Author archive for ‘Lucie Bartlett’

Synergy loves… The Wonderbra trampoline test

Wonderbra has, since the Nineties, been delivering us iconic marketing campaigns. When Eva Herzigova stopped traffic in 1994, the lingerie brand’s appeal to both guys and girls was obvious – the boys wanted Eva, the girls wanted underwear that made them look like Eva. Put simply, sex sells.

Hello boys wonderbra

Well, fast-forward to Noughties and that much hasn’t changed. Wonderbra hasn’t developed any more subtlety in its appeal, but it has started creating more engaging campaigns that say something tangible about the product benefits (beyond the broad ‘wear this, look hot’).

First there was Sabraine Banando going 3D on a roadside billboard in 2008, cueing talk of more traffic accidents.

And then, this year, we were given the Wonderbra trampoline.

What happened:

Well, it’s pretty simple really. Wanting to extol the virtues of their brand new strapless bra, Wonderbra needed to put it to the test. And they started with an important insight: as the female readers amongst you will know, excessive movement in a strapless bra (gigs, festivals, dancefloors being prime locations) is largely inadvisable, unless you are very confident in the professed ability of your product.

So, to prove themselves to be the ultimate support, Wonderbra put trampolines in fitting rooms in Belgium – building on a PR stunt they had held in Spain the previous year. Customers could check out exactly how the bra fared under the most bouncy conditions. Then they filmed it, and made a cute viral to spread the word.

Wonderbra trampoline fitting rooms

Why we like it:

Wonderbra looked at their product values, which to date had been largely focused on enhancing assets, and had conveyed little about support. So, having identified a gap in their product line, they took an important insight from their target audience to communicate brand and product value.

Sure it was a gimmick and comments on the video were not all complimentary of the methodology, but it was a fun one. And importantly (prior the video viral being removed from YouTube for “violation of YouTube’s policy on nudity or sexual content”), the product was shown to work, convincing a whole host of women that Wonderbra isn’t just a one-trick push-up pony.

They kept the provocative nature of the brand alive by creating a video they knew would go viral and would probably only survive a matter of weeks on YouTube – which it did. But losing the video didn’t matter. Word would still spread that Wonderbra creates such an effective strapless bra, that they’re willing to test it to the limit and put the evidence online. The fact that the screen below is all you can now see of the video only serves to bolster their cheeky, risqué position.

Wonderbra removed from YouTube

What the brand says:

Head of Marketing, Julia Nolan, has commented on the new range: “We conducted a comprehensive series of tests with real girls, which included dancing, bending, stretching and jumping, all designed to put the bra through its paces.

‘This unique technology lifts the weight of the bust, supports and gives a trusted Wonderbra cleavage. We have created a groundbreaking garment giving women the perfect solution to the age old strapless bra problem.”

By Lucie Bartlett on June 17th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Experiential marketing, Fashion, Synergy Loves, Synopsis, YouTube

No comments

Synergy gets Set4Sport with the Murray family

Team Synergy has been rather busy this week – and for the last few weeks actually – helping Judy Murray get a brand new family activity programme off the ground ahead of Wimbledon.

Set4Sport, supported by Andy and Jamie Murray’s long-term sponsor, RBS, 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 that develop the skills required for playing sport. And it was our job to announce this new venture to the UK press.

So while the rest of the nation watched Andy’s fantastic victory at Queen’s on Monday, the RBS team at Synergy were busy bees, effectively re-planning our media launch in less than 24 hours – as the rain delays from Sunday meant best laid plans for a Monday launch in Regents Park ground to a sudden hault. Instead, we prepared to move Team Murray, the media, the event and all associated logistics (not least including 16 willing parents and children to take part) to a 10am start on Tuesday.

Andy Murray lifting the Queens Champion trophy on Monday

No longer able to set up in central London due to the boys’ hectic playing schedules this week, the action moved to Singlegate Primary School in Colliers Wood, near Wimbledon, who willingly offered up their lovely school grounds (and parents and children) to host the event.

Judy, led by a trusty team of four coaches, had designed the perfect sample event, showcasing four of the Set4Sport activities, and providing all the attending parents and kids with some great inspiration for fun and effective playtime games. (To find out exactly how you play Jumping the River, Beat the Goalie, Double Trouble and Dodgems, check out the website, where you can download them all.)

The nation’s media were obviously leaping at the chance to speak to a Queen’s Champ and Set4Sport offered them something fresh to focus on ahead of Wimbledon, though both boys naturally found themselves fending off questions around winning the British Grand Slam (or in Jamie’s case, winning again). Singlegate Primary had never seen so many cameras with crews from BBC, ITV, Sky and PA all clustered around their playground, with features running from Tuesday evening through yesterday’s news agenda.

Even the tennis writers – most of whom had spent the last 8 days following Andy’s progress at Queen’s – all rocked up on the day for a chat with him and Judy, and gave Set4Sport a great show in the press yesterday morning, with feature pieces in the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Independent, Metro and City AM to name a few.


And while the coverage started landing, Synergy and Judy’s work was not yet done. Yesterday morning started at dawn with a slot on the ITV Daybreak sofa, and onwards to the BBC for eleven interviews with radio stations around the UK, making sure all the regions know about the programme in preparation for the Set4Sport Live roadshows hitting cities this summer.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Murrays had found time on Tuesday to sit down and chat with some of the leading national feature writers, with highlights published today including a front page cover shot in The Times’ T2 supplement, a double page spread in the Daily Mirror, and an upcoming column in The Sun newspaper.

Set4Sport marks an exciting new venture for the Murray family, but also for RBS as it is the perfect representation of their new approach to sponsorship. All of our work with them is focused on investing in and supporting their customers’ local communities and Set4Sport fits that new ethos perfectly. Check out www.Set4Sport.com and have a look yourself.

Visit www.Set4Sport.com to download all the games

By Lucie Bartlett on June 16th, 2011

Tags: Andy Murray, Celebrity, Communications, Event management service, Experiential marketing, grass roots sport, Public relations, Sponsorship, Sport, Synergy, Tennis

No comments

Reduction in Football League Sky broadcast revenue: portentous for Premier League

With the announcement today that the 72 Football League clubs will see a significant reduction in broadcast revenue from the new Sky Sports deal currently nearing final neogitations, Synergy’s Tim Crow gave a stark warning that it could be a sign of things to come for the Premier League.

To read the full article in today’s Financial Times, including Tim’s quote, click here.

By Lucie Bartlett on April 5th, 2011

Tags: Press Clipping

No comments

Synergy weekly PR picks: April Fools Day special

We love anything that makes us giggle during the morning paper reading at Synergy. And April Fools is that classic day of the year when you know at least 5% of the stories are fabricated (as opposed to any other day, when it is probably closer to 4.5%).

There was some confusion this morning over which were real, which were April Fools and which just your average crazy tabloid fodder. Is Cheryl Cole really going into Big Brother? Is it possible to be arrested for marshmallow assault? And how can gorillas learn from an iPad without breaking it? Err…

So, for your delight and amusement, we have chosen our favourites for today’s papers highlights. Enjoy (and don’t take too seriously).

Guardian: by royal appointment, launching Royal Wedding minute-by-minute blog coverage

This gets our top Award for effort today. Leading in paper (p2 & p36), The Guardian have, ‘in a historic step, shaking off years of mean-spirited republicanism’, launched a dedicated blog offering minute-by-minute coverage of the big event. Best of all, the blog does exist. And it’s hilarious. Prince Harry’s speech notes and Lego Royal Wedding are our favourite, but a must-read for today. (At the time of writing, the Lego mock-up had just been vandalised. Appalling).

New! magazine: Marmite partners with Vaseline

Marmite loves a good branded merchandise story and frequently hits the headlines around April 1st. This year, they’ve worked with Vaseline to deliver news of what is possibly the most revolting lip-balm flavour ever to be produced (or not, as the case may be…). Love it or hate it, it gets PR.

Vaseline & marmite April Fool

BMW Royal Edition advertising

Does anyone remember the completely brilliant BMW April Fools around the Election? When we were all offered the opportunity to change our roundel into red, yellow or blue, to proudly display our political allegiance? Well those clever bods at BMW have come up trumps again this year with the special Royal Edition BMW M3 Coupé, displaying the ‘Will’ marque. A must-have for every Royalist.

Telegraph: Wasps flying the flag of St. George on Twickenham rugby pitch

A combined April Fools story from Wasps, the RFU and Premiership sponsor Aviva, showed the entire Twickenham pitch painted in a giant cross of St. George in celebration of the upcoming fixture against Bath on 23rd April (St. George’s Day, obviously). A nice sponsor mention included the line that the game would be played with a special yellow ball – insurer Aviva’s striking brand colour. All rubbish of course. Here’s hoping that Twickenham Head Groundsman Keith Kent isn’t a Telegraph reader – or else that he has a sense of humour…

Sport magazine: Arsenal Mascot sent off

It is one thing to have the Mascot running into goal during training, but quite another to have him talking to the press about stepping into goal for real. That is, assuming that giant soft-toy dinosaurs can now hold press-conferences and, well, talk. The tell-tale Fools sign? ‘Pilar Lofo’ was the man inside the suit. Go figure.

By Lucie Bartlett on April 1st, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Aviva, Brand marketing, Communications, Media, Public relations, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sport, Synergy Papers

No comments

Synergy loves… Converse saving London’s 100 Club

What happened? London’s iconic rock venue, the 100 Club, was all set to close earlier this year – until über trendy footwear brand Converse put their best foot forward and stepped up to the plate. Due to rent increases on Oxford Street, the club, which has hosted the likes of The Clash and The Sex Pistols was threatened with closure – despite holding the title of the oldest live music venue in London, hosting acts on the same premises since 1942.

In stepped the shoe manufacturer, whose urban credentials already make them suited to the partnership, with a relatively low-key sponsorship investment, that saved their bacon.

100 Club

Why we love it: A subtle approach to sponsorship, without a branding board in sight. Converse have taken an investment stake in the club, which was set to close despite vociferous protest from fans via social media, such as the ‘Save the 100 Club’ Facebook page (19,000 fans) and Twitter stream (884 followers). Converse, always a brand looking to tap into the zeitgeist of youth and maintain its independent cool factor (despite its more corporate Nike ownership), have been smart in their sponsorship of the club.

No flashy branding, no title sponsorship, no name-changing – the club will remain independently owned and, at least according to the press release, brand-free. Converse followed traditional sponsorship methodology – pinpoint a passion point of your consumer and put your brand at the heart of it – but are activating it in a very modern way: with subtlety and genuine investment in their fans’ heartland. Social sponsorship at its best.

What the brand says: A statement released by the shoe manufacturer revealed its reasons behind the move: “Converse and the 100 Club both share a love for music and this partnership is a great opportunity to reunite the 100 Club with a generation who experienced history inside its walls, as well as introduce it to a new generation with a vow to bring the best in music to its legendary stage.”



By Lucie Bartlett on March 17th, 2011

Tags: Fashion, Music, Naming Rights, Sponsorship, Synergy Loves

No comments

Ryan Air present the new home of cricket: Ireland

A highlight of our daily PR Team paper-reading this morning had to be the below from Ryan Air.

Gaining a good half / three-quarter page space in both the Telegraph and the Independent, this most basic of tactical advertising had us all giggling. And most of us are pretty mad-keen cricket fans too.

So having watched in horror England throw away the near-certain win against our Irish friends across the water, it was refreshing to find humour in our anguish. Though as funny as ambush campaigns may be to the observer, we can’t imagine Emirates (official partner of the Tournament) would be too chuffed about another airline gaining traction with what is essentially a World Cup ad…

Top marks to Ryan Air for a cheap (production), basic, low res ad with a wicked sense of humour. Not many other brands would have the nerve, nor the impact.

Ryan Air Home of Cricket Ireland ad

By Lucie Bartlett on March 4th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Ambush campaign, Aviation, Cricket, Travel, World Cup

1 comment

#FollowFriday: Oscars special

It’s that time of year again, when the ultimate red carpet is rolled out at the Kodak theatre, just as much gossip is spreading about the designer dresses as the statuettes, and agents are practically selling their children in order to get into the Vanity Fair after-party. It’s Oscars time.

oscars 2011

I completely adore this night in the film calendar. Granted, us UK folk have to show some serious dedication in order to watch it live (a 1.30am start on Monday morning on Sky Premiere HD), but it’s worth it. And hopefully this year I might actually last past the red carpet interviews (but the dresses really are the best bit…).

So in celebration of Academy Award weekend, this week’s Synergy Twitter #FF special is dedicated to all things Oscars.

Follow and enjoy.

1. The Academy@theacademy (the big guns)

2. The Oscars@oscar_awards (the official Awards stream, great for all the build up buzz)

3. Vanity Fair@vanityfairmag (top magazine and hosts of the best Oscars party in the world. Ever)

4. Oscars Awards@oscarsawards (the Tweet Meme aggregator feed of all things Oscars)

5. E! Red Carpet News - @redcarpet (Live from the Red Carpet with E! Entertainment)

6. Empire Magazine@empiremagazine (our favourite film buff monthly read)

7. Natalie Portman@INataliePortman (top choice for Best Actress nod this year and well-deserved in our book)

8. Helena Bonham Carter@_HelenaBCarter_ (doing it for the Brits with The King’s Speech, new to Twitter so deserving of a big welcome)

9. BBC Film 2011@BBCFilm2011 (superb film preview knowledge)

10. Kevin Spacey@kevinspacey (Academy Award winner, amazing actor/director and all-round great guy. Synergy became even bigger fans this week….)

Fire up the popcorn, put the coffee pot on the boil and drag the duvet to the sofa. Or else, catch-up on Monday…

By Lucie Bartlett on February 25th, 2011

Tags: Film, FollowFriday, Oscars, Social Media, Twitter

No comments

Synergy scoops 11 Awards nominations

We are thoroughly in the midst of Awards season: BAFTAs, Oscars, BritsSport Industry Awards, Hollis Sponsorship Awards… the list goes on (OK, so we may not have BAFTAs, but we do have the Beckhams….)

Nominations for the 2011 rounds of both the SIAs and Hollis were announced this week – both events see nods for superstars across the world of sport – for brands, sponsors, rights holders, community projects, governing bodies, and of course the agencies that help bring it all together (that’s us!).

So imagine our delight this week at the news that Synergy has been shortlisted for five Sport Industry Awards and six Hollis Awards. Congrats team – fingers crossed!

Sport Industry Awards Shortlisted 2011

Sport Industry Awards* – the Synergy Shortlist:

BEST SPONSORSHIP OF A SPORT EVENT OR COMPETITION
- Bupa – Bupa Great Run Series
- GUINNESS – Guinness Premiership Season 2009/10

BEST INTEGRATED SPORT MARKETING CAMPAIGN
- Coca-Cola – FIFA World Cup

SPORT PARTICIPATION EVENT OF THE YEAR
- Bupa 30th Great North Run

SPORT AGENCY OF THE YEAR (Sponsored by Colouration)
- Synergy

And further congratulations must go to our friends at the NFL UK who were nominated for two SIAs: BEST SPORT WEBSITE OF THE YEAR (for NFL-360.com) and SPORT BRAND OF THE YEAR.

*For the full list of Sport Industry Awards nominations for 2011, click here.


Hollis Sponsorship Awards** – the Synergy Shortlist:

SPORTS UNDER 750k (Supported by Sport England)
- Bupa Great Run Series 2010

GRASS ROOTS SPORTS  (Supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance)
- RBS RugbyForce 2010

BRAND UNDER 750K
- Bupa Great Run Series 2010

BRAND OVER 750K
- Betfair: Proud To Back Manchester United
- Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup & What’s Your Celebration

SPONSORSHIP CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
- Synergy

**For the full list of Hollis Sponsorship Awards nominations for 2011, click here.

By Lucie Bartlett on February 17th, 2011

Tags: Awards, Brand marketing, Broadcast sponsorship, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Sport, Synergy

No comments

Whiskas welcomes Larry to No.10

We love a bit of tactical advertising at Synergy.

Our sports stars who we work with frequently find themselves the subject of timely brand communications that use the news agenda to gain cut-through in print. Which is why, for example, around Wimbledon or the British & Irish Lions rugby tours you see sponsor brands (official and ambush alike) trying to savour the cultural moment in order to capture their target audience.

Most impressive are those brands who turn around an ad in the space of 24 hours – sometimes less. We’ve offered up some examples on this blog before – with Veet’s efforts around President Bush’s departure and a whole host of tactical work around President Obama’s inauguration from brands as diverse as Dunkin’ Donuts and IKEA.

And our ad of the day today came from a joint venture between MARS-owned cat food brand, Whiskas, and Battersea Cats and Dogs home, with which they partner. Capitalizing on the recent addition to the Downing Street family – Larry the cat, employed principally to deal with the reported emerging local rat population – Whiskas and Battersea threw down a welcome mat throughout the National Press.

Simple, fun, effective and apparently starring Larry himself – which must have taken a bit of pre-planning on behalf of Battersea and No.10. Bravo to all involved.

By Lucie Bartlett on February 16th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Ambush campaign, Brand marketing, Politics

No comments

P is for Product Placement (and the 3-second rule)

For a long time, UK viewers of American TV have been familiar with the concept of product placement. From the ‘background’ props (Sunkist in One Tree Hill, Dr. Pepper in 90210) to the blatant story-line-focused brands (ipad in Modern Family, Verizon in 30 Rock), brand power has fuelled U.S. small-screen entertainment.

No longer is this solely a preserve of our American cousins.

Following OfCom’s relaxation of product placement laws in the UK, brands now stand much more chance of gaining screen-time. Not just sponsoring TV shows (Toyota Aygo‘s long-standing support of T4, Aviva‘s sponsorship of ITV Drama Premieres), but actually intergrating themselves within the programming. But as of yesterday, it has become clear that Ofcom are concerned we are under no illusions that the product appeares their naturally.

As reported by Brand Republic yesterday morning, Ofcom released the Product Placement ‘P’ (above) that will be the mandatory requirement of broadcasters and producers wishing to include branded presence within their creative output. P is for product, is for placement, is for paid-for. This simple logo will need to:

·    Appear for three seconds at the start and end of programmes, and after any ad breaks;
·    Be placed in one of the four corners of the screen;
·    Not conflict with programme idents (e.g. Aviva’s ITV Drama sponsorship break bumpers);
·    Meet minimum size requirements, which according to an Ofcom spokesman means it will be “roughly equivalent to the size of a channel logo“.

The impact of this is difficult to measure until we start seeing it on our screens because the actual execution and the measures taken to enforce it are equally difficult to predict and visualise.

In theory, at least it seems a fairly inocuous concept. A small logo in the corner of the screen is no different from the majority of TV channels currently on air. But the interesting question is on brand engagement – do we take the brand’s inclusion in the narrative as less legitimate because we are made aware of the big ‘P’? Or is our attention actually drawn more to its presence because we are warned?

Taking the One Tree Hill example, would a P placed at the start and end of every episode suffice? Or the start and end of every relevant scene? Which of the 58 (!) verbal mentions of Sunkist throught Season 3 would require tagging? Would Sunkist’s brand impact be greater or would we be more skeptical because we had been alerted to the fact that (shock) its inclusion was ‘placed’ (by the producers) and not the ‘genuine’ choice of the characters (which, being fictional, was also the choice of the, err, producers)?

And how far will this start intruding into the realms of editorial integrity? The traditionalists amongst us might like to see advertising restricted to, well, advertising. Aviva’s (admittedly, very entertaining) break bumpers around ITV Drama actually work very well – but at what point will we see the owners of the Marchlands house claiming on their Aviva home insurance after a bathroom flood? P or no P, clunky brand inclusions run a very real risk of alienating audiences and compromising enjoyment of the programme.

I would propose that this promise of transparency and visual warning of product placement won’t make much difference to the impact of the brand’s presence. If anything, it might draw attention to the fact that we are about to be advertised at – but then who really watches TV these days expecting anything else? Will we think less of Eastenders because the drink on the Cafe table is Coca-Cola, or the pint being pulled is GUINNESS? We live in a branded world where we expect to see brand messages in our daily lives, so surely we would expect our alter-egos on screen to do so also – where both credible and relevant.

If Ofcom feels the need to make doubly sure we know that the brand has paid for that presence, then so be it, but the modern TV viewer is a savvy animal. Chances are, we already knew anyway.

By Lucie Bartlett on February 15th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Brand marketing, Broadcast sponsorship, Communications, ITV, Product placement, Sponsorship, Television

No comments


Synergy

How To Find Us


What We Do
Our Work
Engine Group Office
Synergy
60 Great Portland Street
London
W1W 7RT
Tel: +44 (0) 203 128 6800
Fax: +44 (0) 203 128 6837

hello@synergy-sponsorship.com
www.synergy-sponsorship.com

 Find us on Google maps