Udinese and sponsor Dacia worked with agency Publicis Italia to turn a Serie A match against Lazio into a special live football auction: one which offered fans a chance to place a bid to buy one of the 11 different signed club jerseys that the Udinese players had worn during the game in order to raise funds for a set of entrepreneurial fan cause projects.
Territory: Italy
Agency: Publicis Italy
Objectives
‘Dacia The Auction’ was the fifth iteration of an ongoing activation strand called ‘Dacia Sponsor Days’ launched in 2014 which offers fans an annual and unique, club-related experiential opportunity designed to reflect the values and objectives of the sponsor.
The umbrella values-led objective behind Dacia’s Udinese partnership is to draw synergies between the club and the car company’s shared values of ‘generosity, pragmatism, passion and dynamism’.
The 2018 Dacia The Auction activation was part of Dacia’s wider commitment to support a generational shift and spearhead fresh entrepreneurial thinking within the company, the club, the regional community and across Italian industry.
This commitment follows on from Istat research data which shows that the number of young graduates in Italian companies (10%) is lower than in Spanish (40%) and Germany (50%) companies.
Thus, Dacia The Auction aimed to reward young people’s entrepreneurial spirit and boost local youth workforce creativity in Udinese’s Friuli region (in the north-east region of Italy).
Activation
‘Dacia The Auction’ was a football fundraising initiative, based around the April 8th 2018 match between Udinese and SS Lazio, which saw players take to the field wearing 11 different models of club shirt – all original jerseys from different seasons – which were then sold off after the game.
The funds raised through the auction contributed to a set of fan causes and projects which combine ‘entrepreneurial passion and social sensitivity’ and aimed at supporting the elderly, disabled and animals: projects which ranged from opening a business and creating a city garden, to artistic endeavours in film and writing and training marathon runner-resuscitators.
This auction, which featured a line-up of shirts from the club’s past, took place both on the pitch live and across the online auction site Catawiki.it (which specialises in rare items) staring on Friday 6th April and climaxing at the end of the match is over on Sunday 8th April.
The 11 custom-made jerseys, all replicas of team kits from previous seasons, each represents the dream of one of the 11 fans who selected that specific jersey: each shirt was sold off to raise money for that fan’s own ‘dream’ project.
The jerseys all featured the name, number and the autograph of the player who wore it for the game.
The history of all 11 shirts, an explanation of the auction mechanics and details of causes were showcased on the dedicated website at www.daciatheauction.it, plus fans could follow the progress of the auction live, as well as make bids on the digital hub.
The auction itself took place live on bespoke site, on Catawiki.it and on the pitch where the celebrity auctioneer – Italian football legend and former Napoli and Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara – ran the auction from an elevated podium on the field.
“The fifth edition of Dacia Sponsors Day is a qualified way to give value to young local entrepreneurs, to the spirit of growth and development that pervades Friuli and that needs support and promotion to emerge,” said Udinese Calcio Vice President Avv. Stefano Campoccia,
“Thanks to Dacia, football becomes a crowdfunding vehicle and the Dacia Arena will host an innovative project to live during the ninety minutes of Udinese-Lazio.”
The initiative was promoted ahead of the match/auction primarily through social content.
The campaign was created for Dacia Advertising, Digital and CRM Manager Elisabeth Leriche and Advertising Executive Giulia Frerè by Publicis Italy.
The agency team included Global Chief Creative Officer Publicis WW & CEO Publicis Italy Bruno Bertelli, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Italy Cristiana Boccassini, Creative Director Francesco Martini, Digital Creative Directors Michele Picci and Massimo Guerci, Art Directors Andrea Raia and Dora Sarkadi, Copywriters Matteo Gatto and Simina Florea, Digital Art Director Iacopo Gioffré, General Manager Daniela Di Maio, Account Directors Giada Salerno and Emanuela Dionisi, Strategic Planner Mattia Bellomo, Project Manager Pierluigi Roselli, TV Producers Giulia Atzori and Chiara Antignani and Art Buyer Stefano Guarin.
The campaign was produced by Filmmaster Productions with Director Giorgio Testi, Executive Producer Lorenzo Cefis, Producer Cinzia Morandi and Editor Fabrizio Squeo.
Outcome
The initiative was short listed in the Cannes Lions ‘Direct’ category and also won two silver gongs at the ADCI Awards.
The jerseys’ total value increased by more than 1000% at the auction and all the €9,450.00 raised went to funding the various projects.
The most expensive shirt in the auction was the 2002-03 kit worn by striker Kevin Lasagna and which sold for €1,700, while midfielder Jakub Jankto’s shirt from 2012-13 reached €1,600 and Jens Stryger Larsen’s 2004-05 shirt sold for €1,100.
