With Conference Premier football club Kettering Town FC on their financial knees and with their very existence at threat, there was only one place to look for redemption; to a time of bigger hair, shorter shorts and fatter ‘taches. I’m of course talking about the 1970s.

To celebrate Kettering Town’s status as the first English club to adopt a football shirt sponsor in 1976, Betfair threw ‘The Poppies’ a lifeline by agreeing a one-off shirt sponsorship deal and cash injection, just days ahead of their visit to the Royal Courts of Justice to face an HMRC winding-up petition.

At the home fixture with Stockport County on Saturday 31^st March, the struggling club agreed to wear a specially made retro playing strip, faithful to the original 1976 design and featuring vintage ‘short’ shorts. Betfair was also set to offer season-ticket holders unbeatable value with a rebate to attend the match for just £1 – the cost of entry in 1976 – with fans able to pocket the difference or donate it back to the club.

To get the Kettering squad in the mood for the fixture, we visited the club to undertake a transformation back to the spirit of the 1970s, as brought to life in this exclusive photo shoot. The players were enthusiastic and willing models, with player-manager Ashley Westwood and midfielder David Bridges proving more than a little comfortable in the ‘70s ensemble.

It’s impossible, however, to recall the nostalgia of 1970s football, and not bring to mind images of stirring broadcast coverage. In a tribute to the Dickie Davies-anchored ‘World of Sport’ and other such TV gems, we created “Betfair’s Big Match”, following hapless sports reporter Dave Mandelson as he visited the team in preparation for the crucial Stockport County fixture.

The story sought to raise awareness of Kettering Town’s financial plight, with football fans encouraged to back a campaign run by The Poppies Trust, looking to raise funds to safeguard the future of the club. National press were fully behind the move, with The Metro and Daily Mirror running stories on launch day, and the likes of DailyMail.co.uk, DailyStar.co.uk as well as football bloggers such as WhoAteAllThePies and 101GreatGoals running the video, in addition to local broadcasters ITV Anglia.

The surge of media interest caused quite a stir in the Football Conference, however, with league sponsors Blue Square Bet objecting to a rival betting brand operating within their apparent space. On Friday 30^th March, and just 24 hours ahead of the crucial fixture, Kettering Town were faced with the threat of possible league expulsion if they went ahead with the unique deal. In light of this development Betfair reluctantly withdrew the shirts from the match itself, whilst still donating the much needed cash to the club.

The club were delighted with the generous contribution, helping ensure a club with a unique role in UK’s football history lived to fight another day.

We’ll never know if those shirts would have inspired the team to victory, as sadly Kettering succumbed to a 1-3 home defeat, and face an uphill battle to remain in the division next season.

From all at Betfair and Synergy (and of course Dave Mandelson), we wish the club all the best.  “COME ON YOU POPPIES!”

By Donald Parish on April 4th, 2012

Tags: Content, Default, Football, Football Sponsorship, PR, Sponsorship, Sport, Viral Marketing, YouTube

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The media landscape bore witness to a new dawn yesterday, with the launch of the first ever Sunday edition of News International’s stalwart newspaper The Sun. Arriving almost seven months after the closure of the Fleet Street icon The News of the World, and 43 years after the first daily edition of The Sun, yesterday was a hugely significant moment for the industry.

In the event, it turned out to be a somewhat understated one. Ostensibly, this was a regular daily edition of The Sun, retaining much of the same layout and content of the traditional paper, including favourites such as Bizarre, TV Biz, Goals and Deidre’s Casebook. This was to be expected, given the relatively quick turnaround of the first edition, and the fact that the paper is largely leaning on the existing resources of the current editorial staff.

The first ever front page splash was given up to a celebrity exclusive, with Amanda Holden giving a five page feature interview talking about the recent birth of her daughter Hollie. In the scramble to be amongst the first brands to secure PR coverage, Marks and Spencer were amongst the big successes. In an exclusive from Business Editor Steve Hawkes, it was revealed that Gary Barlow is to cover George Harrison’s hit Here Comes The Sun in an upcoming ad campaign. There was also strong presence for England football kit makers Umbro, with a picture exclusive of the line up for the brand’s strip launch.

A new round of headline columnists were revealed, with Katie Price, Nancy Dell’Olio and Heston Blumenthal all joining the stable of regular features.

Whilst The Sun is not the first newspaper to share editorial staff across both weekday and Sunday editions, for now, at least, it appears the first to have a truly seven-day feel. It will be fascinating to see how the paper evolves over the coming weeks, and whether it adapts more of a traditional Sunday style and tone of voice. After rumoured three million sales on debut yesterday, no doubt the red top rivals Sunday Mirror and Daily Star Sunday will be keenly following developments too.

By Donald Parish on February 27th, 2012

Tags: Default, Media

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What Happened

Football, gaming and music became one in a brilliant piece of cross branded content from Umbro, the official kit supplier to the England football team. In conjunction with the Sony Xperia Play smartphone, the brand helped to facilitate a groundbreaking test into whether a football video game can actually be played out in real life.

Two 5-a-side teams were kitted out in Umbro branded strips and footwear, and led respectively by England striker Darren Bent, and Kasabian lead singer Tom Meighan. Darren and Tom controlled their teams using specially modified Sony Xperia Play handsets, to send commands to their players to run, pass, tackle or shoot. Check out the video yourself to see who came out on top.

Why We Love It

In the busy world of sports marketing and sponsorship, the battle is always on to deliver content that really affects the target audience. Successful sponsorship strategies are typically based around putting the consumer at the very heart of the campaign. How can we demonstrate true relevance for our customers? What can we give them to truly engage with our brand? Above all, how can we help them to actually care about our brand at all?

In previous editions of Synopsis, authors including Carsten Thode and Tom Gladstone have touched on how brands can use their audience’s passion points to really establish a compelling conversation.  The rationale behind this strategy is robust. Delivering content that is of genuine emotional interest to your target consumer will make them more receptive to absorbing your brand’s preferred messaging. It is a tactic employed by many a brand, but very few execute this as compellingly as kit manufacturer Umbro.

Unlike brands from other industries and sectors, clothing manufacturers don’t have to take quite the same leap to establish relevance in their chosen sponsorship market. Umbro, in common with Nike, Adidas and Reebok, are quite literally part of the fabric of sport. Fascinatingly, instead of resting on the laurels of those sporting credentials, Umbro repeatedly choose to go one step further by associating the brand with another major passion point – music. In this instance, they added a third layer through immersion with the video gaming world.

The history between Umbro and music runs deep, particularly over recent years. In 2010 the brand teamed up with British rock giants Kasabian once more, in an innovative launch of the new official England change strip, set to be worn in the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Appearing back onstage for an encore at their gig in Paris, the band emerged clad in the brand new strip, which doubled as the official unveiling of the shirt. It marked the first time Umbro had departed from a traditional football player based launch, and emphasised the positioning of the shirt as part of the culture of football fandom.

Continuing this fusion of football and music, Umbro was again in the news in the New Year. London rapper Tinchy Stryder recently revealed that his new record “Why always me?” was inspired by Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, who revealed a vest bearing the slogan after scoring in October’s Manchester derby. Umbro were quick off the mark to collaborate with the pint-sized musician, commissioning a special edition charity t-shirt featuring the now famous phrase, available exclusively at umbroteeshop.com.

Effortlessly finding executions that enable the brand to blur the lines between sport and popular culture, Umbro continues to deliver content that touches its audience on a number of levels.

By Donald Parish on January 25th, 2012

Tags: Content, Default, Music, Sport, Synergy Loves

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It’s been an exciting period for the RBS team here at Synergy, with a roadshow tour that has brought Judy Murray’s Set4Sport initiative to life for parents and children all over the UK. Created by Judy Murray and supported by RBS, Set4Sport is a programme inspired by Judy’s years of experience as a tennis coach and parent, which showcases easy and accessible ways for parents to play with their children and develop the skills required for playing sport. The activities featured are based on the games Judy played with her sons Andy and Jamie when they were growing up, and can easily be recreated at home using everyday items.

At its core, Set4Sport is all about helping parents to find active ways to play with their children, and it has been really inspirational to be part of a programme that will make a tangible difference to how children develop sporting skills. Judy’s own games such as “Jumping the River” and “Double Trouble” not only give parents a fantastic example of an activity they can replicate in their own homes or back garden, but also spark off their imagination to help them create games of their very own.

In June, Synergy managed the programme media launch with Andy, Jamie and Judy Murray, raising awareness of the free Set4Sport book and website. The next stage of the roll-out saw a series of roadshow events showcasing many of the suggested games and ideas. So off we headed, on a journey that took us to communities throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

To date, we have hit six venues, starting with a rainy South Shields in August, and most recently visiting Glasgow’s Riverside Museum on a chilly day in late October. The events have proven a big success, with Judy Murray present at each location, and hundreds of families descending en masse to get their fill of the Set4Sport action.

Synergy embarked on an awareness-driving PR campaign, with the aim to boost attendance at the different roadshow events up and down the country. Ahead of each event, Judy was on hand to speak to local newspapers and radio, building up buzz and excitement prior to the roadshow coming to town. As well as in-depth Set4Sport campaign features with national media, Synergy also proactively targeted press event listings and local “days out” guides, helping to generate strong numbers at each location.

For each location, Synergy identified an area of high footfall specifically positioned to attract young families to a free event, with Judy and her team of coaches setting up a number of different game stations. Prime venues were secured including Brighton Beach, Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, all free facilities packed with families during the summer and half-term holidays. After registering their details, parents and children worked their way around up to eight different game rotations, all designed to develop skills in agility, balance and co-ordination, as well as being great fun!

On February 11th the show returns to Scotland, as the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh plays host to an event during the half term holiday. For more information on Set4sport, stay tuned to www.Set4Sport.com and Facebook.

By Donald Parish on December 6th, 2011

Tags: Andy Murray, Default, grass roots sport, Sponsorship, Synergy, Tennis

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August proved an exciting month for the team here at Synergy, as after months of planning, energy brand SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) was announced as a National Community Partner of the RFU.

Working with some of the most talented and charismatic England rugby players of the past 15 years, from England international Tom Croft to former World Cup player Danny Grewcock and former British Lions player John Bentley, community clubs Bracknell RFC and Percy Park RFC played host to two launch events that brought SSE to the very heart of English rugby.

The three year partnership with the RFU will see SSE invest heavily in supporting community rugby in England by taking on the title sponsorship of the National and Divisional Leagues, as well as providing much-needed funding for the RFU’s programme, Community Rugby Coaches (CRCs).

With English community club rugby at the very core of the sponosrship, Synergy was tasked with creating a campaign helped SSE make a tangible difference to the grassroots game.  And what better way to do this, than to ask every rugby player in England what they think their club needs.

Synergy launched the new partnership by asking that very question and creating the “What Clubs Need” survey at www.sserugby.com.  Whether it’s bibs, balls or floodlights, the results will be absorbed into a wider campaign of rewards and opportunities for clubs, giving them access to the resources that will benefit their club the most.

The launch event was held at Bracknell RFC on Monday, August 8^th, with England flanker and new SSE ambassador Tom Croft leaving the squad’s World Cup training camp for the evening.  He provided a huge draw for everyone at the club, joining in a coaching session with an enthusiastic junior team, before assisting in drills for the senior 1st XV.

The media descended on Bracknell RFC, as Tom carried out interviews with The Times, The Sun, The Rugby Paper, leading to standout coverage, thus maximising the launch of www.sserugby.com

Not prone to resting on their laurels, Synergy set about on the preparations for the second launch event, this time at the picturesque Percy Park Rugby Club in North Shields, Newcastle.  On this occasion the full junior team were out in force, an impressive 80 children taking part in some high quality training.  The seniors got their turn as well, with 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Danny Grewcock and the legendary ex-British Lion John Bentley, putting them through their paces for 90 minutes.

SSE will continue to support both Bracknell RFC and Percy Park RFC with the resources they need.  It is part of the brand’s bigger commitment to support all those rugby clubs who are ensuring that grass roots rugby stays at the very heart of English communities.

Visit www.sserugby.com to tell us what your club needs.

By Donald Parish on September 1st, 2011

Tags: Default, grass roots sport, Public relations, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sport, Synergy, Synopsis, Twitter

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Last month saw the launch of Set4Sport, a brand new programme created by Judy Murray and supported by RBS, which showcases easy and accessible ways for parents to play with their children, whilst developing the skills required for sport.

RBS has supported Andy since he was 14 but both Andy and RBS wanted to shift the emphasis of their latest partnership agreement. Andy and Jamie were extremely keen to use their ambassador roles to support their mother’s campaign, which fits perfectly with a shift in RBS strategy towards using sponsorship to make a real difference to local communities.

Synergy will be woking with Judy to managed Set4Sport (so look for updates in future editions of Synopsis) but the first task was to create a media launch for the programme that built on a huge swathe of Murray mania in the lead up to the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Set4Sport, inspired by her years of experience as a tennis coach and parent, centres around a book of activities, ball skills, and exercises based on the games Judy played with her sons when they were growing up.

It was brought to life at the Singlegate Primary School in Colliers Wood, where 16 lucky children joined the Murray family in the very activities and games that they played as youngsters growing up in Dunblane.

With Andy Murray’s stock at fever pitch on the back of his sensational victory at Queen’s only the day before, it’s no surprise that the family were in huge demand across the media on the eve of the forthcoming title tilt in SW19, leading to a week of media coverage for Set4Sport across all facets of the British press.

The tennis writers arrived en masse, buoyed by Andy’s win at Queen’s, lit up by an improvised trick shot that captured the imagination of the public and the tennis news agenda that week.

With the whole Murray family in attendance, it was a fantastic opportunity to offer up a unique angle to the wider consumer and lifestyle media. Highlights included next day features in The Times (T2) and Daily Mirror, that gave Judy and Andy the chance to outline how much of a role that the Set4Sport activities played in developing their relationship with sport.

The sunny conditions on launch day and the chance to see the Murray boys recreate their favourite childhood games also proved a terrific draw for broadcast media, with crews from Sky News, BBC Newsround, Channel 5 and ITV Daybreak amongst others all present to film the campaign launch.

All in all, a busy but tremendously fun launch for what is a brilliant initiative from Judy Murray.  The book is available for free download or order, and families from all over the UK can join in the fun on the Set4Sport road show throughout August. For more information visit www.Set4Sport.com

By Donald Parish on July 26th, 2011

Tags: Default

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Now I enjoy pleasant scenery and lush green surroundings as much as the next guy, but you’d be unlikely to find me seeking out the latest news concerning the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show.  Kudos, then, goes to Hillier Nurseries, who captured my attention with some fantastic imagery of their 35ft silver birch tree, en-route to the annual horticultural festival.

The £4.5k valued birch tree is the largest to ever be hosted at the CFS, and was featured in today’s editions of The Independent and Daily Telegraph making the journey from its Hampshire home.

With this week coming on the back of a momentous weekend of truly historic news stories, PRs all over the land will have been groaning under the pressure to get coverage for their own important product launch.  Congratulations to the guys in the Nickelodeon press office, who kept it simple and landed a full page of coverage in the Daily Star and online with ITN for the launch of Nickelodeon Land at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

There’s nothing to wow the creative or strategic mind here, but sometimes some good old fashioned fun PR works a treat, and the unlikely combination of David Hasselhoff and Spongebob SquarePants proved a big hit.  With “The Hoff” donning a red jacket to reprise his lifeguard role from 1980’s smash hit Baywatch on the new log flume ride, the photos ensured the park is set to cause a splash this summer.

However with the media agenda still dominated by the fallout of royal weddings and US military operations, only one PR story came close to grabbing the same column inches.  It may be about to begin a seventh season, but BBC’s The Apprentice still has what it takes to grab big headlines. This time the format of the show has been tweaked slightly, with the winning contestant receiving £250k to put towards the start-up of their very own business.

Almost every national carried a full feature on the launch, including interviews with Lord Sugar, quotes from pumped up contestants, and opinion from columnists on the next 12 months ahead.  A high profile launch would expect to deliver standout national coverage, but The Apprentice skilfully distributed it’s assets to ensure compelling cut through in nearly every outlet a week from transmission.  You’re hired.

By Donald Parish on May 6th, 2011

Tags: Gardening, Media, PR, Public relations, Synergy Papers, Television

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