Fan Poster Night

What/when: A pregame poster making area builds spirit!

How: Build some crowd spirit for a big TV game with a special fan poster promotion. Your underwriting sponsor provides all markers and poster board for a poster-making contest. Fans pick up poster making materials and create a special poster in the special sponsor-merchandised booths at the game. Each blank poster board has the sponsors' logo in one of the corners to further merchandise the sponsor. Each poster-making booth is staffed by sponsor representatives that monitor materials and provide enthusiastic support for the contestants. Polaroid photos are taken of the top posters to be judged. Each fan registers on the official entry form that captures all of their vital contact, demographic information, and the contestant's seat number. Fans win prizes for most cleaver, best design, worst idea, etc. This didn't seem like much of a promotion prior to the game, but turned out to be a very surprising hit! The fans loved it!

Love Letters to the Team

What/when: Drive traffic to a sponsor by staging a "love letters" to the sweepstakes contest.

How: Fans write a letter about why they love your team or favorite player(s). The fans must take their letters to the sponsor's location for entry into the contest. The sponsor offers a special traffic-generating offer to help attract contest entrants. Each fan registers on the official entry form that captures all of their vital contact, demographic information and a release to use their letter in publications. The letters are judged and the finalists' letters are published in your newsletters or in on your internet while merchandising the sponsor. Create a couple of categories for young kids, kids, teenagers, and adults. The top five or ten letters win a significant prize such as a trip with the team, sideline passes, team merchandise, etc. It seems to be a soft traffic builder, but has generated tremendous good will and traffic for the sponsors.

Used Car Night

What/when: Give a car to a fan during each inning of a game!

How: Car dealers traditionally hold "slasher" car sales in which "clunker cars" are sold for $99 dollars. Dealers often use this technique to generate a buzz for the dealership, generating some urgency for customers. The majority of the customers who purchase the clunker turn around and use it as a trade in toward another car that they really want. The dealer uses their latitude in margin negotiates a deal that makes money. This promotion gets a car dealer to give these cars to your fans as a promotion at the game. Each fan registers on the official entry form that captures all of their vital contact, demographic information, and the contestant's seat number. The fans are given an opportunity to trade their new "treasure of a car" in toward another car or drive off into the sunset. The dealer enjoys the merchandising support of radio, television, and in game exposure, as well as several potential sales. Vital information is gathered for the dealer and the team via this promotion. This is a big night with very high-perceived value for the fans. The students just love this promotion!

Friday Night Fights

What/when: Local celebrity boxing match before the game or during halftime.

How: This is a ridiculous boxing match featuring HUGE boxing gloves (the size and cush of a bed pillow) and HUGE boxing trunks. A make shift ring is fashioned from crowd control stanchions and padded rope surrounding tumbling mats. The match pits two local celebrities that bring a following to your game: the police chief vs. the fire chief, the mayor vs. the local banker, two rival disc jockeys from local radio stations, or two sports anchors from your TV station. The value of this promotion is two-fold: the merchandising and promotion of the competitors poking fun at each other and generating hype all week leading up to the event in the local media, and the spectacle at the event. A very "camp" tongue-in-cheek build up to the bout with wild nicknames and some trash talking enhances the promotion. The bout features three one-minute rounds. The crowd making noise or applause determines the winner. This is a true winner that can be used several times during a season!

Jell-O Dive

What/when: Fans dive into a HUGE vat of Jell-O for valuable cash and prizes.

How: This promotion is often teamed with a local radio station as fans call in to a station during the week prior to your event to qualify to dive into your 300-500 gallon vat of Jell-O. The contestants need to answer special team trivia questions to qualify to one of 5 to 7 contestants to dive. At the event you have a large agricultural trough/ tank on a lowboy trailer. The tank is filled with water, team colored Jell-O, and ice. You place 10-15 baseballs into the goop. Each baseball has the name of a prize. The contestants sit on the edge of the tank; hold their breath, and lays backwards into the Jell-O soup. The contestant must be completely submerged to have a legal dive. The contestant retrieves a numbered ball and they win that prize. The team provides a place for the contestants to shower after the dive and then takes their place in special sponsor seats. You will receive extra bang for your buck if the local radio personality that qualifies the contestants officiates the contest at your venue. Prizes range from trips with the team, trip to Las Vegas, cash, game tickets, honorary coach for a game, to an autographed photo of the athletic director. This is just weird enough to be a huge hit!

What's in the Box???????

What/when: Let's Make a Deal revisited as fans are offered what is in the box or another prize.

How: A member of the promotions staff select a fan from the crowd. The promoter works with a wireless microphone from the stands or the court/field. Fans are selected based on observation of their demeanor and potential as an enthuse participant. The fan is offered their choice of either the contents of a large decorated box or another special offer. The promoter and the contestant have ping pong banter as they negotiate a choice between the box and the special offer(s). Prizes in the box range from tickets to team merchandise, or items from the team prize vault. Zonks such as an autographed photo of the athletics director or equipment manager, or a pair of sweaty socks may also loom in the box. The promoter solicits participation from the crowd to help the contestant choose between the box and other prizes. Cash and gift certificates are often used to lure the contestant to not take the box, or trick the contestant. This promotion really works if you have a good promoter on the microphone. This is a solid promotion with the opportunity to involve multiple sponsors with prizes and build strong relationships with fans.