My Top Five “A-ha!” Moments of The Panthers Purrsuit

Editor’s Note: If you’re tired of hearing about The Panthers Purrsuit, skip this post. On the other hand, if you wanna learn something, read on

Back in May, I cooked up an idea that verged on absurd: To lead my local Twitter followers  on a sort of social media foxhunt across Charlotte. The plan was simple: I’d visit a place, snap a photo, send it out on Twitter, and then reward the first person who could figure out my location and check in there on Foursquare.

Twenty-two weeks, a dozen iterations, and a gazillion man-hours later, that event (or something like it) will take place next Saturday, Oct. 23 as The Panthers Purrsuit, a social media challenge combining elements of a road rally, a scavenger hunt, a riddle, and The Amazing Race.

I have no clue how this is gonna end, but I’m pumped about what we’ve achieved.

Here’s are my top 5 “A-Ha!” moments of the Purrsuit:

1) The Purrsuit is a community event

The Purrsuit wouldn’t exist without the involvement of the community. Mike Mahoney of the Panthers saw the event for what it could be and got others in the Panthers organization to buy in. Real estate firm Allen Tate stepped up as the top sponsor, and social media coordinator Genevieve Jooste has put her soul into the Purrsuit.

More than a dozen sponsors are participating — not funding, participating. By my count, at least 100 individuals are contributing a verse to their employers’ involvement in the Purrsuit. I’m probably way low on that guess.

Twitter friends have donated prizes (A jaguar cub experience at TigerWorld, restaurant gift certificates from Charlotte Dining, gala tickets and more). Others have been ambassadors promoting the event via blogs, Facebook, YouTube and other channels.

2): The Purrsuit is about discovery

One sponsor, Duke Energy, will feature a social network that lets users talk to each other (and Duke employees!) about solutions to our energy needs. Goodwill will share mind-blowing info on how they’re changing lives through the power of work. Queen City will showcase the latest in 3D televisions.

Sure, some activities will be basic: Tweet this or that, interact on Facebook, yada, yada. But I’m optimistic most contestants will discover at least one thing new on October 23.

3) Our sponsors truly want to get social

Some of the “check-in sites” do a solid job with social media. Others are just getting up to speed. Every one of them wants to use social media to be better at listening to and connecting with customers. Does it get any better than that?

4) We learned a lot . . . a whole lot

If you’re a contestant, you may not care about this, but if you’re involved in marketing, you do. We learned a ridiculous amount about social media marketing and event planning: What factors make for a successful TweetUp? How do you market a never-been-done idea? What happens when brands and customers are on different pages from a social media standpoint? How do you embrace mobile marketing without leaving behind anyone who isn’t an early adopter?

I’ll share some of those insights on this blog, in case studies, and at conference. Others are gold nuggets I’ll share exclusively with clients.

5) I met some fascinating people

This event has introduced me to dozens of interesting people — and not just online. In fact, most of the people I’ve met aren’t on Twitter. Many are using Facebook, but not for business.

Two lessons here: One, there are darn cool people out there, and I’m lucky to have met them. Two, if you rely exclusively or heavily on social media to promote your business, you’re missing a ginormous portion of your potential customers.

Closing Thought

If you haven’t signed up for the Purrsuit, I hope you will. I’d love to hear how it plays out from your perspective. And, more importantly, I’d like to (re)connect with you on the 23rd. Will you join us?