Roy Hibbert

Player or Marketer? Seems like both.

I'm not a sports fan, boo hiss on me, I know. But I am a fan of smart and creative ideas, so I took note of Indiana Pacer Roy Hibbert's latest Area 55 effort. Roy, who wears number 55 on the court, bought 55 season tickets and is creating his own section of the craziest hardcore Pacers fans in the stadium. To enter, he asked fans to submit a 30- second video stating why you should be a part of Area 55. Roy and his teammates will then judge the fans in person.  Roy's been touting the contest on Twitter @Hoya2aPacer and has the contestants upload their videos on YouTube gaining even more exposure.What a great way to get fans involved and pumped up pre-season, and what a great marketing effort by Roy Hibbert. You better believe the networks will be panning Area 55 to see the excitement and you can't talk Area 55 without mentioning number 55 - Roy Hibbert. Great PR for him even if he isn't having a good game. Sometimes the best ideas don't always come from the marketing departments, but those in the trenches, even if Roy's trench involves a pretty sweet paycheck.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw1G1TToPlk]