Take a moment to check out the new March 2010 Partnership Activation 2.0 monthly newsletter. If you like what you see, please pass it along to two (2) friends in the industry.

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

• Store Challenges
• Insights Into Using Crowdsourcing in Sports
• Carlsberg Lets Fans Give Their Best Pep Talk
• Selling Signage for International Stars
• Details on the Top 50 Sports Business Blogs
• The March 2010 Recipients of the Partnership Activation Rising Stars Program
• Sports Social Media Watch - World Class Moustaches
• Activation Tactics from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games
• 2010 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
• Ways to Leverage a Dr. Pepper Partnership
• Creative Activation Tactics

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 March 2010 Issue now... and don't forget to pass it along to some friends!

The Columbus Crew recently turned to Outsider Entertainment to create a video montage that fully captures the fan experience and will serve as an effective way to drive ticket sales. Outsider worked with the team's corporate sales department to create a tremendous video that the team could utilize in a variety of messaging channels, including the team blog, email blasts, television spots, corporate sales presentations, ticket sales videos, and partnership marketing materials.

The video does a nice job driving excitement with highlights of the game experience and then provides an inside look at the fan experience with insightful testimonials. Check it out below:

Crew Ticket Sales & Testimonials from Outsider E on Vimeo.

FC Barcelona star Lionel Leo Messi recently teamed up with UNICEF, the team's jersey naming rights partner, to create a powerful viral piece designed to drive awareness and participation in support of a good cause. The 22-year old footballer recently signed a 2-year commitment with UNICEF to work on behalf of the world's most vunerable children and created the viral spot to encouage others to join him in his efforts.

The piece is powerful and extremely well done. Check it out:

Since 1992, Heineken has created a "Holland House" at each of the Olympic Games for all Dutch athletes, family members, friends, sponsors, media representatives, and VIP guests to enjoy while demonstrating their support for the Dutch athletes during Olympic competition.

The Heineken Holland House, serving as the home of the Dutch Olympic Committee, is an ultimate fan destination for those attending the Olympic Games. In 2010, the Heineken Holland House featured a main hall that hosted 4,000 people every night with various entertainment, including celebratory medal ceremonies and nightly performances by Dutch artists and DJ's. The venue also features a Lodge Restaurant as well as a number of interactive games for all to enjoy.

Check out a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible venue:

A rendering of the JetBlue tailfin

The Florida Panthers and JetBlue are celebrating their partnership by featuring a 22.5' x 26' airplane tailfin outside the BankAtlantic Center in South Florida. The fixture will serve as a gathering place for fans prior to games, concerts, and related events taking place at the arena. The tailfin will be revealed at a ceremony prior to the Panthers home game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, May 16th in an area the team is calling the "JetBlue Tarmac".

The giant tailfin signifies a non-traditional landmark that teams can consider incorporating at stadium gate entrances to drive greater awareness for their airline partners. With custom airline paint schemes becoming an industry trend, a signature tailfin landmark serves as a great way to tie everything together on-site for fans.

Ad Graphics, a corporate partner of the Panthers organization, built the tailfin off-site and transported multiple pieces to the BankAtlantic Center parking lot in early March to be assembled. Check out how the team built the giant tailfin here.

The Panthers and JetBlue announced a partnership in November 2009 and are further leveraging the agreement with TrueBlue Nights at the BankAtlantic Center, joint marketing promotions, and advertising. On TrueBlue nights, fans can receive a free ticket to a Panthers game by wearing blue or signing up to become a TrueBlue Member.

Nike continues to revolutionize the action sports space by refurbishing non-traditional areas into ultimate attractions for skateboard/snowboard enthusiasts. Nike recently ventured to the German countryside to create its newest action sports spectacle, "The Farm".

Once the project was complete, Nike invited some of the world's greatest action sports enthusiasts to try out all of the new toys it had to offer... Check out the viral piece below!

Nike recently released a powerful viral piece that demonstrates the things the Dutch National Team will need to effectively do during the 2010 World Cup to realize their full potential. The piece, entitled "Bleed as One" is very interesting because it uses some unusual imagery to demonstrate how the team will need to compete as a united front with with resolve and focus, not just their brilliant style of play.

Check out the piece below:

Sports organizations looking for ways to enhance their premium giveaway nights should take a moment to benchmark the Cleveland Cavaliers' recent Snuggie Night presented by KeyBank. The team took the Snuggie giveaway night to the next level by asking all fans with a ticket to arrive early to the game to partake in a Guinness World Record attempt. The offer was so enticing, tickets were rumored to be going for 10-times face value for the event.

For the first five (5) minutes of the game, 20,000+ rabid Cavaliers fans wore their Snuggie, helping the team set an official record for most fleece blankets of one (1) colors worn in one (1) place: 20,562. While fans put on their cool premium giveaways, so did Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the Cavs' dance team, who were given custom versions. Even the Cavaliers and Pistons players were given special, large-sized versions of the Snuggie premiums with their names and numbers monogrammed.

What are the chances of setting your own official Guiness World Record? Unfortunately, just 3% of the 60,000 applications submitted on an annual basis are approved and executed. But they can always say no...

Check out a video of the Cavs' Snuggie execution below! Well done, especially to KeyBank on their post-event execution featuring a microsite with pictures, videos, and a sweepstakes offer for fans who weren't able to attend!

A special thanks to Alex Vitanye of the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration for his insights and contributions to this column. Source: Cleveland.com

2K Sports recently announced that it is offering a $1 million prize to the first person who throws a perfect game in its new release, MLB 2K10. The skill-based challenge marked a unique way to engage fans and drive a significant amount of buzz around the release of the game on March 2nd.

The simple catch? Entrants must record the entirety of their game, either with a camera aimed at the television or recorded digitally. To ensure legitimacy of submissions, 2K Sports is working with Twin Galaxies, a worldwide sanctioning authority for video game high scores and records... And only one (1) person can win!

The chances of a perfect game happening in the Major Leagues? Just 16 perfect games have been thrown in Major League Baseball since 1901 (during a stretch of 160,000 regular season games).

The company created a special microsite to reveal the details around "The Battle for $1,000,000", which included a set of nine (9) detail instructions:

1. Get a copy of MLB 2K10 for XBox 360 or Playstation 3
2. Read the Perfect Game Official Contest Rules and Legal Rules Carefully
3. Print a Copy of The Perfect Game Checklist to Help Ensure You Don't Miss a Step
4. Set up a Recording Device to Record Your Perfect Game Attempt
5. Play Your Perfect Game Attempt in the MLB 2K10 Contest Mode in the MLB Today Section and You Must Use the Pitcher That is Set to Start the Game for That Particular Day
6. Throw a Perfect Game Without..
   1. Making any pitching substitutions
   2. Calling any coaching visits to the mound
   3. Pausing the game
   4. Delaying the game (waiting 60 seconds or more between pitches)
   5. Changing any of the control options. User must play using Total Control Pitching and Total Control Hitting (these modes are set to default when attempting the perfect game)
7. A Verification Code will Appear After Your Perfect Game - Input That on the Perfect Game Website
8. Print Two (2) Copies of the Verification Confirmation Page
9. Send Via Overnight Courier Your Recording Of Your Perfect Game on DVD Marked with Verification Code, Name, and Gamertag to 2k Sports Attn: MLB 2K10 Promotions Team 10 Hamilton Landing Novato, CA 94949

Check out the promotional trailer below:

Source: Kotaku.com