Partnership Activation is an industry-leading resource showcasing sports marketing and sponsorship trends, insights, and best practices.
The Oakland Athletics recently hosted an M.C. Hammer Bobblehead Night that generated a significant amount of awareness for the club's "80's Weekend" at the ballpark. The A's celebrated Hammer's duties as a team clubhouse assistant from 1973-1980 by distributing a replica bobblehead that actually spins - a simple, yet brilliant idea!
Check out the bobblehead below:
Minor League Baseball delivers some of the finest, unconventional ideas in all of sports. Here are seven (7) great promotional and entertainment ideas that teams from all leagues can consider benchmarking to enhance the game day fan experience at their venue.
I. Durham Bulls "Rock On" Promotion
The Durham Bulls created an entertaining segment where fans seated along the 3rd base line engaged in a singing competition against fans sitting along the first base line. The team played some commonly recognized rock songs that were easily embraced by the crowd. We should see more of this in Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball! Simple, yet effective.
The Cleveland Indians recently announced a partnership with BP that is highlighted by a series of promotions in-stadium and at retail.
As the Official Fuel of the Cleveland Indians, BP receives the exclusive naming rights of Indians batting practice and the company is taking full advantage of the designation to enhance the fan experience:
From a retail standpoint, the Indians and BP are teaming up to execute a pretty standard fill-up and win promotion across 215 BP locations in Northeast Ohio. From June 1st to August 30th, fans who fill-up their cars with ten (10) gallons of gas can receive a scratch-off card that provides a unique code. Fans are encouraged to register five (5) unique codes on BPIndiansBaseball.com to receive two (2) free Mezzanine tickets to an Indians game online at www.indians.com/BP.
The Milwaukee Brewers are supporting their 2011 season ticket sales efforts with a "Fantastic 40" initiative that rewards 40 season ticket holders with 40 unique prizes and experiences over the course of 40 days (January 17th - February 15th). The terrific concept rewards all fans who sign up to become season ticket holders with the organization. Once fans' payments are received in full, they are automatically entered in the promotion, which offers some truly incredible prizes and experiences.
The Brewers are promoting the initiative by announcing the daily winners on a digital billboard in Milwaukee and posting an announcement, including a photo of the custom billboard, on their official Facebook page. The live billboard, complemented by a daily Facebook post, serve as a great call-to-action to entice fans and drive buzz in the weeks leading up to the season.
With an offseason of exciting acquisitions, ticket promotions, and fan-friendly incentives, the Brewers organization sold 1 million tickets for the 2011 season by January 19th, matching the earliest date that the club has ever reached that milestone. Season ticket and 9-Pack sales were deemed to be a priority for the club heading into the offseason.The Brewers tremendous "Fantastic 40" prize offerings include:
Are you looking for new ways to engage fans prior to the season? Are you looking for new ways to drive fan engagement online?
The Los Angeles Dodgers recently teamed up with Channel 1 Media to create a terrific customized online campaign to engage fans prior to the start of the 2010 MLB season. The two parties created a really cool campaign that enables fans to create their own billboard... in a matter of seconds. The initiative, designed to drive fan interest and ticket sales, is a turnkey piece that can be implemented by teams from all leagues.
The campaign is really simple, yet very interactive and fun for consumers. The best part is the fact that it ties directly back to the Dodgers' terrific "This Is My Town" billboard messaging campaign from 2009 and truly lets fans be a part of the action. Channel 1 Media and the Dodgers also did a great job building in social media functionality to help the campaign go viral (see the Facebook, Twitter, and email functionality on the last picture below).
Check it out at http://channel1media.com/dodgers/2010/
Are you looking for new ways to reward fans at the ballpark? Are you looking to create new ticket promotions based on team performance?
This season, the Milwaukee Brewers are running a "Dollars for Dingers" ticket promotion where fans can save $1 off a Loge Outfield ticket (regularly $28) for EACH Brewers home run hitover a 10-day stretch of the season. The promotion offers fans the chance to save a lot of money on their tickets based on the team's performance (if the team hit 28 home runs during the stretch, fans would receive tickets for free).
When the team offered the promotion from June 15 - June 25, the Brewers' power hitters slugged 12 home runs, discounting the price of the $28 loge seats to just $16 ($12 off) during a 2-game July homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals. Earlier this season, the team sold out their Dollars for Dingers ticket inventory in just 30 minutes, demonstratingthe strong support the promotion has received.
Look for more teams to showcase discounted tickets based on team performance!
Partnership Activation is an industry-leading resource showcasing sports marketing and sponsorship trends, insights, and best practices.
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Cover Photos Courtesy of Woolenium, SMBuckley23, and Striatic
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