Alternative Revenue Focus | Monday, August 17, 2009
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Purina Pro Plan Beefs Up Pet Rescue Effort Purina's Pro Plan brand is putting some heft behind its commitment to rescued shelter pets with an online contest in which consumers pick a shelter to receive $5,000 in Pro Plan coupons. The contest, called "Doing More for Pets," asks consumers to pick among 10 stories of pets rescued from shelters. Among the stories are a Dalmatian rescued after being hit by a car, an abandoned puppy in St. Louis, a chronically ill Lhasa Apso given up because the family couldn't afford medical bills, and seven cats given a new home after being abandoned in New York City. More than 120 stories were submitted before the final 10 were selected. "These 10 stories are truly moving and make you appreciate just how much life and love these pets still have to give," said Heather Gettys, brand manager for Purina Pro Plan, in a statement. "Each story is incredible, and we're proud to help shine the light on these pets and the amazing people who rescued them." The stories will be available for viewing at www.rallytorescue.org, through Oct. 30. Through a combination of a popular vote and a judges' score, one pet (and his/her owner) will win a trip to the National Dog Show in Philadelphia this November, and the rescue organization will win $5,000 in coupons for Pro Plan dog food. Purina has been running its Rally to Rescue program since 2005, helping more than 227,000 pets find new homes. The company has set a goal of passing 300,000 adoptions by the end of this year. To meet that goal, the company is sponsoring adoption events in eight U.S. cities where residents can learn more about pet rescue. The events will also include training sessions from Melissa Heeter and her rescue dog, Viola. Purina isn't the only pet-oriented company to sponsor pet rescue and shelter adoption. Frontline Plus has signed on as DogTime Network's sponsor for a Facebook application that tracks actions such as fostering a dog or taking one on a walk, and donates food to RescueGroups.org. Purina competitor Pedigree, meanwhile, earlier this year used a television commercial on the Super Bowl to promote pet adoption. (Source: Marketing Daily, 08/06/09) How You Can Make Money: The Pet Care category is one that has not seen any real decline during this economic downturn. People still spend scads of money on toys, food, accessories, and as I can personally attest...veterinary care. Unfortunately, the downturn has created a deluge of abandoned pets. Pet adoptions and shelter support are campaigns that resonate on a very local, grassroots level. When creating a pet/animal care campaign, offer sponsorship opportunities to companies beyond the mainstream pet care brands -- including makers of accessories, carriers, pet pharmaceuticals, etc. Be sure to offer these opportunities to companies whose products and services have nothing to do with pets or animals. More often than not, the decision-maker has pets at home and will see these cause programs as a way to leverage brand loyalty with local consumers. |
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How Purity.Organic Juiced Up Guerrilla Marketing With a limited marketing budget at its disposal, Purity.Organic wanted to raise awareness of its organic fruit juices in a way that would garner maximum attention. By tapping ad agency McCann Erickson, New York, the juice maker placed giant straws in garbage bins around New York City to tout the health benefits of its drinks. The giant cardboard bendy straws were planted in approximately 25 high-traffic locations to grab passersby attention. Each straw posed the question: "What are you really drinking?" to imply that other juices are not as healthy. The budget for the campaign was limited. According to CEO Greg Holzman, the cap on costs was around $10,000. Purity.Organic bought 200 straws at a little more than $20 each. The company removed the 7-foot straws last week. But since kicking off the effort, traffic on Purity.Organic's site has increased and consumers have been circulating pictures of themselves online with the straws. Purity.Organic said it received exactly the reaction it was hoping for. Some consumers, for instance, went as far as stealing straws from trash bins and became "a running billboard," said Sean Bryan, the project's group creative director from McCann. The juice maker's products sell nationwide, but New York was targeted for this campaign to raise brand awareness in an already cluttered category. New Yorkers are a "fairly in-the-know crowd to appreciate new approaches to marketing," Bryan said. Holzman added that the campaign was not directed at any specific New York demographic because it was done to "open the door as wide as we can" about getting people to think organically. Aside from the straws, Purity.Organic released an online video called "Those Motherf@#!ers," in which a businessman shouts (bleeped-out) profanities during a phone call. He takes a break to sip his Purity.Organic juice and instantly calms down and stops cussing. Going forward, Purity.Organic is planning to plant more straws and develop a Radio ad. (Source: Brandweek, 07/31/09) How You Can Make Money: On-air talent is infamous for being fun, off-the-wall, and unpredictable. (Some stations even have the FCC fines to prove it.) On the sales side, the business of Show Business can get in the way of creating the very fun, off-the-wall, and unpredictable campaigns that will get results for our clients and cause more businesses to want to work with us. And now, in these economic climes, is when clients need these very kinds of campaigns in order to cut through the clutter and cause consumers to want to do business with them. Solicit ideas from the creatives at your station -- on-air, production, even the engineers (who often have keen insights into the logistics of execution), and others. Make sure, as you flesh out the possibilities, that the campaign is relevant to the business and the message they wish to convey and not just out there to be "out there." |
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Local Properties Receive More Assistance From AAA The end of AAA's national motorsports sponsorship program has meant new deals from some of the auto association's 41 independent local clubs and regional operations. AAA dropped the auto racing ties that were managed out of its Heathrow, Fla. headquarters at the end of '08. Those deals included title of a Roush Fenway Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, as well as cosponsorship of Int'l Speedway Corp.'s tracks and the IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500. The motorsports program was funded by AAA's clubs. Now that it's gone, some clubs are allocating those dollars to new local sponsorships. For example, AAA's Mid-Atlantic territory recently signed new partnerships with the NFL Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins, as well as Virginia Tech's athletic department. The regional office also has renewed its two-year old partnership with the NFL Philadelphia Eagles through a new five-year deal. "Our NASCAR deal was winding down, and we were challenged as to what we should do as a club on our own," said Matthew Haas, AAA Mid-Atlantic's account management team leader, marketing, noting that pro football has proven popular among AAA customers. Other new local deals this year include AAA Hoosier Motor Club's three-year title of last month's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, while the Automobile Club of Southern California has teamed with Penske Racing to title its No. 77 Sprint Cup entry at five races and serve as major associate sponsor for the rest of the series. On top of that, AAA Ohio Auto Club recently extended its partnership with the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets for another three years. AAA clubs use sponsorship to engage customers and prospects and develop positive feelings about the brand. "Most of the time we talk to customers when they get a bill, or have a flat tire or some other negative experience," Haas said. "We want to engage customers and prospects and get them to rethink our brand when they're having a good time." Sponsorship pays dividends for AAA Mid-Atlantic The regional office–which oversees AAA clubs in Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey–expanded its involvement in football based on the success its Eagles partnership has had in achieving multiple objectives: Increased acceptance among younger consumers. The office aligned with the Eagles in part to build relations with consumers younger than AAA's core demographic, which skews over age 55. That effort paid off, with consumer research showing a positive change in attitude toward the brand among consumers under 45, said Haas, who noted the research tracked brand perception, purchase intent and other metrics. "That was significant. We've always looked to drive younger consumers, and we haven't always seen success," he said, noting that many of the consumers positively influenced by the Eagles partnership also were affluent. Promote travel services and boost traffic to consumer show. The Eagles sponsorship includes the right to host the AAA Travel and Savings Expo at Lincoln Financial Field. The ability to host the free-admission show at the stadium, as well as the opportunity to enhance the event with venue tours and appearances by players and cheerleaders, helped AAA draw four to five times the number of participants as previous expos held at other locations, Haas said. "We were able to fully leverage the sponsorship in a way that was very different than how people previously experienced AAA," said Marc Bluestein, president of Aquarius Sports Group, sponsorship agency of record for AAA Mid-Atlantic. Drive sales, gain leads, build relationships with existing members. The sponsorship also includes the rights to offer a AAA Eagles Fan Cruise. The inaugural seven-day Caribbean cruise was held this March, giving fans the opportunity to participate in "chalk talk" sessions and other activities with players such as Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent and others. In addition to revenue from the sale of cruise tickets, AAA Mid-Atlantic saw the event as a way to introduce itself to prospective members, said Haas, noting that both members and non-members could purchase tickets. Roughly 50 percent of the cruise's 150 guests were not AAA members, said Haas, who notes that nonmembers typically represent only five percent of AAA vacation package customers. "It's a big door opener in terms of reaching consumers who are not members, with the goal of converting them to our brand and products," Haas said. AAA promoted the cruise through team assets, including last year's Eagles draft party. "We sold a third of the cabins in the first week as a result of rolling out the program at the high profile draft day event," Haas said. The office also aligned with team cosponsor Frito-Lay North America last fall to promote the cruise through an in-store sweepstakes at roughly 90 Acme Markets, Inc. outlets. Consumers who purchased two bags of Frito-Lay snacks using their Acme loyalty card were automatically entered into the promo. Roughly 80,000 consumers purchased qualifying Frito-Lay products during the promotion window, a 15 percent increase in year-over-year same-store sales, said Haas. "They were ecstatic. We made a true friend out of Frito-Lay." Pro football deals to get Ultimate Fan Theme AAA Mid-Atlantic will offer team cruises and host Travel and Savings Expos at FedEx Field and M&T Bank Stadium around its Redskins and Ravens deals. All three NFL team partnerships will be leveraged using an Ultimate Fan platform this season. Under the new strategy, AAA will engage fans through title of tailgating events and designated areas within the stadiums. "We wanted to find a unique piece of the game day experience that we could take ownership of," Haas said. Its new Eagles deal includes designating a premium seating section in Lincoln Financial Field as the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone. AAA's tailgate party will be known as the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone Party. The entitlements give AAA the opportunity to interact and be in front of customers and prospects throughout the entire game day, said Bluestein, noting that the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone will be branded on concourse signage, cup holders and other inventory. To further tout the on-site activation, AAA will promote a ticket sweeps through Eagles broadcast partner CBS Radio. AAA plans to run similar promotions with the Ravens and Redskins. AAA Mid-Atlantic also will rebrand the cruise the AAA Eagles Ultimate Fan Cruise for next year's event. In Baltimore, AAA will title the Ravens Walk, a pre-game fan festival that draws roughly 50,000 of the venue's 70,000 fans, Haas said. The company still is working out the details of its Redskins deal, although the relationship will most likely include naming rights to a seating section and a pre-game activity, Bluestein said. To build relations with members, AAA will leverage the team deals to offer a 15 percent discount on jerseys and other merchandise sold through each team's online and physical stores. AAA Mid-Atlantic operates dedicated Web sites for its pro deals, including AAA.com/Eagles. On the college front, AAA will leverage its new partnership with Virginia Tech by titling the football team's drives inside the 20-yard line as the AAA Hokies Zone. "It's more a brand play, and less product driven," Haas said. "It's more about getting our brand in front of the Virginia Tech community." The AAA Hokies Zone will be mentioned during game broadcasts on Radio, on stadium video board graphics and as part of on-site T-shirt giveaways. AAA Mid-Atlantic also sponsors Dover Int'l Raceway, Richmond Int'l Raceway and the MLB Philadelphia Phillies. "The raceways are event-driven lead-generation partnerships and the Phillies is a deal with the sole purpose of selling a Phillies cruise," said Haas, who also sponsors a handful of minor league baseball and hockey teams. The office last year expanded its partnership with Dover Int'l Speedway. The seven-year deal affords exclusivity in the auto club category and home, life and automotive insurance categories; title of a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race; and presenting status of the venue's Monster Monument. Other clubs gain results, step up activity In addition to its new motorsports deal, the AAA Hoosier Motor Club sponsors the NBA Indianapolis Pacers, NFL Indianapolis Colts, Red Bull Indianapolis GP and other properties. It also has an endorsement deal with IndyCar Series driver Sara Fisher. The club credits its sponsorship and other non-traditional marketing activities with playing a key role in lifting its market penetration from less than 3.5 percent share to roughly 15 percent. "We're growing our insurance operation in a state where new insurance premiums are slack or decreasing; that means we're taking market share from other folks," said Sarah Gilman, the club's manager of sports marketing, who works on sponsorship with Gary Michelson, senior vice president of insurance and marketing. In Cincinnati, AAA Allied Group uses its partnerships with the MLB Cincinnati Reds and NFL Cincinnati Bengals to offer access to VIP experiences such as batting practice sessions and player and coach meet-and-greets for customer sweepstakes. "Compared to the amount of exposure associated with media, sports marketing tends to be a little pricey; we focus on the member experience aspects of an agreement to make it worthwhile," said Thomas Vaughn, vice president of marketing for AAA Allied Group, which oversees clubs in parts of seven states, including Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio. Like other clubs, AAA Allied Group also uses sponsorship to offer members discounts on team merchandise; the club also is investigating offering co-branded membership cards, Vaughn said. (Source: Sponsorship.com, 08/10/09) What's In It For You: If your station has any kind of significant sports team affiliation in your market, there's a direct line between AAA monies and your partnership. While you may not have the option of creating big sponsorship campaigns between the two, there are myriad possibilities for special game night promotions, tailgate parties, and other specific programs of that ilk. In markets where the professional team opportunities are locked up, seek out sponsorship openings with minor league and amateur teams. Stations without sports partners can work the retail promotion prospects and develop other campaigns that help AAA reach its branding, sales, and marketing goals. This is a prime time for your station to target local clubs to tap dollars formerly allocated to national racing program. |
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