David Atkinson
Managing Partner
Can you tell us what your company does?
Space is a creative agency that solves client problems with ideas that go beyond convention. We specialise in the development of activations in sponsorship and with partnerships that help to extend our ideas to new audiences and deepen engagement.
How does that manifest itself in the world of sponsorship?
There are 3 ways. First, there are times when we play an integral role in the identification and selection of a sponsorship property for one of our clients, for example, with the NBA and Yop in 2020 for the NBA Paris Game 2020, where we proposed the alliance to Yop and then developed the ideas and activation around the partnership.
Second, where we have an idea for a client and find that a sponsorship or partnership is the perfect way to land the idea in culture or with the right audience; for example, with our recent work with TripAdvisor for General Mills’ Nature Valley brand.
The third is where a client already has a sponsorship and needs a 360 idea that plays a totem role in their marketing activity, such as with Häagen-Dazs’s five-year partnership with the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
Does this mean that you only work with brands developing marketing communications that integrate sponsorships and partnerships?
Not exclusively, no. We also work with many rights holders to create ideas and campaigns that help to reach beyond the conventions of the sport or their competitive set.
We have worked with the Wimbledon Championships to create the Arrivals campaign each year since 2012, with UEFA to run the groundbreaking Euro 2016 Trophy Tour, with the Bundesliga to reach US and UK markets, and with the NBA to bring to life European experiences for social audiences.
These are just a few of the partners we have worked with who have sought to work with an unconventional creative agency to make a step change in the way they communicate their equity or experiences.
When considering the right sponsorship, do you look beyond sport for the answers?
Yes, we evaluate any property, sponsorship or partnership that helps to deliver the objectives that we have set. We have a fabulous back catalogue of work in music, travel, food, film, fashion, comedy and with charities.
For the past five years, we have built the association of ice-cream brand Häagen-Dazs with fashion for the German market. This association has built year on year, bringing in media partners, a partnership with AEG and the Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin, and with a host of talent to bring the campaign to life.
We spent seven years developing the music strategy and activation of Heineken brand, Desperados, through associations with grass roots and emerging local, regional and national music properties. This helped to land the brand within micro communities but also to demonstrate a commitment to supporting talent, venues and events to grow and thrive.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your approach to sponsorship and partnerships ?
Inevitably, the huge uncertainty about events taking place created a degree of risk associated with certain campaigns and activations.
For example, the Tokyo Olympics was shrouded in doubt right up until the opening ceremony. This meant that our work needed to bake in solutions that would engage and connect with audiences regardless of whether or not the live experience was taking place.
Our work with Yoplait’s Frubes and Petits Filous brands encouraged families to try out and adapt some Olympic sports to be able to compete more fairly amongst themselves, using the stars of Team GB. If the Olympics were compromised in any way, the campaign was still relevant and would almost compensate fans and enthusiasts for not having the real thing.
We also helped to contribute to the Häagen-Dazs pivot in their partnership with Secret Cinema, translating a very “real world” plan to become “Secret Sofa” where movie fans could enjoy screenings together with their favourite ice cream and in a community of like-minded followers online.