ENTER THE MATCH

TitleENTER THE MATCH
BrandEUROSPORT
Product/ServiceTV
Category A05. Media / Entertainment
Entrant SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Munich, GERMANY
Idea Creation MEDIAPLUS Munich, GERMANY
Media Placement MEDIAPLUS Munich, GERMANY
Production NEVEREST München, GERMANY
Production 2 GIESING TEAM MUNICH, GERMANY
Additional Company SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Munich, GERMANY
Additional Company 2 PLAN.NET Munich, GERMANY
Additional Company 3 STUDIO HEU.LAND Munich, GERMANY
Additional Company 4 FLUGHAFEN Munich, GERMANY
Additional Company 5 WALLDECAUX Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Alex Schill SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Global Chief Creative Officer
Jochen Lenhard MEDIAPLUS GERMANY Managing Partner
Sabrina Duchow MEIDAPLUS GERMANY Creative Media Manager
Hans Zieringer MEDIAPLUS GERMANY Art Director
Ewald Pusch Neverest Managing Partner
Roman Pruchnow Neverest Producer
Janine Meyer Neverest Senior Editor
Mirko Hampel NEVEREST Producer
Carsten Popp PLAN.NET GERMANY Managing Director
Andreas Rossbach PLAN.NET GERMANY Senior Concepter
Volker Heuer Studio Heu.Land Web Developer
Marius Landscheid Studio Heu.Land Digital Director
Markus Krause Giesing-Team Tonproduktionen Sound Designer
Susanne Kerst SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Content Manager
Lisa Pandtle SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Corporate Communications
Christina Dorn Flughafen München Geschäftsbereich Commercial Activities
Jana Keller Flughafen München Geschäftsbereich Commercial Activities
Tobias Masur WallDecaux Premium Out of Home Product Manager Innovate
Nico Schwandt Studio Heu.Land Texter

Why is this work relevant for Media?

To gain subscribers for the live and on-demand Eurosport Player app, the offering was planned to be promoted as part of the French Open. We took advantage of the current appeal of the French Open and gathered all tennis fans at Munich airport. There the specially produced tennis match was split across six digital advertisement light boxes with ambient sound effects. Anyone who followed the match had the chance to win a Eurosport Player pass by playing a mobile game. The innovative way the screens were used ensured great attention and brought out the sporting enthusiasm of people passing by.

Background

Eurosport is a Discovery Communications company specialised in sports reporting, operating multiple speciality television channels. The Eurosport Player, its digital streaming service, offers access to all sporting highlights and numerous bonus options. However, there is strong competition in the market and it is becoming increasingly difficult to position well and gain new subscribers. As a special highlight, Eurosport also broadcasts the French Open tournament live from the Roland-Garros arena in Paris, from the qualifyings through to the finale. Using the Eurosport Player app, fans get exclusive access and can follow everything live and just as they want. The target group can be found in more premium environments and travels frequently for business. The intention was to promote the extensive live and on-demand offering in the Eurosport Player app to this audience in conjunction with the Roland-Garros French Open and a special campaign to spark interest and gain new subscribers.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

‘ENTER THE MATCH’ We wanted to make the ultimate LIVE tennis feeling an up-close experience and put the audience at the centre of the action – directly in the middle of a match on a tennis court. Two tennis players hit the ball back and forth across six digital city light boxes lined up opposite each other. Our first-mover approach: each player moved across three screens. That meant the content was split up and gave passers-by the feeling of being in the centre of the court. Ambient sound effects, such as a stadium atmosphere and loud player noises – complete with the ‘aaaaaah’s – reinforced the live nature. To get traffic for the Eurosport Player, we combined the match with a mobile game. People following the match were lured by a free Eurosport Player pass obtained by playing a mobile game, which was stimulation to sign up to a subscription.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The Eurosport Player app offers digital content whenever, wherever – even when on the go. Or when waiting – ideal for travellers and businesspeople in the premium setting of an airport. A suitable location to make a serve in a grand fashion. However, to begin the matches, the right content needed to be produced for the digital screens first. The challenge with this was dividing up the screen area precisely as the content would have to be split across three screens each. Likewise, the match sequence was also determined before it was even played in order to program the mobile game. Our tennis pros had to rally the ball back and forth exactly so that the match sequences would also work on the screens. First match point – scored!

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We got started at Munich Airport. Our Foundation: a 100 m² floor graphic display, designed as a tennis court. Three branded, digital screens were placed both left and right on the court. Playing on them was our content, which ran in a loop for the duration of the campaign. Match sequences: Two short, back-to-back matches, each with six rallies. Trailer The active play was framed by a trailer which communicated Eurosport and invited viewers to participate in a mobile game. Ambient sound: The area was filled with ambient sound. The passers-by heard our players moan, curse and slide across the tennis court. Mobile game The mobile game was on the microsite enterthematch.de. The six screens were numbered. Anyone following the number sequence of the rally and typing it in correctly won a free pass for the Eurosport Player and therefore experience the tournament in Paris LIVE.

List the results (30% of vote)

By splitting the recordings of the tennis players across the digital city light boxes and putting travellers directly on the tennis court, we made the extensive Eurosport digital offering and the ‘Enter the Match’ claim a live and interactive experience. The innovative way the screens were used ensured great attention and brought out the sporting enthusiasm of people passing by. Our interactive tennis match resulted in an uplift of 205.38 per cent among users of the Eurosport Player app and increased subscriber numbers by +141.93 per cent at the location and during the time period of the campaign. Enter the match? Game, set, match, we would say.