Remember the case study from MarketingSherpa I talked about a few weeks ago that had the personalized online video and phone call combo?  People thought it was really cool to get a phone call from a fictional character in an online video.  It turned out to be a marketing promotion that consumers will probably remember for the rest of their lives.

What if you could get a phone call like that… from an actual celebrity?  Internet Retailer has a story about the Memphis Grizzlies and their approach to filling the stadium with a similar approach.

Thought not as intricate as the system Opel Benelux used in the MarketingSherpa case study, the Memphis Grizzlies used a system from Vontoo to call 6,000 fans with a special invitation from the team's star rookie player.  Of the 6,000 people who received the special phone call, 1,500 bought tickets to the next game.  That's a conversion rate of 25%, which equals success in just about any marketing book.

The response from the fans was similar to those of the Opel Benelux campaign.  They called the team to say how much they loved getting the call from the famous sports celebrity.  Many even forwarded the message on to other people, adding a viral element to the campaign.  In the future, the Grizzlies plan on taking advantage of a feature in the Vontoo system that would allow people to respond to the phone and connect directly to a ticket salesperson.

Yet another example of the ways advertisers and companies are making the marketing efforts more than just an ad.  What can you do to add that "wow" factor to your marketing initiatives?