A ski star freezes for money in summer
Sponsorship campaign Amused footballers in tight ski outfits, a successful photo shoot on a glacier 3882 meters above sea level and an enthusiastic head of marketing: Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett's advertising campaign for Swisscom has passed the acid test.
Sponsorship campaign Amused footballers in tight ski outfits, a successful photo shoot on a glacier 3882 meters above sea level and an enthusiastic head of marketing: Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett's advertising campaign for Swisscom has passed the acid test.
Andreas Zuber, Vice Director and Head of Marketing of the Swiss Ski Association (SSV), would never have dreamed that professional footballers would one day wear the kit of the Swiss national ski team. After all, the blue suit with the Swisscom logo was specially designed for the Swiss skiers for the 2003 season by the Zurich-based communication and design agency Trümpi&Partner. The advertising agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) has repurposed the tight racing suits for the latest Swisscom advertising campaign. The players of the Swiss national football team, a female tennis player, a well-built man (as a business boss) and a cute three-year old put on the blue kit for a photo shoot. This resulted in five subjects with the headline "We don't just support the Skinati". Among other things, they advertise the telecom group's football sponsorship, business sponsorship, ski sponsorship, cultural sponsorship and the promotion of young talent.
Further subjects are to follow. "The campaign can be expanded at will. Neither the SFLB creative team nor we are short of ideas," says Roland Ehrler, Head of Marketing Communication and Media at Swisscom AG. How many subjects there will be in the end has not yet been decided. The advertising media are just as open. "There is no TV commercial in the pipeline yet, but we could imagine some good picture stories," explains Ehrler.
For the time being, Swisscom is relying on advertisements, online advertising, on-site appearances and outdoor advertising. The highlight of the campaign will be the start of the ski season in October. Swisscom is already looking forward to it. "The campaign has been a success. It proves how deeply anchored Swisscom is in Switzerland and how important it is to us to promote performance at all levels," says Ehrler.
Focus on sport Nobody at the telecom giant wants to reveal how many millions Swisscom spends on sponsorship each year. What is known, however, is how the sponsorship money is divided up: Two thirds go to sport, while one third is used to support economic, cultural and social activities (see box). The sponsorship of the Swiss national ski team has the greatest broad impact.
It was therefore an obvious choice for SFLB to advertise with the racing kit. "The kit is perfect for building a campaign on. After all, there are few things in Switzerland that are as recognizable as the Swiss national ski team's ski kit. Every child knows it," says Christian Baertschi, SFLB consultant.
The Swiss Ski Association was impressed by the campaign right from the start. "The idea is great. The subjects make the connection to the various sponsorship commitments clear in a simple way," says Zuber. Without thinking twice, those responsible at the Swiss Ski Association took out the blue ski suits a few weeks ago and sent them to the Zurich agency, where the suits were prepared for the photo shoots.
"The outfits had to be adapted quite a bit," says Baertschi. This was also because some of the footballers wore the suit over their football shorts, the model for the "business boss" is chubby and the boy for the young talent promotion subject is only three years old.
The Swiss Ski Association hopes that the suits will be returned in the same condition as SFLB received them. Namely in perfect condition. "After all, these are our official training suits," says Zuber. However, this is likely to cause SFLB a few more problems. "Apart from that, everything went perfectly," says Baertschi.
Photo opportunity at 3882 meters
According to Swisscom, the spoiled footballers even enjoyed the shoot. For Blick, Le Matin, Swiss television and Schweizer Illustrierte, the parade in front of the lens was reason enough to report on it. And even at the photo shoot of the Swiss national ski team on the glacier of the small Matterhorn, at 3882 meters, everything went according to script. However, the skiers were not wearing their usual skin-tight ski outfits, but were standing on the eternal ice in short football shorts and the Swiss national football team shirt. Which - in the cold - was noticeably less fun than the footballers' racing kit adventure.
Photo shoot for one of the subjects: the national soccer players had to put on the tight ski dresses.
Where Swisscom distributes its moneyIn addition to the Swiss Alpine and Nordic national ski teams, Swisscom sponsors the national football team, the Swisscom Challenge women's tennis tournament, the Swiss Tennis Association and the new Swiss Football Cup, which is now called the Swisscom Cup. In the cultural sector, the telecoms giant supports the Locarno Film Festival and the AVO concerts. From the
The WWF, the national park and the local community benefit from this social commitment.
Schools to the Internet" initiative. The sponsorship portfolio also includes the Swiss Quality Award for Business Excellence Esprix and the Swiss Economic Forum. The three Swisscom Group companies Fixnet, Mobile and Directories are also involved as partners of Good News, as sponsors of several open-air concerts and as sponsors of the Bernese football club BSC Young Boys. (af)
Annelies Friedli
Andreas Zuber, Vice Director and Head of Marketing of the Swiss Ski Association (SSV), would never have dreamed that professional footballers would one day wear the kit of the Swiss national ski team. After all, the blue suit with the Swisscom logo was specially designed for the Swiss skiers for the 2003 season by the Zurich-based communication and design agency Trümpi&Partner. The advertising agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) has repurposed the tight racing suits for the latest Swisscom advertising campaign. The players of the Swiss national football team, a female tennis player, a well-built man (as a business boss) and a cute three-year old put on the blue kit for a photo shoot. This resulted in five subjects with the headline "We don't just support the Skinati". Among other things, they advertise the telecom group's football sponsorship, business sponsorship, ski sponsorship, cultural sponsorship and the promotion of young talent.
Further subjects are to follow. "The campaign can be expanded at will. Neither the SFLB creative team nor we are short of ideas," says Roland Ehrler, Head of Marketing Communication and Media at Swisscom AG. How many subjects there will be in the end has not yet been decided. The advertising media are just as open. "There is no TV commercial in the pipeline yet, but we could imagine some good picture stories," explains Ehrler.
For the time being, Swisscom is relying on advertisements, online advertising, on-site appearances and outdoor advertising. The highlight of the campaign will be the start of the ski season in October. Swisscom is already looking forward to it. "The campaign has been a success. It proves how deeply anchored Swisscom is in Switzerland and how important it is to us to promote performance at all levels," says Ehrler.
Focus on sport Nobody at the telecom giant wants to reveal how many millions Swisscom spends on sponsorship each year. What is known, however, is how the sponsorship money is divided up: Two thirds go to sport, while one third is used to support economic, cultural and social activities (see box). The sponsorship of the Swiss national ski team has the greatest broad impact.
It was therefore an obvious choice for SFLB to advertise with the racing kit. "The kit is perfect for building a campaign on. After all, there are few things in Switzerland that are as recognizable as the Swiss national ski team's ski kit. Every child knows it," says Christian Baertschi, SFLB consultant.
The Swiss Ski Association was impressed by the campaign right from the start. "The idea is great. The subjects make the connection to the various sponsorship commitments clear in a simple way," says Zuber. Without thinking twice, those responsible at the Swiss Ski Association took out the blue ski suits a few weeks ago and sent them to the Zurich agency, where the suits were prepared for the photo shoots.
"The outfits had to be adapted quite a bit," says Baertschi. This was also because some of the footballers wore the suit over their football shorts, the model for the "business boss" is chubby and the boy for the young talent promotion subject is only three years old.
The Swiss Ski Association hopes that the suits will be returned in the same condition as SFLB received them. Namely in perfect condition. "After all, these are our official training suits," says Zuber. However, this is likely to cause SFLB a few more problems. "Apart from that, everything went perfectly," says Baertschi.
Photo opportunity at 3882 meters
According to Swisscom, the spoiled footballers even enjoyed the shoot. For Blick, Le Matin, Swiss television and Schweizer Illustrierte, the parade in front of the lens was reason enough to report on it. And even at the photo shoot of the Swiss national ski team on the glacier of the small Matterhorn, at 3882 meters, everything went according to script. However, the skiers were not wearing their usual skin-tight ski outfits, but were standing on the eternal ice in short football shorts and the Swiss national football team shirt. Which - in the cold - was noticeably less fun than the footballers' racing kit adventure.
Photo shoot for one of the subjects: the national soccer players had to put on the tight ski dresses.
Where Swisscom distributes its moneyIn addition to the Swiss Alpine and Nordic national ski teams, Swisscom sponsors the national football team, the Swisscom Challenge women's tennis tournament, the Swiss Tennis Association and the new Swiss Football Cup, which is now called the Swisscom Cup. In the cultural sector, the telecoms giant supports the Locarno Film Festival and the AVO concerts. From the
The WWF, the national park and the local community benefit from this social commitment.
Schools to the Internet" initiative. The sponsorship portfolio also includes the Swiss Quality Award for Business Excellence Esprix and the Swiss Economic Forum. The three Swisscom Group companies Fixnet, Mobile and Directories are also involved as partners of Good News, as sponsors of several open-air concerts and as sponsors of the Bernese football club BSC Young Boys. (af)
Annelies Friedli
