2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Coca-Cola positioned itself during the Asian Football Cup as the brand that supports all football fans. However, research showed that female football fans were being alienated from the tournament due to its all-male broadcast teams and heavily male content. Coke was looking to strengthen female share of voice during specific broadcasts, as well as increase engagement and brand saliency.

Background.

Females in the Middle East are currently battling for equal rights across several fronts. Despite some recent progress, certain areas of Arab society remain off limits to women. One of these is the sport of football. Even though female fans number in the millions, females have traditionally been excluded from the football experience. In fact, no females have ever even been allowed in an Arab-language broadcast booth; leaving women feeling excluded from the sport they love. As part of their affiliation with the recent Asian Football Cup (AFC) tournament, Coke wanted to utilize female influencers to 1) smash conventional gender roles in the region; 2) serve to provide a more inclusive online and live experience that would bring together both male and female fans and 3) increase female S.O.V. and engagement with the brand.

Describe the creative idea.

Coca-Cola brought together female influencers from the worlds of football and pop culture to create the Arab world’s first all-female football commentary crew. A difficult task because females have been excluded from the football dialogue and no female football experts with broadcast expertise exist. Our broadcast crew were carefully selected to include a former pro athlete, a Saudi female footballer and a social influencer. The latter was chosen to add a more human approach to the typical stat-driven male broadcasters. Our team provided livestreamed play-by-play, analysis, stats and storylines for a full 90 minutes of live game coverage during the Asian Football Cup match between Saudi Arabia and Japan.

Describe the strategy.

We wanted to communicate Coca-Cola’s brand purpose of togetherness to our female target in a region where female empowerment is beginning to get the attention that it deserves. Research showed us that during major football tournaments, men stick to the television screens; ignoring all else. The match broadcasts themselves are tailored exclusively to men. This creates a disconnect for female football fans with the game they love. Women are excluded. Social media data told us something remarkable. Despite being excluded, female fans across the region showed increased interest in football – up 56% over average. Women clearly wanted to be part of the conversation when it comes to large tournaments.

Describe the execution.

The broadcast was streamed live simultaneously across 5 platforms – each reflecting the different social media habits of females across 10 Middle Eastern countries. Also, we needed a variety of different formats based on whether the target was going to consume the content as a simulcast to the televised match or as a replacement for the primary broadcast. Each of our influencers was assigned a role in the broadcast based on her area of expertise. Female fans were encouraged to submit comments live to be read on air. The best submissions were awarded Finals match tickets.

List the results.

Female Share of Voice in the AFC online increased 85% during the livestream broadcast. Reach 4,400,000+ Views 1,300,000+ Engagements 1,100,000+ Behaviorally, the tenor of the live comment section during the broadcast was sadly predictable. Women were thrilled to finally have a voice. Men were not so happy. Many of them were viciously sexist in their comments.