Duracell Digital Video Series Activates Chelsea FC’s First Short-Term Brand Partnership

In terms of outcomes, Duracell reported a ‘significant uplift’ in Power Bank sales during that week-long campaign.

Indeed, Chelsea FC’s Head Of Marketing Gary Twelvetree said the campaign “over-achieved” as social video views reached over 2m and social engagement was 28% above the target.

Chelsea also performed a brand study to ensure the campaign hit the KPIs required by the top marketers, a rigour which may be lacking at rival clubs.

The tie-up saw Chelsea FC secure its first (and an English Premier League club first) short-term brand partnership product: a sponsorship tactic which the club hopes will attract budgets currently allocated to influencer marketing and publisher partnerships.

The approach sees Chelsea offer access not only to elite players in its first team squad, but also to its own in-house production assets and distribution channels.

Videos will thus be conceived, created and produced in-house and then distributed across owned channels and ad inventory in the digital, social and the in-stadium space.

Thus the approach aims to attract brands looking to make an impact through football without the cost and commitment of a traditional long-term deal.

Chris Townsend, Chelsea’s Commercial Director, said the product is a keen way to quickly activate around “new campaigns and at peak sales moments”.

According to Chelsea marketing boss Twelvetree, this is an opportunity that has ‘gone begging to date’.

Twelvetree, who has also built fresh sponsorship products in his previous roles at Barclays (a long-time, former title partner of the Premier League) and at Visa (which is an official sponsor of both the FIFA World Cup and the IOC’s Olympic Games).

“Although it’s early days, the response we’re getting in the market is exceptionally positive. We have got more brands lined up that are going to work with us in the next month or two,” said Twelvetrees.

“It is an ideal time to offer this, maybe it hasn’t been done in the past due to the type of people who have held marketing roles at clubs. Now clubs have to generate revenue every way they can. To be winners on the pitch, we have to be winners off the pitch.”

Multi-year contracts have long been the norm in European football and while Chelsea doesn’t foresee its new short-term deals replacing its top-tier packages which deliver long-term brand alignment, its marketing team does believe the new model will attract new spend from agile, flexible brands with lower budgets.

At Activative we certainly feel that, as long as the new short-term approach doesn’t dilute existing long-term, top tier tie-ups, elite sports team players, platforms and power to engage will prove attractive to a new silo of brands.

Other notable December campaigns from Chelsea include its festive fixture ‘All Eyes On London’ derby games promotion with agency Dark Horses (see case study).