#activation

It's become very interesting to see how brands across the globe are leveraging their title partnerships in new, innovative ways.

In Spain, an International utility company named Endesa recently signed on as a title partner of a premier Spanish Pro Basketball League. To celebrate the partnership, Endesa built a basketball court inside their corporate headquarters and organized a game featuring some of the league's star players, cheerleaders, music, and live entertainment. Over 1,000 people enjoyed the live basketball game, which was played in the mail hall of Endesa's company headquarters in Spain.

Players were also invited to tour Endesa's facilities and have an opportunity to meet with 57 accredited media companies that were on hand for the event. Endesa's unique celebration serv...

* Activation Tactic of the Week

During the inaugural Sporting KC match played at Livestrong Sporting Park, a man dressed as a cow darted onto the field and amazingly scored the first goal ever at the new stadium (using his own ball). The on-field ambush performance was impressive to say the least.

While teams should never consider this type of fan activity, it does generate a great reaction from the crowd and is a tactic that shouldn't be ignored. Teams looking for ways to drive awareness for new team partners or ones with renowned mascots (either locally or nationwide) should consider staging an on-field stunt that generates stadium buzz.

For example, soccer teams could align with Chick-fil-A to have a trio of cows storm the field during pre-game warmups or halftime festivities chasing a chicken. The same could...

* Activation Tactic of the Week

JD Motorsports recently unveiled an innovative partnership with the upcoming action-thriller film Cowboys & Aliens that is generating a notable amount of buzz in the NASCAR space. The partnership marks the first time that a film will serve as the primary sponsorship of a car for multiple races during the weeks leading up to July 29th, the date the movie is released in theatres.

JD Motorsports and the producers of Cowboys & Aliens are leveraging their partnership with an innovative social-media driven promotion that will enable 60,000 fans to have their face featured on the mosaic version paint scheme of the car. To participate, fans simply have to log on to the Official Cowboys & Aliens Facebook Page or the film's official microsite, and input their contact information and upload a p...

* Activation Tactic of the Week

The Seattle Sounders recently teamed up with a local advertising firm named Wexley School for Girls to create a brilliant marketing campaign that is generating a notable amount of buzz around the team's Official Facebook page.

The campaign, entitled "Make a Date with a Sounder", serves as a humorous marketing ploy that introduces fans to the teams' players via mock dating profiles. The campaign features outdoor billboards, TV and radio spots, personal ads in newspapers (under the headline "Sounders Seeking Fans"), video dating profiles on Facebook, and more.

The heart of the "Make a Date with a Sounder" campaign will live on Facebook:
Six (6) Sounders players feature video dating profiles where they discuss their best qualities, hometowns, pets, hobbies, appearances, and more
Se...

Axe recently leveraged its designation as an Official Partner of the 10th annual Mont Saint-Sauveur Ride Shakedown by partnering with Steel Space Productions to create an innovative activation footprint driven by music. Axe and Steel Space designed an "Axe Jam Box", an exclusive deejay booth that engaged fans with hip tunes and a variety of brand-centric games and prizes. Axe generated excitement within the footprint with music and a cool "Spin the Axe Bottle" game (1:03 of video below) that allowed participants to win a variety of prizes.

The Axe Jam Box was situated at the base of a mountain where thousands of fans awaited their favorite snowboarders and amateurs upon the completion of their runs on the slopes. Steel Space Productions is a unique vendor that creates unbelievable ac...

Activation Tactic of the Week

Nike recently launched an innovative billboard campaign in Copenhagen, Denmark that featured a team of Nike graffiti designers customizing a Nike iD billboard in "real-time" based on Facebook community engagement.

Over a two week period, Nike graffiti artists spray painted a giant white shoe billboard to mirror the most "liked" designs in the Nike Free Run 2 iD Facebook page. On the dedicated Nike Facebook page, consumers can download a Free Run 2 iD application that allows them to customize their shoes and have the ability to purchase them directly on NikeiD.com. Fans can view a complete gallery of designs and vote on them using Facebook "like" functionality.
(function (){var a=document.createElement("script");a.defer="true";a.src="http://www.apture.com/js/apture.js?siteToken=wgbbV...

Activation Tactic of the Week

The Dallas Mavericks partnered with Qualcomm and Big Playar to distribute 2011 NBA Playoff tickets with augmented reality functionality, an extremely novel fan engagement tool.

Fans who had an Android phone were able to scan an image of a Mavericks player on their game tickets to receive immediate access to an interactive game on their phone. Fan participation was guided by a set of instructions featured on the back of the team's ticket stubs, which required fans to download the Mavs AR app in the Android market and hover their phone over their ticket to access the game.

Mavs fans attending the game who did not have an Android phone could play the game at various phone zones situated through the American Airlines Center.

It will be very interesting to see if more teams begin...

Activation Tactic of the Week

Anheuser-Busch recently teamed up with Ogilvy Argentina to create a brilliant interactive game designed to engage soccer enthusiasts in nightlife settings. The collaborating parties developed an exclusive "PoolBall" event that allows teams to compete head-to-head in a game that resembles pool but is played by using soccer skills.

At several pubs throughout Buenos Aires, Anheuser-Busch set up a massive 7x3 meter pool table that served as the stage for the event. Teams were challenged with kicking 15 soccer balls, reskinned to resemble pool balls, into goals positioned in place of each of the pockets of a pool table. The interactive game was designed to drive awareness and engagement around AB's Budweiser brand.

The "PoolBall" concept has certainly generated a significant amount of ...

* Activation Tactic of the Week

Since 2009, Virgin Mobile has done an incredible job leveraging its presenting sponsorship of Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour. While sponsors commonly sponsor a musician/tour to generate awareness and buzz amongst a core consumer base in major markets nationwide, Virgin Mobile has gone to extra lengths to ensure that its partnership with Gaga delivers much, much more.

The prepaid cell phone company has teamed up with Gaga to promote a number of cause related initiatives, including efforts to combat youth homelessness (specifically LGBT youth) and encourage consumers to become volunteers. Virgin Mobile also reaps value from the partnership via live concert integration, tour branding elements, VIP initiatives, and more.

Over the past three (3) years, Virgin Mobile's activation tactics...