What happened

To promote its sponsorship of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Sainsbury’s created a short video of David Beckham being put through his paces by David Clarke, team GB’s Blind Football legend. Widely seeded online, on TV and in cinemas, the video raises awareness of the Sainsbury’s 1 Million Kids Challenge, which aims to get a million children to try a Paralympic sport, and its sponsorship of the Paralympic Games overall.

Why we love it

Sainsbury’s ‘Paralympic Games-only’ sponsorship is an exciting innovation in itself.  This is the first time that the rights for the Paralympic Games have been carved out and sold separately to those for the Olympics (although Olympic sponsorship still includes the Paralympic Games as well). Sainsbury’s can use this differentiated position to derive some key benefits.

Firstly, unlike Olympic venues, the London 2012 Paralympic Games’ venues and athletes can be branded.  With 150 hours of Paralympic Games footage to be broadcast on Channel 4, it will deliver plenty of ‘natural’ brand exposure for Sainsbury’s. In addition, the Paralympic Games provide some truly emotive stories of excellence, inspiration and dedication that resonate with the consumers and, critically, are different to the Olympic stories that will be told by the other sponsors. As Sainsbury’s Head of Sponsorship, Jat Sahota, said: “There are amazing individual stories, but it is important not to overplay the adversity angle – they are ordinary people doing extraordinary things; they are elite athletes. There is a richness to those stories that I think the British public will respond to more than some of the Olympian stories.”

Using David Beckham as a Paralympic Games Ambassador is an interesting choice. Whilst it is unusual to have an ambassador for an event who has never participated in it, Beckham’s involvement is a good way to deliver its messages to the widest possible audience.  It is obvious, though perhaps slightly regrettable, that a star of mainstream sport is a great candidate to help convey the Paralympic Games’ message.

Signing up the much-loved Beckham is unlikely to be a step in the wrong direction for any brand, but it’s what Sainsbury’s did with him that made this use of an ambassador so successful. The ABCDE model tells us that content is a vital part of excellent sponsorship, and the combination of a fascinating insight into blind football, combined with the allure of Beckham’s talent and good looks (sorry!) makes for compelling viewing. Football is the best loved sport in the UK, and so provides a good route into the discovery of Paralympic activities for those with little prior knowledge.

The last time blind football caught the public’s attention to such an extent was probably when Paddy Power released this controversial advert in 2010 and Sainsbury’s approach to blind football, naturally, could not be more different. It evokes the skill required for the sport, provoking exactly those feelings of inspiration and patriotism that the best sponsorships should.

The 1 Million Kids challenge is an ambitious programme to promote Paralympic sport to the mainstream, and using Beckham as its Paralympic Games ambassador shows that Sainsbury’s is serious about trying to make this happen.

Sainsbury’s core asset might be the London 2012 Paralympic Games, but by creating content that combines this sponsorship with a superstar ambassador from outside the Paralympic world, they are truly maximising its impact.

By Jessica Enoch on January 25th, 2012

Tags: Celebrity, Content, David Beckham, Default, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympics, Synergy Loves

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On a very rainy Thursday in January, Synergy launched RBS RugbyForce at Twickenham Stadium with ambassador Tom Wood and NatWest RugbyForce at Waunarlwydd RFC in Wales with George North.

RugbyForce is a nationwide community volunteer programme which helps local rugby clubs improve their facilities and safeguard their long-term future. Last year the programme helped more than 400 clubs in the UK and Ireland and it is testament to the initiative’s development that RugbyForce now exists across all four Home Union territories – Ulster Bank RugbyForce in Ireland, NatWest RugbyForce in Wales, and RBS RugbyForce in England and Scotland.

Our role was to maximise PR exposure from the launches in order to drive more clubs to sign up for the programme before registration closes at the end of March. At Twickenham we were also launching a special initiative giving English clubs, who sign up before England’s RBS 6 Nations games at Twickenham, the chance to have their names printed on the steps of the famous stadium.

The ambassadors were chosen to demonstrate the link between grassroots and elite rugby, emphasising RBS Group’s commitment to the sport at all levels. Both took every opportunity to explain to the media that they were promoting RugbyForce and delivered all our key messages about the importance of the programme and the fantastic impact it has on local rugby clubs.

At Twickenham, Tom Wood spoke to a number of different media, including an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph and a live appearance on TalkSport, as well as branded pieces in the Birimingham Post and Sunday Mercury, and a host of other online and radio interviews. The campaign was launched with the names of three lucky clubs, and representatives from each were at Twickenham to provide further online media content and enable us to target local press from across the country.

Tom Wood and the lucky club members

Meanwhile in Cardiff, Waunarlwydd RFC turned out in force to see George North, with around 100 kids and 60 adults attending. Media interviews went ahead with Swansea Sound radio, Scarlett FM radio, the Press Association, the South Wales Evening Post, the Daily Express, Rugby World and BBC Wales Radio & TV.

With the aim to raise exposure of the programme and ultimately drive registration, the day was a great success, generating significant coverage that really delivered on the RugbyForce messages.

All in all it was a hectic and sodden, but ultimately incredibly successful day in both England and Wales, showcasing the RBS Group’s commitment to community rugby. The day drove coverage that will encourage clubs to register and help them to help themselves become more sustainable businesses through the RugbyForce programme.  For more information go to www.rbs.com/rugbyforce.

By Jessica Enoch on January 25th, 2012

Tags: Celebrity, community, Default, PR, Public relations, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby

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The recent 100^th edition of my beloved Stylist magazine got me thinking about the changing face of content on the streets of London. Commuters now have an embarrassment of riches from which to choose when it comes to free reading matter: Stylist on a Wednesday is followed by Shortlist and Sport on Thursdays and Fridays respectively, with Metro and City AM free every weekday morning - and, of course, the Evening Standard for the journey home. The fact that none of these cost a penny is great, but more important than that is the high editorial quality – they contain things that people actually want to read.

The free paper phenomenon started with News International’s The London Paper and Associated Newspaper-produced London Lite in 2006. Both were criticised for lightweight content and ceased publication in late 2009 – a result both of slipping circulation numbers and the Evening Standard becoming free. Critically, the ES has since maintained its editorial quality, a fact recognised with its 2010 victory in the Media Week awards, at which it won two of the most prestigious accolades in publishing – Media Brand of the Year and the Grand Prix Gold.

Since then however, there have been some new faces at the party – Stylist and Shortlist, published by Shortlist Media, as well as a revitalised Sport magazine. These magazines are free yet premium, self-consciously branding themselves…’freemium’. The idea is simple: lure customers in with free, high-quality content, and make money from advertising, a concept surely validated by its inclusion as a task on this year’s Apprentice!

It’s certainly not just about being free, as the quality of the content is vital – in the words of Karl Marsden, Managing Director of Shortlist Media, “no-one does the ‘thousand-yard stare’ like a British commuter intent on reaching their destination.” The combination of a free, desirable, high-quality magazine with reliable distribution channels is built to lure customers in and ultimately generate revenue from advertising.

Some, however, doubt the sustainability of this revenue stream, suggesting that as competition increases as free content proliferates, the money raised from advertising will diminish, raising doubts in turn about the sustainability of the whole model. There is no doubt that the world of written content is in a huge state of flux. Indeed, Mike Soutar, founder of Shortlist Media, attributes the rise of the ‘freemium’ magazine to the evolution of online content and customers’ subsequent expectations that they can access high quality journalism for free. And yet the basis of this assumption is already changing, as certain publications erect paywalls around some of their online content.

I know that as an avid Stylist reader I’m not going to stop eagerly taking my copy outside Goodge Street station every Wednesday morning. For now, I hope that the virtuous circle of a free magazine with high-quality content and money raised solely from advertising continues. The only worry is that one of these things will slip and we will move from virtuous circle to vicious cycle.

As mentioned above, a key concern is the ongoing viability of revenue from advertising. This could mean one of many things. Perhaps certain magazines will disappear altogether as their business model becomes less valid, or less drastically, their editorial standards will slip as they are forced to lay off staff. Might certain ‘freemium’ magazines start charging, gambling on the loyalty of their readership? This seems unlikely in a cluttered market, though the establishment of paywalls around previously free online content suggests that it shouldn’t be totally ruled out.

However, I believe that the answer, at least for the near future, might lie in this week’s subtle change to the Metro newspaper: more advertising. But for levels of quality to stay the same as advertising becomes less valuable, the hope has to be that revenue from increased volume sales offsets the lower price at which it can be sold.

Whilst I don’t know the answer, my fear is that the ‘freemium’ market as it stands isn’t stable in the long-term and a higher proportion of free magazine space will soon be taken up by advertising. I certainly hope this isn’t the case, but at the moment I’d advise you to watch this space.

By Jessica Enoch on November 8th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Media, Paywall, PR

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As a huge fan of both football and Twitter, I have followed the phenomenon of footballers using the social media platform to talk directly to fans with nothing short of delight (and indeed written, and no doubt tweeted, about it too). From Ryan Babel mocking-up Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt to Darren Bent allegedly telling Spurs owner Daniel Levy in no uncertain terms to sort out his transfer to Sunderland, the medium has contributed significantly to breaking down the barriers between player and fan, which, in this age of the sheltered millionaire footballer, I’m definitely not alone in welcoming with open arms.

However, this summer I made a new, and even more exciting, discovery – @Joey7Barton. With Barton’s tweet that “somewhere in those high echelons of NUFC, they have decided, I am persona non grata” attracting significant media coverage (in fairness, more for the revelation that Newcastle United were letting him go, than the flowery language), I was lured into his Twitter world. There I found Joseph Barton, the footballer philosopher, offering up daily quotes from Nietzsche, lyrical poetry from The Smiths, and reviews of his trips to London museums.



Surely this wasn’t the same player I’d seen drag Gervinho off the floor by the scruff of his neck during the first game of the Premier League season at Newcastle? And yet, whilst the red mist is still prone to descend, the rehabilitation of Joey Barton is in full swing, helped in no small part by his ability to create his own brand on Twitter. Yes, many remain if not unconvinced then at least a bit confused by his culture vulture social media persona, but there’s no doubt that without Twitter, he wouldn’t have been able to convey it to the world as he has done.

Of course, the phenomenon of sports, and in particular football, stars as brands in their own right is by no means a feature borne of the Twitter age. Remember, Twitter is only five years old, younger than brand Beckham and younger still than Gazza, Kevin Keegan and George Best. Indeed, footballers have been commercial entities in their own right for years (and see this amusing history of their attempts to cash in on this).

George Best lends his name to Best Potato Crisps

And yet I do believe that Twitter has brought something new to the party. It gives footballers a way to convey to the world who they want to be, no longer restricting their public image to that carefully defined by their club and publicist, or by the tabloid headlines. Whilst these were the channels through which a footballer’s brand would be built in the past, players are now able, in at least some small way, to bypass them, possibly defying an image crafted by a PR, or using Twitter to defend the on and off the field transgressions reported in the papers.

But whilst I may love the fact that Twitter allows footballers and famous individuals to talk directly to me (and, I accept, their thousands, or indeed millions, of other followers), the interesting question is whether using Twitter can significantly build a commercially successful personal brand. Will it impact upon the value and nature of sponsorship deals and endorsements? At the moment, not really. Nike terminated its boot contract with Joey Barton in 2008 after he was imprisoned for assault, and the deals have not exactly been forthcoming since then.

Twitter might be a good place to start building your brand (and a forum for – declared – advertising by celebrities), but it is most definitely not where it ends. A Twitter personality is still only one small element of a footballer’s commercial arsenal; the money follows skills on the pitch, good looks, big clubs and to a certain extent, the ability to stay out of trouble (though brands have shown themselves willing to stick by big names even when scandal has descended in the past).

However, that is certainly not to say that footballers should stop tweeting – mainly because without Joey Barton’s philosophical gems my days would most definitely be that little bit worse! Click here for a fun infographic of sports stars on Twitter, and try the following for some insights/hilarity from some of our favourite footballers:

Jack Wilshere: @JackWilshere

Rio Ferdinand: @rioferdy5

Kaka: @KAKA

Wayne Rooney: @WayneRooney

Darren Bent: @DarrenBent

By Jessica Enoch on October 10th, 2011

Tags: Barclays Premier League, Celebrity, Default, Football, Newcastle United, Twitter

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The decision as to who will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups is fast approaching – due on 2nd December. Interest in this country is of course heightened by England’s bid for 2018, and the corruption claims against FIFA delegates made by The Sunday Times, which, according to some, might harm this country’s bid. Fears continue over potential Iberia/Qatar 2018/2022 collusion, made possible by the fact that the host countries for the two tournaments are to be decided on the same day, although no hard evidence has been passed to FIFA’s ethics committee. Certainly the process has not been without its fair share of drama.

Many have disregarded the Iberian bid, and that of the Netherlands and Belgium, on the basis that FIFA dislikes joint bids, as the World Cup is supposed to be a celebration of one country (although some consider that the Spanish bid is the one to be beaten and others cite the green credentials of the Holland/Belguim proposal, and their heavyweight bid team, so it seems sensible to view every bid as a potential threat). It is Russia’s ambitious boundary-pushing bid which seems to be really worrying English commentators – so different is Russia from England in a footballing context. England is an established footballing nation, which has hosted a World Cup in the past, whilst Russia is focussing on the novelty of staging the tournament in a former Soviet bloc country, and its vision ”to surprise and astound the world of football”.

Clearly, all the bids have their own unique selling points, and, with this as a given, I do not intend to discuss these here. Instead, I will make a shamelessly patriotic defence of England’s credentials as 2018 hosts. As Gabriele Marcotti argues here, it would be nice to go “old school”, after two consecutive World Cups hosted by countries that can be regarded as “new” (yes, Brazil did host the World Cup in 1950, but it certainly falls into the visionary, legacy-leaving category, as bids go). The fanatical football fanbase in England goes without saying, with the bid highlighting the 30 million attendances at matches last season. As a football fan myself, the idea of England hosting the World Cup is very exciting indeed.

The technical excellence of England’s bid is well known; seven of the proposed stadia require no significant construction, and the four new stadium building projects are to be undertaken regardless of 2018 being won or not. This in itself is an argument in England’s favour. However, it also means that, because construction and logistics need not be so paramount, the focus can instead be on leaving a legacy. This is a feature of England’s bid not heavily focussed upon, but fully evident in its impressively large bid book, which says that it will leave a legacy on 1 billion people globally - a bold claim indeed.

One major pillar of this will be the Football United global football fund, which will concentrate on developing football in disadvantaged areas, breaking down social barriers, improving health and education and various other good causes. The plan is for England to build and nurture the charity up to 2018, and continue its involvement thereafter, with future host cities also playing a role. Additionally, there are ambitious plans to develop grassroots football, a cause that should be close to everyone’s heart, if it can help the national team avoid embarrassing last 16 exits at the hands of Germany.

The suspense will be over soon enough, and it is hard to quantify the impact, if any, that the British focus on FIFA corruption (a Panorama programme is also due to be aired just three days before the decision) will have on the bid. Many cannot think of anything worse than England incurring the cost and hassle of hosting another major tournament just a few years after the 2012 Olympics. But I have my fingers crossed that (and this may or may not sound a little cheesy) we can bring football home in 2018.

By Jessica Enoch on November 12th, 2010

Tags: Football, World Cup

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Following our previous NFL update with the great Mayor of London, the excitement of the NFL in London only increased last week, climaxing with Sunday’s fourth International Series game at Wembley Stadium.

49ers Running Back Brian Westbrook rushes through the Denver defence

Team Synergy turned out for the match in full force to assist on all PR duties on the day, enjoying the pre-match Tailgate party, spending more time with our favourite supermodel and 49ers superfan Marisa Miller, and, personally, finding it more than a bit difficult to navigate the maze that is Wembley stadium.

NFL fans were greeted at Wembley's Tailgate party by a giant reconstruction of San Francisco's famous Golden Gate bridge

We knew the 49ers would be big guys but seriously...

Taking our privileged places on the sidelines as the game began, the full pomp of the NFL was there to see (and hear - rockers My Chemical Romance made sure of that) in all its glory. Mo Farah and Ben Ainslie fulfilled their Honorary Captain roles with panache, and the Gold Rush cheerleaders delighted the crowd – despite the chilly and rainy conditions, and the fact that their time in London had been packed with various media engagements and gruelling rehearsals, the smiles did not leave their faces.

I may not be the blogger to turn to for detailed match analysis (try here instead) but I was absolutely amazed by the spectacle that is American football. The aim had been to make this feel like a home game for the 49ers, who were sacrificing a regular season home game to play at Wembley, and by all accounts it was a goal well and truly achieved.

Aside from the 49ers flags that adorned every single seat at Wembley on game day, it was in the post-game press conference, that the players’ own impressions came to the fore. Troy Smith, Frank Gore and my personal favourite Takeo Spikes all testified to how welcome they felt over here. It seems the close quarters in which they operated in London, being so far from home, helped the team bond in a way they had not experienced since training camp.

Spikes even said “I’d come back here every year, to be honest with you”. But don’t take our word for it, watch what he has to say about London below:

(During the press conference, he did go on to reference “the ladies of London” as one of the reasons his time over here had been so enjoyable and memorable, so clearly the attractions of London were many and varied…)

Looking back at our whole weekend, Saturday’s 49ers Pep Rally (London’s first) undeniably contributed to the partisanship of the crowd at Wembley the following day. Over 38,000 NFL fans – old and new – turned up at Trafalgar Square on Saturday to show their support, watching performances from the Gold Rush cheerleaders, 49ers Drumline, dance troupe Flawless and appearances from NFL legends including our friend Jerry Rice.

As if the enthusiastic flag-waving and chanting inside Wembley stadium wasn’t enough, Jerry Rice, the 49ers legend, has led calls this week for a London franchise, and with the enthusiasm for NFL reaching such heights in the capital, it seems this is not an unimaginable possibility. But until then, we have the 2010 memories to keep our heads in the game…

NFL 49ers fan and supermodel Marisa Miller turns her attentions to Synergy's Simon during a photoshoot

Synergy's Jess takes up position as an honorary Soccer AM Soccerette backstage after the 49ers Gold Rush appearance on the show

Spot the non-Olympian: Lucie tries (unsuccessfully) to gain a third Honorary Captain position between Denver's Mo Farah and San Francisco's Ben Ainslie

The BBC's Blue Peter presenters Andy & Joel were chaperoned onto the sidelines by Steph - all to be revealed on the show on November 8th!

By Jessica Enoch on November 3rd, 2010

Tags: American football, BBC, NFL, PR, Public relations, Sport

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The excitement of American football has well and truly touched down (forgive me) in London. The San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleaders have been in town for the past week, partaking in a wide range of activities to get London excited for the International Series game at Wembley.  The 49ers will be the home team as they take on the Denver Broncos this Sunday 31st October in the fourth such match to be played over here, and Team Synergy are in the middle of a busy week promoting the game alongside NFL UK.

As well as charming the maverick Mayor of London, whose excitement at meeting the girls was captured by an eagle-eyed Evening Standard photographer, the cheerleaders got another taste of quintessential Britain yesterday when they paid a visit to the troops of the Household Cavalry. I joined them as we went down to Horse Guards Parade to watch the changing of the guards, before heading back to the barracks to chat to the soldiers and Officers – and perform a short cheer (only the Gold Rush this time – at this point, I took my cue to stand aside).

The girls will also join celebrity superfan Marisa Miller and 49ers legend Jerry Rice in Trafalgar Square this Saturday 30th, for the first pep rally London has ever seen, getting fans excited for the game, and truly reinforcing the 49ers as the home team. San Francisco has most definitely arrived in London!

By Jessica Enoch on October 28th, 2010

Tags: Default

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By Jessica Enoch on October 20th, 2010

Tags: Brand marketing, Default, Design, Fashion, Tennis

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Last month, team Synergy headed down to a tennis club in leafy Chiswick, West London for a day planned to give the media a taste of The RBS Murray Experience events to be held in London and Edinburgh at the end of the year.

These unique experiential events, run by Andy’s sponsor RBS, will give some lucky RBS customers and their friends the chance to take part in a unique on-court day with Andy and Jamie Murray – and the rest of their team – where they will be taken first hand through their tough training regime, from fitness drills to the perfect serve.

What better way to promote such a great experience than to let journalists taste it for themselves?

Indeed it turned out that facing Andy was tougher than any of them might have expected. Press from the Daily Telegraph, BBC Online, BBC Scotland TV and radio, Sport Magazine and the Daily Record arrived with their rackets and tennis shoes full of excitement at the prospect of facing Andy, and all finished sweaty, tired, and all too painfully aware of why he is one of the world’s very best tennis players.

Of course, the day would not have been possible without the involvement of the fantastic Team Murray, including Andy’s fitness trainer Matt Little, Mum (and pro tennis coach) Judy and his hitting partner Dani Vallverdu.

Matt set up the session with some warm-up exercises and on-court drills; Judy coached the group through groundstrokes and volleys. Dani acted as hitting partner for the day, enabling Andy to line up alongside our media for each drill, providing a genuine, first-hand glimpse of the Murray training regime.

The highlight of the day (certainly in terms of entertainment value) was the journalists being given the chance to face the Murray serve. I had thought to myself that it would not look great for Andy should any of the journalists be able to return the serve… but as I cowered out of the way of the balls flashing across the court, I realised this was highly unlikely.

Even the Daily Telegraph’s Mark Hodgkinson, having proven himself to be pretty handy with a racket (so much so that Judy had swapped Andy in for Dani during the volleys to give Mark some greater competition) struggled – the best Mark managed was to smash Andy’s serve back into the net.

We were lucky to get one of the best days of the end of summer, so the day finished with press interviews with Andy on the balcony of the club and the inevitable (and not at all cheesy), shots with Team Synergy.

Team Murray meets Team Synergy

By Jessica Enoch on October 13th, 2010

Tags: Andy Murray, BBC, Brand marketing, Communications, Sponsorship, Synergy, Tennis

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