Sports Marketing 2.0 | Pat Coyle

Talk about your highs and lows.

Yesterday was the low point. We discovered a database glitch inside mycolts. Actually, a fan discovered it and posted on our own forum some negative stuff. A few other fans jumped on the bandwagon…had to get my bosses involved…all the while it was starting to feel like one of those “Dell Hell” case studies.

Anyway, we decided we’d better jump into the discussion and let everyone know what we were doing to fix the problem and give folks a way to contact us if they had noticed the issue. That seemed to quell the uprising nicely. Still havent’ been able to replicate or solve the issue. Argh!

On the high side, Tony Dungy’s blog is going great. I heard from coach that he’s enjoying the process and I’m hearing from fans how much they appreciate reading it.

Also, I got a chance to “pitch” two different custom group concepts to major sponsors / brands. Both pitches went well. I haven’t asked permission from either sponsor yet, so I can’t post screen shots or mention any names, but I will share an outline that I’ve developed.

This is the mental framework I use in approaching online sponsorship and interactive promotions for our sponsors:

I. Sponsor goals: MyColts Online Fan Community

1. Awareness. Sponsor gets recognized (by fans) and get emotional credit for supporting Colts and adding value to fans’experiences
2. Consideration. Sponsor gains consideration and becomes first “choice” of Colts fans in this product or service area
3. Action. Measurable “conversion” goals (call to action)

II. Sponsor strategy: MyColts

1. Contests – Showcase product, create demand, attract participation
2. Content – Original content only provided or inspired by sponsor – should find ways to make the fans the stars.
3. Community – Create custom “Group” as a sub-communities of (special) interest. Participate in community to make brand real.

III. Sponsor tactics:

This is where the rubber meets the road. This is the actual promotion we build to make all the goals into realities. I won’t share specific tactics as they vary from sponsor to sponsor and promotion to promotion. But drop me a line if you’d like to learn more, or if you can share any results you’ve had.