Following a 2 July teaser trail, Manchester United and Chevrolet have unveiled the new kit for the 2014/15 season on 7 July with a powerful, nostalgic new commercial.
The 60-second spot, developed by Detroit based agency Commonwealth McCann, takes an emotional look back at the team’s famous red shirt over the years – from long sleeve wool to short sleeve synthetic.
The team was founded back in 1878 and the film features a fan march through the ages all singing the club anthem ‘Glory, Glory Man Utd’.
It includes star cameos from legendary players such as Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law and ends with key members of the current side (including Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie) wearing the new kit.
The ad spearheads the car brand’s new ‘What Do You #PlayFor’ campaign, which is the final tagline in the spot, and drives fans to the new digital hub at www.ChevroletFC.com.
This new site includes a range of content, features, news and updates and even a tool that allows fans to try the kit on ‘virtually’.
The site is available in six languages – thus reflecting the international nature of the club’s fan base and the brand’s strategy of connecting with and engaging fans outside England.
An interesting mobile/social strand of the campaign uses Facebook and Twitter to promote the new Chevrolet shirt sponsorship to leverage World Cup fan interest and engage Manchester United’s world-wide supporter base.
Fans from anywhere around the globe can register their Utd support via a mobile-optimised site to register their support for the club and by posting statement of Manchester United support on Facebook and Twitter supporters can virtually wear the new shirt on its launch day.
Back in March, the Chevrolet / Manchester United partnership was involved in rebuilding football pitches in developing regions around the world, providing balls from the One World Futbol Project and sending famous Manchester United players of the past to coach children in developing nations.
‘Our presence on the new Manchester United home shirt is a highly anticipated moment for the club’s more than 659 million followers around the globe, and for the Chevrolet brand,’ said Chevrolet global chief marketing officer Tim Mahoney.
‘From the beginning of our partnership with Manchester United more than two years ago, we pledged to bring fans closer the game. This celebration of the new shirt will honour that pledge by making them part of the unveiling.’
Comment
One of the interesting (and perhaps brave) elements of this spot is that it prominently features all the previous Man Utd shirt sponsors – from Sharp and Vodafone, to AIG and Aon.
This campaign markets the first Red Devils shirt to be sponsored by the US auto giant following 2012’s world record seven-year £53m sponsorship deal and sees Chevrolet’s name and logo replace previous incumbent Aon on the United shirt.
Sports marketers and sponsorship professionals have been waitintg to see how the General Motors-owned auto brand activates its flagship football deal ever since the record breaking partnership was first announced back in 201012 and since the company’s ex-global marketing chief Joel Ewanick was fired just a few weeks after the sponsorship was signed.
While Ewanick has been reported to have admitted that the size of the fee contributed to his departure from Chevrolet, he continues to insist it will deliver brand value worth more than ‘four times’ the initial cost to the car maker.
The story took a further twist a few months back when GM announced its plan to cut the Chevrolet brand in Europe and to return to a primary focus on its Opel/Vauxhall brands.
Thus much of the activation focus will see GM use its rights to promote Chevrolet in emerging markets.
Link
Chevrolet FC Website
http://www.chevroletfc.com/en-gl/
Chevrolet FC Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/ChevroletFC
Chevrolet FC Google Plus
http://plus.google.com/+ChevroletFC
Chevrolet FC Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/ChevroletFC
#PlayFor?
Chevrolet FC Instagram
http://www.instagram.com/ChevroletFC
Manchester United Website
