Category: Best non-fiction program, series or film where a client has successfully created a reality, documentary or light entertainment show around a product(s) or brand(s)
Advertiser: BMW
Product/Service: BMW
Agency: WCRS
Executive Creative Director: Steve Aldridge (Engine)
Creative Director: Dave Johnson (Engine/WCRS)
Creative: Dave Johnson (Engine/WCRS)
Creative: Yannakis Jones
Agency Producer: Charlotte Whatmough (Engine/WCRS)
Director - David Weir: Man and Machine: Yannakis Jones
Producer - David Weir: Man and Machine: Hannah Cooper
Production Company - David Weir: Man and Machine: (Th2ng)
Editor - David Weir: Man and Machine: Dan Lumb
Post Production - David Weir: Man and Machine: (Th1ng)
Audio - Audio - David Weir: Man and Machine: (Felt/Mutant Jukebox)
Media Agency: (Vizeum)
Director/Editor - Rebecca Adlington: Beneath the Surface: Stevan Riley
Producer - Rebecca Adlington: Beneath the Surface: Mark Stothert
Production Company - Rebecca Adlington: Beneath the Surface: (Infinity Productions)
Post Production - Rebecca Adlington: Beneath the Surface: (The Mill)
Audio - Rebecca Adlington: Beneath the Surface: (750)
Director - Steve Cram: Power, Speed and Endurance: Asif Kapadia
Producer - Steve Cram: Power, Speed and Endurance: Hannah Ireland
Production Company - Steve Cram: Power, Speed and Endurance: (Kream)
Editor - Steve Cram: Power, Speed and Endurance: Nicolas Chaudeurge
Post-Production - Steve Cram: Power, Speed and Endurance: (Technicolor)
Audio - Steve Cram: Power, Speed and Endurance: (Wave)
Director - Louis Smith: Form and Function: Richard de Aragüés
Producer - Louis Smith: Form and Function: Jonas Blanchard
Production Company - Louis Smith: Form and Function: (Mad Cow Films)
Editor - Louis Smith: Form and Function: Nathan Perry-Greene (Cut + Run)
Post-Production & Audio - Louis Smith: Form and Function: (Envy)
Media placement: Online Film - Online - 15th February 2012
Media placement: Online Film - Online - 23rd February 2012
Media placement: Online Film - Online - 2nd March 2012
Media placement: Online Film - Online - 9th March 2012
Campaign Description
The UK branded content environment has changed significantly over the last few years due to a combination of government legislation and the continued progress of technology. The main changes have been how brands have been able to distribute content. UK legislation has recently changed to allow product placement in commercial programming, which has created new opportunities for brands to become integrated with established and emerging media properties. Until this point, advertisers could commission programming relevant to their interests for broadcast on commercial TV, but were incredibly limited in how their product could be integrated due to ruling around ‘undue prominence’. Now, with the use of an OFCOM approved logo, an advertiser’s brands can feature more predominantly, albeit within strict guidelines. In commercial TV, specific programming devoted to a brand is still restricted.
The digital environment and social media are less restricted in terms of branded content and so provide the greatest opportunity for brands to explicitly feature their messaging within editorial/dramatic content. As a result, increasing numbers of advertisers are exploiting these channels to provide richer content around their messaging and brands.
Effectiveness
With its record on sustainability and commitment to technical innovation, BMW was a natural choice as Automotive partner for London 2012.
But how could BMW raise awareness of their association with The Games, and stand out from all the noise of other Olympic activity across the UK?
We knew that with so many superficial messages saturating the market about Olympic athletes and their connection to Olympic Sponsors, the opportunity was to create something that the public really craved a deeper understanding about the athletes themselves.
With this in mind, we set out to create a series of revealing documentaries that would focus on Team GB athletes, exploring exactly what it takes them to achieve The Ultimate Performance - a passion shared not just by all athletes, but by BMW too.
Olympic Gold winning swimmer Rebecca Adlington, gymnast Louis Smith, Paralympic champion David Weir and former middle distance champion Steve Cram were picked to feature in the films.
We then partnered with leading feature documentary directors, including Senna’s Asif Kapadia, to unlock the individual stories.
Each story was paralleled with BMW’s own values, ensuring the brand had a legitimate and illuminating role within each film.
The resulting documentaries were launched to the media at a premier event in London, with the athletes and directors on hand to introduce them.
Over the following 4 weeks, the films were released online via a dedicated YouTube site, which also featured an introductory film from Sir Clive Woodward.
The films were seeded with film style trailers, SEO and blogger outreach, while an editorial partnership with The Times further promoted the series.
By adopting a non-linear documentary approach in creating our branded content, we were able to uncover genuinely inspiring, cohesive and dramatic stories that truly did justice to our theme - The Ultimate Performance.
Implementation
The 4 films were hosted on a dedicated BMW YouTube page, which could be accessed directly or via BMW’s main UK site. Film-style trailers were specially created for each documentary and seeded online, while SEO and a blogger outreach programme also promoted the series. Further awareness was built through an extensive editorial partnership with The Times, as well as at a media event in London, which screened the films for the very first time and generated widespread national PR coverage.
Outcome
• 1,501,232 views of the films in the first three months of the campaign.
• Still £50K of the £250k online seeding budget to spend.
• Predicting over 2m views in total (including the expected uplift in views during Games Time).
• Delivering 2.9 million minutes of branded content.
• At a cost of just 12.5 pence per engagement.
• Successfully broadcasting our message and raising awareness of BMW sponsorship.
• The success of the films means they are also being used across the 146 BMW Dealerships and within the Olympic Park at the BMW Pavilion.