Sports Biz Blogger and Marketing Maven Darren Rovell commented on the 2008 State Farm Home Run Derby contest recently. (read the entire blog)

Here’s the deal. One lucky fan picked out of the pool of entered names in the contest will get to come onto the field and call, a la Babe Ruth, where exactly Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will hit his first pitch.

If Ortiz hits the shot where the fan said it would go, the fan wins a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid vehicle, the official vehicle of MLB that has a value of roughly $50,500, and a 2009 season ticket package for his/her favorite MLB team.

Rovell makes the point that this makes the prize, contest, and activation of the partnership more interesting.  I might debate that since I think (as explained here) it also makes it a bit more confusing, but he does point out an interesting point on sports promotions and contests.

First, they should be interesting to fans and the media.  He’s right in suggesting the prize in the Century 21  contest was better, but it was really just pulling a name out of a hat.  The new version engages the player and contestant and makes the experience a bit more interesting to watch.  I like that the player will actually be trying to hit where the contestant points as well.

In the end the more important consideration is to look at each promotion and determine is it interesting not only for the sponsor or the contestant, but to fans and the media.

–Cudo