The Wednesday Wrap
In what's no doubt been an incredibly difficult time for many, and I'm thinking of everyone, I figured there could be some welcome inspiration and interest from the return of the Wednesday Wrap after a brief hiatus.
To those coming across this for the first time, the Wednesday Wrap is a weekly nod to things I've come across out and about in-market within the previous week for you to watch, read or listen over a cup of coffee or bite to eat.
So with that, let's get stuck in.
What's caught my eye:
There's been a wealth of incredible branded content and execution coming out in recent weeks, but three that have specifically caught my eye (with a universal theme) are:
You Should Have Stayed Home - Netflix: a brilliant, tactical response derived from a student (that never went to market, I believe) aimed towards the community to stay at home throughout this time. It's a wonderfully simple execution that through the power of their content, turns the idea of spoilers on their head whilst leveraging the context of the current environment to drive home a relevant message.
Stay at Home - Guinness: another student execution that was then adopted by the brand. For those that remember their execution from the World Cup in support of England, similarly this is a sensational piece of design that really leverages the power of the Guinness brand and their distinctive assets (black liquid, pint glass shape, foamy head).
One Team - Budweiser: having spent a week in the US a fortnight ago, whilst it may be a pretty ordinary beer, their brand advertising is always pretty good. As a big sports central brand with millions upon millions invested in sporting properties across the US, this is a strong, emotive execution from the brand that continues to relevantly establish them as more than just a beer brand. I think there's a real danger in brands trying to find a higher purpose as part of a strategy to differentiate themselves (as it's usually just not authentic or consistent... or worse, just bullshit), particularly in a time like now, but this isn't one of them. The script is beautifully written and the story is clear. The product naturally fits the bid to toast the people that deserve it more than anyone at the moment.
What's worth reading:
120 ways to engage with fans when there are no games - GreenFly: this is a useful resource released recently from US athelete / sportstech platform, GreenFly. No doubt lots within that we've all spent countless hours discussing in recent times, but worth revisiting for inspiration and thought-starters. For anyone interested, earlier this year, I was invited to be part of a US podcast from one of GreenFly's directors, which you can read about and listen to here.
A love letter to sport - me: anyone and everyone that knows me, knows how much I love sport. Having been hit hard both personally and professionally by recent events, coupled with an understanding and first-hand experience of the power of sport to be more than just what happens on-field, I penned a love letter to it. Would love to know from all of you how meaningful sport is and why, outside of the fact that most of us work in it.
FIFA Ultimate Quran-Team tournament: all manner of sports teams, leagues, and athletes are trying to find and engage their audiences digitally. As a huge fan of video games and sport, this is a really brilliant initiative to bring to life some form of live competition throughout the hiatus. You can even bet on it. It's received huge amounts of press and interest, and will be sure to share engagement results as they become available.
What is sport for in the age of coronavirus - everywhere you turn in our industry, there is some other piece about the impact on sport of coronavirus. And no doubt, like me, you've got some coronavirus fatigue. But this is a really well considered and written piece that inspires to reflect, to assess, and be creative.
What's worth watching:
State of the Industry - SportsTechie: during the week, Sports Biz outlet SportsTechie launched their State of the Industry conference. Given the inability for people to participate physically, the entire session was run digitally, with browsers able to dip in and out of keynotes as they felt fit. It's free to register and view, and some of the sessions of very relevant including: Leadership during unprecedented times. Stadium tech and the fan experience. Streamlining the fan journey. Blurring the lines: sitting court-side on your couch.
I always start out these notes with a handful of things to share, but then as I go, I remember all these other things I want to talk about and share. But for now, there's a bit in here to digest, think about, and ideally chat through.
Until next time, be safe, be well and be kind to yourself.
Yours in sport,