With the 2012 Six Nations tournament about to start, Synergy has combined with Jam for RBS to bring dual screening to rugby.

To read the article on Brand Republic, click here

By Synergy on February 3rd, 2012

Tags: Default, Press Clipping

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Footballers can talk directly to their fans through social media, but does this 140-character phenomenon help or hurt football?

Jessica Enoch tells the Official Champions League Magazine that “Twitter allows players to build their own brand.”  However, she warns that if clubs try to influence the online profile of players they may endanger what makes them popular in the first place.

Click here to read the article in full.

By David Gerty on January 27th, 2012

Tags: Default, Press Clipping

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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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What Happened

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

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

Why We Love It

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Donald Parish on January 25th, 2012

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

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Betfair is constantly pushing the envelope to find innovative ways of using their sponsorship assets. Whether that is quirky player challenges to capitalise on the sporting agenda, a ten pin bowling viral showcasing Betfair’s mobile offering (see video below), or a pioneering deal to place QR codes on GB’s beach volleyball players’ bottoms at the London 2012 Test Event, the emphasis is on doing things differently.

Bringing a fresh approach to sponsorship activation comes naturally for a company founded and driven by innovation. Another pillar of Betfair’s marketing philosophy is to ‘live and breathe social’ – as outlined by Betfair’s Head of Online Marketing, Ben Carter (@bensaint). Social is not treated as an add-on to marketing activity, but is put at the heart of campaigns. As a sponsor of Manchester United, with their 21m+ Facebook likes, it makes sense for Betfair to engage the club’s fanbase through social channels.

So what did Synergy suggest when given a couple of hours’ access to some Manchester United players on an (inevitably) wet January afternoon in Manchester? Stage a live Q&A with United players on Betfair’s Facebook page, giving fans the chance to interact with their idols by submitting questions or posting comments during the live broadcast via Facebook and Twitter.

Working alongside Betfair’s in-house production team, real-time broadcast experts Livestream, and MUTV, we helped deliver Betfair presents Man Utd live - an exclusive 30 minute programme hosted by TV presenter Rachel Brookes and featuring Michael Carrick, Ashley Young and Nani. Supporters were able to watch the action by simply ‘liking’ the Betfair Facebook page, and could submit questions or comments by tweeting @BetfairSports with the #MUlive hashtag.

Once again, doing things differently paid off. Over 40,000 people tuned in to watch, close to 1,000 questions were received during the broadcast, and tweets of the #MULive hashtag reached over 3.8 million people (source: Tweetreach).  Synergy’s PR team managed the external pre-promotion through football blogs and forums, and the post-event syndication of content and quotes to key media targets, resulting in over 100 pieces of online coverage. Quotes featured in three national print newspapers, and branded footage was included in ITV Granada Reports in the build up to the weekend’s game against Arsenal.

What else did we learn from our inaugural live interactive Facebook broadcast? For a start that Nani regularly gets the hairdryer treatment from Sir Alex. For more insights, you’ll have to watch the webcast for yourself….

By Tom Gladstone on January 25th, 2012

Tags: Betfair, Default, Facebook, Football, Manchester United, Sponsorship, Synergy

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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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As I write this we are only three days away from Christmas Day and, in our industry anyway, many thoughts beyond that are inevitably turning to the New Year and London 2012. So it seemed entirely appropriate, for my last post of the year, to write about my belief that the Olympic Games – Summer and Winter – are a lot like Christmas.

That might sound strange to some of you, but having experienced numerous Games first hand, I can tell you that this ‘Christmas feeling’ has always been one of my overriding impressions.

There have been others of course: great sporting moments, inspiring human stories, the sheer scale of the Games, the very different experiences each host nation and city creates (good and not so good), and many more. London will give us all of these – hopefully some of the best ever.

And if you’re lucky enough to be here at Games-time, I hope you’ll get that Christmas feeling too.

A feeling of optimism and celebration; of being part of something precious and intense, very big but at the same time very personal. A feeling that, for a time at least, the world and the people in it are united and at their very best. And, once the moment has passed, the wonderful memories tinged with the sadness of knowing that you can’t get it back.

Sound familiar?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours from myself and all at Synergy. See you in (London) 2012.

By Tim Crow on December 22nd, 2011

Tags: Default, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, Synergy, Winter Olympics

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Last Friday, The Times published an article by Olympics Correspondent Ashling O’Connor with major implications for how London 2012 will come to be viewed and, going forward, for the value to brands of grassroots sports sponsorship and marketing in the UK.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Photograph Tim Ireland/PA.

Headlined ’2012 legacy plan for a fitter Britain is quietly scrapped’ and substantiated by an exclusive interview with Olympics Secretary Jeremy Hunt, it began:

One of the key promises that helped London to win the right to host the 2012 Olympics is being quietly scrapped by ministers because Britons are stubbornly resisting efforts to get them playing more sport. When Lord Coe gave his inspirational speech to persuade IOC members to being the Games to Britain, he spoke of the events legacy in inspiring people to play sport. But the numbers taking part in grassroots sport have slipped back and ministers now admit that there is no chance of hitting the target of getting two million more people active by 2013. The target will now be axed in favour of a “payment by results” system that will penalise sports that fail to engage with young people.

Neither the Olympics failing to inspire the inactive to take up sport, nor the targets being scrapped, should come as any surprise.

In the case of the latter, this has been widely expected, based on the decline in sports participation in the last five years, which has seen only four sports gain new participants and 17 lose ground, and on the extensive briefings (with very different motives) given recently by Messrs Robertson and Jowell.

In the case of the former, it is a fact that no modern Olympics has driven an increase in sports participation in a host country, with evidence pointing to the fact that the Games simply inspires people who are already active to become even more active, and that the biggest contributory factor worldwide to the failure to engage the inactive is flawed strategy at state and sport governing body level.

On which point, expect all this to become a seriously political hot potato as we move through and beyond the Games, when the analysis of whether London 2012 has delivered on its legacy promises – already generating its fair share of media attention – moves firmly centre-stage, with sports participation in a starring role.

But beyond the Games, in the same Times article Jeremy Hunt signalled a shift in Government policy, to be announced next month, that has important consequences for brands investing in grassroots sport. Again, I quote from the piece:

The success of UK Sport…has shaped the shift. After its “no compromise” model, 46 sports governing bodies will receive money based only on their ability to attract and retain 14 to 25-year-olds. From 2013, more than half their funding will depend on their success, reviewed annually at three stages: 16, 18 and 25-year-olds. Sports that fail will have their money deducted…[Hunt said] “We are learning from the success of UK Sport…and moving to a payment-by-results system…[sports] shouldn’t expect funding unless they are delivering on targets.”

This is good news for brands investing in grassroots sport sponsorship, whether directly or as a component of a wider investment in a sport asset. In order to maintain and increase their state funding, sports governing bodies will have to be much more focused on creating and delivering grassroots programmes that demonstrably engage and recruit new young players.

That will need both more effective marketing, and more results-focused marketing. And with the greatest respect to most sports governing bodies, federations and teams, that’s something that brands – who already live and die by their ability to acquire and retain new customers – are much better at.

So I’m hoping this ushers in a new era where sports governing bodies become more focused on tapping into the marketing expertise of brands – especially youth-oriented brands – and much less focused on treating brands as banks to fund grass roots programmes that, plainly, aren’t working.

By Tim Crow on December 7th, 2011

Tags: Brand marketing, Default, grass roots sport, London 2012, Olympics, Politics, Sponsorship

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Over a month on from the Rugby World Cup Final and the post mortems are just about complete. Global TV audiences of 4 billion have been reported, social media round-ups published, teams of the tournament have been selected by all and sundry, and the New Zealand Herald has discovered some other sports to write about. Only England seems relentlessly stuck in review and recrimination mode, with new personnel and processes being announced on a weekly basis. While the RFU sifts through the carnage of dwarf-throwing, ferry jumping, ball-swapping and under-performing, here’s a slightly lighter examination of the brand marketing activity that surrounded the world’s third biggest sporting event.

In the previous Synopsis, Synergy’s new head of content, Colin Burgess, outlined the key ingredients for successful content that will illicit the deepest audience engagement: authority, authenticity – and the holy grail of all marketing – making it memorable. Applying those criteria to sponsor content during the Rugby World Cup goes a long way to explaining why activity might or might not have resonated with rugby fans.

Authority first. This is largely determined by the content’s provenance – it needs to be produced and delivered by a trusted and credible source. Some brands activating around the Rugby World Cup have a natural advantage in the authority stakes for various reasons:

1) Their inherent role in the game and on the pitch (the likes of adidas, Nike and Gilbert)

2) Through their long-standing presence as a rugby sponsor (see O2, Guinness and Heineken)

3) By their connection with the host nation (for example Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand)

Throwing in a few brand ambassadors is another well-trodden path to creating or supplementing a brand’s natural authority and giving the content a credibility boost. A great example of this, and fantastic use of owned media, came from Air New Zealand, who painted their fleet black and produced a safety video featuring members of the All Blacks team. Nearly 1m online views for a 4 minute safety video. Job well done.

On to authenticity and content that connects through personal or social relevance. To get the kitemark of rugby authenticity, sponsors adopted a variety of techniques:

1) Showing an understanding and empathy for the particular humour, culture and spirit of rugby fans

2) Playing on the history and heritage of the game and previous tournaments

3) Tapping into events as they happen in the tournament to become part of the narrative of the Rugby World Cup

Below are Synergy’s nominations for the brands that most successfully delivered authentic content during the World Cup, embodying those three techniques.  But in keeping with rugby’s community spirit, please add your own nominations for the best brand content around the 2011 Rugby World Cup in the comments section below:

O2, with a tradition of giving free pies and pints to customers at Twickenham, adapted their customer proposition to fit early morning rugby viewing. Ashton donning an apron, Jonny making tea (after numerous practice sessions, no doubt), and Jonno with the control (no comment…). Relevant content from a long-standing rugby sponsor. If only it had been Guinness not Greene King in the breakfast packs…

Steinlager proved that an ambush marketer can still exhibit authority (what is more relevant to All Blacks supporters than beer, and a Kiwi brand at that?), authenticity (connecting through the collective anguish of New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup chokes) and a brilliant creative idea (reviving the Steinlager white can)…

Wilkinson Sword showed their quick thinking and wit by creating a pre-Final advert encouraging Lievremont to shave his ridiculous moustache.

It was precisely the fact that these campaigns came from a place of authority and authenticity that made them the most memorable.

But, all in all, the Rugby World Cup will not go down in the Sponsorship Hall of Fame as a high-water mark of sponsorship activity.  So what was missing from sports marketing activity and particularly content around Rugby World Cup 2011? The answer is ‘just about everything’ from the 4th Era of Sponsorship: interactivity, genuine collaboration and contribution from fans within brand campaigns (beyond the standard encouragement to tweet a hashtag…), exciting use of mobile, and memorable, game-changing innovation.

Let’s hope brands were keeping their powder dry for 2012, and the unprecedented marketing spend we are going to see around the Olympic Games.  And let’s also hope that by Rugby World Cup 2015, we’ll be seeing more innovative, truly engaging and memorable content than this:

By Tom Gladstone on December 6th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Brand marketing, Branded content, Content, Default, Rugby, Rugby World Cup, Synergy, Synopsis, World Cup

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What happened

The new adidas f50 miCoach is the first ‘boot with a brain’. The new boot integrates a miCoach Speed Cell into a cavity in the sole which captures and records 360 degree movements and key personal performance metrics.

The boots capture data including speed, average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and active training time, which it then transmits to tablets, PCs and Macs using a wireless link.

The miCoach internet platform allows players to upload, track, analyse and share their miCoach data. Once the sole preserve of sophisticated GPS systems, this allows any park player to monitor their performance, identify areas of improvement and compare their stats to those of their mates, teammates and the real professionals.

And as each player improves their performance on the real pitch, they reap the benefits on the virtual one.  ‘Avatars’ (virtual personas) take part in a new social football video game – and the only way to build your avatar’s skills and level up is by doing the work in the real world.  ‘Gamification‘ is a great way to engage this target audience and adidas have nailed it.

The brand has teamed up with Lionel Messi to launch the boots. He teased the new bright red and yellow f50 boot for the first time during Argentina’s friendly against Nigeria earlier in September but officially unveiled them at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Colombia on 15 November.

Leading Premier League players, including Luis Suarez, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Ashley Young, Emmanuel Adebayor, Stewart Downing and Gareth Bale have put the smart boot to the test during training sessions in recent weeks before wearing them competitively for the first time this month.

Why we love it

This is the biggest innovation in football boots since adidas launched the Predator.  But, with its integrated digital and social elements, this will have a far broader and deeper impact.

For the first time, it gives every player the ability to analyse their own performance, track improvements  and compare themselves to not only their mates, but also some of the greatest players on the planet. It is this integration of both professional and amateur players and an accessible, easy-to-use platform, which incorporates social media, that creates a truly unique and engaging brand experience for the consumer.

By putting ‘performance’ at the core, adidas enhances their positioning as the world’s leading performance brand.  No matter what your ability level is from occasional 5-a-side player to Lionel Messi, there is always room for improvement and adi will help you get there.

This ‘boot with a brain’ creates engaging content and puts adidas at the centre of a global dialogue around performance. It has brought together football’s elite level with its grassroots in a way that pushes the thought that adidas enables you to be the best you can be.

What the brand says

The adidas vice president of global football, Markus Baumann, says ‘We have been working to develop a boot with a brain for some time and what we have produced will revolutionise the football industry.’ He goes on to say ‘What makes the boot unique is that for the first time you will be able to compare yourself to some of the best players in the world.’

By Mike Russell on December 6th, 2011

Tags: Barclays Premier League, Celebrity, Content, Default, Football, New Product Development, Social Media, Synergy Loves, Synopsis

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