UKSA Sponsorship Case File 5: Innovation

The big picture

Innovation comes in many forms, however. So this week we’re exploring a few of the different kinds of innovation that have been evident in the sponsorship arena over the last year. Headings range from traditional and social media activations to event experiences and brand alliances. There are also technology advances such as VR and clever uses of data – though the beauty of innovation is that it is impossible to second-guess all the ways brands and agencies might surprise us.

For brands and agencies interested in winning the UKSA 2017 Innovation Award, it’s worth noting that it is a judge’s award – with shortlisted campaigns or executions selected from the entire pool of entries into the Awards. But while it isn't possible for brands and agencies to enter the category, it is possible to draw the judges’ attention to aspects of their campaign that they regard as groundbreaking or entrepreneurial in any way. Just a few lines explaining what made the entered campaign innovative will be enough to bring it into consideration.

Media:

In recent editions of the UK Sponsorship Awards, the media category has been among the most innovative. Media owners and brands have moved well beyond badging content and now focus on forging integrated partnerships – an approach that is widely referred to as content marketing. A new example of this is Channel 4’s recent deal with Wickes around the broadcaster’s Homes on 4 strand. Not only will this include sponsorship of existing flagship titles, the two companies, working with agency Carat/The Story Lab, have agreed to co-produce a completely original home improvement digital series. The partnership will also involve in-store branding – a move that coincides with a recent revamp of Wickes stores.

Event Experience:

Creating a great on the ground experience is an important part of being an innovative sponsor. Nissan really pulled out all the stops at Rio 2016 with activity such as the Nissan Kicks Hotel, a fully-rebranded hotel property complete with interior and exterior Nissan signage, Olympic-themed dynamic displays and rooftop parties in partnership with Universal Music and VOGUE Brasil. There was also a 40-metre high bungee jump on Olympic Boulevard and test drives of Nissan’s high performance electric sportscar prototype, BladeGlider. And don't forget legacy: the company is supporting a major urban and social transformation in Caju.

Asset Activation:

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be involved with the Olympic Games. But rights owners always need to be on the look out for ways of integrating sponsors into the fabric of their event in eye-catching ways. Increasingly this is being done by innovative use of event assets. Viacom International Media Networks, for example, has just introduced Listerine as its red carpet sponsor for the MTV Europe Music Awards. It’s the first time there has been a sponsor for the red carpet at the event – and as part of the deal Listerine will turn some sections blue. It's a good example of how anything can be turned into sponsorship inventory – as long as they execution is smart. Try checking out the Emirates excellent pre-match safety drill too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN_eu8Jk50o

Continuity:

A risk with long-term sponsorships is that they run out of steam and get repetitive. So it’s important to keep innovating year after year. O2, for example, has just extended its partnership with England Rugby until 2021 – having first got involved as a sponsor in 1995. Over the next period, O2 says it will continue its commitment to grassroots rugby, the Wear The Rose campaign and priority tickets. In addition the partners plan to “work together to explore how digital technology will increasingly play a role in the fan experience, with the ambition of creating more integrated, connected and personalised experiences direct to fan’s mobile devices”. They will also produce “exclusive pre-match video content available through the Priority app 48-hours before anywhere else, and all behind the scenes in camp digital content, plus key match day digital content, will now be part of O2’s behind the scenes online series, O2 Inside Line.” Also, the RFU says it will offer work experience to young people to support O2’s Think Big initiative.

Agency:

Innovations can come in the form of ideas, executions or business processes. Iris, for example, recently launched a new team called Work.Life which will offer b2b clients advice on business brand strategy, demand generation, marketing automation, content marketing and CRM, PR, influencer marketing, sponsorship and data analytics. The aim is to give b2b clients an advantage in the “era of participation” says Iris. Iris partner Richard Perry said: “We’re launching Work.Life as an open invitation to bright and ambitious business marketers who aspire for their brands to become much more than just a credible choice in their categories, but who want greater clarity and creativity of thought, a better blend of capability and more agility of action.” Iris business clients include technology disruptors WePay and Coupa, elevator brand Otism, global technology businesses SAP, HP Enterprise, Cognizant, and industry titans Shell, Samsung, Philips and WS Atkins.

Digital Media:

Often at the bleeding edge of marketing innovation, digital media companies offered an endless array of new ways to engage with audiences. Recently, Google acquired FameBit, a start-up business that makes it easier for brands to put their products in videos made by social media influencers. FameBit allows creators with more than 5,000 followers to sign up and take their pick of available sponsorships from the likes of Adidas and L'Oréal. “We believe Google’s relationship with brands and YouTube’s partnerships with creators, combined with FameBit’s technology and expertise, will help increase the number of branded content opportunities available, bringing even more revenue into the online video community," said YouTube’s VP for product management Ariel Bardin.

Virtual & Augmented Reality:

We can’t talk about innovation without mentioning VR, a technology that has the potential to truly transform the way we work, live and play. In last year’s UKSA Awards, the most high-profile VR example was AIG’s Haka 360˚ Experience, created with the All Blacks rugby union teams. This year, Standard Chartered and Liverpool FC launched Inside Anfield, a VR experience that includes “a never-before-seen view inside the players’ dressing room, allowing fans to see through the eyes of a player and feel what it’s like to be part of a Jürgen Klopp team-talk. The content puts the fan in the players’ shoes, giving them a unique insight into the team’s inner sanctum in the build-up to walking out in front of the home crowd at Anfield.” Clearly, there’s a risk with any innovation that it will prove to be a gimmick (and we can look forward to some bad VR over the next few years). But VR does have the potential to add immersion to brand engagement Anyone interested in this area should also check out Tata’s work with F1 and Mercedes AMG Petronas via the connectivity innovation prize (http://prize.tatacommunications.com/).

Partnerships:

Some of the most exciting developments in sponsorship come as a result of entrepreneurial partnerships between brands. In the US, for example, Audi embellished its sponsorship of the Emmy Awards by linking up with home rental firm Airbnb to offer consumers the living and driving experience of a lifetime. On the night of the Awards, an Audi TV commercial gave people the opportunity to stay in a luxury home in Death Valley and drive the Audi R8 Coupe. The campaign showed the benefits of scenarios where brands come together to maximise the impact of their strengths.

Campaigning:

Brands seeking to stand out from their rivals sometimes choose to back innovative social messages. Dove’s Real Beauty is a great example in recent times. Another interesting expression of this idea was skin brand SK-II’s “Marriage Market Takeover” in China. The Marriage Market is a place where Chinese parents go to advertise their daughters’ availability for marriage – usually women over 25. SK-II took over the event and placed its own ads – all of which were from women describing their happiness at being independent. The aim was to push back against the stigma of being older and unmarried. While it wasn’t a conventional commercial sponsorship, it showed the power of identifying emotive social issues and then being an active player in driving change.

PR Stunts:

In recent years, we’ve seen a snooker player change his name, a footballer wear sponsored underwear during a high-profile international match, tennis players slug it out in spectacular venues and Red Bull sponsor Felix Baumgartner’s space jump. There’s no question that innovative PR stunts cut through. A nice little example to add to this list is Canterbury’s launch of its new British and Irish Lions rugby kit with a hologram. The use of a hologram chimed well with the branding of the shirt as ‘Untouchable’ – which suggests both high quality and an inability to be tackled.

Environmentalism:

Brands are increasingly expected to show their green credentials. But most activity in this area, while important, is a bit worthy and dull. However there are innovations in this field that can be put to work by brand sponsors. Adidas, for example, has teamed up with a company called Parley to use ocean plastic debris in the uppers of a new shoe: the UltraBOOST Uncaged Parley. That is pure genius from a PR, branding and innovation perspective. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iisMyJdkyqg.

Data:

Campaign ran an interesting story recently about the various benefits that accrue from partnerships between Premier League football clubs and video games firms: http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/premier-league-clubs-glean-valuabl.... One interesting point to emerge from this was the amount of rich data that passes backwards and forwards – an example being EA’s partnership with Manchester United. Not only does EA get to learn about the preferences of MU fans, the club gains insights into the profiles and locations of fans around the world, something it can factor into its strategy. This kind of innovation around rights holder/sponsor data sharing can provide a significant business benefit for both sides – and it’s something worth considering during contract negotiations.