Official UK UEFA Euro 2020 broadcaster ITV has resumed its ‘Be Part Of It’ competition offering brands free primetime tournament airtime to the company which submits the ‘most emotionally engaging ad’.
The campaign call-for-entries is spearheaded by a video fronted by ITV football presenter and former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright which blends an appeal to brands to submit their creative with a list of reasons to get involved alongside archive tournament footage to whet the appetite.
This is further supported by content running across the brand’s social channels and via an interview video between former England women’s star Eni Eluko, ITV Commercial’s Kelly Williams with partner System 1 CMO Jon Evans.
#EURO2020 is BACK. 44 million viewers tuned in last time & the eyes of the nation will again be on the tournament & the advertising. Join ITV's MD Commercial Kelly Williams, in conversation with @EniAlu & @System1Research and get your brand involved! https://t.co/2eSU2bM6BQ #ITV pic.twitter.com/r7MwZg1k0d
— ITV Media (@itvmedia) February 10, 2021
The creative ad contest sees ITV Commercial offer one lucky advertising brand a chance to get a kick out of this summer’s postponed UEFA Euro 2020 final.
Applicants are invited to submit their ads for evaluation by 27 June and the winner will be revealed on 7 July – ahead of the 11 July tournament kick off.
The original iteration of the contest-promoting campaign rolled out back in November 2019, but with the tournament postponed until 2021 due to Covid-19 ITV mothballed the competition and it has been revived in February 2021.
ITV again partners with specialist ad-testing agency System1 in its search for advertisers, creatives and media agencies to ‘craft a communication piece which can wriggle into the soul of viewers’.
System 1 will assess entries by objectively measuring each ad contender’s ‘emotional engagement’ using its bespoke star system which has been validated by the IPA.
ITV suggests, using prior successful campaigns as a guide, entries should consider UK-specific spots which feature examples of ‘reliant heroism‘ and ‘everyday underdogs‘ to tug on the heartstrings of sports fans and also to ‘explore taboos’, ‘communicate a sense of purpose’ and ‘consider self-referential or meta advertising.
At the initial launch, ITV Commercial Director Of Client Strategy Kate Waters said: “What we’re talking about internally is how to use the tournament to create our own UK version of the Super Bowl. This competition is a small step to help make that happen. System 1 is the perfect research partner for ITV as we begin our search for the brand that has the ambition, vision and creativity to produce an advert that will be at the forefront of one of this year‘s largest live sporting events and greatest cultural moments.”
System 1 Chief Marketing Officer Jon Evans added: “Euro 2020 is a golden opportunity for brands to score with the public – but our research shows half the ads on TV leave them flat. Effective ads don‘t just give people a lift, they benefit the bottom line. We’re over the moon to be helping ITV reward effectiveness, new ideas and enthusiasm with this competition. It‘s a chance for creative brands to showcase their work on one of the most coveted stages in UK advertising. May the biggest feelings win!”
Comment:
There are plenty of motivations behind entering this contest: after all, more than 44m people tuned in to ITV’s coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016.
Plus, the broadcaster expects the late running 2020 (21) competition to attract even more viewers as it expects the Euros to spearhead a summer reinvigoration of life for disconnected Brits locked down in their homes for much of the last 12 months.
Links:
ITV Media Euro 2020 Competition
https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/euro-2020
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