Forget the fact that Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, Formula 1 in Miami, 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, and Star Wars Day .
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 23rd 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 to create content that can reach a bigger audience.
Some great recent examples.
Seattle Seahawks star Bobby Wagner in April. Wagner, a key part of Pete Carroll’s “Legion of Boom” was coming back to the Seahawks last season after a season with the L.A. Rams. It was a unification Seattle’s vaunted “12th Man” was eagerly awaiting as the retooling Seahawks were riding back up the NFL chain. What came out of that meeting was much more than just a star returning to a city that he loved, with a willingness to give back to the community. That was just the start.
Bobby had lost his mother, Phenia Mae to a stroke when he was in College, and he has been an advocate for stroke awareness and care ever since. He contacted VMFH to volunteer to support stroke patients, raise funds and help teach about F.A.S.T:
- Facial Drooping
- Arm Weakness
- Speech Slurring
- Time to call 911
Playbook for Health, VMFH’s agency, was asked to learn about Bobby’s goals, and find a way to connect him with VMFH’s education and fundraising activities. Bobby shared that he was a big fan of Miles Morales Superman, and comics/animation/video games in general, and coincidentally, Playbook had recently been in touch with Hero Projects (www.heroprojects.io) who has been creating graphic novels for athletes, entertainers and corporate partners.
Playbook, Hero and VMFH pitched the idea of “FAST54” as title of a comic/graphic novel, starting Bobby as a superhero named SpaceHawk. The idea is that even though his character has superpowers – you don’t need to be a superhero to know the signs of stroke and save lives – just do what a linebacker does: Know the Signs / Read & React.
The concept’s organic creation and composition has led to a unique and holistic branded platform that has generated a range of new ideas and will continue to expand with the support of creative marketing contributors like King5 (NBC Seattle), Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Nike.
In addition 35,000 comics were printed to be be distributed to Fans at Seahawks Games, at VMFH Hospitals, at Seahawks Community Events (Flag Football, B&G Clubs) and are free at the Seahawks Pro Shops and at Seattle’s ComicCon. The project generated coverage locally, on social media and nationally as well, with more expected as the program gains even more steam.
Want more?
To close out this year’s Native American Heritage Month, the National Lacrosse League unveiled a new, multi-year program with storytelling giant Marvel, focused on honoring and popularizing lacrosse’s Indigenous origin story with game-specific promotions starting in the 2023-24 NLL season.
The central theme of the collaboration, the history of lacrosse, will be at the core of a custom comic book written by Paul Allor, in close collaboration with the NLL’s Indigenous consultants, drawn by Indigenous creator Shaun Beyale, and a cover by JL Giles.
The custom comic book was only available at designated Marvel Super Hero™ themed games every NLL team will host each year of the program. The same core story will be offered in each market, and Marvel will produce variant covers featuring star players from every NLL team that will be given out at their respective games.
The collaboration was facilitated by AthLife, Inc., Marvel’s longtime sports-centric agency of record.
In addition to the comic book premium distribution, each NLL team wore special edition Marvel Super Hero-inspired jerseys on floor during its designated game. NLL fans can expect more Marvel-themed activations throughout the year.
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.
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