Coming all the way from the far reaches of the universe (well, Toronto, Canada), I thought hockey fans were the be-all end-all of extreme and die-hard sports fans.

That is, until I came to the UK and realized that soccer (er, football) fans here take the meaning of ‘devoted sports fan’ to a whole new level. (Even the most fervent of Canadian hockey fans can still sit in the same stadium side by side without having to have police act as human barriers – seemingly to avoid any potentially fatal expressions of allegiance to their team…)

And so I was led to believe, in my six months in living here, that football is England’s sport, and the Brits are in loyally monogamous relationships with their respective football teams.

So, when I was given the assignment of promoting the Super Bowl here in the UK, I thought we may have a considerable task on our hands. But I quickly learnt about the very real (and growing) fan base for the sport here. American football fans, here in the UK? You bet. A lot of them.

Of course we were helped in our cause by the ten very crucial assets at our disposal: the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders.

Initially, we had planned a full 5-day trip on this side of the pond, jam-packed with television and radio interviews promoting the game and coaching appearances at primary schools in London and Birmingham to showcase NFL cheerleading to a whole new generation of fans. But unfortunately Mother Nature was in a sour mood for Super Bowl weekend and plagued Indiana with the worst ice storms the state has seen in over two decades.

After two unsuccessful attempts to board their London-bound flights, the girls finally made it over to Heathrow late Friday night. When I met the girls at 6:15am Saturday morning in the lobby of their hotel, I was expecting to be greeted by a group of (understandably) bleary-eyed and jet-lagged individuals.

However, much to my surprise, the girls were all smiles and raring to go, regardless of the fact that it was still before dawn and they had just spent the previous day travelling from Indianapolis to Washington to London. The girls even sang a hearty ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of their squad, Erin, who just so happened to be celebrating her 23rd birthday on that day.

As the first five girls departed for Sky Sports studios at 6:30am sharp, they were met by the Sky Sports crew for their first UK media appearance: Soccer AM. After a few short rehearsals, the girls put on a live performance for the Sky Sports breakfast show viewers, and answered various questions, ranging from what the life of a professional cheerleader entails to the standard enquiries about their current romantic status… After which, three of the girls were escorted to the Sky NFL Studios, where they put on a skit to be filmed and aired as the intro to the Super Bowl show on Sunday night.

Then the girls were all back on the bus, heading straight for Walkers Stadium in Leicester, where they were due to cheer on a different ball game: Leicester FC v Barnsley FC. There, they were reunited with the rest of the squad who had had headed straight for Leicester, stopping off at the local BBC Radio Leicester studios for a live interview with the host of the midday show.

The girls went down a storm at the Walkers Stadium. I am pretty confident that all 22,667 in attendance at the stadium forgot all about their hunger and the need for a fresh pint, remaining in their seats for the entirety of the half-time as the girls blew the crowd away with their performance.

And to top things off, the Leicester City Football Club organized a surprise for our birthday girl Erin, as they called her out onto the field and had the entire stadium sing her happy birthday and presented her with an LCFC jersey with her name and number 23 on the back. The girls were given the treat of watching the rest of the game from the luxury of the Executive box.

The next day was the real highlight of the girls’ trip: their 3 performances at the NFL’s annual Super Bash party at Indigo2, in London’s O2 Arena. (Tip for any girls: NFL is especially worth your while given that, as the crowds flowed into the Indig02, the guy to girl ratio was easily 20:1…).

Sky’s and BBC’s Neil Reynolds and former BBC Radio 5 Live sports man Arlo White hosted the pre-game show, with the entire crowd erupting into hoots and howls at the mention of the cheerleaders coming to the stage. When the girls came on for their first performance, two fans standing in the front row literally dropped their beers onto the floor in awe. As supportive shouts of “Cheerleaders! Cheerleaders!” grew each time they came on and off the stage, it was clear that the girls stole the pregame show.

I think it’s safe to say that all in attendance will be doing anything they can to get their hands on tickets for next year’s Super Bash!

If this entire experience has taught me one thing, it is to never underestimate the power of a group of very pretty, talented, and energetic girls who genuinely adore the sport they so passionately support. And if their loyal following can help attract and grow support for the game, then they are welcome back any time. Roll on the 2011 season!

By Melissa Oberman on March 1st, 2011

Tags: American football, NFL, Sport

2 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

The NFL’s Super Bowl is prime material for us marketing folks. Granted, a number of us love the actual football being played on the field, but a huge majority are even more excited by the entertainment during the time outs. And I’m not talking pom poms and dancing girls (fans of the cheerleaders though we are at Synergy…).

In advertising terms, Super Bowl is prime real estate. The most expensive ad spots in the world offer brands the chance to reach 111 million U.S. viewers – this year all watching on FOX – with the price tag reaching up to $100,000 per second. Yes, that’s right, per second. Between $2.5 and $3 million for a 30 second ad spot. Phew.

This is a sporting event that so embraces its sponsors and advertisers that a whole section of the NFL website is dedicated to showcasing that ads that run throughout the programming. So ingrained is the element of entertainment to the action on the field.

Expectedly brands go all out in preparation for this miniature slice of branded entertainment. So much so, that this year, we saw adverts advertising adverts. For real. Non US-based fans were obviously bereft of this fervent marketing build-up, but trusty BrandChannel was on hand to give us regular updates of the preview ‘teaser’ ads (and then later the actual adverts) as they became available on screen and online.

These teasers ran across Network TV (presumably not just FOX) in the build up to last weekend’s clash at the Cowboys Stadium, building anticipation for the actual 30 second spot that would run in one of the many time outs during the game.

The most effective of these thas to be the Bridgestone ‘Reply All’ and ‘Carma’ spots, both of which I just loved:

Bridgestone, official tire sponsor of the NFL, carried its Super Bowl website URL at the end of each spot where viewers can catch the full versions of the final ads – should they not have tuned in to the big game.

2011 was certainly the year of the car, with Chevy, Audi, VW and BMW all taking a spot. Quite a cluttered marketplace. On entertainment value alone, VW’s mini Darth Vader seem to deliver the most buzz online with Contagious Magazine reporting how, three days before the big game, the video went from 100,000 views to over 1,000,000 in the first couple hours – hitting 5.3 million after the first day. But did the cute factor do more to shift children’s Darth Vader costumes than actual cars?

The spot that seemed to attract the biggest UK media commentary, was the U.S. XFactor trails. Given the UK love affair with Cowell and Cole, it is possibly not surprising. Cowell took centre stage in the dramatic 30 second spot – which again was touted as having close to a $3m price tag.

No Super Bowl would be complete without a beer or two, and Bud Light probably took the crown for the most entertaining execution – seeing a bunch of bored office workers go to extreme lengths to get their hands on a six pack (the office setting seems a popular choice for football marketing, given Reebok’s brilliant Terry Tate/Office Linebacker campaign from several years back).

And then there was Glee. The hit US TV show bagged the much-coveted post-Super Bowl TV slot on FOX, evidence (if it were needed) of its immense popularity and cult following. Interwoven into this year’s Glee Super Bowl extravaganza was Chevrolet. The uber-American car brand – one of GM‘s stable, themselves an official NFL sponsor – have actually bagged themselves a deal with Glee, in addition to their NFL partnership.

This all beautifully dove-tailed on Super Bowl night, with a Glee/Chevy ad spot – at once a trailer for the show and the car – and positioning both as integral to the entertainment of Super Bowl night. Branded content meets sponsorship meets advertising. All in one glorious explosive, all-singing, all-dancing package:

These provide just a snapshot of the 50 adverts that aired last Sunday. So perhaps it is no wonder that you hear of some U.S. viewers nipping out of the room to the bathroom, or to the bar for beers during plays in order not to miss the adverts. The NFL Super Bowl is a world where the advertising becomes central to the evening’s entertainment and fuels the pre-game build up – especially amongst a wider fan base – more than any sporting preview analysis can.

There may be talk of the death of advertising, but on this particular playing field, an audience of 111 million is pretty difficult to argue with.

By Lucie Bartlett on February 9th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, American football, Branded content, Broadcast sponsorship, Cheryl Cole, NFL, Television, Television audiences

No comments

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

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

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

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

Graeme McDowell checks out his Ballantine's Championship blend

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

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

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

Powerade ambassador Jessica Ennis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bupa Ambassador Mo Farah

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

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

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

By Stephanie Branston on November 12th, 2010

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

11 comments

Following our previous NFL update with the great Mayor of London, the excitement of the NFL in London only increased last week, climaxing with Sunday’s fourth International Series game at Wembley Stadium.

49ers Running Back Brian Westbrook rushes through the Denver defence

Team Synergy turned out for the match in full force to assist on all PR duties on the day, enjoying the pre-match Tailgate party, spending more time with our favourite supermodel and 49ers superfan Marisa Miller, and, personally, finding it more than a bit difficult to navigate the maze that is Wembley stadium.

NFL fans were greeted at Wembley's Tailgate party by a giant reconstruction of San Francisco's famous Golden Gate bridge

We knew the 49ers would be big guys but seriously...

Taking our privileged places on the sidelines as the game began, the full pomp of the NFL was there to see (and hear - rockers My Chemical Romance made sure of that) in all its glory. Mo Farah and Ben Ainslie fulfilled their Honorary Captain roles with panache, and the Gold Rush cheerleaders delighted the crowd – despite the chilly and rainy conditions, and the fact that their time in London had been packed with various media engagements and gruelling rehearsals, the smiles did not leave their faces.

I may not be the blogger to turn to for detailed match analysis (try here instead) but I was absolutely amazed by the spectacle that is American football. The aim had been to make this feel like a home game for the 49ers, who were sacrificing a regular season home game to play at Wembley, and by all accounts it was a goal well and truly achieved.

Aside from the 49ers flags that adorned every single seat at Wembley on game day, it was in the post-game press conference, that the players’ own impressions came to the fore. Troy Smith, Frank Gore and my personal favourite Takeo Spikes all testified to how welcome they felt over here. It seems the close quarters in which they operated in London, being so far from home, helped the team bond in a way they had not experienced since training camp.

Spikes even said “I’d come back here every year, to be honest with you”. But don’t take our word for it, watch what he has to say about London below:

(During the press conference, he did go on to reference “the ladies of London” as one of the reasons his time over here had been so enjoyable and memorable, so clearly the attractions of London were many and varied…)

Looking back at our whole weekend, Saturday’s 49ers Pep Rally (London’s first) undeniably contributed to the partisanship of the crowd at Wembley the following day. Over 38,000 NFL fans – old and new – turned up at Trafalgar Square on Saturday to show their support, watching performances from the Gold Rush cheerleaders, 49ers Drumline, dance troupe Flawless and appearances from NFL legends including our friend Jerry Rice.

As if the enthusiastic flag-waving and chanting inside Wembley stadium wasn’t enough, Jerry Rice, the 49ers legend, has led calls this week for a London franchise, and with the enthusiasm for NFL reaching such heights in the capital, it seems this is not an unimaginable possibility. But until then, we have the 2010 memories to keep our heads in the game…

NFL 49ers fan and supermodel Marisa Miller turns her attentions to Synergy's Simon during a photoshoot

Synergy's Jess takes up position as an honorary Soccer AM Soccerette backstage after the 49ers Gold Rush appearance on the show

Spot the non-Olympian: Lucie tries (unsuccessfully) to gain a third Honorary Captain position between Denver's Mo Farah and San Francisco's Ben Ainslie

The BBC's Blue Peter presenters Andy & Joel were chaperoned onto the sidelines by Steph - all to be revealed on the show on November 8th!

By Jessica Enoch on November 3rd, 2010

Tags: American football, BBC, NFL, PR, Public relations, Sport

No comments

NFL cheerleaders from Tampa Bay at Wembley last October

The team at Synergy Towers is currently emersing themselves in a healthy dose of Americana. We’re gearing up for the annual NFL International Series fixture at Wembley at the end of this month and all the excitement that game week brings.

We have a growing guest-list of American folks flying over to support the fixture including the legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, celebrity 49ers fan and Victoria’s Secret supermodel, Marisa Miller and, of course the entire company of 49ers cheerleaders, the Gold Rush.

We have worked with NFL cheerleaders for the last 3 years and this year they are arriving at a time where cheerleading is making headlines in the UK. Two weeks ago, a news story ran throughout our national press, presenting the latest statistics that show cheerleading has become the fastest growing physical activity picked up by school P.E. departments across the UK. Naturally, this has been met with some opposition. And largely, unfortunately bred by ignorance.

In a nation of growing obesity, where the inactivity of our children regularly hits the headlines, one would think the discovery of a discipline that engages children in this way would be celebrated. Apparently not. Long-standing has been the debate over whether cheerleading can be deemed a ‘sport’. But yesterday, in a strongly voiced opinion piece for The Guardian, Victoria Coren made her position on the point crystal clear. And in defence of six years spent in competitive cheer, I felt moved to respond.

US squad Hurricanes performs at this year's World Championships

For me, focusing on the sport question tends to overlook the inherent values of the discipline, but more on that later. For now, let’s entertain the harshest critics for a moment and deal with the debate at hand, which requires two distinct definitions: firstly, which section of cheerleading is being referred to and secondly, the definition of sport being put forward.

Let’s talk about sport for a moment. The Olympic Games, generally considered the ultimate global representation of sporting excellence, makes a discernment between sports (a single or group of sports represented by an international federation) and disciplines (multiple events that can fall under the same sporting umbrella). Thus Aquatics is a sport, fielding activities in the disciplines, swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo.

Now, I am not for one moment purporting that cheerleading should be made an Olympic sport (or, for that matter, convinced that synchronized swimming should be classed as such either). But take a closer look at the IOC’s catalogue and you will find that not only is Gymnastics and its three disciplines (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline) on the official list of Olympic sports, but that ‘Dance Sport’, while not included in the Olympic program is fully recognized by the IOC and therefore could be added to the Olympic program at any given time if sufficiently supported by IOC membership vote.

What I am certain of is that competitive cheerleading represents the ultimate combination of Dance Sport and Gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and, given the impact of a sprung floor on which all competitions are held, arguably trampoline). Just take a look at the most recent World Championship holders (for the fourth year in a row) and see if you disagree:

And this brings us to our second definition – what sector of cheerleading are we considering here? The competitive squads like the Stingray Allstars above are a different kettle of fish entirely to the NFL dancer cheerleaders who bring glitz and sizzle to the football sidelines every Sunday and Monday night. But both have their value – on and off the field of performance. The point of the NFL girls on game day is to entertain the crowd – by their own admission they are first and foremost dancers – and do not enter into the gymnastic stunts of competitive cheer.

However, not even NFL cheerleaders should be cast aside with the aspersions so forthcoming from the British press. NFL cheerleaders are a combined force of college students and professionals who give up their evenings, weekends and annual holidays to support their football team, fund raise for charity events, promote local businesses, teach cheer camps to local kids, entertain the forces abroad and promote their game around the world. Quite apart from the commitment to honed athleticism and the upkeep of physical excellence that is required to keep their appearance and performance up to the standard required.

NFL cheerleaders, New Orleans' Saintsations, visit Kandahar Airfield in 2009

Whether their activities combined could be deemed a sport? Even I find that hard to argue. But to focus solely on the ‘ass-shaking’ of their poms in scantily clad costumes and over-sexualised dance numbers, is an easy observation to make, but is also a crass devaluation of their role and responsibilities.

But when it comes to the competitive cheerleading that I know so well, it is an entirely different story. It is a form of cheerleading that, sadly, seems to have escaped the research of most British journalists currently writing on the subject. I have seen firsthand this incredible discipline inspire thousands of youngsters to dedicate years of their lives to routines that display such athletic excellence – in the quite astonishing synchronisation of gymnastics and dance – that arguing the case for it to be classed a sport is, frankly, a pretty easy task.

Of course, British sensationalist press, the narrow-minded opinions formed from limited exposure to American high-school movies and a British viewpoint partial to condescension of our American cousins for their brash lack of culture means it is all too easy to make the ‘boots and hot pants’ picture the prevailing image of the cheer world. There follows the outrage of parents who (rightly so) find the concept of their child being taught to shake their booty in hotpants and boots quite horrendous. As would I, were that what was being taught in schools. Obviously, it isn’t.

And therein lies the problem, wrought by stereotype and informed by press exposure of the most commonly portrayed ‘cheerleader’ – that we overlook the athletic, competitive form that can indeed be classed as a sport.

Were these folks to turn up to any one of the several weekly training sessions of a UK cheer squad – national champions AEC a primary case in point – they would see a rather different world. Children who happily sacrifice listless evenings in front of the TV, weekends at the local park with friends; not to mention their adult coaching staff who volunteer their own spare time to inspire them – all in the name of athletic excellence.

AEC were selected to perform at last year's NFL game at Wembley

Perhaps the solution is to take a lead from the IOC, deeming cheerleading as a whole to be a discipline, but discerning the divisions that fall within it – the sport, the competitive/gymnastic cheer (the likes of AEC and the Stingrays), and then the pom dance (the NFL variety) – a system of division that already effectively provides the structure for cheer competitions all over the country.

Cheerleading teaches teamwork, trust and commitment and gives them a cause to focus on, learning that with enough dedication and practice, great outcomes can be achieved. And with this, combined with the tough athletic program that cheerleading requires, what more could we want to teach our kids?

* To find out more about UK cheerleading – in schools, universities and beyond – visit BCA, UKCA and Future Cheer.

* And head down to Trafalgar Square on 30th October to see the 49ers Gold Rush in action ahead of the NFL International Series at Wembley on 31st.

By Lucie Bartlett on October 6th, 2010

Tags: American football, Olympics, The Arts

1 comment

Lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret yesterday launched their take on NFL merchandise with a brand new collection from their PINK range.

The partnership sees two very different brands come together to provide the NFL‘s female audience base with some cute apparel, bringing new customers to the VS PINK brand, and introducing NFL colours into the wardrobes of PINK customers all over the U.S. Everybody wins.

Forever a fan of the VS PINK range, and always on the look-out for cute girlified NFL wear, this was pretty exciting news for my Wednesday morning.

It turns out that two of the lovely VS Angels premiered a couple of pieces back in April, providing some welcome entertainment for the players and entourages in attendance at the NFL Draft at Radio City in New York. And yesterday, the full collection launched online and in store.

The VS deal covers 13 teams from the NFL: Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers.

The PINK brand has always had a huge presence in the social media space, with very active Twitter and Facebook portals, and they maximised the use of this in building buzz for the collection’s launch. On Tuesday, the day before the big launch, in Draft-like fashion each team that had been chosen as part of the range was unveiled gradually over the course of the day between 9am and 9pm, and announced with an image on the Facebook page. Each of the 13 images generated thousands of ‘like’s and hundreds of comments in a matter of hours.

As always, the brand is pretty difficult to purchase in the U.K. and I should imagine it is unlikely that the NFL collection will reach the few concessions that do retail over here. A shame, given the hard work that the NFL is doing to develop and grow its international fan-base. In recent years,VS has been able to offer international shipping (starting at $30 for UK customers) but you’re better off hitting up your U.S. buddies to do a bit of personal shopping on your behalf.

Though sadly, not one of our adopted NFL ‘home’ teams over here have had their franchise picked up. For the past 3 years, the big NFL party has come to London town in October offering us a regular season game at Wembley; this year is no different with the San Francisco 49ers generously offering us one of their home fixtures as they take on the Denver Broncos on October 31st. While VS PINK has developed the Broncos’ colours into their range, the 49ers were not included. Neither were the Dolphins, the Saints or the Bucs.

That aside, I was still first in line for a browse. Game on.

Supermodels Behati Prinsloo and Candice Swanepoel stopped by the NFL Draft back in April to walk the red carpet and preview the new collection (thejetsetgirls.com)

By Lucie Bartlett on August 5th, 2010

Tags: American football, Brand marketing, Digital marketing, Fashion, NFL, Social Media, Sport

2 comments

Without making sweeping generalisations, there is a culture in many parts of the US where bigger is better.  This was highlighted recently by the Dallas Cowboys when they launched their all singing all dancing stadium replay screen.

Gone are the days when you need to take your glasses to watch live sport…the screen at the Cowboys’ stadium weighs in at 60 yards long by 71 foot high, thus in effect making it the world’s largest high definition television screen.  However, the bragging rights from having this colossal TV are somewhat diminished by the lack of planning put into the screen’s placement.

In the Cowboys pre-season friendly against the Titans, the Titans punter Craig Hentrich hit the giant screen hanging 90ft above field level on more than one occasion and commented “I don’t know what the people were thinking. I guess they should have tested things out before they put that thing in place. It’ll have to be raised.”

Having already spent £1.5 billion on the Stadium, the Cowboys owner Jerry Jones disagreed with the issue, stating “How high is high if somebody just wants to sit there and kick straight up? You gotta be trying to do it. The rule is very clear. You just kick it again.”

If I were a betting man I would put a punt on the screen being raised before the start of the season!

By Simon Roche on September 10th, 2009

Tags: Default

No comments

I really like the thinking behind Procter & Gamble’s new deal with the NFL, which sees an array of 13 brands in the P&G portfolio become ’Official Locker Room Products’ of America’s dominant sport. P&G’s own comments about the deal also reveal a very interesting insight into the consumer products giant’s new commitment to sports marketing.      

What do I like about the deal? Two things in particular.

First, creating a new, customised category around P&G’s products is seriously smart.  It’s been done before of course – GE’s Olympics deal, Sony’s FIFA deal – but nothing wrong with that. For a house of brands like P&G, the commercial benefits – marketing synergies and retail efficiencies in particular – are immense. Crucially too, P&G’s ‘Locker Room’ play works as a consumer message – not to be underestimated, as so often these type of ‘official’ tags have absolutely no consumer meaning.

Second, playing the NFL to Mom. An odd choice you might say, given that P&G’s products are mainly purchased by women, and that the NFL audience is 66% male. That 33% female audience for the NFL is still huge of course -  estimated at around 94 million by Nielsen. But the key is, Mom doesn’t just buy for herself: she buys for the family. And if a consuming family passion is the NFL – which it absolutely is in the US – then connecting P&G’s products to that family passion is absolutely on the money.

“And let’s not forget” added NFL Marketing SVP Mark Waller today “that more women watch the Super Bowl than watch the Academy Awards”. 

Not convinced? Then consider Gatorade: a brand which went from niche sports drink to mass-market everyday family drink, primarily bought by Mom, by leveraging above all its NFL credentials, in a partnership which endures to this day. And while you’re at it, on the same theme you might also want to consider Gillette - owned by P&G since 2005 of course – which is most famous for its sports marketing.

Which brings me to P&G’s new commitment to sports marketing. In the news around the NFL deal, P&G’s Jason Dial was quoted as follows:

“When we aquired Gillette [in 2005], we found out how much of a role sports marketing could play…Gillette created the winning principles of sports marketing to our broader portfolio.”

I wonder whether other consumer products companies - hitherto oddly under-represented in sports sponsorship – will follow suit?

One thing’s for sure: with big investors like the financial services and auto categories cutting back, and with supply far outstripping demand, there’s never been a better time.  After all, the audience is still there, and still just as passionate - ask Mom.

By Tim Crow on August 5th, 2009

Tags: Default, New Product Development, NFL

2 comments

While football fans brace themselves for yet another drawn-out summer of incredulous transfer speculation, credit has to go to Portuguese bank Banco Espirito Santo for capitalising on the ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo ‘will he? won’t he?’ saga.

In an advertising campaign destined to further anger Sir Alex Ferguson, the ever on-the-ball Football365’s Mediawatch, has spotted the Manchester United star grinning away above the slogan ‘Where will I be in three years? I don’t know, but my money will be here.’

While you have to admire the sheer audacity of Ronaldo (he really doesn’t care who he upsets does he?), it made me think; why don’t more brands use transfers and the transfer window in particular as an opportunity to speak to a captive football audience?

Whereas most footballers will be sunning themselves on the beaches of Europe or the Caribbean this summer, the majority of football fans will still be glued to Sky Sports News round-the-clock coverage or scanning The Sun on a daily basis for stories of their best player stating his undying allegiance to their club, before moving for an undisclosed record fee the next day. If you want loyalty, buy a dog as they say!

So while the football season is now officially over, our desire for unabated news of even the most trivial detail related to our club’s dealings in the transfer market knows no bounds.

The relevance and potential of this territory is something that US brands capitalised upon years ago. The furore that surrounds the build up to the drafts of the NFL, NBA, MLB and even the NHL is all supported by an array of brands looking to tap into the fevered interest in off-season activity.

Seasoned rumour mongers Real Madrid were also more than aware of the benefits they could deliver to their own commercial partners when they signed David Beckham in the 2003 transfer window. On arrival in Madrid, Beckham was driven from the airport to his medical check-up, to sign his contract, to his official presentation all in a brand new Audi.

The impact was so great that Jesus Gasanz, the president of Audi in Spain said: “The international exposure our company received in that brief period was so immense that our three-year investment in the club was repaid — and several times over — right there.”

Yet despite this supporting evidence the majority of football sponsors still appear to go into hibernation over the summer months, once the seasons over and the window is open. It all seems like a missed opportunity to me.

But don’t take my word for it, just ask Jesus himself!

By Paul Whitehead on June 8th, 2009

Tags: Advertising, David Beckham, Football, Football Sponsorship, Manchester United, Media, NFL, Sponsorship

No comments