Warriors Give Season Subs, Fans An Immersive Experience From Nellie…

July 18, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

Teams are constantly looking for new ways to engage fans, build brand and create added value and access year round. The problem is in this challenged economy, and with all the options out there to draw a fans attention, especially ones that are free, how do you find something that will work and keep someone engaged that will also have enough value to turn them into a new customer or keep them as a repeat customer with their discretionary dollar. One alternative that seems to be more cost efficient and has a bit of a wow factor is outbound personalized calls and video. One team, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors recently used the technology developed by vontoo.com to create an outbound customized message from head coach Don Nelson directly to their season subscribers, along with a digital video where the subscribers name was embedded in the video. It is a much more personal use of the reverse 911 technology that teams and marketers have been using for several years, where you would get a message, a non-personalized one, delivered to your phone from a player, or a political candidate. Now the technology allows you to be immersed in the video and the message, with the hope that is both passed along to others to sign up and that it is engaging enough to keep the subscriber entertained and interested. The immersive idea also has a big upside for colleges looking to recruit general students or season subs, check out Boston College’s play here, or even for theme park operators or tourist destinations looking to draw repeat customers…it makes you feel like you are “one of them.” Now the next generation should be the ability to have multiple customized voice messages sent to fans after they are engaged from various people, although that step may be a bit cost prohibitive at this point. However the Warriors made a smart investment to create both a wow factor and find a new way to keep their fans engaged, using their popular coach and the outbound immersive technology at a time when the team is in flux. Smart, cost effective way to stay engaged.

Cross Promoting in Chitown…and Good Promotions At The Ballpark

April 8, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

PR Move of the Day: It used to be all about convergence, as properties looked to combine common assets for cross promotion across entertainment and sports properties.  Disney’s acquisition of the LA Ducks and Angels and the formation of YankeeNets to run the Yanks, Nets and Devils were seen as the way economies of scale  could meld  properties into one efficient merged unit.   Some principals and ideas, like the expansion of business communication and the use of integrated marketing techniques, worked, but many parts of the convergence, especially applying strict business standards  to the fluid world of sports, did not, and most of the mergers were eventually separated.  Today, courtesy of the Sports Business Daily, comes word from Chicago of a new kind of convergence between teams not co-owned but teams that have used savvy marketing and PR platforms to grow their businesses even in lean years.  The Chicago Blackhawks and White Sox announced a platform today to cross market assets to grow awareness.  It is a role that makes great sense and unfortunately is not done enough amongst teams that even have singular ownership.  Now are the fan bases similar?  Maybe.  Do the Blackhawks, who have emerged swinging under the leadership of John McDonough, have more to benefit than the Sox…maybe.  But combining assets can possibly lead to better community involvement year round and potentially joint sales and ticketing partnerships in a market where the Cubs and Bulls are top dog is a very smart idea.  The Nationals and Caps had a similar arrangement a year ago and it seems to be going well, so hopefully more teams will put down the guard and see their in-city rivals more as partners to enhance fan involvement and maximize PR and sponsorship.