With all of the advertising and sponsorship clutter in the sports and entertainment space, when was the last time your brand directly explained to consumers how you are effectively leveraging your partnerships to benefit the fans and the sport?

The video below, detailing Vodafone's supporting partnership of the Vodafone Warriors rugby team, is a tremendous, "must watch" piece for anyone working in sports business.

The video effectively:

• Explains the brand's partnership positioning in support of the Vodafone Warriors, a New Zealand rugby club (and details the duration of the partnership)
• Recognizes the passion and affinity of the Vodafone Warriors' fan base
• Demonstrates their commitment to enhancing the fan experience for Warriors' supprters
• Describes the impact the partnership has made on the sport of rugby in relation to that of other team/league sponsors
• Details how the brand has built a community that fosters interaction and fan support on an annual basis
• Describes how the partnership ties back to their direct business initiatives
• Promotes the interactive features, content, and games that Vodafone offers the Warriors' fanbase
• Details activation tactics

Check it out here!

A special thanks to Kim Skildum-Reid of Power Sponsorship for her insights and contributions to this column.

Are you looking for effective ways to leverage premier sporting events? Are you looking to align with multiple brands to activate on-site?

Samsung Mobile and Vodafone teamed up to feature a tremendous activation campaign at the Big Game 2, a rugby match played between the Harlequins and Wasps at Twickenham Stadium in January. The two (2) brands aligned their activation efforts to support the launch of the Vodafone 360 Samsung H1 Handset, the first Samsung offering to deliver Vodafone's new social networking and entertainment Internet services.

Check out their on-site activation efforts in this terrific 5:30 video recap below!

Are you looking for new ways to leverage wine partners? Are you looking to fill new sponsorship categories?

Wolf Blass, an Australian wine brand, is leveraging its official sponsorship of the RBS 6 Nations Cup (a globally recognized rugby tournament) with a $2MM marketing campaign designed to highlight similarities between the brand and the sport. The campaign draws attention to three (3) brand attributes - quality, passion, and character - that closely associate with the sport of rugby and resonate well with fans.

Wolf Blass will feature its sponsorship-related messaging through a variety of channels - television, print, outdoor, online, and at retail. The company is complementing its messaging with a promotion that enables consumers the chance to win "Ultimate Sports Prizes" via an in-store neck collar promotion (including VIP ticket packages to the Ryder Cup, premiership football matches, etc.).

Wolf Blass' partnership with the RBS 6 Nations Cup should serve as a benchmark for U.S. sports organizations looking to fill the wine category and fully leverage a partnership. Look for more examples to come in the near future.

Check out some of Wolf Blass' outdoor messaging below:

A special thanks to Matthew Carlton of XtremeInsight.com for his insights and contributions to this column. Source: Marketing Magazine.