Vet Tix’s World Cup deal with Bank of America hopefully a harbinger of activations to come
Has Bank of America produced the surprise collectible of the FIFA Men’s World Cup? Quite possibly, as its free BofA Fan Bands have led to charm chasing around the 11 U.S. host cities.
While those bracelets have garnered fervent attention, another Bank of America donation has led directly to families attending World Cup games — and will continue to do so through the final. The financial institution gave $2 million to nonprofit Vet Tix to provide free tickets for military members and first responders.
That figure, which Vet Tix contributed $250,000 on top of, led to the purchase of more than 4,900 World Cup tickets, according to Chief Strategy Officer Steven Weintraub.
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Last month at SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit in Chicago, Bank of America’s Brad Ross explained how its large-scale efforts around the games needed to fit its identity. “We’re not Nike or Adidas on the field of play, and we’re not Powerade on the sidelines, refreshing the players,” the company’s head of global partnerships and social media marketing said. “So we have to think about our role as a bank and what we can do in the space. I think that’s all about the work that we’ve started to build around access, being a convener, the economic impact that something like the FIFA World Cup brings.”
For Weintraub, he hopes brand-associated deals like this one become more prevalent in the company’s future. The organization, founded in 2008, has become a mission-focused landing spot for live event tickets. For sports, Vet Tix has been a go-to resource for operators who need butts in seats or donors looking to give out lasting memories to people who have served the nation.
Companies often talk about genuineness in marketing, but that’s hard to nail when talking nationwide or even international messaging. Vet Tix produces eventgoer testimonials that Weintraub said can then be used by brands. “These brands want to resonate with the consumers,” Weintraub said, “and the authenticity of our mission can’t be any more authentic than what it is.”
Vet Tix has gone from providing 2,500 tickets in its founding year to nearly 8 million last year. Its site features 2.7 million verified accounts, according to Weintraub. In the last few years, Vet Tix has integrated with major ticketing platforms such as Ticketmaster, SeatGeek and AXS to streamline the process of moving tickets from rights holders into the Vet Tix platform.
Users can acquire tickets with the help of virtual coins accrued from Vet Tix; testimonials, and other actions, are rewarded with said coins. They then “win” the tickets via a lottery-style gamified experience in which the more tokens wagered increases the chance to secure their seats. Vet Tix members pay only a nominal delivery fee pending for their sports venue visit, according to Weintraub, which helps Vet Tix operate and acquire more tickets.
A key to Vet Tix’s success, Weintraub said, is its sole focus on providing bucket-list opportunities to military members. Their users aren’t required to submit essays on why they’re deserving of a chance to attend the Super Bowl. They’re not paraded around as a fundraising prop. They’re going to the game to make a memory.
“Go to the event, have a good time with your family and friends,” Weintraub said. “That’s all we ask. If you’re military, you don’t need to wear your uniform. Go do your thing.”