Activations

For the behind-closed-doors 2020 British Grand Prix, F1 global beer partner Heineken promoted its 0.0% brand via an immersive activation for local health workers.

Mid-pandemic, in July 2020, Bank of America shifted its MLB activation from awareness to focus on a social good campaign supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The North America Activation Casebook is a round up of the best and most innovative sponsorship activation campaigns from the US & Canada in the past 12 months. Read it now

Uber Eats used a five-step, anthem-led activation to leverage its sponsorship of French football club Marseille on its return to the Champions League in October 2020.

In 2020, Hyundai Canada introduced a fresh strand in its ongoing ‘Made for Those Who Drive Hockey’ platform when it teamed up with special needs ice hockey club Ottawa Bandits to connect with Canadian families on a more emotional level.

In December 2020, Covid-19 prevented Dutch football fans from watching their teams in-person, so PSV sponsor energiedirect.nl pivoted to a virtual strategy to launch its annual club Christmas sweater.

In February 2021, Toyota USA leveraged its Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic rights through a Super Bowl LV campaign starring 13-time Paralympic medallist Jessica Long.

When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed in March 2020, COC retail and apparel partner Hudson’s Bay Company pivoted its 2020 Olympic Collection activation into an integrated ‘Canada Day Games’ campaign.

Through a social media partnership with French retailer Boulanger, built around a Facebook Collaborative Ads campaign, white goods company Beko leveraged its FC Barcelona rights to boost online sales 39 per cent in Autumn 2020.

Mid-2021, Women’s National Basketball Association sponsor CarMax ran a series of ads marking the league’s 25th anniversary – featuring basketball star Sue Bird – that went viral and drove attention around the issue of gender bias in sports.

In summer 2020, auto brand Cupra launched a global campaign to promote the launch of its new Formentor model, fronted by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

For the summer 2020 resumption of MLS, Heineken trailed its 0.0 no-alcohol beer by offering US soccer fans a ‘Stadium in a Box’ giveaway on Twitter.

In late 2019, HSBC kicked off its Tottenham Hotspur activations with a campaign celebrating the club’s women’s team’s first season in the FA Women’s Super League.

In May 2020, Canadian broadcasters Sportsnet and TVA Sports aired ‘Hockey 24’, a branded documentary by Canadian bank and ice hockey sponsor Scotiabank that continued the trend toward brand-funded features.

Ria Money Transfer tasked agency Sra Rushmore to create a celebratory activation in February 2021 telling the story of legendary Madrid hairdresser Wizarchy, whose journey from the Dominican Republic to Spain reinforces the values of everyday hard work and perseverance.