Manchester United and official ride partner Uber kicked off a global activation campaign, called ‘Destination United’ in late April with an immersive initiative in India.
The big idea behind the campaign is to bridge the distance between the club and its fans around the world by ‘bringing them closer to the team they passionately support’ no matter where they are in the world – as illustrated by a ‘Fans United Or Nothing!‘ launch spot debuting on 25 April.
This objective was brought to life through a leading-edge activation strand that saw United and Uber bring one devoted Red Devil fan in Bengaluru (India) to Old Trafford through Uber’s ‘360 Old Trafford Experience’.
At the heart of the initiative was a ‘360 Experience Pod’ which forms a 5-D voyage created to capture the essence of being at the Theatre of Dreams by virtually transporting supporters in India to Manchester United stadium: offering exclusive behind-the-scenes content via immersive technology: enabling the fan to see the team’s players, experience the players’ tunnel, changing rooms and the stadium’s own museum.
Taking place in Bengaluru from 27 to 29 Apri, this Old Trafford ‘Destination United’ experience also included an in-person appearance from Utd club legend and IPL player Wes Brown.
The activation saw Uber seek and India’s most devoted fan: Pratham Prabu, who has been a Red Devil all his life but had never visited the club’s Old Trafford home stadium.
The club and its ride partner created a personal opportunity for Pratham and his family to be with 75,000 fans in the ground (and millions of supporters around the globe watching on TV) to see themselves live on the stadium’s digital advertising boards during a match against Arsenal on Sunday 29 April.
Prabhu became the first fan to try the experience and the club and its commercial partner plan to use the technology and the activation tactic to help bring fans from all over the world to Old Trafford and enable them to virtually meet the team.
Indeed, the brand and club have also given an Uber driver from Brazil the opportunity of a lifetime to watch his beloved United live at Old Trafford for the first time.
The event was created by teams from the club, the sponsor and with the support of Copa90 and Manifold.
Comment:
For the last two or three years rights-holder, sponsors and sports brands around the world have continued to experiment with leading-edge activations based around 360-degree, immersive technology.
Indeed, Real Madrid (a key Man Utd rival on the global club scene) rolled out its own 360-degree immersive ‘Live The Dream’ experience during the same week as the Utd/Uber initiative (see case study).
This activation is one of the more compelling and strategically sensible though.
Indeed, the initiative not only reflects and serves Utd’s global fan base (the club claim 569 million fans in over 30 countries) and acts as an experiential marketing piece for both brands, but it also neatly and effectively highlight Uber’s sponsorship deal as Official Ride Partner of Manchester United.
Adding to the club’s 70-odd stable of commercial partners, it was back in 2017 that Utd and Uber first penned their global partnership.
This saw the setting-up of a dedicated Uber pick-up and drop-off zone at Old Trafford: creating a convenient and safe way for all fans to travel to and from games, with just a few taps of their smartphone.
At the time the deal was signed, United’s group managing director Richard Arnold commented: “Manchester United is always looking at ways in which we can improve our fans’ experience and our relationship with Uber will allow us to do this in new and exciting ways. Supporters will tell you that the journey to and from a game, whether they are watching it at Old Trafford or another venue on the other side of the world, is an important part of the matchday experience, contributing to the build-up and anticipation of the day. Working with Uber we will look to enhance this experience for our 659 million followers, both home and abroad, by bringing them the spirit of Old Trafford and Manchester United through various experiences and interactive campaigns.”
While Amy Friedlander Hoffman, head of business development and experiential marketing at Uber commented: “Uber makes it easier for people around the world to connect to what they care about and now we’re excited to give that connection to Manchester United fans. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Manchester United to not only make match day transportation more seamless, but to deliver fans incredible experiences throughout the season, no matter where they are supporting from.”
Links:
Manchester United
http://www.facebook.com/manchesterunited
http://www.instagram.com/manchesterun…
Uber
https://www.youtube.com/user/UBERWorl…
https://www.instagram.com/uber
