It is not all glamorous PR launches, trips to film festivals, attending world-class sporting events or managing photo shoots of beach volleyball players with QR codes on their derrieres. Alongside the visible perks of the job there is a whole host of unseen administrative rigour that goes into ‘what we do’ for our clients.

Take the Powerade account team. A fundamental part of our role is meeting the hydration needs of every Powerade sponsorship asset, be that all 72 Football League clubs, Jessica Ennis, or the England, Ireland and Wales Rugby Union teams.

For the Football League alone, each season we manage the supply of enough Powerade and Powerade Pro (powder sachets) to fill over 600 baths. But it is not just Powerade product we deal in;  over the course of the year, we oversee the delivery of about 4,000 Powerade sippers bottles – which if stacked from end to end, would tower over the of the world’s tallest building – amongst other Powerade branded hydration equipment.

Just last month, 2,000 sachets of Powerade Pro (which is only available in the UK) safely made it through customs, to help ensure that throughout the Rugby World Cup, on the pitch at least, our rugby boys didn’t go thirsty.

With London 2012 on the horizon, plans are taking shape to supply Powerade product to every single Olympic and Paralympic participant.

As a well known delivery company might say, that’s logistics.

By Tom Gladstone on October 13th, 2011

Tags: Athletics, Celebrity, Default, Product placement, Rugby, Rugby World Cup, Sponsorship, Sport, Synergy

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We don’t need reminding that the 27^th July 2011 was not just another day in our calendars. With one year to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, celebrations spread across the UK far and wide.

To celebrate this milestone and engage staff in BMW’s London 2012 Partnership, Synergy were tasked with organising an interactive sports day.  In addition to giving employees the chance to experience an Olympic Sport, BMW used the day to promote the BMW London 2012 Performance Team, launch the Olympic Torch Relay nomination programme and provide inspiration for BMW’s role in the Games.

Starting with an empty car park (a rarity at BMW HQ), astro turf was installed to set the foundation for the main arena hosting basketball, football, high jump and gymnastics.  Just like the preparations for the Games themselves, BMW’s year-to-go celebrations were on time and on budget!

Inside, employees were give the chance to show off their lightning-fast reflexes as the showroom had been transformed into a table tennis hall.  Staff could also get their photo taken with the London 1948 Olympic Torch – truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Steve Cram and Mark Lewis-Francis, both part of BMW’s London 2012 Performance Team, were in attendance to celebrate the milestone with BMW, give employees some inside tips and encourage them at the various activities.

As the countdown clock edged closer to 365 days to go, new sports had been mastered and the leaderboards were looking very competitive. All that remained was the Closing Ceremony, where the winners of the prizes were announced and the celebrations were started.

By Olivia on September 1st, 2011

Tags: Athletics, Celebrity, Default, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympic Torch Relay, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sport

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With the hot topic of getting more people of all ages active in the UK, a campaign produced by Nike in Amsterdam recently caught my eye that really injected ‘fun’ into running.

What happened?

At the end of last year, Nike began its Take Mokum campaign (Mokum being the nickname for Amsterdam). This campaign was launched in conjunction with the Nike Run House in Amsterdam and looked to blend running with creativity in a way that encouraged people to run. To emphasise this desired relationship between creativity and running, Nike, as the world’s leading running brand, bravely used the concept that ‘running is boring’ as the big idea to this campaign.

Now I agree with this concept that running is boring. I say this because running is an activity that the majority of people take up in order to achieve a desired goal, usually weight loss, improved fitness or improved health. It is very seldom that someone speaks of the fun they have when pounding the pavements of their city. The Take Mokum campaign therefore looked to create a different reason, away from health, for society to get running.

Nike identified the creative segment of society, the segment usually associated with self-expression through music (hip-hop), design and art (graffiti), as a segment that would be receptive to the idea of a new, fun ulterior motive to run. Nike decided to appeal to this segments passion of self-expression and sense of underground culture while encouraging them to get out on the streets running. This is how Take Mokum was born.

Take Mokum gave people the chance to create a graffiti image of a running route around Amsterdam. These images ranged from a butterfly to a skull and could be constructed and shared with friends across various social media platforms, including Facebook. Allow this video to explain Take Mokum to you.

Why we like it

We like Nike’s Take Mokum campaign due to its creative approach in appealing to the passion points of Amsterdam’s youth in order to encourage them to get running. Nike has successfully incorporated a fun and creative solution to a campaign that’s primary goal is to increase youth participation in inner city running. In doing so it has brought authenticity to the perception that Nike is not just a running brand, but rather a lifestyle brand that allows you to express the individual you are – all while sharing it with your friends on Facebook.

Over the six-week period that the campaign ran, 9,000 people signed up and the app achieved 14,500 Likes on Facebook.  This may not sound that impressive initially but when considering  that Amsterdam’s population is relatively small (767,000), and that the 9000 Take Mokum runners would have acted as Nike ambassadors, it creates, by immersing itself in the consumer’s world, engaging conversations both on and off line around the Nike brand.

By Mike Russell on July 26th, 2011

Tags: Art & Design, Athletics, Brand marketing, community, Default, Design, Experiential marketing, Public relations, Running, Social Media, Sport, Synergy Loves, Synopsis

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I for one was pleased to see the recent news that FIBA has given the British Basketball Team the chance to represent Team GB at the Games in 2012 – a result that sees Team GB represented in all sports at  London 2012. This also means that  Britain will field a basketball team at London 2012 for the first time since last hosting the Games in 1948.

By allowing Team GB to compete, FIBA has given British Basketball another platform from which to shout about their brilliant sport. A sport that has the potential to be huge in this country.

GB's NBA star - Luol Deng

Basketball in Britain has struggled to grab the attention of young men and women on a mass scale like Football does, but in recent years, the tables seem to be turning and there is an ever increasing interest in the sport as a whole. Andy Hunt, chief executive of the British Olympic Association rightly pointed out that ‘FIBA’s decision is recognition for years of hard work British Basketball have put in on and off the court’.

Interest in the sport has undoubtedly been fuelled by images of David Beckham and his boys courtside at the LA Lakers. For others, it might be down to hit US TV shows like One Tree Hill. But one of the biggest factors has to be the introduction of the NBA Europe Live at the O2.

David Beckham attends Lakers game with sons

For those unfamiliar with the NBA’s foray to British shores, they made basketball history when the first-ever regular-season games were held in Europe, between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors at The O2 in London this year.

It was quite a spectacle and a great advert for the game in the UK and now, with the news that FIBA have allowed Team GB a place in 2012, British Basketball has another reason to shout about its beloved game.

NBA at the O2

I will certainly be looking to get some tickets in the Olympic ticket ballot and why don’t you?

(If you’re not into Basketball, maybe this will change your mind! Check out the Toronto Raptors mascot in action, below…)

By Jonathan Gale on March 15th, 2011

Tags: Athletics, BBC, Blogging, BOA, David Beckham, Default, London 2012 sponsorship, Sport, Team GB, YouTube

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As some of you may be aware, running is painfully addictive.

On Sunday morning whilst many of you were nursing hangovers from a Saturday night out, I made the trip to Bath at 7am to arrive in time for 11am to start the Bath Half Marathon.

After an eventful trip to Paddington station, eventually surmounting the challenges thrown at me by London transport, I arrived with just a minute to spare before the horn went to mark the start of the race.

I certainly wasn’t alone as a near 10,000 runners all took to the beautiful streets of Bath to run 13.2 miles on a chilly but sunny morning.  The streets were lined with students still in their pyjamas (naturally), children blowing horns with no particular rhythm and live bands bashing out some great sounds. They made the majority of the run a bit more bearable, but undoubtedly being over-taken by a man dressed as a giant nipple was my highlight! (running in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness charity, CoppaFeel)…

The biggest challenge was running without my iPod, with Bath organisers strictly stating ‘no iPods could be used due to support vehicles having to use the course’. This meant the run was not near as enjoyable (?!) as 13.2miles could have been, added to which I never saw any support vehicles… and I’m sure if I had my iPod I could have shaved a few minutes off my time!

But that said, though the average course time was 2:05hrs, I ran a time of 1hr 47min. Whilst I have the chance, I will rub it in and say, I beat my boyfriend and sister, which was of course the main objective of the day. It also transpires I beat BBC Radio 1‘s Fearne Cotton (also running for Coppafeel) who finished in an admirable 2:01hrs .

The consequence of my (slightly) competitive nature means I’m struggling to walk today but it was well worth it! A great marathon and nice scenic course, if not a little repetitive, but well worth a go!

Finally, a few of my stats below for your enjoyment:

By Francesca Gamble on March 7th, 2011

Tags: Athletics, Charity, Marathon, Running, Sport

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On 4th January 2011, the Synergy team kicked off the New Year with the launch of the BMW London 2012 Performance Team, an initiative designed to provide Team GB and ParalympicsGB with support as they prepare for the Games on and off the field.

The event, which took place at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, was attended by the first twelve BMW London 2012 Performance Team athletes: Tom Daley, Louis Smith, Ellie Simmonds, Jonathan Brownlee, Alistair Brownlee, Giles Scott, Mark Lewis-Francis, Tom Aggar, Martyn Bernard, Mark Hunter, Richard Mantell and Simon Mantell.

Two of the BMW London 2012 Performance Team athletes, diver Tom Daley and gymnast Louis Smith, bared the cold weather head-on as they stripped down to their sporting attire to be photographed with a BMW and a MINI.   The stunts, performed with a minor interruption in the form of a partial solar eclipse, saw Tom demonstrating his trampoline training moves next to a MINI and Louis performing pommel horse moves on a reinforced BMW stunt car. To see the athletes in action take a look at the film below:

Despite the 6am start and the freezing January weather, all of the athletes remained in top form throughout the entire event. As they breezed through numerous press interviews, studio photography, outdoor broadcast interviews and indoor video filming, each of the Performance Team athletes shared their unique stories, goals and performance ambitions for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with various national media outlets including:

The Daily Telegraph

The Times

Sky Sports News

The Guardian

As the day came to an end and with everyone in good spirits, Tom and Louis decided to show their support to the England cricket team with their own version of the sprinkler dance. Take it away gentlemen…

To find out more about the BMW London 2012 Performance Team and to view the athletes’ performance moments visit www.bmw.co.uk/London2012.

By Melissa Oberman on January 21st, 2011

Tags: Athletics, Communications, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, PR, Sponsorship, Team GB

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‘Tis the month for a good debate – you only have to click here to see the ongoing and lively discussions generated on our global poll to find the greatest sports marketing innovation of modern times.

With just over a month until this year’s BBC Sports Personality Awards, it’s right about now that I, along with people up and down the land, begin to debate who should be in the BBC’s final short-list. Growing up watching the show, having attended the last two and with this year’s Birmingham ceremony on Sunday 19th December already in the diary, I can’t wait for the night itself.

One of the privileged few who actually does help to decide the final shortlist, SPORT’s editor Simon Caney, shared his own top 10 in today’s magazine which got me thinking who would make mine.

It must be said, Ryder Cup 2010 aside, with no Olympic Games and a truly feeble showing by England in this summer’s World Cup, it has not been the most historic of years. But there are two clear stand-out names for me.

Graeme McDowell checks out his Ballantine's Championship blend

1. Graeme McDowell – having worked with GMAC for Ballantine’s (have you tried Graeme’s very own Ballantine’s Championship blend? Lovely.), Graeme would get the nod for personality alone. Cracking guy. Add to that his performance in October’s Ryder Cup, helping Europe to win the trophy and most importantly, back in April, becoming Europe’s first US Champion in 40 years; he’s had an incredible year.

2. AP McCoy – Tony McCoy. The greatest jump jockey horse racing has ever seen. Finally won the Grand National this year on Don’t Push It, 15th time lucky. Ridden over 3,000 winners and been jump racing champion every year since 1995/96.

Difficult to see beyond those two for me. However, let’s not forget a few other worth contenders:

Powerade ambassador Jessica Ennis

3. Jess Ennis – Powerade ambassador, flying the flag for both Sheffield and GB (as team captain). European Heptathlon Gold medallist in Barcelona earlier this year.

4. Mo Farah – Bupa flash runner, NFL honorary captain and, more importantly, one of this year’s big sporting success stories having won both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the European Championships. Nice chap to boot.

5. Graeme Swann – standout bowler in this summer’s Ashes win, the ECB’s Cricketer of the Year and all-round great Tweeter.

6. Lee Westwood – finally crowned the world’s number 1 golfer (Tiger who?), especially excelled this year in weight losing and Ryder Cup winning, before injury forced a temporarily break from the game.

7. Tom Daley – his gold medal Commonwealth Games performance in Delhi would have secured the 16-year old Olympics gold. True fact.

8. Phil Taylor – has a darts player ever won before? No. More than enough reason for me to back ‘The Power’ and he’s certainly the greatest in the sport. Would eat my hat if he did win. Happily.

9. Lewis Hamilton – has the ability to win SPOTY based on this Sunday’s performance in Abu Dhabi alone, the last race of what has been a fascinating F1 season. Leading the British charge to stop Alonso, Webber or Vettel taking the world championship. Win the title, win the Sports Personality. Possibly.

Bupa Ambassador Mo Farah

Long shots for my final nod include Amy Williams (fearless Olympic gold medallist in the Winter Games), Stuart Broad (if he has a stonking first Ashes Test in Brisbane this month), Phillips Idowu (for services to bonkers hair colour) and Mark Cavendish (five Tour de France stage wins and one of the world’s greatest sprinters on the road).

Never easy to make the final call. If I was pushed, I think Amy Williams would get the nod for #10. And Mark Cavendish to replace Lewis Hamilton is he doesn’t win the F1 Championship on Sunday.

Yep, I’m done. Have I got it right? And who’d make your list?

By Stephanie Branston on November 12th, 2010

Tags: Ashes, Athletics, BBC, Cricket, Cycling, ECB, Football, Formula 1, Golf, Lewis Hamilton, Media, NFL, Olympics, Ryder Cup, Team GB, Television, Tiger Woods, World Cup

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If you were walking through Regent’s Park at lunchtime on Thursday 21st October, you may well have witnessed something a bit different.  In addition to the dog walkers, romancers and tourists on their way to London Zoo were 80 runners clad in Bupa’s blue and a double European Gold medalist.  Bupa’s Flash Run was taking place.  

Launched in Synergy Towers on behalf of Bupa, the UK’s first “Flash Run”  gave members of the public the chance to turn up and run with Mo Farah.  The Flash Run was announced over Bupa’s twitter feed (@buparunning) with the timings and exact location of the Flash Run being kept a secret until the week of the run.  Over a two week period @Mo_Farah led a tweeting frenzy and, alongside promotion from other running outlets, the followers of @buparunning increased over 400%. 

On the day itself, Mo arrived (following a pre-breakfast 10 mile warm up run) to be greeted by running fans, photographers and a healthy media contingent.  The lead runner, who had been recruited by Bupa to set the pace and guide the way, was cutting a nervy figure and was only slightly reassured by our promises that Mo would ”take it easy”. 

Inspired by their warm up with Simon Fairthorne, Bupa’s sports physiotherapist, the runners set off at varying paces.  Fortunately Mo was firmly out of race mode and, relishing a run without the clock ticking, dropped back and spent time with everyone in the field.  The reward  for all the runners at the end was a warm down and the offer of a sports massage from a Bupa physio – which proved extremely popular! 

Mo was an absolute pleasure to work with and the day was a huge success. Keep an eye on Bupa’s running website for future activity and the next Bupa Flash Run.

By David Gerty on November 5th, 2010

Tags: Athletics, PR, Social Media

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This has been the question for many athletes and officials across the Commonwealth over the last few days. As is often the case with any major sporting championship, media scepticism tends to reach a peak just before the event begins, with huge attention focused on security, drugs scandals, infrastructure and much else.

For most, the turning point for this pre-event trepidation is the first moment of the Opening Ceremony with feelings of cynicism and concern being immediately replaced with excitement and enthusiasm. However, with under a week to go until the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, I’m not so sure this is going to be the case.

Concerns surrounding the efficient delivery of the Games have been widely voiced since Delhi was awarded the event in 2003, however, they reached new heights last week when a footbridge outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed. Whilst the Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, couldn’t understand the alarm (Quote: “The footbridge was not meant for athletes and delegates. It was for the use of the common man”. Well, that’s OK then), the incident has triggered outrage with many more serious problems now being exposed.

As with any major event, potential terrorist attacks and security are always a concern. Attention on Delhi, though, has now focused on the images of the athletes’ accommodation released last week. Not only are many areas still unfinished (it was announced today that everything will be completed by Wednesday – four days before the Opening Ceremony), but they showed horrendous levels of hygiene.

(c) BBC Sport - Images of the athletes' accommodation

As I write this, the England team are due to enter the athletes’ village, but they will be without high profile athletes such as Phillips Idowu, Christine Ohuruogu and Lisa Dobriskey. Whilst the two latter athletes pulled out because of ‘injury’, Phillips pulled out because of concerns over his safety . “Sorry people, but I have children to think about,” he said via Twitter. “My safety is more important to them than a medal.”

Whilst he is said to be disappointed not to be competing, his absence and that of many other high-profile British athletes raises other questions about the stature of the event. Putting aside all the concerns over security, safety and uncompleted venues, even if these were all in hand and the Games were fully supported and expected to take place without any further hitches, it needs to be asked as to whether the event still holds its place as a major placeholder in the sporting calendar?

English hurdler Natasha Danvers appeared on BBC Breakfast last week and voiced her thoughts on whether the event has had its day and is still as appealing as before. She quite rightly summed up that for a GB Track and Field athlete, there are many other competitions that are simply more important. 2010 has already witnessed the European Championships, and with the Commonwealth Games being pushed back to October many athletes had already decided not to compete as they are now entering into their winter training schedule in order to be on track for the IAAF World Championships next year, and even more importantly the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

So, when the news of the collapsed bridge and appalling athletes’ accommodation came to the fore, it perhaps wasn’t that hard a decision for some more athletes to withdraw. On the other hand, however, for other competitors the decision hasn’t been as easy, as this event is still of the utmost importance to them.

With GB athletes competing in the vest of their home countries, the Commonwealth Games often offer the opportunity for other athletes to represent their country who might not otherwise get the chance to wear a national vest. It certainly isn’t an easy decision for them to forsake years of preparation and training for what may be for some their only chance of national pride.

The media attention is continuing with further controversy and outrage unfolding on a daily basis, and the jury is out on whether Delhi can recover from its current problems and somehow deliver a successful event. But, albeit that Glasgow is already committed to stage the Games in 2014, are we witnessing the beginning of the end for the Commonwealths?

Personally, having experienced a Commonwealth Games first-hand when I spent two amazing weeks working with one of the top-tier sponsors in Manchester in 2002, Guardian Media Group, I hope not. However, as always, only time will tell.

By Sara Wilson on September 27th, 2010

Tags: Athletics, Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, Sport, Team GB

2 comments

Don’t worry, Boris Johnson hasn’t called a snap Olympics!  The Games in question are the inaugural Youth Olympic Games which are currently taking place in Singapore, and which represent a long-awaited dream of Jaques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, who has always wanted to create a global sporting event for young people.

The Games kicked off on 14 August with an elaborate Opening Ceremony, after which around 3,600 athletes between 14-18 years of age will be participating in 12 days of competition across the 26 summer Olympic sports.

Team GB has sent a team of 40 athletes to Singapore, including some individuals who are already hugely experienced at global sporting events, such as Tom Daley, the World and European Champion diver, who is a strong GB medal hope for London 2012.  For other team members, the experience of Singapore will be crucial to their development, especially for those with longer term goals such as Rio 2016.

With no precedent for this event, the organisation and build-up was always going to attract varying levels of interest and, as is often the case with the Olympic Games, the cost of hosting the event is one of the major elements that has been scrutinised. The original budget submitted to the IOC of $90m has already been exceeded three-fold, with the current figure standing at around $270m.

Sponsorship is another area where difficulties have been experienced.  Again, because this is a new event there is no precedent for sponsors to work from – no history of viewers or interest (although it is anticipated that there will be around 370,000 spectators) – therefore, the Games were seen as a risk for all involved and the Organising Committee has had to work hard to secure the required investment.  As it stands today, the Games have attracted 68 Marketing Partners – 11 Worldwide Olympic Partners (including Coca-Cola, Visa and P&G), 9 Official Partners (including Deloitte and Singapore Airlines), 16 Official Sponsors (including Volvo and SingPost) and 32 Official Supporters.

Total revenue generated from the sponsors has been estimated at 60m Singapore Dollars, however, many of the brands became involved on a 100% value in kind basis, seeing them offer their goods and services to the Organising Committee to help deliver of the Games, in return for marketing rights.

The final verdict on whether these Games have been a success won’t be known until all the marketing intelligence and data is collated. Regardless of this, China has already recognised the potential of the newest addition to the IOC events calendar, with Nanjing winning the bid to host the event in 2014 – a decision that was made by the IOC in February this year.

If you want to catch some of the action you can view live it live on the IOC website or highlights on BBC iPlayer.

By Sara Wilson on August 18th, 2010

Tags: Athletics, BBC, BOA, Default, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, Sponsorship, Team GB

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