Increasing season ticket sales in a down economy is clearly a daunting task that requires new ideas. In response, some athletic departments are experimenting with using interactive Web sites designed to lure in potential buyers.

At Marquette University, the sales and marketing team launched a new Web site in mid-October specifically for selling five-game mini-plans to men's basketball fans that is both unique and interactive. It features contests, prizes, and videos, all designed to keep fans coming back and engaging with the program.

Visitors to the site are drawn in by a rotating 3-D wheel of videos with varied content, including highlights, interviews, and fan submissions. Above and below the videos are windows that describe how fans can register for a chance to win prizes and earn points, which they can do by uploading videos, purchasing a ticket package, finding hidden videos, and sharing the site with friends via e-mail, Twitter, or Facebook.

The more points fans earn, the more Marquette memorabilia they receive. In addition, each point counts as an entry in a raffle on April 1, when one fan will win an iPhone and three will win $100 Sprint Shop gift cards.

"We wanted to do something creative that would stand out," says Brian Bowsher, Director of Marketing and Sales for Athletics at Marquette. "It's definitely helped with sales. It's been a down year because of the economy and we needed something to counter that."

Members of the athletic department outlined their ideas for the site to Row27 Studios, which developed it. During the first week after the site's mid-October launch the athletic department posted a splash page that appeared each time someone visited the main athletics site, directing people to the mini-plans page. Marquette also sent out an e-mail to the full athletic department database, promoted it heavily on its Twitter and Facebook pages, and posted links throughout the athletic department Web site.

The key to the site has been the short videos. They include team members dishing on which player eats the most, highlights from former Golden Eagle Dwyane Wade, lessons from alum Doc Rivers, and 97 others that contribute to the theme of "100 reasons to experience Marquette basketball." Bowsher says 60 to 70 fans have uploaded videos and new videos are being released each week during the season to keep fans coming back.

"With any other type of advertising campaign, it's just us talking to the fans," says Bowsher. "This site captures people's attention and engages them. They spend more time getting excited about Marquette basketball, and get in the spirit of buying tickets."

To get their football fans in the spirit of buying tickets, Boston College also employed a special Web site and video, but took an even more interactive approach. Working with a company named Blind Society, BC created viral videos designed to give fans the feel of being a sought-after recruit.

The video, which is shot in a first person perspective, begins by asking the viewers to enter their name and phone number. The fan then arrives on campus and makes his or her way from the locker room through the athletic facility, and finally to the coach's box where Head Football Coach Frank Spaziani awaits. Spaziani tells "recruits" he has been waiting for them and points to the field where the fan's name is inscribed in the end zone.

Along the way, several BC football players say hello and discuss the week's upcoming game. At the end of the presentation, the fan receives a recorded call from team captain Mike McLaughlin informing them about season ticket packages.

"It's different and exciting when fans have their name as part of the story," says Jamie DiLoreto, Assistant Athletics Director for External Operations at BC. "Connecting them directly with our facilities and letting them know they are a part of this program was a big reason for doing it. It was also a different way of delivering the message."

Boston College sent the video out to its e-mail database and relied on those people to share it. DiLoreto says the video had 250,000 unique visitors as of December, and while not as many of those viewers purchased tickets as he hoped, the campaign collected a lot of people through e-mail who are being added to BC's database.

BC kept costs low for the project by partnering with several other FBS schools. The universities shared resources to purchase the minutes for the calls, the storyboard, and production services from Blind Society. Each school shot their own video on their campus.

Some of the schools used a similar video to sell basketball tickets and DiLoreto says he will consider using the video again next year. Bowsher is unsure if he will create a similar site for any other sport, but he encourages any creative marketing idea.

"Advances in social media really allow for new ideas and ways to better communicate with your fans and let them interact with your brand and product," he says. "The sky's the limit."

Check out the Marquette site at: www.marquetteminiplans.com.
Check out the BC site at: www.wearebostoncollege.com/football.