As we reach the mid-point of February, a look at some good moves this weekend in the sports branding world.
DUNKIN LOVE: Dunkin Donuts continues to find new ways to grow its sports marketing platform, especially around its hometown New England teams. The latest promo involves Boston Bruins star Tyler Seguin, who will host a Romance/ Bromance meet and greet lunch with Seguin on Monday, February 13. Male and female fans can show their love for #19 by entering for a chance to win The Romance & Bromance Tyler Seguin Sweepstakes by clicking on the ”Tyler Seguin Sweeps” tab on the Dunkin’ Donuts Facebook page through February 9. Six lucky fans will win lunch with Tyler Seguin for themselves and a friend, a $19 Dunkin’ Donuts card and Boston Bruins gear. As part of the agreement, Seguin will appear in radio commercials to help promote campaigns such as “What Are You Drinkin’?” and “Caught Cold,” the company’s iced coffee marketing campaign. He will also be featured in Dunkin’ Donuts’ social media campaigns in 2012, conducting Facebook chats with fans and promoting the local Boston-area Twitter handle, @DunkinBoston. Seguin will also promote Dunkin’ Donuts Turbo Shot® coffee to provide an extra boost to fans and pro hockey stars alike.
It is a solid move for the defending Stanley Cup champs to again expand their relationship between one of their star players and casual fans and backs up DD’s work with creativity, social media and a nice activation just ahead of Valentine’s Day.
TAXING THE BULLS: The PBR seems to be making a new partnership announcement every week, and their latest one is yet another departure from the traditional. The Colorado-based league has brought on board Los Angeles’ Blue Tax Service as the official “Tax Liason Solution” of the PBR for the time leading up to and through April 15. It is a new, unique brand expansion for the PBR as they look to find ways to provide new services to their existing fan base and activate against a fickle casual fan that may follow when an event is in market but then drifts away the rest of the year. While at first glance it looks like a first year plan that is all about brand visibility in a very cluttered marketplace for Blue, the on-site advice and unique digital platform that the PBR can provide may give the brand new followers when choosing who to best assist when Uncle Sam comes calling in a month or so. Brands like TurboTax and H and R Block have infiltrated the sports market for years, but the PBR’s brand loyalty may help Blue aquire a foothold from which it can test and build off of for future years.
MILLROSE FILLS THE HOUSE: Even with huge global purses, a larger push toward fitness and an Olympic year, track and field on the professional level in the United States continues to be an afterthought in the eyes of most sports fans. One of the sport’s hallmark events, the annual Millrose Games, is looking to re-invigorate the sport by going small this weekend, moving out of cavernous Madison Square Garden and into The Armory in upper Manhattan (also the home of the Track and Field Hall of Fame) for the first time in over 100 years. Many officials saw this as a controversial step back again for track, but it may actually prove to be a very smart move for those at the core looking to embrace the sport. By filling the Armory and building the demand back up, organizers can re-create excitement which has been lacking for years. That excitement can bring in newer sponsors, casual fans and partners and stem the tide of disappointment and lack of interest in what can still be a very exciting sport. Even more fodder for the move was seen just a few weeks ago, when another elite track event was staged at Madison Square Garden to offset the loss of the Millrose and drew less than 5,000 fans. Those same 5,000 would create a raucous environment at The Armory, perhaps the most undervalued venues in the sport, which will again get a chance to shine.
