Big Ten buzz meets the Rose Bowl
Summary
The start of the 2024/2025 college football season marked a significant shift for UCLA as they joined the Big Ten Conference. This move allowed Visit Pasadena to connect with dedicated fans in 18 new markets through a blend of digital outreach and in-market engagement.
Client
Visit Pasadena
Scope
Experiential & Digital Media
Campaign Title
Pasadena Ticket Taxi & Big Ten Awareness Campaign
Results
7M+
Impressions
800+
New Email Marketing Leads
1
Rose Bowl Giveaway Winner
Eighteen Markets. One Game Plan.
The start of the 2024/2025 college football season marked a significant shift for UCLA as they joined the Big Ten Conference. This move allowed Visit Pasadena to connect with dedicated fans in 18 new markets through a blend of digital outreach and in-market engagement.
Real Brand Movement.
Our goals included brand awareness in new markets, brand engagement through an in-market activation in Iowa City during a Big Ten rival football game, and lead generation via a contest where fans could win a trip to attend a football game in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl stadium.
Rose Bowl Hype, Digitally Delivered
To capitalize on the excitement of the college football season, Visit Pasadena strategically implemented a Big Ten Campaign to promote general awareness of Pasadena and to encourage travel to Rose Bowl Stadium. This partnership engaged sports tourists in both established and emerging markets through digital platforms like Meta and OTV, while also connecting with fans watching Big Ten teams on ESPN and through OOH in popular viewing locations.
Pasadena Came for the Pregame
Seeking a more direct impact, Visit Pasadena also planned an in-market activation in Iowa City before a key Big Ten matchup, partnering with Carvertise to provide Iowa fans with branded rides from two well-known pre-game bars to Kinnick Stadium. These cars were wrapped with Visit Pasadena branding and included subtle rose scents and a California-themed playlist to offer a small taste of the City of Roses. Riders were encouraged to scan a QR code for a chance to win a trip to attend a game at the Rose Bowl.
Not Your Average Game Day Ride
Adding an element of surprise, one of the branded cars operated as the Pasadena Ticket Taxi, secretly fitted with cameras and a surprise host, Deandre “Sip The Kid” Smith. This taxi engaged riders in a trivia game, testing their knowledge of Pasadena. The footage from these rides were then cut down to fifteen-second videos optimized for social media to excite fans in other Big Ten markets about the possibility of the Pasadena Ticket Taxi coming to a market near them.
Pasadena Played the Long Game
Leading up to the activation in Iowa City, Visit Pasadena launched a digital campaign aimed to help drive foot traffic to two game day activation locations. Following the game at Kinnick Stadium, attendees were retargeted with Meta ads encouraging them to enter a contest to win a trip to California to see their team play in the Rose Bowl stadium.
