Scotts and MLB – Fit and potential - Update

The first packaging has been released with the Cincinnati Reds (below).

Scotts and MLB – Fit and potential

Normally, Ativa Esporte talks about best practices in activation. However, this time, we´ll discuss the potential of a recently signed partnership. In the early days of 2010, an agreement between Scotts Lawns and Major League Baseball was announced.

With an unprecedented number of stadiums using natural grass (28 out of 30), the fit and the possibility of success are enormous. Out of the blocks, the company is launching seeds and fertilizers of each of the 28 stadiums.

Let´s wait and hope to, soon, have a post here about the Scotts promotions on baseball and the MLB sponsorship (and not croquet, like the video below).

Any suggestions to the company´s marketers?

Sports marketing, activation, Scotts Lawn, MLB

Coke and The FIFA World Cup Tour – Taking the most of the tool

Coke is the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour sponsor and uses the tool in several ways. The visibility, of course, is guaranteed. But the brand goes beyond, way beyond.

In Brazil, for example, it’s generated a great buzz. With the upcoming arrival of the trophy, Coke put a giant safe in one of the busiest São Paulo squares (below). The passersby who answer correctly to 10 World Cup related questions get to see what’s inside it.

Apart from that, the company is using the visit to boost Sales and strengthen its relationship with partners from several sales channels. To get tickets to see firsthand the coveted trophy, people need to buy Coke products in McDonald’s, Wal*Mart and Cinemark stores.

Take a look at a video of the African trophy tour.

Coke, World Cup trophy Tour, activation, Sport marketing, sponsorship

E.on, FA Cup and David James – Social Responsibility and Sport

E.on is an energy company that sponsors the FA Cup and found a very clever way to leverage this association.

The company created a campaign that explores a word play with “save”, using Portsmouth and England international goalkeeper David James (image above) to embrace a class of players often forgotten by the main sponsors: the goalkeepers (with a few exceptions, such asOliver Kahn and Peter Czech).

The campaign encourages people to share their energy savings practices, rewarding the best with a trip to the FA Cup final as a mascot, with pitch access (a priceless prize). It is supported by an excellent website that plays the whole time with “save”, honouring the great keepers that took part in the British competition, with videos such as the Jim Montgomery’s below.

With this strategy, E.on not only activates its FA Cup partnership, but appropriates a category of players almost forgotten by most companies.

Adidas and the World Cup – Great Example of 360 Marketing

Adidas launched the 2010 World Cup ball just hours before the group draw to take advantage of the noise around the event. To further amplify its launch, displayed an exhibit of giant models of the balls used in every World Cup since 1970, when the company started its partnership with FIFA, just outside the auditorium where the draw was taking place (below).

The generate expectation on the new ball design, the company put it on the exhibit, that started weeks before, covered with black fabric (below) until the date of the events.

The concept of giant balls was also used on the ponit-of-sales, in a model shop close to the place where the draw took place, which received exactly 2010 Jabulani (the name of the new ball) for sale (below).

In order to generate involvement with the media, Adidas sent daily newsletters on a countdown to the launch, providing information about each of the balls previously used.

Adidas and South African National Team – Raising Excitement and Involvement

Adidas found a spectacular way to engage the South African people and raise the expectations and the excitement around the World Cup.

A giant jersey of the team managed by Carlos Alberto Parreira will travel around the country, inviting people to sign it (above). Through the campaign website, people can follow where the shirt is.


The video below explains in details the promotion that will certainly call attention, generate a lot of buzz and media coverage.

Nike e Arsenal – Taking possession of the tradition

Arsenal certainly has much more history than Nike. However, the company found a brilliant way to incorporate the tradition of the Londoner team.

The company launched the biggest football team picture (above), with 482 players and 14 managers who made Arsenal´s history, which will be exposed in the Emirates Stadium surroundings (making-of video below).

Even the name was given in order to link to the team tradition: The Spirit of Highbury, the former Gunners´ stadium. The full image can be seen on the club website: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/arsenalisation-special-spirit-of-highbury.