It's not often that a coaches award program can generate some buzz and a little spin, but Liberty Mutual recently announced a new program with some good spin. For five years the insurance company has been rewarding coaches with their Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, going to the coach who exemplifies leadership both on the football field and off. Nice award, good end of the year spin, good fan and school participation involvement nice payoff (donations o. an additional nearly $1 million to more than 60 charities and scholarship funds on behalf of thirteen coach winners). So what's nex.
How this…
Liberty Mutual Insurance unveiled the.Million Dollar Game. a unique opportunity for college football teams across all Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), Division II and Division III institutions to strive to remain penalty-free for an entire 2010 regular season game. If a regular season game is completed in which neither team commits an on-field penalty, Liberty Mutual will donate a total of $1 million (up to $500,000 per team) to a charity selected by each school. If more than one game is completed penalty-free, the million-dollar donation will be split among all winning schools’ charities. Now the twist is that the coaches really don’t have much bearing over a penalty free game, that falls to the players and their human frailty during the course of an emotion filled and very human game. Coaches can have players disciplined true, but the arbitrary nature of officiating judgment can also comes into play. Could it happe.? Maybe. A penalty free game also really goes against the grain of a hotly contested physical game, so coaches actually may not be averse to a penalty of various actions from time to time.
So why create a program that may never be rewarde. It shows creativity for the brand…it creates a great “what if” should the opportunity arise…it has a buzz factor and is within the reach of any team regardless of record…it also gives Liberty Mutual another platform to reinforce their brand values to the audience they want to reach without great or additional financial risk. In short, it is great brand insurance for an insurance brand looking to re-engage fans they have captured through a program five years old, all with little risk. Can it be built upon year after year, like a lottery annuity that goes unclaime. Sure. Could it generate no buzz or interest and be discontinued after the season in fvor of another buzz-generating program geared at coache. Sure. Either way the brand found a way to engage in the cluttered marketplace, and remind people about their connection to coaches and quality.
