Playoff Payoff: Sponsors Prep Activation Around Wild Card Games
By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large
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Dolphins' Rally Towels Sport
Both League, Team Slogans |
The four NFL teams hosting opening-round playoff games this weekend -- the Dolphins, Cardinals, Vikings and Chargers -- are busily preparing sponsor activation around the Wild Card round. Three of the four teams will be giving fans rally towels from leading supplier McArthur Towel & Sports. "Fans love towels. They look good on TV and you can get them made up and moved in quickly -- that's why they've been around 30 years,'' explained Dolphins VP/Marketing Partnerships & New Media Chris Overholt. The 75,000 Dolphins rally towels are sponsored by the Miccosukee Indian Tribe, which runs a casino and resort in Miami, and is also sponsoring the game. The towel adopts the NFL's season-long "Believe in Now'' slogan, along with one for Dolphins fans, who have waited seven years for their team to return to the playoffs, "The Wait Is Over.'' Other Dolphins sponsors activating at the game include Sprint, staging a text-to-win promo in which first prize is a pair of Super Bowl tickets. Anheuser-Busch will have its iconic Clydesdales on hand; Publix Super Markets will present its high school football coach of the year.
CARDINALS: The Cardinals are breaking an even longer drought -- not since '47 have the Cardinals hosted a postseason game, and the team was in Chicago then. Now things are different. With the most notice of a guaranteed home playoff game, the Cardinals sold a presenting playoffs sponsorship to Alltel Wireless. Alltel's sponsorship gets its brand on the 65,000 rally towels, along with LED and video-board ads at the game against the Falcons. A ticket giveaway at an Alltel retail location in Tempe Monday included an appearance by WR Larry Fitzgerald, along with Cards cheerleaders, and offered tickets to the first 50 fans in line, one of whom queued up 27 hours early in order to get seats. Cardinals VP/Business Development Steve Ryan said the appearance got 1,000 fans to the store. Alltel also ties in with a "Call of the Year'' promo, in which fans are asked to vote for the best Cardinals radio call of the season via online or text vote. The calls can also be downloaded as ring tones.
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Vikings To Hand Out 65,000
Towels Before Saturday's Game |
VIKINGS: Life Time Fitness is the presenting sponsor for the Vikings' Wild Card game against the Eagles on Sunday. The 81-location sports club is backing a promo in which two fans will attempt field goals at halftime. For every yard the winning kick travels (up to 50), fans in the stadium get a dollar off a new membership. Life Time Fitness will also collect and match donations to support phys ed programs in local schools. The 65,000 rally towels at the Metrodome are being sponsored by Life Time, Miller Lite and KFAN-AM. Vikings VP/Sales & Marketing Steve LaCroix added that U.S. Bank is the presenting sponsor of halftime activities, which include a snowmobile race with Vikings cheerleaders. Miller Lite is the presenting sponsor of the pregame party, which features ticket and merchandise giveaways, along with a keg-rolling contest.
CHARGERS: Having to win the last game on the last Sunday of the NFL regular season to qualify, the Chargers have less retail activation than in some past years. Chargers Senior Dir of Marketing Partnerships Denny O'Leary said Bud Light and flagship radio station KIOZ-FM have their brands on 69,000 "See the Lightening, Be the Thunder" cheer cards that will be distributed at the game.
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