The Magic Offer Playoff Tickets to Scavenger Hunt Participants

The Orlando Magic are partnering with T-Mobile to host the second annual Magic Text Scavenger Hunt, offering fans a chance to win a pair of tickets to every home game during the team's 2011 NBA Playoffs run.

The promotional initiative allows teams comprised of 2-4 persons an opportunity to compete in a head-to-head scavenger hunt foot race in downtown. From noon-3pm on Saturday, April 2nd, teams will search downtown Orlando by foot while participating in a number of team activities along the way for a chance to win. Each team will be guided to select destinations by Magic Text Subscriber mobile alerts. The team that generates the highest point total and fastest time will win the grand prize - two (2) upper bowl tickets to every Magic home game during the 2011 NBA Playoffs.  

Fans can enter for a chance to compete to win by completing a registration form on the team's official website, sending a text message to 78828 with the keyword HUNT, or printing their name/team name  and contact information on a 3x5 card and mailing it to Magic Text Scavenger Hunt, 8701 Maitland Summit Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32810. Each team must have at least one (1) person in the group who is a Magic Text Subscriber on their mobile phone.

Syracuse Athletics Turns to NYC Taxis to Drive Awareness

Under the direction of Athletics Director Dr. Daryl Gross, Syracuse Athletics has invested in an aggressive marketing campaign that includes SU Athletics branded taxi tops in New York City as well as the NY logo on the back of the football team's helmets.

With New York City serving as a key battleground for the Orange, the Athletics Department has turned to taxis, buses, and billboards as effective means to drive awareness and excitement for Syracuse football and basketball.

The efforts have proven to be a great way to position Syracuse Athletics as New York's College Team with 45,000+ alums living in the Metropolitan Area. Check out some photos of their branding initiatives below:

              

  

The Thrashers Look to Sell Tickets By Putting Their Mascot In Jail

Sports organizations are certainly going the extra distance to sell tickets these days.

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Thrashers launched a "Free Thrash!" viral campaign on their team website encouraging fans to purchase ticket packages around the holidays to free their mascot from jail.

While some may question the morality of a campaign, it seems to be paying off. The Thrashers have generated nationwide attention via major media outlets and have generated 14,000+ likes on Facebook. The marketing campaign is very unique but it will be interesting to see if the team is able to hit their ticket goals with such an indirect call-to-action...

But is it worth young fans potentially seeing their favorite team mascot in handcuffs and behind bars, especially in a day and age where sports organizations have a tough time keeping their players, mascots, and personnel out of legal troubles? Only time will tell. This campaign is very risky and could be very fruitful or might backfire in a big way.

Here's how they did it:

8:05am (Wednesday, Dec. 15th): The Thrashers released a staged news report (viral piece) that featured the team's mascot, Thrash, getting arrested and placed in the back of a police car after stealing a zamboni and leading Gwinnett County police on a slow-speed interstate chase. Thrash was apparently frustrated that the team wasn't getting the attention it deserved after moving into fifth place in the Eastern Conference and decided to steal a zamboni from the team's practice facility in Duluth, GA and drive it 25 miles down the interstate to Philips Arena  

11:05am (Wednesday, Dec. 15th): The Thrashers released a second viral piece from the Gwinnett County Courthouse that featured a judge offering an ultimatum that the Thrashers must sell 5,000 additional tickets to the remaining December home games to get Thrash released from jail. Fans have an option of choosing (1) of (2) options to help Thrash out:

• Purchase tickets to any of the team's five remaining games in December
• Share the holiday spirit and make a $50, $100, or $250 ticket package donation to a local charity

The Thrashers are continuing to drive momentum around the Free Thrash! campaign with Facebook and updates and the release of a few special videos, like the one enclosed below: