Last week The Times…(yes, you may well think I’m going to write about the newspaper changing its domain name as it prepares to become the first English national paper to start charging for its online content; however that’s not it)…newspaper ran a week long feature on the coaches that are training the stars of tomorrow, today; with Tom Daley, Jess Ennis and Becky Adlington amongst the featured athletes (you may need a new www.TheTimes.co.uk login to access these links).

What stood out for me as I flicked through the non-World Cup related pages was the photography by Chief Sports Photographer Marc Aspland.  Phenomenal images that I think are just stunning.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did…

By Caroline Ayling on June 22nd, 2010

Tags: London 2012, Olympics, Public relations

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Sixteen countries, a sun-filled Old Trafford, a victorious Czech Republic team, a German cardboard cut-out mascot, a stadium awash with national team kits and the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton – that was the first ever Betfair World Cup!

As part of Betfair’s sponsorship of Manchester United, 96 lucky amateur football players and United fans from 16 different nations entered the world of the mighty Reds to enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to play at the Theatre of Dreams. The Betfair World Cup included a three-hour training day at United’s exclusive Carrington Training Facility before the 5-a-side teams went head-to-head on the pitch at Old Trafford. Clad in their nation’s colours and with the Betfair LED boards rotating in the background we witnessed sporting class, team hugs, and football fans fulfilling their dream of playing at Old Trafford! Check out our video to see the event in action…

Despite their national team not making it through to the FIFA World Cup Finals the players from the Czech Republic triumphed over Ukraine in the Betfair World Cup Final, whilst the Bulgarians lost out to the ever-so vocal Portuguese team in the Plate Final.

Manchester United and England star Gary Pallister was on site to watch all the action and said, ‘These players are following in the footsteps of legends, from Sir Bobby Charlton to Eric Cantona to Wayne Rooney. The final was a pretty close run thing but the Czech’s seemed to have the upper hand in the final half and came away with the all important win.’

Whilst the Synergy Experiential team managed to help 96 footie fans fulfil their dreams (along with the help of the incredibly well organised Manchester United Soccer Schools) I realised a personal dream of my own, interviewing the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton for the post event video (see You Tube player above).

It has to be said Sir Bobby is nothing short of a true hero for every United fan and he was certainly one of the highlights of the event, as every team had their photo taken with the United and England legend (gotta love those white suits, Bulgaria!).

With one World Cup over we now eagerly anticipate the FIFA World Cup in South Africa starting on Friday. Keep your eyes peeled on www.thevoiceofthefans.com and the Betfair poster at Waterloo station as England try to go all the way!

This blog was written by Vicky Clark and Caroline Ayling.

By Caroline Ayling on June 9th, 2010

Tags: Betfair, Event management service, Experiential marketing, Football, Football Sponsorship, Manchester United, Sponsorship, Synergy

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Back in September I wrote a blog about the Synergy team outing to the Olympic Village. We were hosted by Des Blake, a local resident who is working with the ODA to promote the tours available to the public. Well, having read our blog, Des has been in touch with the Synergy team and I thought I would share his comments with you:

Dear Caroline,

My name is Des Blake, thank you so much for your kind and positive words on your blog about my first tour. Do you remember I said I may see you or get touch on 2012 well I am keeping my promise. Please see picture, and today’s date 2012!!!

I now have a far better out look on life, more positive about things, and local people are always stopping me in the street to chat about the 2012 games! (When I have my 2012 top on or when they see my Olympic badge!) I have always had a dream since a boy to represent the UK in the Olympics, or to be involved in one, I feel by doing this work I have gone along way in achieving this!

The pleasure I get from for seeing the smiles and the excitement on the people’s faces and the thanks they give me as they leave the tour bus is incredible!

Kind Regards,

Des Blake

Des, thank you for getting in touch and we’re really pleased to hear that the Olympics is already making a difference. We look forward to seeing how the village develops and hope that the tours keep you busy right up to July 2012.

By Caroline Ayling on January 4th, 2010

Tags: London 2012

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Being a Londoner and a huge sports fan I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.  However, 2012 can seem a long way off. I have no doubt Seb Coe and his team will deliver the ‘Greatest Games on Earth’ and leave a real legacy for the next generation but it can be hard to get truly excited about something that is still two and half years away. Well, that was what I thought until last night.

Yesterday as the milky autumn sun set on Docklands’ skyline a few of the Synergy team headed East, to Stratford. In fact none of us had ever been to Stratford before so that was a first in itself. We boarded the official Tour Bus and prepared for our hour long trip around the 2012 Olympic Village.

Our guide was the brilliant Des Blake from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA),  a very friendly chap with a unique grasp of the English language. His energy, enthusiasm and knowledge of the local area was fantastic. He’d evidently been briefed to cover what each area will look like during the Games and then emphasise that the Park will leave a real legacy for the local commmunity. But with Des you really believed he meant it, in fact you believed he wasn’t just reciting a brief but he genuinely knows that the Games will make a huge difference to the area.

When we arrived at the site entrance, the bus was given a full once over by the security team, each yellow jacket clad team including a Ghurka – Joanna Lumley would be very proud! We then proceeded into the Olympic Park. With the River Lea running through the centre of the site you really begin to feel what it will be like in August 2012  (with the help of the odd animation or two).

2012 Aquatics Centre - September 2009

The velodrome is currently just a big hole but the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre are well under way,  infact ahead of schedule. The media centre and Olympic Village, that will house all the athletes, are huge and the scale of this project is really mind blowing.  From re-housing thousands of newts and toads, to deconstructing two electricity pylons and moving London’s premier salmon smoker 500 yards, the amount of planning that has made this project happen is just unbelievable.

I have to say I would highly recommend taking the tour. As a Londoner I’m going to feel pretty proud when the Olympics rolls into to town so why not feel part of it now… booking a tour is pretty easy just call 0300 2012 001. 

Finally, I have to say that the highlight of the whole tour was when Des Blake announced that the ODA has in fact been training up local residents to take the tour and we had been his first guests. He may not have spoken the Queen’s English but I have to thank Des Blake for really bringing London 2012 to life. Bravo Des!

By Caroline Ayling on September 22nd, 2009

Tags: London 2012, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, community

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This summer, we at Synergy are working with Betfair, the online betting exchange, to bring their ECB partnership to life through a fun and entertaining online campaign. Ashes fever is sweeping the nation as ultimate rivals England and Australia battle for the Ashes urn. We’ve signed up Ashes legends Phil ‘The Cat’ Tufnell and Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie to go head-to-head in a series of (Synergy-inspired) challenges that can be watched on the dedicated website FANvFAN.com.  

The website, designed by Engine group company Altogether, offers more than just the videos with the chance to win tickets to each Test match, a chance to play alongside Tuffers and Dizzy and the opportinity to win £4,000.

The virals started in Cardiff with the pedalo race before moving on to Lord’s and the extreme lawn mower race. Our most recent visit was to Warwick race course as Dizzy and Tuffers galloped a furlong down the finishing straight.

The campaign is proving to be very popular and even made the top spot of Media Week’s Great Viral feature.   

Betfair Challenges - www.fanvfan.com

 Keep your eyes peeled as the adventures for our two cricketing legends continue!

By Caroline Ayling on August 3rd, 2009

Tags: Ashes, Cricket, Digital marketing, Sponsorship, Television audiences

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A year ago Engine took part in the annual NABS netball tournament.  I wrote a blog about it and signed off with ‘I make a pledge here and now that by the time London is hosting the greatest games on earth you’ll see Engine’s name engraved on the NABS netball trophy.’ 

Well, in true Synergy and Engine style we have delivered and three years early as well!

Engine's NABS netball team

The Engine girls took to the court and despite taking awhile to warm up, we sailed through to the plate section of the tournament. Success in the quarter and semi-finals took us through to the Plate Grand Final against RKCR/Y&R. It was a close run game but a storming performance by Natalie Parish of WCRS – later voted player of the tournament -secured Engine their first NABS netball title. Congratulations ladies and here’s to another win next year!

For those who read my blog last year, you may be interested to know that the number of supporters campaigning for netball to become an Olympic sport on Facebook has more than quadrupled with over 40,000 members.

By Caroline Ayling on August 3rd, 2009

Tags: Commonwealth Games, Default, Employee engagement, Facebook, London 2012, Olympics, Sport, Synergy

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Bell’s whisky acted fast this week to leverage Ian Bell’s recall to the England cricket team. The Diageo-owned whisky brand announced its sponsorship of Ian Bell’s bat as he takes the stage in the third Ashes Test at his home ground in Edgbaston.

By Caroline Ayling on July 31st, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, Ashes, Brand marketing, Cricket, Sponsorship, Sport

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Girls playing cricket. It’s certainly sparked some debate at Synergy HQ this last week or so.

ICC World Twenty 20 Champions

After Paul Collingwood’s England crashed out of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Super Eights it was left to Charlotte Edwards’ mighty World Champions to claim yet another world title. Having watched a masterful display by Claire Taylor, 76 not out, in Friday’s semi-final against some rather butch Aussies I was right behind our girls to bring some winning ways back into the dressing room at Lord’s.

I arrived at the home of cricket yesterday bright and early, 9.35am to be precise. Thinking I’d get a prime position in the Warner stand. Wishful thinking – the stand was packed out! We managed to squeeze in somewhere up the back as the two teams came out for the national anthems.

I won’t lie, there were murmurs of what type of game was about to be played and could it ever live up to the excitement of the men’s game. A subject that had been hotly debated in the office last Friday. What followed was a masterful display of swing bowling by man of the match Katherine Brunt and fielding Jonty Rhodes would have been proud of. In fact one diving stop in the outfield caused the pin-striped suit next to me to jump up in admiration and recognition.

The atmosphere was actually electric (and that’s not just rhetoric) as the England attack ripped through a lukewarm Kiwi side. With 86 to win, our girls kept their heads and chipped away at the runs. Claire Taylor, later crowned player of the tournament, ensured England’s emphatic win and another World title. Now a little birdy told me this is apparently the first England team to have won a world title on home soil since 1966, so you’re in great company ladies.

I’d had my doubts on whether women’s cricket was something I could really get into, but watching an England team yesterday – highly skilled, full of camaraderie and actually winning – made me hugely proud. Well done ladies, I salute you. Now if you could go and show those boys a thing or two…

By Caroline Ayling on June 22nd, 2009

Tags: Cricket, Default, ICC World Twenty20

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Last night I watched the first episode of I’m Running Sainsbury’s on Channel 4. The branded content programme followed the story of Sainsbury’s shop floor worker Becky Craze and her inspirational initiaitive to retail ‘Family Food for a Fiver’ in one bag, ready to pick up off the shelf and head straight to check-out. A brilliant idea!

The staff initiative, to engage Sainsbury’s workers across the country, allowed our girl Becky to pitch her idea to the Sainsbury’s board and see it all the way through to implementation.  Employee engagement probably doesn’t get better – and you get to be on the telly!

I lift my hat off to Sainsbury’s for being so bold and brave, to really give their employees a voice and chance to shine. It was a real shame that Becky’s fantastic idea didn’t take off – for anyone who watched, I think the chicken pasta would have cut the mustard - but no doubt she’ll be a success if she keeps that creeping pessimism in check.

We’ll see what happens next week when Brenda hits Sainsbury’s suited and booted in Holborn with her idea (brace yourselves people I think she may cause a storm!)

By Caroline Ayling on June 3rd, 2009

Tags: Brand marketing, Branded content, Employee engagement

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Where better to kick start any celebration than at a showcase event watched live by 80,000 and 445,000 on TV?

2009 marks 250 years of GUINNESS® brewing heritage and this year the Synergy team were tasked with bringing the anniversary celebrations to life at the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final.

The GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final is the culmination of nine months of hard fought rugby on the pitch and even harder fought supporting off the pitch as fans follow their teams across the country come wind, rain, snow or sun. This year was no different with the top four teams taking it right down to the wire to win a spot to run out on the hallowed turf at Twickenham.

Behind the scenes, the planning which goes into organising the world’s largest rugby premiership match is no mean feat and to add to all the excitement of the rugby, the Synergy team were challenged to develop an engaging integrated PR and experiential campaign.

With a number of key considerations, including promoting the 250 celebrations, the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final and the core brand message – Bring It To Life – our ‘Raise a Pint to Arthur Guinness’ campaign worked across multiple platforms.

The activity encouraged players and fans to change their middle name to Arthur Guinness. Players from the two finalist teams, Mike Catt (London Irish) and Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers) lead the way by undertaking the name change by deed poll and by doing so, GUINNESS made a donation to the PRA Benevolent Fund. Interviews and photography with the two iconic players promoted the 250 message and increased the media coverage in the week running up to the Final.

Mike Arthur Guinness Catt and Martin Arthur Guinness Corry

 

This experience was bought to life for the fans in the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP village at Twickenham where over 200 rugby die-hards adopted the new middle name and for their troubles they were rewarded with a free pint of the black stuff!

I now pronounce you John 'Arthur Guinness' Brown

 

 

Although the fans watching from their sofas weren’t able to join in the name-changing fun, the 250 message was brought to life with new post pads and dynamic LED boards. It was a hard fought game but when the final whistle blew Leicester came out victorious and it was up to Club Captain Martin ‘Arthur Guinness’ Corry to lift the Trophy for the Tigers.

Martin Arthur Guinness Corry lifts the Guinness Premiership trophy

 

 

Keep an eye out for more Guinness 250 celebrations later in the year!

By Caroline Ayling on May 28th, 2009

Tags: Brand marketing, Event management consultants, Guinness, Guinness Premiership, Public relations, Synergy

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