Brands that expanded their reach beyond the physical through PR
Brands that expanded their reach beyond the physical through PR
A series of recent case studies showing how brands have used PR tactics to successfully amplify their brand communications
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With so many major sporting competitions and events taking place year-round, much of the public’s attention is consumed by sports.
With the ambition of capturing attention and building cultural relevance, brands often view sport as a key vehicle to connect with their target audience, and through PR, brands can effectively achieve this by integrating themselves into the culture and conversations that surrounds sports.
Here’s some recent examples of brands that have creatively executed stunts and campaigns to stretch their communications beyond pure paid media.
Telstra promotes cyber security message via State of Origin themed stunt and content piece
Following multiple cyber security crisis’ within Australia (including one experienced by Telstra’s major competitor, Optus) Telstra recently got on the front foot to promote cyber safety via a comical State of Origin-themed stunt.
To alert the Australian public that almost half of them have weak passwords, Aaron Gocs and Billy Moore teamed up to help New South Wales fans “strengthen their passwords”.
To do this, they drove a giant, mobile, digital billboard-van through town to create a humorous content piece that let Blues fans know that "NewSouthW@les! is weak.”
View the content here.
*The activation was delivered by Hyped Media and more behind-the-scenes content can be found here.
This was not the first time that provocative OOH advertising has been activated to capture attention during the State of Origin series
To create hype for the upcoming series in the lead up to Game 1, the NRL launched an OOH campaign in Rundle Mall, Adelaide (AFL heartland) announcing that “Real Footy is coming soon to Adelaide”
XXXX built larger-than-life 3D cans
Ahead of Game 2, XXXX creatively expanded their Queenslanders’ Pride in their Origin integrated campaign by building giant 3D cans, displaying the individual postcodes of where the installation is located.
Multiple brands unveiled cheeky stunts to show their support for the Aussies during The Ashes
Post the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, the English media press created a “stumping media storm” - taking aim at the Australian Cricket Team.
In response, many brands helped fire-back by mocking the English cricket community.
In less than 36 hours, Victoria Bitter built one of the most effective reactive sports marketing campaigns of the year - “England Bitter”
Following English coach Brendon McCullum’s refusal to have a beer with the Aussies, VB created a limited-edition run of “England Bitter” and sent a few slabs to Headingley, ahead of the third test.
They also created a new jingle, and even handed out “England Bitter” t-shirts at the game.
The stunt quickly went viral and received coverage across all major media channels and networks across Australia and the UK
Via a LinkedIn post, Victoria Bitter’s Marketing Manager provided an articulate insight into the success of the campaign:
VB decided to speak on behalf Australia…. The response from the Australian public - from the Prime Minister down - has been quite extraordinary. The ‘England Bitter’ campaign seems to be reflecting the pulse of the nation and we couldn’t be prouder.
Pilot also chimed-in with a cheeky ad placement
Quickly identifying the perfect opportunity, Pilot placed the below press ad to also leverage the situation.
As a company that delivers male products, this presented a key opportunity to effectively position themselves, and build relevance among their target audience.
It wasn’t just brands looking to capitalise…
Victoria Police used the on-field incident to build an association with with their road safety messages
So far, the tweet the below has been viewed 1.7m+ times, which dwarfs the reach of any other tweet from their account.
Giant jersey unveilings
Less controversially, a giant replica of the highly anticipated ASICS Wallabies jersey was recently launched by ASICS ahead of the September Rugby World Cup in France.
The launch featured rugby stars Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper, Taniela Tupou, Angus Bell and Jordan Petaia and was well covered throughout Australian media.
SBS News video feature: Wallabies launch jersey ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France
*Always Human delivered the end-to-end PR and communications strategy, as well as the event production and management.
Giant jerseys are in vogue because Qantas took a similar approach (through agency Banter) at the recent Matildas Jersey Presentation event at Federation Square.
The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas isn’t open yet, but it’s already iconic thanks to the global attention it’s received
The new 366-foot tall x 516-foot wide structure, located in Las Vegas has received so much global media attention due to its highly unique and eye-catching appearance.
Below: MSG feature on The Project
Its visual appeal has been further amplified by the recent deal struck with the NBA that enabled it to resemble a giant basketball.
As shown by the recent NBA example above, and thanks to the stadium’s virality, it’s likely to become a highly attractive advertising asset, which could be easily amplified through earned media.
Further reading: How The $2.3 Billion Sphere In Las Vegas Plans To Become A Global Brand
Given the nature of sport, PR is a useful communications tool for brand marketers to adopt
Athletes, teams and leagues can often easily attract public attention without the requirement for investment.
Through carefully crafted stunts, campaigns and messaging, brands can tap into the passions and attention that people dedicate to their favourite sports through association, which allows them to build strong and deep connections with their target audiences. The brands featured in the above are successful examples of this tactic.
Similar brand outcomes can be achieved via paid media, however if executed successfully, a creative and sophisticated PR approach can often achieve superior, cost-efficient and more effective brand outcomes through sport.
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