After racking up 11,734 miles over 48 days, the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Trophy Tour has come to an end…well nearly!

During this year’s tour the RBS 6 Nations trophy crammed in more activity than ever, visiting 96 events and posing next to 16 landmarks across the UK and Ireland. It checked in at 13 RBS offices, 9 local branches, 13 rugby clubs, 4 schools, 12 media houses, all 6 RBS 6 Nations stadiums on match days, 1 East London shopping centre and many more. This diverse range of activity provided multiple opportunities for RBS stakeholders including staff, clients and customers to snap, hold and even kiss the trophy, and feel that much closer to the RBS 6 Nations.

In total, over 7,770 people attended an event with the trophy and 4,136 pictures of people posing with the silverware were taken.

For 2013, we really wanted to increase the buzz around the trophy tour. As such, we encouraged people who interacted with the trophy to tweet about it using our #trophytour hashtag, which reached over 300,000 people. As well as using Twitter, this year we created a Tumblr blog, posting and uploading photos daily, to increase the reach and to enable followers to track the trophy on its travels. As you’ll see from the blog, we gave the trophy its own humorous tone and personality.

My beloved white transit van transported extra RBS branding for the trophy, and this ‘pop up gallery’ created an eye-catching area for the trophy to grab the attention of passers-by.

During the RBS 6 Nations, Ulster Bank made full use of their week with the trophy, packing in 17 events in 5 days. Each day followed a similar pattern, with an early start for a customer breakfast at a selected office, and even the Savoy Hotel one morning. Here the trophy would be joined with Ulster Bank ambassadors Alan Quinlan, John Hayes and host Adrian Logan for a Q&A session. From here the trophy would travel to local schools, hospitals, branches and finally a local rugby club for another Q&A session. During these appearances the trophy was on display with the Irish legends, and their presence made the photo opportunities even more popular. And of course, the Ulster Bank Mascot, Henry the Hippo, got involved with the trophy action.

When the trophy wasn’t scheduled in with one of the RBS divisions, we created a raft of PR activity. The trophy made appearances on ITV’s Daybreak, BBC Scotland, STV, talkSPORT, BBC’s The One Show and A Question of Sport, as well as visiting media houses in Manchester, Cardiff, London, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which drove further social media buzz by media titles and journalists.

My favourite visits were to local schools and RugbyForce clubs, where the children and club members greeted the trophy with incredible excitement and enthusiasm. It was a fantastic experience to take the trophy to true rugby fans and give them the chance to get up close and personal with it, which also secured great coverage in the regional press.

This is just a snippet of the trophy activity over the past couple of months and there is still more to come in the near future, once Wales have finished celebrating with it! Having covered over 6,500 miles of a near 12,000 mile journey, I can say that every step of the way was priceless, with the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Trophy Tour an overwhelming success by any measure.

By Luke Flower on April 4th, 2013

Tags: Employee engagement, Experiential marketing, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby, Social Media, Sponsorship Activation, Sponsorship consultants, Sport, Synergy, Synopsis, Twitter

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A couple of weeks ago my brother and I set off for the Saracens vs. Harlequins match, safe in the knowledge that the game would definitely be going ahead (despite the freakish sub-zero weather conditions) due to the artificial pitch,  and keen to experience the new Allianz Park. Saracens‘ vision is ‘to be the most innovative, hard-working and caring rugby organisation in the world’, so at this official opening of their new stadium I was interested to see how close they are to meeting this ambition.

The Build-Up

Earlier in the week I had received an extremely clear and helpful email from Saracens detailing the match day itinerary, the travel options and any other info we might have needed. If one of the key objectives of a rights holder’s ECRM is to improve the customer experience, then this email certainly ticked that box. Whilst it was by no means ground-breaking, it is striking how often this is either absent or uninformative in the build-up to a big event.

Pre-Match

Following our travel instructions, we were warmly greeted at Mill Hill East tube station by one of the Saracens Pioneers. These volunteers have been selected to help deliver the perfect match day experience, no doubt inspired by the widespread acclaim for the Olympic Gamesmakers and to position Saracens as a club for the community.

Then a free (and spacious) shuttle bus whisked us to the stadium and we collected our tickets without any fuss. Again, these are perhaps small things that a sports fan should expect on a match day, but which can so often be sorely lacking.

The Match

It must be said that we weren’t totally blown away by the Stadium: although the new East stand is impressive, the existing West Stand and temporary seats on the Barnet running track didn’t exactly scream out ‘new stadium’, but there was no lack of effort from the club to make their opening feel special. A Legends match (featuring among others Jason Leonard and Thomas Casteignede) took place before kick-off, adding further value to our £20 match ticket.

In the innovation stakes, (aside from the pitch), Saracens have installed two giant video screens which provided a fantastic picture throughout, and for this fixture they also took a 360 degree fan-pic at the game for fans to tag themselves on Facebook (I’m the one in the red hat in the middle!).

Whilst a fan-pic at an event is now familiar territory, Saracens added an interactive element  by offering the chance to win a signed shirt for spotting Sarrie the Camel, and also gave fans who were unable to get a ticket (the match was sold out) the opportunity to add their profile picture to the shot. Perhaps Saracens could have done even more with this by promoting the picture on the big screens and asking fans to smile for the camera! I also think the big screens could have had a more interactive element to them – for example Saracens could look to add a Twitter ticker-tape running along the bottom of it so fans can add their thoughts on the action. As we saw at the Olympics, initiatives such as the kiss-cam and bongo-cam are great ways of getting the crowd involved in the action and these big screens offer this opportunity. If Saracens really want to become the most innovative rugby club around, then the most obvious first step for them will be to provide free wi-fi at the ground (a topic that we have discussed many times on this blog). A partner deal like the recently announced MLB and T- Mobile and Liverpool F.C and Xirrus initiatives would really allow fans to interact at the stadium, and Saracens already have a mobile app which could, in time, become the tool that gives supporters the ability to interact with the game in real time.

In terms of the sponsor activity on the day, there was a clear winner: despite Allianz’s naming rights deal, it was Domino’s Pizza who stood out. They have given fans the chance to get pizzas delivered to their seats at half-time (which seemed to be a popular option in the freezing cold) and their half-time catching challenge between Saracens and Harlequins fans also proved to be popular. It will be interesting to see if Allianz remain passive in their activation and apparently happy to rely on the media value driven from the stadium name and shirt sponsorship, although I have since spotted that they are running a reporter competition on Facebook for their next home game.

Post-Match

After the match, fans were encouraged to take to the pitch and kick a ball about (taking me back to the days of bringing my bat and a ball along to The Oval for some throw-downs on the outfield). As you can see this proved really popular with the kids (both big and small) and reinforced Saracens’ positioning as a community-friendly club. We went to de-frost with a few pints (with our souvenir cups – see below) in the longest match day bar in the UK, and there the Saracens band played and the Man of the Match (Mako Vunipola) was presented with his award. This was a really nice way of allowing the fans to get closer to their heroes in a relaxed, family friendly atmosphere after the game. On the way out of the ground, a large Pepperoni Passion pizza for a fiver capped off a really great fan experience for us!

It really seems that Saracens have considered the fans’ journey every step of the way, and we had a great debut experience at Allianz Park. On the day, their stars on the field didn’t disappoint and faster, better rugby was produced due to the 4G pitch. Whilst Saracens may still have a little way to go on the innovation front, they are certainly ahead of the game in terms of putting the fans and the community at the heart of everything they do; more rights holders should definitely take note.

By Matt Kiernan on April 4th, 2013

Tags: community, Experiential marketing, Naming Rights, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sponsorship Activation, Sport

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Advertising spend within the public sector is a contentious issue, particularly in the current economic environment. Prior to 2009, the Central Office of Information (COI) was regularly listed as one of the UK’s largest advertisers – in 2009/10 estimates put that spend at over £530m. Rightly or wrongly, depending on your standpoint, the COI has been scrapped and this figure has been cut significantly as the Government searches for efficiencies. According to Cabinet Office figures, spend for 2013 will stand at £285m – although this is still a notable increase on the £168m spent in 2012.

Experience says that this will be largely spent on traditional channels – TV, print and outdoor, with a sprinkling of digital. Perhaps it is time to challenge this status quo.

In a sponsorship deal largely overlooked, or simply missed by most, New Zealand-based football club Wellington Phoenix agreed a sponsorship deal with the Health Promotion Agency (HPA), whereby the club receives financial contributions to include alcohol moderation messaging on their signage at all  home games. The deal is also thought to include image rights and player appearances, which will be used to promote the scheme across the community.

There are also a handful of examples where clubs have taken on partners from the public sector without the exchange of funds. The most recent and high profile of which is ‘Quit Smoking with Barça’, a smoking cessation campaign run by The European Commission in collaboration with Barçelona. In a similar vein, Worcester Warriors have teamed up with the Worcester City Council to launch a hard-hitting anti-smoking campaign aimed at educating children regarding the dangers and the impact on others of passive smoking. Do these examples point the way for public marketing spend in the UK?

UK Government Departments have dipped their toe in the water before. In 2004 the Department for Transport signed up as a sponsor for the British Superbike Championship to promote their Think! road safety campaign with the aim of reducing deaths and serious road injuries. The deal was renewed in 2007, before concluding at the end of 2008. In spite of this few other departments have followed their lead.

Sponsorship has a proven pedigree within the private sector, delivering against a broad range of objectives, and despite the economic downturn, the industry has continued to flourish. If you engage people around their passions, they are generally more likely to be receptive to your message – whether that message relates to a soft drink or teacher recruitment.

In Britain, we are lucky enough to have some of the most celebrated sporting, musical and cultural properties in the world, which could well provide the perfect platforms for Government communications. There are several examples that instantly spring to mind: professional football, and more specifically the FA, has the credibility and the reach to deliver a message of anti-obesity from a grassroots level upwards, while rugby union has clear shared values with the Ministry of Defence to land recruitment messaging. How better to showcase Britain as a destination than with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Glastonbury Festival or the Commonwealth Games?

This is not to say that traditional channels do not still have their place. In fact, there is a strong argument to the contrary. Empirical studies have shown that integrating sponsorship with other elements of the communications mix creates as synergistic effect, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Indeed, sponsorship has the potential to deliver truly unique content that can  be distributed through traditional broadcast and digital channels to engage an audience that previously may have been considered hard to reach. In the private sector, many brands such as Red Bull (below), O2, and BMW have used their sponsorship assets in their ATL communications to great effect, creating truly memorable and engaging campaigns.

A regular supply of quality content will ensure that the audience remains engaged; an essential component for long term behavioural change. There are, of course, also instances where messaging needs to be released urgently, such as public health announcements when only broadcast channels will be effective and sponsorship is of little relevance. For longer term campaigns which have behavioural change  as their core objective, I firmly believe that sponsorship has a role to play.

There could be cynicism towards the Government entering into sponsorship, however, it’s important not to forget that the funds from sponsorship have the power to contribute positively at a grassroots and community level. At a time where there are widespread funding cuts across the arts and sports – maybe, just maybe sponsorship could provide the answer.

By Tom Whiteside on February 20th, 2013

Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, Communications, community, Consultancy, Content, Football, grass roots sport, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Synergy

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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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Having played a vital role in London 2012, BMW unveiled its next major investment in British sport only a few days after the Closing Ceremony, in the shape of a new partnership with England Rugby. The partnership, conceived for BMW by Synergy, will develop the next generation of elite England Rugby talent through the newly-created BMW Performance Academy, as well as seeing BMW create a range of initiatives for England rugby fans at Twickenham and nationwide. 

The launch event to unveil the partnership was led by England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster, backs coach Andy Farrell and Director of Operations Rob Andrew, and hosted at BMW Group UK’s Brand Academy and centre for excellence at Wokefield Park. the national rugby media heard the RFU and BMW present plans for the 30 players that have been selected by the England coaches for the BMW Performance Academy. Through BMW’s support, the players will receive tailored programmes to help them progress from the RFU coaching team, access to BMW mentors, advanced driver training and work experience. This combines BMW expertise with development needs of young players and will help develop the performance pathway.

The fan-focused element of the partnership got off to a flying start with two activations launched at the QBE Autumn Internationals.

BMW’s Sweet Chariot Twitter promotion gave BMW followers the chance to win a ride home after each International in a BMW X5, the perfect end to a day at the rugby.

And the BMW Lounge was unveiled in the West Car Park at Twickenham, giving fans a premium experience in a convivial atmosphere pre- and post- match and the chance to meet England players.

 Keep an eye out during the RBS 6 Nations for more from BMW and the RFU on the road to 2015.

By Kate McGregor on December 13th, 2012

Tags: BMW, Default, Experiential marketing, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, 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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Guinness Rugby

I can hardly believe that I was in a meeting two decades ago when it was felt that rugby wasn’t necessarily right for the Guinness brand. Doesn’t seem possible now, does it?

Synergy’s work on the Guinness Premiership was outstanding. Activation included an Honesty Bar at rugby matches which rewarded fans and reduced queue time at Twickenham, live commentary radios bringing spectators closer to the action on the pitch and even an April Fool PR stunt which created Guinness Eau de Rugby – a fragrance made from mud from Twickenham and Ugo Moyne’s sweat.

By going on to expand its relationship with rugby with partnership deals with the RFU, WRU, Scottish Rugby, the RBS 6 Nations and the Premiership Rugby,  it now means that the two are inextricably linked.

Quite rightly, the sponsorship has won numerous industry awards - including the SIA Best Sports Sponsorship, MCCA Best communications campaign featuring sponsorship, and the Hollis Best Sport Sponsorship – not only for the campaign’s creativity but for the outstanding uplift in sales generated.  

Betfair

I’ve never been a great football fan (not something I shout about in the office!), but I can honestly say that Betfair’s recent video taking Kettering Town back to the ’70s was one of the best bits of sponsorship activation I have ever seen.  It was genuinely funny.  However, more importantly, it conveyed the brand’s character – fun, irreverent and mischievous.

Added to the tremendous work on the highly celebrated Bum-vertising campaign, Betfair provides the canvas for some of Synergy’s very best work.

BMW’s Olympic sponsorship – the Films

I was fortunate to be invited to the unveiling of the four films made by BMW to celebrate its sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Not only were they beautifully filmed and produced, but they created that ‘Olympic goosebump’ feeling that I get whenever individual athletes tell their story, show us the rigour of their training, or show us their single-minded determination to succeed.

These four films really sum up the electric atmosphere of the Olympic Games, and make us all pump the air and say ‘Bring it On’.

By Karen Earl on May 3rd, 2012

Tags: Betfair, BMW, Brand marketing, Guinness, Guinness Premiership, Rugby, Sponsorship

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What better way to spend St Patrick’s Day than watching England v Ireland at Twickenham with a pint of GUINNESS in hand? Well the rugby mad GUINNESS team here at Synergy certainly can’t think of one! So after another busy RBS 6 Nations tournament, it’s time to look back on our highlights from the GUINNESS Made of More campaign.

It all started back in January when a refreshed team of ambassadors were chosen to bring to life the new GUINNESS Made of More brand positioning.  The four ambassadors were picked to support the brand’s partnership as ‘Official Beer of The RBS 6 Nations’, as well as Official Partners of the home unions, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The new (and one not so new) faces included Scotland’s Sean Lamont, England full back Ben Foden, Wales centre Jamie Roberts and Jamie Heaslip of Ireland who were all contracted to spearhead an integrated below-the-line campaign for the brand.

Working as part of a cross agency team with Ireland’s WHPR and Cybercom, Synergy co-ordinated the two day launch which included content filming, photography and media interviews. To really get rugby fans across all four home nations roused ahead of the tournament the Cybercom team created a spine tingling video featuring the ambassadors, which has since had over 100,000 views.

Synergy contracted the photographer, Hamish Brown, to create a selection of images that inextricably showed the players’ dynamism and power, also demonstrating that like the GUINNESS product, the brand’s ambassadors are made of something a little bit extra. Whether this is Ben Foden’s lightening fast feet or Jamie Roberts’ powerful charges through the midfield, we wanted to capture each of the ambassador’s individual traits which proves they are made of more.

The Synergy PR team secured national and regional coverage in England, Wales and Scotland across a range of sectors including sport and lifestyle press, online, radio and broadcast, with WHPR generating some great coverage in Ireland.

One of the key objectives of this campaign was to drive international rugby fans to the GUINNESS Facebook pages, and encourage a deeper brand engagement through the ambassadors providing a steady stream of exclusive content from inside their camps. The cross agency team also developed a unique competition for fans from each nation to win the chance to play alongside their hero in the GUINNESS Rugby Challenge at the end of the tournament. More on that later…

Throughout the campaign Synergy activated player and coach appearances including interviews with Wales front row Gethin Jenkins, Scott Lawson and Chris Cusiter of Scotland, as well as England (then interim) coaches Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell.

Throughout the championship, GUINNESS ran an off-trade competition whereby one lucky GUINNESS customer could win the chance to have an England legend come to their home and watch the England v Ireland match with their mates, whilst toasting St Patrick’s Day with a few pints of the black stuff! Former England star Andrew Sheridan stepped up to plate, and for our lucky winner Keith Roberts and his friends it was a completely unforgettable day.

Andy’s insight and running commentary throughout the game proved perfect considering the game was so forward driven, with the big man himself proclaiming that “all that passing nonsense is for wimps!” All in all, it was certainly an they will tell their friends about every time they have a pint of GUINNESS at the local pub.

After seven weeks of rugby the final weekend saw Wales aiming for a Grand Slam in Cardiff, but the final curtain was to fall at a sold out Twickenham on St Patrick’s Day, with GUINNESS there to join in with the craic. Thanks to the RFU, the GUINNESS St Patrick’s Day video was shown to over 80,000 England and Ireland fans live at Twickenham, in addition to over 1,000 GUINNESS hats given away to fans in the West Car Park.  All of which added up to the GUINNESS bar have its busiest day at the rugby ever!

With Paddy’s Day behind us, the Synergy team rounded off this year’s RBS 6 Nations with the GUINNESS Rugby Challenge. Winners, plus two friends, were invited to Twickenham Stoop to play rugby alongside our ambassadors, minus Sean Lamont who was gallantly replaced by Scotland’s Jon Barclay. The warm up was taken by England forwards coach, Graham Rowntree and fitness coach Calvin Morris who later went on to referee the touch rugby competition.

By Synergy on March 27th, 2012

Tags: Alcohol, Default, Event management consultants, Guinness, PR, Public relations, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sport, Synergy, Synopsis, Viral Marketing, YouTube

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Being ‘called up’ to travel with the Triple Crown was quite a privilege for an intern. Scottish hands haven’t got this close to RBS 6 Nations silverware since 1999, when it was only the 5 Nations.

After a brief (and slightly panicky) journey to Paddington station, I clambered onto the train for a two-hour journey to visit my Celtic brothers in Cardiff. First stop was Media Wales for a photo shoot. The building is in the shadow of the magnificent Millennium Stadium, which makes some setting; one can only imagine what it will be like for the final encounter versus France in the inevitable Grand Slam decider.

It was a massive weekend for sport in Wales, with the Western Mail sports editors bouncing about in the newsroom awaiting the arrival of both the Carling Cup and the Triple Crown. Bringing a smile to some faces of the those journalists that had once dreamt as boys (and girls) of winning this – alongside a Grand Slam – meant for making quite a few people’s day, especially when allowing them to hold it. The Carling Cup was quite a detailed silver ornament which is heavier than it looks; getting to be in the room with both trophies was very satisfying.

Second stop was BBC Wales, which ended up being really eventful. Again, the sports production crews were all rushing around, so a wait in the canteen lead to me tasting some genuine BBC cuisine. It’s up there with that of Engine’s own in-house restaurant; however, even more satisfying was that I got to share pud with broadcaster and ex-Wales player Eddie Butler…who was a top bloke. After discussing Scotland’s shortcomings and Wales’s potential with the man himself, I had to wait in the reception for contact with Lolo (pronounced ‘yolo’), the sports production editor. Talking away to security and reception staff led to a group photo and a tour of the Scrum 5 studio, which is a converted pub!

Various shots and video footage with the RBS ribbons in all their glory ended my day out, but not without another happy customer. The taxi driver on my way back to Cardiff station – after quizzing out of me what was in the mysterious steel case I was carrying – offered me a cab fare for the chance of showing it off to his mates, but all he got was a picture with it. The day ended with a handshake and a nap on the train back to London, after which I safely returned the plate to Synergy at Great Portland Street. Wonderful to see the Welsh passion for sport and the coverage the Trophy got in Saturday’s papers!

By Synergy on March 1st, 2012

Tags: BBC, Celebrity, Default, Football, Media, Public relations, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby, Sponsorship, Synergy

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A key ingredient of great sponsorship is finding a natural role for your brand to play which enhances the audience’s experience of the event. With the RBS 6 Nations established as a huge appointment to view (averaging 4.7 million viewers per match and over 30m people watching some of the 2011 Championship), we spotted a ground-breaking opportunity for RBS to bring the ‘second screen’ to rugby for the first time ever.

The second screen phenomenon is one of the most exciting media trends: connected consumers are increasingly using a second device – an internet-enabled phone, laptop or tablet – while they watch TV. We have only just scratched the surface of the possibilities this opens up for brands. The internet hasn’t (at least so far!) marked the death of TV in the way that many predicted – instead, savvy companies are both exploiting its potential to enhance the TV viewing experience and capitalising on observed consumer behaviour. The upshot is the recent growth of companion apps – games and forums that encourage viewers to interact with the content that they are watching.

The numbers are compelling: 74% of consumers with broadband connections say they surf the internet at the same time as watching TV, 51% say they use the internet to get more news or information about the specific programme they’re watching, while 38% discuss shows on social networking services like Facebook, according to 2011 research from Ovum. Meanwhile, 2011 OfCom data shows that 81% of Brits have their phone with them while watching TV.

The combination of this strong and growing phenomenon alongside RBS’ desire to enhance the fans’ experience of the RBS 6 Nations Championship led to our creation of the RBS 6 Nations Live Challenge companion app. Throughout the match, the app challenges fans to predict the result of penalties, conversions, five metre scrums and line outs, take part in opinion polls, and answer RBS 6 Nations rugby quiz questions. The app breaks new ground for rugby fans, using dual screen interaction to revolutionise and enhance the live match experience for viewers watching at home, and is available on iPhone, iPad, Android and Facebook, ensuring the broadest possible user base. Conceived by Synergy and delivered by Jam – Engine’s social media and mobile agency – the RBS 6 Nations Live Challenge is an example of Engine integration at its very best.

The RBS 6 Nations Live Challenge launched on 3^rd February, ahead of the first weekend of fixtures. The launch of the app has been supported by a hard-hitting PR campaign across consumer, rugby and tech titles, leading to coverage in publications including The Sun, The Sunday Times, Sport magazine, Shortlist magazine, The Guardian Technology Blog, T3, Slashgear and several rugby blogs. Reception has been extremely positive and our PR push has also generated masses of organic buzz, as more and more people download and play the Live Challenge. At the time of writing, after 5 of the 15 matches, the app has reached 75,000 downloads. The app will be available for every match for the rest of the Championship – go to www.rbs6nationslivechallenge.com to try it today.

By Jessica Enoch on February 24th, 2012

Tags: Default, Digital marketing, RBS 6 Nations, Rugby

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