Gameday Giveaways

I have been to a sporting event or two in my day. And, I love the games with the giveaways. Hats, rally towels, seat cushions, bobble heads -- all with brand logos, of course.

For a long time, my favorite was when I went to Bat Day at Yankee Stadium in the early 80s. Everyone received a bat and it was sponsored by Citibank.

However, nearly three years ago at a Falcons-Cowboys game, I received the best gameday giveway yet: An inflatable Motorola coaching headset (please see the self-portrait and action shot below).




Several years back, all NFL coaching personnel switched over to these larger than life Motorola headsets. It was a highly visible change to even the casual fan.

What a brillant idea. Let's take that branded piece of the game (the headset) and turn it into an inflatable. Fantastic! Every fourth or fifth person at that game was wearing it. And most were calling in plays much like I am in that photo on the left.

Now, I am not in the market for a Motorola NFL coaching headset, but it will make me think about the brand when I purchase my next cell phone. And, that is just it... they could have given us an inflatable cell phone, but I would have thrown that away the moment I got home. Who am I kidding? I probably would have left it at the stadium.

This is just a great example of an effective marketing giveaway. I mean look at me: I am a grown man wearing my headset nearly three years later ... and I don't plan to stop any time soon.