SPORTS MARKETING IS PANTS !

Sorry I just couldn't resist this one especially as this happened at the Euros and England are still in with a shout!

Nicklas Bendtner has been given a slap on the wrist by the Danish FA and is potentially due another from UEFA for displaying his Paddy Power lucky pants as he celebrated his second goal against Portugal a few days ago. Unfortunately UEFA regulations ban any advertising on players' kits during the tournament, the Danish FA are sponsored by Ladbrokes and his pants were less lucky against Germany.


The move was part of an orchestrated "ambush" marketing campaign, with Paddy Power issuing a statement congratulating the Arsenal forward, and who I am sure will pay the 100,000 Euro / £80,000 fine imposed on Bendtner by UEFA. (Expensive marketing?)




Personally I love ambush, or guerilla marketing, as I believe this can push the boundaries of traditional marketing. Having nearly been arrested while projecting a Cotes du Rhone wine image onto Big Ben, Marble Arch, and Nelson's Column in 1997 I can appreciate the inherent dangers but also the upsides. These sorts of stunts offer immediate exposure and PR at very low cost, a can get the vital "tipping point" for PR.

The fact that FHM magazine mildly outdid our campaign by projecting a naked Gail Porter image on to the Houses of Parliament added insult to injury!! FHM got coverage in The Sun, Mirror, Express, Star and Sport - as well as on The Big Breakfast and This Morning TV.

However the legal side of ambush marketing is now a lot more advanced and far reaching than in 1997!! 

Bavaria Brewery Holland was the first beer brand to catch some heat at the 2010 World Cup. At a match between The Netherlands and Denmark Bavaria unleashed a group of 36 women dressed in identical orange dresses in full view of the TV cameras. Claiming ambush marketing by Bavaria, FIFA ejected the ladies, took some of them to the police station and then set out to take legal action against the Dutch beer company.

Bavaria’s ranking leapt by 41 percent, according to Nielsen and the stunt even earned the firm a nomination at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Look them up on You Tube too!!

In New Zealand RWC 2011 Samoan brothers Manu and Alesana Tuilagi were both given $10,000 fines for wearing the unapproved OPRO branded mouth guards during the tournament, breaching the event's legal terms of participation.

And watch out at the Olympics 2012 - the laws are tight and getting tighter! As consumers you can only pay by Visa, eat McDonald's, drink Coca Cola, drive a BMW and buy P&G products in the Olympic Park. http://www.london2012.com/documents/brand-guidelines/statutory-marketing-rights.pdf

Guerrilla marketing takes consumers by surprise, makes an indelible impression, and pops up when and where people least expect it. It often has a high ROI because is is based upon the execution of a good idea and can make a lasting impression without spending a lot of the marketing budget. 


However by being a little cleverer and as unpredictable, and by staying legal you can still challenge target consumers to engage with your brand in a creative way by creating stunts, more interactive marketing and experiential. Think QR codes, social media, pop up stores, flash mobs, apps, street art, sponsorship, etc. etc.


Check out what Sprite did in Brazil on the beach as shown on YouTube: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocCYlqvJKC4


For more superb examples of guerrilla marketing have a look at Ryan Lum's Creative Guerrilla Marketing Blog: http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/

I JUST DON'T SEE THE POINT !!


I am a big fan of tennis - playing, watching and talking about it. So for many years now I have watched the climax of the clay court season at Roland Garros before we switch to the fair lawns of England.


Lovely red clay, great Roland Garros branding and superb sponsors from the global arena that make the commercial wheels of the world of tennis go round. Six of the ten are French, naturally, two are European classics and two are American.

So who are the sponsors? Headline sponsor since 1973 and recently renewed until 2016 the great supporter  of French and global tennis, BNP Paribas; who this year are reaching out globally with a new English written tag line of "The Bank for a changing world" - La banque d'un monde qui change....how true a strapline! 

Powerhouse brands such as Adidas of Germany and Agassi-supported Longines of Switzerland complete the European roster at Roland Garros, while IBM and FedEx give the French Open their global content


The other five French brands associated with the French Open,  Peugeot, iconic tennis apparel brand Lacoste, mineral water Perrier and French television network OrangeSport, a specialist in soccer, tennis and cycling.
Powerhouse brands such as Adidas of Germany and Longines of Switzerland complete the European roster at Roland Garros, while IBM and FedEx give the French Open a totally global feel.




Then there is a "brand" I have seen for the last 4 years now and had no idea who they were. In all honesty I couldn't be bothered even to find out since they had made no effort to connect with me. 


This bizarre sounding name of "Afflelou". French patisserie? French Chateau? 

 No. Apparently, they make eyewear.

So where is the great sponsorship activation? Advertising? Supporting website? Social media campaign? Quite frankly let's be honest is there any supporting spend behind this brand apart from some court side branding?

According to the Afflelou website here is why they have a passion for tennis and Roland Garros:

"Between ALAIN AFFLELOU and Tennis, a real story was born. After the sponsoring of Amélie Mauresmo and of The Roland Garros tournament, it is now to the Davis Cup French Team to be supported by Alain Afflelou. Beyond his sponsoring, it is for our brand name an incredible opportunity to get associated with a sport practiced by more than 4 million French people among which 1 100 000 people are members of The French Tennis Federation"

Oh dear!
A few suggestions Alain:

1. Get someone to write your website in grammatical English -  and tell us about the story of Tennis and Afflelou...if there is one.
2. Activation - buying sponsorship rights is only the beginning of the partnership. Rights are not just about "badging" or even tickets to the event. Think about how activating the sponsorship rights will help you achieve your brand, marketing and  business objectives. 
3. Integration - your advertising, website, your social media campaign; and make them multi-lingual to aid your brand's global expansion.
4. Relevance - sponsor a player who wears glasses - Janko Tipsaravic for instance who has had a fantastic year, wears very distinctive (Oakley) glasses, or semi-finalist Yaroslava Shvedova (Oakley).
5. Make a campaign fun....what would Djokovic look like with glasses on? Genuine engagement with current customers and new potential ones.
6. Make it educational with on event activation - eye tests at the Championship
7. Hey, why not create an app, everyone else is?!
8. Are your objectives SMART? I know this is sales terminology but it definitely applies to marketing too.

Sponsorship is there to heighten brand awareness, provide positive publicity, create new connections, convey the brand personality, differentiate the brand, and communicate it's relevance to a target audience with a perfect match with a sport.

So, Mr.Afflelou, I am sorry but you get "nul points"