A key challenge in any team sponsorship is how to make the most of player appearances. Player social impact and influence can often be greater than the club’s so time with players is extremely valuable for sponsors, but restrictions can often lead to compromise:
- Not knowing which players will attend
- In France, the need to feature 5 players ‘equally’
- Limited time with each player
- COVID restrictions
Accor’s sponsorship of PSG had made its new loyalty programme (ALL) famous, but limited to just branding through COVID we weren’t able to explain what ALL was. We needed to connect ALL to our hotel brands and bring to life its benefits for members. So we used PSG’s unrivalled roster of star players and legends to emotionally engage with fans around the world.
As COVID restrictions eased and travel opened up, we created events and content featuring PSG players and legends around the world, amplifying these through paid, owned and earned channels.
We…:
- …had fun in the transfer window speculating where players would go in the summer
- …recreated players’ childhood bedrooms
- …‘Played Limitless’ with a referee and star players to showcase All’s member benefits
- …offered player phone calls to ALL members
- …invited members and guests to play 5 a side with PSG Legends
These helped reignite the passions of our members and wider fans. By mid-March 2022, hotel bookings overtook 2019 levels (smashing previous forecasts), and in our key markets those aware of PSG became more likely to know, understand and love ALL.
