In the 21st century, the entertainment of sport extends way beyond the pitch, field or track. Brands have become so creatively integrated in the sports industry that they are becoming a part of the event itself – whether they have permission or not! In this issue of The PLAY report we look at how brands exploit the world’s enthusiasm and excitement for sport – on and off the field.

1. TheSportsExperience
THE BRAND
EXPERIENCE
AGENCY
ISSUE09||DECEMBER2014
THEPLAY
REPORT A brief study on the changing
landscape of brand experiences.
Featuring BNP Paribas, Moov, 2014 FIFA World Cup viral content,
Sport Club Recife and the NFL Superbowl
CHARITY
COLLABORATION
VIRAL VIDEO
MARKETING
WEARABLE
TECHNOLOGY
GAMIFICATION
CTV CCG W
CREATIVE TECH

2. CTVIRAL VIDEO
MARKETING
V CHARITY COLLABORATIONCCGAMIFICATIONG WEARABLE TECHNOLOGYW
Artificial intelligence is
shaping the future of
“personal training”.
Brands steal World Cup
sponsors share of voice
via viral video content.
Loyal fans will go
much further than
you ever thought.
BNP Paribas make
sports and social media
history as fans train a
tennis pro via Twitter.
The Superbowl - the
biggest marketing
opportunity in the world.
CREATIVE TECH
THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE
Hello
Throughout the records of human history, one cultural artefact always
crops up: sport. Whether in old frescoes or ancient cave paintings, it’s
clear that sport has always been an integral element of human life.
However, over time, the significance of sport has developed into much
more than a fun fitness activity; it has become deeply ingrained in our
national cultures and personal identities and a vast and serious industry.
With the advent of mass media and global communication, sport has only
furthered its popularity and scalability. Today, global and national sporting
events top TV viewership and demand premium advertising rates.
For example, even though soccer is not a major sport in Australia, a
staggering 9 million+ Aussies (about 40% of the country's population)
watched the FIFA World Cup on SBS in spite of its early morning games.
Many pundits have suggested that 2015 will be Australia’s biggest ever
year in sport as the country hosts a multitude of world class events
including Asia’s biggest football tournament, The Asian Cup in January
and The ICC Cricket World Cup in February.
Crowds will also flock to annual events such as The Australian Open,
the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Santos Tour Down Under and the
20th Melbourne Grand Prix.
In the 21st century, the entertainment extends way beyond the pitch,
field or track. Brands have become so creatively integrated into the
sports industry that they are becoming a part of the event itself -
whether they have permission or not!
In this issue of The PLAY Report we look at how brands exploit the
world's enthusiasm and excitement for sport - on and off the field.
Don’t forget to click on the bold case studies for more information.
The team at PLAY.
PS – We’d love to hear your feedback on this issue.

3. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE
Did you
know?
35.6
Million
tweets were sent
during the 2014
FIFA World Cup final
of fans were active “in game”
on social networks during
the World Football Cup 2014
The cost of the
2012 London
Olympic Games
$3.8BILLION
Nike’s 2013
endorsement
commitments 68,305,500
Approximate number of views of
the “The Force” TVC by Volkswagen
(made famous in the 2011 Superbowl)
$2 Billion
the purchase price of the
Los Angeles Clippers in 2014
In 2012, Nike USA reduced
its spend on TV and print
advertising by 40%
72.4%
The price of a 30 second
TVC at the 2014 Superbowl
Source: CBS News
Source: Forbes
Source: Bleacher Report Source: MobileMarketingMag
Source: Forbes
Source: The Guardian
Source: Thenextweb.com
Source: Thenextweb.com
$4 Million
$14.6
Billion

4. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE
BRINGING YOU CLOSER TO THE ACTION
From mass audiences to
one-to-ones, sport offers it all
One of sport's greatest advantages is that it allows us to talk to a range
of consumers in all sorts of ways.
The following case studies all illustrate different ways brands are using
a sporting platform to connect with their audience; what is most
interesting is the level of proximity that sport permits.
At a macro level, sport lets us reach mass audiences -
offering unique opportunities to engage with millions of people.
One level below are those brands that hijack big events - reaching
a wide audience without necessarily paying for the right to do so, by
using a more creative and clever suite of communications.
At an individual level, sport lets brands share consumers’ specific
passions and can add and exploit these to create very personal
relationships with their targets.
Finally, brands can operate at a very targeted and focussed level
where they can use sport to build a genuine ‘one-on-one’ connection
with their consumer - a connection that can build and grow over time
through a mutually shared beliefs and interest. Mass events, mass audiences
Mass events, targeted audiences
Niche events,
targeted audiences
Personal
events,
one-to-one
audiences

5. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE
PERSPECTIVE:
Merging digital and physical
touch points lets brands
deliver unique brand
experiences to a mass
audience.
TWEET AND SHOOT
Train a tennis pro via Twitter
French bank BNP Paribas wanted to celebrate their 40th year
partnership anniversary with Roland-Garros by establishing a unique
connection between French tennis pro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and fans.
The brand sought to close the gap between fan and player by
bringing the two together in a unique way. For the first time ever,
a professional athlete would be trained by the entire world!
Through Twitter, fans ‘set’ the tennis ball’s positioning, trajectory and
spin and served it for Jo’s return. Three days before the French Open,
Jo took to the court and faced the most challenging of the 5,865 shots.
BNP Paribas demonstrated its tennis credentials and helped the
whole country get behind one of its heroes, while fans were given
the opportunity to test a superstar. For Jo, the benefit was a unique
training experience that exposed him to an unpredictable series of tests.
The campaign clearly worked, as the activation was watched online
by 183,600 fans (enough to fill centre court 12 times) and BNP Paribas
made sports and social media history. Most significant of all, Jo made
it through to the Grand Slam’s semi final (a personal best).
Complementing the activation, BNP Paribas built an editorial driven
community called “We Are Tennis”, which provides a one stop shop
for all things international tennis and continues to demonstrate the
brand’s innovation and commitment to the game.
CTW V CCG
Watch the
Tweet & Shoot
case study

6. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE CTW V CCG
Watch the
Moov
case study
PERSPECTIVE:
We talk of people having
relationships with brands but that
has always been an abstract concept.
Now that computers are adopting
persona’s, we can imagine how
people and products can have
genuine, emotive partnerships.
THE FUTURE OF WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY IS PERSONAL
The world's first Artificial
Intelligence sports coach
As Nike once said, ‘we are all athletes’ - but not everyone has access to
the training, resources and instruction that can help us excel in our
chosen field. Until now.
Making a dramatic leap forward from current wearables like Nike+,
Moov integrates performance tracking with real-time coaching to
help users exercise correctly and more efficiently.
With various wearing and mounting options, Moov monitors
movement in a multitude of ways and analyses these to improve the
user’s technique in real time, providing users with activity-specific
data post-training to help improve their performance.
Moov partners with specialist coaches and athletes to develop a
wide range of programs for all fitness levels and motivations that
encourage performance whilst preventing injury.
Currently the technology offers coaching for cycling, running,
swimming, boxing, strength workouts, golf and yoga.
Brands that want to capitalise on sports and exercise need to
understand that simply sharing content is no longer enough; brands
need to help people do it, rather than merely shouting ‘just do it’!

7. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE CTW V CCG
THE VALUE OF QUALITY STORY TELLING
Hijacking the 2014 World Cup
Big sporting events draw massive audiences, and with them,
exorbitant advertising rates. Not all brands can, or want, to afford to
sponsor events like the FIFA World Cup, but that doesn't seem to be so
much of an obstacle anymore...
Whilst it’s true that only official sponsors can mention the event in their
advertising, brands are finding ever more creative ways of integrating
their message. Therefore, it is perhaps no surprise that it’s often the
non-sponsors whose campaigns are the most memorable.
During the 2014 World Cup, Nike and Beats By Dre used viral
video marketing to gain a greater share of attention than official
sponsors. Nike’s ‘The Last Game’ received 10 million views within 24
hours and a further 58 million+ since. In comparison, Adidas’ ‘All In
or Nothing’ only received 39 million views in the same period.
Beats by Dre gained media attention for not only ‘The Game Before the
Game’ but also for FIFA’s reaction - banning players from using Beats,
on their way to, in or back from the stadium. Sony tried to win players
over by providing free headphones, but players still chose Beats.
It is increasingly clear that mere association is not enough; consumers
and athletes want a deeper story. Sponsorship can be subverted,
partnerships can be found in unexpected places and brands can build
bonds based on understanding the 'why' not just the 'what' of sport.
Watch
Nike’s
“The Last
Game”
here Watch
Beats by Dre’s
“The Game before
the Game”
here

8. FANS REMAIN CHEERING AFTER DEATH
World’s first organ donor
card for a football team.
For the passionate fans of Sport Club do Recife in Brazil, not even
death can stand in the way of their desire to support their team.
When the club was looking for new ways to engage their fan-base,
it decided to look beyond their wallets and into their hearts, using
passion to promote a bigger social cause that could generate a
much more powerful conversation around the team.
Their solution was to create a new class of fans - the Immortal Fans -
who agreed to donate their organs after death so they could
keep cheering for their team.
This was particularly important, as organ donation in Brazil is a
taboo subject with little national awareness. Since the campaign
began, 51,000+ donor cards have been distributed and organ
donation has increased by 54%, breaking all time records.
Here is an example of a brand galvanising its audience through
a deep understanding of who they are and what matters to them - and
then aligning that with a suitable cause to raise awareness for both.
When we think about tapping into people’s love for sport it is clear
we can go so much deeper than mere ‘fandom’. Sport can have a
transcendental nature that gives people from all walks of life a sense
of belonging and identity.
THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE CTW V CCG
Watch the
Immortal Fans
case study
PERSPECTIVE:
Sport, and supporting, is never
black and white. There may be a
winner and a loser, but the deep
emotions that surround sport means
there are more opportunities for
engagement and connection
than may first be apparent.

9. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE CTW V CCG
111.5 MILLION VIEWERS AND COUNTING
The worlds biggest marketing
opportunity?
How could we write a report on the Sports Experience without
showcasing the Superbowl?
In 2014, became the most-watched American television program in
history with 111.5 million viewers, the fourth time in five years the game
has set the record. The Superbowl is more than a football game, the
day is now considered a de facto national holiday.
Brands pay millions of dollars to reach such a mass audience, with
their content now evaluated as critically as every play of the game.
Tugging the emotional heartstrings is key, but brands take a range of
approaches, with two being notable in recent years. First is the fiercely
patriotic agenda of brands like Chrysler which play to the all-American
ethos of the game with raw propaganda pieces designed to restore the
feel-good factor to a nation bruised in recent years by politics,
economics and terrorism.
Secondly, and very differently, brands like Volkswagen offer a form of
surreal escapism, using humour and warmth to distract viewers from
reality and subtly convey key product benefits.
Whatever your view on American Football, its clear the world can learn
plenty from how advertisers use their precious seconds to wring as
much emotion and heart from their audience as possible.
PERSPECTIVE:
Big sporting audiences are
only valuable if you can get
them to feel something beyond
irritation at interrupting
their game.
Watch
Volkswagen’s
“The Force”
here
Watch
Chrysler’s
“Imported From
Detroit”
here
111.5 MILLION VIEWERS AND COUNTING
The world’s biggest marketing
opportunity?
How could we write a report on The Sports Experience
without showcasing the Superbowl?
In 2014, Super Bowl XLVIII became the most-watched American
television program in history with 111.5 million viewers - the fourth
time in five years the game has set the record. The Superbowl is
more than a football game, the day itself is considered a de facto
US national holiday.
Brands pay millions of dollars to reach such a vast audience, and
their content is evaluated just as critically as every play of the game.
Tugging at the emotional heartstrings is key, but brands take a range
of approaches, with two being notable in recent years. First, is the
fiercely patriotic agenda of brands like Chrysler with All-American
propaganda pieces designed to restore the feel-good factor to a
nation bruised in recent years by politics, economics and terrorism.
Secondly, and very differently, brands like Volkswagen offer a form
of surreal escapism, using humour and warmth to distract viewers from
reality and subtly convey key product benefits.
Whatever your view on American Football, it is clear the world can
learn plenty from how advertisers use their precious seconds to wring
as much emotion (and dollars) from their audience as possible.

10. THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE
PLAY is the agency for the Experience Economy.
In 2003 we opened our doors as the pioneers of
experience thinking. Today we are a game-changing,
strategically driven business and the most awarded
Brand Experience Agency in Australia, servicing clients
in Australia and Asia Pacific.
We strategically design digital and live experiences that
activate brands. PLAY delivers at every stage of the
creative process - fusing strategic thinking, sharp
design, digital insight and production expertise.
WHO WE ARE
We are experience thinkers. We place the customer
experience at the centre of what we do. This enables us
to identify channel neutral, high impact marketing
opportunities for our clients and ensures a relevant and
meaningful dialogue with consumers.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
WE HAVE AN EXPERIENTIAL
MIND AND A DIGITAL SPIRIT
Consumers don't differentiate between a digital and real
life experience with a brand. Neither do we. We fuse our
strategic, creative, digital and activation capabilities into
a seamless experience, delivering against defined
business objectives.
For business and press enquiries please contact:
Simon Horauf // Founder & Head of Marketing
Simon.Horauf@playcomms.com
WANT TO PLAY?
T: +61 2 8199 9900
F: +61 2 9281 8125
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Level 1, 91 Campbell Street, Surry Hills
NSW 2010, Australia
POSTAL ADDRESS
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NSW 1300, Australia
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