Sports Promotions- Best High School Promotional Idea

In 2009-10, we started running the “Grinnell System.” The basic concept of the “System” was to get the game going up and down as fast as possible. The “System” involved-

- Pressing all the time all over

- Fastbreaking and taking quick shots

- Subbing five for five in 35 seconds

- Shooting lots of threes

During the 2009-10 our fans seemed to really enjoy the games and our home crowds became bigger and bigger, and more enthusiastic. For 2010-11 we wanted to take things to an even higher level. Our coaching staff brainstormed ideas. Our idea was to see if the local McDonald’s would give 3 hamburgers anytime we made 15 threes in a game. Based on the past year, we had made 15 threes 4 times. 

One of our main business boosters was Carol Mueller Kerkenmeier was the owner of our local McDonald’s and have played basketball for the Streaks when our school first started girls basketball. I went to her with our proposal. She ran a highly successful business and understood promotions better than a basketball coach. After discussion, she came up with the “Best High School Promotional Idea.” Here is how it worked:

1- We sold t-shirts with a big 3 on the front and the word “Threediculous.” It had the McDonald’s logo on the back. 

2- If a fan bought a t-shirt and wore it to the home game, and we made 12 threes in the game and won the game, they would get a coupon from McDonald’s to get a free triple cheeseburger after the game. Carol recommended 12 instead of 15 because she said any good promotion needs to have a high likelihood of the people winning the prize. If they only won 4 times, they would not be likely to be happy with McDonald’s.

3- To keep track in our games of how many threes were made, we had 8x10 cards that would spell out “cheeseburger.” Everytime we made a three, a student would run down out of the stands and put the next letter up on the wall.

4- If we made 12 threes, fans in their t-shirts would line up and our managers would give them a coupon. 

5- As soon as the horn went off to end the game, the announcer would play Jimmy Buffett’s “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” over the intercom. 

The first time we made it to 11, everytime we came down the floor, you could hear the fans noise level and anticipation rise in anticipation. When we missed, there was a groan. In the “System” we were playing all 13 of our players. Finally we came down the floor and a player who was probably somewhere between our 11-13th player got the ball and drained the three. The student ran out of the bleachers and put the last “R” on the wall. The crowd roared and began chanting “Cheeseburger” over and over. 

The next day the player who hit the three reported that all day at school students who she didn’t know would see her in the hall and give her a high five as they said,”Cheeseburger.”

That year we had 15 home games and we made 12 threes in 10 of the 15 games on our way to setting a National Record for Made Threes in a Season.