Released to mark World Conservation Day, ‘The End of Football’ is a short film by water tech company Xylem which leverages its Manchester City partnership to educate football fans about the serious and growing water challenges facing our planet.
Territory: UK
Agency: Brave
Objective:
The brief to creative agency Brave was to leverage the brand’s partnership with Manchester City and make the most of spiking interest around the end of the football season and World Conservation Day through a campaign educating football fans about the planet’s serious and growing water challenges (and that recycling water technology is one long-term, sustainable solution).
The strategy was based on the UK Environmental Agency’s prediction that the country will face severe droughts by 2045 which could lead to the closure of sports stadiums, arenas and other live entertainment venues because there simply isn’t enough water to go around.
While five billion people, around 50% of the planet’s population, live in areas that are water-scarce for at least one month per year and by 2045 projections estimate that more than five billion could suffer water shortages.
Activation:
Brave’s response to the brief was based around the insight that if the Environmental Agency’s warning came to pass then that could mean the end of the football.
Working with the club, the global water technology company’s film looks at the impact of water complacency through the lens of how it will impact footballing as it aims to drive awareness of escalating water challenges.
Made before the Covid-19 outbreak halted sport and filmed in the club’s famous Etihad Stadium, the epic and poignant video shows the drastic impact water complacency will have on society, including football, as it tracks one young Manchester City fan’s journey.
Starring several City players, with current young prodigy Phil Foden now City’s manager, it seeks to capture the attention of fans with a depiction of a world without water.
The spot, posted on 28 July, ran across the brand’s and club’s social platforms.
The spot and its supporting social content seeks to drive viewers online to find out how they can become a ‘Water Hero’ (at http://www.mancity.com/end-of-football) by taking simple steps to use water more sustainably.
Brave, who’s parent company SPORTFIVE manages Xylem’s global partnership with Manchester City worked with production company Great Guns, with media strategy led by Xylem’s global communications partner and SPORTFIVE, PR agency Edelman and with Pumpkin PR leading the media outreach on Brave’s behalf.
“The Brave team is thrilled to continue maximising the potential of the Xylem-Brave partnership for such an important and pressing global issue as water shortage,” commented Brave Business Director Declan Garvin.
“This latest brand activation builds on the success of The Changing Room campaign ensuring that sports fans the world over are made aware of global water challenges and solutions.”
Joseph Vesey, Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer at Xylem, added: “Though the End of Football campaign was conceived and shot before the coronavirus pandemic brought a temporary halt to football, the message behind the campaign has never been more appropriate. With the support of the Club and its legions of fans, we have the power to elevate the conversation on water conservation and create a more sustainable future for all.”
Outcome:
Since its launch on 28 July, on Manchester City’s channels the video has notched up 255k views on Facebook, 247k on YouTube, plus 86k on Twitter and 70k on Instagram views (with a further 3k Instagram views and 426 YouTube views on Xylem’s channels).
Comment:
This is an epic, movie style spot aping many a famous environmental disaster film – think The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Armageddon, Volcano, Earthquake and, of course, Contagion – and its cinematic approach certainly packs a punch.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how fragile our world really is, surely a motivating factor to take steps to protect our future through water sustainability?
This campaign follows on from Xylem’s 2019 Man City ‘Close Than You Think / Closer To Home’ campaign (see case study).
Links:
Xylem
https://www.xylem.com/en-uk/about-xylem/partnerships/man-city
https://www.facebook.com/xylemwatermark
https://www.youtube.com/user/XylemIncorporated
Manchester City
https://www.youtube.com/user/mcfcofficial
https://www.facebook.com/mancity
https://www.instagram.com/mancity/
Brave
SPORTFIVE
Great Guns
Edelman
Pumpkin PR
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