Xylem are a water technology company. Their purpose is to solve global water problems, such as the imminent drought predicted by the UK Environmental Agency. Through Xylem’s partnership with Manchester City Football Club, they wanted to raise awareness of global water issues and inspire football fans and the public to take action.
The challenge faced is “water complacency”. With general apathy and lack of knowledge, people struggle to connect with the problem, seeing it as something that won’t affect them. The strategy developed by the Brave, SPORTFIVE, and Xylem was therefore about driving personal relevance, showing how imminent water shortages will impact fans’ lives.
But how do you get football fans to take notice of the imminent water crisis? Show them how water complacency could bring an end to the game we love.
The ‘End of Football’ used the Manchester City players to create an emotive piece of branded content, focused on a young City fan, showing how she will be unable to pass on her family’s footballing traditions due to the impending water crisis. The content shows water being wasted in daily life, and drove fans to a landing page where they could download a guide on water saving tips.
Targeted reach: 20m. Actual reach: 463.5m.
Targeted 10,000 downloads of the water saving guide. Actual downloads; 19,500.
30k+ engagements on YouTube. One of City’s top performing partner content of the past 5 Seasons.
30% increase in fans mentioning water related issues in their top 5 environmental concerns (71%).
