Paraphrased from Erika Brown, Bay Area News Group, 06/24/2015

When the San Francisco Giants won the 2014 World Series in an amazing seventh-game victory, the Bay Area News Group was ready. They were armed with a virtual storefront, an instant book, front-page memorabilia that included special sections and more —all in anticipation of the San Francisco Giants' final, winning play.

Triple Crowned, the Bay Area News Group's instant book featured content from the 2014 winning season and took into account effort vs. results and envisioning the highest ROI for sale of the book.

The goal for the Bay Area News Group's 2014 World Series instant book was to produce a high-quality keepsake for Giants fans in the San Franciso area and beyond. They wanted to match, or beat, the sales numbers for their 2012 World Series book, and to equal, or surpass their current market share in a space that's highly competitive.

They ran a strong ad campaign from October to December 2014, using existing assets coupled with trade media assets to find and target Giants and baseball fans. They used digital strategies, including homepage takeover, sliding billboards, and IAB ad units.

They also employed mobile strategies through their affiliate display network; Google search keyword and display network; promotional mentions on partner radio; e-mail blasts to subscribers and targeted non-subscribers; and print daily ROP ads.

They worked to create holiday packages and themed creatives, matching them to continuous and optimised digital and print marketing plans targeted by age, demo, geography, and competitor websites.

Three months into the campaign, the Bay Area News Group was appearing across channels and on top-10 lists for non-fiction book sales.

Why did people buy it? Quality.

Finding a trusted publisher is key. The quick turnaround necessary to publish a book immediately after such a win could easily result in a lower quality product. A publisher that's good at what they do will work with you and your editorial team for months in advance in preparation for the win, planning the cover, title, and content long before your team wins.

Quality builds trust and reputation among subscribers and non-subscribers. Consumer reviews and Amazon ratings help to sell future books and a good product means fewer returns and higher revenue for your company.

Triple Crowned achieved key performance indicators, beating the Bay Area News Group's 2012 book sales, leading the market on top-seller lists, and receiving great reviews from readers.

Months after, the Bay Area News Group was fortunate enough to be celebrating the State Warriors NBA finals win. They took their World Series promotions and refined them for future success.

The top 5 best practices for creating an instant book:

1. Find a publisher 4 to 8 weeks in advance when you know your team is in the running for the championship. Do your research and ask around for publisher recommendations.
2. Have your newspaper’s marketing lead, sports editor, and publisher outline the book.
3. Create a comprehensive marketing plan and reserve your media in advance to save time after the win. You can cancel if your team loses. Be creative and plan promotions. Use your resources across channels and don’t stop marketing after 2 weeks.
4. Build the creatives well in advance with a mock book cover for the day after the win until you get the official image from the publisher.
5. Track your results, modifying your plan as you go to take advantage of what is working and to get rid of what isn't. Be proactive, setting expectations and goals, while carefully tracking sales, revenue, and market share.