Newcastle United’s drone show reached 1bn people in 162 countries - here’s how

After a tumultuous period of divisive ownership and disappointing on-field results, the club has found stability and strength since 2020 under its new ownership and sponsors.

In 2023, NUFC were returning to the UEFA Champions League after 20 years, now, with Sela, a dynamic creator of spectacular experiences and iconic destinations, as their front-of-shirt sponsor.

With fans’ passion at fever pitch, Sela wanted to use NUFC’s return to Champions League as moment to build affinity with the club, fans and community, whilst showcasing its entertainment capabilities. Sela surprised all by staging a UK-first: an awe-inspiring, football-themed drone show above the iconic St. James’ Park stadium on the eve of their return.

The drone show saw NUFC’s iconic magpie mascot soar across the skies before transitioning into the black and white team shirts adorned with names including defender Kieran Trippier and Brazil international Bruno Guimarães. After recreating the club emblem, the drones formed to make a statement about Newcastle's return to the biggest stage: "We're Back". The show concluded with Sela's 'Spectacular Everyday'.

Millions engaged globally, with ‘spectacular’ reviews from fans, stakeholders and institutions. The show became an incredible talking point across sport and the community, and helped Sela establish its brand.

Objectives

The game was a pivotal moment in the club’s history, marking the long-awaited return to Champions League football. As a sponsor who could deliver the spectacular, Sela wanted to provide an experience which would make this moment unforgettable for fans in Newcastle and around the world.

Dedicated to having a positive impact on the city of Newcastle and functioning as an integral part of the community, Sela recognized the importance of forging a bond with NUFC fans from the outset of the partnership.

Sela wanted to demonstrate to NUFC and football fans across Europe that it is not just a ‘logo’ on a shirt but adds value to their experiences. Introducing Sela for the first time to audiences internationally, particularly in the UK and Europe.

Drone shows are still considered unique in the British entertainment space, particularly when it comes to sports events. The Queen's Jubilee was the first time this had been seen at any real scale in the UK. A drone show had never been done before at this scale in Newcastle, the North East or about football. It enabled the whole city, far and wide to be a part of this moment.

Creative approach

A powerhouse in creating unparalleled experiences, Sela decided to stage an awe-inspiring, football-themed drone show above St James’ Park stadium, with the city’s 800,000+ residents eagerly watching on.

The eight-minute-long drone show saw NUFC’s iconic magpie mascot soar across the skies, black and white team shirts adorned with the names of players and the club emblem, and a statement celebrating Newcastle's return to European Football, "We're Back.”

The show connected with Newcastle and the footballing world and delivered strongly against Sela’s wider brand objectives: to be seen, to be known, and to be loved.

Execution

48 hours before European football returned to the city, Sela provided a moment for fans, the club and the community to celebrate this moment and sparked the city into life.

Using 500+ drones, the flames were lit and Sela started the celebration of Newcastle’s return to Europe. The eight-minute-long drone show saw NUFC’s iconic magpie mascot soar across the skies before transitioning into the famous black and white team shirts adorned with the names of England defender Kieran Trippier, Brazil international Bruno Guimarães and Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali.

After recreating the club emblem in the night sky, the drones formed to make a statement about Newcastle's return to the biggest stage in club football, following their top four finish in the Premier League last term: "We're Back". The show concluded with Sela's 'Spectacular Everyday' tagline that is seen around St. James' Park on matchdays.

A proactive and reactive global communications plan targeting earned, paid and owned media and social media channels was implemented alongside engaging stakeholders including NUFC and legend players to amplify the content.

Earned media contacts were alerted in advance to the assets that would be available to ensure a viral news story would follow and gain credibility for Sela amongst targeted global football fans.

Sela alerted fans to the live show providing an iconic experience the people of Newcastle, a population of 800,000+ people, will never forget. In turn, attendees became amplifiers sharing our content far and wide.

Sela also engaged NUFC legends as spokespersons for broadcast media to ensure longevity of the media moment, with Keith Gillespie or the Sela drone show content featuring on the likes of BBC News, Sky News, ITV and Talk Sport.

Sela’s social media strategy saw comprehensive outreach and collaboration with some of the biggest football accounts in the world.

Results

The show unified a city in excitement, tapping into a renewed sense of pride, and captivated audiences to an extent that is rarely seen in football sponsorship. Using this outdoor experience, Sela continued to establish a positive, experience-based reputation, in line with what it does as a company. The spectacle of the show has provided a platform for Sela’s brand to be given a global showcase.

• Across social and editorial media the activity recorded 1 billion+ reach in 162 countries with 80+ media outlets covering the drone show.
• Following distribution of the content, news announcement targets for social media reach (120m) were exceeded by 340%.
• The ambitious target for number of countries reached (150) was exceeded within 24 hours announcement.
• Targets for editorial media reach (300m) were exceeded by 70% seeing, 336million for online media, 24.5million in print and 150 million via broadcast media.

Governing organizations, UEFA Champions League (110m followers) and Premier League (71m followers) posted the content, plus it was shown during prime-time broadcast news slots and plastered across global editorial media. The activity recorded 1 billion+ reach in 162 countries.

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