Forget the fact that next Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, Formula 1 in Miami, t and the NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs are moving along. What’s more important for crossover in sports business? It is Free Comic Book day, right on the heels of Star Wars Day on Thursday .
Star Wars promotions in sports have become a staple in and around the 4th of May…but Free Comic Book day continues to offer a wealth of opportunities
Now in its 22st year, Free Comic book Day is the brainchild of comic book retailer Joe Field. The proprietor of the Concord, CA-based Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff came up with the idea in 2002, after observing the success of ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day. Believing giving away comic books would expose a new generation of readers, both young and old, to the magical world of graphic novels, he suggested the idea to fellow retailers, publishers, and distributors. Not only did everyone agree, but the publishers also volunteered to release special issues in honor of Free Comic Book Day.
What else does Free Comic Book Day offer? A chance to have reading initiatives engaged, all of which tie to great community events for teams, especially those winter sports, both college and professional, looking for an offseason fan engagement rally point. Teams and athletes can easily use the social space to create their own Superheroes, or in the case of NBA teams, use their comic savvy players like Brooke and Robin Lopez to create content that can reach a bigger audience.
Want more? Any number of teams have created comic books or fantasy programs around their teams, why not use the day as a way to promote those efforts…or even run contests for fans to engage and create their favorite Superhero modeled after their favorite athlete? The Bears for example, expanded their ties to players as Super Heroes with a wide line of collectables, all of which play really well in social. Factor in the continued success and marketability of action hero films and the combo of sport and comic books is hotter than almost ever or at least in the past 20 or 30 years.
There are lots of simple ways to tie in, all of which can spread out to a wider casual audience through creativity, and in turn, you may catch a full net of those elusive millennials who see that teams, leagues and even some brands, are looking to merge sports and fantasy together in a language and a medium that they understand.
Now keep in mind that all this outreach has to be genuine, and fun. Making it an over ticket sell, or just throwing up a Batman image talking about your “heroic effort to sell group tickets” won’t get much ROI. Don’t even bother checking the box. For those who want to use fun crossover emoji’s, who want to develop fun top 10 lists mixing super heroes, fantasy and sports, and those who want to take the time to talk to athletes and staff about their larger than life interests, this whole week can be a great deal of fun to engage a new audience.
Free Comic Book Day and Star Wars Days have generated countless branding, sales and collectable opportunities and continue to gain more steam, and both are another easy way for teams to engage around on multiple platforms. Grabbing both and growing should be on the must do for all those looking for younger and newer; it is certainly a nice entrée into an engaged community, a similar one that likes gaming and can again become fans for life.
