We created, choreographed and recorded pre-match safety instructions specially designed for SL Benfica fans.
Moments before a very big match, 8 Emirates cabin crew members entered the pitch and surprised 65 thousand fans with an original pre-match safety demonstration .
The stunt was broadcasted live on Benfica TV. The entire stunt was then edited and shared online by Emirates and SL Benfica.
Execution
Weeks before the biggest Lisbon derby (SL Benfica – Sporting CP), we created, choreographed and recorded a set of pre-match safety instructions specially designed for SL Benfica fans.
Minutes before kick-off, the stadium speaker asked for fans attention as they were about to show a safety demonstration video on the screens. The cabin crew then walked to the centre of the pitch and performed it live according to the voice over instructions.
Since SL Benfica owns its home TV rights, the stunt was broadcasted live on Benfica TV before the match and watched by millions of football fans worldwide.
The entire stunt was recorded, edited and shared online on both Emirates and SL Benfica Youtube and Facebook accounts. The video made the news and, in just one week, was watched over 24 million times, generating over 50.000 comments and 300.000 shares all around the world.
The stunt was a global success, both live and online.
It only took 8 Emirates cabin crew members and a simple idea to entertain 65.000 fans, getting them to laugh, take pictures, share and, most of all, engage with a brand most of them were not familiar with.
Online, our stunt success went absolutely through the roof.
We made the news all over the world, generating uncountable unpaid media.
In only one week, the video capturing the moment reached 50 million fans, was watched over 24 million times and generated over 50.000 comments and 300.000 shares on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all around the world, from the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann or Pelé.
The work set a new standard for the brand’s sponsorship strategy, inspiring similar activations with different partners, countries and sports, from football to baseball, from cricket to tennis, in Europe, India and the USA.
The Situation
This Emirates PR stunt took place in SL Benfica's stadium during one of the biggest games of the season.
Minutes before kick-off, 8 Emirates cabin crew members entered the pitch and performed an original pre-match safety demonstration that actively engaged over 65.000 SL Benfica fans with their new main sponsor.
It was decisive moment to build trust, value and reputation around a brand most of them were not familiar with.
The Strategy
Benfica is Portugal's biggest club, with more than 14 million fans worldwide.
We wanted to be more than a name on a jersey and show them the kind of brand they were teaming up with.
So we decided to do something about it in our Match Sponsor Day, the biggest Lisbon derby.
We had to answer two decisive questions:
How do we capture the fans' attention, when they’re used to every kind of brand activation and don’t really care about most of them?
What’s an airline’s role in a football match?
So we created safety instructions specially designed for Benfica fans.
Moments before kick-off, Emirates cabin crew entered the pitch and entertained 65.000 fans.
Since Benfica owns its home TV rights, the stunt was broadcasted live before the match and watched by millions of football fans worldwide.
The entire stunt was shared online on both Emirates and Benfica social accounts.