BMW UK, Budweiser, Liberty Insurance and O2 are the shortlisted brands in the Business to Consumer 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 Business to Consumer nominees were entered for the following sponsorship projects: BMW and England Rugby, The FA Cup with Budweiser, Liberty Insurance’s sponsorship of the Gaelic Athletic Association’s major hurling and camogie leagues and O2’s branding of ‘Up at the O2’.
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 fourth of a series of sponsorship profiles across ten award categories, Sports Sponsorship Insider summarises the four Business to Consumer category contenders.
Project: BMW & England Rugby: The Ultimate Performance
Rights holder: RFU
Agency: Synergy
Following carmaker BMW’s highly successful partnership with London 2012, BMW identified rugby as the right sport to grow their sporting involvement and to continue to engage its target audience and dealer partners. As the brand maintains growth in the UK, identifying a new audience ‘sweet spot’ was critical.
BMW UK signed a four-year deal with the RFU becoming ‘The Official Vehicle’ of England Rugby. With Land Rover being the previous vehicle sponsor of England Rugby, it was essential that BMW activated their new partnership robustly and creatively to drive immediate value from the partnership.
Project: The FA Cup with Budweiser
Rights holder: The FA
Agency: Octagon UK
Beer brand Budweiser entered into a three-year title sponsorship of The FA Cup as part of a strategy to build the brand within the UK market. The FA Cup compliments its global portfolio of rights within sport and football in particular. Football within the UK fits the target consumer of the product and The FA Cup fits well with their brand heritage messaging.
Budweiser is governed by a strict set of self-imposed guidelines therefore the sponsorship selection and activation needed to take this into account when looking at targets and activation mechanics.
Project: Liberty Insurance sponsorship of the GAA All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship; Liberty Insurance Senior, Intermediate & Junior Camogie Championships
Rights holder: Gaelic Athletic Association
Agency: Onside / WHPR/Rothco /Mediaworks
In May 2013, Liberty Insurance became the first sponsor to bring together Ireland’s two oldest field games: hurling (a male sport) and camogie (a female sport) in a ground-breaking sponsorship.
The campaign positioned hurling and camogie on a equal platform, allowing the brand to achieve stand out in a cluttered market, while bolstering the image of Liberty Insurance (part of a global insurer), as committed to the Irish market and understanding the passion of the Irish for sport. The sponsorships delivered a return on business objectives, driving sales and quote volumes.
Project: Up at The O2
Rights holder: AEG
Title: Pd3
O2 has invested heavily in its sponsorship of The O2 but the London Olympic Games Organising Committee’s brand blackout during London 2012 created a problem – how to maintain brand visibility when all eyes were on London?
AEG came to O2 with a new rooftop experience that would not be subject to the same restrictions. In July 2012, O2 and AEG launched ‘Up at The O2’, the chance to climb The O2 itself and be part a brand experience that built an emotional connection beyond music.