Execution
To achieve this, the Nivea For Men digital marketing team launched a nation-wide search to find one lucky Sunday League team that would become the guinea pigs of The Great Football experiment. To be selected, entrants were required to record and upload a video of themselves, explaining why they deserved to be at the centre of the campaign. These entries were then shortlisted and opened up to a public vote to find the most worthy team. The winner of the competition was Essex-based, Ivory FC.
Ivory FC embarked on ‘The Great Football Experiment’ by meeting their FA-qualified coaches, who included ex-England internationals Ray Wilkins and Ray Clemence, and former national manager Terry Venables. To ensure the players stayed in peak condition to make the most of this coaching, they received further professional support from top physiotherapists and nutritionists. Meanwhile, a brand new kit, supplied by Umbro, made sure they looked the part.
To help the team celebrate any improvement in style, Ivory FC was given lessons in the ultimate goal celebrations from Icelandic team, Starjnan FC who have become famous for their imaginative celebrations and skill on the pitch. All of this training and preparation then culminated in a final match against a team of ex-England internationals.
Each step of the team’s journey was documented across ten webisodes, charting all the highs and lows of Ivory FC’s season on their road to football stardom. As well as hosting each of these episodes on the brand’s website, Nivea For Men partnered with several agencies including CMW London, Octagon, Caret as well as digital agency Onlinefire to engage consumers through viral video content across Facebook and YouTube. This content was also placed on a variety of select national news websites and key online men’s titles to further promote sharing and engagement among the target audience, ultimately driving brand awareness and visits to the Nivea For Men website.