As part of corporations sponsoring sports teams and associations they also gain the rights to use a range of elements the companies own. One of the best ways to get the highest use out of these is through sponsorship activation campaigns. These are tactical activities that help to exploit marketing rights to the fullest and result in high consumer reach and engagement.
Many organisations have taken advantage of this marketing and fan engagement tool. Here is a list of some of the top activations which not only gained significant reach but also raised the image and platform of these sponsors and clubs.
Samsung Slider
Samsung has been a key technology partner as the RFU and England Rugby team’s consumer electronics, smartphone partner and official home technology partner for the last three years. As part of this, Samsung aimed to enhance the passion of consumers in meaningful ways to innovate technology. To reach this aim the corporation launched the Samsung Slider to bring fans closer to the action.
Not only was Samsung building awareness to their brand they also worked to bridge the gap between the mainstream audience and the HSBC London Sevens which is a relative niche sporting event. As a way to maximise reach, the targeted campaign worked with a range of YouTube Influencers as well as tech media to help showcase the activation through organic content distribution. There was also a consumer competition which ran as part of the campaign called ‘Stop the Slider. Giving members of the public a chance to experience a game of Rugby Sevens and a seat on the slider. The activation was a hit with over 12 million impressions being generated online and 2.3 million total content views.
Hyundai: Football Heaven Dome
In 2016 Hyundai produced an activation for football fans to experience the UEFA EURO 2016. The final product created one of the best football atmospheres this side of the channel. For the 30 days the tournament run for during June and July, the Hyundai FanDome provided fans with a one of a kind experience to watch the EURO’s in central London. With the use of a range of technological innovations which made the experience multisensory, it offered fans a way to get involved in a variety of activities whilst watching the matches. With 4-metre high screens which provided a 360 Degree view platform within – the dome developed into a fan extravaganza and the perfect place to watch and build competitive spirit for your countries team. This activation attracted thousands of visitors and influencers which included Vinnie Jones and YouTube stars.
Europcar Cup
To activate their sponsorship of Arsenal Football Club, Europcar worked with Snack Media to develop a multi-platform digital media campaign. Through the use of social media platforms and the rights to the pitch – the Europcar Cup was developed. Fans and followers entered video clips of themselves playing football, this lead on to trials and a final Football FanCast team to face YouTube influencer team Hashtag United at the Emirates Stadium. Coverage went out via a variety of Arsenal influencers as well as a full game video being shown on Hashtag United and Spencer FC YouTube channels to help raise awareness. Video content received more than 800,000 views with a campaign reach of over 6.7 Million. This campaign helped raise brand awareness and consumer engagement to reflect Europcar’s leading market position and their sponsorship as Arsenal’s official car and van rental partner.
NFL on Regent Street
The award-winning NFL on Regent Street returned once again this year on one of London’s busiest shopping streets for a day-long celebration of American Football. Attracting thousands of supporters from all around the UK and Europe this activation is used to help build awareness for the International Series. Fan highlights included seeing the players and coaches on stage, interviews with NFL legends, musical acts and performances by team cheerleaders. Other activities included the NFL Lab which helped build fan involvement. Here you were able to discover how you measured up against a professional American Football player through seeing how well you could throw the ball or kick a field goal. The NFL on Regent Street is a perfect example of a corporation running an activation campaign successfully. Not only has this managed to become an event synonymous with the lead up to the NFL International Series it has helped to build the awareness of American Football in the UK and Worldwide.
It’s vitally important companies take full advantage of the rights they gain from sponsoring sports organisations. Not only does it alert a potentially new demographic of your partnership with the club/association but it also boosts their position in their native market.
