There’s nothing like a good marketing campaign or partner activation. When done well, fans enjoy it, it delivers on objectives, and it’s measurable. It takes creativity and it takes analytical thinking. Oh, and passion. I possess all three, and you will find no better candidate, no one that will work harder, care more, and bring more energy and excitement every day. Turner Sports and me can be a magical match.
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Auburn Athletics and SnapLaces – branded content that engaged fans and effectively activated SnapLaces
TL;DR: SnapLaces makes tieless shoelaces, with ‘snaps’ on them that can be branded. They work with several colleges, including Hopscotch’s customer – Auburn (War Eagle!). The goal was to attract engagement and eyeballs for them using Auburn’s app and social platforms. This was a new deal that my team and I found, pitched, sold, and executed.
The campaign: In addition to display ads (in the app and on the website) and ‘Tigers Trivia’ [in which fans shared their info and played trivia for a chance to win free SnapLaces], we created a fun ‘Break The Tie’ promotion, where fans guessed which was more likely or higher/lower on a series of quick poll questions previewing a big game.
Why? It provided information about the game, an opportunity to engage and see what others were saying, and effectively got the message to fans that SnapLaces is about not having to tie one’s shoes. After completing it and seeing the voting results, fans were given a discount offer with SnapLaces.
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University of Central Florida (UCF) Athletics and Jasper Construction
TL;DR: Jasper Construction came to UCF Athletics looking to recruit students to apply to their career and intern programs. UCF gave them right to me and, after learning of their objectives, I devised a creative, relevant way to engage fans and provide effective activation for Jasper – a personality quiz tied to a pastime of many college students – a tailgate.
The campaign: We invited fans to take a ‘personality quiz’ that would identify the role they’re best suited for at the tailgate. We built a quiz that revealed which type of tailgater they are and then also recommended a potential career path at Jasper, based on their result.
Why? Full transparency – the UCF sales manager originally pitched simple display ads, but Jasper wasn’t feeling it, they’d been there done that. We didn’t want something fans had trained themselves to tune out and ignore, we want something native, more like the content they come to the platforms for in the first place. And it was also about making sure Jasper’s message was getting across. This was that intersection that could delight in all directions.
[this was a rough draft in one size, I do not have the other files still]
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Formula DRIFT and Black Magic
TL;DR: Formula DRIFT is a pretty cool sport and is probably what you think it is – drifting. Competitive drifting. Its fans are into extreme sports and many of them are passionate car buffs. Black Magic is a car care brand you’re likely to see, but not really notice, in an Auto Zone or O’Reilly Auto Parts. So how could we drive awareness and positive attention to Black Magic without it feeling, well, like a catalogue, coupon, or banner ad?
The campaign: We knew these fans were highly engaged; they enjoyed interacting with content. We also knew they loved going inside the garage / under the hood, and liked hearing from the athletes/drivers. We invited them to ‘Ask The Expert’. They could submit questions about the sport, cars, and, really, anything. In a weekly video segment, an expert from Black Magic joins a star driver to answer questions fans submitted.
Why? This was able to accomplish several goals – giving fans valuable and engaging content, drive two-way communication, and activate Black Magic’s brand while positioning them as a trusted thought leader in the industry. It has been fun seeing what fans are interested in and helping Black Magic execute a campaign that fans welcome.
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If I still have your attention, that’s great! Thanks for your time and consideration.
I also invite you to:
- Check out podcast – the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, now five years strong
- View over 200 LinkedIn posts I’ve written
- Email me
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