When Expedia came on board as sponsor of Liverpool Football Club with the pandemic on everyone’s minds, there were two stories we needed the sponsorship to provide. Firstly, uniqueness. It was important to ensure Expedia’s outlook set us apart from other partners and competitors. Secondly, a clear role showing that Expedia is there for every step of the traveller’s journey and cement Expedia’s role for when travel is possible again.
It was a tough job of selling something that football fans couldn’t benefit from in the short term, and without access to any physical match experiences. The guiding truth was that travel and football are lost without proper support. Creatively, this manifested as sponsorship platform With You All the Way. Throughout the 2020-21 season, Expedia used access to players to produce a UK TVC, an editorial series with The Guardian heroing the LFC Women’s team, a social content series with Minute Media, a digital content stream on LFC channels as well as a content series featuring manager Jurgen Klopp as the ultimate travel companion.
The sponsorship campaign delivered excellent results against KPIs, including;
- 73% of fans who recalled the TVC felt more positive toward Expedia, and an increase in consideration with a 5.2% relative lift
- The Guardian activation resulted in 72% of recallers feeling excited and optimized about travelling when the time was right
- The Minute Media activation drove significantly higher levels of excitement and optimism to travel (versus National Rep)