CASE STUDY: SEASON 16-17
INTRODUCTION Project11 Played by 250 million people in more than 200 countries, football is the world s most popular sport. It is therefore unsurprising to find advertising in the world s most prestigious football leagues has become a valuable and unique indicator of brand awareness, campaign success, customer relations and consumer opinion. Here at Project11, we specialise in helping brands tap into this global phenomenon by offering unrivalled advertising opportunities at the world s top sporting events. We are best known for our rights in English and Spanish football, featuring the biggest and richest clubs in the world. We deliver a platform of innovative perimeter LED advertising, exciting sponsorship and partner opportunities, enabling brands around the world to connect with their audience. This report focuses on the exposure and impact achieved for Gamma Entertainment s brand Marsbet by advertising at top level La Liga matches during the 2016-17 season. Marsbet Marsbet is a leading online gambling site and sportsbook. They offer pre and in-play betting, bingo, casino games, esports betting, live dealer games, lottery, mobile casinos, mobile games, mobile live dealer, mobile lottery, mobile poker, mobile sportsbooks, and online poker. Operating worldwide, Marsbet pride themselves on open, honest and fair relationships with each other, their customers and their business partners. Through this, Marsbet support customers, employees and stakeholders while making gambling enjoyable and setting a high standard for others to follow. Their mission is to create innovative, technologically advanced concepts, while bringing a new experience to each and every user who visits Marsbet, the company runs with the purpose to make, and keep gambling fun for everyone. Sources: Repucom 2015
ABOUT LA LIGA Spain s Top Football Division Contested by the best 20 clubs in Spain, La Liga is the top professional division in the Spanish football league pyramid. The league championship, European cup qualification, or fight against relegation make it a highly competitive league. Competition between teams and between players is fierce and makes La Liga one of the most renowned sports leagues in the world. While a total of 60 teams have competed in La Liga since its inception, only nine have ever been crowned champions, with Real Madrid winning the title a record 32 times and FC Barcelona 24 times. These two Spanish clubs have a fierce rivalry, both on and off the pitch. Their leading players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo regularly go head to head for records and individual honours. The two players have a combined nine FIFA Ballon d Or awards and consistently score 50-goals a season, which means they have each scored more than 500 goals in their careers. Digital Billboard Replacement (DBR) DBR is a state of the art system that allows region specific feeds to be generated from the one match, each with different graphics in any electronic format: animation and video. The DBR recognises obstructions in front of the billboard, such as players and places the replacement feed behind. This ensures advertising during La Liga matches is tailored to the specific target audience requirements of each global region, without interfering with the viewer s experience. In short, the same match will show different adverts simultaneously to each region, allowing local, region and international businesses to appear alongside of the biggest teams on earth. LATAM MENA EUROPE NATIONAL Sources: La Liga 2016
LA LIGA S AUDIENCE Worldwide Popularity When people think of football, they think of Real Madrid and Barcelona. They see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They remember the great players that have played in La Liga and are inspired by today s crop of superstars. They feel the passion of the fans as they get fervently behind their team. When people think of football, they think of La Liga as one of the top leagues in the world. La Liga s prestige emanates from the success of its clubs, who have won the UEFA Champions League a record 16 times and the Europa League 10 times. La Liga s players have and continue to dominate football, with the Spanish top division accumulating the highest number of FIFA Ballon d Or awards. Like the players, La Liga attracts fans from all over the world, with a global cumulative audience of over two billion. Cumulative Audience 2015-16 Sources: Repucom 2015
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES Increasing Brand Awareness Marsbet s marketing team stated the main objective for the La Liga football advertising campaign was to increase Marsbet s brand awareness across the European continent. Increasing brand awareness is a key driver to the entire brand s narrative and enhancing Marsbet s exposure and trust within the football gambling consumer base was a key goal for the Marsbet team. The online betting market is hugely competitive and congested, with global recognised brands and regional based independent sites jostling for a competitive market share. The gaming and gambling industry comprises of over 5300 companies, with the global revenue being $278 Billion. Online gambling sites are one of the foundation markets in the industry and they are on the rise. One of the most attractive features of online sports betting is its higher reach among the bettors. Marsbet turned to football advertising to get an edge on their competitors, most notably looking to utilise their digital presence during the games themselves. Pre-game and in play betting are hugely popular across European football fan landscape and Marsbet aimed to use the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid matches to reach this audience. In addition, the online sports betting is more popular on computing and mobile devices, which have been highly adopted among football fans. Second screen viewing, tracking matches online via streams, and commenting on the games via social media are common practice for all professional European football matches. Gaming sites such as Marsbet are looking at this mobile device market as opportunity for exponential growth.
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES La Liga s European Broadcasters Albania SuperSport 3 Digitalb Andorra bein Sports 1 Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus LAOLA1.tv International, Setanta Sports Eurasia DAZN LAOLA1.tv International, Idman Setanta Sports Eurasia, LAOLA1.tv International Play Sports 1, Eleven SportKlub 1 Serbia Sport+ HD Sportklub 1 Croatia PrimeTel Czech Republic Digi Sport 3 Estonia Finland LAOLA1.tv International, Setanta Sports Eurasia Viaplay Finland, Viasat Football HD, Viasat Sport Premium France bein Sports 1 Georgia Germany Setanta Sports Eurasia DAZN Greece OTE Sport 2 Hungary Iceland Sport 1 Hungary Stöð 2 Sport Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Macedonia Moldova Setanta Sports Eurasia, LAOLA1.tv International LAOLA1.tv International LAOLA1.tv International, Setanta Sports Eurasia SportKlub 1 Serbia Setanta Sports Eurasia, LAOLA1.tv International Monaco bein Sports 1 Montenegro Netherlands Norway Portugal Russia Serbia SportKlub 1 Serbia Ziggo Sport Voetbal Viaplay Norway, Viasat Fotball Norway Sport TV2 Setanta Sports Eurasia SportKlub 1 Serbia Slovakia Digi Sport 3 Slovenia Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom SportKlub 1 Slovenia Viasat Sport Premium, Viasat Ultra HD, Viaplay Sweden DAZN Idman TV, Digiturk Play, bein Sports 3 Turkey Futbol 1, OLL.tv Sky Sports 1/HD UK, Sky Go UK, SKY GO Ireland Italy Kyrgyzstan Sky Go UK, SKY GO Extra, NOW TV UK, Sky Sky Sport Plus HD Setanta Sports Eurasia, LAOLA1.tv International We endeavour to provide as accurate and detailed broadcast information as possible. However, broadcast schedules are subject to change at any time. Sources: La Liga 2016
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES Key Target Market: United Kingdom The UK is football mad. Unsurprisingly, football is the UK s favourite sport and this means enormous exposure for La Liga and its advertisers. From world-class players to extensive media coverage, UK viewers tune in on a regular basis to follow their favourite La Liga clubs and players. Popularity The UK is the second highest country in the world when it comes to La Liga viewer numbers. 74% of people in the UK claim to have watched at least one live La Liga match and 52% of the population say they are highly interested in football. 33% of the UK population play football at least once per week, and even more follow La Liga. Fans of La Liga are able to enjoy watching the best players in the world. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale and Neymar have increased La Liga s exposure and appeal throughout the world, with the UK being no different. Ronaldo was signed by English club Manchester United in 2003, for a record-breaking 12million at the time. He quickly became a football legend within the UK, before signing for La Liga club Real Madrid, for 80million. Having grown an enormous UK following, many football fans began to tune into La Liga, and still do, to follow Cristiano Ronaldo s career with the Spanish side. 74% O F P E O P L E WATCHED A LIVE LA LIGA MATCH Broadcasting Sky Sports made a new agreement in 2015 to broadcast La Liga for another three seasons, ensuring La Liga remains a key part of an unrivalled schedule of live football. Due to this deal, Sky Sports viewers will be able to follow Real Madrid, Barcelona and the stars of Spanish football as part of a schedule of over 100 live La Liga matches per season. This also marks Sky Sports 20th year of partnership with La Liga, continuing to bring the UK s favourite players onto screens throughout the country. Javier Tebas, president of La Liga said: La Liga has a huge global fan base and by renewing with Sky Sports, this provides us with the best possible way to showcase our league, teams and players to our UK audience. Sources: Repucom 2015, La Liga 2016
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES Key Target Market: France La Liga is enormously popular in France with a huge percentage of its population following football. High viewing figures and numbers of La Liga fans makes France a force to be reckoned with when it comes to its La Liga fanbase. 69% O F P E O P L E WATCHED A LIVE LA LIGA MATCH 33% OF POPULATION ARE FOOTBALL FANS Popularity France has the third highest number of live La Liga viewers in the world. The majority of these are viewing in-home, with 64% of total viewers watching on a television set. 69% of people in France claim to have watched at least one La Liga match, and 33% of the entire population are football fans. Players from the UK have played many times against La Liga players in the Champions League, with many admiring the skill involved in the Spanish league. Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two most competitive teams in La Liga, with the top 5 most viewed live La Liga games last season in France including one of the two teams. Broadcasting France had 1,033 programmes of La Liga broadcast last season, with highlights, near-live broadcasts and repeats significantly increasing the total number of views. Broadcast on bein Sports, La Liga has been given a platform from which to grow, as the number of viewers is consistently growing. Sources: Repucom 2015, La Liga 2016
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES Key Target Market: Germany One of the key markets for La Liga, Germany has a constantly growing fan base of the Spanish league and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. 61% HIHGLY INTERESTED IN FOOTBALL 18% PLAY FOOTBALL AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK Popularity In Germany, an enormous 61% of the population are highly interested in football, with 18% of the population playing football at least once every week. German players have often played against players from La Liga in the Champions league, expanding La Liga s reach across Germany and its football fans. The number of German-born players in La Liga is extensive, with the likes of Mesut Özil and Toni Kroos playing for Real Madrid, as well as the German national team. This has enormously increased the amount of interest from German fans, as they enjoy following their home-grown stars abroad, with many continuing to play in the Spanish League. Broadcasting La Liga is broadcast in Germany on DAZN, gaining millions of viewers on what is often referred to as the Netflix of Sports. The innovative live and on-demand streaming service focuses on sports and allows users to watch content live or following the event. Fans throughout Germany were delighted with the introduction of DAZN, which allowed an entirely new experience for sports fans to keep up to date with every game of La Liga. Sources: Repucom 2015, La Liga 2016
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES Key Target Market: Scandinavia Scandinavia has a wide range of channels from which to watch La Liga, which has led to a rapid and ongoing increase in its love for the Spanish league. Popularity 43% HIHGLY INTERESTED IN FOOTBALL On average in Scandinavia, 43% of the population is highly interested in football and La Liga. Scandinavia s growing following is aided by the number of players who have gone to play in La Liga during their careers, with the Spanish league being seen as the pinnacle of any footballer s career. Famous Scandinavian players who have made their way to play with the greats in La Liga include Denmark s Thomas Gravesen of Real Madrid and Jesper Grønkjær of Atlético Madrid. Riza Durmisi who was born in Copenhagen continues to play for Betis, with many from Denmark following his progress in La Liga. The Scandinavians have enjoyed watching talented 18-year-old Martin Ødegaard play for Real Madrid before going out on loan, increasing the viewership of La Liga from Norway. Similarly, popular footballers from Sweden who made a name for themselves in the Spanish League include Patrik Andersson who enjoyed 3 seasons with Barcelona, and John Guidetti who continues to play for Celta. Broadcasting La Liga is broadcast on Viasat Sport throughout Scandinavia, as well as also being shown on 6 eren, Canal 9 and Eurosport DK. With many living in Scandinavia being passionate about football, Viasat Sport has Viasat Fotboll, a channel dedicated only to football. Sources: Repucom 2015, La Liga 2016
ACTIONS La Liga Campaign Marsbet elected for a 30 match football advertising campaign during the 2016-17 season, with all matches involving either FC Barcelona or Real Madrid. Marsbet s advertisement was shown on the European feed, therefore getting exposure in major sportsbook markets such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine, Belgium, Scandinavia, and Russia. Example Matches: Sevilla FC v Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid, Valencia v FC Barcelona The Advert Design The digital graphic for the DBR perimeter display was designed by Marsbet s internal creative department, therefore ensuring the Marsbet branding met their approved standards. The design put forward by Marsbet followed the quality criteria set out by Project11, which ensures all adverts achieve maximum exposure and impact. Marsbet s red logo and white text stood out from the red and black background, which in turn contrasted with the green of the grass. The logo was horizontal and to a suitable size, while the text was short with bold font and adequate kerning. Furthermore, the digital animation was slow and uncomplicated, making it easy to read and understand. There was also no complicated call to action, with the design exposing only the Marsbet logo, branding and website.
ACTIONS Examples
RESULTS Post Campaign Review Senior figures at Marsbet were asked to fulfil a campaign elevation survey, which asks a variety of questions evaluating the effectiveness and success of the campaign, as well as assessing Marsbet s satisfaction advertising in La Liga and working with Project11. The table below details the results. Key 1- No Impact 5- Excellent Impact Campaign Evaluation As the table above displays, Marsbet s football advertising campaign achieved great results in highlighting their brand over competitor betting companies, creating an emotional commitment between the Marsbet brand and their customers and increasing Marsbet s brand recognition and awareness. The campaign also achieve high results for associating the Marsbet brand to La Liga, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, renowned players Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. This football advertising supported other promotional campaigns, and helped Marsbet increase website visits and sales. Please rate your satisfaction with this campaign (1- Very poor, 5- Excellent): How likely are you to recommend football advertising/sports marketing to another company (1- Never, 5- Definitely): How likely are you to recommend Project11 to another company (1- Never, 5- Definitely):
CONCLUSION A Successful First Sports Marketing Campaign Advertising in La Liga allowed Marsbet to achieve their main marketing objectives and further enhance the Marsbet brand position in Europe. It also allowed them to tap into the passion, excitement and joy fans across the continent associate with football and La Liga. In the survey conducted by senior figures at Marsbet, the campaign and service provided by Project11 was given a rating of 5 out of 5. Marsbet informed Project11 that they were very satisfied with the results of their first sports marketing strategy and have continued to work with Project11 to advertise in La Liga. Note From Marsbet Project11 were very professional. They re team helped us through every stage, from campaign planning, designing the advert, through to completion. We received regular updates throughout the campaign and would recommend Project11 and football advertising to other brands.