Are you looking for new ways to leverage team partners? Are you looking for ways to bring the excitement of your games to life for fans during the work week?

McDonald's recently teamed up with Cossette, an advertising agency based out of Vancouver, Canada to create a stimulating out-of-home campaign designed to drive awareness for the chain's coffee offerings. Cossette built a steam machine to fit inside a bus shelter that let off periodic bursts of steam, revealing a hidden message about a McDonald's free coffee promotion.

The creative outdoor campaign, executed to perfection, offers some parallels for sports marketers looking for new ways to stimulate consumer awareness:

• Teams can promote an upcoming season (and leverage a home improvement/grill partner) by featuring a branded miniature grill giving off steam that reveals the slogan, "It's Time to Kickoff the Season... Are You Ready?"
• NASCAR (and/or participating teams/sponsors) can feature a visual of a car smoking with a captivating message
• Teams can feature of a picture of players running out of the tunnel with smoke (e.g. steam) exploding from the visual (think of the Miami Hurricanes running out of the tunnel with the steam)
• The Miami Heat (and teams with related fire monikers) could feature an outdoor ad with steam to show opponents cooling off
• Teams can leverage coffee vendors (as seen in the ad) by touting exclusive season-long promotional offers

Are you looking to create a unique billboard campaign that engages consumers? Are you looking to take your out-of-home messaging campaigns to the next level?

In 2009, the Canadian-based James Ready Beer Company, created a captivating billboard campaign that rewarded consumers for their participation. Priding itself on being a discount lager, the company created a billboard campaign that asked consumers to it save a buck by submitting pictures of what James Ready beer means to them. Here is a quick video that profiles the award-winning campaign:

Universities looking to build their brand in the local marketplace (and engage with their avid fanbase) should consider creating similar campaigns that enable fans to share their passion in a creative way!