Euro 2016 Sponsor Kia Teams Up With Telegraph
Havas Media UK has brokered a deal between Euro 2016 sponsor Kia and The Telegraph, which will see a new campaign launched to create buzz in the build-up to and during the tournament.
The campaign will comprise of four elements aimed at driving association between Kia and football, as well as showcasing the Kia Sportage.
To kick off the campaign there will be four events across the country at Kia dealerships – in Bolton, London, Bridgend Wales and Burton – phased around key milestones such as the England warm-up matches and squad announcements.
The events, beginning with Burton on 17th May, will feature the likes of John Barnes, Stuart Pearce, Dean Saunders, Garry Monk and Neil Lennon, and fronted by TV presenter Sue Thearle.
Content captured at the dealerships will be published on The Telegraph website and social channels.
Selected guests attending the preview events will be offered the chance to win tickets to the opening match of Euro 2016. To further showcase the new Kia Sportage, football talent will be asked for their tournament predictions, players and teams to look out for from the passenger seat of the vehicle.
The second phase of the campaign, taking place as the tournament gets underway, will follow Telegraph sports writer Thom Gibbs on a road trip to France in a Kia Sportage. Thom will be capturing the build-up, game results and fan reactions in a 36 day video series called ‘Thom Voyage!’ hosted on the Telegraph website and shared channels.
Natasha Murray, MD at Havas Media said: “Kia’s association with football and the Telegraph’s fantastic sports journalism make this a great brand fit. The Euros are a key date in the sporting calendar and we are thrilled to have brokered such a fitting collaboration. We look forward to helping Kia and the Telegraph activate the partnership across multiple touchpoints.”
Simon Hetherington, commercial director at Kia added: “Kia has a strong link with football. Euro 2016 this summer will ensure that as a brand we will gain cut-through with new consumers and current Kia owners. The partnership with The Telegraph offers sports fans some great once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and allows consumers to experience the Kia brand in an interesting and engaging way.”
To further drive interaction with the campaign, The Telegraph has created a bespoke Kia penalty shoot-out game, offering a chance to win an all new Kia Sportage. The game, launching today (11th May), and fronted by ex-England goalkeeper David James, will be promoted across Telegraph platforms and will encourage consumers to get involved with a little goading from David James himself.
To close the campaign, there will be a series of ‘WoW’ features, showcasing moments from the competition in the light-hearted tone. These will run alongside tactical display activity at key moments throughout the tournament, celebrating, commiserating and congratulating teams on their performance.
Keith Perry, group sport managing editor at Telegraph Media Group, concluded: “The Telegraph Media Group is the number one place for sport, with an array of talent producing award-winning coverage. Alongside our newly relaunched website and video capability, this means we’re able to work with brands to create truly innovating and engaging content. We’re delighted to have worked with Kia and Havas around this key sporting event, and look forward to helping keep the KIA Sportage top of mind with football fans throughout the tournament.”
