New ways to put fans "up close and personal" with the action

Since my visit to Google's UK headquarters a few weeks back, I've been keeping a close eye on the work Cadbury is doing to leverage its sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics.  According to a Google employee I chatted to, Cadbury's strategy is to establish a presence on as many digital platforms as it can, one of which is the relatively new Google Plus. 

I really like the way in which Cadbury is using Google Plus "hangouts" to put fans in "real life" touch with the British Olympian stars it is partnering with.  A "hangout" is a fantastic piece of Google proprietary technology which allows an individual to stage a video chat with a limitless number of friends or fans.  The beauty lies in the fact that it is not one way communication -  the platform allows for two way interaction as well.  Recently, David Beckham chatted to fans as far afield as Ghana, London and Madrid.  At about the same time, Barack Obama did the same thing as a preface to his State of the Union Address

Beckham's invitation to fans is below

And the actual hangout (all 45 minutes of it) is here.

Cadbury has done much the same thing with its partner olympians

Highlights from the interview are below

What doors could your brand open to facilitate such "up close and personals" between fans and their favourite players?

• A sponsored hangout Q&A between fans and a team captain on the eve of a big game?
• A podcast series - sponsored by your brand - with cutting edge insights on the sport from both players and experts?

As usual in the world of digital media, the opportunites seem limitless!