Lions 01 sportz+D+z+D:25•01 front 24/06/09 18:32 Page74
74 SPORT AND BRANDS
similar line to Edwards’: “You of the sexes. There is no ques-
don’t have to use humour, but tion that the talent acts as the
you do need to show you get focal point of the campaign.
the audience. One of my But it would be wrong to think
favourite ad executions was that this is all there is to it. The
Nike’s Take It To The Next Level, goal is to promote Nike Plus,
which told the story of a young a shoe attachment that meas-
footballer being picked up by ures the distance and speed
Arsenal FC. It brilliantly en- you have run and allows you
capsulated the emotion of that to analyse the data on your com-
journey.” puter. During the TV ad, the
Shot by Guy Ritchie, Next stars check in on a website to
Level is a star-studded two- see how the men and women
minute commercial featuring are doing. In doing so, they
a host of Nike-sponsored soc- drive viewers to the Nike web-
cer talent. At the centre of the site, where the product’s func-
campaign is a young footballer. tionality is explained. If view-
We never see his face: instead, ers follow through, they can
we look through his eyes at the become part of a global run-
rocky road to footballing glory. ning community.
The ad came out of Los An- In other words, Nike is build-
geles-based creative agency ing a rounded relationship with
72andsunny and was overseen its consumers, Cole says. “Star
by creative director Glenn Cole. athletes are always going to
Ladbrokes turned a group of highly recognisable ex-footballers into builders
So from Cole’s perspective, what pull an audience,” he adds. “But
is the key to a compelling sports- people are more likely to do
brand creative collaboration? something when it’s fun. That’s
“It depends on the product, the genius of Nike Plus. It makes
the business challenge and the a laborious activity — run-
individual execution,” he be- ning — fun and social. So our
gins. “But in my work, I have work focuses on amplifying
always strived for authenticity the fun and tapping into that
in athletic performances, and competitive spirit inside every-
levity inspired by the athletes, one.”
or the sport itself. I think sports This extension into online
fans appreciate when the mes- is where the subject starts to
sage comes from a place of deep overlap with sports sponsor-
understanding of the sport or ship, says MEC Access’ Cook.
athlete.”There is another cru- “The mistake is when brands
cial point, too — particularly do nothing more than badge
with an ad such as Next Level. sports. The key is to demon-
“If a concept demands that an strate relevance across chan-
athletic performance feel real, nels. Fans want to see how
Top sporting names take part in Adidas’ Impossible Is Nothing campaign
you can’t cut corners,” Cole you’ve added value to their
says. “Ninety-five per cent real experience, otherwise they’re
isn’t enough to real sports fans. not that interested,” he adds.
You have to go all the way in Superbrands such as Coke,
execution. And that last 5% is Pepsi, Gillette, McDonald’s,
the hardest.” Visa, Sony and Samsung have
The beauty of Next Level all become very adept at multi-
from the client’s perspective is tier sports marketing. But so,
that it has pan-European ap- too, have more niche brands.
peal. Featuring players from “I like Red Bull, because the
the UK, Italy, Spain, Portu- brand has created a series of
gal, Sweden, Holland and Brazil adventure sports events,” says
— not to mention a French Cook. “Fans know an event
manager in the shape of Ar- like the Red Bull Air Race World
sene Wenger — it can engage Championship wouldn’t exist
with young fans everywhere. without the brand, which cre-
You get something similar with ates positive engagement. In
another recent Nike/72and- addition, the activity lends it-
sunny TV execution called Men self to TV coverage, which
Versus Women. Here, there is means extra exposure. It also
a strong multicultural theme fits well with the brand prom-
and a minimalist approach to ise that Red Bull gives you
dialogue, which makes the com- wings.” For Cook, the key is
mercial a shoo-in for most ma- to uncover great brand insights.
jor television markets. Recently, for example, MEC
Men Versus Women features Access did a deal that allows
male and female stars, such as chewing-gum brand Wrigley
actress Eva Longoria and ten- Extra to sponsor extra time
nis player Roger Federer, clock- during Premier League foot-
ing up as many running kilo- ball matches. “So many games
metres as possible in a battle are won and lost in the two- Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications sponsors tennis properties such as the WTA Women’s Tour and the Russian star Maria Sharapova
THURSDAY 25
TH
JUNE 2009
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