Hershey and the NHL – Celebrating the moment

Hershey, the chocolate brand, has agreed a sponsorship deal with NHL and found an unique to celebrate the agreement.

The company ordered a real size chocolate replica of the Stanley Cup, the trophy awarded to the season champions (above). Watch below the making of the piece, which took 12 hours and more than 150 pounds of chocolate.

Following the agreement, the company will launch a campaign to take consumers to the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, which takes place on a baseball stadium. However, I’d really like to see the brand launch products related to the partnership (anyone sad a chocolate puck?). What about you, what would you suggest as activation for the company?

Sports marketing, activation, sponsorship, Hershey, NHL, Stanley Cup, Chocolate

McDonalds and the FIFA World Cup – That’s really priceless

McDonald’s sponsors the FIFA World Cup for quite a long time and always use one of my favourite activations, since it is a brilliant tool to boost Sales: the Flavour World Cup, with thematic sandwiches of each of the countries taking part on the tournament (watch, below, the 2006 video).

In this year’s World Cup, the company has added one more promotion to its activation of the biggest sport event in the world. McDonald’s will take five children to South Africa with the Brazilian national team, an indescribable experience! The TV ad is very cool, with the idea oof entering a shop X entering the pitch (below).

To take part, you have to send a video, photo, drawing, etc., to the website about the theme “I’m going to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa with Brazil” e hope to be the most voted. What about the other participating countries, have they done the same? Anyone can post here other examples?

Sports marketing, activation, McDonald’s, World Cup, FIFA, sponsorship

Coke and The FIFA World Cup Tour – And that’s real brand experience

After posting about Coke brilliant use of its FIFA World Cup Tour sponsorship, I had to go to the event. Some of the readers of the blog had already told me, and believe me, it is worth it, indeed worth it.

The brand is present throughout the experience, from the walls to the furniture, which uses disposable plastic bottles (above). The best contact point with Coke, surely, is the history of the World Cup room. Apart from the balls, newspapers’ front pages, and Pelé images, it is decorated with wallpapers and has its temperature controlled and smells like the soft drink, giving the feeling of being inside a bottle of the product (below). That is, the product is present without disturbing the public. Genius!

People have the chance to play, watch a 3D video, learn about South Africa and the World Cup, drink Coke and, finally, they are next to the host, taking home a picture as a final gift from the brand. The brand, of course, is there.

For Brazilians, the downside is the absence of the uniform of the national team, sponsored by Nike, a fierce competitor of adidas, FIFA partner.

Sports marketing, activation, Coca-Cola, World Cup, FIFA, sponsorship

Stadium Associates and NFL/SuperBowl and Scotts and MLB – Nice suggestion

Sorry for going back for the Sunday post again, but things keep on coming. Stadium Associates has signed a licensing agreement with the NFL and will sell pieces of the field used in the great game that will take place on 7th february, in Miami (right).

For Scotts, to do the same with its MLB deal, is simples. A little doubt, however, hangs in the air, since Sports Business Daily claims Stadium Associates has a similar deal with the baseball league, which would be a bit confusing...

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.