Facing into 2023, Sky faced a several challenges. The pay TV market was declining 3% annually. Our brand was still seen as ‘British’, lacking the local connection of competitors. Our sponsorship was also about to become more competitive, as brands sought to jump on the property for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
As a result, we set ambitious targets for our World Cup campaign in awareness (to grow by 7%), fandom (to reach 45% ‘active’ fans by end of year), and brand metrics (reverse decline in consideration, reach 60% brand affinity).
To achieve these, we set out a four-phased OUTBELIEVE comms plan, with the World Cup as the central moment and a calendar of activity throughout the year. Each phase built and maintained excitement around the team, with Sky and the fans at the centre of the experience.
The campaign delivered on all three of our core business objectives, delivering growth in spontaneous (+11%) and prompted awareness (+12%), increasing fandom levels for the WNT (reaching 49%), and delivering positive brand and business growth for Sky (consideration up 5%, affinity reaching 69% among fans of the team).
The campaign also contributed to a 15% growth in TV sales and 10% increase in demand, at a time when no other campaigns were live.
As a result, we have not only inspired Sky UK to search for their own brand sponsorship but have also extended our sponsorship of the WNT to 2028 and expanded to include the Men’s National Football Team.
