November 4, 2002
Volume 1, Issue 9

Bills Take Online Promotion to the Bank

Buffalo Let's Sponsor & Fans
'In The Huddle'
With New Trivia Contest

Do you know someone who should be receiving SELLING IT ...?  If so, click the 'FORWARD TO A FRIEND' button to the right and shoot them this edition of SELLING IT ... .  Like you, they will have the opportunity to hear revenue generating ideas from teams such as:

Toronto Raptors   Chicago White Sox   Iowa State
Sioux Falls Stampede   Minnesota Vikings
Sacramento River Cats   Boston Bruins  Oakland A's

AND ALSO, WE'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
As a subscriber of SELLING IT ... we'd like to feature one of your successful programs.  Simply click on this LINK, and request information regarding submission of future SELLING IT ... programs.  

Contact: Mary Owen, Director of Business Systems

Organization: Buffalo Bills

Program Title: M&T In the Huddle

Objectives: The Bills have 4 main objectives for this program:
          1. Provide exposure and branding to their sponsor, 
              M&T Bank, and M&T Bank's Bills' checking account, 
              through an integrated marketing program using
              various Bills' mediums.
          2. Drive traffic to Bills' controlled mediums     
          3. Familiarize fans with Bills' players.
          4. Ensure Bills fans can win a prize each week   
              on www.buffalobills.com and that such prizes are
              awarded promptly.       

Program Description: The Bills have created one of the more interactive trivia contests in recent years through their M&T In The Huddle promotion. The season-long promotion is sponsored by M&T Bank and  as part of the promotion, every week fans log on to www.buffalobills.com to get a question about a particular Bills' player. But unlike other team trivia contests, the questions that are asked are obscure, and in no way directly related to the player's career. For example, last week's question was, "If Drew Bledsoe could do any job in the world for one day, he would be a ______" (the answer is at the bottom of this page). Once the question is asked, then the fun begins...

All week there are opportunities for users to discover the answer to the question by hunting through various Bills' mediums including the Bills' "Gameday Magazine," on the Gregg Williams Television Show, during the buffalobills.com dedicated jumbo-tron spot at home games and through their weekly e-newsletter sent to 40,000 subscribers.

The questions are released online every Tuesday through a pop-up ad that comes up when fans log on to  www.buffalobills.com.  Those fans that correctly answer the question are entered into a weekly drawing to win an autographed piece of merchandise from a Bills' player. All participants in the M&T In The Huddle trivia contest are also automatically entered into the Grand Prize, a trip for two to the "Big Game" in Hawaii this February.

Bills' fans submit their answers through the micro-site that can always be accessed through www.buffalobills.com. The registration page asks for demographic and contact information such as age and address. It also offers the opportunity for fans to opt-in to receive further news and information from the Buffalo Bills and M&T Bank.

The promotion provides M&T Bank with exposure through pop-up advertisements on the team's home page. The pop-up exposure serves as an ideal vehicle to promote M&T Bank's online checking and banking services, plus M&T is able to access the demographic and contact information of those fans that opt-in. 

Results: Though the final results will not be analyzed until the conclusion of the promotion at the end of the season, the Bills have already seen a tremendous amount of success generated by this program. This is evident by the amount of click-throughs that happen on Tuesday pop-up days; in an average week, over 91% of all click-throughs for this promotion on the Bills' Website happen on Tuesday.

Contact: For more information about this program, feel free to contact Mary Owen at [email protected].

Put on your Hard Hat...
because The Forum is Headed to the Steel City!

The 8th Annual 2003 National Sports Forum will be showcasing Pittsburgh, PA, January 20-22, 2003. The Forum consists of three days of Breakout Sessions on the topics of Marketing, Promotions, Sponsorship, Internet Marketing, Ticket Sales, Club Suite Sales and Fan Entertainment; plus four (4) Keynote Addresses and behind the scenes tours of PNC Park, Heinz Field, and Mellon Arena! To register or for more information, visit www.sports-forum.com or contact Dave Mullins at 800-232-3133 ext. 204.

Answer: If Drew Bledsoe could do any job in the world for one day, he would be a... Professional Golfer.