Danske Bank, Schwarzkopf LIVE Color XXL, the Ice Age movie franchise and SAP are the shortlisted brands in the “Business to Consumer – Low Budget (Under €500,000)” category for the 2013 ESA Excellence Awards to be decided this month.
The ESA Excellence Awards, organised by the European Sponsorship Association, recognise excellence within the sponsorship industry across Europe.
The nominees were entered for the following sponsorship projects: Danske Bank’s volunteer recognition programme as part of its Danish national football team sponsorship, Schwarzkopf’s Live Color XXL’s partnership with girl band Little Mix and radio station Capital FM, Ice Age 4’s sponsorship of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and SAP’S sponsorship of the Kieler Woche sailing regatta.
The winners of the 2013 ESA Excellence Awards, of which Sports Sponsorship Insider is a partner, will be announced at the Awards Ceremony and Dinner to be held in London on January 29, 2014.
Below, in the third of a series of sponsorship profiles across eleven award categories, Sports Sponsorship Insider summarises the Business to Consumer – Low Budget (Under €500,000) category contenders.
Project: Danske Bank’s 100 Volunteers
Rights holder: Danish Football Association
Agency: MEC Access
Danske Bank’s existing sponsorship of the Danish national football team was used to launch a football volunteer recognition programme which aimed to position the bank positively at a local level.
The programme called for applications from local football clubs to enter their volunteers for a place among the country’s “100 best football volunteers”. The winners were notified by a surprise visit from the local Danske Bank branch manager, along with a local journalist, at their place of volunteer work.
The winners received a sponsor package for their club and a VIP invitation for the Denmark versus Italy World Cup qualifier.
Project: Little Mix / Schwarzkopf LIVE Color XXL
Rights holders: Capital FM, Little Mix Management, Sony Music, Modest Management
Agency: MEC Access
Based on audience research, hair colouring brand Schwarzkopf’s Live Color XXL dispensed with traditional advertising solutions in favour of a multi-channel partnership with girl-band Little Mix. Known for their eye-catching and individual style choices, the partnership with Little Mix – and radio station Capital FM – provided an opportunity to reach and engage key teen audiences. Live Color XXL products were placed in a Little Mix video. The campaign outperformed expectations, delivering 28 million video views and counting.
Project: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland meets Ice Age 4
Rights holder PWR Events (Hyde Park Winter Wonderland)
Agency: brandmeetsbrand (Rights Holder agency) PS Live Global (Sponsor Agency)
Animated film Ice Age 4 sponsored London’s largest outdoor ice rink at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, 2012, to create awareness around the DVD release of Ice Age 4: Continental Drift. The aim was to engage with family audiences over the Christmas period, prompting gift sales.
brandmeetsbrand’s client Hyde Park Winter Wonderland provided a well-aligned launch platform, given its scale and association with Christmas and family entertainment. ‘The Ice Age 4 Ice Rink’ included full branding of the ice rink and marquee, and extensive marketing benefits.
Project: SAP at Kieler Woch
Rights holder Kieler Woche
Agency: Experience Worldwide
As a premium sponsor of Kieler Woche (KW), the world's largest Sailing Regatta, SAP helped the organisers of the event through a series of technology innovations designed to help sailors improve their own performances, fans track races and understand decision making on the water, and media gather and deliver real-time results.
At this year’s event (June 22 – 30, 2013), SAP built on its previous technology platforms with the development of the SAP Live Center, a digital hub attached to the official website designed to bring fans and media even closer to the action by providing up-to-date results and race highlights in both German and English.