The Sports Marketing Show Blog Featuring Brazil 2014, Reebok, Buffalo Bills – Rebecca Hopkins

Hello and welcome to The Sports Marketing Show blog, where you can recap all of the stories from this week’s show on iSportconnect TV and check out all of the videos and links relating to the news.

Brazil 2014 

In a World Cup year the battle for brands to achieve cut through is fierce. With so many promotions and campaigns using the tournament as a hook, we look at how three very different brands are making their bid for the hearts, minds and wallets of football fans.

Nike revealed the second part of its ‘Risk Everything’ global campaign with the film, ‘Winner Stays’. The ad previews the brand’s yet-to-be-released Magista and Mercurial Superfly boots and features a host of football stars during a knock about game with fans. By having Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Eden Hazard run out alongside amateurs for a game in the park, Nike reinforces its credentials as a brand with relevance for everyone. Cleverly including cameos from NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, as well as the Incredible Hulk, Nike also targets its US customer base.

Not to be outdone, Official World Cup sponsor, Castrol, has brought together two of sport’s biggest names in a new campaign, Castrol Footkhana. This sees Barcelona forward, Neymar join fellow brand ambassador, rally driver, Ken Block, to go head to head in a series of feats spanning races, skill sessions and penalty shoot-outs. Neymar leads a team of freestyle footballers against Block’s Castrol Edge powered rally car. Castrol, which is more naturally associated with motorsport, has leveraged its heritage to gain traction in a new sector, after all, plenty of football fans drive cars. Prior to going live with the initiative, Castrol gave the public the chance to register their backing for either competitor via its website before the online premiere least week.  

Volkswagen is also launching a major World Cup advertising push, going toe-to-toe with the tournament’s sponsor, Hyundai. The German car manufacturer is planning a substantial advertising buy across ABC, ESPN and Univision to promote its GTI model during match coverage. Despite Hyundai’s tournament association, Volkswagen believes the spectacle is the perfect platform to promote sales of its performance-orientated GTI. The car is popular with the large number of Hispanic Americans, who are also committed soccer fans, and with whom Hyundai is thought to have less influence. US broadcasters are also sensitive to the audience potential with ESPN and Univision having spent around $425 million for the territory rights to the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, whilst Fox Sports and Telemundo have secured 2018 and 2022, spending a record $1 billion for the privilege.

Subway and F1

Across the pond and away from the World Cup fast food chain, Subway, is preparing its sponsorship of Formula One. Having recently penned a new deal with Premier League leaders, Liverpool, the fast-food giant is looking to leverage motorsports global appeal to boost sales. F1 attracts a global television audience of over 500 million, exposing Subway to a vast pool of potential new customers. Several teams and drivers are being lined up to promote the brand in a move that mimics its existing strategy with NASCAR. Aligning with the sport will not be cheap however with partnership deals costing in the region of £18 million.

Meb Keflezighi

To athletics and Sketchers has received a boost in its attempts to expand into the sports performance footwear market. Boston Marathon champion, Meb Keflezighi crossed the line wearing Sketchers, having been signed by the brand three-years ago. Meb is Sketchers’ only branded athlete and has received a surge in awareness outside the running community since the race. Sketchers will now look to leverage this interest through a series of ad campaigns, promoting its credentials within the market. Becoming the first American to win the marathon in three decades and the first since last year’s bombings, Meb has captured the hearts of the nation, helping Sketchers achieve share of voice and robust recognition levels with a new audience.

Buffalo Bills cheerleaders suspend operations

In an extraordinary story the Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders have suspended operations after five former members filed lawsuits. Claiming they were underpaid and mistreated, the action states cheerleaders worked hundreds of hours for free whilst experiencing inappropriate sexual attention. The former members allege the ‘Jills’ are subjected to policies that breach the state’s minimum wage laws and workplace rules. The incident is bad for the image of the sport which has traditionally enjoyed good traction with female fans. It is the third suit filed against NFL sides by cheerleaders this year with the Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals also finding themselves in wage disputes.

New brand logo for Reebok

Reebok assembled London’s fitness communities at Marble Arch last week, to celebrate the launch of its new brand logo, the Reebok Delta – only the second symbol change in its 121 year history. Hundreds took part in simultaneous CrossFit, Bodycombat and Spartan Race sessions, fitness activities that the brand partners. The new logo, three independent blocks forming a triangle, represents the physical, social and mental changes that result from fitness. Reebok’s repositioning as a patron of health and exercise is part of the brand’s move away from professional athlete associations and towards what Reebok spokespeople term ‘the sport of fitness’.

Eurosport

Eurosport will launch an international online competition to celebrate its 25^th anniversary in sports broadcasting. Aspiring commentators will showcase their skills in order to win a trip to either the Tour de France, US Open or Spa WTCC. Budding broadcasters will commentate on iconic moments from tennis, cycling and motorsport with the winners decided by a panel of experts. The contest is part of Eurosport’s ‘We Live for Live’ campaign, raising awareness of its pedigree within broadcasting and aims to reinforce the brand’s core values of offering immersive, insightful coverage and capturing emotion to provide an unforgettable experience.

Dubai government sponsors Chinese Table Tennis

Finally to table tennis and Dubai’s government will extend its sponsorship of the Chinese Table Tennis Association until 2017. Dubai branding will feature on all the Chinese team’s official kit, expanding the ties between the oil-rich Arab nation and the Asian state. Dubai will look to target the energy potential of China where table tennis garners huge popularity. The sport attracted 967 million cumulative views across the country in 2012, making China a prime market to grow interest in Dubai’s fuel reserves. The International Table Tennis World Rankings are dominated by Chinese players, with the top five males and seven of the top 10 females all being Chinese.

The Sports Marketing Show on iSportconnect TV

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Rebecca Hopkins is Managing Director of ENS Ltd, a London-based sports agency tasked with promoting and protecting brands in sport. They specialize in sports PR, crisis management and online public relations.

Rebecca’s

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