the promotion for the chance to win a free pair of EPL tickets (travel and accomodations not included), consumers must obtain a 10-digit code by:

• Using a Barclays ATM in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man and requesting a receipt. Consumers can use the 10-digit code on the back of the receipt to enter to win
• Logging on to the Official Barclays Ticket Office promotional page and spinning five virtual soccer balls to receive a 10-digit code
• Participating in a variety of other Barclays' promotional contests

Once consumers have their 10-digit code in-hand, they can enter to win by:

• Texting the code followed by the initials of their favorite Barclays Premier League Club to 68887
• Enter the 10-digit code, input the initials of their favorite team, and enter their email address on the Official Barclays Ticket Office promotional page

As Barclays selects winners every 90 minutes, it notifies them via a text/online message and confirms the match details and the ticket distribution procedures (winners receive their tickets no less than seven (7) days before the date of the game). Consumers who win during the months of April and May receive tickets valid for entry to matches played during the 2009-10 season.

Barclays is driving viral awareness for the promotion by featuring four (4) tools on the promotional page that enable consumers to share the details with friends via Facebook, StumbleUpon, Delicious, and Technorati.

The Raptors Play "Spin the Smirnoff Bottle"...

Are you looking to create an engaging in-game promotion that rewards fans?

The Toronto Raptors recently teamed up with Smirnoff Ice to create a "Spin the Smirnoff Bottle" promotion that rewards fans with a variety of prizes. The Raptors place the Smirnoff spinwheel board at mid-court and offer select contestants the chance to win one of several prizes:

• Air Canada Flight Vouchers
• $200 Gift Certificates
• Lower Bowl Tickets
• Raptors Night Out Passes
• An Autographed Jersey

The concept is so simple, yet effective because everyone is familiar with the "Spin the Bottle" concept. The promotion serves as a great awareness/retention driver for Smirnoff. Check out a picture of the action below:

Chalk Up a Promotional Victory for Nike and the Cavs...

Are you looking for new ways to integrate corporate partners? Are you looking for ways to capitalize on pre-game rituals of your team's star players?

On Christmas Day, Nike and the Cleveland Cavaliers teamed up to offer all fans in attendance a chance to join LeBron James while he completed his pre-game ritual throwing chalk into the air. As fans entered the Quicken Loans Arena, Nike distributed an exclusive "WITNESS" confetti chalk pack with instructions on how and when to throw.

Just prior to tipoff, Nike successfully created a reenactment of its "LeBron Six-Chalk Edition" television commercial when thousands of Cavaliers fans joined LeBron James with the infamous chalk throw at press row. The promotion scored a lot of media attention and served as a great way for Nike to let fans live in the moment and experience something really special.

Nike complementedits distribution of confetti chalk packs by shooting 1,000 limited edition 12.25.08 Nike WITNESS t-shirts into the stands. The Cavaliers supported this by offering a special gift-with-purchase promotion that enabled Cavaliers fans to receive a 12.25.08 WITNESS shirt with the purchase of $50+ of Nike product in the Cavaliers Team Shop or on CavaliersTeamShop.com

Check out the promotional execution below:

A special thanks to alex Vitanye of the Ohio University Sports Administration Program for his insights and contributions to this column!

Wake Forest Has One of the Best Intros in Sports...

Are you looking to enhance your pre-game introductions? Are you looking for ways to drive fan excitement before tipoff?

Wake Forest University has created a tremendous pre-game introductions scheme for its 2008-09 men's basketball season. The University athletic department does a great job engaging fans and building energy in the building. Check it out below:

Chipotle Rewards Cardinals Fans for Team's SB Appearance...

Are you looking to reward fans through a traffic-driving promotional initiative?

In an effort to drive buzz around the Super Bowl, Chipotle recently announced that it will be hosting a "Big Red Pep Rally" for fans of the Arizona Cardinals.On Saturday, January 31st (the day before the Super Bowl) all Arizona Chipotle retail locations will reward consumers with a free burrito, taco, bowl, or salad. Chipotle is only requiring that fans wear red to pick up their free food from 2pm to 4pm that afternoon.

This is a great example of a company finding unique ways to capitalize on sports to drive incremental buzz and traffic to their retail locations!

A special thanks to Jonathan Norman of GMR Marketing for his insights and contributions to this column.

The Super Bowl Kickoff Belongs To... Papa Johns

Are you looking to create a unique football-themed promotion? Are you looking for an interesting way to tie in a media personality to your promotional offer?

Looking to capitalize on all of the frenzy surrounding the Super Bowl, Papa Johns has created a unique performance-driven promotion that has the potential to reward fans in a LARGE way.

If the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl (Papa Johns uses the terminology "The Big Game")is returned for a touchdown, every consumer who registers*on The Countdown To Kickoff webpage before 6pm on Super Bowl Sunday will become eligible to receive a large, one-topping pizza for just 25 cents. The 25 cent offer coincides with this year being Papa John's 25th anniversary.

Is the promotional offer possible? Yes, very possible - eight (8) kickoffs have been returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history (seven (7) of which have occured since 1984). During the 2008-09 season, thirteen (13) kickoffs were returned for touchdowns (Source: Countdown to Kickoff webpage)

Papa Johns has called on ESPN football personality Desmond Howard, who holds the record for the longest touchdown return in Super Bowl history, to help promote the unique discount offer for fans. The Countdown to Kickoff webpage features a few great viral clips that show Desmond Howard expressing his love for football and Papa Johns pizza while working at a Papa Johns retail location. Papa Johns is also supporting the promotion with a Facebook application/group which already boasts 200,671 fans.

*When registering online, fans are asked to provide their name, email, complete address, and birthdate.

The Illinois Lottery Makes One Blackhawks Fan an Instant Millionaire...

Are you looking for a unique way to leverage a lottery partner? Are you looking for a way to reward fans based on your team's performance?

Beginning January 14th, 2009, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Illinois Lottery teamed up to offer a "Million Dollar Minute" promotion where all fans seated in a designated section of the arena would win an instant lottery ticket courtesy of the Illinois Lottery if a Blackhawks player did not score a goal at exactly the 10:00 mark of the 2nd period.

The only problem? It already happened.

During the Blackhawks game against the Minnesota Wild, Blackhawks RW Martin Havlat scored a goal exactly at the 10:00 mark of the 2nd period. As a result, one luckyseason ticket holder(to be named) seated in Section 326 of the United Center instantly won one million dollars! The seat location and section of the potential winner was selected randomly at the beginning of the game (without the fan's discretion).

The winner will be named and made available to the media prior to the Blackhawks game against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

Jack in the Box and the Lakers Create Taco Frenzy in LA...

Are you looking to take your in-game promotions to the next level?

Free tacos have become a phenomenon in Los Angeles thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Los Angeles Lakers organization and Jack in the Box. Taco frenzy in LA began in 2006-07, when Jack in the Box partnered with the Lakers to distribute a coupon for two (2) free tacos to all fans in attendance each time the team wins and holds its opponents under 100 points at home.

While promotions based on team performance (when the team scores XX points, fans win XXX) have become common in the sports marketplace, few have garnered the level of media attention that the Lakers-Jack in the Box promotion has received. The promotion has been discussed by Ryan Seacrest on his weekly radio show, has become a hit with online bloggers, and has even made its way into the Lakers locker room. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson has used the taco promotion as a motivational tool for his players to play better defense and has made taco references during post-game interviews.

Over the past few seasons, the promotion has absolutely taken off. Jack in the Box even took the promotion to the next level by teaming up with Fox Sports West and the Lakers to create "We Want Tacos" t-shirts as a giveaway to all fans in attendance at a select game.

"We Want Tacos" chants have become a tradition at Lakers games (as seen in the clip below)...Someone please tell Lakers fans that two (2) regular tacos only cost $0.99 at Jack in the Box.

The "We Want Tacos" promotionhas become a cult-like obsession with Lakers fans seated in the upper bowl at the Staples Center...

But what happens when Lakers fans don't get their tacos? A chorus of boos and plenty of media coverage... Check out a clip of the action below:

A special thanks to Blain Skinner and his team of personnel at the Los Angeles Lakers organization for their insights and contributions to this column.

Have You Considred Creating a Scoreboard Section?

Are you looking to create exclusive sections in-venue at a minimal cost? Are you looking to drive excitement in certain sections of your upperbowl seating?

It really is a phenomenon how much fans love being shown on the scoreboard... For many, is there anything greater than going to a game and being featured on the scoreboard?

In most cases scoreboard cameos require fans to dance, kiss, make faces, etc. Being featured on a scoreboard is such a captivating moment for fans, yet interestingly enough, it is something that most organizations take for granted.

Over the past few years many organizations have adopted the All-You-Can-Eat model to drive fan excitement and new revenue streams. Could the next wave of fan-friendly sections be "Scoreboard Sections", where fans are guaranteed an appearance on the scoreboard at some point in time during the game?

It would be interesting to see if fans would be willing to pay an incremental price to sit in such a section. But regardless, the concept of a "Scoreboard Section" could be a great way to drive ticket demand for select sections of your venue.

Which leads to the question... We have seen so many advances in scoreboard technology, etc. When will the industry witnessthe first professional team feature a stand-alone Fan Cam Scoreboard that strictly shows fans' reactions and actionsthroughoutthe duration of agame? One has to figure that after all, most casual fans now go to sporting events for the entertainment value as much as the excitement of the game.

Are Your Fans' Birthdays Worth Free Admission?

Are you looking for new ways to stimulate fan attendance? Are you looking for new fan promotions that can tie in corporate partners?

In September, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced a new promotion that enables guests to get into one of their parks for FREE on their birthday. All visitors have to do is show valid identification and proof of birthday to qualify at the ticket office or online. The promotion is part of Disney's ongoing "What Will You Celebrate" thematic to drive traffic/interest in the Disney parks in 2009.

Which leads to the question, can't this promotion also serve as an effective traffic driver in the sports marketplace? All teams are riskingby implementing such apromotion is the revenue from those people whose birthdays it is that might have come to the game/event anyway.

Teams can view the promotion as a way to drive incremental attendance and revenue streams from concessions/merchandise/parking, figuring thatwhen aconsumer decides to celebrate his/her birthday at the game,theywill nevercome alone (they will bring their spouse, friends, and/or family members).

Organizations can consider tying in a number of corporate sponsors to a birthday-incentive promotion (after all, who doesn't remember receiving a razor from the Army when they turned 18?):

• Retailers (Target,Best Buy, etc.) may be interested in offering such a promotion to target a general consumer base
• A company like Anheuser-Busch may be interested in rewarding consumers on their 21st birthday with a special admission/exclusive experience package
• Build-A-Bear may find it to be a great way to drive awareness for their products amongst young consumers and their families.
• Auto companies and life insurance firms may be interested in using such a promotional concept to target Baby Boomers.
• QSR's offering special discounts for senior citizens (senior coffee) may be interested in targeting an aging group of consumers