Fans Without Footprints™

Rock solid green credentials? Got ‘em.

Support from the pro sports community?  See for yourself

Custom rewards app and content management tools? Coming this summer!

Brandable Recycling Machine? Fired up and ready to go.

Plug + Play and Scalable? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Strategic Partner? Still Missing.

Read all about it here:

The world of big time sports is one huge, co-dependent and symbiotic relationship that’s constantly evolving between all key stakeholders. Fans seek the drama, competition and entertainment provided by teams. Teams need fans to buy tickets. Leagues and teams need TV networks to attract more fans.  TV networks need fans to attract sponsors. Sponsors need teams and networks to access the fans.  And so on.

And so it is when considering the integration of sustainability into the world of sports.  We’ve spoken to most major leagues and many teams, and while it may not be clear under whose auspices green marketing falls (Sponsor sales? Marketing? Community relations? Actually, it’s a co-dependent combination of all), they generally seem prepared to embrace a green fan engagement platform, provided—and here comes the co-dependency again—it can attract a sponsor to pay for it, and even better, a network to support its promotion.

In fact, every green initiative, in the realm of sports or not, needs a corporate champion—a company or brand that will claim ownership, or at least patronship of the platform if not the cause.

A great example is the brilliant work of TerraCycle, working to recycle and repurpose trash that previously had a one-way ticket to the landfill into usable consumer and industrial products.  In this vignette, produced by SHFT (another brilliant initiative—actor Adrian Grenier’s and producer Peter Glatzer’s multi-media platform that’s telling compelling stories of those making a difference) and sponsored by Ford, the founder talks about the inter-dependency of his own model, including the necessary support of major consumer brands. 

So it is safe to say that brands will need to perform their same critical role in the business of sports if green sports initiatives are ever to become a reality.  But the great thing is, it doesn’t have to be a company that is seriously, seriously green, selling organic recycled somethings made from locally-grown repurposed and biodegradable otherthings.  The fact of the matter is there aren’t that many of them around, and they’re not generally dealing with the budgets that traditional sports advertisers and sponsors have at their disposal.  So we’re talking mainstream brands here. Most companies have developed a strong environmental mission by now anyway.

2013 Ford Focus Electric has a city fuel efficiency rating of 110 MPG.

For instance, consider Ford. Sure they produce some eco-friendly cars, but what really makes them a worthwhile candidate to champion sustainability in the world of sports is their own corporate commitment to the concept. Of course, ownership of a team and a stadium might also contribute to their candidacy.  Will Ford look to integrate a green platform into their extensive sports marketing portfolio, or will another brand step up to claim a leadership position?  And to those teams listening out there, it’s your job to create a compelling program for them to take seriously–one that makes sense from a brand marketing point of view and adds to the fan experience as well as benefits the environment and community. 

If so, they can turn this co-dependency problem into a co-dependency opportunity. 

Walter Ife & Harry Groome are the creators of Fans Without Footprints. They’re passionate about sports and the environment and lay awake at night dreaming up other ways to integrate both to add value for fans and brands.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Change your light bulbs.                       Turn off the water faucet. Be eco-friendly. Buy local.                    Ok, we get it. People, and companies, should be environmentally responsible. Green is everywhere, but trying to jam green into sports sponsorship?

Enough is enough, right?

Well, consider this—a platform is a platform, no matter what color it is. As long as it provides ample opportunity for activation, engagement and integrated messaging, it’s a viable option, right? Oh yeah—and it of course has to be relevant and compelling enough to be worthy of a fan’s attention.

The fact that engaging fans in the context of sustainability seems an
unlikely prospect means the field is currently wide open, waiting for
someone to step in and own it. Many teams have already greened up their
stadiums and arenas and are now looking to extend their commitment outward,
and are always interested in new ways to monetize their fan base.

So how would it work?  Ok, for sake of example, let’s consider Fans Without
Footprints, a (and as far as we know, the only) custom green fan engagement
program for teams and sponsors.

The premise of the program is built around rewarding fans for green behavior, recycling, interacting with sponsors and contributions to local environmental projects.
Rewards can include unique fan experiences, meet & greets, ticket
discounts/upgrades, preferred parking, game day prizes, brand offers/discounts, team/brand merchandise, etc.

Let’s see how it delivers against the buzz words:

Branded interactive recycling kiosks that issue
rewards, game day prizes, brand discounts/offers.  Brand ambassadors
registering fans and educating them on green behavior.

Competition among fans and versus fans of other teams
to accumulate points/rewards based on behavior and brand interaction.
Promoted via social media and tracked via custom branded web interface.
Custom micro sites on team/sponsor sites also promote program.

Outreach promotes participation to all fans and alerts
them to activities planned in-stadium, at retail and online and serves as
content platform for green fan tips, brand’s green story, etc.

Retail displays promote program and fans can be
driven into stores as part of custom promotion

Scoreboard and PA announcements promote program, encourage
participation and celebrate sponsor’s green initiatives

Promotional vignettes celebrate program and benefits for fan,
community, environment and platform for sponsor to tell their green story

Local environmental project is beneficiary of sponsor, team
and fan $$ contributions and platform for volunteer activities with
fans/players

Strategic alignment with the most important issue of
our time—the environment—is a big PR win for all

As you can see, the execution of the program is not necessarily unique, and
the fact that the program happens to be green and benefits the environment
is secondary. It provides robust activation opportunities, can be the basis
of a fully integrated messaging campaign and engages fans through rewards
and by hitting them where they live—right in their own community.

But what green does give you is a compelling messaging and rewards platform
that benefits the community and has potential to impact a fan’s lifestyle at
the stadium and at home.  There are enough different topics—tailgating,
transportation, energy use, food choices, water use, etc–to keep the
messaging fresh and relevant for an on-going campaign.

The green wave has already begun to wash over the world of sports, and the
next frontier is fan engagement. This is one of those rare opportunities for
a brand to exercise first mover advantage.

Walter Ife & Harry Groome are the creators of Fans Without Footprints. They’re passionate about sports and the environment and lay awake at night dreaming up other ways to integrate both to add value for fans and brands.

Walter Ife & Harry Groome are the creators of Fans Without Footprints. They’re passionate about sports and the environment and lay awake at night dreaming up other ways to integrate both to add value for fans and brands.