Nissan brought its first year as a UEFA Champions League sponsor to a climax with a blockbuster experiential event at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate that challenged fans to show their skills and energy levels in order to generate the actual electricity that transported the trophy to the stadium in a special edition e-NV200.
This innovative fan experience at the UEFA Champions Festival measured fans football energy and passion through a series of football-related games to power the UCL trophy on its journey to the Olympic Stadium.
Furthermore, fans were also tested on their football skills as they tried to recreate Nissan’s TV advertisements, as well as giving a lucky few the chance to win tickets to the final itself.
Through the qualifying rounds and in the lead up to the final itself, Nissan has been running a programme of TV, social, and out of home marketing strands (see case study), as well as its season-long ‘Goal Of The Week’ competition which gave fans the chance to win match tickets and related memorabilia on social platforms.
According to Nissan general marketing manager Gareth Dunsmore, social channels are becoming more important and represent ‘perhaps the biggest opportunity for us to go beyond the money and attention the final will generate beyond that day.
As well as the season-long campaign and the final fan experiences, UEFA vehicle partner Nissan took an eco friendly approach to this strand of its Champions League partnership by deploying more than 100 zero emissions Nissan electric vehicles through the city for official auto supplier duties.
Furthermore, the auto brand has left the city with a lasting eco infrastructure legacy in the form of no less than 129 permanent EV charging points around Berlin.
Nissan’s activation at the central Berlin UEFA Fan Festival, which was visited by around 100,000 supporters, was designed and built by Fuse Sport + Entertainment and TRO (both part of the Omnicom group).
‘We’re very focused on trying to differentiate our brand through innovation and insights, and a lot of time and effort has gone into planning around Champions League as a massive stage to showcase that,’ adds Dunsmore.
‘It gives us the ability to portray our messaging on a mass scale, tap into passion points and add a bit of value.’
‘Fuse Sport + Entertainment and TRO have worked very closely with us to help us to establish Nissan as a key member of the UEFA team,’ continues Dunsmore.
‘They have also been instrumental in developing key marketing initiatives to enable us to get closer to the fans through our ‘Engineers of Excitement’ platform, enriching match day experiences and adding value to the fan’s weekend in Berlin as well as showcasing the development of Nissan’s EV technology through our Road to Berlin initiative.’
Commenting on the programme, Fuse Sport + Entertainment managing director EMEA, Mark Bullingham said: ‘We have been delighted with the impact that Nissan has had as a new partner for UEFA in their first season. From a marketing perspective, sport and major sporting events continue to offer brands something different and unique and the UEFA Champions League is one of the truly outstanding events presenting a range of very exciting opportunities. The UCL has enabled Nissan to get closer to the fans who remain so crucial to the sport as well as promoting their leadership in EV technology.’
Whilst Sian Bates, client services director, TRO, adds that the final experience strand not only brings Nissan’s values of ‘Innovation that Excites’ to life through immersive activities, but it also adds value to the experience for fans through relevant, personal and memorable moments.
‘The power of sporting events and experiential marketing to deliver stronger relationships between brands and consumers continues to demonstrate great return for clients,’ adds Bates.
Comment
Throughout its first UEFA Champions League sponsorship year, the car brand has been aiming to reinforce its global position as an innovative brand.
‘UEFA has made the Champions League final into the biggest sporting moment, and the global scale interests us massively,’ explains Dunsmore.
‘We also went back to the SuperBowl this year. It’s not about spending more, but about focusing spend better. UEFA Champions League is part of that strategy.’
Links
Nissan
Fuse S&E
Tro
UEFA
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/
UEFA Champions Festival
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2253208.html
