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Click the image above to learn about the Minnesota Vikings "Uniform Insider" Program!
Dear Faithful Readers,
It’s been easily six or seven years since my last contribution to “Selling It…” – but with Chantelle Neep, (our editor these past two years), moving on to start a new career, (…best of luck, Chantelle!), I get to jump in and “tee up” this week’s issue.
And I think we have a good one for you as we dive into an example of one club’s great use of social media – driving not only fan engagement, but marrying it with a social media-driven fan loyalty program. As row27 co-founder and CEO, Jason Cole, said: “When fans compete, your impressions soar.”
Our compliments to both the Minnesota Vikings and to row27, the Viking’s agency that put this program together – great way to tie in multiple SM vehicles.
Enjoy the feature – and we’ll see you again in a couple weeks.
Ron Seaver
[email protected]
P.S. - Want even more revenue generating ideas? Follow @NatlSportsForum on Twitter to get more helpful insights on #sportsbiz, #sponsorship and more!
PROGRAM TITLE
Vikings: "Vikings Uniform Insider" Program
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OBJECTIVES
Social media rewards programs are becoming increasingly popular as teams have recognized their potential to increase overall revenue. Rewards programs build fan loyalty, create excitement in the community, give the company a younger and hip appeal, and most importantly, build a database of their most loyal fans. All these factors lead to increased fan engagement and ultimately an increase in sales.
With the Vikings rolling-out their first uniform revamp in seven years, they knew they wanted to tap into the power of social rewards programs to give fans a first-hand, insiders perspective, deter against leaks and capitalize on promotional opportunities.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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The Vikings teamed up with row27 Studios, a digital marketing solutions company, to produce the “Vikings Uniform Insider” program. Through row27’s FanMaker, a social media rewards platform, the Vikings created VikingsUniformInsider.com, a website designed to give fans an inside look into the uniform design process by engaging with the Vikings on various social media platforms. “We wanted to unveil the uniforms in a unique way that would allow us to bring the fans along with us in the process,” explains Erin Swartz, Marketing Manager, Branding and Promotions for the Minnesota Vikings.
Once at VikingsUniformInsider.com, fans were asked to input their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare information, allowing the team to track everything on the popular social networks and award fans points for promoting the team. Jason Cole, co-founder and CEO at row27 elaborates, “Social rewards programs allow teams to develop brand advocates and gain their social endorsement while spreading the team message.”
The “Vikings Uniform Insider” program ran for four weeks with the team releasing three new uniform sneak peeks each week. As the team released exclusive information, fans were able to build up points through social interaction that would allow them to unlock rewards. These sneak peeks ranged from players commenting on the uniforms to pictures of the unique uniform parts.
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At the end of the four weeks, the Vikings brought the promotion to a crowning point with their finale event where they unveiled the full uniform in conjunction with their Draft Day Party. Over 7,000 fans showed up to the stadium for the reveal and Draft Day Party where the Vikings gave fans a chance to combine their social elements with a live party. The event featured pyrotechnics, music and the highly anticipated uniform reveal where players ran through the tunnel wearing the new and improved uniform. After the unveiling, players walked on stage and spoke about the upcoming year, the uniforms, and what to look forward to in the 2013/2014 season.
Click above to visit VikingsUniformInsider.com!
PARTNERSHIP
Behind this campaign was an extremely successful partnership with row27 studios that made it all possible. “It took one call… to explain to them my vision,” explains Swartz, “and a few days later they came back with ideas and frames that were aligned perfectly with the Vikings vision.” Once the ideas were set, row27 took care of everything. The Vikings sent them what they wanted in each sneak peek release and they put it all up online for the team. It was like a “well-oiled machine and we’re extremely happy with the ease and understanding of the partnership,” said Swartz.
RESULTS
Within the first three hours of the promotion launch, the Vikings saw huge results on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Over the course of the entire four-week campaign, the Vikings gained 2,478 Facebook likes, 12,523 new Twitter followers and 7,918 new Instagram followers. Between all the platforms, the combined possible reach from all the tweets, re-tweets, likes, hastags etc. was over 8,000,000 people! With over 100,000 unique visitors to VikingsUiformInsider.com, the Vikings database to pursue potential ticket sales opportunities grew dramatically. As you can see, the program’s success in driving people to the website and securing their information both generated fan excitement and a possibility to turn hype into ROI.
LOOKING AHEAD
With a hugely successful partnership and campaign, the Vikings see a future with row27 and their social media capabilities. And with the development of their new stadium set in motion and projected completion for the 2016 season, there are immense opportunities for similar campaigns.
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