Stella Artois dovetails is first activation as Wimbledon sponsor with the launch of its new global marketing platform focusing on those who deliver what the brand describes as the ‘World’s Greatest Events’.
The ‘World’s Greatest Events’ platform will strategically unify its flagship elite property sponsorships: including The Cannes Film Festival, the Kentucky Derby, the Open Championships and the Argentinean Polo Association Championship
The beer brand is rolling out a global, 25-market ‘World’s Greatest Events’ campaign led by TV work, an online digital hub and social media promotions using the hashtag #herestoperfection and the tagline ‘As served at the world’s greatest events’.
The programme also features a set of 12 ‘Perfectionist’ short films celebrating the craftsmen and women who work behind the scenes to perfect the details at these events.
Introduced by a central, umbrella spot,
Stella Artois leverages its Wimbledon rights to create five films in this video series.
‘The Real Hawk Eye’ follows the story of how, following a 1998 semi-final pigeon interruption Rufus the hawk became a permanent member of Wimbledon security patrolling the skies above Centre Court at dawn.
‘The Master Of Ceremonies’ meets Dan Bloxham – the man charged with ensuring players arrive on court, on time.
‘The Decision Maker’ introduces tournament referee Andrew Jarrett.
‘The Fastest Racket Stringer’ tells the tale of how pro tennis racket stringers Liam Nolan and Nate Ferguson restored their competitors’ rackets in record time.
‘The Head Groundsman’ showcases how Neil Stubley, Wimbledon’s 8th head groundsman in its 150-year history, perfects the playing surfaces.
These films are all hosted on the digital hub at http://events.stellaartois.com/en_gb/worlds-greatest-events.html
and the marketing team ensures they also stretch across Stella Artois’ own social channels.
‘Stella Artois has brewing heritage that extends back six hundred years – and is the product of countless men and women who have refused to accept anything less than perfection,’ explains Stella Artois Global VP marketing Debora Koyama.
‘The World’s Greatest Events campaign celebrates the commitment of others who work tirelessly to deliver perfection.’
Stella’s objective for the strategy and the new campaign is to boost its presence at events where affluent customers are found and use its rights there to reinforce its premium positioning.
Other strands of the beer brand’s Wimbledon activation kicked off initially with an event to launch its All England Club partnership called ‘Opening Party @ Wimbledon’, plus national outdoor and press ads.
The activity has been developed in partnership with agencies Vizeum, Posterscope and JC Decaux.
It is also running an experiential activation element which sees Stella take over London’s Waterloo Station (for many it is the setting-off point from central London to the All England Club).
This train station takeover includes using the giant digital screen to show live Wimbledon match updates and to display brand messages which encourage fans and commuters to tweet using the hashtag #herestoperfection (tweets are fed to the big screen in close to real-time).
While images from the Stella Instagram account will also appear to commuters, while mobile data is being used to schedule relevant, targeted ad copy to display.
It also sees a miniature tennis court set up in the middle of the station and invites passers-by to step on court and use iPads to answer a series of multiple choice questions posed by an umpire. Those who get the answers right are invited onto the first train to Wimbledon and given match tickets.
And those who can’t abandon their original plans are offered a cold glass of Stella and given the chance to swap their tickets for later in the tournament.
The competition takes place every 15 minutes and winners also have their photos put up on the screen.
‘This is about partnering with events that have the same shared passion we do for excellence and elevating experience,’ outlines Stella Artois marketing manager Philip Pick.
‘There’s lots of shared thoughts in there that we’re trying to communicate to consumers. This is about elevating the experience, not just the perceptions of Stella Artois.’
Stella has also been running a UK on-pack promotion through May offering tennis fans and consumers the chance to win Wimbledon tickets and this tactic will cccontinue through the summer with its other major properties such as The Open Championships.
The Wimbledon on-pack promotion offers a chance to win a VIP centre Court experience, plus a five-star hotel and a limited-edition Wimbledon Stella Artois Chalice.
Comment
Earlier this year the Belgian beer brand agreed a five-year deal to be the official beer of the Wimbledon tennis championships through until to 2018.
‘We’re delighted to partner with Stella Artois as Official Beer of the Championships Wimbledon, and as such we’re looking forward to another great tournament this summer,’ said Mick Desmond, commercial director, All England Lawn Tennis Club.
This sees the beer boost its tennis heritage after being the title sponsor of the pre Wimbledon grass court Queens Club tournament from 1979 until 2008.
Indeed, it ended its six-year absence from the sport last year by sponsoring the BNP Paribas backed London-based ‘Tennis Classic’ at the Hurlingham Club.
And now adds Wimbledon to its sponsorship portfolio which includes the Argentinian Polo Association Championship, the Cannes Film Festival, horse racing’s Kentucky Derby and also as of this year includes being the official beer and cider of the Open Championship.
This creative and media sponsorship-led strategy aims to deliver a consistency of message across multiple touchpoints in a way that heightens the premium credentials of the brand.
Links
Stella Artois Wimbledon Website
http://events.stellaartois.com/en_gb/wimbledon-championships.html
Stella Artois Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/stellaartoisuk?brand_redir=1
Stella Artois Twitter
https://twitter.com/StellaArtois
Stella Artois YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/stellaartoisuk
Wimbledon Website
