Inside one of the ‘best executions of a brand sponsorship’ Arsenal FC has ever seen

Brief: This partnership marked the brand’s venture into the world of sports, signifying the need for a massive campaign. To achieve this, rising star Bukayo Saka was selected as the campaign’s hero. The primary objective was to position the brand within the sports realm, leveraging its untapped potential and reaching a new customer base that had yet to be explored.

Objectives

The brief outlined the need to generate awareness and successfully launch Persil into the sports world. This was to be accomplished through a strategic blend of PR initiatives and leveraging the newly established sponsorship deal with Arsenal FC.

Creative Execution and Art Direction: First, Bukayo Saka signed seven blank posters freely, which meant each signature’s unique size, position, and style would be a grounding element in the design of each.

Each poster creatively depicted the film’s plot, portraying the story of a boy who accidentally washed away his idol’s autograph from his shirt.

We employed a custom silk-screen printing technique to safeguard the authenticity of the autographs during production. It was crucial to ensure that none of the genuine autographs were compromised – just imagine if Saka found out one of his autographs was ruined!

Following this, we launched a mysterious poster campaign across the streets of North London, strategically concealing the seven real autographs amid hundreds of other posters and designs.

Shortly after the posters went up, influencers revealed the campaign’s secret. Within just two hours, enthusiastic fans successfully located and claimed the posters, instantly elevating our advertisements to coveted collector’s items.

RELEVANCY:

deSigned was much more than an OOH campaign; it was an interactive experience that started online and ended in real life. A scavenger hunt, where fans had to run through the streets of North London to find 7 priceless posters actually signed by Bukayo Saka among hundreds of lookalike. First ones to find them and rip them off the walls got to keep them.

Results

The campaign had a reach of over 270 million, including 7 million impressions to date. Online content garnered a positive sentiment 98% of the time, with an engagement rate 87% higher than the industry average. Social media mentions surged by 1642%, contributing to an earned reach of over 82 million. Additionally, the brand experienced a significant increase in brand affinity, up by 93%, and brand consideration, up by 65%.

Furthermore, the campaign received high praise from Juliet Slot, the Chief Commercial Officer of Arsenal Football Club, who described it as the “best execution for a brand sponsorship she has ever seen.”

Most importantly, the campaign successfully positioned “Dirt Is Good” at the center of sports culture and effectively engaged with a new audience, with tons of untapped potential.

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