Headlines

POLL: Which social media platform do you prefer to use for networking?

2010-09-01T03:12:24Z

Social media platforms are becoming integral for sports business professionals to connect with one another and share best practices. Let us know which social media platform has been the most beneficial to helping you network and why.

Home Depot Drives Excitement at Braves Games with Tool Race

2010-08-31T01:48:24Z

Over the past few years, Home Depot has brought its partnership with the Atlanta Braves to life with an engaging tool race during games. The race features four (4) Home Depot tools - a hammer, saw, paint brush, and a drill - competing head-to-head in a race around the warning track. The Braves now drive excitement around the initiative by accompanying season long stats of tool performance and aligning fan contestants representing each tool.

It is rumored that "Two Bit", the Home Depot drill that competes in the race, NEVER wins but here is proof that it did happen once in 2009.

Here is a great compilation of some other on-field races featured at baseball stadiums across the country.

adidas and Zidane Team Up to Market New Line of Products

2010-08-31T01:33:46Z

CPG companies looking for new ways to leverage sports to drive retail sales should take a close look at a recent adidas commercial spot that features soccer legend Zinedine Zidane.

Zidane is the new face of adidas' Body Care for Men, a line of deoderant, shower gel, and toiletries targeted at young male adults. adidas is using Zidane as a recognizable figurehead to drive consumer awareness and interest for its six (6) Body Care for Men products, labeled "Pure Game", "Play", "Drive", "Impact", "Strength", and "League".

In the commercial spot, Zidane is shopping at a high end retail location when he notices a young male consumer performing some amazing juggling tricks after spraying deoderant on from adidas' Body Care for Men product line. The piece does a great job leveraging adidas' partnership with Zidane and effectively tying a CPG product back to the game of soccer.

Check it out below:

Source: Home Essential

Dana White Connects Directly with UFC Fans Via Fan Phone

2010-08-31T00:44:16Z

Dana White, the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and social media extraordinaire, recently teamed up with Digital Royalty to provide the sport's fans with unprecedented access.

Prior to the UFC 118 Event in Boston on Saturday Night, Dana White tweeted out a phone number to his 4.5MM Twitter followers that allowed UFC fans to call him directly and share their predictions for the fights on tap that night. Within seconds, White received a call from a loyal UFC fan and shortly thereafter heard from a number of other fans from across the world.

Amy Martin of Digital Royalty documented White's "Fan Phone" strategy and created a video case study that she recently posted online to help bridge the gap that exists between the virtual and physical worlds. Check it out below!

The FL Panthers and The Eagles Partner on Marketing Efforts

2010-08-30T23:19:31Z

Sunrise Sports & Entertainment recently announced a unique partnership between the NHL's Florida Panthers and the storied American rock band, The Eagles. The sport/music entities are teaming up to create a unique, fully integrated marketing partnership that is believed to be the first of its kind in the sports and music entertainment industry.

The Eagles will serve as the Presenting Sponsor of the team's 2010-2011 Training Camp and will benefit from exposure via numerous branding channels throughout the duration of training camp (Sept. 11 - Oct. 10), including:

2010-2011 Training Camp Logo Entitlement
Training Camp mentions on FloridaPanthers.com
Social Media Messages
Training Camp Press Releases and Marketing Adverts
Messaging In-Game, In-Arena, and On Television Broadcasts
Media Backdrops
Ice Signage
Additional Signage Inventory in the Panthers Den Training Facility

The Eagles' Training Camp sponsorship will provide exposure for The Eagles' concert at the BankAtlantic Center on Friday, October 8th, eight (8) days prior to the Panthers opening night matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Financials of the partnership agreement were not disclosed.

Source: Panthers.nhl.com

Air New Zealand Leverages Rugby Partnership with Safety Video

2010-08-30T12:12:55Z

As part of their partnership with the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Team, Air New Zealand recently released a terrific airplane safety video that incorporates players, fans, and more. The video demonstrates new ways that teams and airline partners can leverage their affiliations in creative ways.

Check it out below:

State Parks Open Their Terrain Up to Sponsorships

2010-08-29T17:06:54Z

Brands looking for new ways to message to outdoor enthusiasts may soon be able to via state park sponsorships. Per a recent Associated Press feature, New Hampshire, Maine, Virginia, and Georgia are reportedly considering using corporate partnerships to support and fund their state parks.

The state of New Hampshire may become the first state to delve into corporate partnerships. The state has a deal on the table with Eastern Mountain Sports to promote state parks in its outdoor clothing and apparel stores in exchange for having state park's promote the company's products. As part of the agreement, park staffers would wear uniforms featuring the Mountain Sports logo and other partnership ideas call for Eastern Mountain Sports to provide kayaking lessons and other programs and host a "park of the future" contest that enables park goers to suggest new programs and features they would like to see.

Corporate partnerships, if executed correctly, make a lot of sense for state parks. They provide funding to support park maintenance and upkeep, help drive awareness, and create nontraditional relationships with local communities.

Per the Associated Press article, the state of Virginia is close to announcing a promotional partnership with The North Face, allowing the company to install touch-screen welcome kiosks with trail information and printable maps. The state of Maine has worked with local private companies to sponsor a passport program that gives park goers benefits.

Look for more state park programs to come in the near future!

Source: Associated Press

August 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 Newsletter

2010-08-23T01:25:50Z

Thank you for your continued interest in Partnership Activation. Click here to check out the new August 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter.

Thanks to our friends at adidas Eyewear, if you pass along the August 2010 Newsletter to a friend or colleague in the industry and they submit a sponsorship/marketing "best practice" that is selected to be featured in the September Newsletter, you BOTH can win a FREE pair of adidas Eyewear!

Pass along the newsletter and send in your "best practice" submissions to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com! Only (1) winning duo will be selected! In the meantime, check out the great adidas Eyewear styles that you could win here: http://www.adidas.com/us/eyewear.

This month's newsletter features a collection of insights, including:

Marketing Hometown Pride
20 Top Sports Graduate Programs to Consider
Creative Promotional/Engagement Tactics from the Barclays Premier League
2010 NFL Training Camp Title Sponsorship Breakdown
In-Venue Baseball Destinations
A Look At SportsAgentBlog.com
August 2010 Partnership Activation Rising Stars
Thermopylae Drives Mobile Fan Engagement
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games
Maker's Mark Thought Starters
New Idea Box Insights

If you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, please send an email with "Subscribe" in the subject line to newsletter@partnershipactivation.com. In the body of the email, please include your name, company affiliation, and contact information when subscribing.

Check out the August 2010 Issue now... and please feel free to send along any feedback or suggestions you have this month!

If you enjoyed the August 2010 Issue, you may also be interested in:

Hewlett Packard Celebrates Dallas Cowboys Partnership

2010-08-17T12:12:09Z

Hewlett Packard recently created a tremendous viral piece that highlights its partnership with the Dallas Cowboys in a unique way. The clip provides insight into all of the work that went into designing and building the IT infrastructure behind the most technologically advanced stadium on the planet - the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

The viral piece highlights the HP converged infrastructure and would serve as an impactful piece to show on the video board and the team website for fans to enjoy. Check it out below:

Celebrate Unique Team Experiences

2010-08-17T11:57:26Z

Sports organizations looking to post unique content on their websites, social media channels, and related pages should consider creating a "Day in the Life" series that provides fans with an inside glimpse of the lives of their players.

Chicago Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane, a Buffalo native, recently began his day with the Stanley Cup trophy by bringing it to Niagara Falls for an iconic photo shoot. Kane, sporting a red Blackhawks jersey, was greeted by a pack of fans as he arranged to bring the Stanley Cup to the Hurricane Deck at Bridal Veil Falls. Kane posed for several photos holding the Stanley Cup up high while getting soaked by water falling down on him from the Falls.

The moment was truly memorable and was a spectacle that hockey fans around the globe would love to see. A number of fans on-site captured raw footage of the action, which serves as great viral pieces for teams to promote on their site, blogs, and social media channels - especially in a day and age where teams are looking to provide exclusive content to fans 365 days per year.

Check out some videos of the action below:

Source: NHL.com