In 2021, WhatsApp launched a new feature, View Once, letting users send photos or videos that can only be opened by its recipient once. Their goal was twofold: raise awareness of the View Once feature and increase association between the brand and privacy protection.
With insight that football player transfers are often negotiated privately on WhatsApp, before being communicated to Sky Sports’ own reporters, we had a unique opportunity to integrate View Once into Sky Sports’ exclusive coverage. In an industry first Sponsorship, we pulled off a live product placement activation transcending Live TV into Digital and Social:
It’s 21:48pm…Deadline Day window is nearing closure, the buzz in Sky Studios is palpable as some big transfer news is imminent… Cut from an ad break to the specially-integrated title sequence featuring Sky Sports News’ talent having breaking news delivered through WhatsApp View Once… Social influencer Harry Pinero is in the studio with Jamie Redknapp… Sharing the latest transfer news in real time on social platforms including Sky Sports Instagram Stories… Unscripted and by the seat of its pants… View Once plays an intrinsic role in the dramatic end to the transfer window by enabling the sharing of news privately for players, managers and fans alike.
This momentous occasion gave fans the inside scoop across TV, Digital and Social – all live – and the campaign delivered a hat-trick of results across key brand metrics including: increased awareness of ‘View Once’, strengthened trust of WhatsApp and agreement that ‘WhatsApp allows you to message privately’.
