3. #PromotionsLab
Jay Schultz
Sponsorship + Product Specialist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Atlanta, GA | DMA 9
@jvs_ajc
Boasts:
Nickname is “Chicken Nug”
Used to teach broadcasting
KKFN is the #1 local media site in
Basketball
10. #PromotionsLab
1. Run the Upfront 3 in 1 Bracket
2. Run a Variety of Promotions
3. Plan 3 Months Out
4. Sell 2 Months Out
5. Promote 1 Month Out
5 Keys to Elevate Your Basketball Promotions
19. #PromotionsLab
Separate 64, 16 + 4 team brackets
One registration
Customizable – run what you want
More chances to play and win!
Upfront 3 Games in 1!
27. #PromotionsLab
The Package
Title Sponsor (1 available)
Opportunity to be a VIP Picker
Logo on all bracket updates in print x7 “Brought to you by”
½ page full color advertisement on double truck on Monday March 16
2 ½ page advertisements on printed brackets on selected dates
100% SOV (728x90) on the online contest page
100% SOV (300x250) on the online contest page
450k ads content targeted to Sports during contest period
Investment: $20,000
28. #PromotionsLab
The Package
3-Point Sponsor (2 available)
Opportunity to be a VIP Picker
Logo on promotional materials and collateral as prize sponsor
3” x 5” full color advertisement on double truck on Monday, March 16
¼ page advertisement adjacent to printed bracket on Thursday, April 2
50% SOV (300x250) on the online contest page
215k ads content targeted to Sports during contest period
Investment: $7,500
29. #PromotionsLab
The Package
Free-Throw Sponsor (16 available)
Opportunity to be a VIP Picker
3” x 2” full color advertisement on double truck on Monday, March 16
5% SOV (300x250) on the online contest page
75k ads content targeted to Sports during contest period
Investment: $1,200
35. #PromotionsLab
The Package
Multiple Sponsorship (4 available)
Brand representation on all contest pages
Inclusion in email campaign to 40,000 users
ROS 970x90 and 300x250 banners ads promoting bracket with logo
ROS 970x90 and 300x250 client dedicated banner ads
Name and tagline inclusion in on-air promo announcements (100 minimum)
75 client dedicated :30 streaming commercial spots
Bank of 60 client :30 commercials M-Sun 6a-9p to run in March 2016
One dedicated :30 commercial in every game broadcast (32 minimum)
Investment: $10,000 per sponsor
36. #PromotionsLab
The Package
Multiple Sponsorship (4 available)
Brand representation on all contest pages
Inclusion in email campaign to 40,000 users
ROS 970x90 and 300x250 banners ads promoting bracket with logo
ROS 970x90 and 300x250 client dedicated banner ads
Name and tagline inclusion in on-air promo announcements (100 minimum)
75 client dedicated :30 streaming commercial spots
Bank of 60 client :30 commercials M-Sun 6a-9p to run in March 2016
One dedicated :30 commercial in every game broadcast (32 minimum)
Investment: $10,000 per sponsor
48. #PromotionsLab
The Package
Title Sponsorship (1 available)
Exclusive Naming Rights
Brand representation on all contest pages
Facebook Integration and promotion
10 P.M. In News Sportscast mention twice weekly (includes sponsor logo)
$20K in Promotional Spots over the 6 Week Run
WPSD desktop/mobile/tablet display ads - 300,000 Impressions
WPSD Pre Roll - 5,000 :15 non pre-emptable commercials
Investment: $5,000 per month (Feb, March, April)
49. #PromotionsLab
How it Was Promoted
• Promote at least 2 weeks in advance for
registration
• Change creative + front-heavy load on
delivery when it’s time to MAKE PICKS
65. #PromotionsLab
Turnkey Quizzes
• What Kind of College Hoops
Fan Are You?
• Which College Hoops
Coach Are You?
• Tournament Trivia
• Basketball Movie Trivia
70. #PromotionsLab
Suggested Timeline
Milestones to Launch College Basketball Bracket Date
Finalize promotional schedule February 18
Deadline to sell February 25
Begin promoting “Register to make your picks” March 1
64 team bracket released! Promotion blitz to “Make your picks” March 13 @ 8pm ET
64 team bracket closes – first game of the tournament March 17 @ Noon ET
16 Team Bracket March 20 – 24
4 Team Bracket March 27 – April 2
Championship Game April 4
*All games close for picks 15 minutes before the start of the game
71. #PromotionsLab
Sample Calendar
Promotion Start by
Suggested
Revenue
Quiz #1 – Tournament Trivia February 23 $1,000
Sweepstakes February 29 $2,000
Quiz #2 – What Kind of College Hoops Fan Are You? March 3 $1,000
Upfront 3 in 1 Bracket March 15 – April 4 $10,000
Quiz #3 – Which College Basketball Coach Are You? March 22 $1,000
$15,000 total
revenue
82. #PromotionsLab
Sample TV Sales Package
Exclusive Sponsorship Model
Exclusive Naming Rights
Brand representation on all contest pages
Facebook Integration and promotion
10 P.M. Sportscast mention twice weekly (includes sponsor logo)
$20K in Promotional Spots over the 6 Week Run
Email opt-in on registration page
Email campaign with logo/link included (6 emails minimum)
Desktop/mobile/tablet display ads - 300,000 Impressions
Pre Roll - 5,000 :15 non pre-emptable commercials
Investment: $15,000
83. #PromotionsLab
Sample Radio Sales Package
Category-Exclusive Sponsorship Model
20 promo mentions per week/460 promos total
Inclusion in (10) :10 sports flash tags, name mention only
500 :30 commercials M-Sun 5am-Midnight
Brand representation on all contest pages
Facebook Integration and promotion
Email opt-in on registration page
Email campaign with logo/link included (6 emails minimum)
Desktop/mobile/tablet display ads - 300,000 Impressions
Investment: $5,000 per advertiser
84. #PromotionsLab
Sample Newspaper Sales Package
Multiple Sponsorship Model – VIP Sponsorship (4)
Featured Picker – pick alongside Sports staff & a local sports celebrity
10 premium ads (2”x10”)
Digital Campaign including:
• Contest page 728×90 & 300×250 served together (1/4 share of voice)
• Co-Branded Pencil Pushdown (twice during sign-up period)
• 200,000 ROS impressions
Email Campaign with banner ads in daily news email, breaking news, and promotional email lists
Logo on all promotions
Email Opt-In on registration page
Social Media mentions with links back to the advertiser’s Facebook and Twitter pages
Investment: $3,000 per advertiser
85. #PromotionsLab
Sample Newspaper Sales Package
Multiple Sponsorship Model – Supporting Sponsorship (10)
Featured Picker–pick alongside Sports staff & a local sports celebrity
10 premium ads (2”x4”)
Digital ads (300x125) on contest page and emails
Logo on all promotions
Social Media mentions with links back to your Facebook and Twitter pages
Investment: $750 per advertiser
Chaney
They get more users than anyone else!
Ask JJ – so how do you get a nickname like “”Chicken Nug”?
JJ – I ate 75 chicken nuggets
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
40 MM americans filled out a bracket last year
Pass to Emily
Chaney
40 MM americans filled out a bracket last year
Chaney: Didn’t you win our office bracket last year Emily? What’s your secret?
Emily: YES much to my surprise I did win! Being from Wisconsin I picked the Badgers to go far, but I knew they would choke at the end and I was right!
Some people were shocked I hadn’t picked the Badgers to win it all -
Which brings me to my first key to elevate your basketball promotions – and that is to run an upfront 3 in 1 bracket on your site
March Madness is fun for EVERYONE – it’s something that everyone is talking about, everyone is focused on
And you can capitalize on that
The College Basketball Bracket is Managed each week by Second Street – and it’s EASY for you to add it to your site and secure local sponsors
We offer a Sales Kit + national prizes – also have the ability to add local prizes
Something NEW that I’m really excited to share with you are some enhancements to our bracket
Something we’re calling the “Upfront 3 Games in 1”
Not only will it allow your users to pick upfront, the traditional model with a 64 team bracket
Where you can make your picks before the start of the tournament
When you get to the Round of 16, the contest has the ability to trigger a second game where people can make a fresh set of picks and have a new game to compete in after their bracket is inevitably busted.
We’ll also do this for the Round of 4 – so these are 2 new ways to win!
Keep in mind this doesn’t negate any of your picks in your Upfront bracket – the Round of 16 and Round of 4 are 2 standalone brackets with new picks and more prizes
The BEST PART- People don’t have to register more than once - This is all within one game
Help increase site traffic and brand awareness for you and your sponsors
Each game gives people one more chance to play and win national prizes and local prizes
Our national prizes this year include a $1MM for a perfect bracket
The National top score in all of our games will win
a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4
AND a Fathead of your choice
Emily
So now let’s pivot to some real-life case studies from media companies across the country
Starting with Karie Thornton from WPSD
WPSD is a small market NBC station in Paducah, Kentucky!
Emily intro Karie – thanks for being here! Tell us more about what you do at WPSD?
Emily ask Karie – what were your goals for running a college basketball bracket this year?
Their goals were to: Increase revenue and audience engagement
And the sponsors wanted: Branding and engagement in print and digital
Looking to reach men – any sports promotion, that is a big advantage to those advertisers
The solution was selling them a great sponsorship bracket around Mark Bradley’s Bracket Fiasco
Mark Bradley is one of their award winning sports writers and they have been running a College Basketball Bracket for the last 27 years!
Used to do these brackets as HAND WRITTEN and tabulated it all himself
Each year he picks up some memorabilia directly from the NCAA tournament – gives someone a “piece” of the game
To drive sponsor excitement the AJC took a page out of our Basketball Playbook
Offered 3 levels of sponsorship which works well for newspapers
Title
and as a part of the package
Sponsors could win space in the paper based on their picks as a VIP Picker
One of the cool things – depending on the sponsor level – you could get a different # of VIP pickers (12) – supporting got 3 – lowest level got 1 – gives them THAT Much more of a chance to win free advertising.
Higher investment = more of a chance to win the free advertising
“Loved to be able to leverage ROP print assets as an incentive for people to be a part of the program”
3-point
Kennesaw State University
Free Throw
International Follies, a gentleman’s club
Chaney: that wasn’t on my prospect list, but what a great idea!
Ran heavy promotion online
Mark Bradley writes an article on his picks on Selection Sunday, who is going to go all the way – he crosslinks to the contest
They did a special double-truck the day the brackets launched and put a printed bracket in Sports section of the newspapers
GREAT – looking to really grow that this year!
Emily to ask Jay – tell me about that
Plan is to get more sponsors this year and target smaller, local advertisers to increase their revenue
Talk more about this – exponential revenue when you get a lot more advertisers involved – and you don’t have to deliver as much to each of them
Can still leverage VIP pickers – spend $1k – chance to win $10k in advertising!
WANT TO RUN UPFRONT 3 in 1 THIS YEAR – gives them something to promote the whole time
I love those revenue numbers – especially for a small market!
Now let’s switch gears and walk through a great radio case study
From KKFN in Denver, Colorado
They are our TOP PARTNER for basketball –
and I’m so excited to share some of their secrets to success
The station wanted a way to engage their audience online, as an extension of their on-air programming since they broadcast the games, and generate revenue
Also wanted to grow database
Their sponsors had a variety of specific goals but they were generally focused on leads, foot traffic and branding campaigns
Ultimately got 4 category-exclusive sponsors: a sportsbar, a college, a tax preparer and a urology center
Keep it to a max of 4 sponsors
Too many sponsor mentions, no one stands out, diluting it
Title, presenting, how do you report back on results?
Everyone wants a tagline
Sponsors:
Tilted Kilt –
They have money underwritten by liquor or beer
Colorado Media School -
They teach broadcasting
People want to BE sports broadcasters
By this time next March, YOU could be calling the action!
Advance Tax Solutions
No brainer - you’re in tax season – they NEED branding
Urology Center of Colorado
Somewhat “gold” and can be for a lot of affiliates
March is the biggest month in the area of vasectomies
People are having the procedure done the Wednesday before the games - sit for 4 days and watch Basketball!
NOW is the perfect time to do it - get it done before tournament
Survivor bracket was KEY to their campaign
First weekend - people’s brackets get busted - start from scratch, “the Fan is giving you a second chance on your bracket and a second chance at having a family” - Sweet 16 - Urology center switched campaign
Giving you a second chance at having a family
Vasectomy REVERSAL!
it’s not all NTR, there is spot involved
Integrated promotion – included bank of commercials they could use at their discretion
We air the games - includes in game spots
Average sponsor pays $10k
People need to use the INVITE EMAIL! The Email Campaign including the Invite email is one of the SINGLE MOST effective assets at getting people to register
it’s not all NTR, there is spot involved
Integrated promotion – included bank of commercials they could use at their discretion
We air the games - includes in game spots
Average sponsor pays $10k
People need to use the INVITE EMAIL! The Email Campaign including the Invite email is one of the SINGLE MOST effective assets at getting people to register
Success = we have done it for 15 years and done it consistently
utilize their on-air staff and sponsors as who get to play along and make picks in the bracket as VIP pickers
The station also input celebrity brackets fun – compare your picks to Obama!
The earlier the better - you cannot start promoting in March
You want to take the approach of March is coming - brackets are coming - get your group together - money in office pools - have your office use our software
The earlier you get people thinking about it and creating the groups it will breed that success
The station hosted onsite talent appearance…at tilted kilt for the first 4 games
4 sponsors
We had more than 8,600 listeners participate!
The Urology Center ended up driving 50 new procedures as a result of their bracket sponsorship
The Colorado Media School also got 100 leads
I love those revenue numbers – especially for a small market!
Now let’s switch gears and walk through a great radio case study
From KKFN in Denver, Colorado
They are our TOP PARTNER for basketball –
and I’m so excited to share some of their secrets to success
Our goal for this year’s bracket was to increase our revenue, drive user engagement, and boost our number of users.
In previous years a lot of the dollars went to the TV line of budget, didn’t necessarily go to Emerging Media (EXPLAIN WHAT EMERGING MEDIA IS – DIGITAL ASSETS)
This time we wanted to make sure the package had Emerging Media assets
Our sponsor was looking for something BIG to brand themselves and their NEW website
So what we ultimately put together was a campaign that involved multiple promotions
The center of the campaign was the college basketball bracket – to give them the heavy branding and the mentions of their new website that they were looking for
TaylorSellsIt.Com
But we also ran a quiz bundle
Karie: And a Facebook Sweepstakes
Emily That’s really smart
Emily: I love how multiple promotions in the same campaign
Emily: What was in your package?
Karie: Clients like the way we put our packages together - Increases the value to the client – they feel like they’re getting ALL of these things
Ways to promote the bracket, promote their partnership with us
We were able to get Co-op dollars from Chrysler and Ford
3 different banner ad campaigns - we have a higher than average CTR – industry standard is .025% - we have .06%!
3 different pre-roll spots rotating – 2 to match the co-op requirements and one to promote the bracket
our pre-roll is OUTSTANDING – we have a 6% CTR on our pre roll campaigns
We promote at least 2 weeks in advance for registration
Since there is such a SHORT window to make picks
We Change up all of the creative
Front-heavy load on the delivery when it’s time to MAKE PICKS
Emily to play the video
Karie – we made $15k in revenue – WOO WOO
We doubled our users!
53% User Growth
Which brings me to my next key to elevating your basketball promotions – much like we’ve seen WPSD illustrate
You can really increase your revenue and drive even better results for your sponsors by running a variety of promotions around basketball
Advertiser had a variety of goals so they sold them an entire campaign!
Goals: Build Facebook Likes as they were launching a new Facebook Page
Build an Email Database
Data Collection
Taylor Automotive wants to get the oil change side of the business
They wanted to know what would make someone switch to them for their service?
The solution was a Facebook Sweepstakes where we could easily add some survey questions for them
Karie: Here’s what the survey questions looked like
We asked if they were in the market for a new in the next etc….. So they could follow up with them at the right time
Email opt-in was really important
Facebook Likes were important to them
We’ve found Sweeps are the BEST at achieving these goals!
Karie: We also sent a bounceback – we try to include these as often as possible – great feature of sweeps – instantly drive foot traffic
We send everyone a Thank you coupon – 10% off your vehicle service
Emily: SO SMART
Emily: That is fantastic! What were some of the results you were able to share with your sponsor?
Karie: They were able to understand what it would take to get people to switch vehicle service providers – number one reason was SPECIAL OFFERS!
Karie: More than 2.300 people entered the sweepstakes
Our opt-in rates are crazy good
Tip: Pre-check that box!
EMILY ASK: Karie I know you also sold your sponsor a quiz bundle, Why did the sponsor like the quizzes?
KARIE: Social Media SHARING
We were sharing it daily, the users are sharing it like crazy with their friends
Emily: weren’t these the first quizzes you had ever run?
Karie: YES! Which UK Player are you? Outcomes are players
This went CRAZY VIRAL!
It was our first quiz!
Emily: What was the second quiz you ran?
Karie: What type of car should you drive? We used one of your turnkeys! VERY EASY TO SET UP
Taylor Automotive LOVED being able to feature their cars as the results – easy to customize
Client was thrilled
252 NEW Facebook Likes
Chaney
Chaney
Tons of fun – we’ve seen everything from beer brackets, to music-themed brackets, and even favorite dessert brackets!
Like Andy’s Frozen Custard Treat Tournament
Desserts that Andy’s Frozen Custard SOLD – specific desserts they sold
KY3
Chaney
625 users and $5k revenue – client LOVED IT
Emily: Chaney – what was the winner? I’m dying to know!
Chaney: James Brownie Funky Jackhammer
Chaney
Prep Basketball Ballot
Chaney
Chaney
Chaney
This is for a SMALL MARKET
Chaney
The best part about promotions is how you can use them to solve advertiser challenges in a really measurable way
Grow email? Add an optin
Grow foot traffic? Leverage the invite and reminder emails to include a really great offer
Increase customer acquisition for your advertisers.
One of the best ways to drive foot traffic to your advertiser’s location is to
include a coupon or offer on the thank you page or in reminder emails.
Increase awareness & engagement.
By including your advertiser’s logo on all contest branding and promotional
elements, you have the power to expose them to a wide – and actively
engaged – audience.
Increase the size of your email database.
91% of US Internet users check their email at least once a day. If you help
your advertiser grow their email list by including an opt-in on the
registration pages, they will be able to generate more revenue with their
email marketing campaigns.
Increase social engagement.
On Facebook, it’s all about engaging with your current fans and attracting
new fans. Running promotions is one of the best ways to achieve both of
these objectives. In fact, the top reason that people Like company
Facebook pages is because of a discount or promotion taking place.
This is a really similar pool of advertisers to other sports promotions, especially football. This is why it’s a good idea to bundle all of your sports promotions together and sell them to your advertisers at the same time.
Community Services
Banks & Financial Services Providers
Insurance Providers
Local Utilities
Automotive
Dealerships
Audio & Window Tinting Services
Mechanics
Detailing & Car Washes
Oil Change & Maintenance
Food & Beverage
Local Pubs & Bars
Chain Sports Bars
Fast Food Chains
Liquor Stores
Grocery Stores
Beer & Liquor Distributors
FULL LIST UP AT THE LAB
Recreation
Sports & Recreational Centers
Golf Courses & Pro Shops
Gyms & Fitness Centers
Retail
Clothing Stores & Haberdasheries
University Bookstores
Outdoor Stores
Pawn Shops
Big Box Retailers
Hardware Stores
Sports Stores
Award & Trophy Stores
Home Audio Stores
Bike Shops & Cycling Stores
Entertainment
Movie Theaters
Event Venues
Service Providers
Pest Control
Doctors & Dentists
Chiropractors
Plumbers
As with any promotion, you can sell different levels of sponsorship for your Basketball promotions.
Targeting an exclusive sponsor is ideal if the advertiser wants to be the center of the contest or if they can afford the exclusivity – like KFMB’s example with Oggi’s. Markets large and
small can sell exclusive sponsorships. The key to exclusive sponsorships is offering a package that allows your advertiser to shine.
Another approach to make the offer appealing to your advertisers is to have category exclusive sponsorship, where you only have one sponsor in each category.
Increases the urgency to secure their spot as the exclusive sponsor in their category
Targeting multiple sponsors allows you to build relationships with several advertisers. This approach works in markets both small and large.
Targeting multiple advertisers, which allows businesses that can’t afford to sponsor the entire contest to participate can result in driving a large amount of revenue for your media property. For a basketball contest with multiple sponsors, definitely take advantage of VIP pickers.
Integrate your sponsor into the Welcome Page – VIP Picker, ad units, local prizes
You also have complete control over the Welcome Page
Our Welcome page has 8 modules that you can arrange in any order you like. You can also disable any of the modules you don't wish to use.2 modules that are particularly useful are the VIP Pickers – a great way to integrate your staff and allow your audience to compete and compare their picks against them!
---------
1) Countdown clock - this will countdown to the start of the contest. 2) The Welcome Text - This is a freeform HTML field where you can insert text, images, videos, etc to promote your contest and your sponsors, by default the social networking icons are enabled.3) VIPs - clicking on any VIP will present the viewer with that VIP's picks for the current round.4) Local Leaders - displays the top scorers from your local pool of players5) Local Prizes - if you are offering local prizes they can be displayed on the welcome tab. 6) Fan Gallery - the latest images submitted by users from around the nation7) Mobile - a link you can send to a mobile device either via email or SMS message so one can play on a smartphone8) Latest Talk - the most recent post on the message boards
Be sure to include an ad on these
Printable bracket. Put advertiser logos here!
Reminder emails are a great way to drive traffic and sponsor exposure throughout the tournament
Exclusive sponsor at a major market sports station
Could scale up or down depending on market size
Category exclusive sponsorship model could also work well
Best Practice: Sponsor to provide $1000 prize
Exclusive sponsor at a major market sports station
Could scale up or down depending on market size
Category exclusive sponsorship model could also work well
Best Practice: Sponsor to provide $1000 prize
Multiple sponsors
Multiple sponsors
Chaney: Alright Emily, let’s talk about Promoting
Emily: Thanks Chaney! Marketing guys and gals – this section is for YOU! You can plan a great game and secure some great sponsors but if you don’t PROMOTE you won’t have anyone playing your game
When branding and talking about your game WATCH out for trademarks! Trademark infringement can quickly turn into a serious headache, and trademarked words and phrases are more common than you might expect.
okay to use the idea of “March Madness” — using plays-on-words and the concept of brackets
—Here’s an example from the AJC of what they call their contest – Bracket Fiasco
just don’t use the actual trademarked term itself: “March Madness.”
Don’t forget the URL
Mention prizes
We used all our assets to promote this
Integrating it with Kyle is key
On-Air Promotion Dates: KFMB-TV (CBS 8)
Starting on March 1- March 11 -countdown/register
Play Now - March 16 evening - March 20 morning
News 8 Sports On-Air Live Mentions:
Pre promotion - March 5 week
Reminder to play and make picks - March 16 pm through 19
Final Winner - congratulations and wrap up - April 10
ROS and homepage placement
Facebook in an app!
Facebook in an app!
Quad City Times Advertiser Facebook Sweepstakes “Win Dinner for 10 at Red Lantern”
July 1-9 collected submissions
517 total submissions
355 came the day the email was sent
70% of contest entries came from the email
Sample KFMB Email Promotion – 5 emails:
Initial Invite to Best Bets (21,000)- March 19 (shared message watch and win)
Invite to all past contest players -(13,000) March 17 am
Reminder email to all signed up players to make picks - March 20
Winner email to all participants - after round 2 an 4 - March 23 & March 27
Results / Wrap up email - announce final winner - April 10
Emily
Chaney
Emily
You can really increase your revenue and drive even better results for your sponsors by running a variety of promotions around basketball
– much like we’ve seen WPSD illustrate
Chaney
Emily
Pick your sponsorship model, put together your packages and your list of advertisers to target
Kick off your sales at least 2 months before you plan to begin promoting your brackets – which means now!
Chaney
Chaney
Q: When are the games available to customize in the admin tool? mid-January How to implement bracket – we’re going to send you an email in a few weeks with all of the details
Q: We’re a small staff – how do you execute?
Q: Can a non CBS TV affiliate run brackets and still see success? WPSD isn’t a CBS station. They are NBC.
Q: What kind of advertisers do you recommend we approach?
Q: Love quizzes. Are they easy to setup?
Q: Where do I get pricing info? (non partner)
Q: When are the games available to customize in the admin tool? mid-January How to implement bracket – we’re going to send you an email in a few weeks with all of the details
Q: We’re a small staff – how do you execute?
Q: Can a non CBS TV affiliate run brackets and still see success? WPSD isn’t a CBS station. They are NBC.
Q: What kind of advertisers do you recommend we approach?
Q: Love quizzes. Are they easy to setup?
Q: Where do I get pricing info? (non partner)