Author archive for ‘Adam Raincock’

Bupa & UK Sport: authenticity in action

At Synergy we live and breathe the need to help our clients create authentic partnerships in order to drive credibility with consumers; so, after 10 years of partnership and the provision of medical cover for over 29,000 treatments, Bupa’s partnership with UK Sport certainly ticks that box.

Prior to 2012, Bupa hadn’t used the partnership in a marketing campaign, spending the last decade quietly helping elite British athletes with their aches, pains and serious injuries. So, our task when we were briefed to create a campaign around Bupa’s partnership with UK Sport was relatively simple: raise awareness of the partnership and deliver the message that Bupa has been treating Great Britain’s elite athletes for the last 10 years.

The integrated roll-out was led by a WCRS-created ad campaign featuring Mo Farah (Athletics), Dan Keatings (Gymnastics), Stef Reid (Paralympic Athletics), Jazz Carlin (Swimming) and Ed Clancy (Cycling), which went live on 1st March 2012. The objective of the PR campaign was to raise the profile of the partnership in the media, clearly demonstrating editorially the role Bupa has played with specific athletes.

The main challenge was a cluttered media landscape containing numerous brands claiming to support British athletes. As such, we knew our campaign had to be creative and true to Bupa’s role, providing human support to thousands of athletes, in order to get cut-through. To launch the partnership we teamed up gymnast Dan Keatings with Britain’s Got Talent winners Spelbound to perform the world’s first ever ‘Human Vault’ in Trafalgar Square. The stunt gave us an impactful picture story and viral to sit alongside interviews with Dan, landing strong messaging in key media including the Daily Mail and The Guardian.

The partnership gives Bupa an opportunity to showcase relevant products and services, which in this campaign saw each of the athletes put through a Bupa Fitness Assessment. The test compared and contrasted the differing fitness attributes of a cyclist (Ed Clancy), to a long distance runner (Mo Farah) and to a swimmer (Jazz Carlin). This allowed us to team athletes up with journalists – gaining coverage and demonstrating that the Bupa Fitness Assessment is relevant for consumers and not just elite athletes.

Bupa created a dedicated microsite to host the details of the partnership, profiles and case studies of the athletes, materials from the launch, Bupa Fitness assessments and relevant Bupa product offerings. The campaign is ongoing, but upon completion there will be over 30 pieces of coverage across print, online and broadcast, raising awareness of Bupa as a partner of UK Sport.

By on April 17th, 2012

Tags: Athletics, Default, London 2012, PR, Public relations, Sponsorship, Synergy, Team GB

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Synergy Loves… Doritos Late Night

What happened?

To launch Pepsico owned  Doritos Late Night range they collaborated with Rihanna for the US market and Professor Green in the UK to create a series of interactive music events.  The artists both wrote new tracks and created video performances that Dorito’s fans could interact with.

Professor Green’s track is recorded using 360 degree camera technology that allows the viewer to interact and direct the video while Rihanna’s track used Augmented Reality (AR), allowing consumers to control the video with a bag of Doritos. The video below doesn’t do it justice, you really need to click through to the Doritos Late Night site to get the full interactive experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hg3anyslRQ&feature=youtu.be

Why we like it?
1. They took a simple idea that works globally.  Rihanna launched it worldwide and Doritos then followed it up with a series of key market launches including the UK,  South Africa, Turkey and Canada
2. They passed the ‘its cool’ and ‘I want to do it’ test that consumers always apply to promotions like this
3. They linked it to product purchase. To see the Rihanna AR experience you had to buy a bag of Doritos Late Night

What the brand says?
“Doritos has a track record of bringing consumers entertainment experiences that push the limits and put them in control. This year, we’re raising the bar even higher and allowing consumers to discover new music in ground-breaking ways. Professor Green is an edgy, fun, entertaining and exceptional performer, which makes him a perfect ambassador for Doritos Late Night”.

By on May 18th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Blogging, Brand marketing, Celebrity, Default, Digital marketing, Music, Social Media, Synergy Loves, Synopsis

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Nike and Michael Jordan top Greatest Sports Marketing Innovation poll

The signing of Michael Jordan by Nike in 1984 has been voted by you as the Greatest Sports Marketing Innovation of the last 50 years. The embryonic deal, which created a product line based purely around a player whilst defining the relationship between corporate organisations and sports stars, won with 18% of your votes as part of Synergy’s recent online debate.

It beat some stiff competition – the handshake between McCormack and Palmer which signalled the start of IMG came second on 12%, closely followed by Patrick Nally’s creation of football rights packages and the launch of ESPN both with 10%.

Charlie Brooks, Director of Communications at Nike (unsurprisingly) backs your vote: “In terms of the definition of ‘innovative’ there is no doubt that the Jordan-Nike partnership was a real game changer. It has helped defined the way the Nike brand, and the industry overall, has behaved ever since in terms of sports marketing and creating athlete signature products. It’s telling that almost three decades later, and long after he quit playing, the Jordan brand continues to resonate with fans and consumers”

Significantly, the most recent innovation in the top ten list dates from 1992 – despite some strong contenders including Twenty20 cricket. Does this reflect a case of rose-tinted glasses, a more mature market based on evolution rather than revolution or that marketing in sport is simply no longer as innovative as it once was?

The top ten is as follows:

Nike / Michael Jordan (1984) – 18%

McCormack starts IMG (1960) – 12%

Patrick Nally rights package (1978) – 10%

ESPN launched (1979) – 10%

Red Bull ‘extreme series’ launched (1991) – 7%

Creation of IOC TOP programme (1985) – 6%

Cassius Clay changes his name (1964) – 6%

UEFA CL re-structure (1992) – 6%

Formation of the English Premier League (1992) – 6%

Kettering Town FC takes a shirt sponsor (1976) – 5%

Thank you all for your comments, debate and votes throughout the process – we hoped you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

By on January 25th, 2011

Tags: Brand marketing, Default, Media, Muhammad Ali, NFL, Olympic sponsorship, Public relations, Social Media, Sponsorship, Sport, What's the Greatest Sports Marketing Innovation?

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Tom Gladstone joins Synergy

Synergy has appointed Tom Gladstone as Account Director. Gladstone arrives at Synergy after seven years at IMG where his role focused on consulting, integrated marketing and sponsorship activation for a number of major sponsors of international sport.  Click here for the press release and click here for coverage on Hollis.

By on March 5th, 2010

Tags: Press Clipping

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GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP featured in Event Magazine

GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP feature with Diageo Senior Sponsorship Manager Lee Bailey. Click here to view feature.

By on March 5th, 2010

Tags: Press Clipping

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Betfair in Marketing Week

Marketing Week feature with Betfair’s Group Marketing and Brand Director Oscar Nieboer and Synergy’s Tim Crow. Click here for the full article.

By on March 5th, 2010

Tags: Press Clipping

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Jenson Button(s) his fly

I saw this story about Jenson Button ‘de-briefing’ his girlfriend on the Sun website, and I thought it was really refreshing to see a sportsperson reveal something of their true personality. Are we not bored of hearing the same old cliched statements and ‘sit on the fence’ sentiments?  I actually think sponsors and more importantly the consumers that they want to talk to would welcome a bit of personality, and that sportspeople, rights owners and brands should embrace this rather than shying away from it.

I must add that I have never been a big fan of Button, I thought of him as over hyped and lacking in talent but not only am I being made to eat my words, stories like this actually make me warm to him slightly.

By on March 31st, 2009

Tags: Brand marketing, Default, Formula 1, Jenson Button, Public relations, Sponsorship

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