Littlewoods Sports Sponsorship

The Brief

Littlewoods Football Pools launched the company’s biggest marketing campaign for almost 10 years, with a ‘Be Lucky’ positioning and asked Brahm to devise a low cost, high profile campaign that would promote the new positioning.

Our Response

Brahm decided to help bring a little luck to the worst team in football. East Stirlingshire FC had finished bottom of the Scottish League Third Division for the previous two seasons, with just four wins from 72 matches. Average attendances had fallen to less than 300, the players were paid £10 a week and the manager worked for no pay.

Brahm brokered a wide-ranging sponsorship deal, and acted as the press office for East Stirlingshire in order to promote the sponsorship.

The deal was announced with a media briefing and photocall at the Firs Park ground, and was followed by an on-going campaign targeting football writers and broadcasters in Scotland and in London.

Personalised first team shirts were sent to football commentators, TV presenters and pundits; profiles on the club were sold into key TV programmes and magazines; interviews were organised with the club manager and chief executive, and regular updates on the team’s fortunes were sent to sports reporters.

The Outcomes

More than 200 separate pieces of coverage across broadcast, print and internet mentioned Littlewoods Pools or included its branding, with more than 35 minutes of national and regional broadcast coverage, including BBC TV’s Football Focus, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports’ Gillette Soccer Saturday.

More than 1,100 people were reached for every £1 spent by Littlewoods.

Average attendances increased in the first season by 27% – the second highest increase in the league

The campaign has won several CIPR awards, as well as being named best team sponsorship in the 2006 Scottish Sport Sponsorship Awards.

For further information please contact Phil Reed, Head of PR or Ruth Holgate, Business Development Manager, on 0113 230 4000 or email greatoutcomes@brahm.com