It’s no secret that becoming a sponsor of a professional sport can get your client or business’ name in front of tens of thousands of fans.  But if you’re considering a simple in-stadium banner, think again.  No longer are companies content with passive forms of advertising that, in a cluttered stadium, often get overlooked. The most innovative brands are instead turning to on-site activations to connect and captivate their audience.

AdWeek reports that brands are spending $1-3 on activations for every dollar spent on sponsorships, treating the sponsorship as, “the price of entry—then the activation takes over to make the investment effective.”

So what makes an on-site experience successful?  Here are three smart tactics to generate the most impact:

1. Make A Statement: There are dozens of brands competing for attention around a stadium, negotiating prime position and standing out is key.  An alluring, colorful set with visible interactive pieces (photo walls, games, large flat screens, branded tents, large show pieces, etc.) will demand attention.  For Jack’s Munchie Mobile, the first mobile restaurant from Jack in the Box, we negotiate corner lots for more space and increased visibility, and use supersized branded flags, an LED digital menuboard to draw in crowds.

2. Make It Fun: Remember, fans are there to have fun with their friends and families above all else.  Chasing people with a clipboard is no one’s idea of a good time.  Instead, create an interactive game that is accessible by all to give your experience life.  Crowds will form to watch participants, and lines will draw attention from faraway fans. For Qdoba’s sponsorship of the 2011 World Series Championship-winning St. Louis Cardinals, we created the Pitch N’ Win Challenge, allowing participants to pitch a branded baseball into the Cardinal’s catcher’s mitt for a chance to win the ultimate game day experience including a player meet and greet.  They also instantly took home a Qdoba card loaded with free food just for playing.

3. Create a Memory: Participants are more likely to remember the experience they just had if their takeaway is personalized.  Instead of just distributing free swag, provide them with a customized fan photo that they can take home.  Even better, allow it to be easily sharable through their social networks.  For Qdoba, we snapped photos of fans and instantly framed them with a custom baseball frame and uploaded them to Facebook so fans could instantly view and share their photos on their smart phones during the game. 

To start the conversation about how to make your ad dollars count using college or professional sports sponsorships, contact us.

Each day, the average American will see around 1,500 advertisements--but how many of those do they actually take notice of? One? Two? So how do you stick out, be bold, get noticed?

When it comes to making a statement and reaching out to your consumer, quality, creativity, unexpectedness and innovation will  set your brand apart. No matter what the medium, be it tangible, interactive or digital --movement will make your ad, and ad dollar, count and be noticed.

Take crossing the street. Instead of placing a flyer on the light pole--why not advertise on the crosswalk? Take an everyday object and redefine it. Let's be bold and hold some of life's mundane happenings limitless and ready for adventure. Instead of being just a crosswalk, maybe it's a piano keyboard playing the latest CD offerings for Sony. Perhaps the power button is actually the Apple button, and when it's pushed, nearby brand ambassadors would come forward with a surprise and delight award, of an iPhone, MacBook, etc, for the consumer. 

The world is a canvas--keep an open mind and push a few boundaries; you'll find opportunities for creative and memorable advertising campaigns are limited only by ourselves.

Interested in learning more about how we can help you launch a mobile tour/brand ambassador projection/installation/idea-that's-always-been-talked-about-but-never-been-executed for your brand? Contact us, and we'll work with you to build a custom campaign catered to your specifications that will capture attention, bolster buzz and amplify your ROI. 

The holiday shopping season has arrived--but it's not too late to plan a last-second, 4th Quarter campaign. 

From Oct. 31 up until Dec. 23, shoppers will 'present' themselves as the ideal audience for an innovative ad campaign. Here are a few fast facts about holiday shoppers/the 2011 holiday shopping season:

• Nearly six in 10 holiday shoppers (59.9%) say they plan to take advantage of retailers’ sales and discounts to make additional non-gift purchases for themselves and their families during the holiday season (CMO). 
• Family friendly advertisements are more appealing to holiday shoppers (Daily Finance). 
• Retail giants, such as Target and Macy's will be opening at the stroke of midnight this year to entice more shoppers--which will offer an excellent opportunity for advertisers to interact with consumers waiting in line. 
• 40% of Americans will start their holiday shopping in November.
• 17% will begin shopping during the first two weeks of December.
• 4.1% percent will procrastinate until the last two weeks of December to start their holiday shopping (Napa Valley Register). 

For ideas on how to take advantage of the holiday shopping craze, contact us and we'll help you develop a custom holiday marketing strategy to help your brand connect directly with consumers through an inventive, festive and unforgettable ad campaign. 

When the summer season comes to an end and the sunshine is replaced by dreary, darker weather, many advertisers throw in their beach towels and consider their plans for outdoor advertising awash--we would like to encourage them to think again.

An illuminated mobile billboard or showroom can make a big statement by lighting up the night with a brightly branded advertising vehicle. Trucks lit up like a Christmas tree are a surefire solution to draw the attention of every driver.

Outdoor advertising in the winter months offers unbounded potential for creativity--providing consumers with basic lacking needs such as light and warmth will spark instant benevolentness between the public and your brand. Had our Miller Chill 3D showroom mobile campaign operated in the winter months, we could have outfitted the truck interior with space heaters, so that consumers could literally step out of the cold winter streets and into  a warm, beachy paradise. 

Whether it's an illuminated billboard truck, a 3D glass showroom designed to bring a beach party and tiki lights to the cold, wintery streets or a 3D projection of your advertisement in the middle of a crowded shopping center, the options are unlimited.

For more information about campaign opportunities or to pick our brains--reach out, connect and say hi!

Cheers!

Samuel Bolland
National Sales Director
206.599.9855 | samuel@beyondtraditional.com
Beyond Traditional | 3232 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA 98134