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Is 2016 The Year Experiential and Digital Marketing Merge?

Hope the new year has started off on a high note for everyone. I wanted to start 2016 by discussing a possible trend in marketing that will be hopefully be a major story and be on one of the end of the year reviews twelve months from now.

While looking through AdWeek last week, I noticed this article about a new event at the Sundance Film Festival. This gathering was titled Digital Storytelling and included a mix of brand marketers as well as digital content creators. The main focus was looking at how social media platforms have created connections between consumers and creators which gives marketers the opportunity create engaging content. This quote from one of the speakers does a great job summing everything up:

"The goal has to be less advertising" and moving away from the traditional waste model to a highly engaged and interactive environment, he said. To get to that place, Marchese said the advertising ecosystem has to begin to trade on proper human attention via storytelling that is priced according to the quality of that attention.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/how-data-enhanced-storytelling-rapidly-reshaping-both-content-and-advertising-169154

This article is similar but the main focus here is how brand activation has changed from in-store signs to creating activations or signage that creates a buzz. Also, the article talks about how mobile tech is changing activations and agencies like Geometry are changing to embrace the new tactics of brand activation.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/brand-activation-marketing-finally-getting-respect-truly-creative-field-168890

Overall, both of these stories are so exciting for anyone involved in the industry since the chances to be creative will grow so much. My passion has been the activation side, and I am very interested to see how technology is forcing marketers to design engaging content that tells a story....turning the story into a memorable experience in my mind will be huge due to how people are tuning out the crazy amount of ads we see everyday.

#sportsbiz #promotions #sponsorship

Standing Out During The Holiday Season

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and the unofficial start of the Christmas season. Like most people, this time of year gets pretty hectic between work, getting gifts, and trying to plan any sort of traveling. As a result, marketing can get tough since the attention span for all of us definitely shortens by a large degree. I also do notice a huge increase in advertising this time of year and do sometimes find myself ignoring most advertisements especially the digital ones.

Below are examples of marketing done by popular consumer brands since Thanksgiving that stand out as attention-grabbers.

The North Face:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/north-face-gave-these-shoppers-vr-experience-suddenly-got-awesomely-real-167900

I really love the combination of technology and a real dogsledding experience for the people in this video. The surprise twist after taking off the VR Goggles was really good because although virtual reality seems real nothing beats going through a mall in a real dogsled. This time of year is perfect for other outdoor brands to have similar winter experiences.

Asics:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/asics-just-built-worlds-biggest-selfie-stick-and-its-90-feet-tall-167858

The best part of this season is seeing family and friends which also means it’s time to get ready for pictures. Asics did a great job incorporating the selfie craze in their activation at the NYC Marathon last month so runners could have a lasting memory after finishing the race. With the large number of Christmas related runs right now, other brands could create unique photo experiences using creative hashtags.

Xbox:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/8-people-are-being-abused-next-24-hours-survival-billboard-london-168092

This one caught my eye because we have all read radio promotions or retail contests where people have had to compete in some sort of physical challenge to win. The stunt by Xbox wins the award for the most high-profile activation that involves people enduring a physical challenge to win a prize. Although some of the radio and retail contests have been dangerous, still think with the right supervision/standards similar activations can work during the Christmas season.

Virgin America:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/virgin-americas-bus-shelter-ads-use-google-street-view-take-you-inside-its-planes-168189

Although this promotion is based purely on technology, Virgin America does a good job of showcasing their brand to people who have never been on this airline. For tourism and travel related brands, activations that recreate a setting or the actual locale can be hard since people are usually in a hurry this time of year. Virgin America took the right approach by using Google technology and placed it where people have to wait...could see other activations done at airports or other places people wait for mass transportation.

Krispy Kreme:

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/krispy-kreme-rigs-glazing-machine-create-scannable-barcode-free-donuts-168495

Like the airline brand, Krispy Kreme uses technology for this promotional stunt to let people know they are offering a coupon to get free donuts. Even though you cannot touch or smell the donuts, just watching any portion of the 3 minute long video makes you want to drive to Krispy Kreme. With almost 130,000 views in one week, it seems like the doughnut brand came out as a winner with this digital content. Since food and meals are a big part of Thanksgiving and Christmas, other food/restaurant brands could have a similar marketing stunt.

#brand strategy #promotion #sportsbiz

Let The Holiday Marketing Begin

Good Afternoon,

Hope everyone has had a great start to Thanksgiving week and safe travels to those going places in the next few days. For this post, I wanted to share three links that do a good job summarizing marketing from Halloween (figured had two days left before this would be a way too late timed blog entry). The reason for Halloween as a topic is that October 31st more or less signals the start to the holiday season of marketing. Beginning on November 1st, the vast majority of ad campaigns and marketing initiatives by brands revolve around Thanksgiving and also Christmas. For the most part, I enjoy this time of year because brands can really shine if they focus on the images, emotions, and values associated with each holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). However, the annoying part with this time of year occurs when brands focus one hundred percent on consumers buying their product or service....Tell me a good human interest story or talk about the meaning behind the holidays and then I’ll be much more interested and won’t ignore a marketing campaign.

http://www.brandchannel.com/2015/10/30/halloween-2015-ads-103015/

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/halloween-chicago-hot-dog-stand-dressed-mcdowells-coming-america-167886

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/volvo-finds-another-use-lifepaint-keeping-kids-safe-and-illuminated-halloween-167856

#Branding #sportsbiz #promotion

When To Embrace Pop Culture Events

Hope the start of the week is off to a good start for everyone...before getting to the topic just have to say how about the Carolina Panthers! It was so exciting to watch the game last night and am so happy for everyone in the marketing and community relations department...great group of people who work within that area of the front office!

I’m sure everyone young and old knew last Monday was Back To The Future Day based upon the social media buzz and news coverage. Besides all the marketing, it was fun to see the creativity from the fans of the movies and all the articles about technology...very unique for a movie to stay so popular for 30 years and predict life on a certain date in the future.

Here are two articles that do a superb job of showing all the brands (good and highly questionable like airlines, politicians, police, sports teams restaurants,) that got involved in Back To The Future Day:

http://www.brandchannel.com/2015/10/21/back-to-the-future-102115/

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/30-years-prepare-heres-how-brands-celebrated-back-future-day-167694

This is another great article that discusses the digital content trends from Sept. 21 to Oct. 21:

http://www.adweek.com/lostremote/back-to-the-future-day-drives-brand-engagement/54293

Some of the best brands were ones featured heavily in the movie and ones that had a natural fit:

http://www.businessinsider.com/jaws-19-movie-trailer-universal-back-future-2015-10

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/pepsi-perfect-back-future-finally-becomes-real-thing-present-day-167375

https://ssl.toyota.com/mirai/fueledbyeverything.html

http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/21/media/back-to-the-future-nike-shoes/

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/usa-today-will-make-back-future-iis-fictional-news-reality-sort-167682

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0VGRlEJewA ( very funny Jimmy Kimmel skit)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsM-P-WSAo (Verizon partnering with Lyft in NYC)

#Branding #sponsorship #back to the future

Is Your Marketing Connecting With The Customer?

Good Morning,

Hope everyone enjoyed the end of the summer and fall so far. September and October have been busy times at The Harbor Center with events and the fall business accelerator group so unfortunately blogging got lost in the shuffle.

For my first post back I wanted to share two examples of brands who did a great job of connecting with customers and creating a “This is Awesome” moment.

First up is Heineken who had this activation right before the start of the Rugby World Cup last month. The company choose a Dublin pub that was full of rugby fans for a stunt involving two famous players in the sport. This sort of promotion has been done before by brands like TD Bank (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2713352/Automated-THANKING-machines-TD-Bank-surprises-loyal-customers-gifts-lifetime-ATMs-films-emotional-reactions.html) and Gatorade’s Sweat It To Get It campaign with players like Cam Newton and the Manning brothers but Heineken did a good job of making their version unique by switching out the players at the end(if nothing else watch that part of the video). With all of these promotions, I really love watching people’s reaction and the looks of excitement as well as confusion. Also, the buzz that goes through the crowd is really cool as everyone has to have their moment.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/heineken-hid-rugby-legend-inside-dublin-pub-heres-what-happened-next-166938

The second one comes from JetBlue who decided to give away prizes all around NYC by putting up ads at various bus shelters. The boldness of the stunt is impressive since the ads tell people to steal it and watching everyone’s reaction is funny. Another aspect I like about the campaign is that the majority of the prizes cater to residents rather than sports teams or tourist attractions outside of the city.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/jetblue-told-new-yorkers-steal-its-bus-shelter-ads-and-rewarded-them-it-167277

Have a great rest of the week!

#branding sportsbiz promotions

Experiential Marketing: Make It Memorable Part 2

Here is another example of a great activation event used by Paramount to market the new Mission Impossible movie. Although I agree with the article, that the chance people were picked randomly was low the enthusiasm and fun shown by the participants should mean the experience was something that made them want to see the movie and also share with their friends...given the chance of injury sure there are some outtakes or the surprise was staged after people signed waivers not to sue....Also, the those in the crowd cheering also left with a positive memory and higher chance of spreading the word about MI5. In both of the links from today, Gatorade and Paramount created commercials for promoting the sports drink and movie but each was engaging and told a story. The focus was on the crazy stunts and emotions showed by the people rather than the products themselves...I will remember these more than a commercial or banner ad to drink Gatorade or go see the movie.

Another smart move by the agency that designed this stunt was including min-versions of the stunts in the movie. The first time I read the article this never crossed my mind but after seeing the movie each task by the participants match an actual stunt from the movie. I will give the entertainment industry especially movie studios create since the promotions have gotten more and more creative since The Dark Knight experiential marketing efforts in 2008.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/watch-people-try-climb-slippery-plane-wing-mission-impossible-obstacle-course-166269

#Branding #promotion #sportsbiz

Experiential Marketing: Make It Memorable

Gatorade is back again with the “Sweat It To Get It” campaign for a second year. I really enjoyed the first round of commercials last year with Cam Newton and Peyton Manning because the reactions were classic. Also, it was fun to see the humorous side of Peyton and Cam who both are two of the funnier players in the league. This new campaign continues with great people reactions and some funny/goofy requests so people can sweat enough to get Gatorade.

The moment everyone has that I can’t believe I am in the same room as the Mannings or JJ Watt look on their face makes this such a great example of marketing. This opportunity will surely be shared by everyone featured in the commercial and will be a memorable experience associated with the Gatorade brand. The priceless reactions make the possibility of this campaign being shared virally very high as well. Overall, Gatorade hits another home run that other brands can get inspiration from to achieve that OMG moment.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/peyton-and-eli-manning-punk-college-kids-very-demanding-gatorade-vending-machine-166487

#sportsbiz #sbchat #Branding

Throughout his tenure as the host of the Daily Show Jon Stewart has loved lampooning one particular sandwich chain: Arby's. Last night, during the second-to-last episode of his 16-year run, Arby's took the opportunity to say goodbye, with a 60-second montage of Stewart's best jokes about the brand.

I wanted to share this link because of how this particular embraced a pop culture moment and turned the tables in order to generate awareness for the brand. I was always impressed with how Jon Stewart poked fun at Arby’s throughout the years while watching the Daily Show and also curious what Arby’s thought of these sarcastic pokes. The weeks leading up to Jon Stewart’s last week as a host had become a topic on social media and pop culture so there was a buzz building for these last few shows. The surprise of seeing the ad while watching the show live was impressive and have to give Arby’s major props for embracing the moment.

The closest ad that came to mind was Domino’s rebranding a couple of years ago. The premise of a brand admitting they were bad in order to better position themselves in the crowded pizza market was pretty novel. I hadn’t seen anyone else take this risk since the Domino’s ads so Arby’s continued this novel approach.

The biggest lesson for me seeing this is how a brand can use self-deprecating humor to generate buzz/awareness in a positive way.

Nerds, geeks, Scherzer, Greinke, Stormtroopers and Jedis gather at Nats Park.

Hope everyone had a great July...the craziness of the past month has delayed my usual blogging but now that I am settled in with the new job in Charleston hoping to get back into a more normal schedule. It has been a crazy and fun transition to be part of the start-up/entrepreneur world but really interesting to meet all the tenants and local business leaders involved in all four Harbor Center sites.

A theme that has come across from meeting all these various people is the all in mentality. Every tenant believes that there product or service will be the next Uber, Airbnb, Twitter and this 100% enthusiasm is exciting to see.

While looking through Event Marketer and AdWeek two weeks, I came across this article from The Washington Post. Rather than just have one in-between inning promotion and call that Star Wars Day, the Nationals took a minor league approach in making this promotion integrated into the overall game promotion. The team put a Stars Wars twist on the Presidents Race, National Anthem, and a meet and greet which is unusual for MLB teams when compared to minor league teams putting on similar promotions.

My biggest pet peeve with organizations in the sports, entertainment, and tourism industries is the fear of going big when it comes to marketing and promotions. I am aware these organizations do not want to scare away sponsors or offend potential customers but research shows people want unique experiences when going to events and there is a reason fans love MiLB teams who come up with goofy/unique promotions. Overall, I hope this is a sign that other sports teams, restaurant/bars, and tourist destinations will follow the lead set by the Nationals.

In conclusion here are the best quotes from the article:

“And sure, there were critics of the promotion, who said it felt minor-league, or stupid, or unnecessary. But one fan after another strolling the stadium said it was both special and appropriate for baseball — with its nerdy numbers and three-decimal-point stats — to open its doors to a horde of geeks, even during a big-time matchup like this one.”

“Fans described how perfect this was for families where one son loves ballgames and the other loves blasters, where mom wants to watch the game while her son wants to see hand-to-hand combat. And they explained how both passions so often developed in childhood, involving family bonds and more than a tad of fantasy.”

““It’s celebrating geekiness,” she said. “You’re allowed to walk around and be a dork. It’s awesome. I feel comfortable just being nerdy. I don’t celebrate my nerdiness on a daily basis, but this is like bringing two worlds together: the sports world and the nerd world.”

#sportsbiz #sbchat branding sponsorships

Brand Clutter: Stand Out From The Pack

Welcome to the summer! Hope everyone has enjoyed the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup as much as I have...my goal this week is to discuss examples of brands who stand out in competitive industries. Another reason for this subject is one of themes I noticed after seeing Jurassic World this past weekend. An interesting thread throughout the movie is how the public has become bored of seeing dinosaurs...rather than be amazed attendance at the fictional theme park has been stagnant so management decides to create stronger and scarier attractions.

This ho-hum attitude can be applied to technology and all areas of marketing from digital to experiential.

Some scary stats can be found by searching through Google about media consumption which include:

1. Millenials spend 18 hours a day consuming media (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232062)

2. Internet usage will increase 1.5% this year compared to 2014 (http://www.zenithoptimedia.com/internet-use-drive-1-4-increase-media-consumption-2015/)

3. A study from Southern Cal predicted by this year Americans will consume more than 1.7 trillion hours of media (https://news.usc.edu/56894/americans-consume-media-in-a-major-way-study-finds/)

In this environment how can brands stand out when traditional advertising is losing its importance and consumers can feel like they are at events or make judgements about their experience with brands thanks to social media.

The biggest focus for brands should be to make sure their marketing efforts show the energy and fun consumers have when using a particular product or service. Businesses in the sports, entertainment, and hospitality industries have an easier time than others like consumer product brands but a large number of organizations in these three industries don’t take it to the next level. A video or Instagram photo is great but where is an integrated effort that mixes digital, an unique twist on traditional marketing, and a touch of PERSONALIZATION.

Here are a few examples from the past two weeks

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/southwest-airlines-in-flight-entertainment/

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/hilton-live-nation-hiltonplay-campaign/

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/craft-beer-brand-ommegang-launches-ipa-pop-strategy/

All three did a great job of an unique marketing mix and improving brand image...I was really impressed with the integration by the brewery since the craft beer market is very crowded right now.

Another link I wanted to share discusses how event planners/conferences are creating unique opportunities for attendees/customers:

http://www.bizbash.com/site-specific-why-local-culture-matters-to-meeting-planners/atlanta/story/30502#.VX-tMca6D7V

The last link I wanted to share comes from the Bacardi CMO about how it became one of the top five millennial brands according to Forbes:

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/advice-from-bacardi-cmo-dima-ivanov/

#branding millenialmarketing sportsbiz

Brands: Adapt or Die

Well a month can fly by very quickly....This delayed entry was supposed to happen the second week of May after I finished attending the Dig South Festival in Charleston May 4th. The conference which is now in its third year was a great opportunity to learn about the latest marketing trends and see how technology is affecting every industry. I was able to meet people from different marketing agencies in the Southeast as well as hear speakers discuss the future of technology. Some of my highlights included hearing David Bonner from On Ideas, a panel discussing how tech is affecting the music industry, and Peter Scott from Turner Sports.

The biggest lesson I took away from the conference is brands that make up the sports, entertainment, and tourism industries really need to beef their technology capabilities. A stadium or restaurant or hotel having strong Wi-Fi seems to be the biggest concern right now for these type of businesses but there should be a focus on how will they adapt to wearable tech becoming more mainstream and what apps will become the next big thing in the next year (think people who work in these industries need to listen to any speech by Gary Vaynerchuk, Peter Scott, and John Mitchell of CSE). Another lesson I took away is how much people stressed content is king because of the power of social media and tech becoming more mobile on an everyday basis.

There are some standout businesses in the three industries but some have not acted fast enough to create a strong digital presence or adapted their marketing mix to include the latest trends (most sports teams do not fall in this category but see plenty restaurants/bars, stadiums, and hotels that are lacking). With these industries, a marketing plan that mixes technology with an experimental component has the power to reach a much larger number of fans/consumers. That is partly why I included tips from a summit about experiential marketing. It was interesting to see how many tips involved content or technology. Have a great week and enjoy the links!

http://digsouth.com

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/35-tips-2015-experiential-marketing-summit/

#sportsbiz sbchat branding marketingtech

Fans and players weigh in on the value of minor league baseball promotions.

I wanted to share these two articles because it was interesting to read two opposite viewpoints of the wacky and goofy promotions that are closely tied to minor league sports especially baseball. On one hand, Roger Sherman argues in the article below that fans need to attend games at a higher number to stop teams from having to pull these crazy promotions. From the purist sports fan perspective, I completely understand this viewpoint and at times do wish the focus was more about the play on the field rather than in the stands. The beauty of a strikeout, great defensive play, or home run is at the core what sports fans want to see when attending any baseball game regardless of the level of play. The desire to see players make great plays extends beyond baseball, and also I think Mr. Sherman forgets that this craving for excellence is hard for teams within in minor league sports because they do not have the star player playing on a daily basis. As a result, the minor league baseball, soccer, and hockey team have to be more inventive instead of being able to rely on star power.

The article linked from the title of this post explains the other viewpoint and the one that I thinks makes a more compelling argument. Jessica Quiroli does a good job of showing why creative promotions have a special place in minor league sports especially baseball. The tweets she received from players and people working in the front offices show even those in baseball appreciate the goofiness. After being part of minor league baseball, I really did enjoy the nights where we had an unique promotion...those were the nights that you could feel the energy in the stadium and made weekday nights more special. Two portions of the article sum up my feelings perfectly:

“There’s no doubting fans attend minor league games for the baseball, but the overall experience is loved by many. It helps keep the ebb and flow of the community-focused teams going strong. And if you look at MLB teams, they do plenty to get fans involved beyond the field. Fan Fest is designed to give the faithful a more personal moment with players. And bobble head love is a force in the majors. For a lot less money, minor league fans get a dose of that, and a glimpse of players that could be on their favorite MLB team sometime soon.”

“And @gonski43 with perhaps my favorite answer: "It adds to the atmosphere of the game, MLB teams should learn they need the fans in the stadium. Don't take us for granted.”

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/2/12/8027061/baseball-is-fun-even-without-your-back-to-the-future-jerseys?_ga=1.3979568.1690004530.1430192826

#sbchat sportsbiz sponsorships branding

What Does Your Brand Stand For?

For this week, I wanted to tackle the issue of branding/marketing for a well-known event in the Southeast. Two weeks ago was the 38th annual Cooper River Bridge Run and after running in the 2014 edition while part of the College of Charleston MBA program I decided to take the plunge for this year. Being from the Carolinas, I had heard people talk about this 10k especially since 2006 when the new impressive Ravenel was opened to the public. The brand image of this race seemed really strong since this race offered the chance to run through a historic coastal city when the weather is usually not too hot or cold. In the fall of 2013, I had run through different areas of the city including the beaches and running path on the bridge but running on the road with at least 30,000 other people seemed like a fun event.

My impressions from the 2014 race were really high because the weather turned out to be perfect and the views from the bridge while running were awesome. The only complaints were people walking who signed up to be in the running section at the start and some portions becoming like bottlenecks but understand this happens especially the bottlenecks bc Charleston does have narrow streets.

This year even though the weather started out colder turned out great during the run and l enjoyed the increase of bands along the course. However, I did notice less people than in 2013 which led to finding the article posted below from the local newspaper.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150328/PC20/150329289

The article talks about how the 2014 race only had around 32,000 runners versus over 38,000 for 2013 and the reporter talks about various reasons for this decrease. One of the reasons that seemed accurate was the colder weather and threat of rain that morning. I can see how bad weather can prevent people especially out of towners from driving to the city. Another reasons mentioned involved having the race a week earlier because of Easter but this is doesn’t seem valid because the last time a similar timing issue came up there were still 37,000+ runners. The third reason which is emphasized by the reporter is the increase of price (ten dollar increase from 2014 to 2015) which I agree with after looking at two other similar races mentioned in the article. Both the 10ks in Atlanta and New Orleans are cheaper for individuals and also families/groups. The links for those two races and the Cooper River one are below.

http://bridgerun.com

http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/2015-peachtree

http://www.ccc10k.com

The biggest difference between the three races is how expensive Charleston is for early registration and late registration compared to the other two. My guess is that Atlanta can charge the lowest because their race is the largest of the three but even New Orleans is $5-10$ cheaper. I will give Charleston credit for capping the numbers at 40,000 bc the course can’t handle anything above especially 60,000 who run in the Peachtree 10k. The other big difference is that the Atlanta 10k has a big focus on their running expo while New Orleans 10k seems to focus more on the post-race event. The Charleston group seems to want the best of both worlds plus incorporating aspects of the Rock n Roll Marathon races thanks to the emphasis on bands along the course. Like the reporter talks about in the newspaper article, I agree that the Cooper River group needs to find its own identity or offer more since similar races are cheaper. In all honesty, the beauty of the city and water makes the race special rather than having a band every quarter of a mile. If the organizers want to keep the music, then lessen them to every mile which should help with costs. Also, the post-event for New Orleans 10k seems more fun than the Charleston one so another suggestion would be to maybe scratch the special events Thursday and Friday nights or as the author points out figure out ways to help sponsorships cover more of the costs.

Overall, I think the bridge run stands out as a pretty unique 10k event in the Southeast and most likely across the country. However, the organizers need to make sure 2015 is not the start of a decline and the first year where people don’t see the value in paying to run. With other regional cities trying to make their 10k the big event, the Charleston organizers should focus on the food and scenery that make the city special rather than juggling trying to have so much music, great pre-race events, and novelty acts like skydivers.

#CRBridgeRun #Branding #marketing

Just thought this would be a funny link to share....great mix of old and new tech

The Power of Experience

Back with a second post to talk about a great experience I had while in Orlando and two links that show people will still attend live events if executed properly.

This Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a Major League Soccer game for the first time and see the second game for Orlando City SC(one of the two newest MLS teams). The Citrus Bowl where the game was played about half a mile from the downtown center but after parking in one of the downtown garages around 4PM I felt the energy for the 7PM game thanks to the restaurant and bars taking part in a “pre-game party.” This is pretty popular in colleges where there is a designated area near the stadium that has kids activities, live music, sponsor activations, and food/drink areas. This downtown district in Orlando had a similar feel minus sponsorship activations which made the atmosphere feel more local.

Even as a causal fan, I got more and more excited from the energy building among the fans. Once I got to the Citrus Bowl, the flashbacks to seeing the soccer game in Brazil started since the Orlando City fans were cheering/chanting outside the stadium and there was a 5,000-10,000 section dedicated to the supporter groups. Now I will admit that in Brazil the whole stadium chanted, cheered, and sang which made the game more powerful than only a small portion of the Orlando crowd acting like the fans in Brazil. However, the energy and excitement from the supporter section made the other 25,000 fans get into the game on a higher level than anything I have witnessed going to a pro game. It was still a little weird being a stadium/arena where there is no music played by the PA at all even during the very few stops in plays but more enjoyable to hear the crowd over piped-in music. The soccer game in Brazil is still my favorite event I have ever gone to so far, but the MLS game thanks in large part to the passionate crowd is in the top five. It will be interesting to see where MLS goes but if the teams can develop a passionate supporter base than the league should be a success.

On a similar note, I found one link from Bizbash about how golf tournaments are changing their marketing strategies to attract more millennials. As one myself, it is exciting to see how the tournaments are now using food/drinks to market their events besides just the golfers. After going to several events, the live experience like soccer is much more enjoyable than watching it on TV.

http://www.bizbash.com/march-10-2015-golf-tournaments-try-to-become-more-like-festivals-oscars-may-tap-new-producers-japan-promotes-tokyo-olympi/atlanta/story/30145#.VRRSzsa6D7W

This second link deals with how tech is being integrated with live events. From a sponsorship angle, this has to be great new news because the event tech is creating news ways to engage with fans/attendees. Also, this is cool from a consumer angle because now people can share their experience digitally.

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/digital-activations-sports-sponsorships/

#branding

Creative Activations

It has been a few weeks but getting back into the swing of regular posts now that the first weekend of March is over and my networking trip to Orlando is over. While catching up on the latest news, I found these two links that do a wonderful job of creating buzz for a product launch and new season of a TV show. Both of these examples show how creativity can make unique activations come to life.

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/natgeo-sxsw-experience-escape-cold/

http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/taylormade-press-event-hollywood-golf/

#sportsbiz #sbchat #branding

I saw this yesterday and had to share it because was impressed how Fox is trying to tap into the energy from the World Cup from last summer and continue the momentum for the women...def excited after watching this video

#sportsbiz

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