Sponsorship is dead, long live sponsorship

Those of you who are regular readers of Synopsis may have spotted a pattern. The lead articles are not Synergy’s random musings but rather the building blocks of a bigger story about the new rules of sponsorship.

But before we get to the rules, a little bit of context. Like all marketing disciplines, sponsorship has evolved over time…but every now and then, there is a paradigm shift which generates an explosion of innovation and introduces a completely new way of acting. Excitingly, we have entered one of these new eras – the 4th Era of Sponsorship.

Below is a rough timeline of how the Sponsorship Industry has evolved. There is never a clear line in the sand to separate the various eras (and of course there are always sponsorship programmes that are ahead of their time), but to keep things simple, they can be broadly separated into decades.

1970s: The Dark Art

The very beginnings of the sponsorship industry were characterised by informal deals done on a handshake in smoke-filled rooms — often literally smoke-filled, as much of the early days of sponsorship were driven by cigarette brands putting their brand on the side of fast cars to circumvent advertising restrictions.

1980s – 1990s: Off-the-Peg

Patrick Nally is credited as being the founding father of modern sponsorship. His ground-breaking partnership deal with Coca-Cola for the 1978 FIFA World Cup effectively ‘invented’ the concept of a rights package. This has set the template for how sponsorships have been packaged and sold by rightsholders ever since.

2000s: Tailored

Brands started to become much more sophisticated and proactive in terms of how they approached sponsorship. No longer was it thought of as a collection of off-the-shelf rights or as a separate marketing channel, but rather as an asset that could be integrated into the overall marketing mix and used to increase the effectiveness of the brand’s marketing activity.

2010: Social

The 4th Era is the “Social Era” for two reasons. Firstly, it has been enabled by social media which has allowed people (and brands) with shared interests to engage with each other at a scale and depth that has never before been possible. Social also refers to a sense of ‘Higher Purpose’ – the ability of a sponsorship programme to connect with its audience by delivering something that really matters.

The Rules of the Social Era

Moving to the Social Era has changed the game of sponsorship and everyone can benefit from knowing the new rules. We have analysed hundreds of best practice case studies from the world of sponsorship and beyond to identify and codify the keys to success in the Social Era.

We have been examining these new rules one by one over the past 5 months but now it is time to bring them all together.

It’s as easy as ABCDE…

Rule 1: Authenticity

Endorses for Courses by Jon Izzard

The best sponsorship programmes, the ones that really resonate with the audience, feel completely natural. The brand simply feels at home in the space. Think of Red Bull and extreme sports, Cartier and Polo, Robinsons and Wimbledon, Unicef and FC Barcelona, Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games, Moët & Chandon and F1. There are loads of sources of authenticity: products, geography, heritage, brand message and simple longevity.

Some brands have to work hard to establish authenticity in a given space, but it is imperative that they do because the very audience that a sponsor is trying to connect with can see through an imposter straight away. Skoda’s sponsorship of the Tour de France provides a great example of a brand working hard to establish credibility in a space where its source of credibility may not be immediately obvious.  Brilliant:

Rule 2: Beyond your Brand

What Can Sponsorship Learn from Farmville by Liz Brown

Sponsorship is about a brand becoming a natural part of their customers’ lives — but the audience needs a reason to invite a brand into their lives.  Brands that view the relationship with their audience as a one-way value exchange and think only in terms of “what will we get out of it”, have no chance of forming the kind of relationship they want. Again, there are a number of ways that brands can demonstrate “Beyond your Brand” thinking, focusing on delivering benefits to their customers (O2 Priority), the property (Converse and London’s 100 Club) and society as a whole (RBS RugbyForce).

Rule 3: Content

Is Content Really King by Ben Wilkinson

Consumers want to learn, laugh, discover, share, be entertained and be inspired.  And they want to do all these things around topics that are of specific interest to them.  That is what sponsorship allows you to do: create relevant content around your audience’s passion points.  But brands have to be creative to capture attention — posting a video of “talking heads” on YouTube and hoping for the best is not enough.  Great content is about innovation.  It’s about finding something that connects and resonates with your audience and providing it how they want it, when they want it and where they want it.

Our favourite example of this is Converse Domaination — a campaign that not only puts great content at its heart but also shows a perfect understanding of its audience.  Enjoy.

Rule 4: Dialogue

D is for Dialogue by Carsten Thode

Talking to each other, sharing ideas, working together, creating things, discovering  new stuff,  having fun, laughing, crying, flirting, arguing – everything that makes life worth living is built on our ability to actively engage with each other. Why should that be different from the relationships we build with the brands in our lives?

Yet for most of its history, marketing has been pretty much a one-way conversation where brands tell you what they want you to know and the customer has no way of talking back.  However, the digital age, and particularly the social media age, has smashed through the barrier separating brands from their consumers.

Now it is possible to source brilliant ideas from your customers such as Pepsi Refresh and GE Ecomagination, or to tailor your marketing in real-time to reflect input from your customers. The Old Spice Man is a classic case in point of how much more engaging the conversation becomes if you give your customers a voice.

Rule 5: Entertainment

Passion Pointers by Tom Gladstone

Sport has a particular ability to evoke strong emotions through its personal stories of courage, inspiration and determination; through its inherent unpredictability, excitement and drama. Those emotions are an essential component of successful sponsorship – and are as relevant across other sponsorship platforms (music, film, fashion, art) as they are in sport. Harness the emotions correctly, and your consumers will add the catalyst of conversation.

But while simply being visible within a passion point might increase the chances of getting noticed, it doesn’t win a place in consumers’ hearts. There has to be active emotional involvement, not just proximity or presence — engagement not impressions. Whether brands capitalise on moments of high emotion or they tap into the core emotional sensibility of the passion point, anchored in anticipation, pride, patriotism, celebration, or even pain, they all need to exhibit genuine empathy and understanding.

This rule is articulated nicely by Mark Harrison, Chair of the Canadian Sponsorship Forum: ‘You can’t manufacture emotion. It’s already there. When you find it – just find a way to trigger it; tap into it; fuel it; and watch it grow into something remarkable.’

Using ABCDE

ABCDE is not a menu, where you can choose one or two elements to focus on. Rather, a great sponsorship programme will deliver against all the rules of the 4th Era.

Obviously, this framework isn’t rocket science, but at Synergy, we have found it to be incredibly useful as we advise our clients at every point of the sponsorship process.  We use it not only as a kind of checklist to diagnose where we are strong and where we need to work harder but also to ensure that all elements of the sponsorship programme - from creating the strategy and identifying the right assets right through to the activation – deliver the ABCDE.  So, before signing off, here are a few ways that it can be used to make your sponsorship programmes even more powerful:

1. Articulate specifically how you are using sponsorship to deliver all elements of ABCDE. Sponsorship strategies should use deep audience insight and a clear understanding of the business and brand to ensure that you are using sponsorship as effectively as possible in the 4th Era

2. When making the decision to acquire a new sponsorship asset, make sure that there is a concrete plan in place to deliver the ABCDE. Use it as part of the screening process and answer questions like: “What gives my brand authenticity in this space? How can I build or acquire authenticity?”  “What is the higher purpose of the sponsorship?  How are we adding value?”

3. When creating activation plans, be specific about which elements of ABCDE you need to focus on and how you will be able to deliver them.  For example: “How can we stimulate dialogue amongst our audience?  What role should our brand play in that conversation”

4. Factor ABCDE into your measurement. Create specific targets around each element and evaluate your success at achieving them.  Where do you have to work harder?

© Synergy Sponsorship a trading division of Engine Partners UK LLP 2011.  All rights reserved

By Carsten Thode on September 1st, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Brand marketing, Branded content, Communications, community, Consultancy, Content, Default, Design, Digital marketing, Event management consultants, Event management service, Experiential marketing, Food & Drink, Football Sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Sales promotion, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Sport, Synergy, Synergy Loves, Synopsis, Twitter, Viral Marketing

No comments

August proved an exciting month for the team here at Synergy, as after months of planning, energy brand SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) was announced as a National Community Partner of the RFU.

Working with some of the most talented and charismatic England rugby players of the past 15 years, from England international Tom Croft to former World Cup player Danny Grewcock and former British Lions player John Bentley, community clubs Bracknell RFC and Percy Park RFC played host to two launch events that brought SSE to the very heart of English rugby.

The three year partnership with the RFU will see SSE invest heavily in supporting community rugby in England by taking on the title sponsorship of the National and Divisional Leagues, as well as providing much-needed funding for the RFU’s programme, Community Rugby Coaches (CRCs).

With English community club rugby at the very core of the sponosrship, Synergy was tasked with creating a campaign helped SSE make a tangible difference to the grassroots game.  And what better way to do this, than to ask every rugby player in England what they think their club needs.

Synergy launched the new partnership by asking that very question and creating the “What Clubs Need” survey at www.sserugby.com.  Whether it’s bibs, balls or floodlights, the results will be absorbed into a wider campaign of rewards and opportunities for clubs, giving them access to the resources that will benefit their club the most.

The launch event was held at Bracknell RFC on Monday, August 8^th, with England flanker and new SSE ambassador Tom Croft leaving the squad’s World Cup training camp for the evening.  He provided a huge draw for everyone at the club, joining in a coaching session with an enthusiastic junior team, before assisting in drills for the senior 1st XV.

The media descended on Bracknell RFC, as Tom carried out interviews with The Times, The Sun, The Rugby Paper, leading to standout coverage, thus maximising the launch of www.sserugby.com

Not prone to resting on their laurels, Synergy set about on the preparations for the second launch event, this time at the picturesque Percy Park Rugby Club in North Shields, Newcastle.  On this occasion the full junior team were out in force, an impressive 80 children taking part in some high quality training.  The seniors got their turn as well, with 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Danny Grewcock and the legendary ex-British Lion John Bentley, putting them through their paces for 90 minutes.

SSE will continue to support both Bracknell RFC and Percy Park RFC with the resources they need.  It is part of the brand’s bigger commitment to support all those rugby clubs who are ensuring that grass roots rugby stays at the very heart of English communities.

Visit www.sserugby.com to tell us what your club needs.

By Donald Parish on September 1st, 2011

Tags: Default, grass roots sport, Public relations, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sport, Synergy, Synopsis, Twitter

No comments

We all know the Olympic Games is coming to town. It’s getting closer and the clock is ticking, will we cope? Will the London Tube system handle all the extra people? How many medals will Team GB win? Anyone fancy a legacy? Will it make kids thin again? All those words are echoing around the UK media. I don’t have the answers.

But what I can explore is a new view, certainly to me anyway, as I’ve only had it about 5 minutes. London 2012 represents many things and has many hot topics, not least the L-word: Legacy. Defined as anything you want it to be, depending upon who you’re talking to, so I may as well chuck my own legacy-hat in the Olympic Ring…

Welcome to the world of collaboration

In marketing, we often discuss new platforms, will it be Facebook, Twitter, an app or something more traditional? But whilst all these platforms (and many more) have a huge role to play in the future for sponsorship, it’s finding better and more interesting ways to work together that will define the next generation of our industry. How will we combine the creativity and know-how across the marketing industry and beyond, to create truer forms of engagement and understanding?

What does this all mean for the Games?

For me, this is indeed the opportunity that smacks us in the face. I’m privileged to work for Engine, a place designed to create, embrace and accelerate the fast-changing collaboration process, which we leverage across all kinds of brands and all kinds of projects and campaigns. But London 2012 will, and is, enabling all types of cross-functional working, taking down barriers to make the best of British talent. Look at the architectural brilliance of the venues, the undeniably efficient construction projects, or how government and other public bodies are finding ways to work together towards a single goal.

We have the world’s biggest sporting event, in one of the most creative, digitally-savvy and energetic cities on the planet; I’m pretty sure an opportunity like this is rare. True, lots of us realise it’s coming and are grinding away to try and deliver something of marketing genius. Some of us certainly will.

But the opportunity to create truly integrated working — when we merge brains, disciplines or even industries — will have by far and away the biggest impact and lasting legacy on our industry. At least it certainly should do.

I believe we do ‘forced change’ particularly well in the UK. Take the recent and awful riots across London and other UK cities. It was something that no one anticipated or wanted to see, and yet, we’re already seeing huge change programmes implemented, from the top of government to tiny communities projects. Knee-jerk probably, but very much needed too. Change is vital to ensure these challenges are addressed, to give young people the opportunities they deserve to take a grip of their own futures.

In a very different way, the Games provides a similar vehicle to force change, the immovable deadline of London 2012 creates the pressure and dynamic environment to really make things happen. Decisions, teamwork, integration — none of these are optional and they have to happen, and quickly, to make certain the Games can be deserving of its title — the greatest show on earth. I say, embrace change, collaboration, integration — all of it.

Collaboration is a wonderful thing but, much like the old legacy word, it’s a very easy thing to say, much more difficult to put in practice. Our ongoing challenge is to continually challenge ourselves, to work together to make the cleverest, most creative and most integrated campaigns ever. Then afterwards? Keep on doing it, of course.

Not reading anything new? I completely agree, this thinking has been around for a long time. But — and it’s a big but — there’s a massive difference between thinking and doing. In the words of the most famous Olympic ambusher…

By Ben Wilkinson on August 26th, 2011

Tags: London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Synergy

No comments

Recently, royalty has been back on the agenda in a big way – the Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge having engaged the nation – and this got me thinking about another monarchy-related expression: content is King.

If I were to say content is King, I certainly wouldn’t be the first, and most definitely not the last. So, I’m not going to say that, because: a) it’s too obvious and b) I don’t actually happen to believe it (which is probably far more important).

Ok then, what am I going to say? Content is important, most certainly, but I happen to believe where you put your content is as equally important as the content itself. In the modern world we might call this a bromance between two Kings: medium and message.

Like it or not, we live in a world of complex communication, a place where options are almost unlimited and wherever you turn someone is trying to engage you. In the marketing world this makes our lives increasingly more appealing – how do we target someone at the right place, time and price?

Targeting has always been a science, but if you overlay that science with the art form of engagement that we as marketers all crave, we suddenly create a complicated scenario where two separate worlds collide. And this is where it begins to get really interesting.

Why am I making this point?
Well, with such a complicated world, what’s the best way to reach your audience? It’s to tap into a passion point and create a content expectation that is authentic and helps you go beyond your brand to engage; sponsorship done correctly can be a hugely effective means to achieve this goal.

Of course, this is not new but what is evolving is how we can offer content of absolute relevance.  We live in an instantaneous world and we no longer savour anticipation; that feeling of excitement of picking up your holiday snaps from the chemist, or waiting for that first phone call from a new girlfriend before the days of mobiles.  Sadly, these things are in the past, we want our content right now – we wait for no one.

New channels can be invented overnight, Apple’s iPhone campaign with the line ‘There’s an app for that‘ created an (almost) brand new channel instantaneously – and as brands and content owners we need to be prepared for these additions to an already diverse and cluttered media offering. But this brings opportunity too, as we now have the ability to target like never before.

It’s a data-driven world – so now we can reach consumers by means never previously imagined.  The digital world has enabled us to target our audience with military-like precision and this fuels huge opportunity across all sectors.

But what does this mean for sponsorship?
Sponsorship is born out of understanding of a target audience, their habits and their passion points. It is about matching people’s interests to brands and products in the most engaging of ways – through an emotive connection.  In today’s market, it presents an incredibly powerful content platform to connect with your audience. It’s certainly not a simple art, but for me every partnership strategy should put content at its heart.

Who’s doing it well?
The evolution of brand content has developed so quickly in the last few years, it’s now part of nearly every (good) strategy.  There are some great examples out there and I’ve picked out some personal favourites, but I think what makes this fascinating is the fact the content can be so different. It could be an app, it could be social or it could still be one of the more traditional routes. But, these examples all have some key common factors:

Nike – Write the Future

Nike has been a master of using endorsement for a long time, indeed the brand revolutionised the industry with the innovation of Air Jordan in the 1980s and is a strategy the still holds firm today (it was also the winner of our Greatest Sports Marketing Innovation Poll).  For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nike created the Write the Future campaign; a fantastic example of putting the emotion of the Tournament at the centre of the brand’s content:

Ben & Jerry’s – Fair Tweets

To promote its association with World Fair Trade Day 2011, Ben & Jerry’s has created a quite brilliant campaign to “Put your unused Twitter characters to good use”. Whenever users place a post on Twitter, the application turns any unused characters into a message about Fair Trade. It’s a brilliant cause and a really clever use of the Twitter platform, providing really valuable messaging to Fair Trade – this video explains the campaign far better than I can:

ASICS New York Marathon – Support your marathoner

For the 2010 New York Marathon, ASICS USA put content at the heart of a new, innovative, experiential campaign for the event. The campaign centered around creating personalised supporter messages for runners from their friends and family to inspire them during the race. The messages of support were captured through social media and experiences in the build up to the marathon and then the messages were triggered by RFID tags (microchips on runners trainers) during the race. When the runners run over a sensor matt it triggered a giant LED screen which played personalised video messages from friends and family as the runners run past – genius.

The England and Wales Cricket Board – Follow Us

Quite unusually for a rights holder, the ECB developed a great platform to help England fans follow the team throughout the recent winning Ashes campaign in Australia.  The campaign had two key factors that contributed to its success: a) a victorious England b) Graham Swann – who has developed not only into the world’s best off-spinner, but must also be the most talented on-screen cricketer of his generation.  His natural style in front of the camera and humorous banter helped make the films outstanding. The campaign was rewarded at the recent Sports Industry Awards, taking home the award for Best use of Digital Communication in Sport.

So, why are these great examples of content?

At the heart of all of the above campaigns is relevance; to both the brand and the audience.  Good sponsorship strategy is based on connections and in all these examples it really shines through.

Looking more deeply, we can see that five key principles ring true to each example which should be applied to every sponsorship content strategy:

But what creates great content?
Like almost everything else, great content is about innovation.  It’s about finding something that connects and resonates with your audience and providing it how they want it, when they want it.  Sure, major players in the media landscape (broadcasters and publishers) are continuing to get the lion’s share of audience, but will it always be this way?

I take an analogy I read in the Economist recently; people said the horse manure crisis in London in the 1890s would lead the city’s demise within 20 years.  What they didn’t know then, was that Karl Benz would invent the motor car which made the theory obsolete, but Karl himself was also wrong.  He claimed demand for motor cars would never get above a million because we would run out of chauffeurs.
The point being that content, in the connected digital world, is only just beginning and some of the innovations of the future could really start to shape a new world of content.  Who’s to say brands can’t lead that?

So, is content really King?
All of the examples we have looked at demonstrate creativity and innovation which for me is the common theme for success. By combing a creative approach to the key content principles it can help create a unique and relevant content strategy for your audience.  Content is a major component but it must be considered alongside context by creating a collaborative approach to medium and message.

So for me content alone isn’t King, but combined with context it can be.  I’d love to get your views?

To wrap this all up, I just had to share this. We recently welcomed Google to Engine for a discussion around the use of Google platforms and products for brands and they shared one of their favourite campaigns: Converse Domination. It’s one of the best examples of a brand putting content at the heart of their campaign and is a true demonstration of the five key principles in action. From audience understanding, to having fun the campaign truly has it all. Enjoy!

By Ben Wilkinson on May 18th, 2011

Tags: Branded content, Content, Music, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Sport, Synergy, Synopsis, The Arts, Twitter

1 comment

May 10th 2011. As the rest of the nation settled down to the new series of The Apprentice, switched on SKY Sports to watch Manchester City destroy Tottenham’s season, or celebrated the anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as President of South Africa, over fourty of INSEAD’s finest alumni gathered at Engine to discuss another momentous moment in our lifetime – the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Hosted by our very own INSEAD graduate and Direct of Consulting – Carsten Thode – the Synergy ‘Get Ready for 2012’ seminar garnered insight from a selection London 2012 partners.

The premise of the event was simple – the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London are going to be transformative for many UK businesses, with unprecedented impact on their industries, sectors, customers and staff. With just over a year to go before the Games, what can we learn from the people who have been planning and preparing for that moment for as long as Boris?

Representing the sponsors – Richard Hudson, Marketing Director, BMW UK, a Tier 1 sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Jat Sahota, Head of Sponsorship at Sainsburys, which negotiated a ground-breaking deal to become the first ever Paralympics-only sponsor. For the broadcasting community – Edouard Benroubi Business Manager at the BBC and the man responsible for the technical implementation of BBC’s London 2012 Olympic Games coverage, and tasked with delivering this aspiration – to broadcast every minute of every sport live via every platform. No pressure there then.

So what did we learn? Well, Chatham House rules applied but in case anyone was wondering about the enormity of the opportunity, and challenge, that hosting the Olympics presents, consider the following:

So, feeling ready for 2012?

By Tom Gladstone on May 18th, 2011

Tags: London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Synergy, Synopsis

No comments

BMW challenged Synergy to develop a PR stunt that would combine their sponsorship of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and the London 2012 Games.

So we challenged former world number one golfer Martin Kaymer and three time Olympic medallist Steve Backley to go head-to-head in a multisport play-off from Wentworth’s first tee. With wedge and javelin in hand, Kaymer and Backley put their accuracy to the test in an attempt to land their shot nearest the pin at the venue for the BMW PGA Championship from May 26 – 29.

Both athletes were given three attempts to hit the pin which, at 60 metres, was comfortably within their reach. Despite Kaymer’s drives averaging over 260m and Backley having a world record breaking throw of 91.46m to his name, precision rather than distance was the aim for the BMW Nearest the Pin challenge. With all shots taken, Kaymer was announced the overall winner, beating Backley with a comprehensive score of 3-0.

Check out the video of the guys in action, below:

By Caroline Ayling on May 18th, 2011

Tags: BMW, Golf, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympics, PGA Tour, PR, Public relations, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sport, Team GB

No comments

The sports world was out in force to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Sports Industry Awards last week. It was a great occasion and we’re delighted to have been recognised for our work with Bupa and the Great Run Series.

The Sports Industry Award judges had this to say on the campaign:

Bupa’s sponsorship of the Great North Run was an ideal platform to demonstrate the brand’s status as a leader in healthcare, whilst also enabling it to build relevance and familiarity through a number of different touch points. Bupa developed a new brand positioning using the ‘Bupa: with you every step of the way’ strap line.  This included the launch of the ‘Bupa Run Check’ – a service for runners with sports physiotherapists providing bespoke diagnostics & advice.

The brand also undertook a pre-race engagement campaign, utilising a specially created running website, engagement with the Great Run database and an editorial partnership with The Telegraph Media Group to showcase its expertise. The campaign results backed up the judging panel’s view that Bupa had optimised the perfect brand fit between the two entities to the best of its ability. According to Hall & Partners research, 51% of those questioned stated that the sponsorship gives them a better impression of Bupa while 74% of runners added that the ‘Bupa Boost Zone’ presence on race day enhanced their experience of the event.

The Bupa Boost Zone

Naturally we’re absolutely delighted and I’m sure it was a great honour for Kirsty Gallacher to meet me and handover the crown!

Left to right: Kirsty Gallacher (TV Presenter), Ben Wilkinson (Synergy), Fiona Vigar (Bupa) and James Anderson (England Cricket).

By Ben Wilkinson on May 18th, 2011

Tags: Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Sport, Synergy, Synopsis

No comments

What happened?

“Same pool rules, same soccer fantasies” says Budweiser as they turned a normally reserved game of pool into a passionate, social nightlife experience for both players and spectators. The concept saw the beer brand setting up 7×3 metre pool tables in various pubs across Buenos Aires inviting teams to go head-to-head as they attempted to kick 15 soccer balls into billiard holes resembling goals.

The various games were also broadcast live via ESPN and Fox Sports, turning the alternative spin on pub football into a viable sporting event.

Why we like it?

Who on earth wouldn’t like this? Bang in the heart of a fun loving, football mad city this is a brilliant fit that knocks straight on the door of the casual sports enthusiast.

Flying it’s way around the viral world, this has caused a big stir with 510,000 views and counting on youtube and like all good campaigns, it has got people talking.

Budweiser’s recent football activity (I will not succumb to calling it “soccer” despite their best attempts) has seen the brand create some really humorous content, playing on the USA “soccer” stereotype. In doing so they’ve taken a playful and different approach, take a look at the video below to see a great example of the tongue in cheek style in action.

Moving away from the traditional route of advertising the physicality of elite sport, this goes straight to the Average Joe who enjoys nothing more than heading down the pub with his mates or spending a night in front of the television watching the football with a few beers. It is an interesting route to take and something that Puma and their “After Hours” promotion has headed along. With London 2012 around the corner, this could be a really clever area for them to call their own.

Although this appears cool and trendy in Buenos Aires, I do have my concerns as to how this game would go down in the “Coach and Horses” on a Saturday night in Scunthorpe but maybe, just maybe we will find out.

By David Gerty on May 18th, 2011

Tags: Football, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Synergy, Synergy Loves, Synopsis

No comments

I enjoyed my tube ride in this morning, a rare thing indeed. Maybe it’s all the work TFL is doing to upgrade the service in time for the arrival of the greatest show on earth; London 2012.

Actually, it wasn’t that, but it was the sight of many Londoners excitedly flicking through their Metro in the knowledge that London 2012 Olympic Games tickets are now on sale. Of course a major landmark for any Games.

For sponsors, and of course ambushers, this is also a major moment in the London 2012 time-line. We will now begin to see a major raise in public awareness and excitement for the Games, ever increasing as the days and weeks tick away towards the major momentum shifter; when the Olympic Torch Relay arrives on UK shores on Friday 18 May 2012, taking the experience to an entirely new level.

For me, today marks the beginning, the beginning of the activation opportunity in earnest.  It’s the time to start the real work, to maximum impact in the swell of  national interest,  tapping into what will be an ever increasing public passion for the Games, between now and the end of 2012.  The Games will be a exceptional time in Great Britain’s history, a rare time when the nation will unite as one and brands who create a role as part of this unique experience will, in my view, be the big winners.

Today we’ve seen a host of tactical brand activity to support LOCOG’s major announcement, and rightly so, but I believe the brands who make the biggest impact will be those brave enough to stand alone.  Of course, this will include activation around the major landmarks, but what I mean is creating something that is truly unique to provide something inspiring and jaw droppingly engaging for a public that will be craving rich content that was previously unimaginable.

For now though, we’ll focus on a quick summary of some of the announcements and activity of the last 24 hours:

Omega unveiled a giant countdown clock in Trafalgar Square last night (14 March) to mark the landmark.  The clock – which measures 6.5 metres high by 5.5m wide, weighs nearly five tonnes and features LED lighting strips of varying colour for night time viewing – started ticking over today and will be in place until the end of the Paralympics on September 14th 2012.

Team GB has launched a new website to celebrate the 500 days to go milestone and will focus on the new message Our Greatest Team

LOCOG has announced tickets are on sale: London 2012 Tickets

Brands, including BMW, have run some fantastic tactical advertising to support the milestone.

By Ben Wilkinson on March 15th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic Torch Relay, Sponsorship consultancy, Synergy, Team GB

No comments

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

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

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

Sport Industry Awards* – the Synergy Shortlist:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hollis Sponsorship Awards** – the Synergy Shortlist:

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

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

BRAND UNDER 750K
- Bupa Great Run Series 2010

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

SPONSORSHIP CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
- Synergy

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

By Lucie Bartlett on February 17th, 2011

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

No comments