Title | EVERYDAY RIDER SPONSORSHIPS |
Brand | GIANT |
Product / Service | BICYCLES |
Category | A02. Premiums & Giveaways |
Entrant | LEO BURNETT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA |
Entrant Company: | LEO BURNETT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA |
DM/Advertising Agency: | LEO BURNETT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Jason Williams | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Executive Creative Director |
Sarah Mcgregor | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Copywriter |
Justin Nagorcka | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Art Director |
Patrick Rowe | Leo Burnett Melbourne | General Manager |
John Bright | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Digital Producer |
Hoa Lu | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Digital Designer |
Paul Lynch | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Digital Designer |
Adam Hosfal | Leo Burnett Melbourne | Account Manager |
This campaign had three objectives: 1. Inspire the broader audience of cyclists to participate with the brand – not just the top end, lycra-clad athlete that most cycling brands target. 2. Win the hearts and minds of these cyclists so that they become life-long Giant customers. 3. Populate an online community of riders that would act as a CRM platform for Giant to market the brand directly to their audience in the future. To achieve these aims, we ditched the pros and launched a campaign to officially sponsor everyday riders instead.
The idea spoke to the people who are Giant’s real audience – everyday people who ride to work or after school, for fitness and fun, who don’t wear lycra bike shorts and who will probably never win a race. Of course, Giant make top of the line racing bikes, but the vast majority of their products are aimed at people just like this. We also needed to stand out with a small media spend, so featuring pro riders and slick riding shots like every other cycling brand was never an option.
During the Tour De France telecast, we ran a recruitment TVC that invited riders of every age and ability to apply for a sponsorship. The word spread across the internet, resulting in tens of thousands of sign-ups via Giant’s website – each one automatically becoming a member of Giant’s new online community. 30 people from across Australia were sponsored, becoming the new faces of the brand, continuing to spread Giant’s democratic riding message via advertising, events and PR.
Everyday riders took to the internet to express their excitement. They became a media channel in their own right, spreading the idea across social networks, blogs and websites. Traffic to Giant’s website increased by over 2300% with an overwhelming number of entries which formed the basis of an online community of riders who Giant can continue to converse with. Giant now have a network of brand ambassadors who continue to promote them and inspire other riders in their job as sponsored riders. And most gratifyingly, sales of Giant bikes peaked at their highest ever in the months following the campaign.