Industry Shorts: Duracell, Gareth Bale, Andy Cole

Gareth Bale’s Ellevens Esports team have announced Duracell as its first shirt sponsor. 

The deal is part of Duracell’s new Power On campaign that will see the brand promote itself to gamers through a series of in-game and digital initiatives that launches this month. 

The brand will be unveiled in FIFA 21 as the in-game shirt sponsor for Gareth Bale’s Ellevens Esports team, and will also appear on in-game perimeter board advertising for Football Manager 2021.

The campaign will also see Duracell feature within targeted video content to gamers on the Xbox platform who use battery powered controllers.

Kidney Research UK has welcomed global financial services firm UBS as the first corporate supporter of the Andy Cole Fund.

Launched by former Manchester United and England star Andy Cole in May 2020, five years after he suffered kidney failure, the fund aims to further research into kidney disease. 

Spurred on by kidney patient Sarah Viner, co-chair of the inclusive staff network Ability Awareness at UBS, the firm decided to join Andy Cole’s First XI – a club of 11 businesses forming the backbone of the fund through sponsorship. Kidney Research UK will be tasked with finding more businesses to join the ‘team’. READ MORE

CSM Sport & Entertainment and sports marketing business Greenroom Digital have launched a new performance marketing platform, increasing their digital offering.

The new platform, named Connect, will drive real-time communications through new technology and accelerated data connectivity, providing clients with a better understanding of target audiences.

It will sit alongside CSM’s existing Engage proposition, geared towards maximising direct return on investment from partnerships. The Engage launch saw the two organisations first join forces in 2018 to develop digital strategies for partnership activations.

Iconic Labs has announced £750,000 worth of new contracts for JOE Media, which it acquired in October 2020.

According to the company, it now manages all commercial aspects of the JOE and Her media businesses in the UK and Ireland, and receives a monthly retainer fee of £100,000 plus external costs plus 25% of all profits if certain revenue and profit targets are met.

MediaKind has unveiled the MediaKind 2021 Sports D2C Forecast – what it says is the most significant analysis ever undertaken of the D2C OTT platforms owned and operated directly by sports rights holders.

The report explores a wide range of trends in the D2C sports space, including the use of live content, fan engagement, and monetization, and shows that while most of the 40 rights holders analysed still define their D2C platform as complementary to broadcast coverage, most now see it as an essential part of their future distribution strategy. Almost three-quarters offer some form of D2C service to their fans through subscription packages.

According to MediaKind’s research, none of the rights holders analyzed offer an integrated betting service, while features such as ticketing (utilised by 3% of rights-holders), merchandising (5%), and advertising (8%) are rare, with greater priority placed on delivering a high-quality viewing experience and user interface. 

Northampton Saints has announced a new three-year partnership with Northamptonshire based artisan gin brand, Warner’s Distillery.

As part of the relationship, Warner’s will also become the exclusive gin supplier for all of the Saints home fixtures and events at Franklin’s Gardens.

Charity Disability Sports Coach and Sport England have launched a new partnership to keep people active and connected over the winter period. 

The partnership, launched on International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd December), will offer a range of activities to disabled people with the aim of increasing physical activity and reducing feelings of loneliness this Christmas. According to the pair, disabled people are four times more likely to experience loneliness than non-disabled people, with the problem now exacerbated by the isolation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and social restrictions.

The pair will send 500 packs of sports equipment to disabled people across London, which will include a new Active At Home guide, featuring activities and resources to support disabled people, parents and carers.

NURVV Run has announced a new partnership with England Athletics which will see the wearable technology brand become the Headline Partner of the England Athletics Club Run programme – an initiative providing expert face-to-face and digital coaching expertise to road running clubs across the country.
 
Club Run offers a series of free coaching sessions delivered to clubs by experienced coaches. 

The partnership will provide NURVV Run access to a network of grassroot runners and coaches as well as the opportunity to build engagement and trial of its smart insoles products.

British Canoeing has signed a new long-term kit deal with hummel, who will become the national governing body’s Official Teamwear Partner.

The new partnership will see hummel’s technical and sportswear garments supplied to the British Canoeing international teams, including leisurewear, base layers and on water technical clothing for paracanoe and canoe sprint.