Sadly (depending on your point of view) another holiday shopping season is almost behind us.   

Although as I write this on Boxing Day, there are certain outdoor holiday markets in New York City that are jammed to the gills with very last-minute shoppers.  

But here’s an interesting example of one marketing program that fused sports and e-commerce to kick off this year’s holiday shopping season, from Itaú Bank and ad agency Africa Creative, part of DDB Worldwide.  

They called it "Touchboard Discounts," a campaign that used touch technology to transform traditional outdoor billboards at a soccer stadium to create an interactive shopping experience during a much-anticipated match in Brazil.   

The effort ran during Black Friday week on November 26 and was designed to drive shoppers to the bank's online marketplace within its banking app.   

Each time the ball made contact with the advertising boards surrounding the field during the match, real-time mobile discount coupons were released to fans, offering special prices on an array of consumer products.   

Rapha Borges, executive creative director, Africa Creative, said, “We sought to inspire spectators to embrace Itaú Bank as a fellow fan and to view the Itaú Shop as the best place to make their holiday purchases.”   

The campaign generated $385,000 in sales within an hour on Itaú Shop during the game. And more significantly, the initiative drove a 400% increase in first-time marketplace users.