Here’s a big, giant disclaimer: It’s not about awards; it’s about results.
Here’s a big, giant brag: we won a really, really awesome award. And we had some serious results to go along with it.
Let me back up a few steps. Arizona State University—ASU—came to Blind with a request: sell a ton of tickets. Using the same exact budget that they have used for years, Blind found unique ways to engage with ASU’s best customers. Here’s a smattering of our tactics used:
And what came of that completely alternative campaign was a 20-year record for season tickets sold: over 50,000. That’s enough to make a cartoon hippie say “Zoinks!” (That’s a long way to go for a Scooby Doo reference, I know.)
And now, on to the awards.
This year, we attended our second National Sports Forum, which happened to be conveniently located in our backyard: Glendale, Arizona.
It’s always nice to have home field advantage.
The main sessions were at the Renaissance Hotel, with events being held in Jobing.com Arena (where another one of our clients, the Phoenix Coyotes, have skated their way into playoff contention), and the University of Phoenix Stadium (where the surprise Super Bowl runner-up Arizona Cardinals made tens of thousands of new believers by becoming the 2008 NFC Champs).
Submissions for the 2009 ADchievement Awards came from the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA, minor league teams, NASCAR, television networks, retail products and stores, and private corporations. The competition was tough indeed.
So, here’s the shameless self-promotion:
Blind Society received nominations for our work with ASU and the Phoenix Coyotes in several categories, including Best Television, Best Alternative Media, and Best Radio (twice!).
After the votes were tallied, Blind Society and ASU won Best Alternative Media. Funny, that’s EXACTLY what we do—alternative media.
So here is your friendly neighborhood blogger, Blind Society’s own Ben Bacon, hanging out with the captains of the sports marketing industry.
And, to top it all off, Blind Society and the Phoenix Coyotes received 5th place for in the Overall category, behind heavy hitters such as Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, the Minnesota Twins, the San Francisco 49ers, and Turner Sports. Some of the award winners weren’t there to receive their hardware.
Thank you to everyone who came, and an extra thanks to everyone who voted kindly towards our work! 
And thank you to the wonderful folks at the National Sports Forum for putting on an amazing event. Next year, there will be much, much more competition. Advertising Age, Brandweek, and several other publications of notoriety will be covering the event.
Make sure to check out the National Sports Forum’s website, and sign up for next year’s event!
