Albeit that we’re not sure if we’re glad or sorry(!) to read that we missed out only ’by a whisker’ on Marketing’s Sponsorship Agency of the Year for 2008, we’re very proud to have either won or been shortlisted every year since the award’s inception in 2004, so it was great to be recognised again this year, and to see that our work with Guinness received yet another commendation, this time for the Guinness Honesty Bar.

Thank you to Marketing and the award panellists, and congratulations to Octagon on their debut win.

By Tim Crow on December 10th, 2008

Tags: Default, Sponsorship, Synergy

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Congratulations to the Guinness team who picked up their fourth award last night for the title sponsorship of rugby’s Guinness Premiership. The sponsorship, managed on behalf of Guinness by Synergy, won the Rugby Business Award for Rugby Sponsor of the Year (over $500k). 

The judges particularly commended the ground breaking work on the Guinness Club Together campaign across 2007/8. Synergy manages all aspects of the sponsorship from strategic consulting to experiential events and PR.

 

By Dominic on November 18th, 2008

Tags: Experiential marketing, Guinness, Guinness Premiership, Public relations, Rugby, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Synergy

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Q: How is the success of the campaign being evaluated?

A: There was no measurable element to the campaign, making it difficult to assess.

These words taken from a recent Event Magazine case study of a one day marketing campaign for GSK’s hayfever brand, Piriton, highlight an area which has, for a long time, been a hot topic within the sponsorship world. Since the early days of sponsorship, research and evaluation techniques have developed significantly, bringing the sponsorship industry in line with many of the ‘traditional’ marketing disciplines like Advertising and DM in terms of measurability. The likes of Millward Brown, SMS (Sports Marketing Surveys) and the TNS Group are world leaders in market research and evaluation and, along with other specialist agencies, have developed techniques honed to measure the use and effectiveness of sponsorship and the brand’s ROI.

With these many techniques at our fingertips, how then are we to develop and encourage the use of Experiential Marketing - a relatively new area - within brands’ campaigns when the brands and agencies themselves are not taking the time or spending the money to evaluate their experiential activity? We all know that most Marketing Directors look for measurable ROIs to evaluate their brand’s success so it is essential that we agencies work with the client to plan and develop experiential campaigns ensuring that they include an element of evaluation to measure their success.

Millward Brown and research agency 2CV recently undertook a study in which they collated opinions from media planners and clients on the events sector. The result was “those that had used experiential activity were more likely to use it again over traditional forms of marketing” -an encouraging response to a relatively young discipline that is gaining more and more recognition amongst brands looking to engage with consumers on a one to one level.

An example of a well executed experiential activity that implemented a measurable element is the Snow Globe, produced by Synergy for BA during their sponsorship of the National History Museum Ice Rink in 2007. Customers were invited into the giant globe to have their photo taken in the snowy interior. The customer was handed a daily code which they had to input on the BA website in order to download their photo or forward it as a festive greeting to family and friends. Each stage of the process was monitored to measure how many people were touched by BA during the activity and an impressive 91% of customers went online to view their photo with a further 47% referring their photo on to friends or family. Compare this to an average of 3% redemption usually seen in competitions and the experiential activity is shown to be vastly more engaging.

Looking at the activation elements of the Piriton campaign mentioned above, free bus rides were given to visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show between Victoria and the venue. Whilst a good way to engage with the consumers, an evaluation development on that element could have been to hand out a sample or gift with a feedback card to measure responses from guests heading to/from the venue. Guests were also given reusable hessian shopping bags containing tissue packs and information on the causes and prevention of hay fever. This could perhaps have also contained a free or money-off voucher for redemption of Piriton products or an opportunity to win an experience or gift through entering a competition. These methods could all have helped in measuring the activity and evaluating its success, providing the Marketing Director with proof of his ROI.

Whilst these suggestions are perhaps not the most exciting or creative of methods to gauge consumer feedback, the point is that a simple extension of an idea, a little use of creativity to expand an already great concept, can provide ways of measuring its success and take brands that one step further towards undertaking further experiential activity when next year’s budgets are being handed out by the big bosses on the top floor.

By Dordie Brett on October 20th, 2008

Tags: Experiential marketing, Sponsorship, Synergy

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The Synergy Team spent last Friday on an outstanding day for team building and motivation.  The morning session focused on ‘Making an Impact’ and covered a lot of ground on how to create the right impression. My highlight was discovering each others ‘trigger points’ and the impact this has on our team work and performance.

In the afternoon, we pushed ourselves out of the comfort zone and conquered our fears of height and speed with a great competition in the grounds of ‘A Day in the Country’ in Aynho.  It has to be the best training day ever – and reminded me how proud I am to be part of this fab team.

By Alison Moor on September 24th, 2008

Tags: Employee engagement, Synergy

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Nick Cosgrove and Tim Crow discuss the decision by Carl Lewis to step down as an ambassador for McDonalds, the importance of the Olympics to sponsor brands and the growth in ambush marketing.

Click here to listen to the discussion, courtesy of BBC Radio 4 - Today Programme.

By Synergy on August 15th, 2008

Tags: Press Clipping, Synergy

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Apart from the competitors’ heroics, what will we remember Beijing 2008 for? And how, with London 2012 in mind, will UK consumers feel about the Olympics after Beijing?

Previous Olympics in the modern era have all strongly impacted the Olympic brand – in general negatively – and left a single-issue legacy. Montreal 1976 invented the Olympics as a debt monster. Moscow 1980 was the Cold War, Soviet Games. LA 1984 showcased the American entrepreneurial Dream - and in Atlanta 1996 the Dream became an over-commercialised Nightmare. Seoul 1988 will forever be remembered for Ben Johnson and doping. Barcelona 1992 was a triumphant spectacle for Spain, as Sydney 2000 was for Australia. Athens 2004 was the Games that could never follow Sydney and only just got built.

Beijing 2008 looks like being another single-issue Games - the issue, of course, being Chinese government policy. With the Torch Relay crisis now firmly imprinted on Beijing’s DNA, and the media even more focused on the issue as we move into Games time, I can’t see this changing.

But what I do see changing is the world’s knowledge of and attitude to China. And in this respect the Olympics is part of the solution, not – as many would have it – part of the problem. Beijing 2008 will offer an unprecedented window into China’s uniquely fascinating society and culture. And the greater knowledge, understanding and – let us hope – human empathy this engenders will perhaps be Beijing 2008’s key legacy. As Simon Barnes of The Times wrote in a characteristically brave and intelligent piece back in April, this is a key strand of what this Olympics is about. It will make few, if any headlines, but it will leave the world, and the Olympics, in a much better place.

And what of the legacies that Beijing 2008 will leave London 2012? Here in the UK of course, as the next hosts of the summer Games, we’ll be looking at Beijing very differently to the rest of the world. “It’s our turn next” will undoubtedly be a theme running throughout the Games coverage, rising to a crescendo when Beijing hand the Olympic flag to London during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday 24 August.

The big question, of course, which we’ll be looking at closely with our clients who are Olympic sponsors, will be the effect of Beijing 2008 on UK consumers’ attitudes to and behaviours around the Olympics. There are bound to be some big shifts – especially in favourability if, as we all hope, Team GB wins medals galore – but only time will tell what they’ll be, and how lasting.

By Tim Crow on August 6th, 2008

Tags: Beijing 2008, Brand marketing, China, London 2012, London 2012 sponsorship, London 2012 sponsorship consultants, Media, Olympic Torch Relay, Olympic sponsorship, Olympic sponsorship consultants, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultancy, Sponsorship consultants, Synergy

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If you’ve ever met someone from Synergy you’ll probably be aware that we’re a competitive bunch. The boys’ football triumph over Action Images a few weeks ago left the girls wanting to stake a claim on some sporting silverware.  From the Head of Experiential to the Media Communications team, whatever you throw at us, we Synergy girls are in it to win it.

On Friday 25 July, Steph, Lisa and myself joined forces with our new friends at Engine and took on 35 teams from the marketing world in the annual NABS netball tournament. The incumbent champions for the last two years were John Ayling & Associates. From the name you may have guessed this was no ordinary tournament for me - this was family warfare. As the sun beat down on Battersea Park, the Engine girls rallied round and the games began…

Round 1

Seven blonde bods took to the court as Engine faced Channel 4 first up.  It was a tense game as our newly founded team gelled together. The ball yo-yo’ed up and down the court as the defence held strong and with seconds to go our newly discovered shooter, fresh from the new business department at WCRS sent Engine one up. The whistle blew - we rejoiced, rehydrated and prepared for round 2 against Rapier.

Following a second victory for the Engine girls I began to think - could this be a winning team in the making?

Sadly not, Iris Nation with their professional netball dresses and rehearsed back-lines were on fire. We put up a fight but lost 3-1. Next came the pink ladies of the Financial Times who beat us in the dying seconds by one goal. Our chance of progressing to the next stage of the tournament was slipping away.

Despite our determined spirit and support from BBC Breakfast Sport presenter Chris Hollins cheering from the side lines, Engine’s netball team sadly did not make it through to the finals. A great travesty for the Engine team but fear not we’ll be back better, bolder and probably blonder next year.

Netball – just for girls???

Whilst trying to rally the troops to come along and support the team, netball didn’t really get the crowds at 60 Great Portland Street going. I wondered if this is because people see netball in the domain of spotty school girls rather than a fast and furious game that requires speed, strength and agility to challenge the most competitive sports professionals. A little research revealed that St Helen’s Rugby League star Jon Wilkin and Salford City Reds vice captain Robbie Paul have recently been training with the England Netball team.

Perhaps if netball were to be elevated to an Olympic sport its profile may change and people will give the sport the respect it deserves. To join the 18,300 people backing England international star Eboni Beckford-Chambers’ campaign to see netball at London 2012 sign up to Facebook group ‘Bid to get Netball in the 2012 Olympics’.  

We may yet see the O2 home to international netballers in 2012 but I make a pledge here and now that by the time London is hosting the greatest games on earth you’ll see Engine’s name engraved on the NABS netball trophy.

By Caroline Ayling on July 29th, 2008

Tags: Employee engagement, London 2012, Olympics, Synergy

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Representing a sponsor at an event is usually a fairly straightforward procedure for the Synergy Communications team as all the hard work is done in advance. The public relations remit on site usually involves setting up interviews, making sure our brand appears in as many photos and articles as possible, mingling with the media and writing a few press releases. However, on one occasion last week I was happily towing the line on behalf of Ballantine’s Scotch whisky at the Barclays Scottish Open when a rather significant curve ball was hurled in my direction.

Approached by the Chief Press Officer for the European Tour, the request was made to sound fairly innocuous… “Angel Cabrera is about to come off the course and we really need someone who can speak Spanish to translate for the press conference.” Cue a quick scan of the room to see if there was someone more suitable around and a desperate search to find an excuse that would get me out of doing this. He was right that I speak some Spanish, but neither mastering golf vocabulary nor addressing a packed press conference is my forte in any language.

My blank expression obviously didn’t convey my inner anxiety successfully as the next thing I knew I was seated at the top table, next to one of the world’s top golfers, in front of the world’s golf press. Hoping for reassurance I looked out into the crowd, only to see my colleague Steph grinning and our snapper pointing his lens at me. No comfort there.

The press conference was soon underway and the questions were flying in my direction. With some help from Angel and the realisation that with no other Spanish speakers in the room no one would know if my translations weren’t spot on, it wasn’t quite as bad as I had feared.

Other than feeling very proud of myself for rising to the challenge, the best part was seeing myself quoted on the back page of the nationals. They might have been attributed to Angel, but I knew it was my choice of words and it’s certainly the closest I’ll be to appearing in print for a while.

On a final note, you’ll be pleased to know that I also learnt something from my translation experience. I now know the words for birdie, putter and tee… un birdie, un putter and un tee.

By Kelly Russell on July 23rd, 2008

Tags: Golf, Public relations, Sponsorship, Synergy

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Football these days: it’s all about the bottom line, isn’t it? Transfers, takeovers, salaries and shareholders – more front than back pages risk an overwhelming slide towards fan fatigue. Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of The Football League has always been founded on the brand’s understanding of real fan motivations in 72 communities.

Having just returned from working on the showcase finale to The Football League season, the Coca-Cola Play Offs, I can confirm that it’s an event about clubs, not multinationals; fans, not investors. This year Coke activated it through club-specific advertising and activity at Wembley Stadium, though unlike many brands, it remained mindful of the fact that what matters to supporters is the match itself.

Hull City made it to the Premier League thanks to two local heroes; Donny Rovers overcame the 40,000-strong support from Leeds Utd and Stockport County won at Wembley, at the fifth time of asking.

With all the stats and figures coming out of last weekend’s event: 200,000 attending fans…110,000 matchday programmes sold…£60million at stake…at the Play Offs, the bottom line appears to be simple: heart.

By Jonathan Izzard on May 29th, 2008

Tags: Event management consultants, Event management service, Football, Sponsorship consultancy, Synergy

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A landmark day begins, entirely appropriately, with the launch of our blog. Come in, it’s really rather exciting…

Although we feel incredibly privileged to advise brands on sponsorship for a living, and every day in our business is fascinating, there are some days that you know will be extra special. Today is absolutely one of those, as it’s the start of a new era for us in so many ways.

We’ve just moved into our superb new HQ in 60 Great Portland Street (or “60 GPS” as it’s rapidly becoming known) and there’s a palpable sense of energy and excitement as the eleven companies and 600 people in the Engine Group unite under one roof.

On top of which today also marks our first day as Synergy after twenty-four years as Karen Earl Sponsorship, so there’s an extra-special buzz as we finally unveil our new brand identity and offer after a year of planning.

Having, naturally, revealed Synergy to our two most important audiences first – our people and our clients – we already know that the response is overwhelmingly positive, and that it feels absolutely natural for the brand to evolve, because our business has evolved so much, particularly in recent years.

Two other things about the new brand identity tend to come up. The first is “I can’t believe Synergy was available”. Neither could we! But happily it was, because it brilliantly encapsulates both what we do and how we do it. The second is “How does Karen feel about it?”. Very simple answer: she’s 100% behind it and has been up for a change for years.

There’s also an incredible buzz about our new, enlarged offering, which augments our existing skills in Consultancy , Experiential and Communications with four new services: Branded Content , Digital, Employee Engagement and Sales Promotion.

The new services are partnerships with the Engine companies who specialise in the disciplines involved (respectively Huge, Altogether, Dave and Woo) and have in fact been operating informally since we joined the Engine Group in late 2006. So we’re simply formalising an operating reality – and creating something really groundbreaking that no-one else is close to offering. All good.

So a new chapter begins, and it’s all change - and yet no change. We’ll be staying true to the key principle on which Karen Earl founded the company - never selling sponsorships, meaning that we can guarantee clients impartial, as well as expert, specialist advice – still a very rare commodity in sponsorship. And above all, as I look around, I see what I’ve always seen: great people who love what they do and are very good at it.

Except that there’s a lot more of them!

By Tim Crow on May 27th, 2008

Tags: Branded content, Default, Digital marketing, Employee engagement, Experiential marketing, Public relations, Sales promotion, Sponsorship consultants, Synergy

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