Carlsberg, Puma, and Barclays are among some of the brands that have really impressed this season, with campaigns and content initiatives that nurture sustained fan engagement.
The 2014/2015 Premier League season has come to its inevitable conclusion, with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea emerging victorious. While a FIFA corruption scandal that emerged at the close of the season may have put a mark on the sport’s reputation, for many fans, these will blend into mere headlines.
Brand marketers will also be taking a well deserved end of season rest. For key sponsors, the Premier League has long been an important opportunity to communicate messages about their brand and products, to a hyper-engaged, and passionate group of consumers.
As seasons have progressed, marketing activity has become more sophisticated; certain publications have commented on how the Premier League has become a “data minefield” for brands. Unlike seasonal or one-off events, sporting engagement span numerous months of the year and maintains extremely high levels of interest.
Consumers have been treated to some clever campaigns that provide fantastic examples of how brands can foster sustained engagement. Here’s a run through of the most exciting brand campaigns, stunts, and marketing activity around this year’s Premier League season.
Best Of The Brands: Premier League Edition
1. Carlsberg’s Year-Round “Moments”
Carlsberg started this season as the official “beer partner” of the Premier League, as well as for Liverpool FC with whom they have maintained a long and loyal partnership.
Kicking off the preseason hype, Carlsberg launched a TV spot with another classic in a long line of punchy slogans: “That calls for a Carlsberg.”
The ad focuses on capturing Premier League moments that invoke a sense of passion. As Mike Thompson, marketing director at Carlsberg Group, said: “The film ‘Take Your Seats’ embodies the excitement every fan feels ahead of the upcoming season.”
For Carlsberg, the brands’ 21-year sponsorship of the platform provides a unique platform for the brand to market across an entire Premier League season. It’s an idea that the brand has wholeheartedly embraced – with concepts such as “A Carlsberg moment”, or “If Carlsberg did…” (revived again earlier this year to capitalize on user-generated content and engagement).
Carlsberg don’t do sunday side!! But if they did!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ldox1dDIVb
— Darryl Smith (@sharkeysmith) May 19, 2015
Such initiatives illustrate how it’s the long-term relationships the brand fosters with consumers, the ritual of settling down to watch the game with your mates and a six pack, that they are looking to capture and communicate. After all, these kinds of moments drive year-round sales.
For all intents and purposes the beer brand has gotten their messaging just right, especially in the content of digital campaigns and social media engagement. Carlsberg drew 17,026 between May 2 and June 1 (the period covering the final weeks of the season), with tweets peaking on May 24 around the news of Steven Gerrard’s retirement, according to Topsy data.
If Carlsberg did captains they would be #ProbablyTheGr8est. Good bye and good luck Captain Fantastic! #StevenGerrard pic.twitter.com/yyPANek8lb — Carlsberg (@carlsberg) May 24, 2015
The latest figures have showed positive sales figures, in it’s three-year sponsorship of the Premier League, with annual sales totaling £532m in the year preceding March 2014.
2. Puma — #LoveorFootball
In a shift from more tried and tested approaches, based on advertising or high-profile sports sponsorships, Puma adopted a digitally-led approach in 2015 that looked to leverage online and social media engagement.
In partnership with the University of Bristol, Puma conducted a study to find out whether football fans had greater love for the game, or for their partners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYzYkbNNJD4The campaign has a clear social media component, tapping into one of the great controversies that surrounds football fanaticism.
I did the Puma loveorfootball survey and according to my answers, @YesWeCrann loves Football 20% more than me.
— Stephanie Be (@StephanieBe) August 20, 2012
The study is a great example of how Puma seeks to engage with football fans via authentic conversation. It’s part of what Puma refer to as a “complex marketing programme… relying on a blend of media partnerships, PR, social media and POS to drive engagement around reactive content.” (The preseason reveal of the sponsorship deal with Arsenal football club was a fantastic example of this intent, which saw a branded video projected onto the River Thames.)
3. Barclays — #YouAreFootball
“To the millions of fans who make the Barclays Premier League what it is, we say thank you. You Are Football.”
Barclays signed a new three-year deal with the Premier League in 2012 reportedly costing them more than £40m a year in sponsorship. Seasoned sponsors, the brand developed an emotionally charged video that captures the passion and community of fans on match day.
This year was the 20th consecutive year of the bank’s relationship with the league, and year after year there is a simplicity to their messaging which is effective. Throughout, Barclays have been there as primary sponsors, through the highs and lows, and there they remain. For a brand with such a strong association with the league, they almost don’t need to engage in high profile stunts to win the attention of fans.
In thanking the fans, Barclays pay dues the fact that their presence have been accepted by many football fans as perennial sponsors, and as part of their Premier League experiences.
4. Nissan’s — Global Sponsorship Reach
Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan is making some big moves in the football world, replacing Ford as the official automobile of the Champions League, as well as signing a five-year deal with Manchester City securing the brand’s place as the official automobile sponsors of one of the fastest growing Premier League fan-bases globally.
This season, Nissan looked to use the power of global stars to raise brand awareness on social media:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aua7Z1ndPp0In the coming seasons, Nissan hopes to use “user-generated campaigns crowdsourcing in pictures or goal celebrations from fans [to] form the bulk of the strategy with Nissan opting to build long-term affinity to sporting success rather than drive short-term sales.”
5. Subway — Grassroots Community Health And Well-Being
Subway announced a partnership with Liverpool FC in April last year, with the intention of promoting a positive health message amongst followers of the club.
In an interview with Marketing Week, Subway’s European regional marketing director Manaaz Akhtar, spoke of the mutual benefit of the brand’s partnership with the club and it’s contribution to public health:
“Over the past year we’ve been looking to help get everyday people more active. Our sponsorship with Liverpool FC and particular its youth foundation is an extension of that work we have already done in the UK and will help us take this to a higher level… we really believe in the work they are doing with their youth foundation as it really connects with what we are doing.”
Final Thoughts
The Premier League offers brands a unique opportunity to encourage year-long engagement around a sport fueled by tremendous levels of passion, loyalty, and ritual. In the case of Carlsberg, and to an extent Barclays, those that manage to weave their identity into the culture of the sport can achieve the kind of awareness and loyalty that all brands must hope to emulate.
Who were your brand winners for the 2014/2015 season?