Duration of sponsorship

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PROJECT DETAILS

Sponsorship title: Audi Cup

Duration of sponsorship: 2009-present

Case study entered by: Audi AG

Sponsor’s industry sector: Automotive

Rights-holder: Audi AG (Ownership Platform)

Agency: brands and emotions GmbH

– Lead Agency, Audi Cup

Other organisations involved in the planning, activation or evaluation:

FC Bayern Munich; Several service providers (including event

agency, TV commercialisation, TV production, etc.).

Campaign summary Launched in 2009, the year of Audi’s 100th anniversary, the Audi Cup is a pre-seasonal worldwide football tournament. Leading teams including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United meet in Munich for the biennial Audi Cup during the summer break in football.

The event is an owned and mainly refinanced platform by Audi with a strong international media presence, achieving around 2.5 billion consumer contacts across television and online media at each tournament in around 200 countries. With cutting-edge technologies as an integral part of its staging and coverage, the event provides a global opportunity to highlight Audi’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” values.

Planning Business needs The Audi Cup provides an ideal platform to present a strong, resonating connection between top-level international football and the brand’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” positioning. Audi has been involved in international football for over 14 years and the launch of the Audi Cup in 2009 established a new benchmark in proprietary sports marketing, creating a whole new way for Audi to implement its own rights in a highly controlled and targeted manner.

Taking a “high-tech” approach to the world of football broadcasting and marketing, the Audi Cup meets the clear business need for Audi to demonstrate

Audi and the Audi Cup

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and underpin its core brand proposition as a highly innovative, technologically advanced automotive company.

The development and implementation of tools including the first ever implementation of digital overlay of led boards in live broadcasting and the first ever live holographic press conference in sport, a dedicated chatbot and Alexa Skill and the Audi Player Index, not only underline Audi’s status as a “high-tech” brand but genuinely enhance enjoyment of the tournament for fans, building a truly relevant connection.

Sponsorship selection Audi’s long association with football, with its focus on high-profile, global clubs, saw the brand develop from a classic sponsor to an owner and organiser of various leading platforms in its own right – the Audi Cup, Audi Summer Tour and Audi Football Summit. With these properties and its year-round association with the game, Audi set itself the goal of elevating its successful sponsorships into full ownership; Audi shifted from a host or a marque associated with the game to become a progressive game-changer within the very business of sport.

Football is the most popular sport in the world in terms of fans and provides Audi with access to a global audience with a broad demographic profile. It is also a forward-thinking, innovative sport, welcoming the technological advancements that Audi provides. Audi has introduced its “Vorsprung durch Technik” philosophy into the world of football in ways that are both functional and exciting for fans.

Objectives Audi selected football and created the Audi Cup with a view to fulfilling a range of objectives:

• To become highly visible in the world of sport • To create a powerful platform for brand

communications • To establish an ongoing association in which Audi

could underscore its positioning as a high-tech innovator

• To create an experience platform for clients and top clients of Audi markets and dealers

• To manage the Audi Cup in such a way that would meet the varying individual needs of all its different

stakeholders. The central communication concept of the Audi Cup

2017 was the “Year of Audi Intelligence”. Audi sought to introduce true innovations to the tournament, appealing to sports enthusiasts and fans of the participating clubs as well as Audi’s broader, international target markets. In order to consolidate its position as an innovative player in sports, Audi would reach out to important decision-makers in the sports marketing business with its “high-tech in football” innovations.

Activation External communications: • Media planning • Traditional media • Launch press conference • Media partnerships • Brand and product pommunication • Branded content • Online and social media • “Money can’t buy” assets • Event marketing and promotions • Internal communications • Employees • Retailers • High-tech innovations • Holographic launch press conference (for the 2017

Audi Cup) • Audi player index • Digital overlay (first implemented in a live

broadcasting at Audi Cup 2015) • Audi football chatbot and Alexa Skill • Location-based social listening via Hyp3r.

The following parties are involved in the processes of external and internal communication:

• Audi AG/Sports Marketing and Sports Communication

• Lead agency (brands and emotions GmbH) • Participating clubs • Media partners • Graphic design artists and film service providers • Technology services.

 

 

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Exploitation & activation A communication strategy Is developed for each tournament to define goals and establish positioning and messages. Differentiating the Audi Cup from other football events, the strategy defines the Unique Selling Points (USPs) for each target market. It also establishes how Audi’s technological innovations can be integrated. Communication tools and channels as well as the required assets are selected.

Media planning As part of the communication strategy, media planning defines when and via which channels each communication takes place. These include: • Audi channels • Traditional media • Online & social media • Football club channels.

Targeted use of the selected channels at the most appropriate time for the intended audience is key. For example, football club channels are particularly suited to the weeks prior to the start of the tournament to address fans directly while Audi’s social media channels can start communicating from the launch press conference.

Traditional media Print advertising, posters and banners are used to raise awareness of the Audi Cup. They primarily serve national and local audiences. Clear, concise messaging is used. Additional media options include the moving “Stadium Vision” monitors.

Launch press conference The launch press conference (and associated press release) mark the very beginning of the communications campaign. The participating teams are announced and a photo opportunity is provided.

Media partnerships Audi works with a range of print and radio outlets. Audi offers tickets and VIP packages while the Partners provide opportunities for advertising, content and competitions.

Brand and product communications These are especially relevant on event days. In addition to shuttles and theme cars, a range of vehicles are exhibited around the stadium. The banners around the pitch and the LED boards are also utilised for brand messaging.

 

 

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Branded content Audi produces Branded Content in the form of video and radio spots that are supplied to media. Using arresting imagery and the familiar faces and voices of players, the content can establish and develop emotional connections to the brand.

Online/social media Online and social media provide the best opportunity for reaching and interacting with high numbers of fans and consumers all across the world. A range of content is pre-prepared and distributed, supported by the social media channels of participating clubs and media partners as well as those of the fans themselves.

“Money can’t buy” assets These provide emotionally charged moments which remain in the memory and inspire a strong bond with the Audi brand. They are offered as competition prizes or as part of VIP packages. For example: • Mascot kids • Seats near the players’ bench • Sideline experiences at teams’ warm-up sessions.

Event marketing and promotions Fans, especially of FC Bayern Munich, should buy tickets for the Audi Cup. So Audi implements several event marketing and promotion activities to push ticket sales, e.g. at important Champions League and/or league and cup matches. Therefor the Audi Cup motto cars were used.

Internal communication The Audi Cup provides the perfect opportunity to incentivise and motivate employees as well as markets and retailers.

Employee communication Employees can purchase tickets at the company headquarters in Ingolstadt. A dedicated internal communications platform is used alongside several giant posters and banners. Competitions and raffles are staged with the chance for a child to win a mascot opportunity.

Retailer communication Dealers and retail partners can access information about the Audi Cup via their dealer portals. Tickets

can also be purchased in advance. Communication materials are also made available and promotions in connection with a local media partner are encouraged.

Market communication International markets, importers and agencies are managed and kept informed by the Audi marketing department in Germany. In the run-up to the tournament, a campaign information pack is created, providing a comprehensive overview of communication plans and opportunities plus materials such as official logos, graphics and style guides.

Internal newsletters Internal newsletters with all the latest Audi Cup content and key facts are sent out to the international marketing agencies at regular intervals. Audi football markets (importers who have their own sponsorships) and supporting agencies are invited to a workshop and behind-the-scenes tour in the Allianz Arena where representatives are given an in-depth introduction to the Audi Cup and their various activation opportunities.

‘High-tech’ innovations Throughout the campaign, Audi develops and deploys a range of technological innovations, highlighting its position as a technologically advanced brand.

Holographic launch press conference (for the 2017 Audi Cup) On May 12 2017, the coaches of the participating teams – Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool FC) and Diego Simeone (Atlético de Madrid) – were “holoportated” to Munich to join FC Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti and 50 journalists. They appeared as live 3D ‘humagrams,’ interacting in real time with Ancelotti and the media. This was the first time the new technology was used for a sports press conference.

Audi player index This is a live-tracked player statistic tool used to determine the “Man of the Match” who can be interviewed by media immediately following tournament games.

Digital overlay This technology makes it possible to adapt the display of LED stadium banners, using differing graphical

 

 

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overlays for different countries. Audi implemented digital overlay on LED boards for the first time in a live broadcasting at the Audi Cup 2015.

Audi Football Chatbot and Alexa Skill An update of the Audi Football App from the Audi Cup 2015, the Chatbot operated in 2017 via the Facebook Messenger App. Providing users with entertainment and live reports in dialogue form, the technology was developed to create an Alexa Skill for the Amazon Echo system.

Location-based social listening via Hyp3r Hyp3r is a social listening tool which identifies key influencers present in the stadium and watching during the tournament, making targeted interaction via social media more effective. This tool was used for the first time in Europe at the 2017 Audi Cup.

Evaluation Overall ROI The 2017 Audi Cup achieved approximately 2.5 billion contacts across the globe in the event’s communication period (May-August).

Results Against Objectives

To become highly visible in the world of sport: • The 2017 Audi Cup enjoyed a worldwide live

television audience of more than 200 million viewer • The tournament was covered and broadcast in

more than 200 countries worldwide (tv/online) • In 2017, the event generated 292 hours of

television coverage • Live streaming from the event averaged 1,500 –

2,000 live viewers per stream and reached 1.05 million total views with 19,000 total interactions

• Across the two days, a live audience of 125,000 spectators visited the Allianz Arena.

To create a platform for brand communications: • In Germany alone, the 2017 Audi Cup achieved a

25-per-cent share of the television audience with around 13 million people exposed to Audi’s brand messaging

• Distribution of streamed coverage via Daily Motion expanded the coverage online to ‘dark markets’ globally

• Across social media, the 2017 tournament generated an enormous exposure for the Audi brand with 1.3 billion social media contacts.

To underscore Audi’s positioning as a high-tech innovator: • At the 2017 launch press conference, with its

ground-breaking holographic technology, news was generated not only by the statements of the coaches and details of the tournament, but also by the technology that was used. Coverage in technology media was achieved alongside traditional sports and business outlets.

• The Audi Player Index statistics immediately identified each “Man of the Match” allowing the media to interview the players directly afterwards.

• The Hyp3r tool was used for the first time in Europe, allowing for more targeted and influential social media messaging.

To meet the needs of stakeholders: • Last year’s Audi Cup was broadcast live in more

than 130 countries worldwide, creating a high profile focus for the marketing strategies of local retailers and dealerships.

• In 2017, the tournament hosted 3,000 VIP guests from more than 35 Audi markets.

• 50 journalists attended the press conference in Munich.

Future Development Brands and emotions and Audi are always seeking for new activation angles for the Audi Cup. Corresponding concepts for 2019 are work in progress. Z