It is February 2022 and society is dealing with corona conditions. Meaning limited opening hours, face masks and travel limitations… In the Netherlands, however, the situation is relatively good. At least compared with Beijing, where Olympic athletes are given hardly any freedom and several athletes are abruptly placed in isolation in their hotel. Farewell Olympic dreams. Due to the combination of Olympic pressure and corona stress, support for our Olympic heroes is more necessary than ever before. Stadiums are empty and supporting families are forced to sit at home. This extremely tough situation offers Nederlandse Loterij the opportunity to play a role as connector.
Most sponsorship and advertising activities around the Olympics are limited to the level of visibility. A share-of-voice battle is too expensive and would have limited impact on the defined objectives. This calls for a different approach. Idea? Bring Beijng to the Netherlands and connect athletes with fans. Nederlandse Loterij and TeamNL are taking sponsorship to the next level by building a cross-media-campaign packed with engaging ‘human interest’ content; together with (sports) content giants DPG and RTL. With a win-win perspective, as a team.
The interaction between sponsorship, content and media made sure the campaign was distinctive and impactful. Results? Unprecedentedly high recognition, brand linkage and likeability through which the campaign ensured significant increases on important image statements. Icing on the cake: the campaign made Nederlandse Loterij the best-known TeamNL sponsor beating Heineken (dominated for decades).
