Activations
The Match Against Bullying – Swedbank & the Swedish Football Association
‘The Match Against Bullying’ was a cause-led initiative by the Swedish FA and national stadium sponsor Swedbank, working in tandem with the Friends charity.
Share the Drama, Share the Trophy – Heineken & Uefa
Heineken’s 2017-18 Champions League activation used immersive and experiential content to inspire influencers, fans and media to engage with the drama of the competition.
Patchwork of Dreams – Hummel & the Danish Football Association
Hummel’s pre-2018 Fifa World Cup kit launch with the Danish Football Association (DBU) put the players in shirts belonging to fans.
Europa League Trophy Tour – Kia & Uefa
Between January and July 2019, Kia activated its Uefa Europa League rights with a cause-led initiative that collected unwanted football boots from European fans and donated them to refugees in Jordan.
#ChampionsSofa – Sony & Uefa
Sony boosted the profile of its Xperia smartphones via its 2017-18 Uefa Champions League sponsorship that featured a Gogglebox-style activation called #ChampionsSofa.
Game Changers – ABN Amro & Rotterdam Ahoy
ABN Amro, title sponsor of the Rotterdam Open as the World Tennis Tournament, created a multi-faceted activation that turned 50,000 tennis balls destined for landfill into four products and a playground.
The Hacking Jersey – Cristal & the Peruvian Football Federation
Around Peru’s World Cup 2018 away play-off match against New Zealand, national-team sponsor Cristal ‘hacked’ the opposition team’s shirt so the stadium in Wellington appeared full of away support.
The Dacia Family Project – Dacia & Udinese
In 2015-16’s Dacia Family Project, Udinese and the car brand set out to encourage long-term attendance and loyalty by urging supporters to create a new generation of Udinese fans – literally.
Goals Beyond the Game – Rakuten & FC Barcelona
The 2018 ‘Goals Beyond the Game’ campaign showcased Rakuten and Barcelona’s shared support for the United Nation’s Social Development Goals.
#Mauerfall/Fall of the Wall – Deutsche Bahn & Hertha BSC
Hertha Berlin and sponsor Deutsche Bahn marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a limited-edition shirt and an advertising campaign with the tagline ‘We Do Not Accept Walls’.
#BluesChallenge – Blackwell Global & Everton
Blackwell Global leveraged its assets as Everton’s first Official Brokerage Partner through a player-fronted campaign that engaged traders through a contest incentivized via club-linked prizes.
AR Giant Soccer Player Stunt – Orange & LaLiga
LaLiga media partner Orange teamed up with Google Assistant for an augmented reality stunt at the 2019-20 season opener between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid.
Know No Borders/Bitcoin – Sportsbet.io & Watford
Cryptocurrency sportsbook Sportsbet.io activated its Watford sponsorship through a two-pronged (shirt and sleeve) campaign that set out to simultaneously build its brand and drive awareness of Bitcoin.
Reimagine the Game – Siemens & Bayern Munich
Siemens showcased its data and analytics expertise by recording and visualising the fan energy and emotion of matches at Bayern’s Allianz Arena.
The Great Feyenoord DNA Study – Opel & Feyenoord
‘The Great Feyenoord DNA Study’ of 2018 saw sponsor Opel build data on the the club’s supporters by giving them a chance to understand their devotion to the team by literally studying their DNA.
Healthier, Longer, Better Lives – AIA & Tottenham Hotspur
AIA leveraged its partnership with Tottenham Hotspur to create video content pushing its umbrella corporate commitment to helping people live ‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives’ across Asia-Pacific.
Sponsorship Works 2019
Sponsorship Works 2019 is a best practice casebook across sponsorship planning, execution and measurement
Dacia: the Auction – Dacia & Udinese
Club and sponsor worked with agency Publicis Italia to turn a Serie A match against Lazio into a live auction raising funds for a set of fan causes.
Clench Your Teeth – Dentix & Atlético Madrid
Atléti and its official dental services provider promoted their partnership in 2017-18 with ‘Clench Your Teeth’.
Closer Than You Think – Xylem & Manchester City
Closer Than You Think, the activation of Man City partner Xylem, aimed to drive awareness of and uncover solutions to the planet’s water challenges.
Soundtracking the NBA – UnitedMasters & the NBA
The NBA teamed up with independent music distributor UnitedMasters to use the league’s 1.6bn fanbase as a source of new music discovery.
Purple Cam – BNP Paribas Fortis & RSC Anderlecht
In 2018-19, BNP Paribas Fortis’ season-long ‘Purple Cam’ stadium selfie initiative gave every RSC Anderlecht fan an exclusive photo-led experience within the team’s Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.
PSV Energie – Energiedirect.nl & PSV Eindhoven
Energiedirect.nl created an energy product specifically for fans of PSV Eindhoven to try and drive sales and reduce churn in the region.
Make Believe Happen – Microsoft & the NFL
Make Believe Happen was a multi-channel, multi-phase campaign that ran the length of the 2018-19 NFL season, pushing Microsoft’s Surface products to a wide audience by showing how star player ambassadors use them in their personal lives.