Some brief thoughts on good ideas from the past week…
Is It Archery’s Time? A few months ago there was all this talk about how the world of archery could find its way into a brighter spotlight because of all the places the sport was popping up in popular culture. As we move towards London 2012, and have had Hawkeye rise to power in “The Avengers”, “The Hunger Games” trumpet female archery and now red-haired Merida showing her arrows off in the animated “Brave,” maybe grabbing an Olympic archer or two for a grassroots campaign would make a lot of sense for some brands looking for a bigger bang. Olympic sponsors have gone up and down the list grabbing athletes for activation in the past six months, yet none have engaged anyone from archery, probably because the small sport may not be getting much NBC air time in the U.S. However the ability to tie an easily identifiable sport with pop culture could be a big draw for someone, maybe even an ambush marketer, looking for some quick exposure. Good time to watch the arrows fly.
Sitting In The Sulkie For Charity: Celebrity races are always fun, especially when they are tied to charity. So it was nice to see The Meadowlands Raceway tie a wide variety of local media hosts…from the Giants’ Anita Marks to ESPN radio’s Jared Maxx to MSG’s Tina Cervasio to WCBS’ Steve Overmeyer and others…to a wide variety of charities for the first-ever celebrity harness racing night. The two days used reporters with great presence on the radio and TV as well as a wide social following to get buzz and support for a simple concept…seeing who could actually have fun in a sport that has fallen off the map. It got the Meadowlands exposure, out money in a charity pocket (WFAN radio’s Marc Malusis won the top dollars) and set the bar higher for other events going forward that can help the track draw casual viewers.
Batting For The Cure: Ed Randall is a baseball lifer. He is also a prostate cancer survivor. Together, his “Bat For The Cure” campaign, supported by Walgreens starts going on the road to hundreds of minor league ballparks this week, offering a the simple test and awareness of the disease. It is tough to cut through the clutter and find a platform to inform, even with prostate cancer being so tough on men as they age, but Randall has combined his two passions to do good. even without huge corporate support. How? By using the relationships he has built as a reporter and show hoist over the years to beat the drum. As a result he has saved lives and built a brand that is powerful and engaging and worthy of even more support and best practice recognition. Hard work and belief in cause marketing pays off.
The Undie Ambush Pays Off.