Audi, British Gas, GE and Prudential are the shortlisted brands in the “Business to Employee” 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 Employee nominees were entered for employee activations around the following sponsorship projects: the Audi Cup pres-season football tournament, British Gas SwimsBritain, GE and British Triathlon and the Prudential RideLondon cycling events.
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 sixth of a series of sponsorship profiles across ten award categories, Sports Sponsorship Insider summarises the four Business to Employee category contenders.
Project: The Audi Cup
Rights holder: Audi
Agency: brands and emotions GmbH (Lead agency)
The biennial Audi Cup has developed over the years from 2009 to 2013 into an internationally recognised marketing platform. German carmaker Audi designs and manages the platform independently and assumes responsibility for its success, while at the same time ensuring the almost complete refinancing of the project.
The involvement of the employees and a variety of Audi departments, from design to human resources, was the most important goal in 2013. They were not only involved in the activation and ticket promotion, but also in the Volunteer Programme, including being a part of the official opening show.
Project: British Gas SwimBritain
Rights holder: British Gas
Agency: N/A
British Gas, the principal partner of British Swimming since 2009, has helped 30,000 children learn to swim through the company’s “Pools for Schools” initiative. In 2013, British Gas launched SwimBritain, a team relay challenge aimed at getting half a million people swimming more regularly by 2015.
British Gas SwimBritain is an employee-only incarnation of the team relay challenge. The aim was to engage employees in the British Swimming sponsorship and raise money for a charity partner. This year, 11 SwimBritain events took place on one day in June 2013. In total, 1,866 employees and their families took part.
Project: GE Me, My Site & Tri
Rights holder: British Triathlon
Agency: IMG Consulting
In 2012, GE ended their third and final year as title sponsor of the British Triathlon Elite Team. In 2013, due to budget restrictions, GE re-signed as the Official Healthcare Technology Supplier.
The sole focus of the sponsorship in 2013 was to acquire rights and assets to deliver a successful employee engagement programme and use triathlon to inspire GE employees to live more active and healthier lives. Employees of all abilities were encouraged to track the distance they swam, cycled and ran each week and were given the chance to sign up to one of 20 mass-participation events across the UK.
Project: Prudential RideLondon
Rights holder: The London & Surrey Cycling Partnership
Agency: brandRapport
Prudential are the title sponsor of Prudential RideLondon, an annual two-day cycling festival, developed by the Mayor of London, in partnership with Surrey County Council. The inaugural event took place in August 2013 and comprised of four events – of which two were mass participation.
One of the sponsorship aims was focused on the largest colleague engagement programme undertaken by Prudential in recent years. The approach was to engage colleagues, to capture and share content and to encourage people to participate in the event. UK cycling star and Prudential event ambassador Laura Trott was used throughout the internal campaign.