Ride-hailing service Uber launched a video-led, online campaign in Spain called ‘Romeo Y Julio’ which leveraged its twin Seville football club partnerships around the city’s April 2019 derby game which called for tolerance in football and promoted respect over rivalry.
Territory: Spain
Agency: Shackleton Madrid (Accenture Interactive)
Objectives
As a brand, Uber invests more than €350m per year in sponsorship and in Spain football is a core part of its sports marketing strategy – not least because more than 32m Spaniards (70%) are interested in the game – which is built on build on the brand’s ‘There Is Football. Let’s Go’ concept.
Uber challenged agency Shackleton Madrid to leverage its dual sponsorship of Sevilla FC and Real Betis Balompié with a 2019 derby related campaign which brings to life the ride hailing app’s football narrative which is based around respect, tolerance and diversity.
This values-based approach focusing on coexistence aims to improve Uber’s low brand sentiment which caused partly by the taxi sector and related, frequently negative mentions of Uber in the media.
Respect is also particularly important around the Seville derby, known in Spain as the ‘Gran Derby’ and one of the classics of world football, because the rivalry is always passionate and often overly fiercely and forms a key part of the city’s sporting, social and cultural life.
Activation
To capitalising on its rights around the Gran Derby in April 2019, Uber – which is the mobility and innovation partner of both major teams in the city – launched a values-led campaign on 10 April based on a short film helmed by award-winning Spanish filmmaker Fernando Colomo which tells the story of Romeo and Julio.
The pair are a gay couple from Seville who decide to get married in spite of opposition from their respective families. Initially, the story’s narrative arc plays on viewer assumptions and prejudices hinting that the family conflict lies in the couple’s homosexuality. But the real issue turns out to be that the two families support rival teams.
The activation tackles the taboo subject of homosexuality in football and promotes there ideas of tolerance, acceptance and inclusivity over enmity and rivalry.
“We wanted to get involved with this campaign because we share the values that the clubs are promoting. We believe that it is important to put an end to confrontational attitudes and fully escape from the mentality of conflict,” commented Uber Spain Director Juan Galiardo. “We need to realise that, in most cases, the things we have in common far outnumber those that separate us, and football is the ideal stage to make this clear.”
Outcome
Brand Sentiment:
- 95% of mentions on the campaign were positive vs the usual 12% average for the brand in Spain.
Social Media Statistics:
> 3m+ views
> 7k+ mentions
>13m+ reach
Media Results (data from 10/04 to 13/04):
> A total of 15 minutes of coverage on national and international TV channels.
> Coverage by Spain’s top four sports media: AS, Marca, Mundo Deportivo and Sport.
> Uber is mentioned in 96% of online publications (headlines 48% / body 90%).
> The ‘Romeo & Julio’ video was embedded in 92% of online news (in 46 out of 51 publications).
> Coverage by more than 20 publications outside Spain.
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