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Jack Link?s Beef Jerky targets baseball fans via app sponsorship

Jack Link?s Beef Jerky is relying on mobile applications to single out passionate sports fans through a new sponsorship.

The jerky brand worked with agency Carmichael Lynch to target baseball fans via theScore mobile application. Brands are increasingly looking to app sponsorships these days to hit swaths of engaged consumers that are likely to be repeat users.

?Jack Link?s likes to help sports fans 'feed their wild side' and real-time irreverent, fun-filled baseball facts, and trivia does just that,? said Ethan Ross, senior vice president of global sales at theScore, New York.

?As long as the content is relevant and useful to the fan there is a natural synergy,? he said.

Mobile sponsorship
Jack Link?s Beef Jerky sponsorship runs through the remaining portion of the current baseball season.

The brand is sponsoring themed content within the app, including a section called ?snackable facts.? The section serves up dynamic mobile banners and 60-second videos.

For example, a consumer that clicks on a score for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox game receives a fact about the teams that is delivered via rich media.

The rich media units also let consumers watch a video or visit the brand?s site.

Trivia banners that pose baseball team-related questions to consumers are updated daily or in real-time, per theScore.

Examples of questions include ?Why is Oakland?s mascot an elephant?? and are customized based on teams that users are following within the app.

Additionally, Jack Link?s Beef Jerky?s sponsorship includes branded weekly video highlights that are produced by theScore team. The videos are pushed out via the company?s app, Web site and YouTube page.

TheScore?s app is available for iPhone and Android devices.

Sponsorship opportunities grow
Brands are increasingly looking to app sponsorships to reach groups of consumers that are engaged and interacting with an app on a daily basis, especially for sports apps where consumers are dipping in and out of content.

For example, Coors Light singled out NASCAR fans earlier this year through an app sponsorship to build on its Cold Hard Facts campaign (see story).

Additionally, Choice Hotels targeted baseball fans last year via a launch sponsorship on MLB?s Preplay mobile app (see story).

In this case, Jack Link?s Beef Jerky?s sponsorship is interesting because it involves several different ad components to keep the brand top-of-mind and appeal to different groups of app users.

?This is just the start for partnerships like this, given theScore is the only mobile-first dedicated sports platform and sports content is an area where users need customized curated info on the go in real-time, brands are always looking to sponsor relevant content to the engaged user,? Mr. Ross said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York