The DataPOWA view on the most important talking points in the worlds of sport sponsorship and digital.
COCA-COLA BEGINS PREMIER LEAGUE CAMPAIGN
Coca-Cola’s three-and-a-half year partnership with the Premier League has kicked off with a new video featuring the slogan ‘Where Everyone Plays’.
The promo focuses on the fans, but also features brief cameos from BBC commentator Jermaine Jenas and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard.
Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland’s Marketing Director Paul Grace said: “Coca-Cola has always been a passionate supporter of football and sport, so we’re excited to be able to bring fans closer to the action through our partnership with the Premier League.
“We want to use this opportunity to celebrate the people who make the Premier League the best in the world, as well as raising awareness of our wide range of drinks.”
The next phase of the activation will be the Official Coca-Cola GB Trophy Tour, during which the Premier League trophy will be paraded through a range of UK cities in a tour bus.
For more on this story, please visit Coca-Cola
SUPER BOWL ATTRACTS UNIQUE SPONSORS
Chief Marketer has listed some of the most unique activations that were seen around this year’s Super Bowl.
The event has become a marquee moment for brands looking to make a major statement to a huge audience, and this year didn’t disappoint.
Waffle House, Mercedes and the video game Mortal Combat are among those named as the most unique, with Pizza Hut being arguably the biggest name on the list.
Chief Marketer writer Evan Vladem notes: “Pizza Hut made the most of its massive corner footprint inside the NFL Experience, the NFL’s interactive theme park reserved for official sponsors at the Georgia World Congress Center.
“A can’t miss big screen displayed a live augmented reality experience that fans could participate in called the ‘Pizza Hut Dance Party.’ Fans would try dance moves on the floor of the installation.
“Seconds later, Pittsburg Steeler’s star receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster (who are known for their eccentric dancing celebrations) appeared on the big screen dancing next to them.”
For more on this story, please visit Chief Marketer
MOORE WARNS OF ESPORTS ENCROACHMENT
Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has warned that football clubs risk losing the following of male millennials to video games.
Esports has rapidly become one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment thanks to the wide availability of online streaming and the accessibility of its stars. Moore believes that football must find a way to embrace technology and connect with these audiences through bitesize content or risk falling behind.
He explained: “When I look at viewing and attendance figures of millennial males I’m concerned as a CEO of a football club that relies on the next generation of fans coming through. I’m concerned that if we don’t build technological prowess as a club we will lose them.
“There’s so much pressure on time now and only 24 hours in a day, there are only so many hours to play Fortnite.
“We are competing with so many mediums, platforms, devices and distractions, we need to embrace technology and understand that 90 minutes is a long time for a millennial male to sit down on a couch. We need to package content in bites of 60-90 seconds to keep their engagement.
“We are an industry that needs to harness technology to make sure we don’t miss an entire generation of young people growing up that don’t have that love for football, they have love for Fortnite.”
To find out more about this story, please visit Gulf News
PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS EMBRACE TRUEVIEW
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have installed Intel TrueView into their stadiums in a bid to revolutionise the viewing experience for fans.
The technology has already been used in La Liga and the NFL, and it allows supporters to enjoy a 360-degree view of the grounds thanks to 38 carefully positioned cameras. Intel Sports’ James Carwana says it’s all about meeting fan demand.
“Immersive Experiences matter because it’s all about us addressing a gap in supply and demand in the market,” he explained. “Consumer expectations have shifted and at the same time the content experiences provided to fans has more or less remained the same
“What we’re looking to fill that is the ability to interact, control and experience content. The ability to experience something unique and the authority to see something unique for themselves.”
“We’re exceptionally proud to be working with the three clubs… to bring these experiences. It’s a strong first step to filling this gap.”
To find out more about this story, please visit Forbes
F1 SECURES CRYPTO SPONSORSHIP
Aston Martin Red Bull has announced a partnership with FuturoCoin, marking Formula 1’s first sponsorship deal with a cryptocurrency business.
The two-year deal means that the FuturoCoin logo will be seen on the overalls of drivers Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, as well as on their cars and transporters.
“In recent years, the rise of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies has been truly remarkable, and we’re delighted to be the first Formula One team to embrace this, through our partnership with FuturoCoin,” said team principal Christian Horner.
“Secure digital currencies are on the leading edge of technological development and we are very excited to be part of this revolution.”
Added FuturoCoin founder Roman Ziemian: “Cryptocurrencies and Formula One are very similar and their values are much alike; speed, technology and being ahead of their time.
“I’m a huge fan of motorsport and Formula has always intrigued me. The sponsorship is an exciting new chapter for our company and will be a global platform for us to drive awareness of FuturoCoin.”
For more on this story, please visit SportsPro Media
GOOD SHOUT
GOOGLE: Golden State Warriors and Google Cloud Partnership Announcement
PR WEEK: ‘A bumpy road ahead for British cycling – what next for ‘the team formerly known as Sky’?
SPORTSPRO MEDIA: Reddit Soccerstreams forums shut down over ‘illegal links’
CITY A.M.: Premier League plots streaming service for live football matches
INDEPENDENT.IE: Manchester United aim to build fanbase in China
SPORTSPRO MEDIA: Borussia Dortmund players create playlists in Deezer deal