By Oli Richards on February 1st, 2013

Tags: Athletics, Blogging, BMW, Brand marketing, Branded content, Brazil 2014, Broadcast sponsorship, Commonwealth Games, Communications, Consultancy, Content, Cricket, Digital marketing, Engine, Football, Football Sponsorship, Glasgow 2014, grass roots sport, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Manchester United, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, PR, Public relations, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby, Rugby World Cup, Ryder Cup, Sponsorship, Synergy

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by Bruno Scartozzoni and Guilherme Guimaraes

In the London 2012 closing ceremony, Brazil enjoyed the traditional eight minutes accorded to the Games’ next hosts  to symbolise the handover from London to Rio and present the spirit of Rio 2016 to the world. It was a great show with some Brazilian music and sports stars, and the overall reaction was very positive. Yes there were clichés like samba and carnival, but they also created a great mix of Brazilian traditional and modern culture elements.

The spirit of the Rio Games evoked by Rio's section in the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony (Xinhua/Photoshoot)

Those eight minutes marked the passage between the events, and now the Olympic flag is officially with Brazil. For us it’s time to look to the past, London 2012, to create the future, Rio 2016. What can we learn from the results to use in the next four years?

Brazil won three gold medals as in Beijing 2008, along with five silvers and nine bronzes, a total of  17, two more than in Beijing. The women’s Volleyball team, already national heroes, won their second gold medal in a row. But the other two gold medals were surprising, which created new Brazilian sports icons: Sarah Menezes in judo and Arthur Zanetti in Gymnastics.

Sarah Menezes on the podium after taking judo gold for Brazil at London 2012

The silvers and bronzes also created new Brazilian heroes. Esquiva Falcão and Yamaguchi Falcão, two brothers, won silver and bronze in Boxing, and Adriana Araújo took bronze in the women´s Boxing. Those were the first medals in boxing since 1968 for the country. Yane Marques’ bronze medal in the final event of the Games was another great surprise, as the Modern Pentathlon is virtually unknown here.

On the other hand Brazil also had some disappointments. The biggest one was the silver medal in men’s Football. We had never won a gold medal in our most popular and successful sport and the expectations were very high. Silver tasted like iron. Swimming, Sailing, Equestrianism, Athletics, and Beach Volleyball all disappointed too. As a result, the government announced $700m of investment in elite sport in the next 4 years with the ambition of achieving a top 10 place in Rio.

"Silver tasted like iron". Brazil's footballers are distraught after losing to Mexico in the London 2012 football final

Back to marketing, there is a clear path for sponsors to look fondly to other Olympic sports, besides Football. Other team sports, for cultural reasons, have an enormous potential. Volleyball is the second most popular sport. Basketball was big in the past and is rising again. Handball and Rugby are growing fast. And our London 2012 medallists also point the way for brands to sponsor less traditional sports like Gymnastics, Boxing, and Modern Pentathlon. And finally there’s acres of white space for companies prepared to embrace the unknown, and take ownership of sports that are almost non-existent in Brazil such as Hockey and Badminton.

Be brave, Brand Brazil!

Bruno and Guilherme are partners at Ativa Esporte, the Brazilian sports marketing consultancy which is Synergy’s partner in Brazil.

By Synergy on August 24th, 2012

Tags: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, boxing, Brazil 2014, Brazil 2014 Sponsorship, Brazil 2014 Sponsorship Consultants, Default, Football, Football Sponsorship, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Modern Pentathlon, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympic sports, Olympics, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 Sponsorship, Rio 2016 Sponsorship Consultants, Rugby, Sailing, Socialympics, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultants, Swimming, Volleyball, Women's Boxing, World Cup, World Cup Sponsorship, World Cup Sponsorship Consultants

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Having been slightly underwhelmed by certain pop-up venues away from the official Olympic events, a visit to the Mizuno Performance Centre was met with a certain level of trepidation. On approach, the grubby windows of the building did little to attract passing footfall, and it was only through strained eyes that the extensive Mizuno window displays could be made out. This seemed a shame and a missed opportunity, yet we were greeted inside by friendly staff decked out in striking purple uniforms. They directed us up the Mizuno-adorned stairs to an exhibition room that was filled with staff but noticeably short on visitors.

The concept behind the ‘Mizuno experience’ was first hand consumer involvement with the brand. This was achieved through three sporting tests, each performed wearing a different set of Mizuno footwear from their new ‘Seiei Collection’. The football and handball challenges involved measurements of accuracy and speed; we were issued with a pair of boots for football and, perhaps slightly unnecessarily, a pair of trainers for the handball. Nevertheless, all the footwear received unanimous nods of approval for lightweight feel and comfort. The technology raised the challenges above other similar, simpler experiential events and it was the athletics experience that represented the most impressive area of the centre. We were each handed a pair of Mizuno spikes and invited to record our quickest times over 20 metres on the custom-made indoor track. Accurate times were recorded and replays of the sprints were shown on surrounding widescreen TVs.

Away from the challenges, an exhibition showcased Mizuno’s Japanese heritage, whilst the VIP rooms provided the brand’s athletes and corporate guests with a place to unwind, away from the Olympic hustle and bustle. Part of this included a Mizuno wall, where athletes had scrawled notes of thanks to the brand for their continued support. It seemed a nice touch and lent the lounges a more personal feel.

Due to Olympic regulations, Mizuno were unable to leverage any of their ambassador assets around the Centre, and instead cleverly relied on sketched sporting artwork on the walls. This presented a slight issue when it came to any of the Synergists naming a Mizuno athlete, which in turn reflected a bigger issue for Mizuno: as impressive as the centre was, do ventures like this provide real value for smaller sports brands when breaking into Western markets so dominated by the larger companies?

The Performance Centre represented a display of how a brand can showcase itself in a simple yet effective manner. The challenges allowed a level of immersion into the brand in a way that did not feel overly gimmicky, and the crisp and clean technological delivery was thoroughly impressive. It was a fine showing from Mizuno through a series of athletic experiences, which, when handled differently, can so often lead to indifference and disappointment.

By Rob Guppy on August 15th, 2012

Tags: Athletics, Brand marketing, Experiential marketing, Football, London 2012, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, Running, Sport, Synergy

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The first thing anyone in sponsorship learns about the Olympic Games is that the Field of Play is sacrosanct. No advertising or commercial branding. No marques or sponsorship identification on any athlete uniforms, save from a Nike swoosh here or a Puma feline there. This strict ‘clean venue’ policy is zealously enforced by the powers that be, and underpins the commercial model from The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme, down.

But it is not quite that simple. London 2012 has seen a number of brands appear on the Field of Play and into the eyes and Twitter feeds of fans worldwide. Some of this exposure has even been sanctioned by the IOC. In typical post-event style, here’s the London 2012 Field of Play Top 10.

1. Omega

An unexplained quirk of the Olympic sponsorship programme, and a source of irritation for fellow TOP sponsors;  despite the clean-venue approach, Omega was plastered across every timing screen or timing-related piece of equipment at every venue. The brand even featured on the ‘final lap’ bell at the Athletics, the Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre.

2. Panasonic

A new entry on to the Field of Play for London 2012. Creeping into the Omega realm of explicit but sanctioned Field of Play branding, Panasonic logos were visible on all event screen venues. Screens variously showed spectators scores, replays, venue instructions and films about the rules of Water Polo, the ‘kiss-cam’ and ’bongo-cam’ and the official Muse song and montage. In terms of eyeballs on logos, one for the attendees rather than the TV audience.

3. MINI

Anyone who watched the Athletics cannot have failed to see the remote controlled ‘mini MINIs’ zipping around the Olympic Stadium, retrieving stray javelins, hammers and discuses, as part of BMW’s sponsorship of the Games. Although the car marque was absent, you didn’t have to be a Top Gear devotee to recognise the signature silhouette (or the  ‘it’s a MINI adventure’ tagline). And it certainly helped that the Olympic Broadcasting Service regularly zeroed in on the cars to ensure the MINI became a quirky focus of coverage rather than an incidental logo.

4. Powerade

Athletes have got to stay well hydrated throughout competition, so inevitably there will be drinks on the Field of Play. At the Olympics, Powerade is the sports drink of choice. While The Coca-Cola Company was required to produce special labels for the Games – reading ‘Sports Drink’ rather than ‘Powerade ION4’ – the signature blue Powerade product would have made it clear to viewers what athletes were consuming.

5. Schweppes Abbey Well

Another Coca-Cola brand that was evident on the Field of Play, again without the brand logo. Instead, the label read ‘Still Water’ in the Abbey Well colours. The fairly recent re-launch of the brand’s identity probably made this a less immediately recognisable brand for many consumers.

6. Heineken

While we’re talking hydration, Field of Play exposure does not come much more high profile than the plastic Heineken bottle launched onto the track at the start of the 100m Final. ‘Bottle yob’ was dealt with, but not before global media coverage of the offending item.

Looking at all the above, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the rules are a tad inconsistent – Panasonic branded things they sell (TVs); Omega branded things they don’t (bells); Powerade and Schweppes Abbey Well de-branded their products; while MINI removed their brand but included their tagline (including the word ‘MINI’). I’m sure there’s IOC method somewhere in the madness…

So what about the non-Olympic family, AKA the ambushers? Leaving aside the permitted sportswear logos on athlete kit, a few brands managed to stand out on the Field of Play.

7. Beats by Dre

Dr Dre and his Beats headphones became the most high profile recipient of LOCOG’s policing, but not before the headphones had encroached on to the Field of Play, and become a talking point in the Twittersphere. Inevitably, the clampdown simply brought the oxygen of publicity to Beats’ use by athletes – entirely in keeping with the brand’s endorsement-led strategy. The sweet sound of success for an orchestrated approach that reportedly included a collection point at Shoreditch House for invited athletes.

8. Nike

When your rival has Bolt, how do you grab attention on the track? Bring out the Volt. Nike’s fluorescent yellow / green shoe didn’t contravene any rules and certainly brought a new colour to the track. Of all the colours in the spectrum, the eye is more sensitive to yellow / green than any other (according to the Nike press release). Nike has form when it comes to iconic footwear at major sporting events – from the golden pair given to Michael Johnson in Atlanta in 1996 to the orange boots worn by Nike footballers at the 2010 World Cup.

It will be interesting to see if rivals will copy their ambusher blueprint when Nike moves from poacher to gamekeeper as an official sponsor of Rio 2016.

9. Kinesio Tape

More fluorescent adornment. London 2012 has seen unprecedented use of Kinesio tape in a variety of colours and patterns. According to inventor Dr Kenzo Kase, the Japanese-made tape can help to mend injuries by allowing more movement of fluids below the skin than conventional tape. Interestingly, the scientific research has not proved as sticky as the tape itself. In spite of this, London 2012 has certainly brought it into further the public consciousness, not least as female Beach Volleyball players had a particular penchant for the tape. Cue a fad akin to Robbie Fowler’s nasal strips?

10. Yohan Blake’s watch

Yohan Blake risked a slap on the wrist from the IOC for wearing a custom-made Richard Mille tourbillon watch during the Olympic sprints. It was designed in the Jamaican colours of black, green and yellow, reportedly in an attempt to comply with the regulations. But, as official sponsor of the time pieces category (including watches), Omega will not have seen it that way.

Media exposure analysis of the Field of Play brands would no doubt score Omega top of the chart. Does that mean they take home the sponsorship gold, as suggested below?

Hats off to Omega for emblazoning their logo across a supposedly brand-free environment. If that was the objective they have well and truly succeeded. But sponsorship has evolved from a discipline obsessed by media exposure as a measure of success to focus on relevant engagement. Omega’s exposure is relatively meaningless ‘wallpaper’ that says little about their luxury products and does nothing to connect meaningfully with consumers.

I’m pretty sure there would have been more column inches, tweets and Facebook posts about Blake’s timepiece than the Games-wide Omega timing system. Winning the ‘Field of Play’ gold is about more than maximising brand exposure, it’s about relevant brand or product integration that is amplified and engages with consumers. Not branding for the sake of it, but talking points that generate fan conversations and a become part of the memories from London 2012.

By that measure, there is only one winner for me, and it is operated by remote control. One of the unintended legacies of these Games will be the rush of Rio 2016 sponsors knocking on the IOC’s door to claim their equivalent of MINI’s little adventure at London 2012.

Full disclosure: Synergy worked with The Coca-Cola Company and BMW UK on their London 2012 sponsorships.

By Tom Gladstone on August 14th, 2012

Tags: Ambush Marketing, Athletics, Beach Volleyball, BMW, Brand marketing, Brazil, Brazil 2014, Brazil 2014 Sponsorship, Brazil 2014 Sponsorship Consultants, Default, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Product placement, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 Sponsorship, Rio 2016 Sponsorship Consultants, Social Media, Twitter

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It was predictable that the Olympic bandwagons would soon start rolling and there’s one catching fire right now as a result of our gold fever. Clearly we’ve got it very right at an Elite funding level but it’s at the grassroots that we need to galvanise the nation and the current cause célèbre is how to get more sport played in schools.

Downing Street started it with a call for teachers to spend more time on PE; Boris carried it on reminiscing on his schooldays and the media have driven it with a campaign fervour not seen since berating politicians’ expenses.

A snapshot of this week’s press sums it up. The Sun was out the blocks fast with its ‘Support Sport in our Schools’ while The Telegraph Group has opted for ‘Keep the Flame Alive’ – a drive to specifically improve sport in schools through volunteering in sports clubs.

Brands too are getting in on the act, with a whole range of initiatives targeted at all ages and abilities. We are already seeing a mixture of Olympic sponsors and general UK sport / governing body sponsors looking to build on the after-glow at both a local and national level.

This bandwagon has a point. Australia enjoyed a similar sporting buzz after Sydney 2000, but a glance at the current medal table and the soon-to-be-glimpsed sight of their Sports Minister rowing in Team GB kit is all the evidence you need that they didn’t get it right in the aftermath of their Games.

Listening to the political parties in the media over the last few days, we’re already in danger of this becoming a political football and a mash-up of hundreds of well-intentioned but ultimately tactical schemes with slightly differing objectives, as the battle for share of voice begins.

So here’s my plea: Tessa Jowell has already asked for a party-neutral 10-year solution, but I think it should go further – why not a moratorium between politicians, media, sponsors and governing bodies – all working together on a common goal / scheme for organised sport in schools? This unprecedented, singular focus could ensure that Team GB’s success on the field doesn’t just inspire the next generation but embeds sport as part of their daily routine.

The Games have produced role models from all walks of life, athletes that ‘the people’ can aspire to – we’ve got medallists of all ages, genders, ethnicities and social groups. There will never be a better opportunity to harness the power of sport to do social good.

The lead needs to come from Parliament, then Fleet Street and boardrooms to draw all parties together – making this a reality is a process beset with pitfalls, but that alignment, in my mind, would be the real human legacy of London 2012.

By Dominic Curran on August 10th, 2012

Tags: Athletics, Default, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship

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At the end of last week a couple of the Experiential team took a trip over to East London to see if all the hype around the PUMA Yard is justified, and investigate just how well their campaign is going. We also wanted to see how they have created the experience whilst staying within the confines of the 2006 Olympic Act.

PUMA Yard opened a day after the official start of London 2012 in part of the Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch. Revelling in PUMA’s sponsorship of Usain Bolt, but with Olympic legislation prohibiting them from mentioning Bolt explicitly, the idea is obvious and simple: bring Kingston, Jamaica to the Heart of London. The sprawling pop-up caters to the crowds with hefty portions of jerk chicken, Red Stripe, Kingston Bowl and Montego Bay Brew. The inside is chock-a-block of yellow, green and black. There is a legacy wall to Bob Marley and a ‘Listening Wall’ full of PUMA sneakers which, by linking up a shoe to headphones, will play a popular reggae song from a particular decade. Plus, if you fancy it, you can kit yourself out in Jamaican-inspired PUMA gear including the Cedalla Marley speciality collection. Polishing off the theme is the constant sound of chilled reggae that permeates throughout the entire space, to really hammer home the Jamaican vibe just in case anyone had managed to miss it!

Within the space there are several interactive essentials which integrate with PUMA’s Social Club ongoing global marketing campaign. The PUMA Social Club is based around everything and anything the ‘After Hours Athlete’ needs to turn the night into a sport. Think ping pong, photo booths, famous DJs and the Bolt Speed Test which gives everyone a bash at challenging Usain Bolt’s 100m record time of 9.58 seconds.

And PUMA haven’t missed the commercial opportunity. No pop-up event is complete without its own unique and engaging shopping experience, and the PUMA Yard is no different. Out in the back yard is the PUMA Quad, an impressive mobile structure made from shipping containers and best known for its appearance at a few Volvo Ocean race stopovers. The Quad overlooks the back yard where there’s a rather large lawn and chill-out area to watch all the Olympics coverage on the big screen.

All in all, the PUMA Yard blew our socks off with ping pong, speed tests, jerk chicken and live Olympics. Does it break LOCOG’s rules? No. It has merely capitalised cleverly on the popularity of one of PUMA’s most valuable assets and created an area that encapsulates PUMA’s ongoing lifestyle campaign. Great work.

By Synergy on August 9th, 2012

Tags: Advertising, Art & Design, Athletics, Brand marketing, Default, Experiential marketing, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sport, Synergy Loves

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With Rio following London as the next host for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016, Casa Brasil is naturally a big focal point of the Olympic Houses for many. Myself and a few other Synergy employees were lucky enough to go down to Somerset House and have a guided tour of the Brazilian experience.

Setting off, we were all eager to see what they had to offer and on arrival, the venue did not disappoint. Somerset House is the perfect setting for Casa Brasil and on the sunny afternoon that we visited, really lent itself to the relaxed vibe so familiar with the Brazilian way of life.

Outside, the terrace bar and the courtyard were both are filled to the brim with people relaxing and enjoying the famous Brazilian hospitality. By night, the seductive sounds of Brazil fill the air, as each evening from 6:30pm free musical performances showcase the very best from the country’s diverse musical heritage. Lucky visitors can sip a Caipirinha, sit back, close their eyes, and allow themselves to be transported across the continents to the magical land itself.

Inside, visitors can pick up a headset and make their way through the first of three exhibitions, starting with Brazil, the time is now! which aptly demonstrates Brazil’s flamboyant nature, colour and diversity. Next up is From the Margin to the Edge: Brazilian Art and Design in the 21st century, which proudly displays the vibrant art to be found across the country. Here, a range of contemporary art and design is showcased through various paintings, sculptures, photograpic and video installations. There is also a 3D room where visitors can experience Sugarloaf Mountain in all its glory, and if you want to go the whole hog, you can even be strapped into a harness as you watch, for a full-on paragliding experience!

Finally, my own personal favourite was Passion and Transformation: a unique experience through sport. This exhibition provides information on how their Olympic project is unfolding, including details around the creation of Rio’s Olympic emblem which, as an aside, is a great bit of design.

Another part of this section includes a short video clip showing the various venues take shape. This is where I truly felt my excitement grow at what lay ahead for 2016.

Brazil still has four years to plan and learn from our successes and failures at London 2012. I think they were just giving us a taster of what is to come from them, a fleeting glimpse at what will be on offer in the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. As such, Casa Brasil achieves a great balance: it whets our appetites whilst leaving room for us all to be dazzled when the time comes, and I for one, can’t wait.

By Synergy on August 7th, 2012

Tags: Athletics, Brazil, Default, London 2012, Rio 2016

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In a summer that will be full of memorable dates, May 3^rd 2012 may not spring to mind for many people in years to come; however, for 35 Powerade consumers (and a few Coca-Cola and Synergy staff) this will probably be one of the most memorable days in not just this Olympic year, but any year.

Powerade, as the official hydration partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, gave 35 lucky consumers the unique opportunity to step into the Olympic Stadium and set their 100m ‘Personal Best’ before anyone else. It was the culmination of three months of hard work from the Synergy team, who project-managed and coordinated the event, working alongside a number of other Powerade agencies.

So how did consumers win the chance to participate? Our brief was to develop an entry mechanic that was innovative and fun that would also deliver the brand some great content. Cue ‘Olympic Planking’ -  encouraging people to adopt the iconic ‘On Your Marks’ pose wherever they saw fit, and submit a photo of this via Twitter to @poweradegb using the #onyourmarks hashtag. It was a simple mechanic, accessible to all and, critically, fun. Additionally, it was the first foray into Twitter for any Coca-Cola brand in the UK.

Powerade ambassador Jessica Ennis launched the campaign to her Twitter following of 150,000 fans. Within a minute of her first tweet, @poweradegb had 300 followers and the campaign was up and running.

Over the course of the next three weeks, we leveraged other Powerade relationships (such as The Football League and Rangers FC) and targeted specific Olympic-related accounts (getting some great retweets and promotion in the process) to build up almost 6,000 followers and hundreds of entries into the Powerade #onyourmarks competition. The entries were then reviewed by our celebrity judges – Jess and fellow Powerade ambassador Derval O’Rourke – and a final 35 were selected and invited to the Olympic Stadium event.

Race day began with a Jess Ennis inspired breakfast at 7.30am, after which around 150 competitors, spectators, suppliers, media and LOCOG staff made their way to the Olympic Stadium. Before Toni Minichiello – Jess’s coach – and Derval got everyone limbered up, there was time for a good luck message from Jess herself.

Then it was on with the warm-up and a crash course in sprint starts from Toni and Derval on the indoor track.

But the real excitement came with the races proper, out on the Olympic track. After the 16 heats, we emerged with the top eight men and women who would battle it out in the On Your Marks finals. Congratulations to Evan McGuire and Bethany Hirst, who both posted outstanding times of 11.37s and 13.34s respectively.

In the following days, we got some fantastic feedback from competitors, spectators and media alike. The @poweradegb Twitter account has been helping to promote the Olympics Sports Bottle promotion and will now help bring a UK audience to the global @powerade account.

More engagement opportunities for Powerade consumers, and hopefully, there will be some more success on the track for both Jess and Derval this summer.

By Synergy on May 31st, 2012

Tags: Athletics, Event management consultants, Olympics, Running, Social Media, Twitter, Viral Marketing

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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 Adam Raincock on April 17th, 2012

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

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Staying close to the nationals is standard practice for us here at Synergy, both to keep on top of the zeitgeist and to help our clients become part of it.

Last weekend was no different: as well as scanning the nationals for the usual stories, we were on the lookout for the annual hoaxes that mark every April Fool’s Day, and to see if one of our own had been picked up (it was, more of which later).

Here’s a round-up.

This story in The Sun alleged that the Queen had called up James Bond to open the Olympic Games this summer, which, whilst an exciting idea, left us shaken but not stirred.

Alesha Dixon’s ‘miraculous rise’ to the GB Fencing Team after only weeks of training might not have sounded particularly convincing, but why not? She is young, takes good care of herself and is clearly ambitious. The fact that she had beaten Claire Richards, formerly of Steps, in the final run-off sadly took the claim away from reality and into April Foolery.

Mo Farah’s brand new cotton wool style training suit featured in the Sun on Sunday, revealing plans to keep the medal prospect wrapped up until the start of London 2012.

This fool was in fact one of our own, but the closely guarded secret still left many Synergists momentarily guessing. Almost as amazing, yet believable given modern training gear, was BMW’s new ‘Driverless Running Coach’ that allows your motor to follow you whilst you hit the streets for a run.

When it came to Arsenal Football Club we smelled a rat from the start. The fragrance that offered fans a chance to bottle the scent of the Emirates Stadium, fronted by Jack Wilshere, strangely enough coincided with the launch of an online interactive stadium tour. Funny that!

However, our favourite story featured in the Sunday Mirror depicting bromantics ‘Simon Cowell and David Walliams of Britain’s Got Talent’ on a picnic date, complete with flowers and swan boating on a lake. Everybody loves a happy ending, even on April Fool’s Day!

By Luke Auty on April 2nd, 2012

Tags: Advertising, Athletics, BMW, Celebrity, Communications, Default, Football, London 2012, Olympic sponsorship, PR, Public relations, Social Media, Synergy, Team GB

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