As sunshine reigned in the UK over the past few weeks, the Wimbledon Championships were thrust into the spotlight. And basking in the heat were high-profile sponsors, who traditionally make some of the most successful, well-crafted content marketing plays of the year.
These powerful sponsorship relationships often have long-standing legacies. Rolex, who rank among consumers as the most reputable brand in the world according to Forbes, became ‘official time keeper’ of Wimbledon in 1978. Alongside Robinsons who have held a partnership with the games for 80 years, Rolex has closely entwined its brand with Wimbledon, and both sponsors are increasingly turning towards digital content to amplify their partnerships.
In 2003, Rolex created the Wimbledon App in order to engage its client base in a more interactive relationship, whilst ultimately adding value to their experience of the tournament. Similarly, Robinsons this year ran a series of blog and video posts featuring Judy Murray as well as a social media competition to enhance their media presence.
But the outreach opportunities created by national sporting events such as Wimbledon are not exclusively available to the likes of Rolex and Robinsons. Every business can profit from the invaluable opportunities to boost product awareness and sales, whether with a pre-shaped marketing strategy, or - as biscuit brand Oreo demonstrated during the 2013 Superbowl - with-well timed responses to developments in the competition.
During a power outage, Oreo’s social media team tweeted ‘Power Out? No Problem’, alongside a darkened image of a lone Oreo, with the caption ‘You can still dunk in the dark’. The image was retweeted 15,560 times, and favourited 6,598 times, sparking articles across the media about their success. With one tweet, the chocolate biscuit brand surpassed big-ticket sponsors such as Pepsi, who reportedly spend an annual average of $15.3m on its advertisements.
Oreo’s social media triumph underlined the opportunity for brands to use content to engage audiences throughout these events. How can smaller brands plan ahead to make the most of upcoming events such as this year’s Rugby World Cup or the Ashes:
1. Build a content calendar in advance.
Assess your target audience, looking at their user personas to understand which events they are most likely to be following. Consider which content might be most suited to each - for example, an infographic on where to watch the rubgy, or a get the look guide on what to wear for a day out at the cricket.
2. Use data to inform your content strategy.
Analyse sales data from previous years to ascertain which products are likely to spike around those particular events and use this information to tailor your content strategy.
3. Localise content around the event.
During the Rugby World Cup in September, thousands of people will fly to the UK from all over the world. Engaging those audiences with intelligent, localised content before they even get on a plane, will greatly increase your chances of reaching them while the event is actually taking place.
4. Be reactive and adaptive.
Take the lead from Oreo, who had a 15-person social media team including copywriters, strategists, and artists, at the ready during the live event. Quick, sharp, reactive content is often highly effective.
By Ed Bussey, Founder and CEO of Quill.
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