Todd Yeomans shared a great post on advertising's future in team sports, highlighting successful strategies used by multiple venues and teams in Europe. But where do we see marketing through sports in our community?
How about the "Pink in the Rink" event at tonight's Greenville Road Warriors hockey game? (Full disclosure: the Greenville Road Warriors is an advertising client.)
The Greenville-area Mary Kay Independent Sales Force is sponsoring a pink-themed game to raise awareness for breast cancer and to showcase a few beauty products.
Find your audience, choose a sporting event or team
Local beauty consultants want to build brand awareness by marketing through sports? If you're thinking that a hockey game is an unusual marketing choice for Mary Kay sales ladies, you wouldn't be alone. However, 41% of hockey fans are female according to a Simmons Market Research report. And virtually every adult in the crowd is a target for the breast cancer message—and at a sporting event, it's a captive audience!
(Guess what? Sports and pink have partnered before: Sports Illustrated joined the NFL in promoting breast cancer awareness on the cover of itsOctober 12, 2009 issue!)
Activate your plan, including community outreach
Sports marketing with a local team can be a very effective media buy, but a good overall strategic sports activation plan should include a community relations element unrelated to the sport.
Mary Kay has combined a sports marketing and community relations strategy very effectively in this situation. The goal of the "Pink in the Rink" is to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. Proceeds from the silent auction of pink-themed jerseys, from the chuck-a-puck game, and from full-priced tickets will go the Mary Kay Foundation.
It seems to be a sound strategy: partner with the new local hockey team, share your message, raise funds, show your products, and make "Pink in the Rink" an annual event.
Review your ROI
This is where marketing strategy's rubber meets the road. Your sales or fundraising dollars should be an easy calculation of the return on your investment. Review both your ROI and your audience to make your next marketing-through-sports opportunity even better!
Do you know of any local sports marketing in your area?
P.S.Anyone else curious to see how this game will play out tonight?