Pacers paint the town

In a unique marketing campaign, the Indiana Pacers are asking fans to paint the town for the home opener Nov. 1 against the Boston Celtics. The team even went so far as to send out promotional buckets containing a paint stir, blue and gold paint and instructions on how to help the Pacers “Paint the town blue and gold.”

In conjunction with the campaign, which was fashioned with the help of the local office of Publicis ad agency, the Pacers last week began placing stickers resembling splotches of blue and gold paint on sidewalks around town. Inside those splotches are promotions for the home opener.

Monday and Tuesday, the Pacers took it a step farther, putting up a massive display on the front of Conseco Fieldhouse, again urging local fans to help the team paint the city blue and gold. Pacers President Jim Morris said the initiative is a part of a broader marketing effort to connect more deeply with the team’s fans and to give Pacers home games a more college-like feel.

Marketing experts said the Pacers are following a trend known as “street” or “guerilla” marketing which has become popularized in the last five to 10 years. Has this campaign gotten your attention?