TribalWorks

I went to the SMCC Conference yesterday and I thought most of the segments were well presented. 

The key conference takeaways were summarized well by Alan Middleton’s 3C’s.  Alan is the Executive Director at Schulich Executive Education Centre and was the MC for most of the day.

The 3C’s plus my takeaways:

• Community
  • Almost all the speakers highlighted the need to work with and do work for the community
  • This fits well with the Tribal Approach whereby you look at supporting the tribe rather than marketing to it
• Commitment
  • In order for a sponsorship partnership to be successful, there needs to be commitment from both senior management and employees
  • Most of the initiatives discussed during the day included a strong commitment from employees to deliver their results (best example was how Scotiabank was able to get their employees on board for numerous events that they sponsor)
• Continuity
  • This goes for any successful campaign but especially sponsorship
  • If you don’t tell people you are sponsoring something, you won’t get the recognition you are looking for and deserve
  • Also, make sure you have an integrated plan especially if you are sponsoring a one-time or infrequent event

Sponsorship can be a part of a complete Tribal Strategy.  The key thing is to make sure you know how it all fits together and how it impacts your entire organization.

I’ve decided to join the millions already on Twitter.

You can follow me at http://twitter.com/mjussawalla

We were only able to make one post on our blog last week since we were in the midst of moving offices.  Our new address is:

171 East Liberty Street, Suite 219
Toronto, ON
M6K 3P6

After 4.5 years in Richmond Hill, the time was right to move downtown.  More specifically, we are in the Liberty Village area which has gone through a huge revitalization initiative this decade.  Interestingly the building we are in, the Liberty Market Building, used to be a munitions factory in WWII and now houses an eclectic mix of tenants.

Yesterday the two teams for the 2009 Interenational Bowl were announced - University at Buffalo Bulls and the University of Connecticut Huskies.  Accelteon is a strategic partner with the International Bowl, thus we get a unique view into this annual cultural and sporting phenomenon.

Bowl games are essentially the post season for US College Football and occur annually from mid-December to early January.  They are as much about the fan experience as they are about the game itself.

From the time fans learn if and where their team will play (usually on the first or second weekend in December) to the weeks following the game, the bowl experience brings together fans in a way unlike any other sport.

The following is a timeline from pre-announcement to post-game on how various fan groups might interact:

Pre-announcement Anticipation:

• Days or hours before the bowl committees announce their selection, fans rush to online discussion forums to discuss and predict where their team may go.
• This is probably the most anxious time for the fans as they don’t know if or where they are going.  For example, this year University of Connecticut fans didn’t know if they should book a plane ticket to El Paso Texas for the Sun Bowl or get ready to drive up to Toronto.

Getting Ready to Go:

• Once the fans know where their team is going fans go online to:
  • Discuss the match-up, some fans hoped for a better bowl game, opponent or location; however, most are excited about the opportunity to travel with their team for a new experience.
  • Try to find out from other fans what the best way to travel to the game is (car, plane or train); if they are driving, many try to find other people to car pool with.
  • Discuss where the best hotels, restaurants, pubs are in the host city.  Some fans may group together to get a discounted hotel rate.
• Team pep rallies are often held at the school before the team heads off to their bowl location.  This is an opportunity for players, students, alumni and fans to rally around the team.

Living The Experience:

• Once the fans arrive in the host city they may participate in a host of planned an unplanned activities:
  • Unplanned activities may include meeting up with old classmates at a local pub, students hanging out together with the team at a club, or a family/group of friends going to see local tourist attractions.
  • Planned activities may include, The Battle of The Bands competition, an awards luncheon or a pep rally before the game.

Game Day:

• Fans that attend the game often head to the stadium early to participate in tailgating activities
• Once the game begins, the thousands of fans in the stadium band together as one for the duration of the game.
• Likewise, fans that could not make the trip often get together either on campus, or at a friends house to watch the game.  However, some fans take the bowl viewing experience to another level as seen in this video.

Post-Game:

• Once the game is done, fans may gather for one last meal before heading to the airport or hitting the road to get back home.
• The days and even weeks following the bowl game is usually filled with fans posting pictures/videos, talking about their experiences and thinking about next season.

Brands such as FedEx, Tostitos, Allstate and Capital One have been synonymous with the bowl experience for many years.  In subsequent posts we’ll talk about how companies can and have monetized this opportunity.

Accelteon played a big role in promoting the event last year and we are looking forward to doing the same this year.  In part due to our efforts, the 2008 International Bowl saw an increase of about 18% in attendance from the previous year.  The International Bowl is an annual College Football Bowl game played between the Big East and Mid-American Conferences.

The game will be held at Rogers Centre on January 3, 2009 at 12:00 PM.  It is the only NCAA football game played outside of the US.

We are currently working on our next article which should be released in our newsletter in about 4-5 weeks.  Unlike our previous newsletters, this one will be a series of 2-3 separate articles (which will be release a few months apart) that will focus on one case. 

The case will revolve around a small sized brand that competes against leading multinationals.  This will demonstrate how a brand with a limited budget can effectively win against strong competitors using the tribal approach.

In order to ensure you are one of the first to get a copy of the article, please enter your email address under The Accelteon Newsletter section on the right side of the page.

We will provide more information as we get closer to the release date.